Elliott O'Donnell rocks. I read his Strange Cults and Secret Societies of Modern London as an undergrad, having seen William Seabrook recommend it in Witchcraft. Not long thereafter, I found out he'd written many of the books on Scottish and English ghost stories my parents had sitting on shelves when I was young.
Oh, Seabrook! Another excellent character. I've just now been re-introduced to O'Donnell's writings... I am going to have to hunt down Seabrook's again, too. As I recall, he had a great chapter about Uncle Al.
and, considering my obsession with Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, medieval and dark ages mythology, ancient paganism, etc. it's pretty clear where JRRT figures into that.
I've probably asked you this before but have you read Poul Anderson's The Broken Sword? Published the same year as Lord of the Rings, based on the same Norse source materials, but very very different.
Anderson's translation/adaptation of Hrolf Kraki's Saga is also a must if you're into Vikings and related subjects.
I've heard wonderful things about it, but for some reason, I've never run across it in my scourings of used book stores. I may just break down and buy it used on abebooks.com.
I've heard wonderful things about it, but for some reason, I've never run across it in my scourings of used book stores.
I think you'll like it. It's much darker than Tolkien. Anderson's elves are nasty! IHe takes a much more pessimistic and fatalistic view which I think is closer in spirit to the Norse sagas. Anderson took Norse mythology very seriously.
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I've probably asked you this before but have you read Poul Anderson's The Broken Sword? Published the same year as Lord of the Rings, based on the same Norse source materials, but very very different.
Anderson's translation/adaptation of Hrolf Kraki's Saga is also a must if you're into Vikings and related subjects.
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across it in my scourings of used book stores.
I think you'll like it. It's much darker than Tolkien. Anderson's elves are nasty! IHe takes a much more pessimistic and fatalistic view which I think is closer in spirit to the Norse sagas. Anderson took Norse mythology very seriously.
It's a book that people either love or hate.
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