A Dictionary of Sources of Tolkien: the History and Mythology that inspired Tolkien’s World has been compiled as an easily accessible compendium for general readers who are interested in the mythological, literary, historical and philological sources that inspired the author in his creation of Middle-earth and the Undying Lands. Many of these sources relate to Tolkien’s scholarly studies and his personal life. Other sources have been specifically acknowledged by the author, himself; while many entries in this dictionary examine world mythologies, histories and literatures that have themes, motifs, characters and events in common with Tolkien’s original tales. That is, these similarities suggest that elements of J R R Tolkien’s cosmos may simply comfortably coexist within the universal archetypal world of mythology and folklore.
Description:
A Dictionary of Sources of Tolkien: the History and Mythology that inspired Tolkien’s World has been compiled as an easily accessible compendium for general readers who are interested in the mythological, literary, historical and philological sources that inspired the author in his creation of Middle-earth and the Undying Lands. Many of these sources relate to Tolkien’s scholarly studies and his personal life. Other sources have been specifically acknowledged by the author, himself; while many entries in this dictionary examine world mythologies, histories and literatures that have themes, motifs, characters and events in common with Tolkien’s original tales. That is, these similarities suggest that elements of J R R Tolkien’s cosmos may simply comfortably coexist within the universal archetypal world of mythology and folklore.