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trollcatman
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04 Dec 2014, 5:11 am

Jono wrote:
Sweetleaf wrote:
Jono wrote:
TwinRuler wrote:
I have always loved that series of novels. I am beginning to wonder, though, if it was a reflection of JRR Tolkien's medievalist worldview? Still, he did create much of the whole trend towards Fantasy Fiction that has gone, unabated, to this very day.


Actually, Tolkien based a lot of his writings on Middle Earth on known mythology, including Norse, Celtic, Slavic, Persian and Greek mythology.


That to, my brother got a copy of one of his books that is written in Norwegian...I cannot remember which one it is, but it was an old copy we found.


Tolkien himself didn't always like the translations. He was a linguistic expert and the names of places and such were taken from his constructed languages (usually based on ancient Dermanic languages or Old English.


Since I read the Dutch translation first, I was surprised to see Dutch names like Langstrand and Riddermark in the English version as well.



B19
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04 Dec 2014, 8:20 pm

I'm not a Tolkein fan, though I am a Peter Jackson fan. He grew up at a very small coastal place in New Zealand with a very ordinary family and had no nepotic, financial nor old boy network advantages in respect of what he would go on to do and achieve. He had his imagination, and a tendency to become fascinated with things that interested him. When he won his first Oscar, he was told to wear a tie (he never wears ties) to collect his first Oscar, or he couldn't go up on the stage. He said "Fine, I won't go then". They relented and he collected his first Oscar at the Academy Awards, as himself, no frills and tie-less. Love it!



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22 Dec 2014, 3:00 pm

I'm not a big Lord of the Rings fan. Sorry.


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Feyokien
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24 Dec 2014, 12:32 am

I dunno about his worldview, but he did seed his Middle Earth Legendarium with bits of his own ideals, like a greater appreciation of nature because of the evils he saw in industrialization and his anti war view from his service in WW1. From what I know he wrote the books as an attempt to fill the void of history/cultural knowledge in Britain before writing/was Christianized/the Roman conquest. Kinda like how the Greeks had their legends and mythologies. I read too much Wikipedia



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24 Dec 2014, 2:45 am

I know that Tolkien, after using Germanic myth and symbolism in his Lord Of The Rings trilogy, The Hobbit, and his other works, was very pissed with Hitler for blackening by using it in Nazi imagery and ideology.


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24 Dec 2014, 2:47 am

Kraichgauer wrote:
I know that Tolkien, after using Germanic myth and symbolism in his Lord Of The Rings trilogy, The Hobbit, and his other works, was very pissed with Hitler for blackening those myths by using it in Nazi imagery and ideology.


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as1337
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25 Jan 2015, 9:43 pm

I read that Tolkien was angry that the Norman invasion destroyed britishh mythology and tlotr was an attempt to create an anglo-Saxon myth. Supposedly the culture of Rohan is focused on horses as part of his wish fulfillment that the anglo-saxons had cavalry to win the battle of hastings and preserve their culture.

He teached old english and was also part of a Reading/writing group that read legends like Beowulf, which heavily inspired tlotr. Yet i do believe he had a for his time modern worldview and his books definitely seem products of the 20th century to me.


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Kraichgauer
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25 Jan 2015, 10:08 pm

as1337 wrote:
I read that Tolkien was angry that the Norman invasion destroyed britishh mythology and tlotr was an attempt to create an anglo-Saxon myth. Supposedly the culture of Rohan is focused on horses as part of his wish fulfillment that the anglo-saxons had cavalry to win the battle of hastings and preserve their culture.

He teached old english and was also part of a Reading/writing group that read legends like Beowulf, which heavily inspired tlotr. Yet i do believe he had a for his time modern worldview and his books definitely seem products of the 20th century to me.


That very well may be true. As far as the people of Rohan are concerned, I always saw them as analogous to the Goths, who's language came to differ from the West Germanic dialects to the west, and who had taken up horsemanship. Also, the Rohan king who fell fighting the forces of Sauron was very likely inspired by the Visigothic king, Theoderic, who died fighting to defend the west against Attila the Hun.


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trollcatman
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26 Jan 2015, 9:13 pm

Kraichgauer wrote:
as1337 wrote:
I read that Tolkien was angry that the Norman invasion destroyed britishh mythology and tlotr was an attempt to create an anglo-Saxon myth. Supposedly the culture of Rohan is focused on horses as part of his wish fulfillment that the anglo-saxons had cavalry to win the battle of hastings and preserve their culture.

He teached old english and was also part of a Reading/writing group that read legends like Beowulf, which heavily inspired tlotr. Yet i do believe he had a for his time modern worldview and his books definitely seem products of the 20th century to me.


That very well may be true. As far as the people of Rohan are concerned, I always saw them as analogous to the Goths, who's language came to differ from the West Germanic dialects to the west, and who had taken up horsemanship. Also, the Rohan king who fell fighting the forces of Sauron was very likely inspired by the Visigothic king, Theoderic, who died fighting to defend the west against Attila the Hun.


Their names and some words used in the book are Anglo-Saxon though, which at that time might have somewhat similar names to the Goths. Eomer he borrowed from Beowulf.
I even know some people named Theororic, in the modern version: Diederik (Dutch), and in German it is Dietrich.



trollcatman
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26 Jan 2015, 9:27 pm

There are also quite a few names from the Poetic Edda, this is part of the Voluspo, which is more or less a creation story and apocalypse in one poem. Many of the Dwarf names are in it, as wel as Gandalf. Eikenskjidi means Oakenshield:

9. Then sought the gods | their assembly-seats,
The holy ones, | and council held,
To find who should raise | the race of dwarfs
Out of Brimir's blood | and the legs of Blain.

10. There was Motsognir | the mightiest made
Of all the dwarfs, | and Durin next;
Many a likeness | of men they made,
The dwarfs in the earth, | as Durin said.

11. Nyi and Nithi, | Northri and Suthri,
Austri and Vestri, | Althjof, Dvalin,
Nar and Nain, | Niping, Dain,
Bifur, Bofur, | Bombur, Nori,
An and Onar, | Ai, Mjothvitnir.

12. Vigg and Gandalf) | Vindalf, Thrain,
Thekk and Thorin, | Thror, Vit and Lit,
Nyr and Nyrath,-- | now have I told--
Regin and Rathsvith-- | the list aright.

13. Fili, Kili, | Fundin, Nali,
Heptifili, | Hannar, Sviur,
Frar, Hornbori, | Fræg and Loni,
Aurvang, Jari, | Eikinskjaldi.

14. The race of the dwarfs | in Dvalin's throng
Down to Lofar | the list must I tell;
The rocks they left, | and through wet lands
They sought a home | in the fields of sand.

15. There were Draupnir | and Dolgthrasir,
Hor, Haugspori, | Hlevang, Gloin,
Dori, Ori, | Duf, Andvari,
Skirfir, Virfir, | Skafith, Ai.

16. Alf and Yngvi, | Eikinskjaldi,
Fjalar and Frosti, | Fith and Ginnar;
So for all time | shall the tale be known,
The list of all | the forbears of Lofar.

17. Then from the throng | did three come forth,
From the home of the gods, | the mighty and gracious;
Two without fate | on the land they found,
Ask and Embla, | empty of might.

18. Soul they had not, | sense they had not,
Heat nor motion, | nor goodly hue;
Soul gave Othin, | sense gave Hönir,
Heat gave Lothur | and goodly hue.

(rest of poem here: http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/)