LotR's importance

[King of the North]

This has been on my mind for quite some time. Have tolkien's works (especially LotR) become a mythology? C.S. Lewis (a member of the Inklings) said that one attribute of a mythology is that everyone knows about it, I strongly agree with this. If that is true, than in my opinion Tolkien's works are a mythology. Ask anyone and even if they have not read the books or god forbid see the movies they have heard of the LotR. Do any of you think that this great author's writings have become worldwide folklore?

[Boromir88]

I think this thread is strong enough to stand on it's own, but here's some related topic threads for you viewing, to give some insight. :)

Metareferences and intertextuality (http://forum.barrowdowns.com/showthread.php?t=11455) ~by B88

Lewis Carroll's influence on Tolkien (http://forum.barrowdowns.com/showthread.php?t=11458) ~by littlemanpoet

Mythologies in Tolkien (http://forum.barrowdowns.com/showthread.php?t=11348) ~by Iaurhirwen

These are just a few I went searching for, I know there are many more.

To answer the question though, it does make you wonder. I believe they actually have college classes now fully devoted to studying Tolkien and his works.

[Gurthang]

Yes, I think I've been involved in a discussion about this before also.

I agree completely. LotR doesn't just tell a story. It's a small part of a much larger story. The whole history and legends and interconnections between all his books are what makes Tolkien's works a myth. Everyone knows it, yes, but that is only part.

I'd venture to guess that most of the world is fairly familiar with Harry Potter. I wouldn't call it a myth though. Those books leave too much that isn't known about where all the people and places came from. There's not much history behind Hogwarts or any of the older characters. Bits and pieces are given, but not enough to tell you where everything comes from.

Tolkien, on the other hand, put much more into his books. He wrote a creation story, told histories of how nations came and fell, and even created languages for his different peoples. His HUGE story gives the readers so much that its difficult to even find all the parts to read. The story seems to continue forever. Even after the books are done, there is so much more. This forum is one instance.

So, Tolkien's works are definantly a myth. It's probably the only one I've read extensively, and I don't think I'd ever find one top it.

[Elladan and Elrohir]

It certainly beats the Greeks, Romans, Norse, etc. to pieces, doesn't it?

Crazy how one guy can beat entire cultures in the art of making mythologies (I think he did, anyway). Just another tribute to the genius of J.R.R. Tolkien.

[Lolidir]

The thing is that Tolkien wanted it TO BE a mthyology. if you read some of the other threads im sure they will say the same thing, but tolkien got a lot of his inlfuence from some of the other mytholgies. such as Beowulf, the Kalevala (a finnish folktale/ mythology) and many others. infact while he was writing The Hobbit and the Trilogy and would make notes about what to put in other books to make it more of a mythology. so in all reality he wrote this to turn it into a mythology. and it has not only turned into that, but also a world wide phenomenon.

[Lalwendë]

it has not only turned into that, but also a world wide phenomenon.

Tolkien claimed to be setting out to write a mythology for England, and it turned out he wrote a lot more than that. As a result of LotR his work spread around the world and he created a mythology for everyone, and I think an enduring mythology. In the normal scheme of things being alive 1,000 years hence would not appeal to me, but I would be intrigued to know whether Tolkien's work would still be being read and enjoyed, and whether it had taken its place alongside works such as Beowulf and the Mabinogion. His work has certainly had a deep influence on popular culture, prompting many of the genre novels, games and films we enjoy today; it has also entered the public consciousness at such a level that news reporters were able to describe the recent discovery of fossilised remains of 3 foot humans as "our Hobbit ancestors". If such assimilation into our culture can be maintained over time, then I think the ideas and creations of Tolkien will become mythology.