Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Some Beowulf/Lord of the Rings videos

This is just a post to share some interesting (and relevant) things I've found on YouTube lately.

This video examines some of the similarities between Beowulf and The Lord of the Rings.

Another shows their similarities by blending the texts together.

How Beowulf might have been performed the Anglo Saxons.

How Elvish, a language partly inspired by Old English, should sound.

And on a lighter note, how over one thousand pages and nine hours of film (or twelve hours of extended film) could be reduced to just two minutes.

Monday, November 1, 2010

The Influence of Beowulf on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings

In this post I am going to discuss the influence of the Old English poem Beowulf on Tolkien's Lord of the Rings Trilogy, focusing on the land of Rohan and the similarities between Gandalf and Beowulf.


One of the areas where I feel the connection is most evident is in The Two Towers, and the disintegration of the Golden Hall of Meduseld, under the rule of King Théoden of Rohan. The arrival of Gandalf and his comrades at Edoras closely echoes the arrival of Beowulf at Heorot, King Hrothgar's hall.