Admin Post: June Challenge | Analysing Arda (15 June - 10 July)

[dawn_felagund]

This month's challenge is a nonfiction challenge. All nonfiction is welcome, from headcanons to essays to multimedia responses.

There are no claims for this month's challenge, but if you need some inspiration to get started, check out the list below of member-sourced prompts. You are not required to use one of these questions and may write about anything you would like. If you want to comment on our Dreamwidth with the question or topic you'll be writing about, feel free; however, please note that since there are no official claims this month, others may choose to respond to the same question. If you suggested a question last month, you are certainly welcome to write for that question if you want to, but you are under no obligation to do so.

Nonfiction Prompt Ideas
It bears repeating that you are not required to choose a prompt from this list and may write about any nonfiction topic you choose.

• The translation history of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien


• Fads and fashions in the artistic interpretation of Tolkien's works


• Diversity in Middle-earth


• Why do the Elves of Gondolin have an assigned place for execution, and other matters of crime and punishment


• Animals of Arda (in folklore, literature, Tolkien's life and Tolkien's writing), especially cats, spiders, dogs, horses, eagles, birds in general, and any other animals you can think of


• Disability and mental (un)health in Middle-earth


• Trade and economy in the 1st (or 2nd or 3rd, ...) Age


• The Gift of Men (starting from the Numenor discussion, the Athrabeth discussion, Half-Elves, or any other approach).


• Anglo-Saxon or Norse or Finnish, etc. parallels and influences in The Silmarillion (macro or micro: overarching ones or specific details or areas)


• Attested historical practice as possible background for daily life of Middle-earth characters (e.g smithwork, sword-fighting, sailing, weaving, etc.)


• Elvish language and script as background to aspects of Arda


• Social mores during the First Age and how they compared to those of the Second and Third Ages, as well as how they compare to those we experience today in the modern world
  
• Who is Mandos and why, if he has such keen foresight, is he so rarely listened to?


• Why was Mandos chosen to look after the dead when other characters, such as Irmo, might be more suitable?


• Are the Silmarils living creatures, just like the Two Trees or Elves? Could they even be real children of Fëanor?


• How would the Elves deal with disabilities? Acquired vs congenital (present since birth, whether birth trauma or random genetic mutation)? How would the wars against Morgoth and Sauron affect it? Does the bit in Laws and Customs among the Eldar about Elves healing from things that kill would mortals change anything? What are the similarities and differences among the Amanyar, Sindar, other Elven groups, and the Avari?


• How has the depiction of a character or pairing changed across the history of Tolkien fanfic? (Or fanart?)


• How does bias against the Avari and other minority groups manifest in The Silmarillion and related texts?

For more ideas on what to write about, see Dawn's 101 Approaches to Tolkien Meta, or What the Heck to Write About.

Thank you to everyone who contributed questions and prompts for this challenge!

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Other Housekeeping: Despite my best intentions to get stamp collections updated before the new challenge was released, I did not manage to do so. I should have them finished next week.

Comments

[oloriel]

Thinking it doesn't matter because "canon doesn't matter" is fair enough, I think - I mean, it's not an approach that works for me, but if you start on the premise that canon as a whole doesn't matter, then clearly you don't have to stick to Tolkien's word on canon-related matters, either. What bothers me are the people who insist that M-e NOT being our world is, in fact, canon!

Well, those three kind of go hand in hand in that respect, don't they. But yeah, people often find it hard to acknowledge. Even though Tolkien also explicitly said that while he wrote LotR to be compatible with his faith, Middle-earth is not a Catholic world - which is why he (mostly!) avoided talking about religion in the first place. (BoLT is quite a different matter, of course!) And at one point, he referred to the theology of Gondor (or the Númenoreans of Gondor, anyway) as 'hebraic'. Definitely not Catholic, let alone fundamental evangelical!
But I'm getting off-topic!

I don't know if others than Kristine Larsen have looked at it in-depth, but I've seen it mentioned in various articles. Of course, the fact that they all feel the need to establish that fact is already quite telling...

[independence1776]

Yeah, that is a fair approach to canon, though like you, it's one that doesn't work for me. I have not seen the latter, though, and I'm glad of it. (This really is one of my pet peeves.)

Well, those three kind of go hand in hand in that respect, don't they. But yeah, people often find it hard to acknowledge.

They do! But I distinctly remember anything that even got close to Islam being used for the Southrons and other allies of Sauron (whether they were going for real-world geographical equivalence and didn't think about the implications or were Islamaphobic because of real-world stuff leaking in I don't know).

And at one point, he referred to the theology of Gondor (or the Númenoreans of Gondor, anyway) as 'hebraic'. Definitely not Catholic, let alone fundamental evangelical!

Yup! And I realized (thanks to your response to that M-e religion meta on Tumblr) that the three Númenorian festivals have rough equivalence to the three Jewish pilgramiage festivals. So make of that what you will.

Ah, okay. Yes, that is somewhat telling.

[oloriel]

But I distinctly remember anything that even got close to Islam being used for the Southrons and other allies of Sauron (whether they were going for real-world geographical equivalence and didn't think about the implications or were Islamaphobic because of real-world stuff leaking in I don't know).

Well, that makes about as much sense as implementing Catholicism in the Shire. I'd assume geographical equivalence rather than Islamophobia until proven otherwise, TBH, but I can't say I'm surprised - especially since the costume design of PJ's movies cheerfully alluded to Southern Mediterranean influences. In terms of worldbuilding, though, what a pity! You can invent whatever you want for the Southrons etc., since we don't have much material on them - from hesitant Sauron-worship to the polytheism that so many people seem to miss among the Eldar and Edain of the First Age - so why not go for that!

Yup! And I realized (thanks to your response to that M-e religion meta on Tumblr) that the three Númenorian festivals have rough equivalence to the three Jewish pilgramiage festivals.

Neat! That would fit pretty well. (I see quite a bit of meta on how the Dwarves are - or in the writing of LotR, became - Jewish-coded, but I haven't seen any analysis of the Númenorean faithful in that light, which is a real pity!)

[independence1776]

Well, it wasn't actual Islam, but rather a whole bunch of cultural and legal stuff inspired by moderm Middle Eastern Islamic countries without much thought to why the modern culture is what it is (aka religion is important) and why it doesn't quite fit with Middle-earth.

Beats me why people didn't! But this was at least a decade ago, so I'm not going to try to speculate. I'd rather make my own culture up myself.

I'm no Númenorean expert, so I'm not the right person for that meta! (Also, I'm shaking my head at myself for not spellchecking.)

[oloriel]

Ah, that makes more sense! To be fair, I'd probably take some cultural inspiration from the actual region as well, since culture (including religion!) is naturally also influenced by place - but it's a fine, fine line to tread...

Too bad! While I'm comfortable on the Númenorean material, I'd be terrified of getting things wrong or causing offense, so I'm not the right person either. ^^

[independence1776]

Yeah, absolutely it makes sense to take some inspiration! But some of these fics crossed that line…

Ah, well. Maybe someone somewhere someday will tackle it.

[oloriel]

I'm sure. Shari'a among the Haradrim and the like. (Sounds like another interesting essay that I'm not qualified to write!)

I hope so!

Speaking of essays and tackling, I seem to remember that you once wrote some brilliant meta about the (lack of ;)) universal applicability of LaCE, but I can't find it! Am I imagining things or am I just being too stupid?

[independence1776]

It's on SWG under the title "The In-universe Authorship of LACE." (Sorry for not linking.)

[oloriel]

Found it, thank you! Somehow I had in mind that it could only be two or three years old! But it's been five already! Should've scrolled further back. ^^

[independence1776]

Five… It really doesn't feel like five years. *hides under her blankets*