Via NPR
Frodo, Bilbo, Kullervo: Tolkien's Finnish Adventure
Tolkien's Finnish Adventure
Moderator: High Lord Tolkien
-
Cord Hurn
- Servant of the Band
- Posts: 7645
- Joined: Mon Oct 28, 2013 7:08 pm
- Location: Tucson, Arizona, USA
- Has thanked: 6 times
- Been thanked: 4 times
Interesting, Menolly, thank you!
From the article in the link provided by Menolly:
"In other words, this folk tale is not a nice one. Newcomers to Tolkien may find it a somewhat rough ride, but Tolkien geeks will find plenty to geek out about. It's long been known, for example, that the first language Tolkien created for his Elves was based on Finnish; and that Turin Turambar, the charismatic, doomed anti-hero of Tolkien's Silmarillion, was based on the equally doomed Kullervo."
From reading the Tolkien biography by Humphrey Carpenter, I knew about the Elven language of Quenya being based upon Finnish. However, I was unaware of the inspiration for Turin Turambar ultimately deriving from Finnish legend. Really, the story of Turin Turamber is probably my least favorite part of The Silmarillion, as I tend to get quite irritated with stories where a character is doomed no matter what choices he or she may make. So, it's hard for me to say if I want to check out this The Story Of Kullurvo or not. Still, I'm glad to learn of its existence, being the nosy Tolkien geek that I am.
From the article in the link provided by Menolly:
"In other words, this folk tale is not a nice one. Newcomers to Tolkien may find it a somewhat rough ride, but Tolkien geeks will find plenty to geek out about. It's long been known, for example, that the first language Tolkien created for his Elves was based on Finnish; and that Turin Turambar, the charismatic, doomed anti-hero of Tolkien's Silmarillion, was based on the equally doomed Kullervo."
From reading the Tolkien biography by Humphrey Carpenter, I knew about the Elven language of Quenya being based upon Finnish. However, I was unaware of the inspiration for Turin Turambar ultimately deriving from Finnish legend. Really, the story of Turin Turamber is probably my least favorite part of The Silmarillion, as I tend to get quite irritated with stories where a character is doomed no matter what choices he or she may make. So, it's hard for me to say if I want to check out this The Story Of Kullurvo or not. Still, I'm glad to learn of its existence, being the nosy Tolkien geek that I am.