t imaginary language, Nevbosh ("new nonsense"). At age twelve Tolkien's mother passed away (his father having died when he was only a baby), and he found solace in the beginnings of what would become his life-long obsession: the construction of an elvish language. This fascination with languages eventually helped Tolkien attain a position as Merton Professor of English Language and Literature at Oxford, concentrating on philology. He spent most of his free time inventing "faerie languages": "Quenya" is reminiscent of Finnish, "Sindarin" of Welsh. As he crafted these languages Tolkien had a singular revelation: For a language to be "real," it has to consistently reflect a cultural perspective; the "story" of a culture. In other words, a real language both implies and demands a myth. For instance, the English word "excruciating" alludes to the story of the crucifixion of Christ.Tolkien published The Hobbit in 1936 and The Lord of the Rings in 1954. Both were written in service to Tolkien's imaginary languages, and he found it frustrating that most people assumed the reverse. In an article explaining his obsession called A Secret Vice Tolkien wrote, "The making of language and mythology are related functions. Your language construction will breed a mythology."Tolkien's work was a modestly successful "guilty pleasure" in academic circles for over a decade: professors and students were reluctant to admit how much they loved a story about "silly elf-and-dragon stuff." It wasn't until an American company illegally published a cheap edition in paperback that Tolkien's work finally reached the mainstream. By the mid-sixties The Lord of the Rings was probably the most influential fantasy story in the Western world, occupying the same position Star Wars did in the late seventies and Wagner's Ring Cycle did toward the end of the 19th century.Lucas has often cited The Lord of the Rings as a major influence on Star Wars. The superficial stuff is the most obvious, but the subtle lesson Lucas learned from Tolkien is how to handle the delicate stuff of myth. Tolkien wrote that myth and fairytale seem to be the best way to communicate morality - hints for choosing between right and wrong - and in fact that may be their primary purpose. Tolkien was devoutly Christian, and wrestled a bit with figuring out how to talk about The Christian Bible. He observed that the New Testament in particular is structured just like a myth, and wanted to be able to explore that without giving anyone the impression that he was belittling what he saw as a genuine divine revelation. Finally he decided that the Bible is a true myth, and stories like The Lord of the Rings are "sub-creations."Star Wars may be "Flash Gordon on the outside," and the structure is mostly Campbell, but the heart, the myth, may draw most deeply from Tolkien. That doesn't mean Lucas ripped Tolkien off!! Tolkien's primary inspiration for the tricky good vs. evil stuff was Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (14th century CE, author unknown), and Tolkien recorded his frustration at being unable to find the sources for that story. He had no doubt that such sources existed, and hoped to learn from them the same way Lucas learned from him. All great stories have deep roots.Here are a few of the obvious similarities between Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings:
Star Wars .Lord of the Rings.
Obi-Wan and Luke's lightsabers glow blue. Darth's lightsaber glows red.Gandalf and Bilbo's magic swords glow blue. The Balrog's magic sword flames red.
Obi-Wan Kenobi Gandalf
Darth Vader The Witch-King of Angmar
Emperor Palpatine Sauron
Obi-Wan digs Anakin's lightsaber out of an old wooden box, gives to Luke.Bilbo digs his magic sword out of an old wooden box, gives to Frodo.
Darth cuts off Luke's hand, which plunges into the abyss with Luke's lightsaber.Gollum bites off Frodo's finger, which plunges into the abyss with the One Ring.
Yoda foretells the future, and Luke must decide whether to help his friends or not. Yoda warns that he's seen only one possible future. Galadriel foretells the future, and Sam must decide whether to help his friends or not. Galadriel warns that she's seen only one possible future.
Darth tries to convince Luke to join the dark side, thereby bringing order to the galaxy.Saruman tries to convince Gandalf to join the evil wizards, thereby bringing order to Middle Earth
Mysterious figure throws back hood of robe to reveal that he's Obi-Wan.Mysterious figure throws back hood of robe to reveal that he's Gandalf
Luke: "I shouldn't have come, I'm endangering the mission." (Because Darth can sense him).Glorfindel: "It is you, Frodo, and that which you bear that brings us into peril." (Because Sauron can sense the One Ring)
Luke watches from across a chasm as his mentor Obi-Wan duels with Darth Vader using blue and red lightsabers.Frodo watches from across a chasm as his mentor Gandalf duels with a Balrog using blue and red flaming magic swords.
Heroes are walking through a forest when they're surprised by ewoks, captured at spear-point, then taken to a village in the trees.Heroes are walking through a forest when they're surprised by elves, captured at arrow-point, then taken to a village in the trees
Epic Inspirations for LOTR
Tolkien's deepest linguisti
c influence was probably his discovery of The Kalevala (roughly "Song of the Land of Heroes") in the original Finnish, a joy he compared to drunkenness. He used it as the primary model for his own language, Quenya. Tolkien was fascinated with the idea of a magic relic so powerful (and metaphorically flexible) that it could serve as the center of an entire heroic epic. The Kalevala's version of the One Ring, the Tsampo, is described so vaguely that to this day scholars debate about what exactly it is. (A ring? A staff? The Golden Fleece?) This enticing ambiguity probably influenced Tolkien's idea that a great story never gives the reader all the answers. He wrote: "Part of the attraction of the L.R. is, I think due to the glimpses of a large history in the background: an attraction like that of viewing far off an unvisited island, or seeing the towers of a distant city gleaming in a sunlit mist. To go there is to destroy the magic, unless new unattainable vistas are again revealed." The Kalevala was collected into a single story in 1849 by Elias Lönnrot.
c influence was probably his discovery of The Kalevala (roughly "Song of the Land of Heroes") in the original Finnish, a joy he compared to drunkenness. He used it as the primary model for his own language, Quenya. Tolkien was fascinated with the idea of a magic relic so powerful (and metaphorically flexible) that it could serve as the center of an entire heroic epic. The Kalevala's version of the One Ring, the Tsampo, is described so vaguely that to this day scholars debate about what exactly it is. (A ring? A staff? The Golden Fleece?) This enticing ambiguity probably influenced Tolkien's idea that a great story never gives the reader all the answers. He wrote: "Part of the attraction of the L.R. is, I think due to the glimpses of a large history in the background: an attraction like that of viewing far off an unvisited island, or seeing the towers of a distant city gleaming in a sunlit mist. To go there is to destroy the magic, unless new unattainable vistas are again revealed." The Kalevala was collected into a single story in 1849 by Elias Lönnrot.Anot
her huge influence for LOTR was Beowulf. The earliest surviving epic poem written in English, Beowulf was most likely composed in the seventh or eighth century by an Anglian bard. Beowulf tells the story of a Scandinavian hero and his battles with the beast Grendle, Grendle's mother, and a dragon. Tolkien translated it, taught it, wrote papers about it... it is no exaggeration to say that Beowulf's current position as a "classic" in Western academia is due in no small part to Tolkien's efforts and prestige. Tolkien loved Beowulf because it was the first story he'd ever read by a Christian that portrayed the Pagans not as godless savages, but a sympathetic and noble people. Tolkien saw Beowulf as a magnificent reconciliation between the two cultures. He also loved the great heroes, monsters, swords and orcs, which he borrowed for his own stories. The halls of Beorn and Théoden are very closely modeled on Heorot, the hall of Beowulf's friend Hrothgar, king of the Danes.The basic plot for The Hobbit is probably borrowed from this offhand line in Beowulf "...a dragon on the prowl from the sleep vaults of a stone-roofed barrow where he guarded a hoard; there was a hidden passage, unknown to men, but someone managed to enter by it and interfere with the heathen trove. He had handled and removed a gem-studded goblet; it gained him nothing, though with a thief's wiles he had outwitted the sleeping dragon; that drove him into rage, as the people of that country would soon discover."
her huge influence for LOTR was Beowulf. The earliest surviving epic poem written in English, Beowulf was most likely composed in the seventh or eighth century by an Anglian bard. Beowulf tells the story of a Scandinavian hero and his battles with the beast Grendle, Grendle's mother, and a dragon. Tolkien translated it, taught it, wrote papers about it... it is no exaggeration to say that Beowulf's current position as a "classic" in Western academia is due in no small part to Tolkien's efforts and prestige. Tolkien loved Beowulf because it was the first story he'd ever read by a Christian that portrayed the Pagans not as godless savages, but a sympathetic and noble people. Tolkien saw Beowulf as a magnificent reconciliation between the two cultures. He also loved the great heroes, monsters, swords and orcs, which he borrowed for his own stories. The halls of Beorn and Théoden are very closely modeled on Heorot, the hall of Beowulf's friend Hrothgar, king of the Danes.The basic plot for The Hobbit is probably borrowed from this offhand line in Beowulf "...a dragon on the prowl from the sleep vaults of a stone-roofed barrow where he guarded a hoard; there was a hidden passage, unknown to men, but someone managed to enter by it and interfere with the heathen trove. He had handled and removed a gem-studded goblet; it gained him nothing, though with a thief's wiles he had outwitted the sleeping dragon; that drove him into rage, as the people of that country would soon discover." The other major source for The Hobbit is probably Tolkien's favorite childhood story, The Story of Sigurd, as published in The Red Fairy Book (1890) by Andrew Lang (1844-1912). Hobbit also includes a few ideas from H. Rider Haggard (1856-1925), in particular from King Solomon's Mines (1885) and She (1886).Tolkien even borrows his title from Beowulf: line 2345 reads, "Oferhogaode ða hringa fengel," usually translated "Yet the prince of the rings was too proud..." This suggests Beowulf's trait of sharing gold rings and other spoils of war with his men, thus earning their loyalty. I strongly suspect that Tolkien translated this title of Beowulf's as "Lord of the Rings."
The Lord of the Rings was also influenced by Le Morte D'Arthur, the "definitive" story of King Arthur written by Sir Thomas Malory in 1485. Tolkien considered it a shame that the English thought of King Arthur as their central myth, since he felt it was "essentially French." One of his goals in writing LOTR was to give England a myth which was truly English. Tolkien's favorite King Arthur story was Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (14th c., anonymous). The title of the third volume in LOTR, The Return of the King is probably inspired by the common British legend that King Arthur, like Christ, will one day return to reward good and punish evil (a title probably echoed by Return of the Jedi).
While Tolkien borrowed the form of the epic and several great ideas from The Kalevala, Beowulf and Le Morte D'Arthur, his greatest influence was probably Norse mythology. The Lord of the Rings reinvigorates ideas from every major work of the Norse cannon: The Elder (Poetic) Edda (composed between 800-1200 CE, authors unknown), The Younger (Prose) Edda (Snorri Sturluson, 1222 CE), The Volsunga Saga (13th c, author unknown), Das Nibelungenlied (13th c, author unknown), Thidreks Saga (c. 1200 CE, author unknown), and Heimskringla or The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway (Snorri Sturluson, c.1225 CE).So its apparent how epics of yore have inspired the blockbusters of each generation. If the Lord 
of the Rings was popular during the 50's and 60's, Star wars was the magnum opus of the 70's and 80's. So is it fair to blame a certain Ms.Rowling of pilferage simply because she adapted the best of literature into a tale which caught the attention of the internet generation and defined modern fantasy fiction? I think not, and whatever criticism Harry potter and his adventures have been subjected to fails to see the impact rowling created in young and old minds alike, literally bringing reading back into fashion.
of the Rings was popular during the 50's and 60's, Star wars was the magnum opus of the 70's and 80's. So is it fair to blame a certain Ms.Rowling of pilferage simply because she adapted the best of literature into a tale which caught the attention of the internet generation and defined modern fantasy fiction? I think not, and whatever criticism Harry potter and his adventures have been subjected to fails to see the impact rowling created in young and old minds alike, literally bringing reading back into fashion.
1 comment:
You ripped a whole hell of a lot of this from
http://moongadget.com/origins/lotr.html
I sincerly hope you get caught!
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