I miss The Cimmerian, the single greatest fantasy literature blog I have ever read. I recommend going through its archives, the quality of articles is fairly good through-out. Today, I'd like to talk about how middle-earth shaped how I viewed fantasy. Also these entries from THE BARBARIANS OF MIDDLE-EARTH were the catalyst to such thoughts.
I like Tolkien, quite a lot actually. My early readings of Tolkien were untainted by a lot of the fantasy culture (the exception being the Rankin Bass cartoons), hell I was in 2nd grade when I read the Hobbit and tackled Lord of the Rings soon after. The imagery and feel of the blood-stained battles, and the world-weary people of Middle-Earth as seen through my young minds eye has left a very distinct impression.
The images faded with time, an overexposure to fantasy tropes and I was plain getting older. It was years until I seriously returned to Tolkien & I rediscovered the sombre beauty of middle-earth, and the terrible carnage of the wars between the Light & the Dark. The Children of Hurin rekindled my love of high fantasy, and for Prof Tolkien's genre-defining world. I would return to the rest of his works with an open, and more mature eye than I had in the past. His writings weren't fairy tales, in a bright shiny world that certain people would like you to believe (oh, you read this "on campus in the sixties"). Nor wasn't it the overly simplicstic, morality tale, with two-dimesional characters others would lead you to believe (angsty teenagers, pedantic asshats*).
*I completely own being a pedantic asshat, still am at times too.
The works of Tolkien were written in the tradition of sagas, folk tales, and the ancient chronicles. His stories are tragic in nature. They are about mistakes, endings, and new beginnings birthed through pain.. All punctuated with moments of levity, wonder, and romance. His stories are very human at their core, told through a historians eye (with a linguist ear).
But this brings me back to the articles, The Barbarians of Middle Earth. The writings bring for a side of Tolkien's writing that are apparent the those who really read, but seem to be lost on the teeming masses, the humans of Middle Earth were not "white teethed, Knights in Shining fucking Armor saving damsels in distress". By Crom, this glossy view of medieval inspired cultures piss me off. They were the Saxons, the Scottish, the Irish, The Gauls, The Franks, hell the damn Normans! Our ancestors (for white people) were not NICE folk. Yes, they had culture, yes they were probably quiet friendly. But in NO WAY were they bright and shiny, herp-de-derp bullshit gah!
I have no idea where this popular idea of Middle Earth came from...other than campus on the sixties. Then again, I was even a twinkle in my Mom's eye at that point. So maybe I'm off base. No, Middle Earth is even being differently trivialized. Have you seen the myriad of games? Magic that has nothing to do with Valar or Melkor. Orcs are nothing more than icky nasty mooks to be killed, instead of creatures filled with hate who are threats to the people of Middle Earth. Pretty boy elves who ride shields down stairs. Comic relief Scottish Dwarves. Oh, and combat being a relatively bloodless affair with no real consequence. NIPPLE HELMETS! Gah, no one gets Tolkien Elves write. Have you read the Poetic Edda? Fuckers not effeminate or passionless. They are full of passion, they sing rousing battles hymn, lament the tears of the many fallen. THEY CLIMB MOUND OF BODIES!
I'm an o'erbrimming with da fire and fury. I end without really making a point!
