Cats of Queen Berúthiel
Encyclopedia
The Cats of Queen Berúthiel were at first mention used as a cognitive estrangement
device in an off-hand remark in the Lord of the Rings. Later a story was published about the cat
s of Queen Berúthiel
, the wife of Tarannon Falastur, twelfth King of Gondor
.
, Aragorn
uses the cats as a byword for navigation in the dark: Gandalf
is surer of finding the way home in a blind night than the cats of Queen Berúthiel.
The cats of Queen Berúthiel were mentioned by Tolkien in a 1956 letter as only one of the two references (besides the names of the Blue Wizards
) in the whole Lord of the Rings that did not actually exist, on its own plane (of secondary or sub-creational reality.) Before the publication of the Unfinished Tales
in 1980, the cats were (in the words of Christopher Tolkien
) "hitherto wholly mysterious."
According to Unfinished Tales
, Queen Berúthiel had ten cats. The cats were her slaves whom she used as spies.
Queen Berúthiel was feared and reviled in Gondor, and at last her husband the King banished her from the realm. She was last seen aboard a ship, with all her cats, sailing away into the southern seas.
Many things have been written about the cats of Queen Berúthiel. For example the following: "Tolkien spent years creating his world, and it shows, in what he reveals and also what he merely hints at. For instance, there are the famous 'cats of Queen Beruthiel', the subject of an off-hand comment by Aragorn—we never find out anything more about the cats or their mistress, but just the mention of them suggests, as Tom Shippey says in his excellent J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century, 'that there is a world outside the story'.
Suspension of disbelief
Suspension of disbelief or "willing suspension of disbelief" is a formula for justifying the use of fantastic or non-realistic elements in literary works of fiction...
device in an off-hand remark in the Lord of the Rings. Later a story was published about the cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s of Queen Berúthiel
Queen Berúthiel
Queen Berúthiel is a minor fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium.Berúthiel was first mentioned in Unfinished Tales. She was of Black Númenórean origin, from "the inland city", somewhere south of Umbar. Her marriage to Tarannon Falastur is believed to have been arranged for political...
, the wife of Tarannon Falastur, twelfth King of Gondor
Gondor
Gondor is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings, described as the greatest realm of Men in the west of Middle-earth by the end of the Third Age. The third volume of The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, is concerned with the events in Gondor during the War of the Ring and with...
.
Overview
In The Lord of the RingsThe Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
, Aragorn
Aragorn
Aragorn II is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, one of the main protagonists of The Lord of the Rings. He is first introduced by the name Strider, which the hobbits continue to call him...
uses the cats as a byword for navigation in the dark: Gandalf
Gandalf
Gandalf is a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. In these stories, Gandalf appears as a wizard, member and later the head of the order known as the Istari, as well as leader of the Fellowship of the Ring and the army of the West...
is surer of finding the way home in a blind night than the cats of Queen Berúthiel.
The cats of Queen Berúthiel were mentioned by Tolkien in a 1956 letter as only one of the two references (besides the names of the Blue Wizards
Blue Wizards
Blue Wizards are fictional characters in J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium.They are two of the five Wizards sent by angelic beings called the Valar to Middle-earth to aid in the struggle against Sauron...
) in the whole Lord of the Rings that did not actually exist, on its own plane (of secondary or sub-creational reality.) Before the publication of the Unfinished Tales
Unfinished Tales
Unfinished Tales is a collection of stories and essays by J. R. R. Tolkien that were never completed during his lifetime, but were edited by his son Christopher Tolkien and published in 1980.Unlike The Silmarillion, for which the narrative fragments were modified to connect into a consistent and...
in 1980, the cats were (in the words of Christopher Tolkien
Christopher Tolkien
Christopher Reuel Tolkien is the third and youngest son of the author J. R. R. Tolkien , and is best known as the editor of much of his father's posthumously published work. He drew the original maps for his father's The Lord of the Rings, which he signed C. J. R. T. The J...
) "hitherto wholly mysterious."
According to Unfinished Tales
Unfinished Tales
Unfinished Tales is a collection of stories and essays by J. R. R. Tolkien that were never completed during his lifetime, but were edited by his son Christopher Tolkien and published in 1980.Unlike The Silmarillion, for which the narrative fragments were modified to connect into a consistent and...
, Queen Berúthiel had ten cats. The cats were her slaves whom she used as spies.
Queen Berúthiel was feared and reviled in Gondor, and at last her husband the King banished her from the realm. She was last seen aboard a ship, with all her cats, sailing away into the southern seas.
Many things have been written about the cats of Queen Berúthiel. For example the following: "Tolkien spent years creating his world, and it shows, in what he reveals and also what he merely hints at. For instance, there are the famous 'cats of Queen Beruthiel', the subject of an off-hand comment by Aragorn—we never find out anything more about the cats or their mistress, but just the mention of them suggests, as Tom Shippey says in his excellent J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century, 'that there is a world outside the story'.