Diversité chez Tolkien

[Hofnarr Felder]

Absolument, 'swart', dans les productions littéraires de l'époque (fin XIXème - début XXème), est très loin de se référer systématiquement à une couleur de peau sombre dans le sens où on l'entendrait aujourd'hui. Par exemple, dans The Science of Fairy Tales de Hartland (1891):

A Swedish book, published in 1775, contains a tale, narrated in the form of a legal declaration solemnly subscribed on the 12th April 1671 by the fortunate midwife's husband, whose name was Peter Rahm, and who also seems to have been a clergyman. On the authority of this declaration we are called on to believe that the event recorded actually happened in the year 1660. Peter Rahm alleges that he and his wife were at their farm one evening late when there came a little man, swart of face and clad in grey, who begged the declarant's wife to come and help his wife then in labour. The declarant, seeing that they had to do with a Troll, prayed over his wife, blessed her, and bade her in God's name go with the stranger.

Une autre de 1849:

His companion, Thomas Walford, was a big, burly fellow, somewhat younger than himself, considerably more than six feet in height, with a swart complexion and harsh features, which were redeemed by a frank and manly expression.

Ici on voit bien que 'swart' ne veut pas dire qu'il n'est pas blanc de peau. J'imagine que c'est la même chose pour Maglin.

Thomas Dunn, 1894:

The gnome-king with his elfish train, His black locks flaked with storm and rain, And wet his robes of cramoisie, Short, swart and full of wrath is he.

On voit que c'est un lieu commun de la description des êtres fantastiques "néfastes".