 |
|
The White CouncilRe: Elves and IronTolkien and Inklings Discussion |
|
|
The White CouncilRe: Elves and IronTolkien and Inklings Discussion |
|
Posted by Martin Read on March 13, 2000 at 04:33:32 In Reply to: Elves and Iron posted by David Freitag on March 11, 2000 at 01:17:00:
: It's a common place in run of the mill fantasy that elves have some kind of allergic reaction to contact with iron. Tolkien's do not seem to have this limitation, so your suggestion is remotely possible... : Anyone know if this fantasy motif has any roots in real folklore or mythology? Yes it does. Also in some folklore silver has the same effect, though in other tales the opposite is true. The supposed roots of this belief probably stem from a period of contact between iron-using people and more primitive bronze or stone using folk. The logic runs that the iron folk probably culturally displaced the older peoples but took on some of their gods and beliefs, though these would have a perhaps sinister or perilous aspect for the newcomers. As iron was effective in militarily overcoming the older people, then iron would probably be as effective against their gods and demons.
|
Tip: Earlier messages, if they are missing when you click on the links, may be in a lower-numbered archive. Edit the URL in your browser window to change the archive number. Ex. archive_02/ becomes archive_01/.
Tip: Click on the Tolkien and Inklings Forum link to followup to archived messages. You'll need to copy the text from this message and repost it in your new message.
The Tolkien and Inklings Forum is an SF-FANDOM Web site.
SF-FANDOM is a part of the Xenite.Org network.
Xenite.Org is home to Lord of the Rings movie news. The Tolkien and Inklings Forum is the Web's oldest fan-run forum dedicated to J.R.R. Tolkien.
Xenite.Org has been providing the most comprehensive Lord of the Rings movie news on the Web since February 1998.
Xenite.Org also brings you Xena Online Resources. Xena Online Resources is the Web's largest directory of Hercules and Xena-related content.
The Xenite.Org network is home to more than 100 science fiction and fantasy Web sites.
The Tolkien and Inklings Forum is an independent, moderated forum provided as a courtesy to fans of J.R.R. Tolkien and the Inklings, including C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, et. al., by Xenite.Org. Please be sure to review our Posting Policy before participating in our forums. This archive is provided as a courtesy of Xenite.Org and in no way implies or imparts any liability or obligation on our part to uphold or maintain the content provided herein. This message and other archived messages from Xenite.Org forums may contain content not necessarily endorsed, reviewed, or approved by Xenite.Org and/or its moderation staff. All opinions expressed in these archives are those of the original posters and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of Xenite.Org, its owner or owners, moderators, administrators, and/or other volunteer staff or agents. All content is copyright the original poster unless otherwise noted. This page is copyright © 1997-2001 Michael L. Martinez. All rights reserved. No reproduction, electronic or otherwise, may be made without the express permission of the copyright holders, except as occurs in normal browser caching and search engine indexing. You may print one copy of this page for your personal use.