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#FellowshipOfTolkien #Kullervo

Finished today and really enjoyed it.
The story itself is kind of strange, very brutal, primitive, almost. But there are very obvious (and other not so obvious) inspirations for more then one of Tolkien's stories from the Silmarillion.

Then l really loved both Tolkien's essays on the Kalevala and Flieger's essay on Tolkien's connection to the Kalevala.

A short, very insightful book for Tolkien's enthusiasts.

#FellowshipOfTolkien #Kullervo

Well, for a change... I'm utterly behind 🙄

How's everyone else?
Have you heard there's a film about Sir Gawain and the Green Knight? 😱

I read the final essay by Verlyn Flieger this morning. The essay is a clear discussion of this story as a link between the Kalevala as inspiration and Tolkien‘s Silmarillion. I appreciated the book more on a second read just because of my own reading and learning in the past few years. I would still only recommend for serious Tolkien fans that have come to accept reading incomplete stories as a part of better understanding his work.

I had a supper of mini pizzas & fresh tomatoes before reading more of this book. Reading the first version of Tolkien‘s essay makes me curious about more of these stories than just this one about #Kullervo that he worked on. I also continue to be intrigued by the connections between the Kalevala, Tolkien‘s work, & Longfellow‘s Hiawatha. I had to pause & read a section of that poem tonight to consider the style.

#FellowshipOfTolkien #ReadAndEat

While this will never be one of my favorite tales by Tolkien, this is a very interesting look at an early Tolkien myth reworking that shows some obvious precursors for both the myth of Túrin and parts of the Lúthien and Beren stories. Although the original story and his reworking are very dark, you can see the seed that would germinate into other tales and the beginning of his story writing skills.

#FellowshioOfTolkien
#Kullervo

#FellowshipOfTolkien #Kullervo

This is definitely the part that most resembles Turin's story and where Kullervo finally shows some feeling.

It's a surprisingly brutal story, told in a very difficult prose, but l liked discovering the many connections with Tolkien's later work, some of which are very subtle.

#FellowshipOfTolkien #Kullervo

Well, l must admit l didn't expect this kind of violence. I can recognise some of the elements of what will be Turin's story, especially from his homecoming to Dor-Lomin, but here really there is a blind fury at work.

I'm really curious to learn what it was that talked to Tolkien so deeply in this story, and l hope it will be addressed in the essay.

#FellowshipOfTolkien #Kullervo

Kullervo is really a difficult character. One could wonder whether he has any redeeming qualities. But then, Tolkien write of many difficult characters. I wonder if this preference of him came from this story.

Wow, he really disliked Longfellow and Hiawatha, again so funny since he borrowed so heavily from this story himself for The Silmarillion. 😂

#FellowshipOfTolkien
#Kullervo

Wow… Tellervo to Tinúviel (Lúthien)… that seems so close after reading that description ?

Mielikki to Melian (except in his mythology, she‘s the one who is partially a god/spirit/Maiar)

And Tapio to Thingol/Tinwelint

… maybe

….it just seems kind of convenient that those names all start similarly ?

#FellowshipOfTolkien
#Kullervo