This past week's classes were some of my favorite experiences! I have a deep love for Norse, Celtic, Roman, and Greek mythologies. I first found my love for mythologies and history by reading the Magic Tree House and my interest skyrocketed from there. J. R. R. Tolkien, much like mythology in general, had a profound effect on my life and interests. The first time I read The Fellowship of the Ring, I was on a trip to a mountainous town called Ouray. I felt all the trees around me come alive and thought about how they could swallow me up if I sat at their bases. It felt like the first time I read Magic Tree House or the story of Ragnarök. Getting to see how some of my favorite myths and stories from my childhood got integrated into Tolkien's work makes me love the man and his myths even more!
3 comments:
Similar to you I loved reading myths when I was younger, mainly reading up on Greek myths. Rick Riordan's books I think do a great job of sharing those classic myths and transposing them into today's society. Before this class I didn't really consider Middle-earth and the lore behind it a mythology. To me a mythology was something much older and something people believed in in previous generations but not anymore. This class opened up not only the relationship between the different myths that influenced Tolkien's works but also the fact his world is indeed a mythos that has been created. It is fascinating to study why Middle-earth and its creatures actually create a myth and what makes this myth so appealing, just like the Greek and Norse myths of old.
Hi Uinen,
I also love and appreciate how many stories from my own children were also used by Tolkien as inspirations for his work. Personally, I have loved Arthurian legends since I was little. Today, I watch a show named "Merlin" on Netflix. It's about Merlin the wizard, who you likely know of, from Arthurian legend. While watching it, it is so fun to think about how Tolkien and the writers of the show used the same stories to shape their works. Arthurian legends, as well as Norse, Celtic, Roman, and Greek mythologies can be seen all throughout modern works and are loved by so many people today and throughout history.
-Melian
I agree with you, this course has made me appreciate fantasy os much more. I really loved learning more about other mythologies that I have been curious about before. I knew quite a bit about Greek and Norse, but learned even more that I thought I would with our class presentations. It was a real delight and has sparked and rekindled my passion for writing and specifically writing fantasy. I have decide to minor in medieval studies and hope to learn a whole lot more on mythologies around the world. I have always been interested in mythology since I was a young boy. Taking Dr. Donovan's class has been one of the grandest experiences of my life and has changed the way I view fantasy now and how much more I appreciate the greatness of J.R.R. Tolkien.
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