The Mythology of Tolkien's Middle-Earth

by Ruth S. Noel

The detailed, scholarly study of Tolkien's myth of Middle-earth compares the themes, places, beings, and things in his writings to the historic myths that have evolved in many cultures

Genres: Fantasy, Mythology, Fiction, Literary Criticism, Reference

Paperback

First published February 14, 1977

About the author

Ruth Helen Swycaffer Noel (born 1947) has written two books relating to J.R.R. Tolkien's works; The Languages of Tolkien's Middle-earth and The Mythology of Middle-earth. She has also written science-fiction novels under the name Atanielle Annyn Noel.

Reviews

[Jackie Trexler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome content, but pretty shallow. I liked this book if only because it's on two of my favorite subjects: myth and Tolkien. To be honest, it read a bit like a high school research paper. A poorly done research paper with no conclusion or real point to it except to tell you stuff. Literally, the format was this:

1. I'm going to tell you about STUFF!

2. STUFF STUFF STUFF STUFF STUFF STUFF...

3. Done!

I mean, there was a lot of great information in here, but the author was not very explicit at all in her explanations. She really just told two stories, the myth and Tolkien's story, and expected it to be obvious how the two were related. I would have liked much more analysis into both the myth and Tolkien's stories. It seemed like we were just getting a brief set of highlights and not the meat of the matter. Nothing provocative was said, really only material that could have been easily looked up in a google search. I'll keep this book around for reference, because it is a great resource for information, but I don't think it needs a re-reading.

I'd only recommend this to anyone who is seriously interested in Tolkien.

3.55 stars.

PS: I love how one of the sections was literally titled "Things". Like I said, high school research paper...

[Zlatolist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book if you're interested in languages and myth and how Tolkien used them to create his universe.

[Christopher]

Although not incredibly deep, this easy to read comparison of Tolkien's work to older myths is interesting. Its best use is probably as a reference to Tolkien's source material.

[Stephanie C · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read about a chapter a day for a month and appreciated Noel's straightforward approach. It felt sort of like a summary, but that was perfect for me. I'm glad she cited her sources; I'm interested to explore some of those in the future.

(I picked up a giant copy of Le Mort d'Arthur by Malory at my library's used book section yesterday. I'm excited!)

Her occasional references to "myths" from the Bible irked me ever so slightly. Obviously the stories in the Bible influence culture in a similar manner to myths, but some of us don't consider them myths. She didn't seem to account for that. *shrug*

[David Tucciarone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm. Was very excited for this one, butttttt it wasn’t very exciting tbh. The organization and premise were definitely not effective for me. It’s essentially just a long list (173pgs) of saying hey! Tolkien loved mythology and this character in LOTR is just like this mythological character oh and this theme he wrote about is pretty similar to this theme in Celtic myth. I think if we went through the different mythologies separately and made it more of a journey through the myths that inspired him instead of a list of comparisons, the text might be more compelling.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this if you want a deeper understanding of the foundations of Tolkien’s universe. And if you’re that kind of nerd, you’re my kind of people.

https://thatladywhoreadsalot.wordpres...

[Marina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading this about 7/8 years ago and I really enjoyed it! I need to reread it at some point.

[Massimo Penazzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bella carrellata delle mitologie, dei simboli e del loro significato, da cui il Professore ha attinto a piene mani per creare la propria Terra di Mezzo.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Explores elements of Tolkien's work in the context of the Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, and Norse mythology that informed it. Insightful and brief - maybe too brief. I would have liked to see more discussion particularly in the very short section on "themes," which covers fate, subterranean descent, denial of death, language, and chronology all in just a few pages. Interesting, but a little lacking in depth.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruth S. Noel "The Mythology of Middle Earth" seemed on the outset to be a long, monotonous trek into the mythology of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth. In the end though it was a well written explanation and summation of Tolkien's histories of Middle Earth. Tolkien is notoriously difficult to follow only because he has so much backstory behind most of the characters. Noel boils these histories down and explains them. A great and enjoyable read.

[Tony Mulqueen · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Road goes ever on ... and on .... and on .....

[Robert Kaufman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another help for the wonderful world of Tolkien.

[Kris Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

an inside look at how mythology only adds to itself.

[Nelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A read for those interested in the mythology behind Tolkien's works. Easy to read.