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Tolkien's death of Smaug: American inspiration revealed

a.s.
Valinor


Dec 24 2014, 3:27pm

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I hope this hasn't already been posted somewhere on Torn, but I found the recent article by John Garth in The Guardian very interesting. I'm not enough of a Tolkien scholar to argue its points, just presenting it here for those who might be interested.


Tolkien's death of Smaug: American inspiration



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Smaug is made in the image of medieval Fafnir, the archetypal hoard-dragon of the Icelandic Volsunga saga, and it’s been supposed that his death owes something to the way Sigurd digs a pit to stab Fafnir in the vitals. But I felt a sudden, prickly recognition when reading – of all things – Longfellow’s 1855 poem The Song of Hiawatha.



a.s.

"an seileachan"


Through any dark time, I always remember Frodo's claim on the side of Mt. Doom that he "can manage it" because he must.
Sometimes, I have to manage it, too, as do we all. We manage because we must.




Elthir
Grey Havens

Dec 24 2014, 7:22pm

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Interesting! I connected Sigurd slaying Fafnir more with Turin and Glaurung, in a very general sense anyway... getting under the beast to strike him while he is yet unaware.

And I think in the Sigurd legend (or one of the Germanic versions anyway), the blood of the Dragon gave the hero understanding of bird language, or similar, which is yet again, only a general something, and obviously comes after the stabbing.


(This post was edited by Elthir on Dec 24 2014, 7:33pm)

 
 

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