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Literary Devices
Definition of Alliteration
Alliteration is a figure of speech in which the same sound repeats in a group of words, such as the “b” sound in: “Bob brought the box of bricks to... read full definition
Alliteration is a figure of speech in which the same sound repeats in a group of words, such as the “b” sound in: “Bob brought... read full definition
Alliteration is a figure of speech in which the same sound repeats in a group of words, such as the... read full definition
Book 5, Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—Banner-bearer:
Tolkien chooses to use alliteration in Théoden’s horn call to give the Riders’ charge the sound and rhythm of epic verse. The repeated consonant sounds mimic the power of the horns themselves, turning the king’s rallying cry into a force that resonates with both physical impact and poetic tradition.
With that he seized a great horn from Guthláf his banner-bearer, and he blew such a blast upon it that it burst asunder. And straightway all the horns in the host were lifted up in music, and the blowing of the horns of Rohan in that hour was like a storm upon the plain and a thunder in the mountains.
Phrases such as “blew such a blast […] burst asunder” and “horns in the host” use alliteration to emphasize force and rhythm. The repeated b and h sounds echo the blast itself, suggesting both the violence of the horn’s shattering and the ordered might of the Riders answering the call.
The stylistic choice reflects Tolkien’s debt to Old English heroic poetry. Alliteration was a central feature of Anglo-Saxon verse, and by using it here, Tolkien situates the Rohirrim within that tradition. The effect is to elevate their charge from a military maneuver into a moment of saga, worthy of song and memory.
The sensory impact of the horns is also reinforced by alliterative pairing with natural imagery—“storm […] plain […] thunder […] mountains.” The Riders’ call becomes elemental, more than human, as if the very forces of nature herald their coming. The sound is not only heard but felt, rolling like thunder through the land.
Through this layering of sound and imagery, Tolkien’s alliteration transforms the horns into more than instruments. They announce inevitability and power, fusing poetic style with martial energy. The passage elevates Théoden’s last great ride into myth, aligning his people with the epic traditions that inspired them.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Ran Like New Fire:
Alliteration heightens the drama of Théoden’s last great charge, filling the prose with rolling consonant sounds that echo the thunder of hooves and the rhythm of heroic poetry. The effect turns the king’s ride into something larger than life, fusing sound and sense into a moment of epic resonance.
Suddenly the king cried to Snowmane and the horse sprang away. Behind him his banner blew in the wind, white horse upon a field of green, but he outpaced it. After him thundered the knights of his house, but he was ever before them. Éomer rode there, the white horsetail on his helm floating in his speed, and the front of the first éored roared like a breaker foaming to the shore, but Théoden could not be overtaken. Fey he seemed, or the battle-fury of his fathers ran like new fire in his veins...
The alliteration is concentrated in phrases such as “banner blew,” “front [...] first,” “fury [...] fathers,” and “fire [...] veins.” These repeated consonants propel the rhythm forward, imitating the pounding gallop of the Rohirrim as they sweep across the field. The sound patterns make the charge feel inexorable, as if driven by both poetry and battle-drum.
Stylistically, the alliteration recalls Old English verse, which Tolkien drew on to shape the culture of the Rohirrim. The repeated sounds give the language a chant-like quality, situating Théoden’s ride in the tradition of oral saga and heroic lays. The Rohirrim are not simply riding into war; they are entering legend.
The emotional weight of the passage is intensified by this sound patterning. The consonant clusters mimic both the surge of cavalry and the quickening of a heartbeat, conveying urgency and exaltation. When Tolkien writes of “the fury of his fathers” and “fire in his veins,” the alliteration elevates Théoden to a mythic plane, possessed by the spirit of ancestral warriors.
Through alliteration, Tolkien transforms description into commemoration. Théoden’s charge is not just a battlefield maneuver but an epic moment, echoing with rhythm and resonance that ensure it reads like a song of valor as much as a record of action.
Related Themes:
Book 5, Chapter 6
Explanation and Analysis—Epic Song:
In the Rohirric song for Gondor’s fallen, Tolkien uses alliteration to mirror the sound patterns of Old English and Norse verse. The repeated consonants give the lament a measured, chant-like rhythm, transforming grief into a ritualized remembrance that carries the dead into enduring song:
Derufin and Duilin, to their dark waters, meres of Morthond under mountain-shadows. Death in the morning and at day’s ending lords took and lowly. Long now they sleep under grass in Gondor by the Great River. Grey now as tears, gleaming silver, red then it rolled, roaring water[.]
Alliterative patterns such as “Derufin and Duilin, to their dark,” “Death […] day’s,” “lords […] lowly,” and “red […] rolled, roaring” create a rolling cadence. The repetition of d, l, and r sounds gives the verse momentum and musicality, reinforcing its oral, performative character.
Stylistically, this recalls the heroic verse Tolkien knew from Old English elegies like The Wanderer and Beowulf. By shaping Rohirric culture through alliterative song, Tolkien roots them in an ancient-seeming oral tradition, suggesting that their memories and mourning are preserved through poetry rather than prose.
The emotional force of the alliteration lies in its blending of grief and grandeur. Phrases such as “Grey now as tears” slow the cadence into sorrow, while “red […] rolled, roaring water” surges with force, merging the imagery of blood and river into one overwhelming sound. The verse captures both mourning for the slain and awe at their sacrifice.
Culturally, the alliteration transforms battlefield loss into legend. The names of Derufin and Duilin, otherwise minor, are enshrined in rhythm and sound, ensuring they endure as part of Gondor’s and Rohan’s shared memory. The technique fuses the natural imagery of river and shadow with human grief, making the song a communal act of remembrance.
Through alliteration, Tolkien makes the lament both musical and memorial. The verse flows like the river it describes—rolling, repeating, unending—ensuring that tragedy is not forgotten but preserved in the form of heroic poetry.
Related Themes:
Book 6, Chapter 6
Explanation and Analysis—Out of Doubt, Out of Dark:
Tolkien employs alliteration in the verse commemorating Aragorn’s deeds, using repeated consonant sounds to give the lines the rhythm and resonance of heroic poetry. The technique binds the words into chant-like patterns, turning the narrative of his reign into song and legend:
Out of doubt, out of dark, to the day’s rising he rode singing in the sun, sword unsheathing. Hope he rekindled, and in hope ended; over death, over dread, over doom lifted out of loss, out of life, unto long glory.
The passage clusters repeated sounds to create emphasis: the d sounds in “doubt [...] dark [...] day’s” and “death [...] dread [...] doom,” and the s sounds in “singing […] sun […] sword.” These alliterative strings echo the cadences of Old English verse, which Tolkien consciously imitated, and give the lines a rolling rhythm that feels solemn and ceremonial.
The stylistic function of the alliteration is to elevate Aragorn’s story into a register of cultural memory. Instead of simple narration, his actions are framed in verse that resembles elegy or saga, suggesting permanence and dignity. The repeated sounds make the passage memorable, as though designed for oral tradition, ensuring that Aragorn’s kingship will be remembered not just as history but as song.
The emotional effect is equally important. The rhythm lends weight to the balance of triumph and finality—“hope rekindled, and in hope ended”—and the repeated sounds underscore the sense of closure at the end of the quest. The clustering of d and s consonants conveys both gravity and motion, as though the verse itself embodies the journey from shadow into light.
Through alliteration, Tolkien transforms a personal account into mythic commemoration. The passage celebrates Aragorn as a heroic figure whose life, like those of ancient kings, is fixed in memory through poetry. The sound patterning heightens the sense of closure and continuity, linking the end of the Ring’s story to the timeless tradition of heroic lays.
Related Themes:
