Motifs of Myth - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

***Mister Underhill*** · 10-14-2000, 03:12 PM

<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Wight
Posts: 103</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE>
<img src="http://www.barrowdowns.com/images/posticons/bluepal.jpg" align=absmiddle> Re: Motifs of Myth

I think one of the things that makes JRRT's world so effective and believable is that we can recognize elements in it -- but they're mostly different enough that they seem fresh and new. Besides the ones listed, there are the obvious Judeo-Christian elements (Eru/Illuvatar, the exodus of the Noldor) Arthurian elements (wizardry, the sword which proclaims a king, the chivalrous sensibility of Aragorn, Faramir, and others... even the wandering Dunedain recall the knights of the Grail Quest), and Shakespearian elements (the forbidden Beren-Luthien romance, for one thing; the attack of the Ents for another).

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10-14-2000, 03:12 PM	#5
*Mister Underhill* Dread Horseman Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Behind you! Posts: 2,744	<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Wight Posts: 103</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE> <img src="http://www.barrowdowns.com/images/posticons/bluepal.jpg" align=absmiddle> Re: Motifs of Myth I think one of the things that makes JRRT's world so effective and believable is that we can recognize elements in it -- but they're mostly different enough that they seem fresh and new. Besides the ones listed, there are the obvious Judeo-Christian elements (Eru/Illuvatar, the exodus of the Noldor) Arthurian elements (wizardry, the sword which proclaims a king, the chivalrous sensibility of Aragorn, Faramir, and others... even the wandering Dunedain recall the knights of the Grail Quest), and Shakespearian elements (the forbidden Beren-Luthien romance, for one thing; the attack of the Ents for another). </p>