13 replies to this topic

[Night Hawk]

I'm half way with reading UT, (starting with Galadriel & Celeborn chapter), so far it's a real good read

[av_nefardec]

It's a really good read. There's some valuable, specific information in there we can use for TLA that can only be found there.

My favorite sections are:

Aldarion and Erendis
A Description of the Island of Númenor
The Palantíri
The Drúedain
The Battles of the Fords of Isen

Also what's interesting when you finish UT is the history of middle earth set -

They contain what could be called the 'unfinished unfinished tales' - ones that never made it to publication even in the unfinished tales book.

[Sukkit]

UT is one of my favorite books, because it contains quite a lot of 'cultural' information, more than any other book (except probably 'Peoples of Middle Earth' and some of the last History of Middle Earth volumes, I guess - but I haven't read those).

The only problem is that we must be very cautious with this material, not being definitive at all, and often colliding with other 'official' (i.e. published in Tolkien's live) and 'un-official' (published after his death) texts. The story of Galadriel and Celeborn is a good example of this.

Still, for literary and narrative value, the UT are gold.

[BolideLich]

yes, the history of middle earth is good, ive just fininshed reading the book of lost tales II and i find it wierd that Tolkien originally intended for his stories to be how middle earth or Europe was formed, and how England was separated from ireland by a tug of war between the Valar and Osse, causing, therefore, for the Elves to flee to 'Valinor' or America.

Wierd, huh?

[av_nefardec]

No, I don't think it's weird at all. You see, unlike modern 'fantasy' writers who write in the spirit of Tolkien or in the spirit of pure fantasy, Tolkien was first and foremost an Anglophile and a Philologist.

Tolkien's life pursuit was a myth of England besides the Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, and Nordic myths that he saw as "foreign". Tolkien felt that England needed a central myth and that he was going to write it.

The reason it ended up based on language is because Tolkien's academic focus more or less focused on the relations of language to cultural myth and legend, namely those of the Norsemen, Finns, Celts, and Anglo-Saxons.

[Murchad]

Yeah it's not that wierd. Many answers to questions about Middle Earth can be found by looking at our Earth. The Nations are pretty much the same.
Easterlings, Southrons, etc. These are all like in our world (pretty much anyway).

[Sukkit]

Just a note, Valinor was never supposed to be America, because that would require some further explanation as to what happened to the Valar and the Elves after its definitive separation from Middle Earth. Valinor (and Tol Eressëa) became an entirely different world, only linked to Middle Earth by a road that only Elves (and seldom some human like Earendel [not Eärendil at the time]) could follow. A bit like another dimension, we'd say now.

[Stevethegreat]

Quote

Just a note, Valinor was never supposed to be America, because that would require some further explanation as to what happened to the Valar and the Elves after its definitive separation from Middle Earth. Valinor (and Tol Eressëa) became an entirely different world, only linked to Middle Earth by a road that only Elves (and seldom some human like Earendel [not Eärendil at the time]) could follow. A bit like another dimension, we'd say now.

Very true, indeed. According Tolkien America created afterwards. There were no America at the ages of books.

If you want to go to Valinor go to Bermuda Triangle. Somewhere there this dimension door exists and goes you to Aman. This is how those ships or planes have been dissapeared and never found again, trully a mystery of science. Just kidding there guys , but a possible logical explanation of this phenomemon (I am kidding again).




PS: Oh and by the way, my class is thread necromancer.

[bksvqb_12]

The Tale of Turin is by far my favorite of any of the stories in all of tolkiens writing. UT is defenitly an exelent read!

[Halmirion]

@Adam:

I'm probably saying something stupid and am going to get beat down by your superior knowledge, but...

You'd mentioned Anglo-Saxon myths as those considered "foreign" by Tolkien. But as I've always understood it, for Tolkien, being an Anglophile, Anglo-Saxon myths would have been what Tolkien was looking for but never found in any sufficient supply or quantity. It was with the people of Angle-land (-->England) that he identified. Correct me if I'm wrong?

You might also add to the list of "foreign" cultures the Welsh. (King Arthur, for example, was not truly English but rather Welsh.)

[Valahiru]

I dont remmeber whic book this is in but im fairly sure its in the history of m-e. . .the story where finrod is talking to one of beors decentands about y the humans fled from the east and stuff like dat. i loved dat story. . . . .its wat deepened my fixiation on Finrod <3 lol

[Enarwaen]

you mean 'Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth' found in HoME vol.X 'Morgoth's Ring'

yep - thats a very interesting chapter! very enlightening concerning the Professor's concepts about mankinds (first) fall.

[Valahiru]

ahhh yeah ty

[Drashkurz]

I finished reading it for the second time about a week ago. I think the section on the Istari is fascinating, and I loved 'Aldarion and Erendis' and the description of Numenor. To those who have only read the Silmarillion and are looking here, UT is worth it!