Motifs of Myth

[Sharkû]

<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Hungry Ghoul
Posts: 481</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE>
There are many motifs, events, persons and places and myths from the 'real' world which inevitably remind of Tolkien's works. Whether intentional by the author or not is another question, but what I want to do hereby is to collect all such possible inspirations, connections etc.


One of the clearest motifs I know is the connection between Beren Erchamion and Tyr (or Tíw, Ziu, Tiwaz), Norse god of war and battle.
Beren had his right hand bitten of by the greatest wolf of all, the infernal Carcharoth, when trying to gain a Silmaril as a price, a dowry, for Lúthien, as a guarantee proving of his valour and strength and love for Lúthien and as a proof that his motifs were just. A Wild Hunt for the wolf follows.

Tyr had his right hand bitten off by the greatest wolf of all, the infernal Fenriz, when he laid his hand in the wolf's mouth as a guarantee that he would not be tricked when the Aesir captured Fenriz and bound him. But indeed they cheated the wolf and nailed his jaw to the ground with a sword and bound him with heavy chains to a rock on a desolate island. There the angry wolf bit off Tyr's hand before he could withdraw it.

So, we have a wolf biting of the right hand of someone who has to guarantee something in both cases... and we have a Wild Hunt for the villain like in Norse belief... and we have the chaining of a fiend like the chaining of Melkor.


Please feel free to add other such connections you noticed or comment on this humble one.

<h6> Like yapping dogs
Blind lead the blind
Those who chain the future
Are those time leaves behind
Is glory now gone?
A friendship worth of fiends
Is a rose without thorns. </h6></p>