Do I need to believe in demons to be expected to know what they are? You make a good point re: propaganda, but I don't think the author is responsible for the change of perception (from religious concepts to human - especially given that he included Sam's quote when he was talking about beings he DID intend to be human). I've read quite a bit on the subject since yesterday, and I think I am right about the goblins/orcs - is it Tolkien's fault that we are so sensitive to racism (not claiming that's inherently bad, mind you) that we see it where it wasn't meant? Especially where it was specifically intended to be something else? Isn't the burden at least partially on us?


I agree with that, and I do think authors are at least partly responsible for what readers interpret from their works, BUT, I'm always interested in the question - is it truly racist if the author isn't thinking that at all? Is that fair? How could he have included the mythology associated with light/dark, good/evil and all his talk about stars and moonlight?? It wouldn't be remotely the same story.


I'm not so sure it is a matter of distinguishing, or if it's more to do with applying it. It seems clear that he based ALL his races on real mythologies/histories, so I don't find it odd that a Christian would be drawn to include the Jewish history. Is it racist to admit that different races exist and may have shown certain historical tendencies? I don't think it always is, unless the information is being used in an unflattering way. Can no writer use a historical culture for inspiration if that culture still exists in a similar way?

And as John and I were reading last night, there is proof that the dwarves were originally based on Norse mythology (pre-Hobbit), and eventually evolved into the more noble dwarves we see during and post-Hobbit.



You better. It's fun. Plus, I have more things to say about Eowyn.