Thuringwethil

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Bêthberry

Tolkien is even apolitical, as much of goth culture is. Would this arise from his familiarity with Catholic aesthetics?

Indeed. Certainly a lot of the 20th (and beyond) century popular Goth culture (right from its origins in Bram Stoker) is drawn with a heavy debt to Catholicism. Not only images of crucifixes but also elements in aesthetics taken from decadent mortuary masonry, use of latin, robes, incense, choirs, ritual. Take a look at the Alchemy Gothic range of whatnots and thingummyjigs for Goths and its like looking at a Catholic apparatus/supplies catalogue.

Interestingly Pugin, high priest of Victorian Gothic Revival architecture, still influences Gothic design today. He linked his taste in design to his own Catholic faith - and designed the Hall in the village where I grew up, for the Catholic lords of the manor. He influenced William Morris, who in his turn also influenced Tolkien, so there must be a shared taste for the Gothic.

And an interesting aside - another well known Catholic with a taste for the Gothic, Scott, designed the monumental (and I mean that - it's like Gormenghast) Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, whereas the starkly Modernist Catholic Cathedral was designed by Lutyens, an Anglican.

Now I personally think that Gothic has never really gone out of fashion since the late 18th century as interest in horror and fantasy and elaborate 'northern' design is always with us, despite Modernism. There could be a case for giving Tolkien a place on the continuum of great Gothic Art, especially if we think abut his pre-occupation with death, fate, destruction, and creations such as Morgoth (hey, the clue's in the name ), Shelob, Balrogs and Saruman locked in his high tower engaged in Light Breaking experiments. Yes there may not be the Byronic hero figure (or is there???) but then sex is generally glossed over in favour of romance and doomed love.

Originally Posted by ninja91

Lalwende, or anyone else, what is the difference between dragon and drake? And if they were a crossbreed with vampires, where are all the pureblood vampires and dragons? (besides smaug?)

Drakes are more or less interchangeable with dragons. Cold Drakes don't make fire, but fire-drakes do.

The dragons could have been driven back into the Northern wastes, although we don't know what sort of creatures are hidden in the lands under Sauron's control. Tolkien never says if Smaug was the last of all dragons, and he only mentions an actual vampire once, in the form of Thuringwethil, though I think Sauron once appeared as a vampire?