I have heard that all the names in The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien can be found in an Icelandic book. Who wrote it and what is it called?

Answer

The names of persons in The Lord of the Rings can be found in many places. Some are the invention of the author, others originate from ancient cultural heritage and some are from Old English or Old Norse sources. The name of King Róhan, son of Þjóðann son of Þengill, is for example from Icelandic or Norse court poetry where both names (þjóðann and þengill) are literary names for kings.

Völuspá is found in the manuscript Codex Regius.

The names of the dwarfs that accompany Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit all appear, with the exception of one, in verses 9-16 of Völuspá (The Song of the Sybil), verses sometimes referred to as the dwarf roll. The name Gandalf also appears there. Maybe that explains the origin of the question. The only dwarf in The Hobbit that does not occur in Völuspá is Balinn. The name Gimli occurs in Völuspá, but not as the name of a dwarf.

Translated by Paul Richardson.

Picture: Stofnun Árna Magnússonar