These are the archives from 2010-2018 for the discussion forum hosted by the UNM Hobbit Society at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, NM, USA. The purpose of our group is to meet and associate with others interested in Tolkien, and to learn more about the author, his written works, and his sources through discussion, guest lectures and academically oriented activities. This blog is intended to expand discussion among UNM Hobbit Society members beyond what meeting times allow.
My favorite part of this presentation was the comparison of the women of the Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun and LOTR. The way the group used images to emphasize the similarities and differences they discussed was very intriguing.
I was really interested to learn about the similarities in format between The Silmarillion and Sigurd and Gudrun. The way that the Silmarillion is set up almost seems biblical to me, with the separate but loosely related stories. It was cool to learn of another work of similar composition. I wonder if Tolkien would have composed The Silmarillion in a more fluid way had he been alive at the time of its publication.
I loved hearing about this work because I had no idea it existed. I was particularly interested in learning about an older legend dealing with women as main characters. I thought the group's section on women in Tolkien compared to Sigurd and Gudrun was particularly informative. Many people have stated that Tolkien's women are not fully fleshed out characters, which I do not agree with, but I think it is important to contrast his women with those of earlier works. I appreciate Tolkien not portraying women as seductive, jealous she-devils who wreak havoc on the men. The contrast is particularly interesting given Tolkien's Catholic background, which does place quite a bit of emphasis on women as being the origin of original sin.
I too found the contrast between the personalities of the women in this story and those in other Tolkien works to be very interesting. While the women in Tolkien’s other works may be considered ‘strong,’ yet it is only in Sigurd and Gudrun that a woman is a very large evil catalyst. I liked that the group directly compared such characteristics, the images were also a very nice touch as you could actually see the difference in how these characters are imagined- Arwen and Galadriel with their soft lines and innocent expressions, and then there’s Grimhild: she even looked not very nice- very stern and harsh in comparison to the other images.
5 comments:
My favorite part of this presentation was the comparison of the women of the Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun and LOTR. The way the group used images to emphasize the similarities and differences they discussed was very intriguing.
I was really interested to learn about the similarities in format between The Silmarillion and Sigurd and Gudrun. The way that the Silmarillion is set up almost seems biblical to me, with the separate but loosely related stories. It was cool to learn of another work of similar composition. I wonder if Tolkien would have composed The Silmarillion in a more fluid way had he been alive at the time of its publication.
I loved hearing about this work because I had no idea it existed. I was particularly interested in learning about an older legend dealing with women as main characters. I thought the group's section on women in Tolkien compared to Sigurd and Gudrun was particularly informative. Many people have stated that Tolkien's women are not fully fleshed out characters, which I do not agree with, but I think it is important to contrast his women with those of earlier works. I appreciate Tolkien not portraying women as seductive, jealous she-devils who wreak havoc on the men. The contrast is particularly interesting given Tolkien's Catholic background, which does place quite a bit of emphasis on women as being the origin of original sin.
I too found the contrast between the personalities of the women in this story and those in other Tolkien works to be very interesting. While the women in Tolkien’s other works may be considered ‘strong,’ yet it is only in Sigurd and Gudrun that a woman is a very large evil catalyst. I liked that the group directly compared such characteristics, the images were also a very nice touch as you could actually see the difference in how these characters are imagined- Arwen and Galadriel with their soft lines and innocent expressions, and then there’s Grimhild: she even looked not very nice- very stern and harsh in comparison to the other images.
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