Tag Archives: The Silmarillion

Approaching “The Silmarillion” for the First Time

Posted on April 12, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

As brilliant as lovers of Middle Earth recognize that it is, there are few books as daunting as The Silmarillion. It is a dense and complex text of genealogies, places, and characters, each woven together with multiple names in multiple languages … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged Andrew Lang, Arthuriana, C.S. Lewis, David Lindsay, Douglas A. Anderson, E. Nesbit, George MacDonald, H. Rider Haggard, J.R.R. Tolkien, literature, Lord of the Rings, Middle Earth, Narnia, On Fairy-Stories, The Silmarillion, William Morris | 20 Comments

A Call for a Silmarillion Talmud

Posted on April 10, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

Though we live in a digital age, we are sometimes artificially constrained by older technologies. Like modern cars and trains that are largely designed according to the size of Roman cart paths, our reading is still shaped by a time … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged Bible, Corey Olsen, Discworld, J.R.R. Tolkien, Judaism, literature, Mishnah, Narnia, Reading, storytelling, Talmud, technology, The Silmarillion, writing | 11 Comments

Of Beren and Lúthien, Of Myth and the Worlds We Love

Posted on March 30, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

I don’t think I have ever read anything better than the tale of Beren and Lúthien. It is a bold statement, so allow me to give some context. One of the things that readers love about The Lord of the Rings … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, News & Links, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged Beowulf, Beren and Lúthien, Christopher Tolkien, fantasy, Fictional Universes, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, The Children of Húrin, The Fall of Arthur, The Hobbit, The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun, The Legend of Sigurn and Gudrún, The Silmarillion, The Story of Kullervo, writing | 15 Comments

The Tolkien Letter that Every Lover of Middle-Earth Must Read

Posted on March 28, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

It is sort of a trick, isn’t it? Any true Tolkien fan will say that every page in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien is essential. However, not everyone enjoys letters as much as I do. Some might absolutely love The Lord of … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Christopher Tolkien, Humphrey Carpenter, J.B.S. Haldane, J.R.R. Tolkien, letters, Lord of the Rings, Naomi Mitchison, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion | 9 Comments

12 Reasons not to Write Lord of the Rings, or an Ode Against the Muses

Posted on April 18, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

I’ve never understood images of the Muses as seducers. Perhaps I am not truly inspired, but I get the same cold, clammy response from the Muses as I did from girls when I was in Junior High School. Fortunately, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged art, C.S. Lewis, Frank McCourt, J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien, Leo Tolstoy, literature, Lord of the Rings, mythology, Out of the Silent Planet, Stephen King, Steven Pressfield, The Hobbit, the muses, The Silmarillion, The War of Art, writing | 23 Comments

The Stories before the Hobbit: Tolkien Intertextuality, or the Sources behind his Diamond Waistcoat

Posted on April 6, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

If Tolkien lovers are nerds, it is only because they are walking in the pathway of the Master Nerd himself. The more I study Tolkien, the more I get the sense that no one was more amazed by the entire … Continue reading →