DOCSLIB.ORG

The Moral Mythmaker: the Creative Theology of J. R. R. Tolkien

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Moral Mythmaker: the Creative Theology of J. R. R. Tolkien Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel Volume 3 Number 3 Article 28 9-2-2002 The Moral Mythmaker: The Creative Theology of J. R. R. Tolkien Paul Nolan Hyde Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/re BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Hyde, Paul N. "The Moral Mythmaker: The Creative Theology of J. R. R. Tolkien." Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel 3, no. 3 (2002). https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/re/vol3/iss3/28 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. professor john ronald reuel tolkien 189219731892 1973 the author of the hobbit and the lord of the rings by getty images inc used by permission 151 the moral mythmaker the creative theology of J K RK tolkien paul nolan hyde paul nolan hyde is an institute instructor at the orem utah institute of religion shortly after the theatrical release othe lord of the rings the fellowship of the ring in december 2001 richard neitzel holzapfel encouraged me to write an article regarding the lord of the rings and its application to the latterlatterdayday saint classroom while I1 believe that the proper atmosphereatmospberefor for teaching literature is in the lit- erature classroom I1 am keenly aware of the popularity of the works of JJ R R tolkien and their potential applicability to the teaching of gospel principles I1 have observed however that most of my students are not clear as to why they enjoy the stories of middle earth and what draws them into this particular world of fantasy my remarks are intended to introduce teachers to some of the reasons behind the natu- ral gravitation of their students to tolkiensTolkiens works the youth of the church ofjesusof jesus christ of latterlatterdayday saints are sensitive to true prin- ciples and they willfindwillfondnellwill findsindssnd the truths of eternity in the writings osgoodofgoodof soofsoodgood people not every man who has written his mind or has hafhadbad his works published or has been lauded by the academics of the world has been a good man john ronald reuel tolkeinToltomkeinkein however is one of the best As to whether every teacher in the church educational system ought to read the hobbit and the lord of the rings I1 will say no more than to repeat my oftoftquotedquoted advice with a bit of a wry smile A man is not truly educated until hebe has v A personal introduction thirtythirtyfivefive years ago shortly after I1 returned home from a mission to southern mexico a friend introduced me to the writings ofofaofjJ R R tolkien I1 began with the nobbit the socalledso called prequelpremuel to the lord of the rings ten days later I1 put down the return ofthe king hungering 152 the religious educator vol 3 no 3 2002 for more and there was no more I1 scoured the bookstores for tolkiensTolkiens poetry and prose and joyfully found the tolkien reader smith ofofwootenwooten major farmer giles of ham the adventures of tom bombadilBom badil and the lovely leaf by niggle yet of hobbits and elves I1 could learn nothing more As a result of what I1 considered to be a lit- erary dearth I1 returned to the original four volumes and devoured them again and again each reading revealed aspects of the narrative that I1 had missed each reading increased the hunger for whatever it was that tolkiensTolkiens works had addicted me to I1 am not sure that I1 could have articulated what it was I1 desired I1 knew only that the desire within me was waiting impatiently to be satisfied in an act of desperation I1 began to do what I1 would now term a survey of literature I1 perused the periodical indices subsequently making copies of every news article I1 could find on tolkien and his cre- ations in the process I1 learned of tolkiensTolkiens affection for the writings of george macdonald william morris H rider haggard and other nineteenthcenturynineteenth century fantasists in short order I1 discovered for myself that my tastes ran in the same channel my personal library began to grow I1 learned of tolkiensTolkiens intimate friendships with C S lewis charles williams and the other oxford inklings as they styled themselves my reading of the chronicles of narnia and the pere landra trilogy began a lifelong love of lewiss narrative gift and led me ultimately to his outwardly theological writings at which I1 was awestruckawe struck williamss the place of the lion and the greater trumps eftcftaftleftleff me spellbound and I1 could not desist until I1 had acquired all of tolkiensTolkiens scant corpus of published works my bookshelves smiled more and more deeply at the discovery of each of these literary and personal companions that graced tolkiensTolkiens life As I1 probed into his history I1 became aware of his academic back ground I1 learned of his love of the english language in all of its permutations his native gift for language acquisition and his scholarly grasp of the historical development of language I1 had long been aware of and fascinated with the runic systems of the hobbit and the lord of the rings together with the elvish scripts in all their varieties I1 began to realize that these along with the various invented linguistic pieces of poetry and dialogue were not merely creative frosting but were part of a vast seamless panorama from which the stories had been taken the more I1 became aware of his professional pursuits the more I1 became intrigued by the obvious connection between the real world and the world of middle earth I1 sensed that no true appreciation of what tolkien had accomplished in his writings could ever materialize the moral mythmaker the creative theology of J R R tolkien 153 unless I1 understood the fountain from which their creation sprang so compellingly did this realization strike me that I1 changed majors at the time I1 began my masters program I1 had been a spanish major I1 would now delve into the mysteries of english language and linguis- tics A year after I1 completed this advanced degree I1 mourned the death of john ronald reuel tolkien a man whom I1 had never met but whom I1 had come to know intimately tolkien the scholarscholarsscholar11 tolkien was born 3 january 1892 in bloemfonteinBloemfontein south africa to arthur and mabel tolkien emigrants from birmingham england his father worked as the bank manager for the bank of africa in the orange free state by february 1896 however ronald tolkien and his younger brother hillary were fatherless their mother returned to england with her sons in the summer of 1896 but died of diabetes eight years later the two boys were raised by relatives under the guid ance of a local parish priest their mother having been received into the catholic church four years before her death john ronald followed a course of study at king edwards school where he clearly manifested an aptitude for languages first with latin and greek and later with welsh french and german although tolkiensTolkiens linguistic gift helped him learn ancient and foreign languages his mind gravitated toward the reasons why languages were as they were how and why they dif feredcered he studied philology and in due time discovered anglo saxon and the epic beowulf and from thence to middle english and sir gawain and the green knigbtknight he then turned to old norse and the elder and toungeryounger eddas the literary treasures of iceland in his final year at king edwards he discovered the Kakalapalalavala the principal depository of finnish mythology his love of language motivated him to create languages of his own sometimes in collaboration with cousins and friends using eng lish greek french spanish and latin elements as the building blocks for the phonetics and vocabulary his first serious language invention however evolved from his study of gothic the sole survivor of the east germanic family of languages he created words and phrases in the gothic manner and then proposed etymologies that would link them to extant vocabulary or to languages of more ancient date in 1912 he abandoned gothic as the catalyst and turned to finnish from which would develop the family of elvish languages with which most readers of tolkiensTolkiens works have become familiar quendaquenya in par- ticularti A variety of language permutations would develop as tolkien 154 the religious educator vol 3 no 3 2002 incorporated linguistic principles from welsh and other exotic languages producing sindarinSinsindayindarin laiquendi moriquendi and others nearly forty languages in all in december 1910 tolkien was awarded an open classical exhi- bition to exeter college at oxford university and matriculated there in the fall of 1911 by 1913 he was preparing for his degree in the honourshondours school of english language and literature at exeter As he progressed in his studies of anglo saxon he read cynewulfscynevrulfs cristgristgrest two lines of which struck him forcefully eala earendelEarendel engla beorbtastbeorhtast oferoner middangeard jonnummonnum sendedbended hail Earendel brightest of angels above the middleearthmiddle earth sent unto men from this meager beginning would derive a series of poems and stories that would serve as the foundation of the mythology of middle earth the book of lost tales tolkien graduated from exeter with first class honors in the sum- mer of 1915 and was immediately commissioned in the lancashire
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Downloadable
    Chronology of the Silmarillion 1 ____ Chronology of the Silmarillion By clotho123 ___ This was put together as a potentially useful guide rather than a rigid framework and I would not regard anything here as set in stone. Tolkien did quite a bit of work on the legends after drawing up his final chronologies and might very well have changed many of the dates if he’d ever reached the point of publishing The Silmarillion. It was compiled from three of Tolkien’s chronological writings: The Annals of Aman, published in The History of Middle-earth: Morgoth’s Ring, Part Two The Grey Annals, published in The History of Middle-earth: The War of the Jewels, Part One with final section and revisions in Part Three, section I The Tale of Years, published in The History of Middle-earth: The War of the Jewels, Part Three, section V The Beginning of Time These dates are from the Annals of Aman. How precisely you think they should be interpreted is up to the individual. They are all in Valian years, which according to Tolkien’s opening description, were each roughly equivalent to ten Sun years (strictly 9.582 Sun years, if you want to be exact). At other times he had other views on the relationship between elven years and mortal years, but I will not go into those here as he did not have them in mind when compiling the Annals. 1 Valar first enter Arda 1500 Tulkas enters Arda 1900 Valar set up the great Lamps 3400 Melkor begins to make Utumno 3450 Melkor destroys the Lamps 3500 The Two Trees are created (1) The Ages of the Trees These annals also are all in years of the Valar.
    [Show full text]
  • The Roots of Middle-Earth: William Morris's Influence Upon J. R. R. Tolkien
    University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 12-2007 The Roots of Middle-Earth: William Morris's Influence upon J. R. R. Tolkien Kelvin Lee Massey University of Tennessee - Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Part of the Literature in English, British Isles Commons Recommended Citation Massey, Kelvin Lee, "The Roots of Middle-Earth: William Morris's Influence upon J. R. R. olkien.T " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2007. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/238 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Kelvin Lee Massey entitled "The Roots of Middle-Earth: William Morris's Influence upon J. R. R. olkien.T " I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in English. David F. Goslee, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Thomas Heffernan, Michael Lofaro, Robert Bast Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Kelvin Lee Massey entitled “The Roots of Middle-earth: William Morris’s Influence upon J.
    [Show full text]
  • Quettaparma Quenyallo
    Quettaparma Quenyallo † = poetic or archaic word (e.g. †él "star", elen being the ordinary word) or a poetic or archaic meaning of an ordinary word (e.g. russë "corruscation, †swordblade"), * = unattested form, ** = wrong form, # = word that is only attested in a compound or as an inflected form (e.g. #ahya-), LotR = The Lord of the Rings, Silm = The Silmarillion , MC = The Monsters and the Critics and other Essays, MR = Morgoth's Ring, LR = The Lost Road, Etym = The Etymologies (in LR:347-400), FS = Fíriel's Song (in LR:72), RGEO = The Road Goes Ever On (Second Edition), WJ = The War of the Jewels, PM = The Peoples of Middle-earth, Letters = The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien, LT1 = The Book of Lost Tales 1, LT2 = The Book of Lost Tales 2, Nam = Namárië (in LotR:398), CO = Cirion's Oath and its commentary in UT:305, 317, Arct = "Arctic" sentence (in The Father Christmas Letters), Markirya = the Markirya Poem and its commentary in MC:221-223; GL = Gnomish Lexicon (in Parma Eldalamberon #11), QL = Qenya Lexicon (in Parma Eldalamberon #12), vb = verb, adj = adjective, interj = interjection, pa.t. = past tense, fut = future tense, perf = perfect tense, freq = frequentative form, inf = infinitive, gen = genitive, pl = plural form, sg = singular form. The spelling used in this wordlist is regularized (c for k except in a few names, x for ks, long vowels marked with accents rather than macrons or circumflexes; the diaeresis is used as in most of LotR). The spelling used in the source is usually indicated; for instance, ("k") following a word indicates that the word is spelt with a k instead of a c in Tolkien's text.
    [Show full text]
  • Med20 Character Creation Rules
    MIDDLE -EARTH D20 CHARACTER CREATION RULES To create characters for this campaign, o +4 racial bonus on any Craft skill of the players will use 25 points to purchase abilities player's choice — it should be noted that according to the Purchase rules on pages 15-16 Ñoldor were legendary for their work with of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core precious metals and jewelry. Rulebook . Then, character creation proceeds as o +2 racial bonus on any Perform (Sing) described in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game checks. Core Rulebook . Additionally, players will create o +2 racial bonus on saves vs. fire. a 2 nd -level character, but the 1 st -level must be a o +2 racial bonus on saves vs. poison. basic NPC class ! Players may use the Pathfinder o Immune to Aging: Ñoldor Elves are Roleplaying Game Advanced Player’s Guide , immortal unless killed. Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Combat , o Ñoldor Elves do not sleep, meditating and Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Magic instead for about three hours every day. to create their characters. For all sources, use o Immune to natural cold. the following rules modifications. In addition, o Immune to disease, mundane or magical. the Variant Rules for Armor as Damage o Immune to scarring. Reduction, Called Shots, Piecemeal Armor, o Movement unimpeded by snow or wooded and Wounds and Vigor from Pathfinder terrain. Roleplaying Game Ultimate Combat (pp. 191-207) o Immune to any fear effects caused by are being utilized. Please note that these rules undead. are subject to change at any time without prior o Cannot be turned into undead.
    [Show full text]
  • Treasures of Middle Earth
    T M TREASURES OF MIDDLE-EARTH CONTENTS FOREWORD 5.0 CREATORS..............................................................................105 5.1 Eru and the Ainur.............................................................. 105 PART ONE 5.11 The Valar.....................................................................105 1.0 INTRODUCTION........................................................................ 2 5.12 The Maiar....................................................................106 2.0 USING TREASURES OF MIDDLE EARTH............................ 2 5.13 The Istari .....................................................................106 5.2 The Free Peoples ...............................................................107 3.0 GUIDELINES................................................................................ 3 5.21 Dwarves ...................................................................... 107 3.1 Abbreviations........................................................................ 3 5.22 Elves ............................................................................ 109 3.2 Definitions.............................................................................. 3 5.23 Ents .............................................................................. 111 3.3 Converting Statistics ............................................................ 4 5.24 Hobbits........................................................................ 111 3.31 Converting Hits and Bonuses...................................... 4 5.25
    [Show full text]
  • The Psychology of Power in Tolkien's the Lord of the Rings, Orwell's 1984 and Le Guin's a Wizard of Earthsea
    Volume 15 Number 1 Article 8 Fall 10-15-1988 The Psychology of Power in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Orwell's 1984 and Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea Mason Harris Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore Part of the Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons Recommended Citation Harris, Mason (1988) "The Psychology of Power in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Orwell's 1984 and Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea," Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 15 : No. 1 , Article 8. Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol15/iss1/8 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Mythopoeic Society at SWOSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature by an authorized editor of SWOSU Digital Commons. An ADA compliant document is available upon request. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To join the Mythopoeic Society go to: http://www.mythsoc.org/join.htm Mythcon 51: A VIRTUAL “HALFLING” MYTHCON July 31 - August 1, 2021 (Saturday and Sunday) http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-51.htm Mythcon 52: The Mythic, the Fantastic, and the Alien Albuquerque, New Mexico; July 29 - August 1, 2022 http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-52.htm Abstract Argues that despite their differences, Tolkien and Orwell share a similar response to absolute power, as “parallel evolution in the imagination of two humane British fantasists with an interest in the moral implications of politics.” Sees A Wizard of Earthsea as dealing with a similar problem but in psychological terms constrained by the coming-of-age theme.
    [Show full text]
  • Linguistic Soundtrack Textbook 2 — LINGUISTIC SOUNDTRACK TEXTBOOK
    THE LORD OF THE RINGS Linguistic Soundtrack Textbook 2 — LINGUISTIC SOUNDTRACK TEXTBOOK Introduction I have compiled this textbook as a reference while listening to the score of Howard Shore of Peter Jackson’s movie-version of The Lord of the Rings. It is based on information from the Gwaith-i- Phethdain-website, http:\\www.elvish.org\gwaith (All my thanks to those who helped to provide these information!), and comprises most non-english lyrics of all three film installments. In the first three parts, the lines that are sung are listed (as many as could be discovered...) with the corresponding times, sorted by film and track. Then follow the original poems, their translations etc. The times given refer to the special limited editions of the soundtrack. Still, they are incomplete and thus I have to ask your help to complete them. Any new hints can be mailed to [email protected]. All texts here reproduced are ©ed by New Line Cinema. They are from the official booklets, music sheets and websites. I wish you lots of fun in discovering the lyrics! Julian ‘Flammifer’ Jarosch, 29.03.04 Explanations: The marked parts of the poems are those that are sung in the score. Parts in grey are uncertain resp. left out. Parts in {braces} are comments / additions by me. You will find annotations with roman numeralsXXI where help is needed. — 0:05 ----Means that only the endig time of a lyric is known. The structure of the linguistic notes is roughly as follows: attested word part of speech, flection 'english translation'; (SOURCE).
    [Show full text]
  • The Common Speech and Its Speakers in the Lord of the Rings Nikolas Koravos Ll the Writers of Fantasy Sto­ Others As a Second Language
    Languages of Middle-earth The Common Speech and its speakers in The Lord of the Rings Nikolas Koravos ll the writers of fantasy sto­ others as a second language. In their native language, the Westron ries who want to create particular, it is strange that the Ores tongue (LOTR 1163). The Common credible secondary worlds adopted Westron, which was after Speech was the variety of Westron A are faced with the same all the language of their enemies, that spread throughout Middle-earth problem: the languages spoken by and spoke it in such a manner that during the Nümenorean era. The the inhabitants of their world. It is Pippin found much of their talk intel­ official status of the Westron played clear to everyone that in any ‘possi­ ligible (LOTR 466). It is these prob­ and important part in its expansion ble’ world nations, tribes or states lematic areas that will be discussed among the native population. The should have their respective lan­ in this paper. linguist Janet Holmes mentions that guage or languages. This need is in Despite the existence of these "where one group abrogates politi­ conflict with basic narrative necessi­ problems it should not be forgotten cal power and imposes its language ties: how will the characters of each that Tolkien had studied linguistics along with its institutions - govern­ story interact with people from other and paid exceptional attention to the ment, administration, law courts, regions? And if the main characters credibility of his fantasy or ‘second­ education, religion - it is likely that come from different linguistic back­ ary’ world.
    [Show full text]
  • Than 6800 Verbal Articles in 9 Black Speech
    More than 6800 verbal articles in 9 black speech dialects Orcish Type Dialect English Russian a prefix LOS, HORN (he) of; (he) from (он) из RE a suffix HORN one who does тот, кто делает RE < "snaga" a prefix DS away; out из; прочь; от â prep ZA at в; у; на â conj DS and и ab prefix DS after; behind; following после; сзади; позади; следующий abgur- v DS follow; chase after; pursue следовать; преследовать; выслеживать aburzgur n SV, MERP manure навоз; компост; удобрение adad n DS being бытиё; существование adh adj HORN other другой; иной; остальной âdhn- v LOS, HORN, EH, RN leave; abandon оставлять; отказываться от; покидать; RE уезжать из âdhûd prep HORN, EH, RN without без RE âdhûn adv LOS, HORN alone один RE âdmûrz adj RN alone один; одинокий âdul adv HORN little немного; мало; несколько adûn n LP West запад Adûnaic "Anadûnê", “adûn” aent n SV tree дерево aent-uzg n SV forest лес af- v LOS, RN cast; throw бросать; кидать; метать afar prep SV of из; предлог родительного падежа afar prep SV, MERP near; by возле; у; около; рядом; почти afûm n LOS (UNF) adjective прилагательное agh conj TK, LOS, SV, HORN, and и MB, RN agh conj HORN but но; однако agh- v HORN add добавлять; прибавлять agh-ash conj SV another one ещё один agh-zash conj SV also; too также; тоже agl- v LP speak говорить Khuzdul “G-L”, compare with Neo- Khuzdul reconstruction “Aglâb” (language) agnakh- v DS (PO) return возвращать(ся) written as "nakʰ" in the source; Adunaic "NAKH" (come, approach), see "nakh-" agon n LOS, SV, EH, RN dusk; twilight сумерки; закат SV agon n MERP dawn рассвет agon n SV eye глаз agor n DS blood кровь Sindarin "agar", Etym.
    [Show full text]
  • JRR Tolkien, the History of Middle-Earth, Harpercollins
    J.R.R. Tolkien, The History of Middle-Earth, HarperCollins, London, 12 volumes Reviewed by Franco Manni Christopher Tolkien didn’t stop after the Silmarillion ! After Unfinished Tales, other volumes written by the father and deciphered, arranged and annotated with great precision by the son have been published. At present they number twelve and are collectively entitled The History of Middle-Earth. The first is The Book of Lost Tales – Part One. Most of the work consists of expanded and modified versions of events narrated in the Silmarillion; for example, it deals with the music of the Ainur, the construction of Valinor, the chaining of Melko, the Noldor’s flight from Valinor, and so on. A tale entitled The Cottage of Lost Play, though, is original; it dates to the winter of 1916-17 and the author, orphan and separated from his young wife, the friends who had provided companionship during his youth dead in the trenches, was himself serving in a front line battalion in which all were either killed or taken prisoner. The story describes an Elf dwelling where human children who have reached it by means of the “Path of Dreams” live. After the blockage of the path, some of the children decide to remain and are allowed to return to the Land of Men in the guise of angels. What do these child-angels do ? With “evident contradiction” (as the editor justly notes), in the space of several lines JRRT writes first that “all those we allow to leave do not return”, but remain in the Land of Men because “there are delightful places and lovable kingdoms full of attractions” and then that ”the majority (of the children) return here, and tell us many stories and melancholy tales of their travels”.
    [Show full text]
  • A Structural Analysis of J.R.R. Tolkien's Textural Composition
    A Structural Analysis of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Textural Composition Centering on The Silmarillion 文学研究科英文学専攻博士後期課程在学 松 本 裕 子 Yuko Matsumoto 1: Introduction/2: Methods/3: Textural Analysis/ 4: Compound Text/5: Conclusion Chapter 1: Introduction The purpose of this present thesis is to analyze the textural composition of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien’s The Silmarillion: The Silmarillion as a single published work separate from The Lord of the Rings (LOTR). Certainly, the former is very closely connected with the latter, especially, its last part, OF THE RINGS OF POWER AND THE THIRD AGE; the latter can be said to be a natural extension of the former in this sense. On the other hand, however, Quenta Silmarillion is formally supposed to be a single piece of work,1 though it is the essential part of The Silmarillion as a book. In brief there are two kinds of The Silmarillion, or more correctly, two levels of The Silmarillion: The Silmarillion in a broad sense and The (Quenta) Silmarillion in a narrow sense. This thesis treats The Silmarillion in the broad sense. Here we must not miss the following points. The work involved is based upon a vast corpus of materials put together under the title of The History of Middle-Earth: from which another book, Unfinished Tales, was published by Christopher Tolkien, his son, after Tolkien’s death. So it cannot be regarded as Tolkien’s edited work. Christopher Tolkien made a comment on that issue in the introduction of Unfinished Tales;2 1 The Silmarillion is made up of five parts of the tales: AINULINDALЁ, VALAQUENTA, Quenta Silmarillion, AKALLABÊTH, and OF THE RINGS OF POWER AND THE THIRD AGE.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Book List
    WORKS OF J.R.R. TOLKIEN For a list of books in order of publication: tolkiensociety.org/author/books-by-tolkien Availability for each title is noted: JHLS = available in the physical collection of the Jackson/Hinds Library System (book or DVD) Hoopla = free eBooks & eAudios available with your library card & pin # (visit jhlibrary.org/ebooks for more info) TALES OF MIDDLE-EARTH 1937 The Hobbit (JHLS, hoopla eBook & eAudio – dramatized BBC radio series) [from tolkienestate.com] “When J.R.R. Tolkien wrote ‘The Hobbit’, he had already been writing works set in what came to be called Middle-earth for fifteen years,” and when “its success led the publisher to request that the author write a sequel, or at least another book about hobbits...exploring Bilbo’s world, and telling more about hobbits, and delving into the few loose ends left over at the end of Bilbo’s adventure led him to create the companion volume, the work by which he is best known: ‘The Lord of the Rings.’” 1977 Adapted into animated film (The Hobbit – JHLS) 2012-2014 Adapted into 3 motion-picture films: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (JHLS) The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (JHLS) The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (JHLS) 1954-1955 The Lord of the Rings - Began as a sequel to “The Hobbit”, but eventually developed into a much larger work, written in stages between 1937 and 1949. - Initially intended by Tolkien to be one volume of a two-volume set along with “The Silmarillion,” but this idea was dismissed by his publisher.
    [Show full text]