[et_pb_section fb_built=\u00bb1″ _builder_version=\u00bb4.16″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb background_color=\u00bb#2F3534″ custom_padding=\u00bb0px||0px||false|false\u00bb global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb][et_pb_row _builder_version=\u00bb4.16″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb][et_pb_column type=\u00bb4_4″ _builder_version=\u00bb4.16″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb][et_pb_post_title meta=\u00bboff\u00bb featured_image=\u00bboff\u00bb _builder_version=\u00bb4.16″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb title_text_color=\u00bb#FFFFFF\u00bb global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb][\/et_pb_post_title][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u00bb4.16″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb link_text_color=\u00bb#F7F7F1″ global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb]<\/p>\n
Biographical Information<\/a> | Literary Questions<\/a> | J.R.R Tolkien and Fantasy<\/a> | Invented Languages and Names<\/a><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=\u00bb1″ module_id=\u00bbbiographical\u00bb _builder_version=\u00bb4.16″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb][et_pb_row _builder_version=\u00bb4.16″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb][et_pb_column type=\u00bb4_4″ _builder_version=\u00bb4.16″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u00bb4.16″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=\u00bb1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=\u00bb4.16″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb][et_pb_column type=\u00bb1_2″ _builder_version=\u00bb4.16″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb custom_padding=\u00bb|50px|||false|false\u00bb border_width_right=\u00bb1px\u00bb border_color_right=\u00bb#9F8D60″ global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u00bb4.24.2″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb header_4_font=\u00bb|700|||||||\u00bb hover_enabled=\u00bb0″ global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb sticky_enabled=\u00bb0″]<\/p>\n J.R.R. Tolkien was born at the end of the 19th century, on January 3, 1892, and lived to witness some of the 20th century\u2019s most significant events. He served as an officer during the First World War and was also personally affected by the troubles of World War II. He died in 1973, on the 2nd of September.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u00bb4.24.2″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb header_4_font=\u00bb|700|||||||\u00bb hover_enabled=\u00bb0″ global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb sticky_enabled=\u00bb0″]<\/p>\n John Ronald Reuel.\u00a0<\/span>John<\/span><\/i>\u00a0was his grandfather\u2019s first name, and Reuel was his father\u2019s middle name; but to his relatives he was mostly known as Ronald. As we can see in his published Letters, he was liable to use any of his given names depending on the addressee, and sometimes omitted them altogether in favour of initials. The name Tolkien is of Saxon (that is German) origin and means \u2018foolhardy\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u00bb4.24.2″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb header_4_font=\u00bb|700|||||||\u00bb hover_enabled=\u00bb0″ global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb sticky_enabled=\u00bb0″]<\/p>\n To the register office in Britain, he was mainly a\u00a0<\/span>Professor of English Language and Literature<\/span><\/i>\u00a0(in Leeds, and then\u2014from 1925 up to 1959\u2014in Oxford); and more generally, a\u00a0<\/span>philologist<\/span><\/i>, analysing the relationship between text and language, and specialising in the study of ancient texts. As he said in a conference on \u201cEnglish & Welsh\u201d, the same year\u00a0<\/span>The Lord of the Rings<\/span><\/i>\u00a0was published (1955): \u201cI am \u2026 a philologist in the Anglo-Saxon and Germanic field\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n Tolkien therefore was not a \u2018professional\u2019 writer in that precise sense, however his work as a scholar was closely connected with his writing, and vice versa. He worked tirelessly for the University and his students, produced modern editions of medieval texts, and broke new academic ground with seminal research papers, all the while raising a family of four. Yet, stealing (by his own admission) time here and there \u2018from time already mortgaged\u2019, he wrote thousands of pages detailing the world that sprouted from the languages he never ceased to invent and develop. Thus, Tolkien\u2019s fictional output can also be considered a form of philology.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u00bb4.24.2″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb header_4_font=\u00bb|700|||||||\u00bb hover_enabled=\u00bb0″ global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb sticky_enabled=\u00bb0″]<\/p>\n The first and best place to look remains the collection of Letters published after his death, and containing, among other correspondence, letters addressed to his family and friends, discussions with his publishers, and detailed answers to questions sent by readers. As such, this work offers a uniquely personal window into how he went about writing the books that made him famous (and creating the characters that populate them), while answering many questions that, up until then, had remained open for debate. (For more on this, see the Letters section.)<\/span><\/p>\n The 1966 Foreword to\u00a0<\/span>The Lord of the Rings<\/span><\/i> is, perhaps, the most famous instance where J.R.R. Tolkien is known to have confided his views. In it, he describes the long and arduous composition of the book (1937\u20131954) and comments upon its interpretation by critics\u2014some of whom seemed to him a little too intent on finding the \u2018inner message\u2019 or \u2018allegory\u2019 of the story.<\/span><\/p>\n To this short foreword can be added the brilliant retirement speech which he gave in June 1959, when leaving the University of Oxford, and where the indefatigable storyteller and inventor of languages also appears as a down-to-earth academic who is as committed to the educational welfare of students as he is to the defence of literature (\u2018Valedictory Address\u2019, in The Monsters and the Critics<\/em>).<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=\u00bb1_2″ _builder_version=\u00bb4.16″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u00bb4.24.2″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb header_4_font=\u00bb|700|||||||\u00bb hover_enabled=\u00bb0″ global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb sticky_enabled=\u00bb0″]<\/p>\n J.R.R. Tolkien was British, of British descent. Born of English parents in the town of Bloemfontein \u2014where his father was working in a bank\u2014 in the Orange Free State, now part of modern-day South Africa. In 1895, at the age of three, he made the journey back to England with his mother and brother and spent his childhood in the Birmingham area. He went on to live in Oxford, where he taught for thirty-five years, until 1959, and again lived until his death, in 1973.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u00bb4.24.2″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb header_4_font=\u00bb|700|||||||\u00bb hover_enabled=\u00bb0″ global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb sticky_enabled=\u00bb0″]<\/p>\n Oysters, served with lemon.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u00bb4.24.2″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb header_4_font=\u00bb|700|||||||\u00bb hover_enabled=\u00bb0″ global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb sticky_enabled=\u00bb0″]<\/p>\n This of course depends on how we define success! But if we mean \u201cfame and fortune\u201d:<\/span><\/p>\n J.R.R. Tolkien was a hard-working professor with four children, and both he and his wife were orphans, so he was not by any means well-off until late in his life.\u00a0<\/span>The Hobbit<\/span><\/i> was published in 1937, when he was already forty-five years old. And he was nearing retirement age when <\/span>The Lord of the Rings<\/span><\/i>\u00a0was published in 1954-55, but he was alive to see the \u2018first wave\u2019 of celebrity in the 1960s, when the books also enjoyed huge success with their American readers.<\/span><\/p>\n The later global fame of the \u2018Tolkien\u2019 name, and the confusion that has resulted between the man, the author, the professor, the books, the worlds he invented and the adaptations they have enjoyed, is a far more recent phenomenon, due in the main part to the huge success of Peter Jackson\u2019s film adaptations, but also to the enduring quality and depth of J.R.R. Tolkien\u2019s storytelling.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=\u00bb1″ module_id=\u00bbliterary\u00bb _builder_version=\u00bb4.16″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb background_color=\u00bb#F7F7F1″ global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb][et_pb_row _builder_version=\u00bb4.16″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb][et_pb_column type=\u00bb4_4″ _builder_version=\u00bb4.16″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u00bb4.16″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=\u00bb1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=\u00bb4.16″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb][et_pb_column type=\u00bb1_2″ _builder_version=\u00bb4.16″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb custom_padding=\u00bb|50px|||false|false\u00bb border_width_right=\u00bb1px\u00bb border_color_right=\u00bb#9F8D60″ global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u00bb4.24.2″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb header_4_font=\u00bb|700|||||||\u00bb hover_enabled=\u00bb0″ global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb sticky_enabled=\u00bb0″]<\/p>\n The Silmarillion<\/span><\/i> tells of the creation of the world in which Middle-earth itself is contained\u2014up to the complete upheaval marking the end of the Second Age, a few thousand years before the events of <\/span>The Lord of the Rings<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n The Children of H\u00farin<\/span><\/i>, as the name implies, relates the tragic ‘romance’ of H\u00farin\u2019s dynasty, and so develops one of the many stories already told (though in briefer form) in the sweeping historical epic that is <\/span>The Silmarillion<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n Those who wish to know more will find additional incarnations and developments of the Middle-earth stories in\u00a0<\/span>Unfinished Tales<\/span><\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>The History of Middle-earth<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u00bb4.24.2″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb header_4_font=\u00bb|700|||||||\u00bb hover_enabled=\u00bb0″ global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb sticky_enabled=\u00bb0″]<\/p>\n While\u00a0<\/span>The Hobbit<\/span><\/i>,\u00a0<\/span>The Father Christmas Letters<\/span><\/i>,\u00a0<\/span>Mr. Bliss<\/span><\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Roverandom<\/span><\/i>\u00a0were indeed written with children in mind (especially the author\u2019s), Tolkien\u2019s other works (such as\u00a0<\/span>The Lord of the Rings<\/span><\/i>,\u00a0<\/span>The Silmarillion<\/span><\/i>, but also\u00a0<\/span>The Legend of Sigurd and Gudr\u00fan<\/span><\/i>, etc.) were intended for adults; and though they are often categorized as \u2018young-adult fiction\u2019 in today\u2019s parlance, they remain accessible to a younger public.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u00bb4.24.2″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb header_4_font=\u00bb|700|||||||\u00bb hover_enabled=\u00bb0″ global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb sticky_enabled=\u00bb0″]<\/p>\n Concurrently with the publication of books that relate to Tolkien\u2019s scholarly work, such as\u00a0<\/span>Sir Gawain and the Green Knight\u2026<\/span><\/i>\u00a0(1975) and the collection of essays published as\u00a0<\/span>The Monsters and the Critics<\/span><\/i>\u00a0(1983), and after preparing for publication\u00a0<\/span>The Silmarillion<\/span><\/i>\u00a0(1977), Christopher Tolkien provided a commented edition of the \u2018Silmarillion\u2019 stories, first in\u00a0<\/span>Unfinished Tales<\/span><\/i>\u00a0(1980), and subsequently in the twelve volumes of\u00a0<\/span>The History of Middle-earth<\/span><\/i>\u00a0(1983\u201396):\u00a0<\/span>The Book of Lost Tales<\/span><\/i>,\u00a0<\/span>The Lays of Beleriand<\/span><\/i>,\u00a0<\/span>The Shaping of Middle-earth<\/span><\/i>,\u00a0<\/span>The Lost Road<\/span><\/i>, etc. He also edited\u00a0<\/span>The Children of H\u00farin<\/span><\/i>\u00a0(2007), a complete version of the story of T\u00farin (already found in\u00a0<\/span>The Silmarillion<\/span><\/i>\u00a0in greatly reduced form).<\/span> [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u00bb4.24.2″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb header_4_font=\u00bb|700|||||||\u00bb hover_enabled=\u00bb0″ global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb sticky_enabled=\u00bb0″]<\/p>\n No. When\u00a0<\/span>The Hobbit<\/span><\/i> was conceived, it was unrelated to the legends of the Elder Days. Tolkien invented the hobbit-story to please his own children, and did not consciously tie it in with the mythology he had created in \u2018The Silmarillion\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n When his editors asked for \u2018a Hobbit sequel\u2019, he turned to\u00a0<\/span>The Lord of the Rings<\/span><\/i>, which grafted itself almost against his will onto the mythological world of Arda; and in the years that followed, Tolkien would often go back to\u00a0<\/span>The Hobbit<\/span><\/i>\u00a0in an attempt to bring the 1937 story into line with\u00a0<\/span>The Lord of the Rings<\/span><\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>The Silmarillion<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u00bb4.24.2″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb header_4_font=\u00bb|700|||||||\u00bb hover_enabled=\u00bb0″ global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb sticky_enabled=\u00bb0″]<\/p>\n As Christopher Tolkien explains at the beginning of\u00a0<\/span>The Book of the Lost Tales<\/span><\/i>\u00a0(published in 1983 as the first part of the twelve-volume\u00a0<\/span>History of Middle-earth<\/span><\/i>), in 1977 he had wanted to publish \u2018The Silmarillion\u2019 as \u2018a single text, selecting and arranging in such a way as seemed to me to produce the most coherent and internally self-consistent narrative\u2019. This narrative also had to be concordant with\u00a0<\/span>The Lord of the Rings<\/span><\/i>, the work J.R.R. Tolkien had already published and used as a reference.<\/span><\/p>\n But as Christopher Tolkien points out, in the 1977<\/span>\u00a0Silmarillion<\/span><\/i> which it was his task to edit, the long evolution and multiplicity of versions that produced the \u2018final\u2019, published text were not readily apparent.<\/span><\/p>\n For this reason, Christopher Tolkien decided to embark on a series of twelve volumes (1983\u201396) aiming to present the original manuscripts, and throwing additional light on the creative process of his father. We see how \u2018The Silmarillion\u2019 remained in a state of constant evolution through the numerous rewritings and refashionings carried over by Tolkien for more than half a century; and how the invented world came to be expanded considerably with the creation of\u00a0<\/span>The Lord of the Rings<\/span><\/i>\u00a0and its famous backdrop, Middle-earth\u2014where before there had been only Valinor and Beleriand.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u00bb4.24.2″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb header_4_font=\u00bb|700|||||||\u00bb hover_enabled=\u00bb0″ global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb sticky_enabled=\u00bb0″]<\/p>\n Tolkien\u2019s legendarium is not a \u2018mythology\u2019 in the strict (and modern) sense of the word, because his stories are the work of a single individual and not of a whole people. They are, however, reminiscent of famous mythological accounts; and some readers have tried to identify the \u2018source\u2019 of this story or that from\u00a0<\/span>The Silmarillion<\/span><\/i>\u00a0or\u00a0<\/span>The History of Middle-earth.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n But Tolkien did not rely solely upon his imagination. He drew in part on European literature and tradition, of which there are as many forms as there are languages (and Tolkien, of course, knew both). Norse mythology comes to mind; but even where there are similarities, the personal additions and gradual transformations brought about by Tolkien are so numerous, so essential, and the whole business of invention so elaborate, that both the casual reader and the specialist agree upon the supreme originality of his creation.<\/span><\/p>\n The sustained influence that Tolkien\u2019s work continues to exert over fantasy authors, decades after the publication of\u00a0<\/span>The Lord of the Rings<\/span><\/i>, is proof of that. More than a passing down of traditions, it has become a model in itself.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u00bb4.24.2″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb header_4_font=\u00bb|700|||||||\u00bb hover_enabled=\u00bb0″ global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb sticky_enabled=\u00bb0″]<\/p>\n A book\u2019s publication date is not an indicator of contemporary relevance or interest! In Tolkien\u2019s case, reflections on man, technology, war and the use of force, friendship among peoples, and, of course, nature, indisputably make him an author for our time.<\/span><\/p>\n That may explain the fascination he held (and continues to hold) for generations of readers, in that he draws upon his vast knowledge of the culture of bygone days to write about themes that are timeless\u2014beyond the pleasures of storytelling and the epic sweep of heroic romance.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u00bb4.24.2″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb header_4_font=\u00bb|700|||||||\u00bb hover_enabled=\u00bb0″ global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb sticky_enabled=\u00bb0″]<\/p>\n Christopher Tolkien published the book in 2007 for two main reasons: because he believed that it was a very fine example of his father\u2019s writing, and of his story-telling; and because, being set in an earlier age of Middle-earth, long before the times depicted in\u00a0<\/span>The Lord of the Rings<\/span><\/i>, it opens up to those who know only that work and\u00a0<\/span>The Hobbit<\/span><\/i>\u00a0how extensive the history of Middle-earth truly is.<\/span><\/p>\n Also, it had always been Christopher\u2019s primary concern that J.R.R. Tolkien\u2019s writings should be published in a manner that was appropriate to its subject matter and its essential nature as literature. The world of Middle-earth is seen by many as a playground. The true nature of Tolkien\u2019s invented world and the themes and subject matter of his stories are frequently serious and dark, as\u00a0<\/span>The Children of H\u00farin<\/span><\/i>\u00a0shows.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u00bb4.24.2″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb header_4_font=\u00bb|700|||||||\u00bb hover_enabled=\u00bb0″ global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb sticky_enabled=\u00bb0″]<\/p>\n The Tale takes place during the First Age of Middle-earth. T\u00farin was born in the year 464 from the first rising of the Sun after Morgoth destroyed the two trees of Valinor and died in the year 499. This would have been 5,000 years after the awakening of the Elves in Middle-earth, and 978 years after F\u00ebanor completed the forging of the Silmarils. The recorded coming of Men occurred at the first Sunrise, and Beren and L\u00fathien, who encountered each other in the year of T\u00farin\u2019s birth, achieved their quest for the Silmaril when T\u00farin was a young boy.<\/span><\/p>\n T\u00farin died approximately 100 years before the Drowning of Beleriand which marked the beginning of the Second Age lasting for three and a half millennia. Sauron forged the One Ring around the year 1600 of the Second Age. Bilbo met Gollum in the year 2941 of the Third Age, and the Fellowship met up and formed in Rivendell in the year 3018. The One Ring was destroyed in 3019. Frodo, Bilbo, Gandalf and Elrond (who by that time was 6,500 years old and was born 33 years after T\u00farin\u2019s death) departed from Middle-earth in 3021, marking the end of the Third Age.<\/span><\/p>\n So, you can probably take it from there, and anyway it\u2019s safe to say that the Tale of the Children of H\u00farin took place \u201ca very long time ago\u201d!<\/span><\/p>\n A detailed discussion of the reckoning of time in the First Age can be found in\u00a0<\/span>Morgoth\u2019s Ring\u00a0<\/span><\/i>and\u00a0<\/span>The War of the Jewels<\/span><\/i>, Vols X and XI of\u00a0<\/span>The History of Middle-earth<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u00bb4.24.2″ _module_preset=\u00bbdefault\u00bb header_4_font=\u00bb|700|||||||\u00bb hover_enabled=\u00bb0″ global_colors_info=\u00bb{}\u00bb sticky_enabled=\u00bb0″]<\/p>\nBiographical Information<\/h2>\n
When did J.R.R. Tolkien live?<\/h4>\n
What do the initials \u2018J.R.R.\u2019 stand for?<\/h4>\n
Was J.R.R. Tolkien a \u2018professional\u2019 writer?<\/h4>\n
Did Tolkien ever write about himself, and if so, where can these writings be found?<\/h4>\n
What was J.R.R. Tolkien’s nationality?<\/h4>\n
What was the author’s favourite food?<\/h4>\n
Was J.R.R. Tolkien successful as an author in his own day?<\/h4>\n
Literary Questions<\/h2>\n
What are the other stories set in Middle-earth, in addition to The Hobbit<\/em> and The Lord of the Rings<\/em>?<\/h4>\n
To what extent can J.R.R. Tolkien be considered an author of children\u2019s stories?<\/h4>\n
What proportion of Tolkien manuscripts has been published by Christopher Tolkien since the death of the author in 1973?<\/h4>\n
<\/span>More recently, Christopher Tolkien went on to edit some of his father\u2019s poems with medieval themes:\u00a0<\/span>The Legend of Sigurd and Gudr\u00fan<\/span><\/i>\u00a0(2009) and\u00a0<\/span>The Fall of Arthur<\/span><\/i>\u00a0(2013), as well as\u00a0<\/span>Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary<\/span><\/i>\u00a0(2014). Which proves that\u00a0<\/span>The Lord of the Rings<\/span><\/i>, for all its qualities, is really just the tip of the iceberg!<\/span><\/p>\nWas The Hobbit<\/em> related to The Silmarillion<\/em> from the outset?<\/h4>\n
How are The Silmarillion<\/em> and The History of Middle-earth <\/em>related?<\/h4>\n
Did Tolkien invent everything about Middle-earth, or did he draw upon other sources?<\/h4>\n
Tolkien\u2019s most celebrated works (The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion<\/em>) were published in the 1950s and 1970s, and are set in a very distant past. What do they tell us about our own time?<\/h4>\n
Why was The Children of H\u00farin<\/em> published in 2007, between The History of Middle-earth<\/em> (1983-1996) and \u2018neo-medieval\u2019 poems such as The Legend of Sigurd and Gudr\u00fan<\/em> (2009) and The Fall of Arthur<\/em> (2013)?<\/h4>\n
How does The Children of H\u00farin<\/em> fit into J.R.R. Tolkien\u2019s \u2018mythology\u2019? When does it take place relative to The Lord of the Rings<\/em>?<\/h4>\n
What is the difference between <\/b>The<\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/b>Silmarillion<\/i><\/b>