Post by mattiusxavier on Jul 3, 2014 7:44:04 GMT -8
LOL! I second your views Lord Mercat.
The concept Tolkien presented did grant inspiration to many other fantasy genres such as Dungeons and Dragons versions which use similar elements. However, it shouldn't be assumed his vision was a sole piece and all others are generated from it. He did use history, and imagery from cultures to define his races while studying and writing at Oxford. For example: The Elves of MiddleEarth are heavily based on the the Elves of the Celts that look almost exactly to the detail the same to the myths and legends that predate his works. The Dwarves with stout beards, miners, etc come heavily from Norse and Germanic myths that depict them as miners, greedy for wealth and creators of many wonders of metal. Due to the fact Tolkien was a scholar who studied heavily these myths and legends it only makes sense that he relied upon them for the structure to build his stories. I suppose this is the reason why they are not considered solely his established concept of what these races are. I will agree though that for many an author from British lines and even in some North American terms that they were inspired by his works, especially after the release of the Lord of the Rings films. However, for many others including myself. I never read or even heard of Tolkien growing up until the first Lord of the Rings film was announced. Prior to that point I had been studying and reading Classical Myths from the Celts, Germanics, Norse, Greeks and Romans where most of my inspiration came from along with the medieval histories of Europe where such things as Golems, Gnomes and other creatures came about. In that sense the evidence presented by these cultures was clear and used by Tolkien at Oxford who has even credited those sources for his description and design of Middle Earth. For those who didn't know if his works...well the fantasy of myths and history certainly have influenced our reality of writing.
I suppose in this sense we can both agree that Tolkien does influence, especially now due to the films high influence on our culture...but if you wanted to get down to the nitty gritty of things, he is just like the rest of us, relying on previous sources to create a vision that provides us all with something fun to follow. Much like what we do here at LoR.
Also I don't think you came across as harsh. Just well spoken and articulated to prove a point which I agree on.
The concept Tolkien presented did grant inspiration to many other fantasy genres such as Dungeons and Dragons versions which use similar elements. However, it shouldn't be assumed his vision was a sole piece and all others are generated from it. He did use history, and imagery from cultures to define his races while studying and writing at Oxford. For example: The Elves of MiddleEarth are heavily based on the the Elves of the Celts that look almost exactly to the detail the same to the myths and legends that predate his works. The Dwarves with stout beards, miners, etc come heavily from Norse and Germanic myths that depict them as miners, greedy for wealth and creators of many wonders of metal. Due to the fact Tolkien was a scholar who studied heavily these myths and legends it only makes sense that he relied upon them for the structure to build his stories. I suppose this is the reason why they are not considered solely his established concept of what these races are. I will agree though that for many an author from British lines and even in some North American terms that they were inspired by his works, especially after the release of the Lord of the Rings films. However, for many others including myself. I never read or even heard of Tolkien growing up until the first Lord of the Rings film was announced. Prior to that point I had been studying and reading Classical Myths from the Celts, Germanics, Norse, Greeks and Romans where most of my inspiration came from along with the medieval histories of Europe where such things as Golems, Gnomes and other creatures came about. In that sense the evidence presented by these cultures was clear and used by Tolkien at Oxford who has even credited those sources for his description and design of Middle Earth. For those who didn't know if his works...well the fantasy of myths and history certainly have influenced our reality of writing.
I suppose in this sense we can both agree that Tolkien does influence, especially now due to the films high influence on our culture...but if you wanted to get down to the nitty gritty of things, he is just like the rest of us, relying on previous sources to create a vision that provides us all with something fun to follow. Much like what we do here at LoR.
Also I don't think you came across as harsh. Just well spoken and articulated to prove a point which I agree on.