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Tolkien Illustrated Guides
Les légendes de l'anneau selon Tolkien
L’Anneau Unique de Tolkien est au cœur de l’un des plus grands contes fantastiques jamais racontés et est indéniablement devenu un symbole iconique et puissant dans la littérature.
S’appuyant sur des siècles de folklore à travers le monde, ce livre est une enquête minutieuse sur le symbolisme de l’anneau et son influence sur le travail de Tolkien et le monde fantastique qu’il a créé. Découvrez les mythes et les légendes qui ont inspiré Tolkien.
S’appuyant sur des siècles de folklore à travers le monde, ce livre est une enquête minutieuse sur le symbolisme de l’anneau et son influence sur le travail de Tolkien et le monde fantastique qu’il a créé. Découvrez les mythes et les légendes qui ont inspiré Tolkien.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published October 6, 2020
60 people are currently reading
872 people want to read
About the author
David Day
276 books259 followersDavid Day (b. 14 October 1947 in Victoria, British Columbia) is a Canadian author of over forty books: poetry, natural history, ecology, mythology, fantasy, and children's literature. Internationally he is most notably known for his literary criticism on J. R. R. Tolkien and his works.
After finishing high school in Victoria, British Columbia, Day worked as a logger for five years on Vancouver Island before graduating from the University of Victoria. Subsequently he has travelled widely, most frequently to Greece and Britain.
Day has published six books of poems for adults and ten illustrated children's books of fiction and poetry. His non-fiction books on natural history include The Doomsday Book of Animals, The Whale War, Eco Wars: a Layman Guide to the Environmental Movement, Noah's Choice and most recently Nevermore: A Book of Hours - Meditations on Extinction (2012).
His Doomsday Book was a Time Magazine Book of the Year and became the basis for the 100 part animated-short TV series "Lost Animals of the 20th Century".
David Days best-selling books on the life and works of JRR Tolkien include: A Tolkien Bestiary, Tolkien: the Illustrated Encyclopedia, Tolkien's Ring, The World of Tolkien and The Hobbit Companion.
Day's Tolkien's Ring was illustrated by academy award-winning artist Alan Lee, as was Castles, The Animals Within, Gothic and Quest For King Arthur.
After finishing high school in Victoria, British Columbia, Day worked as a logger for five years on Vancouver Island before graduating from the University of Victoria. Subsequently he has travelled widely, most frequently to Greece and Britain.
Day has published six books of poems for adults and ten illustrated children's books of fiction and poetry. His non-fiction books on natural history include The Doomsday Book of Animals, The Whale War, Eco Wars: a Layman Guide to the Environmental Movement, Noah's Choice and most recently Nevermore: A Book of Hours - Meditations on Extinction (2012).
His Doomsday Book was a Time Magazine Book of the Year and became the basis for the 100 part animated-short TV series "Lost Animals of the 20th Century".
David Days best-selling books on the life and works of JRR Tolkien include: A Tolkien Bestiary, Tolkien: the Illustrated Encyclopedia, Tolkien's Ring, The World of Tolkien and The Hobbit Companion.
Day's Tolkien's Ring was illustrated by academy award-winning artist Alan Lee, as was Castles, The Animals Within, Gothic and Quest For King Arthur.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
January 12, 2024
2.5 stars [Literary]
(W: 2:25, U: 2.5, T: 2.25, L: 4)
Exact rating: 2.75
#18 of 31 on Inklings Lit.
The Ring Legends of Tolkien is empty glamour. A well-illustrated book bound in flexibound faux leather, it seemed promising. In the end it had its redeeming features, but overall it was a flop. And I'm not sure some of the book wasn't just a repackaging from one of Day's earlier publications.
The writing was decent in the first half but substandard in the last half. Its only real use would be as a referential book for interesting mythological ties to ring legends. Those ties ranged from interesting to severely stretching. Uncommon truth was mixed with considerable untruth. When Day got to "Judeo-Christian" legends, he appeared to pass off Kabbalism as mainstream Judaism. It was bizarre, but I was willing to let it pass.
Then Day's inner demons spilled out. Despite discussing many myths and legends, he reserved his [undeserved] censure for Christianity, starting on p.225. By p.244, he was regurgitating the utter stupidity that Gnosticism was an "early Christian religion and philosophy." Then he doubled down on this falsehood by saying "St John and St Paul constantly railed against (and shamelessly libelled)" Gnostics. This kind of ignorance wouldn't evade notice on a term paper in a decent high school.
Later, his engagement with Western mythology was plagued with Positivism's prejudice against real sorcery and demons, which was particularly disappointing in a book largely concerned with magic and mythology. Day never got his feet wet.
Since the mythology he covered which I knew best was such a sham, I wondered about the sources of others regions' mythology which I didn't know. Was it equally contrived and superficial?
Overall, the book was a good-looking, mixed foray into mythology. A chapter or two could have been written by a particularly ignorant intern. But it covered its topic only superficially. It was only slightly redeemed by a highly-unusual thematic study of rings in human literature, and a few uncommon ties to The Lord of the Rings.
(W: 2:25, U: 2.5, T: 2.25, L: 4)
Exact rating: 2.75
#18 of 31 on Inklings Lit.
The Ring Legends of Tolkien is empty glamour. A well-illustrated book bound in flexibound faux leather, it seemed promising. In the end it had its redeeming features, but overall it was a flop. And I'm not sure some of the book wasn't just a repackaging from one of Day's earlier publications.
The writing was decent in the first half but substandard in the last half. Its only real use would be as a referential book for interesting mythological ties to ring legends. Those ties ranged from interesting to severely stretching. Uncommon truth was mixed with considerable untruth. When Day got to "Judeo-Christian" legends, he appeared to pass off Kabbalism as mainstream Judaism. It was bizarre, but I was willing to let it pass.
Then Day's inner demons spilled out. Despite discussing many myths and legends, he reserved his [undeserved] censure for Christianity, starting on p.225. By p.244, he was regurgitating the utter stupidity that Gnosticism was an "early Christian religion and philosophy." Then he doubled down on this falsehood by saying "St John and St Paul constantly railed against (and shamelessly libelled)" Gnostics. This kind of ignorance wouldn't evade notice on a term paper in a decent high school.
Later, his engagement with Western mythology was plagued with Positivism's prejudice against real sorcery and demons, which was particularly disappointing in a book largely concerned with magic and mythology. Day never got his feet wet.
Since the mythology he covered which I knew best was such a sham, I wondered about the sources of others regions' mythology which I didn't know. Was it equally contrived and superficial?
Overall, the book was a good-looking, mixed foray into mythology. A chapter or two could have been written by a particularly ignorant intern. But it covered its topic only superficially. It was only slightly redeemed by a highly-unusual thematic study of rings in human literature, and a few uncommon ties to The Lord of the Rings.
July 8, 2023
Numerous inaccuracies with respect to Tolkien’s writing and errors that should have been caught by an editor. Arguments presented were a reach in some places and mostly disjointed.
The illustrations were cool though.
The illustrations were cool though.
March 17, 2022
This was a fascinating book by David Day about the different ring legends from different mythologies and religions that influenced J .R .R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, and The Lord of the Rings. My favorite part of the book is when David Day writes about the influence of the Tuatha Dé Danann and The Sidhe on Tolkien's Elves.
July 6, 2021
The information about the legends that inspired or connected to Tolkien’s work were really interesting. However, for a supposed scholar of Tolkien, Day had quite a few errors. For example, he states that, after death, the Elves would wait in the Halls of Mandos for some supposed battle at the End of the World like the Einherjar. Not so. The Elves were reimbodied in Aman. This is easily checked in the literature itself. Another example: the caption for an illustration (pages 60-61) states “Bilbo Baggins on the Seat of Seeing on Amon Hen…” Uh, no. That was Frodo. And the captions page 101: “Gandalf the Grey topples…arise again…as Mithrandir, the White Wizard”. Uh, no. Mithrandir means “grey pilgrim”. These are easily avoidable mistakes that really bring the quality down. Really disappointing for those of us with some “fluency” with Tolkien’s work and potentially misleading for new readers. The binding and presentation, as well as the art, are top notch, though.
April 4, 2025
Pensaba que sería más un recorrido por las leyendas del anillo dentro de la misma historia, o un recorrido por los mitos que inspiraron a tolkien pero es más una p*ja que se ha hecho David Day sobre lo que él considera que son las inspiraciones de tolkien, hablando más sobre mitología nórdica que sobre la propia obra. Un poco equisdé la verdad, pero al menos queda bonito en la estantería y en las fotos
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October 31, 2024Rating: sacrilegious stars
Do not, and I repeat, DO NOT rely on Davis Day for information ANY even slightly regarding Tolkien. Just don't. I may have written a positive review of one of his books 3 years ago, but I plead ignorance. I was naive. Since then, I have gone down many a Google rabbit hole of why he is not the most accurate in terms of Tolkien lore, and how he likes to extrapolate and make things up to then present them as fact, when they have little to no basis in truth. One of my favourite quotes from my travels is from actual Tolkien scholar, Michael Martinez (who knew that would have to be clarified), who said:
Now that is one craftily worded insult. It gets my seal of approval.
I have decided not to rate this book out of respect for the artists who put all their hard work into creating some truly beautiful illustrations. They are not to be blamed for the unsavoury words their wonderful pictures are set opposite. I don't know if this will achieve anything, but I feel more comfortable doing so.
Do not, and I repeat, DO NOT rely on Davis Day for information ANY even slightly regarding Tolkien. Just don't. I may have written a positive review of one of his books 3 years ago, but I plead ignorance. I was naive. Since then, I have gone down many a Google rabbit hole of why he is not the most accurate in terms of Tolkien lore, and how he likes to extrapolate and make things up to then present them as fact, when they have little to no basis in truth. One of my favourite quotes from my travels is from actual Tolkien scholar, Michael Martinez (who knew that would have to be clarified), who said:
"In Tolkien scholarship the worst insult one could deliver at any point for many years was equivalent to 'That sounds like something David Day wrote'."
Now that is one craftily worded insult. It gets my seal of approval.
I have decided not to rate this book out of respect for the artists who put all their hard work into creating some truly beautiful illustrations. They are not to be blamed for the unsavoury words their wonderful pictures are set opposite. I don't know if this will achieve anything, but I feel more comfortable doing so.
February 19, 2021
I found this to be probably the weakest of Day's books on Tolkien so far. While it was certainly enjoyable to put different mythologies in context and see how certain themes appear across different cultures, I felt at times that there was too much retelling and too little own input. In some cases, the paralels the author was trying to draw seemed too stretched and forced (e.g., Sauron's mountain stronghold and the Eastern mythology), where it would probably be more reasonable to refer to Tolkien's idea of the Cauldron of stories.
March 30, 2022
True rating is 4.5 stars. REALLY enjoyed this one, more than the others in this collection that I've read so far (which were good, but this one was more so). I love learning about mythologies, so reading all these different ring legends and myths throughout the ages and corners of the world was so intriguing. It also corrects any common misinterpretations by shedding light on some of the true meaning behind Tolkien's works (hint: LOTR is not an allegory) and acknowledging his genius intellect.
March 15, 2025
Probablemente el libro más interesante de David Day sobre Tolkien. La mayoría de sus libros son un conjunto de datos organizados, poco más. Sin embargo, este libro arroja datos interesantes de las mitologías germánicas que conecta de manera más propositiva que en el resto de sus libros. David Day es un compilador de datos, a veces erróneos, de Tolkien. No lo considero un escritor sobresaliente, sin embargo este volumen me ha parecido entretenido y con datos de la mitología germánica que me dejaron boquiabierto al ofrecerme un panorama más amplio para entender el origen y contexto de la mitología de Tolkien. Si sólo vas a leer un libro de David Day, elige este.
February 8, 2024
While some of the conjectures may be incorrect, and the myths represented throughout are oftentimes over-summarized or incomplete, this book is still enjoyable enough. There's some very good artwork and it is usually not too murky like the illustrations in some of Day's other books. I also appreciated the summaries of all these myths from across different cultures. It's a good jumping-off point for the ones that interested me, and their framing around portions of LOTR makes it more memorable. I just wish some of those links felt less like theoretical jabs in the dark.
May 8, 2024
This entire set reminds me of a very wonderful student thesis on Tolkien. Full of all the withertos and whyfors of the many possible influences throughout history on Tolkien's world. The illustrations and binding only add to the excellence of these books. A good addition for any die hard Tolkien fan.
July 17, 2023
Very interesting read, although a bit lazy in places.
I found the contempt of Christianity a little annoying and unnecessary, especially given the LOTR is a story about morals
I found the contempt of Christianity a little annoying and unnecessary, especially given the LOTR is a story about morals
May 8, 2025
if you love lore like i do the i highly recommend picking this up. it delves deep in alot of tolkiens inspiration from various areans
August 9, 2025
My favourite of the whole series. So much information about the connections with other mythologies, absolutely fascinating.
October 31, 2021
It's a bit repetitive but so is history so yeah other than that it was super interesting. I love the pictures.
January 8, 2023
Enjoyable, but it feels uneven - I expected much more primary source information from Tolkien about his inspirations, not assumptions but the author.
Several sections are generous stretches - of the kind you might see from a student essay. In fact, on that note, a lot of text feels like it assumed a bunch of historical and myrhological knowledge by the reader - in way you would expect if you took a class that covered all of these myths and then had to write a paper - and knew that the professor (who taught all the base material) would be able to make the connections.
I have spent lots of time studying mythology and folklore, so I could make those connections and understand the references, but I imagine other readers without that background struggling.
The book is less "Tolkien says X inspired him, let's look at X if you've never heard of it" and more "obviously (to me the author) Tolkien must have been inspired by X, I assumed you're familiar with X, let me compare them with some big stretches".
Several sections are generous stretches - of the kind you might see from a student essay. In fact, on that note, a lot of text feels like it assumed a bunch of historical and myrhological knowledge by the reader - in way you would expect if you took a class that covered all of these myths and then had to write a paper - and knew that the professor (who taught all the base material) would be able to make the connections.
I have spent lots of time studying mythology and folklore, so I could make those connections and understand the references, but I imagine other readers without that background struggling.
The book is less "Tolkien says X inspired him, let's look at X if you've never heard of it" and more "obviously (to me the author) Tolkien must have been inspired by X, I assumed you're familiar with X, let me compare them with some big stretches".
January 9, 2023
This was an interesting dive into the mythology that inspired Tolkien. I enjoyed learning about the ring myths that span culture and geography. Some weren't likely to have inspired Tolkien and were included more to demonstrate how common these ideas were across human civilization. I was a little surprised and disappointed that the Finnish epic Kalevala wasn't mentioned at all, but what can you do. It was still fun to see how Tolkien fused so many different things together, then turned centuries of storytelling tradition on its head. I didn't think it was necessary to summarize entire sagas without commentary or connection to Tolkien's work, but they are still powerful stories in their own right, so it wasn't unpleasant, just an odd choice. I really appreciated the art in this book which was beautiful and often functional. I recommend this book to those interested in the literary origins of The Lord of the Rings.
October 27, 2022
The data and points of connection are interesting and informative (in a helpful “digest” sort of way), but the writing is “just okay” and the orientation is oppressively humanistic. The author really bungles the explanation of Christian influence on Tolkien, and so I think that some of the other proposed influences are likely to be more speculative than fact-based. However, I like the incorporation of primary sources (letters from Tolkien to his sons) that substantiate some of the claims in the concluding chapter. I learned a lot about ring legends, and I enjoyed a leisurely read through the book, so I’m happy to give is 3/5 stars. Also, Day thinks Frodo is the hero, and he doesn’t even mention the true hero ring bearer, Samwise Gamgee. :-)
January 11, 2022
Perfect Tolkien-related read to cure my sadness after recently finishing “The Return of the King!” It was so fascinating to learn more about the mythological and legendary inspirations for “Lord of the Rings.” I felt like the author thoroughly explained the parallels as the different myths were presented. I really liked the Viking and Germanic stories in particular. The artwork was also stunning and I kept pausing to look through it again. I do think it became somewhat repetitive towards the end, and the conclusion seemed a little rushed. But this was really interesting insight into the influences for Middle-Earth and I would highly recommend it for any Tolkien fans!
July 21, 2025
I now know, why there's a note on the back that says "This work is unofficial and is not authorised by the Tolkien Estate or HarperCollins Publishers."
I had to DNF at page 80 for my own sanity. So many factually wrong statements, so many errors, it physically hurt to read this. I made the mistake and did not look up any reviews, I got blinded by the pretty aesthetic of the book (If someone makes a comment about "judging a book by it's cover, I'm going to throw said atrocity of a book THROUGH the screen at you), and have now spent 10€ on this waste of resources and time.
It looks pretty on the shelf, that's it, but it thereby still takes up space actually good books could occupy.
I had to DNF at page 80 for my own sanity. So many factually wrong statements, so many errors, it physically hurt to read this. I made the mistake and did not look up any reviews, I got blinded by the pretty aesthetic of the book (If someone makes a comment about "judging a book by it's cover, I'm going to throw said atrocity of a book THROUGH the screen at you), and have now spent 10€ on this waste of resources and time.
It looks pretty on the shelf, that's it, but it thereby still takes up space actually good books could occupy.
August 18, 2021
Another overall good book in this series that helps the reader to see much of the mythological background that was in the mind of Tolkien as he wrote his books. But, as with the other books, some of his comparisons are a stretch. For example, he compares the triangle between Aragorn, Arwen, and Eowyn with Brunhild and Kriemhild of The Nibelungenlied, but other than the fact that both contain love triangles, they are nothing alike.
November 5, 2020
Overall a good way to see different mythologies and their influences and comparisons to Tolkien's world. If you enjoy mythology and legends from across different cultures and ages, this book will have a good appeal to you. However, the last part of the book in 20th century applications, seems highly irrelevant and doesn't fit in with the rest of the book, leaving it to end on a low.
July 23, 2024
A wonderful examination of the myths that inspired Tolkien's trilogy. Recommended for anyone interested in the lore of LOTR.
December 29, 2023
"The Ring Legends of Tolkien" is a four-star book that embarks on a comprehensive exploration of the significance of rings within J.R.R. Tolkien's works. This book serves as an engaging and informative resource for fans of Middle-earth, offering insights into the symbolism and inspiration behind Tolkien's portrayal of rings.
One of the commendable strengths of this book is its in-depth analysis of the various rings in Tolkien's legendarium. The author delves into the origins, powers, and effects of these magical rings, shedding light on their roles in the narrative and their connection to themes of power and corruption. This enriches readers' understanding of the intricate world-building in Tolkien's stories.
Moreover, the book's inclusion of illustrations enhances the visual appeal and comprehension of the subject matter. The visual representations of the rings, their inscriptions, and the characters associated with them provide a captivating visual narrative that complements the textual analysis.
The four-star rating reflects the book's valuable contribution to the exploration of Tolkien's rings. However, some readers may find certain sections of the book to be overly detailed, which could impact the overall readability. A more concise presentation of certain aspects could enhance the book's accessibility.
"The Ring Legends of Tolkien" is a four-star book that offers an insightful and illustrated exploration of the significance of rings in J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium. It serves as a valuable resource for fans interested in delving deeper into the symbolism and inspirations behind Tolkien's portrayal of magical rings. While it excels in its analysis, a more streamlined presentation could enhance its overall impact.
One of the commendable strengths of this book is its in-depth analysis of the various rings in Tolkien's legendarium. The author delves into the origins, powers, and effects of these magical rings, shedding light on their roles in the narrative and their connection to themes of power and corruption. This enriches readers' understanding of the intricate world-building in Tolkien's stories.
Moreover, the book's inclusion of illustrations enhances the visual appeal and comprehension of the subject matter. The visual representations of the rings, their inscriptions, and the characters associated with them provide a captivating visual narrative that complements the textual analysis.
The four-star rating reflects the book's valuable contribution to the exploration of Tolkien's rings. However, some readers may find certain sections of the book to be overly detailed, which could impact the overall readability. A more concise presentation of certain aspects could enhance the book's accessibility.
"The Ring Legends of Tolkien" is a four-star book that offers an insightful and illustrated exploration of the significance of rings in J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium. It serves as a valuable resource for fans interested in delving deeper into the symbolism and inspirations behind Tolkien's portrayal of magical rings. While it excels in its analysis, a more streamlined presentation could enhance its overall impact.
August 29, 2023
Voor de (fantasy)schrijvers onder ons is dit een essentieel boek om te begrijpen hoe een fictief verhaal in elkaar steekt en dat alle grote schrijvers elementen gebruiken uit bestaande verhalen, ze combineren en er iets nieuws en origineels van maken. En dat is helemaal niet erg. Het maakt het niet makkelijker om origineel te zijn, maar je kunt wel inspiratie halen uit iets dat al bestaat: je hoeft niet helemaal opnieuw te beginnen. Dat laat David Day met dit boek mooi zien. Het is een overzicht van legendes en volksverhalen van over de hele wereld (maar vooral Noord-West Europa) die inspiratie zijn geweest voor Tolkien bij het schrijven van LOTR.
Al met al vind ik het geen must-read, en soms waren verhalen wel heel vergezocht en repetitief. Dat gevoel van "jahaa, nou weet ik het wel" kwam vaak in me op. Sommige stukken waren wel echt goed en zogen me in het verhaal, maar tegen het einde werd het boek wel minder interessant en daardoor een last. Maar het is zeker de moeite waard als mythologie je cup of tea is. Oh, en niet te vergeten: de illustraties zijn geweldig! Die maken het boek misschien wel 3,5 ster ipv 3.
Al met al vind ik het geen must-read, en soms waren verhalen wel heel vergezocht en repetitief. Dat gevoel van "jahaa, nou weet ik het wel" kwam vaak in me op. Sommige stukken waren wel echt goed en zogen me in het verhaal, maar tegen het einde werd het boek wel minder interessant en daardoor een last. Maar het is zeker de moeite waard als mythologie je cup of tea is. Oh, en niet te vergeten: de illustraties zijn geweldig! Die maken het boek misschien wel 3,5 ster ipv 3.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2024
True rating: 3.5 stars.
In my opinion, this book was more of a retelling of ring mythology than a linkage to Tolkien’s influence for Lord of the Rings. While very interesting overall, I think this book would have benefited from more editing (both in terms of content and in terms of errors contained in the book). As a Tolkien lover, I wish this author spent more time analyzing how these influences show up in Tolkien’s work and how those themes impacted the underlying philosophy of Lord of the Rings. Instead, the book felt a bit rushed (both in terms of the various myths presented and in terms of the analysis); some felt like a big stretch and could’ve probably been removed altogether without affecting the end product.
That said, I quite enjoyed this book (finished it in 4 days). The artwork was beautiful, and I feel like I learned some things while reading it. I could see myself reading it again down the road.
In my opinion, this book was more of a retelling of ring mythology than a linkage to Tolkien’s influence for Lord of the Rings. While very interesting overall, I think this book would have benefited from more editing (both in terms of content and in terms of errors contained in the book). As a Tolkien lover, I wish this author spent more time analyzing how these influences show up in Tolkien’s work and how those themes impacted the underlying philosophy of Lord of the Rings. Instead, the book felt a bit rushed (both in terms of the various myths presented and in terms of the analysis); some felt like a big stretch and could’ve probably been removed altogether without affecting the end product.
That said, I quite enjoyed this book (finished it in 4 days). The artwork was beautiful, and I feel like I learned some things while reading it. I could see myself reading it again down the road.
October 22, 2025
This book is essentially just a comparison of various alike tales to The Lord of the Rings. I had expected more, having read other books in this series. Mostly, Day is just summing up stories that are in any way comparable to LOTR. He draws parallels between characters without explaining them. After the umpteenth myth about some great hero who was, in essence, just another glorified rapist, I found myself reluctant to read further - a phenomenon I very rarely experience. Twice, he spends several pages just summarizing a story, then spends no time discussing the parallels between it and LOTR. I often found myself disagreeing with his comparisons or simply not grasping his point.
The only redeeming quality of this book is its looks - beautiful cover and gorgeous artwork. Nice to have as a display piece and for leafing through. But one shouldn't make the mistake of looking at the text too closely.
The only redeeming quality of this book is its looks - beautiful cover and gorgeous artwork. Nice to have as a display piece and for leafing through. But one shouldn't make the mistake of looking at the text too closely.
January 24, 2022
Beautifully bound and mesmerizingly illustrated, "The Ring Legends of Tolkien" guides us through a pleiad of mythologies and folklore to showcase the deep well of human tradition which "The Lord of the Rings" has been inspired from.
While retelling the whole of Wagner's "Ring of the Nibelungs" cycle feels a bit like an unnecessary page-filler, the rest of the book is carefully assembled and diligently researched. Most readers would probably be familiar with Norse mythology's influence and World War II's shadow; David Gay easily strides out of this familiarity and leads us all the way east to India to demonstrate just how ancient the One Ring stories can be.
Both illuminating and enjoyable, my recommendation goes to everyone with a passing interest in ethnology and mythology.
While retelling the whole of Wagner's "Ring of the Nibelungs" cycle feels a bit like an unnecessary page-filler, the rest of the book is carefully assembled and diligently researched. Most readers would probably be familiar with Norse mythology's influence and World War II's shadow; David Gay easily strides out of this familiarity and leads us all the way east to India to demonstrate just how ancient the One Ring stories can be.
Both illuminating and enjoyable, my recommendation goes to everyone with a passing interest in ethnology and mythology.
May 18, 2023
I found this drawn out. I was looking for more of a discussion of similarities across different tales, comparing them to the LOTR, but I didn’t need the tales themselves, which really took me out of the Tolkien world that I signed up for when picking up this book. There’s only so much Anglo-Saxon/Germanic/Viking folklore I can take.
The last section covering the 20th century was very interesting, however. I wish there had been more elaboration devoted to that chapter than it’s predecessors. Also, it included a nice little excerpt from Tolkien describing Hitler as a “ruddy little ignoramus.” Always fun to hear from the professor’s own words.
The last section covering the 20th century was very interesting, however. I wish there had been more elaboration devoted to that chapter than it’s predecessors. Also, it included a nice little excerpt from Tolkien describing Hitler as a “ruddy little ignoramus.” Always fun to hear from the professor’s own words.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2024
I found this book to be very interesting. It was an exploration of myths and ring legends that did inspire Tolkien as well as some that David Day suspected inspired him. The ending chapter was probably my favorite because it talked about WWII and how a lot of people at the time the book came out were trying to link the events and characters of the book to events and characters of WWII. I personally don't believe this was Tolkiens goal while writing, but it was interesting to see cases where people drew inspiration from Frodo to get them through their own endeavors at the time. This is something I see happening a lot in media today as well.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews