Day Nineteen: Tolkien the Plagiarist?

J.R.R. Tolkien was once a professor of Anglo-Saxon studies at Oxford universities, so it makes sense that most of his stories have something or other to do with Anglo-Saxon (Norse) mythology. A few things that I noticed specifically:
He used many of the dwarf names from Edda in The Hobbit
Gandalf was the name of one dwarf (I guess he thought it sounded more like a wizard's name?)
He wrote several languages to use in The Lord of the Rings, but they all have a distinct Saxon sound to them

But was he a plagiarist?

I don't think so. While names of things like "Gandalf" and "Middle-Earth" were sort of taken, and of course the general ideas of a world of elves and dwarves sound remarkably like Edda, the actual plot is different. There is no Thor, no Midgard serpents. Beyond that, there are no hobbits in Edda! As well as no ents, no Mordor, no Sauron. So he had to come up with the actual story himself, and maybe just borrowed some of the setting.

Thoughts?

Day Eighteen: Mysterious Mistletoe

As was mentioned today in class, mistletoe was Bragi's weakness, the plant that was "too young" to be asked not to harm him. (Maybe mistletoe came to Norway later than most plants?) So why is mistletoe associated with Christmas and kissing?

According to the internet, there are two types of mistletoe: Viscum album from Europe, which is what would have killed Bragi, and Phoradendron flavescens, native to North America and used for Christmas traditions.

Viscus Album

Phoradendron Flavescens

In Europe, mistletoe was highly regarded for centuries for mystical powers. It was believed to bring fertility, protection against poison, and serve as an aphrodisiac. It was sometimes used in ceremonies involving the sacrifice of two white bulls to renew the king and his consort, so it was probably also considered a symbol of the goddess.

Meanwhile, in Greece, mistletoe was used in the festival Saturnalia and primitive marriage rites, and it became a symbol of peace. Because of this, people would meet under mistletoe with their enemies and shake hands or warring spouses would kiss under it to end conflict. The tradition of kissing under mistletoe at Christmas allegedly began in England in the eighteenth century, and anyone who remained under mistletoe without being kissed could not expect to marry in the next year.

Day Seventeen: Musical Bricolage

According to the great god Wiki, "bricolage" comes from the French verb "bricoler" (brick-oh-lay), which means   "to fiddle" or "to tinker." Originally, I was going to talk about someone in society who might be seen as a bricoleur, but then I found something much more interesting--musical bricolage.

Musical or instrumental bricolage means using non-musical objects to improvise music. Hermes making the tortoise into a lyre would be one example, and a few other interesting ones are:

Spoons

Wax paper comb

"Stomp," which is a performing art that involves dancing and creating music with common household things like brooms, garbage cans and pots.



Comments
Now the real question is, does this make any of them tricksters, and how are you a bricoleur?