“Anyway, Finn and Hengest has a kind of interesting theory in it, but it’s actually quite hard to work it out. However, there was something I noticed (again by accident, and this is now years and years ago): There’s a children’s book, and it’s called Hengest’s Tale, and it’s by Jill Paton Walsh, a well-known children’s author. But I discovered, and I don’t know quite how I discovered this, but her maiden name was Bliss. And I actually contacted her, and she said, “Yes, oh yes, Alan Bliss was my uncle. And when I was Oxford, I was tutored by Tolkien.” So there are two ways how she could have worked out the thesis of Tolkien’s work Finn and Hengest: 1) from her uncle, and 2) perhaps from Tolkien; he might have told her.

“Anyway, her children’s book gives the central idea and core of Tolkien’s analysis of the Finnsburg Event, you know, in a comprehensible form. And I strongly suggest that you read it, and then you’ll know what Tolkien meant. After you’ve read it, you can then read Finn and Hengest. And you’ll probably work out then what Tolkien was talking about.”

I was struck by this segment (from 30:41 of the video with Tom Shippey). I daresay a new edition combining the two books would be welcome, if it could be worked out.