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Tag: sub-creation

‘The work of the hands which thou hast made’

Of Aulë and Yavanna: Tolkien’s Odd Couple ‘Nonetheless they will have need of wood.’ With that brilliantly offhand one-liner, Aulë and Yavanna cemented their status in the minds of many Tolkien lovers as being Eä’s first and best odd couple.  He, a rash craftsman, master of forge and hammer, lover of stone and gem and that which is imperishable and unchanging.  She, a lover of beasts and plants, the bringer of growth and giver of sustenance, who cherishes all that sprouts and blooms and flowers, all that lives.   Given Tolkien’s interest in the themes of nature and industry, it might…

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More things in Heaven and Earth: On Faerie, the Unexplained, and the Unexplored of ‘The Hobbit’

As feats of worldbuilding go, it is hard to go past Tolkien’s Legendarium as the chief and foremost example of the craft. Even those who have a passing…

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But is it canon? – Discussing the importance of internal narrative consistency in the Art of story-telling

I’ve been thinking a lot about narrative ‘canon’ recently. I’ve also written and rewritten this blog post a couple of times, to try and make sure I…

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“Don’t you wish it could all be real” – Tolkien and subcreation; theology and fiction

I was chatting to a friend of mine yesterday, when she asked me a disarmingly childlike, simple question. A question that desired no philosophical or detailed…

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