Numenor and Atlantis

  First I want to thank my latest viewers fore waiting fore this latest blog. I want to also let you all know of a new blog that I am working on that will be unleashed to the public soon. This blog will be a sequel to the lord fo the rings utalizing what information I have gathered from all of Tolkien's books availible to me in brail. Yes if any of you didn't know I am visually impared and often have to first convert my matterial from brail to print threw a few complex computer conversions. But anywhay now to my main point. I wanted to talk abbout the island of Numenor and its fall. Numenor was an island given to mankind after our war with morgoth acording to the Silmarillion and the appendicies but mankind grew corupt under the will of Sauron and the last king of that isle whent to capture eternal life by claiming the blessed realm for himself. As a result the isle sank beneath the waves and many numenorions died but Elendur and his folk of the faithful to the Valar escaped and set up the kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor. Well you have likely heard me write about this before in other blogs and then again maybe not but this time i want to compare this legend to Atlantis. Now this comparison has been made before many times in the past. Sure the similarities are very striking but so too is the the reasons for the two island's downfalls. Plato who first wrote our atlantis myth says that the isle of Atlantis was a place of advanced technoligy and was prosperious when they dared and begin a conquest of Athens. In responce the gods punished Atlantis and "in a single day and night" the island was lost to the depths. Numenor was also a very prosperious place with amazing technoligy. Well unlike some more crazy atlantis myths witch cliam that Atlantians had flying machines, Numenor had only lots of knoledge and horses but they also where grate warriors like the Atlantians but only when they where called to arms after the rise of Sauron in Mordor and they also like the atlantians also where destroyed by devine intervention after an attempted conquest of war. Not to get riligious or anything but we have to remember the famious fraze "Thoes who live by the sword die by the sword." Of course being a collecter of armor and weapontry out of Tolkien's world as well as a huge fan of Star Wars light sabers i kind of get worried looking at this most incredible statement from Crist. Even Moses faught against enemies with the sword and so did other religious leaders but like Crist in this statement and like other religious leaders like the Buhdda AKA Sidartha Tolkien favors the none violent aproatch at times. But Tolkien also knew that when things are in danger and freedom is at risk well knives and swords are kind of cool to battle the forces of darkness. i am afraid i may have gotten a bit phylisofical and if i have please forgive my thoughts. After all i kind am rambling on a little. I just hope that you have seen at least a few more connections amoung Plato and Tolkien in this case as well as Tolkien's view on war.

Impacts Other works of Literature Had On the Writing of Tolkien's Secondary World of Middle Earth

  Professor Jrr Tolkien was predominantly a philologist and an active student of Medieval literature besides being one of the world's most widely respected writers. Most of what he read threw out his life that was not apart of his own mythic magical subcreation was either the literary masterpieces of the early Middle Ages or writings from his good friends. That is not to say he never read any other books besides works of fiction or historical cronicals but what I'm trying to say is that these ancient mythic sources had a major impact on how he wrote. For example professor tolkien was a big fan of the Vulsunga Sagas of Norse mythology. In those sagas there are references to dragons, wizards, and grate warriors sutch as Cularvo. Cularvo in particular is verry similar to Turin son of Hurin in more then one way. Both men are larger then life heros and commit the terrible sin of insest and if I'm not mistaken thay also both face a fire breathing dragon. Yet lets not get carried away. Thare also some verry big differences betwene Cularvo and Turin as well and I am certain that if I were to list them one bby one i would probably bore you to death. One of thoes deferences is that Turin is described as the most good looking man on earth while Cularvo is described as simply ugly. Tolkien's first dragon Glaurung unlike his thousands of ofspring did not have wings while I'm pritty sure that the Vulsunga's dragons all have wings. HOwever for all these diferences the silmarities are doubtlessly verry striking and even mor evident when we study Beowulf and the connections that story holds when compared with the hobbit or the lord of the rings.
Thare thoes who are reading this blog who might have read Beowulf and thare thoes then aggen who might not have. But regardless I believe that with a few quick summeries of particular seens we could mark out the connections with relatively ease. The only reservation I have for you who have seen the Beowulf movie is not to confuse or scip over elements of my description of the epic anglo sackson poem with the film since thare more then one varations betwene the poem and the movie. To drastically summarise the poem Beowulf is kind of a crime aggenst the integretty of the literary work since thare is mutch i myself could screw up in the telling or miss but regardless of these few mistakes that might appear i think that it is probably the right course to take. Beowulf was acording to the poem one of the Getts someware near Denmark if I'm not mistaken living as a warrior amung his people. He was the nefew of the king of Geetland and known for his strength and native currage. As a result he left his land to go and seek glory and fame and discovered that the kingdom of a wise Dain named TThrothgar was under attack by a monsterous beast named Grendel. King Trothgar bult a beutiful meed hall. Then Grendell hating men and being a monster desended from the first murderor to walk the earth came and killed all thoes who ate in the hall frightening the locals half to death. When Beowulf came to save Throthgar's kingdom he killed the monster Grendel and later the beast's mother. For his bravery he was given lots of gold and prized armor. He returned home safe and sound. Then Beowulf became king of geetland after his uncle died and ruled his people with out shame or remorse born from defeat or failed conquests until a slave stole a cup from a dragon's pile of horded gold and enraged the beast so mutch that the dragon attacked Geetland reeking havoc as he went. Eventually Beowulf kills the dragon with the help of his trusty friend Wiglaf but is mortally wounded and ultimately gives his throne and armor to Wiglaf sinse he had no sons to inherit his kingdom. Thus ends one of the most revered epics in world history. As you can see Tolkien barroed menny elements from the poem to construct the plots of some of his best known stories. For example the incident with the dragon in with the slave steels a golden cup angering the beast and triggering the destruction of mutch of Geetland reminds me of when Bilbo the hobbit steels a golden cup from the dragon Smaug's lare enraging the dragon so mutch that he attacks Lake Town to his death in The Hobbit. In the poem there is no mention of plate armor and as in the Lord of the Rings or any other of Tolkien's works there is also no mention of plate armor as well. The entire concept of a dragon hording gold in the first place is one that Tolkien clearly was keen on using and reusing aggen threw out his writings such as the Silmarrillion's account of Glaurung's abode in Nargothrond and obviously Smaug in the Lonely Mountin. Finally the meed hall that we see in Beowulf is similar to the court of King Théoden of Rohan in the two towers. Everything besides the horses of the Roherrim match the Anglo sackson world of the middle ages with the people of Rohan of Middle Earth. They even speech the same old b. The fact that Tolkien didn't make up a knew form of speech for the Roherrim shoes is respect for the SAnglo Sackson world let alone Beowulf witch was one of his most favorite stories. As you see works like the Vulsunga Sagas or the epic of Beowulf had a clear impact on the stories of Middle Earth. The armor, the use of runic inscriptions witch I'll get to later in another blog, and even the entire use of dragons all made a mark on Tolkien's books because thay were orginally apart of his personal collection of sagas that he felt were classics that needed to be preserved and taught to the knew generation of readers flooding the world. The only reason I read Beowulf or even saw the movie was because of Tolkien.

Théoden and Denathor

 Fans of the Peter Jackson trilogy like my self will know that on the third disk of the Return of the king director's cut is a documentary comparing and contrasting Théoden king of Rohan and Denathor lord steward of Gondor. Since some of you have not had the chance or will to buy the director's cut of the films witch are not entirely accurate but more helpful in learning more about the movie making process, I have resolved to make a similar analysis but with far grater detail. First of all we need to address who these character's are fore fans who have no clue what I am now talking about. If you have only seen the films then you might forget names quickly. If this is so and you have the time and desire I will fervently ask you to read the books. However that is just a small suggestion and with a small explanation you will be able to follow along with this blog. Théoden was a lord of the Mark king of the horseman of Rohan during the war of the ring. Before Isengard was destroyed the stronghold of Saruman the corrupt ally of Sauron, the horseman of the Mark of Rohan turned to Théoden fore support but the king of the Roherrim was under the spells of the wizard saruman as transmitted threw his secret spy Grimer Wormtongue. Gandalf the white newly reborn with Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli came and threw out Wormtongue and cured the king of rohan of his doubt and fear that was implanted by Grimer. Listening to Gandalf's advise but morning the warrior's that would fall in battle the lord of the Mark road to Helms Deep in witch is set the Hornburg the fortress of the riders of the house of Eol. After the armies of the wizard where destroyed in the Hornburg, and Saruman was over, Théoden road to the assistance of Gondor's white city of Minas Tirith under siege. In that struggle the battle of the Pelenor fields Théoden fell defying the shadow of the wicked Nazgul lord the witch king of Angmar. As the wise king lay dying he granted his kingship to his sister's son Eomir and said farewell to his esquire master Merriadoc Brandybuck. Denathor was the steward of Minas Tirith capital of Gondor. He was not the king but a caretaker of the throne until the king should return but it was long since men hoped that the king would indeed return. Using the seeing stone the Palantir aged him beyond his time, and grief always troubled him after the death of his wife and his elder son Boromir. Loving his Boromir with a grate reverence he failed to ignollage his younger son Faramir and all his wise attributes. When he believed that his son Faramir was dying though the mad steward slew himself. Looking at both men there are a few similarities that are easy to point out. Both men are put in possissions of power and are both tuched by grief. I failed to mention that Theodin lost a son and was stricken with uncertiny and doubt like Denathor until Gandalf came. Now comes the differences. In the documentary of the two men in the jackson director's cuts it is mentioned that Theodin does not ignollige his sister's son Eomir his heir. AThis is false. Theodin did not ignollage his sister son Eomir during his illness because his son Theodred was alive fore  a while and when his son died it was Grimer and not the king who shunned Eomir and set doubts counteracting the king's admiration fore the lord of the riders in Théoden's mind. Before Théoden sets out fore helms Deep the old king declares that if he dies Eomir will be king. It is when he is dying that he gives his kingdom and power to Eomir as he had promised earlier. Both lords take a hobbit in to there service but fore different reasons. Mary is accepted as Théoden's esquire to keep the hobbit safe from danger while Denathor chooses to allow Pippin to become one of his knights not only to please is good humor and because it touched his heart but also clearly to extract information from the hobbit to use against Gandalf. This difference in reason of choice was not included in the rings documentary since this complex relationship among character's was not included in the third film. I hope you have enjoyed my own analysis of these two interesting characters and are willing to follow along with my blog page in order to learn more about Tolkien's fantastic world of Middle Earth.
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