Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Keyword
-
- Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1)
- Anglo-Saxon literature—Influence on J.R.R. Tolkien’s works (1)
- Celtic mythology—Influence on J.R.R Tolkien’s works (1)
- Christ-figure in literature (1)
- Classical literature—Influence on J.R.R Tolkien’s works (1)
-
- Dionysus (mythical figure) (1)
- Harrowing of Hell (myth) (1)
- Middle English literature—Influence on J.R.R. Tolkien’s works (1)
- Orpheus and Eurydice (myth) (1)
- Orpheus, Harrowing of Hell, Sir Orfeo, Ovid, Virgil, Plato, Dionysus, Bacchus, Christ, Beren, Lúthien (1)
- Sir Orfeo (1)
- The Arabian Nights (1)
- Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit—Sources (1)
- Tolkien, J.R.R.—Characters—Beren (1)
- Tolkien, J.R.R.—Characters—Lúthien Tinúviel (1)
- Tolkien, J.R.R.—Knowledge—Folk tales (1)
Articles 1 - 2 of 2
Full-Text Articles in Children's and Young Adult Literature
Orpheus And The Harrowing Of Hell In The Tale Of Beren And Lúthien, Giovanni Carmine Costabile
Orpheus And The Harrowing Of Hell In The Tale Of Beren And Lúthien, Giovanni Carmine Costabile
Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature
Critics have observed that Beren and Lúthien’s tale is a Christian retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. The “Harrowing of Hell” tradition is widespread in Italy as attested by the mosaic of San Marco among others, but it is in France that the Ovid Moralized reconnects it to Orpheus who descended into the Underworld to save Eurydice (an already late antique parallel) and therefore attests a happy ending version of the story that can be found in medieval England and also in various classical sources, perhaps even in the original legend of Orpheus. The apocryphal Harrowing is also …
Bilbo Baggins And The Forty Thieves: The Reworking Of Folktale Motifs In The Hobbit (And The Lord Of The Rings), Giovanni Carmine Costabile
Bilbo Baggins And The Forty Thieves: The Reworking Of Folktale Motifs In The Hobbit (And The Lord Of The Rings), Giovanni Carmine Costabile
Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature
The Hobbit is undisputedly influenced by Germanic sources such as Beowulf, the Völsunga Saga and both the Elder Edda and the Prose Edda. While there is no reason to deny this result of criticism, I argue that acknowledging the aforementioned sources should not constitute a reason to deny the potentiality of other sources from other cultural areas. The similarities between The Hobbit and a famous tale from the Arabian Nights, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, offer a chance to investigate a much wider potential field wherein to look for shared motifs when only …