The Mythology that Inspired Tolkien

Рет қаралды 20,421

Күн бұрын

Where did JRR Tolkien get his influences and inspiration from for his books? Particularly The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion? This video will look into these and pick out the key cultures and stories Tolkien used to create his fantasy universe.
🧡 Patreon:
► Join the Patreon: » / crecganford
► Mythology Database: » www.mythologydatabase.com/
🎭 Social Media:
► Twitter: / crecganford
► Instagram: / crecganford
► Facebook Fan Page: / crecganford
🌍🌏🌎 Please respect other's cultures and beliefs. Racism, discrimination or threatening speech will not be tolerated.
For those interested in purchasing Antony Cummin's book "The Ultimate Unofficial Guide to Tolkien's World", these are the links;
USA BARNS AND NOBLE use this link; www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-...
Amazon US; www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Unoff...
Amazon UK; www.amazon.co.uk/Ultimate-Uno...
📚 References
Cummins, Antony (2023). The Ultimate Unofficial Guide to Tolkien's World. Watkins.
Hammond, Wayne and Scull, Christina (2014). The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion. Harper Collins
Zimbardo, Rose and Isaacs, Neil (2004). Understanding the Lord of the Rings. Horton Mifflin Company
Tolkien, JRR's work including Beowulf, Sigurd and Gudrun, Finn and Hengist, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion. Harper Collins.
📑 Chapters
0:00 Introduction
0:52 Tolkien's Books
4:20 Tolkien's Creation Myth
12:15 Tolkien's Cosmology
17:30 Hobbits
18:14 Elves
19:05 Dwarves (Dwarfs)
20:19 Men
21:45 Magical Creatures and Weapons
23:41 A Farewell to Magic

Пікірлер: 273

@Crecganford 6 ай бұрын

This is a new type of video for me, looking at fiction and seeing its influences. Please tell me your thoughts and views on it, as it would be very interesting to me.

@jenifehlberg3189 6 ай бұрын

Was Tolkien referring to the two trees as a comparison to the two trees in the garden of Eden, the tree of life and the tree of knowledge?

@kariannecrysler640 6 ай бұрын

I like seeing how old myths evolve. There are many more modern stories that are conglomerations of myths and new ideas. Through the looking glass would be a hoot to unravel what’s entwined lol

@johnsteiner3417 6 ай бұрын

Curious what you would make of Netflix's Bright, an urban fantasy in modern day Los Angeles.

@3rdeye671 6 ай бұрын

There is a lot of Slavic mythology mixed into his Epic fantasy.

@cherub2918 6 ай бұрын

My partner wrote his thesis on LOTR from a pop-culture perspective (pop culture at the time of its writing that is) and talked about a lot of similar things 😁

@shirleynoble685 6 ай бұрын

For those looking for in depth examinations of Tolkien’s work, check out the large collection of both popular and academic work by Thomas Shippey. He is considered to be one of (if not the) foremost commentators on Tolkien. Now retired, he taught at Oxford using a syllabus developed by Tolkien and also held the same chair at University of Leeds that Tolkien did. One of his best known books is The Road to Middle Earth. He also wrote a very interesting book mapping the myth of Heracles onto the ancient Celtic road system of Western Europe and its astronomical connections. And, yes, there was a quite extensive road system in pre-Roman Gaul whose complexity and accuracy of surveying shows that its occupants were not the unsophisticated barbarians that the Greeks and Romans liked to make them out to be.

@felixh5748 5 ай бұрын

Whats the name of the book he wrote bout the celtic road system

@fintan9705 4 ай бұрын

@@felixh5748 there's a book about the celtic mapping and road systems by Graham Robb called the discovery of middle earth.

@pyreflei 6 ай бұрын

I'd love to see you cover mythological influence in Neil Gaiman's works, as well as Terry Pratchet. They're two of my favorite contemporary authors!

@Crecganford 6 ай бұрын

I am pondering this, and shall ponder a little more.

@wobber17 6 ай бұрын

Yes, the whole "anthropomorphic personifications of universal concepts" on the surface just looks like pantheism, but I always had a sense that there was an interesting difference, but never could put a finger on what it was. Would like to hear your thoughts@@Crecganford

@karinschultz5409 6 ай бұрын

Yes, Pratchett is an excellent suggestion. Always liked the idea if the world on the back of a turtle flying through the universe.

@giovannapacchiarotta4557 6 ай бұрын

Two of my biggest passions ❤ Indo-European mythology and Tolkien. Thank you Professor!

@moonpearl4736 6 ай бұрын

OMG, Crecganford on Tolkien! Before first breakfast even! I am ecstatic.

@jrpipik 6 ай бұрын

A challenge, trying to cover all of Tolkien's world in one video. You could easily do a deep dive into any one element of his mythology. The important thing to me is that Tolkien was influenced by all these sources, but he didn't sit down to interpret a specific myth: he wrote his stories as they occurred to him, though the stories and myths he knew may have influenced him less consciously. For instance, he wanted dwarves for The Hobbit, but didn't want to have to create a bunch of names, so he stole them from The Eddas; but he didn't consciously base the characters or the story on the Norse poems -- which isn't to say they had no influence on the work.

@cyankirkpatrick5194 6 ай бұрын

I just learned that Frodo means wise from older English.

@Crecganford 6 ай бұрын

Yes, or more specifically someone who has grown wise.

@cyankirkpatrick5194 6 ай бұрын

@@Crecganford yes because it plays into the character of him and his journey I love the book and anything by Tolkien.

@torshavnnewell 6 ай бұрын

I think a mythological influence of note is Apollo. Finrod Felagund is a pretty Apollonian character. He is an agent of order and society and a creative spirit.

@lindagates9150 6 ай бұрын

Terry Pratchett is the only author I miss I wish Lyn could finish the books that he didn’t have the time to complete.I would love to hear your take on the Disc world he created 😂❤🎉❤ I adore reading them aloud and inserting my own fooynote😅s

@daliborbobr6331 6 ай бұрын

next time you can do Wagner's "Der Ring des Nibelungen". It is full of mythology and I always felt that Tolkien had to be partly inspired by it

@Crecganford 6 ай бұрын

That is an interesting idea, thank you for the suggestion.

@ThursonJames 6 ай бұрын

@@Crecganford yes, please! 🫖

@jrpipik 6 ай бұрын

Tolkien said he did not appreciate Wagner and that he had been influenced more by the same stories that inspired Wagner than Wagner himself. But I suspect you're right, that he was more influenced by The Ring Cycle than he would admit.

@camgilson1439 6 ай бұрын

Yeah, Tolkien was trying to re-write Wagner’s Ring Cycle, and liberalize it, ie make it less fascist. That’s the whole point of LOTR. Tolkien secretly loved Wagner’s Ring Cycle and the myths that inspired it, but because of the outbreaks of WWI and WWII, Tolkien wanted to make a sort of British / vaguely anti-fascist version of the Ring Cycle, so he came up with LOTR. Many of the characters are similar, like Sauron being based off Alberich and the Istari being like Wotan in wanderer-form.

@ThursonJames 6 ай бұрын

@@camgilson1439 sounds a bit “Make Sunwheels Indo-European Again”, no?

@heraclito3114 6 ай бұрын

What is interesting about Tolkien is that he built a mythology in a similar way that human societies did using previous existing stories with the difference that he did in a few years what the "natural" evolution of storytelling would take centuries.

@hubwil89 6 ай бұрын

More like copy-pasted, including 95% of the names. He just created a mythologies-based fan fiction

@heraclito3114 6 ай бұрын

@hubwil89 He "copy-pasted", combined and evolved. Just like the Greeks did (and there is proof of that)). Just like later civilizations "plagiarized" the Akkadians and Sumerians. If you follow this channel, you should that.

@RelivingHistory1 6 ай бұрын

@@hubwil89 copy pasted....ahaha if its so easy, why don't you do it?

@camgilson1439 6 ай бұрын

Incorrect, he ripped it off of Wagner’s Ring Cycle. Tolkien was writing a Ring of the Nibelung fan fiction. It’s totally ripped off Wagner’s Ring Cycle to the point of being a quasi-parody of it. Not originally developed at all, it’s a derivative work of fiction based off the Ring Cycle.

@DJWESG1 6 ай бұрын

Maybe you'd be interested in sociology, it's ficus is social change, social ordering and how society is 'reproduced' and maintained.

@herreramissions6283 6 ай бұрын

I love your work!!! You should do the indigenous American origin stories. They're very interesting. Specifically the ....popol vu... spelling is hard

@Crecganford 6 ай бұрын

Thank you. I am planning on doing this next year.

@Tymbus 6 ай бұрын

Great idea. I would add 'A Story as Sharp as a Knife: The Classical Haida Mythtellers and Their World''

@Nancy_S68 6 ай бұрын

Any Native American mythology would be interesting - comparisons of tribal creation stories, cosmology and comparisons of constellations and their stories, future predictive stories, etc.

@darren.mcauliffe 6 ай бұрын

@@Crecganford Do the Indigenous Australians too. I was raised in Australia and no nothing of their mythologies. I know the word dreamtime, but don't really know what that is. (or have you done that)

@aelfredrex8354 6 ай бұрын

Midgard literally means "middle earth", Earendil is Old Saxon for the Morning Star, and there's a part of Brittany called Rohan.

@joelhellstrom6640 6 ай бұрын

I really enjoyed the video! :) I know your forté is cultures that are forged in the british isles, but are you aware of how finnish and finnic folklore epic "Kalevala" influenced Tolkiens world, such as story of Turin, Quenyan language and the names of the creator Eru Iluvatar and Sauron? (Ilmatar, Annatar?) Thank you for what you do, it is always a treat to put on a crecganford video. ❤

@Badficwriter 6 ай бұрын

Ilmatar? There's a D&D god of martyrs named Ilmater. Never thought the name came from somewhere.

@unntohuh9496 3 ай бұрын

Mielikkki may also be familiar for those who read the Dragonlance books. Mielikki is the hostess/Queen goddes of the forest in finnish mythology

@Bjorn_Algiz 6 ай бұрын

Hahaha what about "second breakfast" hehehe that got me so good 😅 love it!

@filteredjc4653 6 ай бұрын

Great video! Really interesting how Tolkein took all these elements and welded them together into his own mythology. I'd recommend 'JRR Tolkien' by Humphrey Carpenter as a really good book about the man, which also sheds a lot of light on this subject

@Covah86 6 ай бұрын

I would love for you to do a deep dive into the mythology of Discworld. I credit Terry Pratchett, more than anyone else, for my love of stories and world building. I don't know how he managed to have humour like the time Death went fly fishing with the primordial lure, that would drag the fish out of the water, and then have such devestatingly poignant quotes like Von Lipwig's, ''Do you not know that a man is not dead while his name is still spoken?" I know other authors have done it but none, I think, did it with the same sense of magic that Pratchett was able to accomplish. GNU Terry Pratchett

@juneroberts5305 6 ай бұрын

Gets my vote!! ❤

@RJ420NL 6 ай бұрын

Great video. I've been a Tolkien fan for decades and I enjoyed hearing your thoughts on the legendarium.

@Crecganford 6 ай бұрын

Thank you.

@Tymbus 6 ай бұрын

Thank you for making me aware of Antony Cummins's book, which Amazon tells me will see publication in November

@AntonyCummins 6 ай бұрын

Thank you for checking it out.

@puppude 3 ай бұрын

Dont do it between the pages broooo

@juanreinbergcortes7893 6 ай бұрын

I would really love more videos about Tolkien and compared Mythology! There's a Lot to be said about the subject

@jefflippman2925 6 ай бұрын

Love this direction. Game of Thrones, Narnia, Arthur, Star Wars, Babylon 5, American Gods, among others would be appointment viewing

@trehayireve4981 6 ай бұрын

Read Plato's Allegories, particularly the "Cave" and the "ring"...

@thisisnotausernameXD 6 ай бұрын

I am always interested in Tolkien analyses and I very much enjoyed this. I'll also join in on the chorus for a dive into Terry Pratchett's world but I do have a different request of my own: Ursula Le Guin. She seems to have written many of her works with an anthropological lens, so there is likely a variety of mythology she would have borrowed from. Earthsea is the most obvious but even the Hainish universe likely has its inspirations in mythology.

@davidmiddleton7958 6 ай бұрын

As a fan of The Lord of tne Rings, this prompted me to read some of Tolkien's other works. The Silmarillion & Unfinished Tails were very intriguing. My experience of mythology is limited, but I was able to see where some of these works were sourced.

@ages6592 6 ай бұрын

Melkor didn’t want to destroy the world, he wanted to create living things of his own. When he couldn’t do that (only Eru could create life) he got angry and over time he instead corrupted things in order to put his mark on the world. Sauron didn’t just want to rule the world, he wanted to create order in world (like an all powerful dictator).

@iamkyle42 Ай бұрын

I love your conclusion about the age of man and the disappearance of magic and music! I appreciate your work,

@KipIngram 5 ай бұрын

It's almost heartbreaking when Elrond, Galadriel, Gandalf, and Frodo board that last ship and it sails off into the sunset - not just over an ocean but through a veil that no man can ever follow them through - it is as if the last magic is departing the world. Because they are no longer needed - the last Dark Lord has been defeated, and it's very much as though the idea was "you guys will be able to take it from here - you're on your own."

@raineterni2219 6 ай бұрын

I'd love to hear you talk about Terry Pratchet's works

@darrylseya 6 ай бұрын

seconded;)

@royarnejosefsen1863 6 ай бұрын

Terry Pratchett would certainly be interesting

@marilynwasserman3273 6 ай бұрын

JRR Tolkien was by profession a linguist. His inspiration for his tales was primarily linguistic. He was a man who liked to invent languages! His stories were originally developed as background for the languages he'd invented. Much of the Silmarillion was written long before LOTR and even before The Hobbit, which was intended as a book for children. JRRT had wanted to publish his "Silmarillion" after the success of The Hobbit, but his publisher said it wasn't marketable so Tolkien instead turned to developing a sequel to The Hobbit. The very long process of writing LOTR is well and carefully documented by his son Christopher in a series of books drawn from his father's notes and reflections and is a fascinating story in its own right.

@theobastiaan5943 6 ай бұрын

Tolkien didn't wrote these tales as a backdrop for his invented languages. What nonsense. He wrote this in 1951 to Waldman: "But an equally basic passion of mine ab initio was for myth (not allegory!) and for fairy-story, and above all for heroic legend on the brink of fairy-tale and history, of which there is far too little in the world (accessible to me) for my appetite. I was an undergraduate before thought and experience revealed to me that these were not divergent interests - opposite poles of science and romance - but integrally related. I am not ‘learned’ in the matters of myth and fairy-story, however, for in such things (as far as known to me) I have always been seeking material, things of a certain tone and air, and not simple knowledge. Also - and here I hope I shall not sound absurd - I was from early days grieved by the poverty of my own beloved country: it had no stories of its own (bound up with its tongue and soil), not of the quality that I sought, and found (as an ingredient) in legends of other lands. There was Greek, and Celtic, and Romance, Germanic, Scandinavian, and Finnish (which greatly affected me); but nothing English, save impoverished chap-book stuff. Of course there was and is all the Arthurian world, but powerful as it is, it is imperfectly naturalized, associated with the soil of Britain but not with English; and does not replace what I felt to be missing. For one thing its ‘faerie’ is too lavish, and fantastical, incoherent and repetitive. For another and more important thing: it is involved in, and explicitly contains the Christian religion." He was very clear that from an early age he was saddened that England didn't have english mythological stories of it's own and so he started building his own imaginative world which he felt wasn't authentic without it's own languages.

@yukifoxscales 6 ай бұрын

I love how well you cover Middle Earth and how it relates to Mythologies of our World. I've read the books.... Hobbit not very much, maybe 3 or 4 times, LoTR over 50 times [I actually counted it up when the movies came out], and The Sillmarillian probably 25 times? Not to mention Lost Tales, Unfinished Tales, et al. But I have read his stuff with much joy, and I'm enjoying your [and your friend's take on it] very much, because it is confirming those links I felt were there. And as someone who is working on working myth into the reality of a world I want to write in myself, its enjoyable to see how other Fictional worlds can relate to it all.

@AntonyCummins 6 ай бұрын

That sounds like an amazing amount of times to read them.

@archtura7276 Ай бұрын

In an interview you can find online, Tolkien said his trees have nothing to do with Yggdrasil, but much more resemble Alexanders 2 trees.

@blakewinter1657 6 ай бұрын

Just a quick note, Tolkien did explain a bit of what happens to Men's souls. They go to Mandos but then 'leave the cirles of the world,' which is special because it means they are not bound to the existence of Arda. Beren's greatest feat may have been delaying leaving the halls of Mandos until Luthien could come and move him to Pity. Also, in the Athrabeth, Finrod the elf suggests that this transcendence of the world was connected to Illuvatar's first plan to heal the world.

@TheDanEdwards 6 ай бұрын

The end state of Humans was not revealed by Eru, which is why I assume "leave the circles of the world" is really thought of as a _future_ event, once Eru is finished with the world that exists. I think the problem is that the timeline of Middle-earth and then the transition to our time is somehow independent of time in Valinor.

@blakewinter1657 6 ай бұрын

@@TheDanEdwards No, they are definitely said to only tarry in the halls of Mandos for a short time before leaving the the world entirely.

@Egilhelmson 6 ай бұрын

@@TheDanEdwardsThe problem with determining the afterlife of humans is that Tolkien’s Middle Earth stories were always written from the Elvish POV, and how would they know?

@peterbriers2995 6 ай бұрын

Thank you for this. Absolutely fascinating. I have read LoTR about 50 times. I get something out of it every time and your video just gave me much much more. Thank you

@CivilizationEx 6 ай бұрын

Amazing video! I'm so glad you delved into this universe, Tolkien left us so much to explore. Thank you for this, I was happily surprised to see you cover LOTR and hope you make more fantasy inspired vids! :)

@Crecganford 6 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@tsemayekekema2918 6 ай бұрын

I can't believe an anthropology-myth video is more entertaining than most episodes of Amazon's abomination

@juanreinbergcortes7893 6 ай бұрын

In the Book of Lost Tales the Valar of the oceans is called Ylmer instead of Ulmo. I remember thinking about the names in protoindoeuropean Myth reconstructions

@stephaniewright898 6 ай бұрын

Three of my very favorite things❤❤❤ mythology, historical Ireland and Scotland, and history. MORE PLEASE 😊

@ShekinahGwaii 6 ай бұрын

I'm mortified that this video seemed to cause Jon too much grief to do again! What is wrong with people, lol😢

@jenifehlberg3189 6 ай бұрын

Thoroughly enjoyed that lecture. Being an avid Sci-fi fan I would love to hear your thoughts on Star Wars etc ❤❤❤❤😊

@camgilson1439 6 ай бұрын

Star Wars is also based off Wagner’s Ring Cycle. Similar characters and themes, ie Palpatine is Alberich, Darth Vader is Wotan, Luke Skywalker is Sigfried, the Force is the Ring, extinction of Jedi is like extinction of Aesir, blowing up Deathstar is like destruction of Ring on funeral pyre at the end of the Ring Cycle, Leia is sorta Brunhilde, Obi Wan Kenobi is Wotan as a wanderer (similar to Gandalf), etc. Star Wars is like a dumbed down Americanized version of the Ring Cycle.

@arianeingham6699 6 ай бұрын

Lovely discussion! I appreciate your insights on the continuing evolution of human mythology.

@carolstevens1722 6 ай бұрын

Thank you for this intriguing & beautiful analysis!

@timgilkes1435 6 ай бұрын

I love your videos, always informative and entertaining. Fantasy is my preferred literature so anything you can do expand on those would be fantastic. I would also be interested to hear about British myth and legend; the Arthurian stories, Robin Hood, and other folk tales that may have links with our ancient history. Or in a similar vein "magic" items such as the Gàe Bulg, or Excalibur.

@Connor-ys7ew 6 ай бұрын

Loved this video sir. Lord of the Rings is actually what got me so interested in comparative mythology. I think there’s so much more to discuss just on the lord of the rings books. So much inspiration from various religions and cultures

@user-nv5sy9mp4v 6 ай бұрын

Would love you to do Terry Pratchetts Discworld 😊😅

@kyleellsworth6440 6 ай бұрын

This was craic! More on the influence on fiction, please!

@marivitelli 6 ай бұрын

I clicked so fast on the link of the Unofficial Guide to Tolkien's World, only to find out it will only be released on November 14th, how sad. I love your take on Tolkien, and I'd love to see a video like this for Terry Pratchett. Great work.

@denniswrande6004 5 ай бұрын

thx for sharing these i think that him JRR tolkien got much inspiration from the Nordic asatru tales and mythology stories that made him more into those stuff and drawn into it

@NIDELLANEUM 6 ай бұрын

8:52 "because how can good triumph, unless there's an evil to beat?" Such a powerful, philosophical question

@DJWESG1 6 ай бұрын

And poltical.. the need for a enemy is always present.

@Aedren 6 ай бұрын

I was surprised (in a good way!) to see a video from you appearing that goes about Tolkien. It's a great addition to your channel. Many books/movies (mostly fantasy, but other genres as well) take inspiration from real world mythology. It can be great to see the influences that some books/movies have from real world mythology. Harry Potter and The Golem and the Djinni are also great works that have influences from real world myths.

@nicarcana 6 ай бұрын

I adore this topic! Please plan further in depth episodes, as these are the legends that mattered to me in my lifetime. Huge fan!

@jeremyt4292 6 ай бұрын

I would love to see more on vedic history and influence!

@tweedledumart4154 6 ай бұрын

Thank you very much for this. In our time there’s obviously a longing for magic and myths. You are absolutely right to adress this.

@pendragon2012 6 ай бұрын

Tolkien was such a master of mythology and language!

@PeterProfitRacing 19 күн бұрын

G'day from Port Douglas, Tropical North Queensland Australia.

@nullgravity2583 6 ай бұрын

When talking about starwars: "scooby dooby met seeing-three-pee-o's in hoth 🤡" When talking about Tolkien: *talks fluent elvish🗿

@juandiegobenitezavendano448 6 ай бұрын

I would appreciate learning about Starwars and its links to Vedic traditions and myths.

@ichliebebrotmann9709 6 ай бұрын

Dude I love your content, love how calmly you speak and how in depth you go into these topics

@Crecganford 6 ай бұрын

Thank you.

@obxwave 6 ай бұрын

This was interesting and enjoyable, but you certainly could do a deeper dive into all of these topics should you choose. Also, my understanding is that some of Tolkien’s ideas were draw from non-Indo-European sources (such as Turambar, who apparently was inspired by Finnish myth). I hope you will do some follow-ups.

@TheArtyonline 6 ай бұрын

This is a very good introductory video about Tolkien's mithology. But I rather expected more... I mean, a deeper delving into particular miths or stories (those of the Silmarillion, especially). Tolkien is known to be a scientist into Indoeuopean studies and language, which he said were the main source of his inspiration. Also, there is a Finish connection related to elves' languages and culture. But he affirmed his world was not Celtic, and on several occasions he seemed to refuse direct Celtic connections. I expect other videos upon this subject and I heartily congratulate you for this one.

@jamiegallier2106 6 ай бұрын

Another interesting video, I love relaxing to the wonderful storytelling style while learning. Much respect. I watched a fascinating presentation of a professor at Gresham college on the subject of cursed objects found in England dating back to pagan Roman period. He ended with a brief tale of the power of cursed objects, stating that a curse was found in a temple for the thief of a stolen ring, this well described ring was found miles away millennia later…by none other than amateur/hobbyist archaeologist, Tolkien.

@Crecganford 6 ай бұрын

That sounds like a talk by Ronald Hutton, I do read some of his work, although I am not always in agreement with everything he says.

@jamiegallier2106 6 ай бұрын

@@Crecganford Yes! It was Hutton. He is very knowledgeable and entertaining. I did note some scholarly disagreement in commentary on one of his presentations, of course it was mostly over my head unfamiliar with the specific subject matter. If you have time and inclination, would you care to elaborate where you have disagreed? *thank you for all you do, I’m obsessed with your channel!

@javiklaine 6 ай бұрын

Thank you for your consideration of Tolkien's work! If you have the opportunity, consider Slavic mythology, the difference between West Slavic and East Slavic, and its proximity to other Indo-European cultures.

@dantescalona 6 ай бұрын

I applaud such a bold endeavour, and I hope you carry it further, whether with Tolkien and/or other authors. However, I‘m here to step into the discussion: although indeed Melkor has basicly existed since the dawn of creation, I believe his maleficence is not meant to be interpreted as inherent to him (or the world). He, like all other beings, has always been granted the faculty of freedom, as much as they‘d never be denied the opportunity of repentance. In what might be seen as Tolkien‘s reinterpretation of „theodice“, even though Eru could’ve easily intervened whenever, evil is self-arisen but also self-destructed; because ultimately good did not traditionally triumph in the end (since Frodo too succumbs too the One Ring), but actually endured and contributed just enough for evil to eventually defeat itself „eucataclysmically“. Therefore, even though I partake in no abrahamic belief myself, I acclaim such view of a non-morally-dualistic world. And as such, I find it hard for it to be compatible with any manichean cosmovision, including zoroastrianism. But thanks nonetheless, for such an eternal conception of good and evil does seem like a plausible assumption to be made in antiquity; which I find quite entertaining even if I do not abide. On further note, I‘d be very interested in morality systems of different cultures through time and space as reflected in their myths. As Socrates might‘ve once asked: "Is the pious loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because it is loved by the gods?"

@jenniferroxy5956 6 ай бұрын

Yes we would love harry potter, terry pratchet, all of it, everything

@maciejtedeque8096 6 ай бұрын

Now im looking for a video about warhammer fantasy!

@kellydalstok8900 6 ай бұрын

Please please please make a video about Terry Pratchett. I love his Discworld books and the world and characters he created therein.

@lesliewells-ig5dl 6 ай бұрын

I definitely like this type of video. I hope you do more of them!!!

@scottdunn7484 6 ай бұрын

Thank you from a long time fan of Tolkien's work.

@xxiloveitallxx 2 ай бұрын

The way I audibly gasped when you suggested Terry Pratchett, please please do discworld!

@Crecganford 2 ай бұрын

These types of videos aren't so well received here, and so I may have to collab with someone to make that happen, but I will try.

@xxiloveitallxx 2 ай бұрын

@@Crecganford could I suggest a collab with tale foundry? They've done a whole series on Pratchett and are a fantastic bunch

@Cloudyshiny 4 ай бұрын

A fun thing I noticed is that Manwë, the chief of the valar, is of the skies and winds, the sky father of the pantheon

@ciannolan9713 6 ай бұрын

Having just reread the books, this video is a great treat for the day

@kariannecrysler640 6 ай бұрын

I wouldn’t mind more like this. Have you considered Robert Jordan and the wheel of time? I read that entire series often lol

@Crecganford 6 ай бұрын

Wow, that would take some doing... but maybe, one day, in a few years time.

@kariannecrysler640 6 ай бұрын

@@Crecganford I was given the first book in 2000 for my birthday. There’s so many things (Kari Al’Thor, Fain is a family name,etc) that connected to my life that I became completely consumed by the series. I am also very small town, so that rang true as well for me lol

@fernandogarcia3957 6 ай бұрын

Some of the main characters have developments inspired by Odin, Thor and Tyr. I won’t say more, I don't want to spoil anyone the books...

@marjoe32 6 ай бұрын

Brother you are on FIRE i found you like 2 weeks ago and im almost done binging your videos. Thank you im a lore Geek, fron my history adiction , and i love these stories

@Crecganford 6 ай бұрын

Thank you for your kind words.

@richardburns3543 6 ай бұрын

Thank you for your efforts. In clarifying the cosmology of the Lord of the Rings.

@bloodynympho2096 6 ай бұрын

First of all, thank you for great videos :) Yes, I would love to see more of these fiction and mythology videos. I don't think there is no mythological basis for ents. What about slavic Leshy? :)

@bob_btw6751 4 ай бұрын

Thanks very much for your overview of JRRT's sources for his mythologized universe. Perhaps you have seen the In Deep Geek channels videos on Tolkiens work. The vids are very detailed and well done and sometimes go deep into the rabbit hole seeking. I highly recommend the channel for its content and enjoyment.

@clapdrix72 Ай бұрын

I DEFINITELY would want to hear a deep breakdown of Harry Potter.

@worrywirt 23 күн бұрын

Impossible when the source material itself lacks depth

@kredonystus7768 6 ай бұрын

Second cup of tea? Hahahaha. I have had way more than that already.

@MatthewCaunsfield 6 ай бұрын

Great idea for a different kind of vid!

@neilhaverly4117 6 ай бұрын

The Bible 6 day was a recreation and replenishing of the cosmos including the Earth and followed the second to last flood that being the flood of Noah's days. This recreator resting on the 7th day is the best example of melchor

@hallstuart6604 6 ай бұрын

Please please consider covering the Warhammer 40k univers! It is a wash with real world myths and legends.

@chinyoka2387 6 ай бұрын

PLEASE do Terry Pratchett!

@curiositypiqued6573 Ай бұрын

There's an amazing book by Brian bates (the real middle earth) which I'm still steamrolling through....its fantastic

@3rdeye671 6 ай бұрын

Melkor and his agent Sauron aren't so much evil as their goal is to undo the creation and replace it with their own flawed version. Like Zoarastrian they oppose the 'Light' and are therefore beings of the Darkness, the world of Shadow.

@misterbaker1946 6 ай бұрын

Please cover the manga One Piece. I watch you to learn more about mythology, so I can understand world building more. It's impossible for me to convey how much you would love his world. Every video I watch of yours I always find things I can relate to One Piece.

@Crecganford 6 ай бұрын

I have to say this would be very much out of comfort zone, but maybe, one day, if enough people ask for it.

@isajoha9962 6 ай бұрын

Great video. 👍

@Crecganford 6 ай бұрын

Thank you.

@amberjansen6899 6 ай бұрын

You should look up professor Thijs Porck from Leiden University!! He is amazing and has actually thaught us in class about the relationship between old English and Tolkien. One of the best professors out there and I think you would like him (and I think he would like your content a lot as well) Also, I love your videos and as a historian I really like the accuarcy of them

@danielstride198 6 ай бұрын

Balin is the one Dwarven name not found in the Voluspa. It might be an Arthurian name instead (sounding like it fits with the genuinely Norse Dwalin).

@heraclito3114 6 ай бұрын

It's not said where humans go when they died but it's a different place than elves'. That's why it's so dramatic that Arwen chose to stay with Aragorn because that means she would be separated from her father Elrond and the rest of the elves forever. That's the price for choosing humanity.

@MichaelYoder1961 6 ай бұрын

A story that would be interesting for you to cover, but that isn't myth-based is "The Gammage Cup". How a group of people are influenced by strange writings from a book that arrives in their isolated village.

@Crecganford 6 ай бұрын

That is an interesting suggestion, I shall consider this more. Thank you.