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#Kullervo
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JazzFeathers
The Story of Kullervo | J.R.R. Tolkien
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#FellowshipOfTolkien #Kullervo

Finished today and really enjoyed it.
The story itself is kind of strange, very brutal, primitive, almost. But there are very obvious (and other not so obvious) inspirations for more then one of Tolkien's stories from the Silmarillion.

Then l really loved both Tolkien's essays on the Kalevala and Flieger's essay on Tolkien's connection to the Kalevala.

A short, very insightful book for Tolkien's enthusiasts.

Daisey Glad you had time to finish it, and I very much agree with your review as well. 3y
35 likes1 comment
blurb
JazzFeathers
The Story of Kullervo | J.R.R. Tolkien
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#FellowshipOfTolkien #Kullervo

Well, for a change... I'm utterly behind 🙄

How's everyone else?
Have you heard there's a film about Sir Gawain and the Green Knight? 😱

Riveted_Reader_Melissa Finished, I was ahead this time….which is totally unusual for me. And no, I hadn‘t heard that! 3y
Daisey Finished and enjoyed it more on a second read. I had not heard about a Sir Gawain film. Intrigued! 3y
JazzFeathers @BookwormAHN l think you're finished too, right? @wordslinger42 What about you? 3y
See All 6 Comments
wordslinger42 @JazzFeathers Yes, I just finished a few days ago and posted my review yesterday 😊 This wasn't a favorite of mine, but I'm still glad we read it! 3y
BookwormAHN Right, I'm finished 😺 3y
BookwormAHN I've heard of the film, The Green Night. I'm looking forward to seeing when it comes to a streaming service or blu-ray. 3y
32 likes6 comments
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Daisey
The Story of Kullervo | J.R.R. Tolkien
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I read the final essay by Verlyn Flieger this morning. The essay is a clear discussion of this story as a link between the Kalevala as inspiration and Tolkien‘s Silmarillion. I appreciated the book more on a second read just because of my own reading and learning in the past few years. I would still only recommend for serious Tolkien fans that have come to accept reading incomplete stories as a part of better understanding his work.

JazzFeathers I've only read Tolkien's first essay at the moment (and, oops! I haven't posted about it), but l really enjoyed reading his reasons for loving this story. Can't wait to read the rest. 3y
47 likes2 comments
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Daisey
The Story of Kullervo | J.R.R. Tolkien
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I had a supper of mini pizzas & fresh tomatoes before reading more of this book. Reading the first version of Tolkien‘s essay makes me curious about more of these stories than just this one about #Kullervo that he worked on. I also continue to be intrigued by the connections between the Kalevala, Tolkien‘s work, & Longfellow‘s Hiawatha. I had to pause & read a section of that poem tonight to consider the style.

#FellowshipOfTolkien #ReadAndEat

alliworm88 Looks delicious and sounds very intriguing 3y
Daisey @alliworm88 Thanks, and it is a very intriguing read! 3y
alliworm88 @Daisey I haven‘t actually gotten around to reading any of his books but I‘ve enjoyed the movies made from his books so I imagine that the books are so much better. The book you are reading about it just seems to be much more interesting because it explains things. Love the idea. 3y
Daisey @alliworm88 Tolkien is one of my favorite authors! If you want to start with something of his that also adds extra explanation, I would recommend the tagged book. It adds notes and commentary about the story as well as illustrations from various international editions. You can read just the story or also extra notes as desired. 3y
alliworm88 @Daisey awesome thanks 3y
49 likes5 comments
review
Riveted_Reader_Melissa
The Story of Kullervo | J. R. R. Tolkien
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Pickpick

While this will never be one of my favorite tales by Tolkien, this is a very interesting look at an early Tolkien myth reworking that shows some obvious precursors for both the myth of Túrin and parts of the Lúthien and Beren stories. Although the original story and his reworking are very dark, you can see the seed that would germinate into other tales and the beginning of his story writing skills.

#FellowshioOfTolkien
#Kullervo

Daisey I very much agree with your review! I‘m not as far as I had planned, but I hope to get through some more of the essays tonight. 3y
JazzFeathers True, eh? I found the actual story so brutal that l wandered all the time why Tolkien appreciated it so much. Now that I've read the first essay, l start to see. He liked it's diversity. The fact that this stories survived the centres remaining virtually untouched by the classic and afterward Christian European culture. 3y
48 likes2 stack adds2 comments
blurb
JazzFeathers
The Story of Kullervo | J.R.R. Tolkien
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#FellowshipOfTolkien #Kullervo

This is definitely the part that most resembles Turin's story and where Kullervo finally shows some feeling.

It's a surprisingly brutal story, told in a very difficult prose, but l liked discovering the many connections with Tolkien's later work, some of which are very subtle.

Daisey It is incredibly brutal, but Tolkien still makes me feel for this character. I think that‘s one of the things in the final essay that most resonated with me. He took a very difficult character and helps the reader to feel for him by building background and reasoning for those cruel actions. In a way this also reminds me of how much I appreciate the complexity of Feanor‘s character although he makes some very bad choices. 3y
JazzFeathers @Daisey Yes, l too see the origin of so many 'difficult characters' in Tolkien stories. His fascination with Kullervo must have influenced his later preference for this kind of character. 3y
18 likes2 comments
blurb
JazzFeathers
The Story of Kullervo | J.R.R. Tolkien
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#FellowshipOfTolkien #Kullervo

Well, l must admit l didn't expect this kind of violence. I can recognise some of the elements of what will be Turin's story, especially from his homecoming to Dor-Lomin, but here really there is a blind fury at work.

I'm really curious to learn what it was that talked to Tolkien so deeply in this story, and l hope it will be addressed in the essay.

22 likes1 stack add
blurb
JazzFeathers
The Story of Kullervo | J.R.R. Tolkien
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#FellowshipOfTolkien #Kullervo

Kullervo is really a difficult character. One could wonder whether he has any redeeming qualities. But then, Tolkien write of many difficult characters. I wonder if this preference of him came from this story.

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Riveted_Reader_Melissa
The Story of Kullervo | J. R. R. Tolkien
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Wow, he really disliked Longfellow and Hiawatha, again so funny since he borrowed so heavily from this story himself for The Silmarillion. 😂

#FellowshipOfTolkien
#Kullervo

JazzFeathers I haven't come to this part yet, but from this section, l wonder whether he was criticising the cultural appropriation, since one cultural heritage was grabbed and reworked and then passed for another cultural heritage. Certainly Tolkien took inspirations from many different cultural stories, but he never passed them for something else. He made them his and created something new with them. 3y
Daisey I had to go read a section of Hiawatha when I got to this part, and I am somewhat curious to read the article by John Garth that is mentioned. 3y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Daisey I was thinking I need to go read/re-read Hiawatha 😂 3y
36 likes3 comments
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Riveted_Reader_Melissa
The Story of Kullervo | J. R. R. Tolkien
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Wow… Tellervo to Tinúviel (Lúthien)… that seems so close after reading that description ?

Mielikki to Melian (except in his mythology, she‘s the one who is partially a god/spirit/Maiar)

And Tapio to Thingol/Tinwelint

… maybe

….it just seems kind of convenient that those names all start similarly ?

#FellowshipOfTolkien
#Kullervo

JazzFeathers 😍 3y
30 likes1 comment