Weeks 1 - 3 Blog Response


4. How did Tolkien draw on the Old Norse and Old English texts in his The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings fantasy novels? Provide some concrete examples.
Tolkien’s work was heavily influenced through his academic specialization of languages, primarily the study of old and middle-English and in the closely linked field of Old Norse (Shippey, 2014.). These connections can be seen in many ways and this blog entry will focus two. Firstly, we will begin with the obvious similarities in ‘Beowulf’ and ‘The Hobbit’ with a scene in both texts depicting a dragon destroying a town. This can be seen in the following passage from Tolkien’s (1997; 1937) ‘The Hobbit’:
“Fire leaped from the dragon's jaws. He circled for a while high in the air above them lighting all the lake; the trees by the shores shone like copper and like blood with leaping shadows of dense black at their feet. Then down he swooped straight through the arrowstorm, reckless in his rage, taking no heed to turn his scaly sides towards his foes, seeking only to set their town ablaze.” (p. 235)
This is to be compared to the following passage from Hearney’s Beowulf: a new translation (1999) that reads:
“The dragon began to belch out flames and burn bright homesteads; there was a hot glow that scared everyone, for the vile sky-winger would leave nothing alive in his wake” (p. 5)
Given his primary field of old and middle English academic study (Shippey, 2014.) and Beowulf’s place as one of the earliest examples of a European epic (The Editors of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2014) it is plausible to conclude that Tolkien would have been heavily influenced by the text as a primary example of a heroic saga. The second connection to be discussed is Tolkien’s creation of the writing system ‘Cirth’, which is represented throughout Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit and is the base for both the Elvish and Dwarf languages. The ‘Cirth’ writing system is reportedly modelled on the Anglo-Saxon runic alphabet (omniglot, n.d.)  and a direct example can be seen in the foreword of ‘The Hobbit’ (1997; 1937) with Tolkien specifically stating, “the runes are in this book represented by English runes…”. (foreword).  To conclude, Tolkien’s Old English and Norse influences can be seen in a multitude of ways throughout his works in both an obvious way, i.e the slaying of a dragon that sits upon a mountain of gold, or in more subtle ways like his creation of his own runic based writing system.

References:
Shippey, T. (2011). J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century. Retrieved from https://books.google.com.au/books
Tolkien Gateway (2015). Runes. Retrieved from http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Runes
The Editors of the Encyclopaedia Britannica (2019). Beowulf Old English Poem. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Beowulf
Omniglot, (n.d.), Cirth. Retrieved from https://www.omniglot.com/conscripts/cirth.htm
Extract: Heaney, S. (Trans). (1999). Beowulf: a new translation. London: Penguin,pp 70-80.
Tolkien, J.R.R. (1997; 1937). The Hobbit, London: HarperCollins








6. Identify some recent films, TV shows and/or games which have brought back some of the old gods and heroes from obscurity. What place do the old myths have in the modern world?
One could identify many modern pieces of media where the gods have appeared. Examples can be seen in the gaming arena, with the popularity of the game ‘God of War’ which is originally loosely based on Greek mythology, with the newest addition to the franchise set in Norse mythology. The popularity of ‘God of War’ could easily be attributed with the desire of a user wishing to feel more powerful in their real life and inhabiting the body of Kronos turns them into a literal god (a fantasy state of being). These myths are enduring and will always have a place amongst literature and media, and not just for their classic good versus evil plot devices, but more importantly for their offer of an escape into a fantasy world. Gods represent a chance to be better, faster and stronger versions of ourselves. It could be argued that modern culture is currently in the ‘era’ of the ‘superhero’, with franchises such as ‘The Avengers’ conquering box office records every time a new movie is released. It is plausible to suggest that many of these ‘superhero’ archetypes can be seen in early mythology across many different cultures, with the ancient Greek’s pantheon of gods a prime example. (Haynes, 2015.). One could suggest that, just like in ancient times, these modern ‘gods’ represent our desire for a higher power to protect us from outside forces. These heroes are always better, faster, stronger then the common man and there is always a plan in place. Media in all forms has always served as a form as escape and in the current political climate where world leaders are perceived as corrupt and blundering, it is easy to understand why the populace would be drawn on mass to watch a group of heroes fighting for the earth, thereby further cementing the place these old tales have in our modern society. 

References:
Haynes, N. (2015). Before Marvel and DC: Superheroes of the ancient world. Retrieved from: http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150819-before-marvel-and-dc-superheroes-of-the-ancient-world



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