The research, carried out as part of the TRANSMEL project, has led to the discovery of a previously unknown translation by the author of ‘The Lord of the Rings’
The TRANSMEL research project (Translation, Transmission, and Transformation in Medieval English Literature), led by Rafael J. Pascual, a Ramón y Cajal researcher in the Department of English and German Philology, has led to the discovery of a document containing a previously unpublished translation by J. R. R. Tolkien, held at the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford.
The discovery was made by Andoni Cossio, a lecturer at the University of the Basque Country and a researcher with TRANSMEL, a project funded by the University of Granada’s (UGR) Internal Research Plan. The document was identified whilst studying manuscripts held at the prestigious British library. The text discovered, entitled Soul’s Ward –La custodia del alma–, is a translation into modern English by Tolkien of the medieval homily collection Sawles Warde, a 13th-century work written in what is known as the AB dialect, a linguistic variety of particular relevance to the philological studies of the author of The Lord of the Rings.
This research has brought to light a document previously unknown to the academic community and has significantly expanded the corpus of Tolkien’s surviving academic writings. The work has culminated in the critical edition of the text in the journal The Review of English Studies, published by Oxford University Press.
This discovery provides new insights into Tolkien’s career as a philologist and medievalist, a fundamental aspect of his intellectual activity that complements his well-known literary output. It also highlights the importance of research into original sources and historical archives for the recovery of materials of international interest. The impact of the discovery has extended beyond the academic sphere and has aroused the interest of both specialist and generalist media outlets in various countries.
In addition to this discovery, the TRANSMEL project has facilitated the translation into Spanish of The Figure of King Arthur, carried out by Miguel Ángel Martínez-Cabeza and Rafael J. Pascual. This publication presents the first Spanish translation of the Arthurian essay by Charles Williams, a member of the Inklings literary group alongside J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis.
Useful links
- https://www.english.ox.ac.uk/people/dr-rafael-j-pascual
- https://academic.oup.com/res/advance-article/doi/10.1093/res/hgag038/8698084?searchresult=1
- https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/05/lost-tolkien-work-discovered-in-bodleian-archives/
Contact:
Rafael J. Pascual – rjpascual@ugr.es