bones of the ox

Date Issued:: 2012
Summary:: Scholars have well established the influence of the Old and Middle English, Norse, Welsh, and also Medieval Latin and Christian mythologies that influenced the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien. In particular, the mythology contained in The Silmarillion, specific the cosmology, behaves as sacred texts do in the primary world and mirrors a number of extant mythologies when they are directly compared. Several scholars have note, but as yet no one has studied in depth, the relationship between the cosmology the The Silmarillion to that of a number of extant ancient Near Eastern mythologies. This thesis seeks to address that gap in the scholarship by specifically exploring Tolkien's mythological creation story in relation to those of the Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and Abrahamic of the Near East. Such a comparative study reveals a number of structural and thematic parallels that attest to the complexity of Tolkien's work that and can be used to argue that his mythology can be considered as well-developed and surprisingly authentic as any of these ancient mythological traditions.

Title:	The bones of the ox: how J.R.R. Tolkien's cosmology reflects ancient Near Eastern creation myths.	196 views 69 downloads
Name(s):	Dutton, Amanda M. Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters Department of English
Type of Resource:	text
Genre:	Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Issued:	2012
Publisher:	Florida Atlantic University
Physical Form:	electronic
Extent:	vi, 62 p.
Language(s):	English
Summary:	Scholars have well established the influence of the Old and Middle English, Norse, Welsh, and also Medieval Latin and Christian mythologies that influenced the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien. In particular, the mythology contained in The Silmarillion, specific the cosmology, behaves as sacred texts do in the primary world and mirrors a number of extant mythologies when they are directly compared. Several scholars have note, but as yet no one has studied in depth, the relationship between the cosmology the The Silmarillion to that of a number of extant ancient Near Eastern mythologies. This thesis seeks to address that gap in the scholarship by specifically exploring Tolkien's mythological creation story in relation to those of the Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and Abrahamic of the Near East. Such a comparative study reveals a number of structural and thematic parallels that attest to the complexity of Tolkien's work that and can be used to argue that his mythology can be considered as well-developed and surprisingly authentic as any of these ancient mythological traditions.
Identifier:	820352980 (oclc), 3355562 (digitool), FADT3355562 (IID), fau:3933 (fedora)
Note(s):	by Amanda M. Dutton. Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2012. Includes bibliography. Mode of access: World Wide Web. System requirements: Adobe Reader.
Subject(s):	Tolkien, J.R.R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 Tolkien, J.R.R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 Myths in literature Symbolism in literature Cosmology Middle Eastern literature -- Criticism and interpretation
Persistent Link to This Record:	http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3355562
Use and Reproduction:	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution:	FAU

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