The Lord of the Rings and the Inheritance Cycle are two very similar, yet very different epics from another age one can only hope to be a part of. But an iconic part of both stories weaves its way in. The Elves, timeless, ageless, mysterious beings of wonder that leave us mystified and awestruck. The Elves of Alagaesia and the many races of Elves in Middle Earth are very similar and yet, to each other, foreign creatures. To see them side by side one would see just how similar and different their lifestyles are, their appearance and nature, and the magical world in which they manipulate through time and energy. The most notable difference between the two is their interaction with dragons. You may think of an elf as a short, spritely little thing with pointy ears, and maybe they even make toys. But the Elves of Alagaesia and Middle Earth are anything but. Humanoid in appearance they are tall, ethereal, and powerful beings. J.R.R Tolkien and Christopher Poalini’s elves both originated from the Old Norse myths of silver-haired, magical creatures that appeared human. They used the myths to bring to life …show more content…
They can be slain on the battlefield or overcome by grief, but if they are not killed then they will live forever. Alagaesian Elves, though long-living, do not live forever. They may live many hundreds or thousands of years but they will, after a time, die and pass into the void. All elves have a deep passion for nature and will go out of their way to protect, preserve, and grow that which they adore. The Alagaesians, true to their love of nature, do not march in formation as it causes unnecessary damage to the land. They live among the forests and many of their homes resemble that of trees or other natural wonders. But while all the Elves of Alagaesia live in Du Weldenvarden (The Guarding Forest) the Elves of Middle Earth live in Rivendell, Mirkwood, Lothlorien, Lindon, and The Undying
The first scene from Elf that was similar to Santa Land Diaries was the scene when Buddy the Elf first arrives in New York City, specifically the part where he was continuously taking pamphlets until the people would get angry. Sedaris, early in his story explains an instance where he would take pamphlets because he felt bad, he says, “I tend to not only accept the leaflet, but to accept it graciously, saying, “Thank you so much,” and thinking, you poor, pathetic son of a bitch” (Sedaris 4). In Elf, instead of the guys handing out of the leaflets looking pathetic, Buddy is the one who looks ridiculous. He is a grown man dressed as an in elf in yellow tights and he is taking leaflets from two guys who are standing five feet from each other until they both get angry and chase him off. The outside characters in these stories play different roles, as we notice from this scene. The outside characters in Elf are more involved because Buddy brings them into the story with his actions. On the other hand, Sedaris is just explaining the other characters and they act more of...
Literature has always been an immensely helpful resource when discerning cultural values in societies past and present. Through the study of noteworthy historic fictional and factual, texts we are able to distinguish parallel characteristics present through many different cultures and time periods. These distinguishing characteristics are one of the main things that help us to determine when and how a society, or world culture as a whole changes as time moves forward. When similarities are identified throughout many cultures in the same time period academics are able attach general titles to that specific time expanse. The “Heroic Age” is an example of a labeled span of time that generally maintains societal sameness throughout the period. The epic texts of Beowulf and The Odyssey are examples of culture revealing novels created during the heroic age. The texts help to prove the idea that societies maintain a basic status quo for many years because there is a 1500 year separation in the creation of the books. Despite this time difference in authorship, similar cultural ideals can be recognized throughout each novel. Both Greek and Germanic cultures emphasized the power and importance of receiving and giving gifts as a means of displaying and achieving power. Beowulf and The Odyssey share the general theme of giving, and when comparing the two, it is easy to conclude that giving and receiving is an integral part of both the Germanic and Grecian cultures of that time.
Imagine yourself in a pre-industrial world full of mystery and magic. Imagine a world full of monsters, demons, and danger, as well as a world full of friends, fairies, good wizards, and adventure. In doing so you have just taken your first step onto a vast world created by author and scholar John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. Tolkien became fascinated by language at an early age during his schooling, in particularly, the languages of Northern Europe, both ancient and modern. This affinity for language did not only lead to his profession, but also his private hobby, the invention of languages. His broad knowledge eventually led to the development of his opinions about Myth and the importance of stories. All these various perspectives: language, the heroic tradition, and Myth, as well as deeply-held beliefs in Catholic Christianity work together in all of his works. The main elements of Tolkien’s works are Good versus Evil, characters of Christian and anti-Christian origin, and the power of imagination.
...n” is a great example of an old myth or tale reconstructed and adapted for a modern audience in a new medium. It is a progression on one hand in its use of modern language, setting, and style but it is also the product of the old myths in that it is essentially the same on the thematic level. In addition, the level of self-awareness on the part of the narrator and, by extension, the author marks it out as an illustration of the very notion of evolutionary changes of myths and fairy tales. Adaptation is the solution to the fairy tale, and fairy tales have been endlessly changing themselves throughout history and, by some strange transforming or enchanting power endlessly staying the same.”
The worms in the Earth, Ymirs flesh, were turned onto dwarves, and the dark elves. The dwarves lived in Nidavellir, and the dark elves lived in Svartalfheim. There were also some nice creatures, and they were the elves, who lived in Alfheim. Odin took Ymirs skull and made it the sky, and places four dwarves in each corner of the sky. Nordri, Sudri, Austri, and Vestri; North, South, East, and West.
“The Lord of the Rings is racist. It is soaked in the logic that race determines behavior.” (Ibata 2). Many people have tried to perpetuate the myth that J.R.R. Tolkien was racist. They cite various scenes in The Lord of the Rings, in both the books and in the movies. These people are lying or ignorant. J.R.R. Tolkien was not a racist, nor did he ever intend for his novels to be viewed as such. There is plenty of evidence to defend Tolkien from these claims such as: the themes of his novels, like The Lord of the Rings; the clear messages in his personal writings and his upbringing; and the characters from his novels.
The way men and other races view immortality differs depending on who knows the proper knowledge regarding who holds the immortality. Those who hold the immortality may not fully understand the impact of what it is to be mortal, or may use their knowledge of immortality to their advantage. In Tolkien’s work, the race of Elves are blessed with immortality, and others recognize them as ”immortal were the Elves, and their wisdom waxed from age to age, and no sickness nor pestilence brought death to the...
The stories told in the Iliad and Odyssey are based on stories handed down over several generations, for they preserve (as we have seen) memories of an already quiet far distant past. The two pomes show clear connection in their language and style, in the manner in which their incidents presented, and in the combination of agreement with level, which distinguish their creation.
world we live in. Mythical creatures are created by people’s imaginations, hopes, fears, and most
Tolkien was very interested in the nature of the Anglo-Saxon time period. He was fascinated by the old, dark mythologies of that time. He specialized in Old and Middle English, and taught classes such as Heroic verse, History of English, and Anglo-Saxon Language as a Professor at various colleges. He even uses Old and Middle English as the main dialect seen in all of his books. His love and interest for these topics, languages, and the Anglo-Saxon time period are shown greatly throughout The Lord of The Rings Trilogy.
There are three key elements for creation: fire and ice for the Norse people and Yin and Yang for Chinese people, these elements came together and uncovered/ created giants. It was with the death of the giants in both stories that the elements of the earth were created.
The Hobbit takes place in the land of the Middle Earth. Some of the locations the Hobbit and the Dwarves visit are Shire which contains hobbit villages, the Misty Mountains, the Lonely Mountains, and Mirkwood. The novel is narrated in the third person, almost always from Bilbo’s point
creation myth. It tells that they came into the world through a hollow log. The
J.R.R Tolkien’s work of fiction The Lord of the Rings, have with the advent of Peter Jackson’s film adaptation brought the series to newfound heights of fame. As with many works of it’s kind, The Lord of the Rings depicts a battle between good and evil, with the main characters in the books striving to thwart evil’s plan. In many other works, the author’s personal belief system or worldview drives the narrative, with the message being paramount and the characters the vehicles of conveyance for the point of the story. C.S Lewis, a friend and contemporary of Tolkien’s, is a prime example of this. Lewis’ popular series The Chronicles of Narnia is an allegorical work, teaching Christian principles through the use of fiction. While raised as a Catholic himself, Tolkien does not explicitly promote his religious background, nor does he engage in allegory. However, Tolkien’s views of morality can be found throughout the work, specifically in the way in which evil is portrayed, the use of power and moral freedom of choice. Randel Helms writes in his book, Tolkien’s World, “Tolkien’s particular myth parallels his Christianity, … positioning a malevolent and corrupting outside influence, spiritual and probably eternal, against which man is doomed to fight, but which he has no hope of conquering” (67).
The most famous work in the epic fantasy genre is The Lord of the Rings, written by J. R. R. Tolkien over the course of ten years and published in 1954. Over the last few decades, there has been a lot of controversy over whether or not a story in this genre could be considered a valuable literary work. It was suggested that fantasy was clichéd and too unrealistic to be in touch with the daily life. However, when one reads between the lines, one can find a different interpretation within the same story; an interpretation that might not be as clichéd and farfetched as one might think. While it is often claimed that literary works in the genre fantasy cannot have any literary value, the The Lord of the Rings-trilogy contains the beautiful, the true and the good (Flood) and therefore is original, is historical or ethical relevant and has human truth value, which are necessary qualities for a literary work to be valuable.