Riddles, Heroes, and Folktales Come True: Folklore in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings
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.
Tatterdemalion: a Needle, an Egg, a Novel Being Born
‘I can’t describe to you what it feels like to hold your own death in a needle in your hands,’ says the childless Molly in Tatterdemalion.
Bear Folklore, Through Myths, Legends and Folktales
Whenever a bear shows up in a folktale, we know something wonderful, and maybe a bit scary, is about to happen
Matlock the Hare: The ‘Real’ Workings of a Majickal Hare
Hares and folklore… hmmm… how many words, I wonder (or ‘griffles’, even?), have been written about this one bounding, leaping, boxing wonder? A million?
Telling Tales to Children
There are two main challenges to retelling folklore, myths and legends for children: making the story suitable and fun for the child audience (listeners or readers); and being as faithful and sensitive as possible to the original story.