Kevin's Watch

Avatar wrote:

Spoiler

Null

and

Spoiler

Zombiac

, take heed.

--A

no idea what you are talking about.

I guess he is not on here yet.

Hello

I found this site and had to join.

I was 15 when I read LFB and the rest in 1986. I have read the Last Chrons and looking forward to the final book.

My other favorite series is the Titan trilogy by Varley.

Welcome, Starfire!

Welcome to the Watch Starfire.

There's plenty of stuff to talk about here...explore and join in.

--A

Hi Starfire!

Be Welcome to the Watch, Starfire.
Be Well Come and True.

just started reading lord fouls baine and i think lord foul is very misunderstood i think he was bullied as a kid and takes his anger out on other people

Welcome to the Watch. Look out for spoilers if you've only just started.

--A

Be Welcome to the Watch, DJ Foul.
Be Well Come and True.

Are you any relation to the Watch's long time member, L-rd Foul?

I would have guessed he was related to Peter. He has his eyes...

Welcome DJFoul

Hahaha, like anyone is gonna admit being related to LF now...

--A

Hi,

I stumbled upon the TC books some two-three years back, when I was specifically googling for fantasy series that would have anti-heroes as their main characters (Yes, this may sound quirky, but at that time, I had grown utterly tired of all the poor orphan farmboys and their "mysterious" destinies...). I've been reading the books at an inexcusably leisurely pace, but since English isn't my native language, I guess that might just be forgivable. ;D Anyhow, despite the first misgivings about the Tolkien-ish settings in LFB, I soon turned into a fan.

I particularly love SD's portrayals of the Giants. As a Norse-Finnic mythology enthusiast, I've half-heartedly kept an eye out for novels that would bother portraying Giants as something else than lumbering morons named along the lines of 'Grunthurrgh' and whose sole existence revolves around swatting everything that moves with a huge club. TCoTC is the first series I've ever faced where proper dignity is given to them, so that they actually rather resemble the mighty Jötnar of the Norse myths, excluding all the magic and shape-shifting, of course.

I haven't read the Last Chronicles yet, but going to pick those up as soon as I've finished re-reading the first two. I just wish I could find hardcovers somewhere, as my paperbacks appear to be falling apart already. >_< Favorite characters? Presently Pitchwife, the First, Saltheart, and naturally TC himself.


I'm a tad shy and quiet, so I may post only occasionally, but trying to get some TC fanart done asap-ish.

Hi Zorm,

I have the same problem with my copies of the first 6 TC books - my copies are now fragile... guess I'll have to keep a close eye on eBay for hardback copies.

Fully agreed re Donaldson and his treatment of the giants, and I'm also with you in a huge admiration for Norse/Icelandic myth. I seem to remember that Finland has an equally rich but quite distinctly separate mythology - the Kalevala, right?

I wouldn't worry about English not being your native language either - you type more eloquently than numerous here.

Have fun!

Do we allow shy people here?

Welcome to the Watch Zorm. Don't worry about the crazies...they don't bite...much.

--A

Thanks for the welcomes, everyone.

TheFallen wrote:
I seem to remember that Finland has an equally rich but quite distinctly separate mythology - the Kalevala, right?

Yup, The Kalevala is Finland's national epic, and spins around the old wizard Väinämöinen, the epic smith Ilmarinen (a Wayland-ish character), and the hot-headed, lewd warrior Lemminkäinen, aside from the tragic Kullervo figure, who apparently inspired Tolkien to create Túrin Turambar, as whole sections of the poem have been 'borrowed' to Silmarillion. XD

The Kalevala doesn't necessarily portray ancient Finnish mythology all that correctly, however, as the author Lönnrot freely combined various fragments of poetry to devise a continuous story. But, essentially, it still remains as the best adaptation there exists.

This may come as a surprise, but the three main characters are actually very Jötunn-esque giants(!) in the older poetic fragments, sons of the Giant King Kaleva ('Kalevala' means 'Kaleva's Land'). Lönnrot merely turned them into human heroes, plus crammed about three different mythological figures into the single body of Lemminkäinen. Another epic poem parallel to the Kalevala, the Kalevipoeg (from Estonia), retains a slightly closer kinship with the original materials in one aspect: the main character Soini, another son of King Kaleva, is openly represented as a giant.

(Ah, I could blather on and on about this for hours; mythology is one of my favorite topics ever. XD)

Finnish mythology has its distinct features, but the more one compares it to the Norse/Icelandic legends, the more similarities one can discover. Norse mythology for instance borrows aspects from the Saami culture (the indigenous peoples of Fennoscandia, they speak a language closely related to Finnish), et cetera.

Welcome Zorm

Zorm wrote:Thanks for the welcomes, everyone.

TheFallen wrote:
I seem to remember that Finland has an equally rich but quite distinctly separate mythology - the Kalevala, right?

Yup, The Kalevala is Finland's national epic, and spins around the old wizard Väinämöinen, the epic smith Ilmarinen (a Wayland-ish character), and the hot-headed, lewd warrior Lemminkäinen, aside from the tragic Kullervo figure, who apparently inspired Tolkien to create Túrin Turambar, as whole sections of the poem have been 'borrowed' to Silmarillion. XD

The Kalevala doesn't necessarily portray ancient Finnish mythology all that correctly, however, as the author Lönnrot freely combined various fragments of poetry to devise a continuous story. But, essentially, it still remains as the best adaptation there exists.

This may come as a surprise, but the three main characters are actually very Jötunn-esque giants(!) in the older poetic fragments, sons of the Giant King Kaleva ('Kalevala' means 'Kaleva's Land'). Lönnrot merely turned them into human heroes, plus crammed about three different mythological figures into the single body of Lemminkäinen. Another epic poem parallel to the Kalevala, the Kalevipoeg (from Estonia), retains a slightly closer kinship with the original materials in one aspect: the main character Soini, another son of King Kaleva, is openly represented as a giant.

(Ah, I could blather on and on about this for hours; mythology is one of my favorite topics ever. XD)

Finnish mythology has its distinct features, but the more one compares it to the Norse/Icelandic legends, the more similarities one can discover. Norse mythology for instance borrows aspects from the Saami culture (the indigenous peoples of Fennoscandia, they speak a language closely related to Finnish), et cetera.

That's all very interesting. I read about half of the Kalevala (before I had to return it to the person I was borrowing it from), and am bummed that I never got to finish it. Mythology is fascinating.
If you really could "blather on and on about this for hours", maybe you could start a topic about it here in the non-Donaldson Fantasy section of this site. I know at least one person who'd be interested in reading what you have to say.

Be Welcome to the Watch, Zorm.
Be Well Come and True.

Good work, Owlie.