J. R. R. Tolkien - Author Deep Dive

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We talk about the man, the myth, the legend, J R. R. Tolkien. The single most influential fantasy author of all time. His series The Lord of the Rings, is still held as top tier fantasy, and not many would even try to argue against that.
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Start The Wheel of Time here: amzn.to/2IQsnys

[@ethancoster1324]

I didn't know that the Nazi Party was still a thing in 1948...?

[@DanielGreeneReviews]

Clarification I need to make here. The books were completed in 1948, but did not start getting published until the 1950s. It was other writings of his that were being translated during the rise of the Nazi party. Complete mistake on my part.

[@AshtheViking]

​@@DanielGreeneReviews Yeah it was the translation of The Hobbit which came out in 1937.

[@wednesday567]

@BBB H at least they dont try to impose their beliefs on everyone

[@christopherbacon1077]

@BBB H Except nowadays they wear MAGA hats instead of swastikas

[@supremeleadersmeagol6345]

The situation with the German publication was over the German translation of the Hobbit

[@benjaminburt4285]

Dangggg, our boy had got himself a sponsor! Congratulations

[@jeffclontz3772]

Beat me to it. Congrats Daniel!

[@j0nhurry459]

Sponsored by skill share

[@hibak8196]

Probably the first time I got excited about an ad in a video :3

[@AsiniusNaso]

Did you know Tolkien and C.S. Lewis were close friends? Man, to have been a fly on the wall (or tree, they would often have discussions in nature).

[@myself2noone]

He was actually the one who pushed him to publish the Lord of The Rings.

[@truefanforum3273]

AsiniusNaso I've heard of that. In fact, it is believed that it was Lewis' friendship with Toliken that inspired him to convert from atheism to Christianity. So in a way, we have Tolkien to thank for the Chronicles of Narnia.

[@truefanforum3273]

BBB H That is a story I remember reading once long ago. Now please keep in mind it might have just been a story that got around and has no basis in fact. I just think its a gun bit of trivia. If I am wrong I meant no harm by it. And if I am right, well that's a cool bit of info.

[@leithskilling552]

In fact, I believe Tolkien concerted him to Catholicism. Lewis was an Agbostic or Atheist before that.

[@christopherbacon1077]

No, Lewis was did give up his agnosticism but was as firm an Anglican as Tolkien was a Catholic. Tolkien converted from Anglicism to Catholicism in fact

[@nopenever9829]

Tolkien Date of Death, is almost poetic for his Story. 2.9 9 in Fellowship 9 Ringwraith 1 For Sauron 9 For Men 7 for the Dwarfs 3 for the elfs Its in a strange way beautiful

[@nicolaspizzuti283]

So the photo at 3:13 is of Christopher Tolkien, his son and editor...

[@DanielGreeneReviews]

well... damn. In my defense, they look a LOT alike.

[@yaymanyayman6892]

Lmao

[@yaymanyayman6892]

But F for Christopher

[@dsaillant811]

Whenever people these days complain about writers "putting their politics in books," I'll point them to this video. LotR is virtually inseparable from Tolkein's worldview, and that just makes the books better if anything.

[@truefanforum3273]

Dan Saillant Honestly, I think those guys only complain when the politics run counter to their own. Give them politics that match theirs and they are happy.

[@wednesday567]

it made sense for him to use politics since his country was at war with another country, he wasnt trying to go against his own people

[@Bourbosaurus]

Dan Saillant I think it’s more the fact that nowadays politics is *shoehorned* in, its always shoved in your face, and the respective story couldn’t carry without it. Lord of the rings, on the other hand, is an incredible story on its own merits, regardless of whether Tolkien put his politics into his books.

[@tatuira93]

"I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence. I much prefer history - true or feigned- with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers. I think that many confuse applicability with allegory, but the one resides in the freedom of the reader, and the other in the purposed domination of the author." -J.R.R. Tolkien

[@Diallelus]

@@tatuira93 “The Lord of the Rings' is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision. That is why I have not put in, or have cut out practically all references to anything like 'religion,' to cults or practices, in the imaginary world. For the religious element is absorbed into the story and symbolism.” - J.R.R. Tolkien

[@deanmoxley1868]

Tolkien is an absolute badass. It is incredibly interesting how a lot of really good authors have spent time in the military, especially during the tumultuous 1900s. WWI WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and the gulf war have produced a ton of great writers. As someone who did 8 years active duty with Uncle Sam's Army, with three overseas tours, one combat tour, one humanitarian tour, and an eye opening tour of Korea it doesn't surprise me that trauma opens up the creative portion of the brain. It is impossible to explain to someone who hasn't been in those situations what it is like without seeming a complete monster. It is interesting how seeing the worst of humanity can bring out such amazing stories. Sorry for the rant. I love me some Tolkien, the epic poem of Beren and Luthien is my favorite piece of his work. Yes, I know his son penned it.

[@MrJordwalk]

Dean Moxley The wars of the 20th Century showcased the power of human will and conviction, and the First and Second World Wars especially were periods wherein love and grief where intertwined on a magnitude we can't presently imagine. Being a product of that time, Tolkien (soldier, poet and scholar) had his fingers on the pulse of those feelings and the greatest beauty always comes from the deepest pain. He wove his command of melancholy into his languages, which remain the most masterfully crafted in all of Fantasy. In fact, I think Quenya and Sindarin should be widely taught and spoken in real life, because these Elvish dialects are just so enthralling. I love The Wheel Of Time, but it doesn't hold a candle to The Legendarium Of Middle Earth, because Jordan didn't dive anywhere nearly as deeply into the history of his world as Tolkien did with his own Middle Earth. I MEAN, THE SILMARILLION COVERS 3,500 YEARS OF FUNDAMENTAL LORE!!!! (From the beginning of the world to The Battle of The Last Alliance at the end of the 2nd Age).

[@supremeleadersmeagol6345]

“Raised by extended family”. Umm, he was raised by a priest whom Tolkien’s mother asked to take care of her boys. Tolkien’s extended family disowned him over his mother’s conversion from Protestantism to Roman Catholicism. Sorry for the um ackshaully, but had to be said

[@RS-vz5gc]

Typical Tolkien fan boy getting almost all the facts about him false. He was taken in by he priest, but was in no way shape or form raised by him. His extended family actually did raise him especially since Tolkien moved away from where the priest was at a young age. And you are a typical Tolkien fan boy. I used to love Tolkien until I went into a Facebook group for Middle Earth fans. And yea it was the biggest group for Tolkien and Middle Earth on Facebook. Should be easy to find. Main reason I called you a typical Tolkien fan boy is because you did the two things almost 100% of his fans do. You insulted someone else’s opinion and facts about Tolkien, and you got the facts about him wrong. The group leader asked who our favourite fantasy authors are and as soon as I mentioned that Robert Jordan is my favourite author, the entire group began to insult me and say how he was a terrible author and a Tolkien wannabe. Then they asked me what did Robert Jordan do that was original. So I listed a lot of things. Tolkien did not create Hobbits, nor the word Hobbit and also not their lore or the etymology for them as is falsely claimed. He did not invent Orcs, nor the lore that Orcs came from Elves He did not create the term Middle Earth nor it’s meaning He did not create elves He did not create dwarves He did not create Ents He did not create the concept of a ring that controlled other rings. Every Tolkien fan falsely believes that the ring turns you invisible. It does not. That idea was taken from the original concept of one ruling ring that controlled all others and did turn the wearer invisible. The LoTR version only transports you to the wraith world. And you spelled “Sméagol” wrong by the way. Like I said a typical Tolkien fan boy. I would have kept liking Tolkien if not for how pompous his fans act. And to think that Tolkien is now falsely credited with creating the fantasy genre. The genre has existed since before the Bible was written. Once a Tolkien fan but not any longer and I never will be again. His family was actually rude to Peter Jackson and said he falsely mis represented Tolkien’s works. At least Robert Jordan created his Trollocs unlike Tolkien and his Ork and Orcne ripoffs that he simply called Orcs and said he created them. Tolkien also did not create the word Mordor It is a Germanic word with the same roots as Mordlust, Mortor, Blutdurst.

[@josephhirning2372]

@@RS-vz5gc whatever.

[@comeintotheforest]

@@RS-vz5gc ridiculous reply man.. if he got a fact wrong just say that. Don’t write an essay about his character and all of your grievances with Tolkien fan clubs

[@edgardtheknowledgekeeper3119]

Tolkien was a big inspiration for my writing. For people who say "what about Beowulf," by taking inspiration from Tolkien your taking inspiration from Beowulf by extension because Beowulf was one of his major inspirations in literature. I took an English dual credit class and I wrote one of my major essays on Tolkien's life.

[@richdudley2888]

Tolkien stayed regularly at a private school, in Lancashire, England, just up the road from where I live; whilst one of his son's was there studying to be a priest. The woods, valleys, streams of the area were a big inspiration for him when writing LoTR's. So, I have a little bit of Middle-Earth on my doorstep.

[@ChristmasLore]

That's gorgeous.

[@autumnnightproductions6021]

Can you do George R.R. Martin after Robert Jordan?

[@DanielGreeneReviews]

Not sure if right after but SOON

[@Adriana-gu3uo]

For once my family joined me to watch your video. We are all big Tolkien fans and fantasy fans in general. We really agree with what you said in the last few minutes! Experiences shapes a person I believe and you will always find fragments of it in their work (may it be art or something else idk) greetings from the Netherlands!

[@caveman7608]

Please do C.S. Lewis

[@Scottcrestline]

Can you do a R.A. Salvatore deep dive and more reviews about his books.

[@zoebrugg7594]

As a child, I fell in love with middle earth. Tolkien helped nourish my creative mind, and now challenges me to do better. This summer I want to study old Icelandic and Latin to make my own language for my Kaleeva land.

[@TheCrimsonIdol987]

My favorite author, my favorite fantasy series, and I just adore it.

[@DanielGreeneReviews]

What authors should I consider doing??

[@kmk1225]

Gonna just put the obvious "George R.R Martin" out here, Daniel.

[@gabrieltoscano8480]

Well, I think King would be a really good for the next Cheers from Brazil mate (If you want some brazilian fantasy, hit me up :D)

[@edgardtheknowledgekeeper3119]

Jim Butcher

[@frankheninja1]

Alan Moore

[@abel2farago453]

Stephen King

[@postponedprogress6962]

3:10 “the focus of this video will be on the man himself” *shows Christopher Tolkien portrait

[@EmperorKingKaiser]

Great video! The greatness and influence of Tolkien and his works cannot be overstated. One brief comment: the picture at 3:12 is not J.R.R. Tolkien. That's his son Christopher who edited his father's posthumous works like The Silmarillion.

[@bigdurk4115]

Will you also cover the influence of Robert e Howard

[@AGS363]

A writer who is severely underapreciated these days...

[@zachgranat5518]

I agree! In fact, I'd even say that Robert E. Howard is the true originator of the modern fantasy genre, having been the first to create his own fantasy world with real-life influences and having different peoples and places possessing unique characteristics.

[@bigdurk4115]

@@zachgranat5518 I agree

[@bigdurk4115]

@@AGS363 very true statement

[@incan7407]

.....the man himself is Christopher Tolkien? I guess you must've really liked his editing (;

[@davids2735]

I really really enjoy these. Keep em coming with whatever author you decide

[@slavking2797]

Thank you for taking my suggestion! Awesome dive!

[@onecraftchick]

It's so interesting I was just reading about CS Lewis and Joy Davidman and Tolkien is mentioned quite a bit. It makes sense that so many authors from England would have known each other and influenced one another. Thanks for the deep dive!

[@dannydonnelly8027]

Am I missing something that was released in '99? Jackson's LotR trilogy was released in 2001-2003....

[@willmcclintock6129]

Think it would be interesting to hear about Isaac Asimov

[@torbjornlekberg7756]

I thought I knew quite alot about Tolkien, but that fantastic response to the nazis was new to me. Yet another great quote from an interesting man.

[@leirycpanizales5878]

LOL! Can't believe Daniel did Sanderson before Tolkien and Jordan. But it makes sense.

[@bartosztrz451]

Waiting for Robert Jordan's episode. You almost convinced me to start Wheel of Time with your other video - hope to be totally convinced after next Deep Dive ;)

Damn it Daniel! stop making me want to stop reading the stormlight archive and (start) WOT! now, I'm reading TLOTR (second attempt)

[@alexpatrick2522]

Just discovered your channel. These are really well done. Keep up the good work.

[@nicoleglasson8615]

Reading about such places as the Dead Marshes as an adult is so horrifying once you realise that they are based on real life, first hand experience. Knowing a fair amount about Tolkien's history has also hugely increased my appreciation for Frodo who is just so goddamn tragic that I can't even deal. "I am wounded, wounded, it will never really heal." So many tears.

[@leithskilling552]

Not to mention having all but one of his best friends dying in the First World War. He was truly an incredible man, and it’s no wonder the Lord of the Rings is so sad: he was shaped by tragic events, and his joys were too often bittersweet, or hard won. He literally was forbidden to marry the woman he loved, because she was Protestant. I am forever amazed at the story of his life.

[@lukeskywalkerthe2nd773]

This deep dive into my all time favorite Fantasy author was really informative and awesome!!!! The life of this titan of Literature (and the founder of the entire genre of Fantasy itself) is as facinating, grand and interesting as his works imo! I cannot wait to to see the next Deep Dive on on Robert Jordan!!! :)

[@MrJordwalk]

Luke Skywalker the 2nd IMHO It's almost insulting to refer to The Legendarium Of Middle Earth as Fantasy. It is Fantasy, but it arguably also has a place among the great Mythologies that have been written over the millennia human history and I rank it as essential reading for readers of all literary inclinations.

[@lukeskywalkerthe2nd773]

@@MrJordwalk Yeah, you do have a point. It's Fantasy, but it is as vast, deep and complex enough to truly rank among one of the greatest mythologies ever created by Humanity. I definitely agree that his Legendarium has transcended to that point. Sorry I didn't word my comment better. And I would definitely recommend his works to anyone as well, he is just that great!!! :)

[@MrJordwalk]

Luke Skywalker the 2nd I just finished The Silmarillion, and I can't think of another author in Fantasy boasting the skill or daring to write a book of PURE LORE covering 3,500 years of Fantasty world history which could rival what Tolkien pulled off here.

[@lukeskywalkerthe2nd773]

@@MrJordwalk I couldn't agree more! Though, there still are plenty amazing and worlds in the Fantasy genre out there. But to me, Tolkien's will always be the greatest! :)

[@MrJordwalk]

Luke Skywalker the 2nd I'm currently writing a Fantasy tale myself, called "The Embers Of Elder Lourdran" (Lore-dran) and one of my characters, Alden Cautha, Scholar Of The Sacred Flame, is greatly inspired by Tolkien. One of the peoples of Palaven, The Eothain, are also inspired by Rohan and The Mongols. My story's events revolve around characters from 3 Continents: Palaven, Essenia and Karthand, the former two being the dominion of The Kaltenzahn Imperium. Some lore: Elder Lourdran was the birthplace of the Dagnadrin, the first Men, a people boasting long life and an affinity for magic owed to being the offspring of interracial breeding between The Aelphim (Elves) and The Agarthazad (Dwarves), races now long extinct whose ruins dot the lands of Palaven and Essenia.

[@ryanratchford2530]

Congrats on the sponsor! And I like how it was presented by Greene Daniel

[@ryanratchford2530]

Hack Daniel Greene Sellout Green Daniel I like it 😂

[@Atzael-SMN]

Greatest and most inspirational deep dive in my opinion. He was just a different type of special.

[@silasnaig]

Loving the deep dive series would love to see one on Terry Brooks.

[@davidpo5517]

Someone was listening to Queen.

[@phantasmalemperor8887]

That campfire malarkey looks good

[@AroundTheCampfire]

We certainly think so! :)

[@lambbees104]

I’m really looking forward to the Tolkien movie coming out.. can’t wait to learn more about him.

[@normandoering1619]

I would challenge the idea that Tolkien's religious views were that deeply buried - not when we can contrast how writers like George R.R. Martin and Philip Pullman deal with religion in their fantasy series. Martin, an agnostic at least, has some very dark pagan-like religions in his "Game of Thrones" that seem inspired by Lovecraft. Pullman, an outspoken atheist, in "His Dark Materials," has a stand-in for the Catholic Church that is an evil institution that maims and kills children to achieve its goals. When you see how religion in fantasy can be done differently it opens your eyes to what Tolkien actually did to reveal his religious beliefs.

[@jakehopkins6989]

What's wrong with atheists?

[@normandoering1619]

@@jakehopkins6989 : Nothing wrong with atheists, I myself am in that atheistic/agnostic camp. What the religious fantasy writers like J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis did was put God and religious concepts directly into their stories, but there are no churches or temples ever mentioned. No character ever goes to church. I bring up George R. R. Martin and Pullman to make a contrast because they put religious institutions into their stories. It's almost as if Tolkien and Lewis were telling us that religious institutions and churches only exist in the absence of God.

[@ANT96-x8d]

I was looking at this thing about social and political themes in epic fantasy and I got a question. Is Lord Of The Rings considered to be liberal or conservative?

[@scoutboo]

Having trouble keeping your world building organised and consistent? Just have a son who will point out your inconsistencies which will then force you to write everything down! (True story from Christopher Tolkien: "... on one occasion I interrupted: ‘Last time, you said Bilbo’s front door was blue, and you said Thorin had a gold tassel on his hood, but you’ve just said that Bilbo’s front door was green, and the tassel on Thorin’s hood was silver’; at which point my father muttered ‘Damn the boy,’ and then ‘strode across the room’ to his desk to make a note.")

[@BMR3]

Cool stuff, I feel like I learn more from you then I did in high school

[@carlwilliams9642]

I think it's safe to say that LOTR would be a lesser work if it wasn't permeated with Tolkien's life experience/worldview.

[@thriddoctor]

Mervyn Peak, China Mieville and Michael Moorcock

[@brettlafleur27]

So u started climbing, it’s so fun such a good work out and the Community is so friendly.

[@wannabehuman]

Daniel I love your videos. However I have to let you know that when you said “insert blank here” it broke my brain

[@MirlieTheCat]

Now I love Tolkien even more XD that quote to the German government/translators is brilliant. Why did I not know about this? 😂 you now what, I'm gonna reread at least the fellowship, I'm don't know what I should read next anyways and I still haven't read it in English.

[@zionparks7502]

Tolkien is my favorite author, mainly because of the Catholic influences within his writing.

[@hugi117]

Oh my god! You said BirmingHAM, bloody hell, you are American.

[@miecraftandmoregames]

imagine if tolkien were killed in the first world war... how different thing's would have been for the fantasy genre.

[@NinjaLill]

Daniel. I would love to see a review of the Silmarillion. For me, Tolkiens best work. Almost worthy of a true creationist-story. Hell, it ain’t any worse than the Bible, the Tora or the Koran when it comes to believiability. It’s hands down better. Finrod Felagund for best elf ever. After Elwë Singollo of course. Much love. 🌹

[@gorgonzolastan]

😄 I knew exactly where that build up to the sponsorship pitch was going right when you started. I heard about that software from another KZbin show and it sounds really neat. It worries me a little, though, that there is a market for software like that because it means that there are a lot of aspiring fiction authors, and I know there aren't *that many books that are published and then that get read, and I every once in a while start a book, and one day I would like to finish one.

[@rbkstrm]

What a guy. Thank you for the uppload.

[@poggies7639]

On the low Prussian thing, that’s actually a now extinct dialect of German

[@truthserum4662]

Yay I loved your last author deep dive. I’m so glad you are making another one. Please do George R.R. Martin next

[@myself2noone]

I would also add about his influence that even if some authors haven't read Tolkien they still take inspiration form him. His work has sunk into the culturally zitguist so much, and so many people have taken inspiration form him that a lot of people where inspired by the things that where inspired by Tolkien.

[@Kim_Traveling_in_Books]

Tolkien never believed in the biographical reading of an author's life. That is, he thought that people who combed through an author's life in search of clues to their literary work were missing the point of the work. But it's hard to deny that there were certain events from Tolkien's own life that show up in his books. In the Dead Marshes we can see hints of the desolation of the Battle of the Somme, and the scene in The Silmarillion where Luthien dances in a hemlock grove while Beren watches comes directly from Tolkien's own life. But The Lord of the Rings was neither biographical or allegorical. He firmly believed in the concept of applicability, which allows the reader to apply their own life and experiences to the reading of a book and take meaning from it as it concerns their own life. This is one of the many reasons that The Lord of the Rings has been so influential for so long.

[@TheGeorgeD13]

If you haven’t, you should read Stephen King’s On Writing. He writes the half of the book as an autobiography and the second as a discourse on writing itself and what makes good writing. It’d make for a good deep dive, actually just from that book alone.

[@CasualWatcher279]

Do you think LOTR will get another movie release in the near future? (To clarify, I mean the triology, not the second age or anything Silmarillion related.)

[@Ryan_Thompson_Guitarist]

I think it will. How long it would take for someone to have another go, no one really knows

[@k.pperlin9733]

Hey can you weave a tapestry of Terry Goodkind's lies? (after Robert Jordan, may he rest in peace)

[@matthewschultz8709]

3.31.2020 Tolkien is the primary author of the west... What's the East's?

[@Morfeusm]

Just so you know low Prussian is german dialect

[@joseraulcapablanca8564]

i liked the deep dive but maybe it was Worth mentioning his less famous stuff, his translations and stuff like leaf by niggle abd On fairy stories.

[@angelalever1272]

Thank you for the video Tolkien means so much to me. I think it would take a very very long video to give Tolkien full recognision, Did you know there is a film being released in cinemas soon, simply called Tolkien? Ps it was the Hobbit that the nazi wanted to translate in 1938.

[@rebelknight2245]

Tolkien auctally hated when people said the war inspired him lol great video btw :)

[@mrgodliak]

I thought it was when they said it was allegory that he disagreed with, I'm sure he was inspired by it. Maybe I'm wrong, I don't know.

[@keikurono192]

You don't fight in a war and have it not influence you for the rest of your life. What he said was LOTR isn't a direct allegory for WW2. The ring isn't the bomb, the orcs aren't nazis.

[@rebelknight2245]

@@keikurono192 Very true, but i think he also kinda lied to himself about it, but he did hate when people brought up the war in his stories conversations :)

[@davistalhone9482]

"He's just descendant of Tolk" lol

[@mrgodliak]

What a legend, he's an inspiration for me and for a lot of people. You should read Duskfall and the Chaos Queen Quintet, the first book is not the best but the second and third that are out so far are great.

[@picarochi]

Terry Pratchett would be interesting.

[@matthewpettipas8233]

Technically, Low Prussian is German, it was just a different dialect than what people in other parts of Germany spoke, back when the country was divided between various States.

[@peterholley5802]

Do C.S Lewis

[@afterhourspodcast.5066]

Huh?! This Tolkien guy seems cool, I should check out his work.

[@charafrench2020]

I really enjoy this series. I have not seen any other booktuber do anything like this. (Though that may just be because I am not in the right circles on Booktube). I would love to see some Female authors and some non-Fantasy authors deep-dives.

[@masoodvoon8999]

Excellent video. Short and sweet. Enlisting isn't a term used for officers btw. That quote seemed like a mild expression of disappointment even in that day but I expect he expressed stronger opinions in his writings. You have to remember one cannot keep in context all the intricacies of culture of the day when you didn't live then.It was a time of irredentism in which families from many nations were being uprooted and mistreated, nationalism was an expression of revolution from the old nobility authoritarianism, and Germans had been mistreated for hundreds of years. What's strange about Tolkien is the lord of the rings carried both pro-wr and anti-war messages. Nations which weren't prepared for war suffered disastrous consequences (Rohan being obvious example) and he carried a message of the pursuit of absolute power by anyone as destructive (represented by the ring of course).

[@italoeide6734]

Just wondering, but how long have you been working out and what's your squat, bench and deadlift 1RM? (1 rep max)

[@Morfeusm]

interesting question!

[@AmeliaOak]

I liked this video but dude I just watched the Biographics video about Tolkien and it made your “deep dive” seem a bit lacking. You had good information here, you weren’t incorrect, but that other video was 20 minutes long

[@NerdsBehavingBadly]

What did you think of the Tolkien biopic? Or did you talk about it in another video?

[@georgesoha4725]

I hope Jim gets his liver back

[@duckdialectics8810]

If we were to stop reading stuff because the author's views are in there, well, we won't read much, right?

[@k.pperlin9733]

Hey, Daniel, I know your not tech support, but when you got the free trial (if you did) did you encounter an issue where you can't have your info saved?

[@duckdialectics8810]

This "he puts too much of his worldviews into his work" means one of two things: either he writes poorly, or the reader disagrees with the author.

[@wednesday567]

to be fair, tolkien replied to that letter making an assumption about what they wanted to know about him

[@1901180108]

But ... Low Prussian is a dialect of German.

[@Salvaju29ro95]

I have to be honest, I'm not a big Tolkien fan, but I thank him for his heredity in the fantasy genre

[@Kikilang60]

Daniel, you said you're smart. I'm holding you to that.

[@Kikilang60]

I say dorky things, because it's so easy to offend people. I read Tolkien's bio, and his books. At first I was confused. Tolkien was small, and bit on the shy side. The Hobbit made perfest sense to me. World War One was pointless stupid war, started by people looking for fame, and buck. That's exactly what the Hobbit was about. I always try to see the big picture in everything, but with Tolkiens Lord of the Rings book, I was lost in the big. I couldn't see what tolkien was trying to say. After I stepped back from the book for a few years, it hit me. Tolkien wrote this vast history, and of people who were far beyond human. Giant armies of good and evil are fighting for the future of the entire Earth. And all this history, and it's amazing people, are all dependent on a handful of silly little people. What almost everyone misses, is the ring of power was so powerful, that it could curupt people who were almost gods. Yet, Gollum, the lowest of the low, stared down the ring for nine hundrend years. The whole lord of the Ring books is about how an all powerful ring was held captive for nine hundred year, then escaped, but was then hunted down and destroyed by Gollum. If the one was conscious, and had free will, it was scaried to death of Gollum. Gollum was the hero of Lord of the Ring.

[@Tyfighter-ef8el]

I'm surprised you didn't bring up Tolkien dislike of allegory

[@melissavines4454]

Brilliant...what more is there to say???

[@Morfeusm]

You should put that journalist name into title to avoid lawsuit from him. Also I heard that he talks about you behind your back.

[@Agaporis12]

I know you don’t have time to talk about everything but I feel like you overlooked an important point regarding Tolkien’s political views. I’m not sure he’d call himself an anarchist, perhaps a libertarian, but he very clearly was skeptical of authority in general. You can see this clearly from his books where the ring represents power (well that’s one of the things it represents) and no one can use the ring for good. You also see it in his letters when for instance he says he wonders if the British government is really any better than the Nazis and he says particularly that he thinks we could save ourselves a lot of misunderstanding if instead of using words like “government” or “administration” we said “Churchill and his gang.” He also said when he saw Churchill all he could see was a brute, and maybe a worse one than Hitler if we judge only by appearances. He definitely was in favor of a traditional morality, but I think one of the things he loved most about medieval monarchies was that they had so little real power. People didn’t bother themselves thinking about the problems of a small clique of billionaires in a city far away and could instead focus on thier own lives and communities. I think it’s not unreasonable to put him in a similar category to Tolstoy when it comes to politics if not writing style He also seems to carry this idea of power as a bad thing to the personal level. His attitude seems to reflect an older Christian attitude that it was bad to make too many plans or to prepare too much for the future, the idea being that if you try too hard to control your destiny and make your own future you blind yourself to the workings of Providence. You can see particularly in Gandalf when he talks about “what seems like chance but really is not”. He never out and says it, but he seems to feel that it is better sometimes to go along with coincidences rather than try to pursue plans made in advance because these coincidences are really the signs of a divine plan. His allowing Gollum to live and continue to follow them in the mines of Moria is a good example of this. He really has no reason not to believe Gollum only intends to attack them, but he seems to think Gollum has been allowed to live for a reason, and to kill him now would only get in the way of that higher plan

[@grishnackh194]

Indeed there IS a Brazilian channel called Tolkien Talk lmao

[@marioksoresalhillick299]

Well, Low Prussian is a dialect of German.

[@deathbird6406]

No offense but the singing at the beginnings isn't my thing

[@ClassicMadMaxx]

What a genius way to sell out, make an alternate personality and blame him.

[@duckdialectics8810]

I mean, I would be surprised if an author put something other than HIS worldviews in HIS work

[@burglar2341]

"Talken about Tolkien" is better

[@nacezupancic7522]

But what about the biggest influence, the catholic faith? I dont get it, you dont seem to mention it even though you speak about him a lot. And in my opinion that was such an important part of his life... You dont seem to filter anything else.

[@arnauguillen1739]

Because religion sucks, at so many levels. At least for me

[@nacezupancic7522]

@@arnauguillen1739 im sorry... But still, not even mentioning it, because he was deeply religous.? If he was an atheist it would be mentioned.

[@SpartanCharlton]

wasnt he brought up by a catholic priest? his mothers side of the family shunned her for becoming a catholic

[@j0nhurry459]

What’s the difference between Prussian and German. Is German more of a mix of Prussian and other Germanic cultures?

[@marioksoresalhillick299]

The idea of being "German" is a modern notion. Beforehand, most of the "German" nations were part of the Holy Roman Empire. Prussian is a German dialect among many different German dialects. Prussia was also inhabited by pagan tribes that were conquered and subjugated by invading "German" crusaders.

[@nifrain9494]

Daniel Greene - Master of cringe intros

[@mpotter9944]

Tolkien is pronounced Tol-keen, not Tolkin. Also, the One Ring is still not a macguffin.