Riddles, Heroes, and Folktales Come True: Folklore in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings

Painting of Lúthien Tinuviel reproduced with permission by Alan Lee

Folklore is central in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings: not only “external” folklore, the folklore of the “real” world, but also “internal” folklore.

Marian of Sherwood

Douglas Fairbanks as Robin Hood giving Enid Bennett as Maid Marian (sic) a dagger; a screenshot from the 1922 United Artists film Robin Hood. United Artists, cinematographers Arthur Edeson & Charles Richardson - Dr. Macro, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=819577

Mention Maid Marian and Sherwood Forest in the same breath, and most people think of Robin Hood’s lady love. The forest outlaw and the noble lady are tied together so closely in modern folklore, popular literature, and movies, it’s hard to imagine one without the other.

Top 5 Winter Solstice Celebrations Around the World

Wheel of the Year by Witchgarden https://pixabay.com/illustrations/year-celebrations-the-year-3088405/

The winter solstice has been celebrated in some form all around the world for centuries. Individual human cultures often mixed magic with religion in acknowledgement and celebration of this important astronomical event. Here we briefly look at five of these festivities from around the world, before discussing why they were so important to our ancestors and concluding with what science has to say today.

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