Mythopoeia indeed - from the Greek verb ποιέω (poieó) : to (a) make, manufacture, construct, (b) to do, act, cause to happen. I suggest one author who adopted your suggested approach is Stephen Lawhead, especially The Song of Albion trilogy, and most recently The Eirlandia trilogy. He also did well with other works such as in the historical fiction genre like The Pendragon series and the Celtic Crusades.
As an aspiring fantasy author, I am happy to see someone recognize the consequences of this remarkable Tolkien aversion. John Ronald Reuel was not merely a classic writer to pay lip service to and then ignore. He is the Snorri Sturluson of the modern era. Fantasy writers dismiss him at their own peril.
I've been rereading Beowulf, and the introduction of my copy has a note about an old Anglo-Saxon myth known as The Bear's Son. I was struck very suddenly that Tolkien had used it as inspiration for Beorn, who was my favorite character from The Hobbit as a child. I had known that Tolkien was well-read in European myth, but I have underestimated the depth of his knowledge.
Also, to your point about language, it's amazing the difference that a translator makes. Charles Kennedy has a much stronger command of language than whoever I read in high school. It makes a dramatic difference in the experience of reading, to the point that I started reading it aloud to myself.
Mythopoeia indeed - from the Greek verb ποιέω (poieó) : to (a) make, manufacture, construct, (b) to do, act, cause to happen. I suggest one author who adopted your suggested approach is Stephen Lawhead, especially The Song of Albion trilogy, and most recently The Eirlandia trilogy. He also did well with other works such as in the historical fiction genre like The Pendragon series and the Celtic Crusades.
As an aspiring fantasy author, I am happy to see someone recognize the consequences of this remarkable Tolkien aversion. John Ronald Reuel was not merely a classic writer to pay lip service to and then ignore. He is the Snorri Sturluson of the modern era. Fantasy writers dismiss him at their own peril.
I've been rereading Beowulf, and the introduction of my copy has a note about an old Anglo-Saxon myth known as The Bear's Son. I was struck very suddenly that Tolkien had used it as inspiration for Beorn, who was my favorite character from The Hobbit as a child. I had known that Tolkien was well-read in European myth, but I have underestimated the depth of his knowledge.
Also, to your point about language, it's amazing the difference that a translator makes. Charles Kennedy has a much stronger command of language than whoever I read in high school. It makes a dramatic difference in the experience of reading, to the point that I started reading it aloud to myself.