Nowadays there is hardly a person who does not know the name of J. R. R. Tolkien. This English writer is best known as the author of The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, the Lord of the Rings trilogy and their prequel, The Silmarillion.
Tolkien is rightly called the “father of fantasy.” Of course, many authors before him wrote in this genre, but it was Tolkien who created fantasy in the form in which we know it today. It is to him that we owe the generally accepted ideas about magicians, elves, goblins, gnomes and other wonderful characters of this genre. More than one generation has grown up with fantasy - and Tolkien's books in particular. Based on his works created computer games, dozens, or even hundreds, of Tolkien’s imitators used his characters and some storylines in their works, there are several animated and film productions of the English writer’s books...
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien - English writer, linguist, philologist. Years of life: 1892–1973. The story "The Hobbit, or There and Back Again" - published in 1937.
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Tolkien developed the mythical languages of the fairy-tale world, which were spoken by the heroes of his books - elves and people, gnomes and hobbits. The history of this world begins many thousands of years ago and spans four eras, starting with the act of creation...
So what is the unique charm of the works of J. R. R. Tolkien? Philologist, Oxford professor of Anglo-Saxon language and simply a real Englishman created on the pages of his books the whole world- Middle-earth. He developed the mythical languages of the fairy-tale world, which were spoken by the heroes of his books - elves and people, gnomes and hobbits. The history of this world begins many thousands of years ago and covers four eras, starting with the act of creation... It is impossible to describe in one article all the works of the great Englishman, so let’s say a few words about the writer himself and about the book that opens Tolkien’s epic saga - the story “The Hobbit, or There” and back".
So, J. R. R. Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South America, where his parents lived for some time. The family then returned to England. Tolkien's father died early, and the boy was raised by his mother, a deeply religious Catholic. She instilled her faith in her children, and throughout his life Tolkien remained a very religious person. This was reflected in his descriptions of the creation of the world in The Silmarillion - the writer’s world was created in accordance with Christian ideas.
Even as a child, Tolkien was interested in languages. While studying at school, Ronald (that’s what his family called him) learned Old Norse, Gothic, Old Welsh, and Finnish. On the basis of several languages known to him, he developed his famous “Elvish” languages. Subsequently, the writer connected his entire life with philology and linguistics. In 1925, J. R. R. Tolkien was invited to Oxford, where he received the post of Professor of Anglo-Saxon Language and Literature. Tolkien became one of the youngest professors and subsequently earned a reputation as one of the best philologists not only in England, but also in the world. He lived and worked in Oxford for almost all subsequent years. In the 1920s, Tolkien wrote the first legends of Middle-earth, which would later be included in The Silmarillion and The Hobbit. At first he tells The Hobbit only to his children, and only in 1937, on the advice of friends, does he publish the story. To the publisher's amazement, The Hobbit enjoyed great success, and then Tolkien was offered to write a sequel, which became the famous trilogy “The Lord of the Rings”. However, let’s return to “The Hobbit”. The main character of the book is Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit living a peaceful, measured life in his cozy hole. We can say that Bilbo is, to some extent, each of us, a common person, living in his own little world. Suddenly, adventures burst into Bilbo's life. He meets his old acquaintance, the magician Gandalf, and then meets a group of dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield. And this is where Bilbo's quiet life ends. He finds himself taking part in an adventurous adventure - a trip to the Lonely Mountain in search of dwarven treasures, which are guarded by the dragon Smaug.
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Remember the nasty spiders that haunted Bilbo's companions? And the creepy Shelob and Ungaliant? These creatures of darkness, disgusting spider-like creatures, are found so often in Tolkien's works that many could not help but think that the author had arachnophobia (fear of spiders). So, when the Tolkien family lived in Africa, little Ronald was bitten by a tarantula. It is possible that it was this incident that subsequently influenced the creation of “spider” images. By the way, while the boy was sick, he was observed by a certain Doctor Thornton Quimby, who, according to some versions, served as the prototype of Gandalf.
On the way to the treasures, travelers experience various adventures. They are captured by goblins, and then by the elves of Mirkwood, trolls try to eat them, and terrible warg wolves and huge spiders are chasing our heroes.
But in all their journeys, the dwarves and Bilbo manage to defeat their enemies and overcome obstacles. Sometimes the magician Gandalf helps them, and in some cases the heroes are saved by Bilbo’s unexpectedly discovered abilities.
Also on their way, the heroes meet Gollum, a mysterious creature living in goblin caves. Here Bilbo accidentally finds a ring lost by Gollum, which has the miraculous property of making its owner invisible. Having reached the Mountain, travelers meet the inhabitants of the Lake City and their leader, the brave Bard. Both elves and goblins are drawn into the division of the treasure. In the end, our heroes manage (albeit at the cost of considerable losses) to defeat the dragon and goblins, and overcome all the differences that have arisen between the dwarves and the inhabitants of Lake Town. Bilbo receives a small part of the treasure as a reward and, accompanied by Gandalf, returns home. Now he has his own magical story that he can tell to his descendants...
Later, in the trilogy, we will also meet the aged Bilbo, and Gollum, who will play an important role in the life of the whole world, and Gandalf, one of the greatest magicians. And the hobbit’s seemingly harmless discovery, a magic ring, will turn out to be the most powerful weapon created by the Dark Lord... But all this will come later. In the meantime, we read with ease and pleasure about the hobbit’s journey, and this story is bright and joyful. Therefore, it is with The Hobbit that one should begin to get acquainted with Tolkien’s work. This book is equally interesting for both adults and children, and when you read it, you want this story to never end...
Tolkien reading Namárië + Tolkien Caricatures
Our story today is dedicated to the life and work of one of the most brilliant writers of our time. To the man who created a whole world for us, in which fairy tales seem alive and real...
Tolkien's early years, childhood and family
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in January 1892 in the city of Bloemfontein, which today is part of the Republic of South Africa. His family ended up in the very south of the Dark Continent due to the promotion of his father, who was entrusted with the right to manage a representative office of one of the local banks. As noted in some sources, the mother of our today’s hero, Mabel Tolkien, arrived in South Africa when she was already seven months pregnant. Thus, the Tolkien couple’s first child was born almost immediately after the move. Subsequently, John's younger brother appeared in the family, and then a younger sister.As a child, John was a completely ordinary child. He often played with his peers and spent a lot of time outside the home. The only memorable episode from his early childhood was an incident involving a tarantula bite. According to medical records, John Tolkien was treated by a certain doctor named Thornton. According to some researchers, it was he who later became the prototype of the wise and good wizard Gandalf is one of the main characters in three of Tolkien's books. In addition, the same tarantula that bit the boy in early childhood also received a unique reflection. The image of the spider was embodied in the evil spider Shelob, who attacks the heroes of Tolkien’s book in one of its episodes.
In 1896, after the death of the father of the family from a prolonged fever, the entire family of our today's hero moved back to England. Here mother Mabel Tolkien settled with her three children in the suburbs of Birmingham, where she lived until her death. This period became very difficult in the life of the family of the future writer. There was always a shortage of money, and the only joy for Mabel Tolkien and her children was literature and religion. John learned to read quite early. However, during this period, most of his table literature consisted of religious books. Subsequently, fairy tales by some English and European writers were added to them. Thus, Tolkien’s favorite works were the books “Alice in Wonderland”, “Treasure Island” and some others. It was this strange symbiosis of fairy-tale and religious literature that laid the foundations for the corporate style, which he organically embodied later.
After the death of his mother in 1904, John was raised by his grandfather, a priest of the local Anglican church. It was he, according to many, who instilled in the future writer a love of philology and linguistics. With his encouragement, Tolkien entered King Edward's School, where he began to study Old English, Gothic, Welsh, Old Norse and some other languages. This knowledge was subsequently very useful to the writer in developing the languages of Middle-earth.
Subsequently, for several years, John Tolkien studied at Oxford University.
Works of Tolkien - writer
After graduation, John Tolkien was drafted into the army and participated in many bloody battles as part of the Lancashire Fusiliers. Many of his friends died during the First World War and his subsequent hatred of warfare remained with Tolkien for the rest of his life.The Story of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien
John returned from the front as an invalid and subsequently earned his living exclusively by teaching. He taught at the University of Leeds and then at Oxford University. Thus, he earned the fame of one of the best philologists in the world, and subsequently also the fame of a writer.
In the twenties, Tolkien began writing his first literary work, The Silmarillion, which consisted of short stories and contained a description of the fictional world of Middle-earth. However, work on this work was completed somewhat later. Trying to please his children, John began writing a lighter and “more fabulous” work, which soon became known as “The Hobbit or There and Back Again.”
In this book, the world of Middle-earth came to life for the first time and appeared before readers in the form of a holistic image. The book "The Hobbit" was published in 1937 and became quite successful among the British.
Despite this fact, for a long time Tolkien did not seriously think about professional writing career. He continued to teach, and at the same time worked on the cycle of tales of the Silmarillion and the creation of the languages of Middle-earth.
In the period from 1945 to 1954, he wrote exclusively small works - mainly stories and fairy tales. However, already in 1954, the book “The Fellowship of the Ring” was published, which became the first part of the famous “Lord of the Rings” series. It was followed by other parts - “The Two Towers” and “The Return of the King”. The books were published in Britain and then in the USA. From that moment on, a real “Tolkien boom” began all over the world.
Tolkien's Confession, The Lord of the Rings
In the sixties, the popularity of the epic “The Lord of the Rings” became so great that it turned into one of the main trends of that time. Tea houses, restaurants, public institutions and even were named in honor of Tolkien's heroes. botanical gardens. Some time later, many prominent figures even advocated for Tolkien to be awarded Nobel Prize in the field of literature. This award, however, passed him by. Although the writer’s personal collection still accumulates a lot of awards and various literary prizes. 
In addition, already at that time John Tolkien sold the rights to the screen adaptation of his works. Subsequently, prominent figures in England and the United States created numerous audio plays, games, animated films, and even full-length Hollywood blockbusters based on Tolkien's books. However, the author himself no longer found most of this. In 1971, after the death of his wife Edith Mary, the writer fell into a prolonged depression. Literally a year later, he was diagnosed with a bleeding stomach ulcer, and some time later he also had pleurisy. On September 2, 1973, Tolkien died from numerous illnesses. The great author is buried in the same grave with his wife. Many of his works (mostly short stories) were published posthumously.
Galiev S.S. The motive of evil in Tolkien’s mythological system / Bulletin of the University of the Russian Academy of Education No. 1. – M.: 2010.
The artificial mythology created by Tolkien can only be partially attributed directly to myth. Inside literary work ancient mythological layers are often mixed with cultural variations of a myth that is almost on the verge of collapse. In the work, mythological consciousness is often replaced by religious consciousness; Christian influence begins to be felt in it, which introduces features of monotheistic philosophy. This feature was noted by one of the researchers of Tolkien’s work, K. Garbovsky: “Under the pagan layer of Tolkien’s mythology, its monotheistic nature is revealed.” As a result, the mythological system in The Silmarillion has a synthetic structure, within which both pagan and Christian elements are present. The complexity of the system lies in the fact that it turns out to be very harmonious and consistent, with a close mixture of mythological syncretism and Christian monotheism.
For Tolkien, the theme of myth-making, like the theme of revelation, was extremely close. Mine unique world he saw it as a way to convey Christian truth. Tolkien was a devout man and belonged to the Catholic Church. Carpenter, the writer’s biographer, spoke of Tolkien’s piety in the following way: “even the introduction to the liturgy in the national language caused him some concern; he was an English philologist and at the same time was not one.” At the same time, Tolkien admired ancient mythology Finns and Scandinavians.
For many researchers of Tolkien’s work, the deep philosophical connection with Christianity gave rise to the question of the relationship between Christian theology and the author’s mythology. The cornerstone problem regulating the nature of the interaction between Tolkien’s mythology and Christianity is a certain configuration of the categories of Good and Evil in the work. Therefore, many researchers involved in analyzing the opposition of Good and Evil almost always came across the problem of the presence of Christian theology in Tolkien’s mythology and vice versa.
One of the most famous Tolkien experts, Thomas Shipey, in his work, reveals the depth of contact between Christian philosophy and the mythology of The Silmarillion. One of central problems The way through which Shipi comes to conclusions about such a connection is the problem of Good and Evil in Tolkien's mythology, and especially the theme of death. However, Shipi places the main emphasis on the Christian component of Tolkien’s work, while the mythological part is practically not analyzed on his part. Even the problem of death is perceived somewhat flatly by Shipi, since he believed that Tolkien solved the problem of death by creating an immortal race of elves.
A number of philologists shy away from analyzing Tolkien's mythology, preferring to determine the degree of Tolkien's religious and philosophical creativity and compare it with the text of the Holy Scriptures. Central to these comparisons will also be the position of Good and Evil in Tolkien's world. Such researchers include G. Moran, who is trying to determine Tolkien’s place in the sphere of theological creativity. More comprehensive in this regard is Richard L. Purtill's J. R. R. Tolkien: Myth, Morality and Religion”, where there is still some analysis of the mythological component and the nature of the contacts of myth with Christianity. Purtila's observations are especially valuable in that part of Tolkien's work where the creation of the world is described.
The most comprehensive and valuable is the study of Christopher Garbovsky “The Silmarillion and Genesis: The Contemporary Artist and the Present Revelation”, which not only determines the kinship of the positions of Good and Evil between Tolkien’s work and the Bible, but also reveals the aspect of the interaction of mythology and Christianity through the conflict of moral categories.
The Silmarillion - the book in which Tolkien's entire mythology is concentrated - has often been compared to the Holy Scriptures, and in particular to the Book of Genesis. Thomas Shipey was one of the first to ask the question: “can the Silmarillion be considered as a “rival to the Holy Scriptures?” This speaks to the level of integration of Tolkien's mythology with Christianity. Polemics with Shipi, Moran solves the problem in favor of the Holy Scriptures, believing that author's position more limited than the sacred text: “this is a revelation that exists right here and now, although at the same time it does not become more accessible to others, it exists as a special area of \u200b\u200bthe creativity of the artist, who, one might say, is somewhat akin to a prophet.” However, at the same time, Moran places Tolkien's works almost on the same level as religious revelation.
But how can we determine the primacy of a particular source, as well as understand its place in the text? Can myth be considered as a shell for Christian truth, or is this a synthetic cast of different cultural and religious traditions?
At the level of the internal structure of the text in the work there are almost no mythological forms and borrowing, Gunnar Urang came to this conclusion. In his opinion, The Silmarillion "is devoid of the mythological structure of the eternal circuit in many typological systems of the text." However, such a remark can be attributed directly to the texture of the work; it in no way affects its ideological component.
This question can be answered through a structural analysis of the ideological component of The Silmarillion. As is known, archaic myth is alien to the opposition of Good and Evil; more precisely, this opposition is not formalized into a clear ideological distinction. While in Christianity the theme of Evil and Good is central, this is the discovery of monotheistic philosophy, which pushes aside cosmogony and metaphysics, shifting emphasis to the area of moral categories and the relationship between God and man.
At the ideological level of the work, Tolkien uses Christianity, which, although it allows the appearance of dualism, in essence does not accept it. In the Christian understanding, Evil is not omnipotent and certainly not equal to Good. Good is always stronger than Evil, which exists only with the connivance of Good. Evil in Christianity exists only because it is a consequence of some error at the beginning of creation. This error will still be fixed, and for now it exists as a temporary nuisance. This idea is well expressed by the Gospel parable “About sprouts and tares.” In the parable, the angels want to destroy all the Evil sown by the devil, but the Lord stops them so that they do not damage the sprouts, that is, the righteous. The time for the destruction of Evil is postponed for a certain period of time.
Evil works in exactly the same way in Tolkien’s work. Shipi came to this thought when discussing the motive of evil in the context of Tolkien’s ideology: “All this is completely consistent with the Christian doctrine that Evil will still be defeated by good.”
A kind of marker that determines the motive of Evil in the work is the problem of death, or rather, how Tolkien solves this problem. Shipi takes Tolkien's decision to create an immortal race of elves very superficially in this regard: “The author had some doubts, confirmed by his intuition, regarding the true value of the pre-Christian concept of rebirth. And if we die sooner or later, then he invents a race that does not die." It seems that Tolkien needed immortal elves for something completely different. Death, in Tolkien's mythology, is called a “gift”, and so valuable that, according to Ilúvatar, this gift will eventually be envied by the most powerful of the immortals. However, the secret of death is not fully revealed by the author. On a philosophical level, Tolkien reveals to the reader the value of this gift. The value of mortal life lies in the fact that they themselves are able to choose their own destiny. While the elves, despite all their power, are forced to follow fate. It is for this reason that with the arrival of people, the dominion of the elves begins to fade, and sooner or later they are forced to “leave”, leaving Arda to the people. Tolkien's understanding of death reveals closeness to the Catholic understanding of freedom of choice, which was given to a person during the act of knowing Good and Evil, after which such a concept as death appeared. Freedom of choice also means freedom of creativity, which means people in Tolkien’s mythology are as close as possible to the image of the Creator, to the image of the one God. That is why Tolkien leaves a hint that people will still take part in the second song of the Ainur, that is, in the creation of the world after the end of the world. While the participation of elves in the second song of the Ainur is very doubtful. The motif of death in Tolkien's mythology reveals a deep connection with Christian monotheism, while the author uses myth only as an external design of these ideas.
It is also necessary to analyze the personification of evil in the work. Christian Motive Evil, which was once good, but then became corrupted and fell away from God, is clearly depicted in the image of Melkor. Like Lucifer, Melkor was the strongest of the Ainurs (Angels): “Melkor was gifted with wisdom and strength above the other Ainurs, possessing particles of what was revealed to each of his brothers.” Just like Lucifer, which is translated from Latin as “luminiferous,” Melkor is the spirit of Fire. It seems that the similarity is almost complete. Garbovsky also mentions this similarity: “Thus, like the Gospel Satan, Melkor has been corrupted since the beginning of time.” However, at this point the researcher makes a mistake - Melkor was not corrupted from the beginning. The moment of Melkor’s fall away is described by the author quite specifically: “...and it seemed to him that Ilúvatar was in no hurry to turn Nothing into Something, and impatience seized him at the sight of emptiness. He did not find the Flame, for Ilúvatar had the Flame. But loneliness gave rise to thoughts in him unknown to his brothers.” That is, Melkor began “with a thirst for Light.” The desire to be a creator, the desire to create - this is the beginning the wrong way Melkor. Tolkien does not condemn the desire to create as such, but warns that this is an extremely dangerous path, on which one must be very careful.
The reason why Melkor “spoiled” and fell away, in Tolkien’s mythology, is not pride, but the “thirst for Light,” that is, the passionate desire that led Melkor to contact with the primordial darkness, with chaos, with emptiness. And here the influence of ancient mythologies is revealed, in which the primary source of evil is the primordial chaos that existed before the creation of the world. Contact with emptiness and loneliness gave rise to “thoughts unknown to his brothers.” The mixture of darkness and light is the generation of Evil; this is precisely the origin of Evil from Tolkien’s point of view. The other Ainur, whom Melkor was able to attract to his side as fallen beings, are also a mixture of light and darkness: “Their hearts were of fire, but their appearance was darkness, and they carried horror with them...”.
Despite the fall of Melkor, Ilúvatar does not destroy him, just as the Biblical Lord does not destroy Lucifer. According to Sweetman, at this point Tolkien again returns to the Christian understanding of freedom of choice: “... Illuvatar has the opportunity to realize the theme of freedom, and it is in this way that evil penetrates the world.” And it is through the problem of freedom that Tolkien carries out: “... a creative interpretation that raises the question of the role of angels in the creation of the world.” .
However, the identification of Evil does not end there: such a division copies Christian ontology, but in addition to Christianity, Tolkien’s system also contains myth. Therefore, evil is also expressed through mythologies, which Tolkien used to create his own world. It is no coincidence that the reason for the fall of Melkor is the primordial darkness, which none of the researchers notices. Subsequently, this ancient image will appear in The Silmarillion during the era of the flowering of the Trees of the Valar, which on a mythological level symbolize the era of the World Tree.
The destruction of the vertical of the Trees is carried out precisely by the primordial darkness, albeit with the help of Melkor. The image of primordial darkness is one of the closest to the mythological understanding of the images of Evil in the entire work. However, literary scholars prefer not to mention Ungoliant. This image appears to fall out of the logic of the work, but it is important. The description of the emergence of Ungoliant is extremely valuable: “... the deepest and most impenetrable shadows in the world lay; and there in Avatar, in secrecy and obscurity, Ungoliant lived in her lair. The Eldar do not know where it came from, but some say that countless centuries ago, when Melkor first looked with envy at the domain of Manwë, it was born from the darkness that surrounds Arda.” That is, Ungoliantha is not of divine origin, like, for example, Melkor, who was nevertheless created by Ilúvatar, and who is the brother of the other Ainur. Ungoliantha emerges from the primordial darkness and by itself. Spontaneous generation is a phenomenon very close to chaos. Visible image Ungoliant represents a spider: “She lived in a deep gorge, taking the form of a monstrous spider, and weaved a black web in the crevices. She caught all the light she could in it, and weaved it into the dark networks of suffocating darkness, until the light stopped penetrating into her lair; and she was starving.” The image of the spider is key for Tolkien, since in almost every work the spider is presented as the absolute embodiment of Evil, but not rational, but animal, carnivorous, and therefore cruel and merciless. These are the spiders in The Hobbit that try to eat the dwarves and Bilbo, and this is also the spider that guards the entrance to Mordor in the third volume of The Lord of the Rings. Shelob is also a direct descendant of Ungoliant herself.
The essence of Ungoliant is an endless thirst for consumption, which, in addition to animal hunger, is also expressed in lust. In this regard, Tolkien tries to express the essence of emptiness and darkness as a vacuum, a kind of black hole that draws into itself and destroys everything indiscriminately: “But she renounced her Master, for she wanted to be the mistress of her lusts, devouring everything in order to satiate her emptiness; and fled to the south, fleeing from the Valar...”
Ungoliant's strength is directly proportional to the amount of food she ate: “And she was still tormented by thirst, and, crawling to the Ponds of Varda, she drank them to the bottom; while Ungoliant drank, she exhaled vapors so black, and her height became so enormous, and her appearance so terrible, that Melkor was afraid.” . Even Melkor himself, who, as it might seem at first glance, is a symbol of absolute Evil, seems insignificant compared to the creation of the primordial darkness that absorbs the light. No one can cope with the overgrown Ungoliant, neither the army of the Valar, nor Melkor himself, who almost became her prey. The primordial darkness becomes omnipotent - no one is able to defeat it. Only the Balrogs manage to drive her away with the help of fiery scourges from Melkor, whom she has already entangled in a web of emptiness. Moreover, Ungoliant becomes omnipotent only after she consumes the light of the Trees. Here again Tolkien's idea is realized that the mixture of darkness and light is a universal formula for the emergence of Evil. Darkness, saturated with light, becomes alive, and therefore more dangerous. It takes on a terrible form, although its essence remains the same. The all-powerful Ungoliant can threaten all of Arda, since no one can cope with her, and she can, as a living embodiment of the primordial Darkness, devour everything in the world. However, Ungoliant dies by itself, and in the same incomprehensible way at first glance in which she was born: “For there, since the destruction of Angband, vile creatures lived in the same spider guise; and she combined with them, and then devoured them; and even when Ungoliant herself disappeared into God knows where, her descendants lived there and weaved their vile webs. Not a single legend speaks about the fate of Ungoliant. However, some believe that she disappeared a long time ago, devouring herself in her insatiable hunger.”
Ungoliant takes a neutral position in Tolkien's world; she is not interested in the fate of Arda, Valara, or Melkor - she is not opposed to anyone. She's just a creature of chaos and that's all. As the oldest piece of mythological material used by Tolkien, the image of Ungoliant falls out of the Christian monotheistic division of the world of the Silmarillion. This image is closest to the mythological understanding of Evil as such. Compared to this image, Melkor, as a prototype of the Christian devil, looks pale.
The complexity and dynamics of Ungoliant are given by the internal mythological dialectic. Ungoliant appears spontaneously and also disappears spontaneously, she thirsts for the Light and at the same time hates it, she helps Melkor and wants to devour him. The peak of internal dialectics is reached at the very end, when the image of Ungoliant combines Eros, embodied in irrepressible thirst and lust, and Thanatos - the desire to destroy, to kill, when after copulation Ungoliant devoured their own husbands. Such a complex and mythologically deep image of Evil in The Silmarillion is not found anywhere else.
In this regard, Ungolianta completely falls out of Tolkien’s world and is, as it were, beyond its borders. This is something like a mythological fluctuation within the text unplanned by the author, when mythological Evil shows its true face, obscuring the image of Evil that exists in monotheistic ontology. However, for the same Finnish mythology that Tolkien so admired, such an image is extremely organic. A spider in Finnish mythology is called a “whore of the Hiisi family,” where Hiisi is an evil forest spirit. Among the Finns, the image of a spider also combines the concepts of evil, uncleanness and lust.
Evil acts as a certain marker by which we can determine the structure of the mythological system created by Tolkien. It consists of two parts, one of which fits into the other according to the principle of a nesting doll.
The parts differ from each other not only in scale and ideological orientation, but also in the time of their origin. In the first “transcendental” period, Ilúvatar stands out, possessing creative energy (the Unquenchable Flame), and the primordial darkness, which does not clearly manifest itself, but then secretly affects the world, distorting the thoughts of Melkor and giving birth to Ungoliant. This part of the mythological system is the oldest and most “pure” in mythological terms, there are practically no Christian layers here, in this respect it is similar to the beginning of the ontological myth of any nationality.
In the second "creationist" period, when the creative power of the Logos is manifested in the great Song of the Ainur, a second system arises. This system is represented by the opposition of the Light and Fallen Ainur, led by Melkor. This part entirely inherits the Christian tradition.
The concept of Evil in Tolkien's mythological system is extremely complex, revealing a deep synthesis of myth and Christianity. On an intuitive level, Garbovsky comes to the same conclusion: “In Tolkien, pagan myth is not considered as devoid of prophetic revelation; in him, myth appears in a deeper understanding, leading to the idea that it is part of natural religiosity.”
The image of World Evil in Tolkien's work acquires internal polemics. Mythological archaism makes the image more alive, moving and therefore more impressive and memorable. The consequence of this complication of the image of Evil is its greater independence within the clear structure of Tolkien’s mythology. It is important that myth and Christianity do not conflict internally this image, mythological and religious consciousness do not contradict each other, but complement each other. Myth performs the necessary functions in terms of cosmogony, while Christianity determines the development of the relationship between Evil and Good and with the characters of the work. The author’s ideology is determined not by myth, but by Christianity.
Bibliography
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2. J.R.R. Tolkien The Silmarillion: Collection, M., 2001.
3. Petrukhin V. Myths of the Finno-Ugric peoples, M., 2005.
4. Holy Gospel, M., 2004.
5. Sweetman V., Why Evil? Why Anything at All, The New Oxford Review, July/August 1995
6. Christopher Garbowski, The Silmarillion and Genesis: The Contemporary Artist and the Present Revelation, Annales Universitatis Mariae Curie-Sklodowska, Lublin-Polonia 1998.
http://www.kulichki.com/tolkien/arhiv/manuscr/genezis.shtml
7. G. Moran, The Present Revelation: The Search for Religious Foundations, Herder & Herder, New York 1972
8. G. Urang, Shadows of Heaven: Religion and Fantasy in the Writings of C. S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and J. R. R. Tolkien, SCM Press LTD, London 1971
9. Richard L. Purtill J. R. R. Tolkien: Myth, Morality and Religion, Harper & Row, San Francisco 1981
10. T. Shippey, The Road to Middle Earth, Grafton, London 1992
11. H. Carpenter, J. R. Tothien: A Biography, Grafton Books, London 1992
12. J.R.R. Tolkien, Silmarillion, Houghton Mifflin/Seymour Lawrence, Wilmington, Massachusetts, U.S.A., 1977
Municipal budgetary educational institution
"Secondary school No. 77"
School scientific and practical conference
“Youth of Science and Technology
Section: philological disciplines
Topic: Mythological images in the fairy tale story by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien "The Hobbit, or There and Back Again"
Completed by: Ivanov Ivan
student 6 G cash desk,
Introduction……………………………………………………………………………….3
1.Mythology and folk tale- the main components of the story by J.R.R. Tolkien “The Hobbit, or There and Back Again”…………………………………….5
2. Fantastic images in the story by J.r.R. Tolkien “The Hobbit, There and Back Again”………………………………………………………………………………………………...8
2.1 Gandalf - a wise wizard………………………………………………………..8
2.2 Goblins - magical creatures in English folklore……………9
2.3 Trolls - creatures from Scandinavian mythology…………………..10
2.4 Elves are beautiful magical creatures……………………………..11
2 .5 Dwarves - spirits of the earth and mountains……………………………………………………….12
2.6 Orcs - representatives of dark forces……………………………………13
2.5 Beorn - the bear man……………………………………………………………………...14
2.6 Wolves-wargs - representatives of evil……………………………………….15
2.9 Smaug - merciless fire-breathing dragon………………………….16
3. The Hobbit - main character narratives…………………………………17
4. The practical significance of Tolkien’s work……………………………19
Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………….20
References………………………………………………………22
Appendix 1. Questionnaire to identify reader interests
schoolchildren………………………………………………………………………………….24
Sociological survey……………………………………………………25
Introduction
The work of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973) is a cultural phenomenon that combines the traditions of ancient and modern art, going beyond the existing system of literary genres and, therefore, requiring comprehensive study. Over the past twenty years, Tolkien’s works, and especially his mythological epic “The Hobbit, or There and Back Again” (1936), have attracted the attention of numerous foreign researchers (P. Kocher, H. Carpenter, R. Noel, R. Helms, K. . Kilby and others); however in modern literary criticism The writer's work has been practically not studied. At the same time, neither domestic nor foreign researchers considered Tolkien’s works as an artistic and mythological system. An attempt at such a consideration is made in this work.
A British university professor and philologist, Tolkien brilliantly showed the true meaning of the confrontation between good and evil. Especially relevant this confrontation looks like in our cruel age, when the concept natural beauty considered outdated, it has become a victim of technological progress. Maybe that’s why part of the planet’s population plunged headlong into the world of the writer, understanding the universal meaning of evil.
Hypothesis: Tolkien's world is a world where everything is given in sensation, even his trees walk and talk. There are no boundaries between the world of people and animals in this world.
Goal of the work: analyze the story by J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit, or There and Back Again" and determine the nature and functional role fantastic characters of the story.
Tasks
determine the presence of mythological and fairy-tale images in the story;
establish the nature of fantastic images (author's - folklore);
determine the functional affiliation of fantastic images (on whose side they appear in the story).
Object of study- story by J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, or There and Back Again.
Subject of study- mythological and fairy-tale images in the story;
Research method– comparative analysis.
Many researchers of the writer’s work compare his mythology with world tradition. The key to understanding Tolkien's world lies in the Bible and the Scandinavian Edda" 1 . Kirill Korolev, for example, pays attention to the most detailed geographical descriptions of Middle-earth. Novelty This study consists of identifying the most unusual from the many creatures living in Tolkien’s world.
Chapter 1. Mythology and folk tale are the main components of the story by J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit, or There and Back Again"
Mythological ideas existed at certain stages of development among almost all peoples of the world. Myths differ from fairy tales in the difference in their functions: the main function of myths - explanatory . Main function in a fairy tale - entertaining and moralizing.
Each of the images performs in the work certain functions, which are largely traditional and correspond to the ideas of ancient and medieval mythology. There are many fantastic characters in the story. They reflect two sides of the world: dark and light, good and evil. We have systematized fantastic, mythological and fairy-tale images according to their origin and etymology. They can be presented in table form like this (see Table 1):
In the story by J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit, or There and Back Again" is a fusion of mythological and fairy-tale systems. He explains the structure of the world, the behavior of the characters, and their characters: “Everything was in order there. Bard built a new city in Dole, where many residents of Esgaroth moved, as well as people from the south and west; The valley again became fertile and rich, and in the abandoned lands birds sang and flowers bloomed, in the fall they gathered fruits and feasted there. The lake city was also restored, and it became more beautiful and richer than before. Ships with goods sailed up and down the river, and elves, gnomes and people lived in peace and harmony...”
Table 1
| Characters | From what mythology | What word did it come from? | Description of characters |
||
| Positive characters | English | From English Halfings | Tolkien's fictional creatures, halflings or halflings |
||
| Germanic and Scandinavian | From English Dwarves, from lat. Gnomus | Ugly, a dwarf guarding underground treasures. |
|||
| German and English | From him. Elf - white From English. Quendi | Beautiful creatures. Bright, kind spirits of nature inhabiting the air, earth, forest, and people’s homes |
|||
| Gandalf | Celtic, Scandinavian, English | From English Candalf | The archetypal wise wizard. Fairytale character. Junior deity. |
||
| Old Scandinavian, Old English, Russian | From English Beorn, from scand. Bgorn | ||||
| Negative characters | English folklore | From him. "kobold" - spirit of the mine | Spawn, close to the Slavic “demon”. These are the lower spirits of nature, due to the expansion of man, forced to live in his environment. |
||
| Scandinavian, Norwegian, Icelandic | From Swede. Troll, plural Part Trollen | Cannibals. Mountain spirits associated with stone are usually hostile to humans. |
|||
| Smog, dragon | From the mythology of many countries, incl. Russian - serpent-gorynych | From Greek drakon | Winged fire-breathing serpent. Red-golden dragon |
||
| From English Qrcs | Fictional race in Tolkien's works. The most bloodthirsty animals |
||||
| Warg wolves, spiders, gollum. |
|||||
Conclusions:
Mythological and fairy-tale characters are closely intertwined in the story.
Mythological characters: elves, gnomes, trolls;
Fairy-tale images: wizard - Gandalf, bear-man - Beorn, Eagles, Spiders, Warg-Wolves, dragon - Smaug.
Tolkien invented and introduced two characters into the fairy-tale world: the main character - the Hobbit and the Orcs.
A fairy tale always divides the world into good and evil - in the story we also observe this “two worlds”. In The Hobbit there are 7 good characters: Gandalf, Beorn, elves, hobbits, dwarves, eagles, people and 7 evil ones: Smaug, orcs, Gollum, warg wolves, spiders, trolls, goblins.
In the story, Tolkien explains the structure of the world through the perception of the characters’ behavior and their characters.
Chapter 2. Fantastic images in the story by J.r.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit, There and Back Again"
2.1 Gandalf - a wise wizard
Gandalf - V sorcerer, one of central characters books by John R.R. Tolkien in the fantasy genre, in particular “The Hobbit, or there and back again.
A traditional figure in JRR Tolkien's familiar Norse and British mythology. Among similar mythological characters and possible prototypes, the Celtic Merlin and the Scandinavian Odin are noted. The name "Gandalf", or rather "Gandalf", is borrowed from the Elder Edda, where it belongs to one of the "lower alves" (dwarves).
The decoding of the name also played a role: gandr - magic staff, alfr - alv (elf or gnome).
In turn, the image of Gandalf influenced the images of later characters. Heroes influenced by Gandalf include Elminster in the Forgotten Realms, Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series, and Obi-Wan Kenobi in the classic Star Wars trilogy.
Gandalf became best known for wandering around Middle-earth and making acquaintance with different peoples, helping them with advice. IN different parts He received many different nicknames that replaced his name.
"I have many names in different countries. Mithrandir among the Elves, Tharkun among the Dwarves; in my youth in the long-forgotten West I was Olorin, in the south I was Incanus, in the north I was Gandalf, and I never go to the east.”
Conclusions:
Gandalf is one of the main characters in the story.
Wise wizard.
Possible prototypes are characters from Celtic and Scandinavian folklore.
2.2 Goblins - magical creatures in English folklore
Historically, the concept of “goblin” is close to the Russian concept of demon: these are the lower spirits of nature, due to the expansion of man, forced to live in his environment.
English word"goblin" comes from a corruption of the German "kobold" (mine spirit). According to one version, the word “goblin” originates from the Greek. the words “hoplite” (ancient Greek heavily armed foot warrior).
Goblins live exclusively in mountains and mountain caves. Eternal hunger is one of their inherent traits. They know how to dig tunnels and make various weapons and objects, but most often they do not do this, preferring to force others (slaves, captives). They have a leader - the supreme goblin. They prefer to attack, taking them by surprise. They hate elves. They live in large groups-tribes (about 140-160 goblins). They see well in the dark, as they live in dark caves. In a fit of anger they are angry and dangerous. Goblins jealously guard their possessions, not favoring travelers. Armed with spears and shields. Periodically, often at night, they raid poorly defended human villages.
IN modern literature And popular culture Goblins came through John Tolkien's book "The Hobbit", where they are short underground creatures of nasty appearance and aggressive character. “They are always hungry and willingly eat horses, ponies, donkeys... They are armed with axes or crooked swords... They are evil and cruel, their hearts are hardened... They were dirty and slobs, they shirked work in every possible way, forcing their captives to work for themselves... the goblins didn’t care who grab - as long as the victims do not resist."
Conclusions:
Goblins - negative characters, curse, source of evil.
They pose a danger to everything good, bright and living on earth.
2.3 Trolls - creatures from Scandinavian mythology
Trolls ( Swede. Troll, plural part Trollen) - creatures from Norse mythology that appear in many fairy tales. Trolls are mountain spirits associated with stone, usually hostile to humans.
Legends about trolls originated in Scandinavia. According to legends they were scary local residents with its size and sorcery. According to other beliefs, trolls lived in castles and underground palaces. There are several large rocks in the north of Britain that are the subject of legends. - as if these were trolls caught in the sunlight.
In mythology, trolls are not only huge giants similar to ogres, but also small, gnome-like creatures that usually live in caves (such trolls were usually called forest trolls). Mostly trolls - ugly creatures, from 3 to 8 meters tall (sometimes they can change their size). They have the nature of a stone (born from a rock). Turn to stone in the sun. They eat meat. They love to eat people. They live alone. In caves, forests or under bridges. Trolls under bridges are somewhat different from ordinary ones. In particular, they can appear in the sun, do not eat people, and respect money.
Trolls have been featured in fantasy literature almost from the very beginning. They appear in English writer John Tolkien's 1937 story The Hobbit. Tolkien's trolls are huge, evil but simple-minded creatures, cannibals, more similar to ogres than to mythological trolls.
Despite their external, cultural, and ethnic similarities, trolls nevertheless have differences in character.
Conclusions:
Trolls - wield power at the expense of intelligence.
Trolls are afraid of sunlight, as they immediately turn into blocks of stone.
2.4 Elves are beautiful magical creatures
Elves(German elf - from alb - white) - magical people in German-Scandinavian and Celtic folklore. Elves are beautiful, bright creatures, spirits of the forest, friendly to humans. In many works there is no actual distinction between elves and fairies.
Elves (Quendi English Quendi) - in the works of J. R. R. Tolkien - one of the free peoples of Middle-earth, the eldest children of Ilúvatar, the Elves are considered the most beautiful among the living creatures of Arda. Their hearing and vision are much sharper than those of humans. They never sleep, but to rest, they dream in reality. In addition, they are able to communicate mentally, without words (according to some information, however, only the Eldar have this skill). They are greedy for knowledge and over time they have achieved great wisdom.
Tolkien describes the elf Elrond as the most perfect being, possessing the most outstanding qualities of all the good representatives of the magical people: “He was beautiful in face like a prince, strong and valiant like a great warrior, wise like a sorcerer, important like the king of the dwarves, kind and gentle as summer .
Bilbo’s attitude towards elves was as follows: he “liked elves, all without exception, although he rarely met them; he loved them - and was a little afraid.
Conclusions:
Elves are a product of the imagination of the Germans.
Tolkien's elves are kind creatures who value friendship and can provide help and care for them.
Elves - help make serious decisions due to the fact that they have deep knowledge.
They are hospitable, friendly, intelligent, tactful and have a positive influence on the soul.
2.5 Gnomes - spirits of the earth and mountains
Gnomes- folklore creatures from Germanic and Scandinavian folklore, humanoid dwarfs living underground. In mythology and literature, a gnome (in the concept of Dwarf, Zverg) is collective image. It is presented differently in different mythologies and works. Almost everywhere, gnomes are depicted as small humanoid creatures with a beer belly, since the time of Tolkien, from the story The Hobbit, it has been customary that the height of a gnome is 4.5 - 5.2 feet (145-160 cm) and they love to eat and drink, with wide torso and long beard, possessing great strength living underground. Dwarves run slowly and can only ride ponies, not horses, but due to their great strength and endurance, as well as high-quality weapons and armor, they are a significant force on the battlefield. Rarely did anyone get to see dwarf women. All this is due to the fact that there are few of them, less than a third, and they rarely leave their underground homes. In addition, at first glance it is very difficult to distinguish between a gnome - a man and a gnome - a woman. They are very jealous, but their families are usually strong and take their relationships very seriously. family ties and family connections. Dwarves are few in number and multiply slowly.
conclusions:
Gnomes are spirits of the earth and mountains, fabulous creatures from German Scandinavian folklore.
Dwarves are secretive, hardworking, craftsmen, remember both insults and kindness, born miners and ore explorers, skilled stone cutters, jewelers and blacksmiths, cutters.
They are long-lived, their age ranges from two hundred to three hundred years.
2.6 Orcs - representatives of dark forces
Orcs are a fictional race in fantasy works. Orcs are very similar to goblins and are among the "standard" races in fantasy.
The word "orc" was first used by John Tolkien in his works about Middle-earth and was synonymous with "goblin". The word "orc" comes from Old English, where it means giant or demon. Also in ancient Roman mythology there was a dungeon demon named Orcus. The Orcs of Middle-earth were an evil people who obeyed the Dark Lord and formed his hordes. They were a short, dark-skinned race, created from the most bloodthirsty animals and tortured elves. When creating them, the Dark Lord - Morgoth - made a mistake that was fatal for the orcs and trolls. Their creation took place in the dark, so orcs, although, unlike trolls, do not turn to stone, they weaken greatly in the light. Subsequently, this flaw was corrected by Saruman, who created a variety of Uruk-hai
Orcs are hostile to everything beautiful and pure. They do not shun cannibalism and happily eat corpses, even those of their own relatives. However, orcs are prone to engineering thinking: they can create complex mechanisms, especially combat and torture machines. In this image, it is believed that Professor Tolkien contrasted technological progress, which he did not like, with high culture.
Orcs have their own hierarchy, which is based on strength and fear.
Orcs are destroyers of everything beautiful and living.
2.7 Beorn the Bear Man
Beorn - The name "Beorn" is an Old English word meaning "warrior". The original meaning of this word - "bear"; it is related to the Old Norse word "bjorn" ("bear").
Beorn's origins are unknown. However, regardless of his origin, Beorn was a mortal man, although he had minor magical abilities and was able to change his appearance, turning into a bear...
In the guise of an animal he took the form of a huge black bear. He ate mainly cream and honey, as well as butter, bread, nuts and fruits. He knew the secret of making honey-based, twice-baked flatbreads that could be stored for a long time and were very nutritious, although they caused extreme thirst. He did not eat the meat of domestic animals, and also did not hunt or eat wild animals. He kept livestock, horses, ponies, bees and dogs on the farm. He loved his animals like children. He spoke an animal language that ponies and dogs understood.
Beorn communicated very little with people, was not distinguished by politeness, almost never invited anyone into the house and had only a few friends. Spoke on western language. Beorn became a great leader of people and ruled vast lands located between the Misty Mountains and Blackwood. He had a son, Grimbeorn (called the Old One).
Beorn - a fairy-tale Scandinavian character
Beorn is a defender of justice.
Comes to the rescue without thinking about fame and his life.
Fearless, noble warrior.
2.8 Wolves-wargs - representatives of evil
Wargs - Tolkien's huge wolves are ordinary creatures of flesh and blood, and not spirits in the form of wolves. The wargs of Middle-earth always sided with the forces of Darkness, in alliance with the goblins (orcs), often agreeing with them on general raids when the orcs needed to replenish their supplies of provisions and slaves, and the wargs were hungry. They also acted as mounts, allowing the orcs to ride on their backs. Such wolf riders are mentioned in the description of the Battle of the Five Armies in the book “The Hobbit Wargs are evil creatures in the guise of wolves, created by Sauron. There is an opinion that the first warg was Sauron himself. The Wargs were smart and cunning. From the text of The Hobbit it is obvious that wargs, like ordinary wolves, are social animals, but at the same time possessing certain rudiments of intelligence. Outwardly, wargs are very similar to wolves (see Fig. 14). For example, the Wargs have a primitive “language”.
The magical properties of the Wargs were much stronger than ordinary wolves, which was explained by their magical properties that Sauron endowed them with, but the Wargs were not immortal. “The wargs could not attack them [people] at sunlight", that is, they, like all the servants of Sauron, were afraid of daylight. Their skin was practically impenetrable.
Conclusions:
Warg wolves are the fiend of evil.
Warg wolves are cowardly, because they do not walk alone and their strength lies only in numbers (a prototype of the Tatar-Mongol horde)
2.9 Smaug - a merciless fire-breathing dragon
Smaug (English Smaug) - in the books - a fire-breathing winged gigantic golden-red dragon. One of the last great dragons in Middle-earth.
Dragons have a subtle mind and cunning, are incredibly strong and love to collect treasures. For example, Smaug remembered all his jewelry in detail, noticing any loss. When talking to a dragon, you risk falling under its spell. The only way to avoid hypnosis is not to refuse communication (otherwise it will make him angry), but to answer evasively. Need to hide from dragons useful information and, whenever possible, speak in riddles, since they have an innate weakness for them.
Smaug's next weakness is pride: he considers himself invulnerable, and does not know about the patch of bare skin on his chest. This arrogance ultimately proves fatal during his battle with the city's defenders. He was slain by the Bard of the clan of Girion in Esgaroth. The archer used a charmed arrow, hitting Smaug in the only weak spot under his left wing, where a shield of scales that had fallen out over time was missing.
conclusions:
The dragon is a traditional fairy-tale image present in many nations.
The image of the Dragon in the fairy tale by D.R. Tolkien is endowed with both traditional traits (strength, pride) and traits not typical of him in folklore (intelligence, cunning, ability to hypnosis, keen vision, sense of smell, hearing)
The dragon Smaug is an image of evil, war, destruction, fascism.
3. The hobbit is the main character of the story
Who are hobbits?
The Story of the Hobbit J.R.R. Tolkien, as can be seen from the biography, wrote for his children. What does "hobbit" mean? The word "Hobbit", according to Tolkien himself, is a shortened form of the word "Holbytlan", that is, "Hole-dwellers" - inhabitants of holes; according to other versions, it combines the word “rabbit” (“rabbit”) with the Middle English word “hob”, which was the name of small magical creatures, good pranksters and harmless thieves, borrowed by English folklore from the Celtic tradition. Hobbits are a people inhabiting the north of Middle-earth (a continent that is something of a prototype of Europe in Tolkien’s mythological world).
This is what the author writes about hobbits at the beginning of the story: “Who is a hobbit? Perhaps it’s worth talking about hobbits in more detail, since in our time they have become a rarity and shun the High People, as they call us people.” In this passage we see that the world of hobbits is opposed to the world of people: “In our time they have become rare and shun the High People...” Thus, we observe a division into 2 worlds: the real world, ours, the world of the High People, and the world of Middle-earth, the world fantastic creatures where the hobbit Baggins lives safely.
The world of hobbits inherits many features of the human world, both external (description of a hole, food...) and internal (relationships between hobbits). The first thing you should pay attention to: a hobbit is a creature that “consists” of a man and a rabbit. Tolkien used a technique well known in mythology, where creatures that combine human and animal, such as a centaur, are often found.
Tolkien deliberately created the hobbits small in order to "bring out in creatures of physical weakness the astonishing and unexpected heroism of the common man in extreme circumstances."
conclusions
The Hobbit Bilbo Baggins is the main character of the fairy tale by the English writer D.R. Tolkien.
The word “hobbit” is formed from the merger of 2 words (versions of formation are indicated in the work).
The prototype of a hobbit is folklore little men who had similar external features to the author’s hobbits.
4. The practical significance of Tolkien’s work
As can be seen from the colossal success in the market, the story about the hero, whose brave heart nature infused into such a creature as the Hobbit, was very popular with children, and subsequently with adults. And even in our time, reading this wonderful book will not harm, but rather will help some adults take the right path. The point is: don’t be lazy, go towards your goal, even if you’re not like the others. Or maybe they are not like you, and are all the same, diversify your life with exploits, and fortune will definitely reward you generously.
Tolkien's books served as the basis for the creation of many computer and video games following the premiere of films of the same name. The games used footage from films, and the key characters were voiced by the same actors who played them in the film. 15 films have already been made based on Tolkien's stories. Filmography of some of them: The Hobbit (1977), The Lord of the Rings (1978), The Return of the King (1980), The Adventures of the Hobbit (1984), The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Hobbit (2010). "The Lord of the Rings" was staged several times at the theater in London. Themes from Tolkien are presented in the symphonic music for the film adaptations. Composer Howard Shore won an Oscar for his soundtrack to the film trilogy “The Lord of the Rings,” and Irish singer Enya was nominated for the same award for her performance of the song “May it Be” from the film.
Conclusion
In this work, the subject of our research was the story of the English science fiction writer John Ronald Reuel Tolkien “The Hobbit, There and Back Again” (1937), the object of the study were the fantastic characters of the story. During our work we established:
The main line of the story “The Hobbit, or There and Back Again” is that good defeats evil, no matter how terrible it may be.
Main merit Tolkien is that he introduced new heroes into the fairy-tale world, whom he invented himself - this Hobbits And Orcs. Now they are traditional characters of the fantasy world.
The story implements all the fairy tale laws: the law of a happy ending; the law of fairy tale justice; the law of the omnipotent word; conservatism - a penchant for adventurousness and adventure; law of contrast. The implementation of these laws was carried out with the help of fantastic characters.
John R.R. Tolkien used it well in a fairy tale famous characters from English, Scandinavian, German mythologies - these are: goblins, dragon, gnomes, elves, trolls, etc.
We have systematized the characters in the story, indicating their origin from the point of view of borrowing from mythology different nations. It has been established that the predominant source is Anglo-Scandinavian and Germanic mythology; there are also analogues of images from Slavic mythology. The etymology of the names of the fantastic characters in the story is also indicated.
Tolkien uses a traditional fairy tale technique: dividing characters into good and evil. Good in the story is associated with fantastic characters: The Hobbit, Elves, Gandalf, Beorn, Eagles, Falcons, Dwarves. Evil in the story is associated with such characters as: Orcs, Smaug, Goblins, Spiders, Warg Wolves, Gollum, Trolls.
The fairytale in the story is represented by traditional images (the wizard - Gandalf, the werebear - Beorn, the dragon - Smaug). Mythological characters in the story include: gnomes, elves, trolls, warg wolves, goblins. Among the fantastic characters in the story, traditional ones predominate folklore characters, at the same time, there are also fantastic characters created by the author: hobbits and orcs.
The story raises important life questions, the answers to which are determined by the behavior and actions of all the characters: the power of money; personal internal freedom; freedom of the state and people; internal contradictions of character; the ability to show the best qualities of character in extreme situations.
Some scenes created in the story and the time of publication of the work (1937 - a period of active development of fascism in Europe) give us the right to assume that the appeal to the world of medieval mythology was associated with the horror of the impending World War II and fascism, which could be win only if all the forces of good unite.
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APPENDIX 1. Questionnaire to identify the reading interests of schoolchildren
1.What is reading for you:
1. Overwork
2. Leisure activities
2.How many books do you read per month?
1. from 10 books
3.Mark your favorite genres
1. historical chronicles
2. adventure
3. fantasy
4. romance novel
5. detective
6. fantasy
4.Name the most popular book of the year
5.Why is fantasy one of the most popular genres?
6. Fantasy is...
7. I read fantasy because...
9.What book have you read recently?
10.Speak about the book "The Hobbit, or there and back again"
11.What mythological creatures can you name from Tolkien’s book “The Hobbit, or There and Back Again”
Sociological survey
Data sociological survey students of MBOUSOSH No. 77 A survey of students of MBOUSOSH No. 77 to identify interests in reading, conducted in February 2016, helped to form an objective idea of the direction of reading, its systematicity, the nature of reading interests; a total of 54 people were surveyed.
The majority of respondents consider reading as a way of spending leisure time along with other activities - 73%, 20% - read what is assigned, 6% like to read.
Answers to questions about the number of books read per year last month and regularity of reading allow us to judge the volume of free reading. Unfortunately, only 16.4% of respondents read constantly, and 79% occasionally read. Only 20% read from 3 to 6 books per month, 15% - 2 - 3 books per month, the rest - less than one book per month. The first place in the scale of reader's interests is taken by adventure literature (40%), then fantasy (30%), science fiction (10%), romance novel(10%), mysticism 10% When asked about the book of the year, most respondents found it difficult to answer, and only 18 people named a specific author and work.
Among them:
1. Tolkien D. “The Lord of the Rings”,
2. Randy Gage “Why are you sick, poor and stupid?”
3. Stephenie Meyer "Twilight"
4.Gogol " Dead Souls",
5. Robin Sharma, “Leadership Lessons from the Monk Who Sold His Ferrari,”
6. Stace Kramer, "50 Days Before I Suicide"
7. Sergey Uchaev “Mirror of the Warlock”,
8.Valentin Rasputin "French Lessons",
9. Jack London "White Fang"
Among the reasons influencing the amount of reading, respondents indicate lack of time, workload with studies, hence the motive for turning to fiction as a means of relaxation and entertainment. The majority of respondents (58.07% girls, 47.06% boys) believe that fantasy is one of the most interesting genres in literature. They read fantasy because it is possible to go through a difficult path full of danger with the character and experience the strongest emotions together (18.31% of girls and 16.1% of boys). A more adult logical continuation of fairy tales that does not have age restrictions(9% of girls. 12% of boys), a fairy tale from which you learn lessons for your life, (19% of respondents), funny, exciting, interesting (11% of girls, 7% of boys), unloading the brain (14% of boys), 21 % of respondents are indifferent to this genre and do not read fantasy.
The book “The Lord of the Rings” was noted as favorite and interesting by 26.7% of respondents, in our library it is one of the most popular books.
About The Lord of the Rings the guys write: “This is a book about creating a whole world from scratch, where each of the heroes takes part in its creation.” “It looks like either the Bible or historical chronicle, or a collection of legends, a cool mixture of everything together.” “It turned out to be a very lively book, where the whole world depends not on one hero, but on everyone (if you want to change the world, then start with yourself!). "This book describes everything strong feelings that can be experienced, there is love, friendship, loyalty, betrayal, grief, and many others.” “Tolkien’s fantasy teaches that there is no place in the world for constant hostility, war, revenge, only understanding and forgiveness.” And like “The Lord of the Rings” is just a beautiful story, but what a resonance it caused in the world! For many, it has become the meaning of life, religion.”
1 N. Bonnal. “Tolkien. The world of the miracle worker."
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