The Fireside

I've always loved, and been inspired by various aspects of Tolkien's mythology: not only the in-universe lore itself, but how he came to create the tales. Even in the sense of 'prose' and 'verse.' I do not know much about epic poetry (beats? chanting?) I just enjoying reading them. I've always sort of been inspired to do my own Tolkien-esque poem...a 'lay' if you will. Somebody else, did just that. They didn't steal my idea, but this is what I would have liked to have done, or something very similar. The author is James Moffett. Many may know him best for his blog, "A Tolkienist's Perspective". This blog, my own, isn't a Tolkien specific one; however it's a key interest of mine so it gets lots of coverage. What follows is his blog post about the book, and the official description: Paperback: 176 pages Publisher: Independently published (Nov. 2 2019) [as far as I'm aware, only available through Amazon] Language: English ...

In Flanders fields the poppies blow       Between the crosses, row on row,    That mark our place; and in the sky    The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,    Loved and were loved, and now we lie          In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw    The torch; be yours to hold it high.    If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow          In Flanders fields.

Shortly, there will be a new edition of The Adventures of Tom Bombadil  arriving, for those who like Tolkien's more light-hearted side, younger readers, those who read to the young before bed time, or if you're a fan of Tom Bombadil and Tolkien's poems.  This version has been expanded to include some of Tolkien's earliest poems, a prose story with Tom, as well as in-depth notes by Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond, both of whom have made some outstanding contributions and notes to some of Tolkien's works over the years. Their introductions and comments found here will be akin to those they included in Roverandom  and Farmer Giles of Ham.   There will be the 16 poems published back in 1962, as well as the original artwork by Pauline Baynes, famous for her artwork for The Chronicles of Narnia . The poem 'Once Upon a Time' will also be reprinted.  In this edition, Scull and Hammond were also allowed to include to predecessor to Perry-the-Winkle cal...

[all text copyright of Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson. All rights reserved.] The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass.  What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow

Yesterday's post got out of my hands. There are some tales and stories that I was interested in, and wanted to share with you, so I did.  Today, however, I would like to tell you about two collections (both by Penguin) that belong in that post. Since they are collections, I thought it best to give them their own spot here. THE SAGAS OF THE ICELANDERS In Iceland, the age of the Vikings is also known as the Saga Age. A unique body of medieval literature, the Sagas rank with the world’s great literary treasures – as epic as Homer, as deep in tragedy as Sophocles, as engagingly human as Shakespeare. Set around the turn of the last millennium, these stories depict with an astonishingly modern realism the lives and deeds of the Norse men and women who first settled in Iceland and of their descendants, who ventured farther west to Greenland and, ultimately, North America. Sailing as far from the archetypal heroic adventure as the long ships did from home, the Sagas are written...

It is neat how influence and inspiration work, and how an interest in one thing can lead to an interest in another.  As I said many times before (and will do so here again, although very briefly) I have Peter Jackson to thank for discovering, reading, and appreciate Tolkien and his works.  However, in doing so, I have to appreciate something else because of Tolkien: poems. 

We all know the tales J.R.R. Tolkien wrote in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings many times, over many years. There is even more detailed accounts of his creation in The Silmarillion , Unfinished Tales, and Children of Hurin . He created his own world - language, culture, history, myth...everything. Unknown to the common reader who may be more (or only) familiar with The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings , he was also a Professor at Oxford, and gave many lectures on subjects of Old English, Anglo Saxon, and others. He also translated and gave his own accounts on various poems over during his academic career. Some of these were abandoned in favor of writing The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings , and is entirely possible that he may not have created those works in favour of more poems. For instance, The Fall of Arthur could have been fully completed if he had not been so busy at the time preparing The Hobbit for publication. Suppose Tolkien never wrote The Hobbit : instead, ...

Tolkien's version of Beowulf  will soon be released. There has been some scholary controversy over this release from those who study Anglo-Saxon literature, as well as Beowulf  scholars. The Tolkien scholars have been waiting awhile for this one for a while.  Tolkien's expertise on Beowulf and his own literary powers have made this translation a work every Tolkien fan will want to treasure. This edition includes the translation in prose and an illuminating commentary, based on a series of lectures given by J.R.R. Tolkien at Oxford in the 1930s. Through Tolkien’s clarity of vision, it is as if you entered into the imagined past: standing beside Beowulf and his men shaking out their mail-shirts as they beached their ship on the coast of Denmark, listening to the rising anger of Beowulf at the taunting of Unferth, or looking up in amazement at Grendel’s terrible hand set under the roof of Heorot. This edition also inclu...