Cameron Arnett Professor Lenz ENG2121-01 02/27/2018 Comparing Anglo-Saxon Culture to Tolkien’s Works In the beginning of the twenty-first century, J.R.R Tolkien’s “The Lord Of The Rings” trilogy, originally books, were adapted by director Peter Jackson into films that according to the “2017 Statistic Brain Research Institute” made over two billion US dollars in box office sales. Later on, in 2012-2014 Peter Jackson would direct a film adaptation of Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” into a film trilogy, bringing in another 2.916 billion US dollars. In an age where Anglo-Saxon influenced movies and books were relatively scarce, “The Lord Of The Rings” and “The Hobbit” made immense success while drawing influences from Anglo-Saxon literature and culture. …show more content…
The idea persists throughout the story with a group of nine heroes supporting one-another as they take up the quest to bring the one ring to its destruction. This can be directly related back to Anglo-Saxon ideals of kinsmanship, which held great importance in their time. As stated by Pritha Kundu “This is Tolkien’s concept of heroism-in-fellowship-bond which develops from its rudimentary and episodic forms in since his early text, The Hobbit, and the idea can be said to have come directly from the Anglo-Saxon ideal of a homosocial community of warriors” …show more content…
The people speak Old English and are given names that typically sound Old English such as Éowyn or Théoden. The hall that the royal line of Rohan owns is referred to as ‘Meduseld’ which holds great importance in the story and in their culture. A parallel can be drawn here to the Anglo-Saxon culture of holding gatherings in mead halls and by extension, to “Heorot”, King Hrothgar’s mead hall in the tale of Beowulf. A scene appears in the film adaptation of “The Return Of The King”, during which the fellowship is gathered in the mead hall of Rohan enjoying festivities after The Battle Of Helm's Deep, one of the larger battles in the trilogy. Similar to how in Anglo-Saxon culture, warriors would gather in the mead halls to celebrate their triumph while honoring those who had fallen. The mead hall in Rohan very much so resembles King Hrothgar’s matching the description given in Beowulf. ”The gold-laced hall, the high timbers, Most splendid building among earth-dwellers Under the heavens —the king lived there— Its gold-hammered roofs shone over the land”(Beowulf,
It will be the contention of this paper that much of Tolkien's unique vision was directly shaped by recurring images in the Catholic culture which shaped JRRT, and which are not shared by non-Catholics generally. The expression of these images in Lord of the Rings will then concern us.
In today’s society, most of our life can be defined by what is occurring in the media. What trends we are following, what we find entertaining, and even the values that we hold close to our heart. As you examine the movie, Beowulf and Grendel (Gunnarsson, 2005), and compare it to the original work that it is modelled after, Beowulf (Heaney, 2000), you can see that there is a significant difference in the cultural values of the time period that Beowulf and Grendel was written compared to Beowulf. There is a multitude of differences in the values people hold close to their heart in our world today compared to Beowulf. With Beowulf representing the Anglo-Saxon time period and Beowulf and Grendel representing the early 2000s era, the differences
This story begins with a small fellow by the name of Bilbo Baggins. This fantasy story was written in 1956 by J.R.R. Tolkien. It is about a hero’s journey through the dangers and wonders of Middle Earth. Although it was not meant to become such a well-known book, it is filled with much literature. Throughout the book, Tolkien uses literary devices such as repetition, similes, and metaphors to develop the theme of cunning and cleverness.
Although centuries distance the creation of Beowulf from The Hobbit, J. R. R. Tolkien took inspiration of different essential morals and character traits from Beowulf. In Beowulf, an epic hero Beowulf experiences significant tribulations and an ultimate battle that leads to his demise. In The Hobbit, Bilbo experiences similar tribulations, however, he gains courage and reverence throughout his journey. The nature of each book, how Bilbo experiences maturation when Beowulf experiences death, does not discredit Tolkien’s inspiration from Beowulf, it instead promotes the idea that each book was written for a different audience.
The paper will begin with a look at the life of Tolkien. This will serve the purpose of providing some context for the novel. Looking into the life of Tolkien will also serve to give the reader some insight into the mind that gave birth to such a rich land and why the novel may have some importance for sufferers of mental illness. Next will likely be a short summation of the
During the turn of the 5th century, the British Isles were under control of a strong and powerful group of people, called the Anglo-Saxons. These individuals worshipped under a Pagan religion that shaped their society in many ways. During the time period when the story was written, it is believed to have followed strict Paganism beliefs. Throughout the time the story has been told, Christian monks have rewritten it, changing it around to follow a Christian belief system. Even with these changes and rewrites, the core essence of the Anglo-Saxon beliefs remain in the story. Within the epic poem of Beowulf, readers can clearly see the traditions of Anglo-Saxon culture and the Pagan religion, including importance of reputation, concept of fate,
Tolkien, J. R. R., and Douglas A. Anderson. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin,
Beowulf, being Tolkien’s biggest inspiration in The Lord of The Rings, is the prime example of Anglo-Saxon Literature. Written anonymously, it is the oldest surviving epic poem in history. The Anglo-Saxon time period thrived on the heroic codes of Honor, Strength, and Bravery. The warrior, Beowulf himself, exemplified this heroic code...
J.R.R Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is a peerless fantasy of epic proportions. While eschewing allegory in favor of an historical perspective, Tolkien has imprinted the work with many of his own closely held Catholic beliefs. In a lecture concerning Tolkien’s writing given to students at Villanova University, Dr. Tomas W. Smith put it this way
Tolkien, J. R. R. The Hobbit, Or, There and Back Again. New York: Ballantine, 1982. Print
Print. The. Tolkien, J. R. R. The Fellowship of the Ring. First Ballantine Books Ed.
Tolkien, J. R. R., and Christopher Tolkien. The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009. Print.
Setia, Roszainora, et al. “Semiotic Analysis of a Media Text The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.” Canadian Social Science 5.4 (2009): 25-31. Academic Search Complete. Web. 7 November 2013.
Murray, Roxane Farrell. "The Lord of the Rings as Myth." Unpublished thesis. The University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 1974.
Reverence for Religion Religion was not the only foundation for the Anglos, Saxons, and the people during the Grendel time, however, religion was one of the most important things during their everyday lives. The Anglos and Saxons were brought into Christianity while the people of Hrothgar, therefore leaving undefined variables between the two groups of people and their beliefs. We do not know the Anglos and Saxons believed in the same exact religion as the people of Hrothgar, but we do know they believed in Christianity, therefore leaving a possible fact that the two groups could have been practicing two of the same, yet different religions. The text in “The Monster Grendel” states, “Till the monster stirred, that demon, that fiend, Grendel, who haunted the moors, the wild Marshes, and made his home in a hell Not hell but earth.”