For example, T is written as ↑ and V as U. In Letters From Father Christmas, Tolkien not only developed Arktik but also made small changes in the English script to write it.

He went the whole nine yards- he created languages and dialects within the languages. Tolkien himself knew 35 different languages and made sure his worlds were infused with the magic of different tongues. Creating fictional languages is a great tool to making a fictional world come alive. We find this out in a letter from 1929, written wholly by Karhu (incidentally, also the first time we find out his name). You’ve read and heard enough of Elvish, but have you ever heard of Arktik? That’s, of course, the language they speak in the North Pole. Most children only imagine Father Christmas and the North Pole through these letters and drawings, Tolkien made it a very real place for his children- similar to how Middle-Earth was for us when we read LOTR. I loved how Karhu and Father Christmas’ relationship developed, and I can imagine Tolkien’s children having a real laugh at their antics- from falling down the stairs to bullying the man in the moon as well as their gardener, who is a snowman. With every page in the book, I felt increasingly invested in what was happening in the North Pole. It is no wonder that Tolkien is synonymous with world-building. For example, Father Christmas and Karhu’s rapport is similar to that of a parent and child – the bear may annoy Father Christmas to bits, but he still considers Karhu to be a child and even trusts him enough to complete and add to his letters to Tolkien’s children. He beautifully etched out the relationships each character shared with one another and Father Christmas, and these relationships reflect those in the real world. He made Father Christmas’ Cliff House seem like a real house full of people, Christmas-related activity and excitement. He introduced a multitude of characters in this ‘Santaverse’ (as I like to call it), each one with their own personality- a troublesome bear named Karhu, an efficient secretary named Ilbereth, etc. Rather, he developed Father Christmas’ character further with each letter. It wasn’t enough for him to just write the letters. It must have taken a tremendous amount of effort to go to such lengths to ensure that his children genuinely believed these letters were from Father Christmas.īut, if you think about it, this ties in perfectly with Tolkien’s skill of and obsession with world-building. All these letters were actually ‘delivered’ (read as found by his children in their house), and he made sure that they were often dusted with snow and/or had North Pole stamps on them. Before we get into the nitty-gritties of the book, let me just say, I am in awe of Tolkien the father.

Letters to father christmas tolkien