Tag Archives: middle-earth

Winners and Choosers

Posted on January 28, 2022 by Nathan

After looking at the notion of people chosen by the gods, I became curious as to how the concept of a specific person being the Chosen One originated. It’s a pretty common trope in fantasy, someone being prophesied to save the world … Continue reading →

Posted in Arthurian Legend, Authors, Babylonian, British, Captain N: The Game Master, Cartoons, Characters, Christianity, Discworld, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Futurama, Greek Mythology, Harry Potter, J.R.R. Tolkien, Magic, Mario, Mythology, Oz, Philosophy, Religion, Semitic, Star Wars, Television, Terry Pratchett, Video Games, Zelda | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

We’re on a Road to Numenor

Posted on July 3, 2021 by Nathan

The Desolations of Devil’s Acre, by Ransom Riggs – The sixth and final (at least for now) book in the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series takes place when the resurrected Caul, Miss Peregrine’s evil brother, is using his power to … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, C.S. Lewis, Humor, J.R.R. Tolkien, Language, Magic, Mythology, Punch-Out, Street Fighter, Television, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Let Sleeping Lines Ley

Posted on May 6, 2021 by Nathan

Something I’ve seen mention of occasionally but didn’t really know a lot about was the concept of ley lines, which are basically invisible lines that connect significant places. Alfred Watkins, a businessman who dabbled in antiquity, came up with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Celtic, Conspiracy Theories, Final Fantasy, History, J.R.R. Tolkien, Language, Magic, Maps, Mythology, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Where the Worlds Have No Name

Posted on October 14, 2020 by Nathan

One night last week, I had a fitful sleep with a bunch of weird dreams. I remember one of them had me ranting about how J.R.R. Tolkien was never clear on whether Middle-Earth was his entire imaginary world or just … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, C.S. Lewis, Captain N: The Game Master, Cartoons, Chronicles of Narnia, Discworld, Dragon Quest, Dreams, Final Fantasy, J.R.R. Tolkien, L. Frank Baum, Language, Maps, March Laumer, Mario, Mythology, Names, Norse, Oz, Oz Authors, Places, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Television, Terry Pratchett, Video Games, Zelda | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

You Should Have Put a Ring on It

Posted on October 25, 2019 by Nathan

The Wizard of Oz has been said to be the ultimate chick flick, as it’s about two women fighting over shoes. But then, J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium is one where a lot of world conflicts arise from jewelry, so maybe that’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Arabian, Authors, Fairy Tales, Greek Mythology, Greek Philosophy, J.R.R. Tolkien, Magic, Music, Mythology, Norse, Philosophy, Semitic, Video Games, Zelda | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Magical Arts and Sciences

Posted on June 23, 2019 by Nathan

I’ve been thinking a bit recently about magic and science in fiction. I’m not saying anything at all new when I point out that a lot of what’s considered science fiction contains very little science. Sometimes it just seems to … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, C.S. Lewis, Christianity, Chronicles of Narnia, Comics, Discworld, Fundamentalism, J.R.R. Tolkien, L. Frank Baum, madeleine l'engle, Magic, Mythology, Oz, Oz Authors, Philosophy, Religion, Science, Star Trek, Technology, Terry Pratchett | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hello to Bygone Ages

Posted on January 20, 2019 by Nathan

Looking at Robert E. Howard’s essay on his imaginary Hyborian Age got me to thinking about a few different issues in fantasy fiction that deals with lost civilizations. The essay tells of a succession of great empires contrasted with barbarians, … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Christianity, Discworld, Evolution, History, Humor, J.R.R. Tolkien, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Maps, Monsters, Mystery Cults, Mythology, Norse, Oz, Oz Authors, Persian, Prejudice, Religion, Roman, Science, Terry Pratchett, Theosophy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Is Your World-Building Up to Code?

Posted on March 19, 2016 by Nathan

While I generally find the results to be the really interesting part, I also find how fictional worlds are created to be quite intriguing. J.R.R. Tolkien is often held up as an author whose fantasy works take place in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, C.S. Lewis, Chronicles of Narnia, Discworld, Dragon Quest, Fairy Tales, J.R.R. Tolkien, L. Frank Baum, Maps, Mario, Oz, Oz Authors, Places, Politics, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Star Wars, Terry Pratchett, Video Games, Zelda | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mything the War

Posted on February 16, 2015 by Nathan

Unfinished Tales, by J.R.R. Tolkien – Some friends of mine were getting rid of a copy of this, and I’d never read it, so I’m now its owner. This 1988 edition of a book originally published in 1980 collects various … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Greek Mythology, J.R.R. Tolkien, Mythology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I Still Love the Old World

Posted on January 31, 2015 by Nathan

One thing that interested me when reading the Conan stories was Robert Howard’s idea of the Hyborian Age, a mythical era in the distant past when the Eurasian continent was physically different but still generally recognizable, and its people ancestors … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Cartoons, Fairy Tales, Greek Mythology, History, J.R.R. Tolkien, L. Frank Baum, Maps, Mythology, Norse, Oz, Oz Authors, Philosophy, Places, Religion, Technology, Television, The Flintstones, Theosophy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments