Tolkien Gleanings #404
* Dimitra Fimi considers “Gandalf’s fireworks”, and specifically their terminology (“squibs, crackers, backarappers, sparklers, torches, dwarf-candles, elf-fountains, goblin-barkers and thunderclaps”) in historical context. (Substack, but free).
* The University of Iowa’s latest Iowa Magazine has a new faculty profile article, “Iowa Professor Explores J.R.R. Tolkien’s Influence on ’60s Counterculture”. Who knew that Stuart Hall studied under Tolkien?
“Sparked by this previously overlooked connection between two cultural giants [Hall and Tolkien], Lavezzo embarked on an academic adventure exploring Tolkien’s influence on 1960s counterculture — a topic Hall first touched on in his 1968 essay, “The Hippies: An American ‘Moment.’” Lavezzo’s research project has taken her around the world to interview sources, inspired an upcoming book titled ‘Hobbits and Hippies: Fantasy and the Long Sixties’. [Though this is] a book still in the research stage”.
* An article I missed noting, in the latest Mythlore, “Tolkien’s Thomist Triad: A High Medieval Response to Contemporary Jus Ad Bellum”. Freely available online. You wouldn’t know it from the title — unless you can read Latin — but this turns out to be about the timely matter of what justifies war. The essay outlines ‘just war theory’ from the…
“early medieval to early modern eras and compares its principles [to those found in Tolkien’s Middle-earth …] I conclude that Tolkien’s fictional works permit broader justifications for war than do most modern just war theorists.”
* Tolkien Medieval and Modern considers “Lost Identity and Found Myth in The Lost Road”.
* Just released in English, the short book Finnish Mythology: Introduction to Myths, Gods and Legends (2026).
* And finally, learn The Language of the Dwarves: A Beginner Course. Starts 24th May 2026…
“This is a fully structured course of nine lessons, designed to guide you from the very foundations of the language to practical use. It includes detailed documents, audio segments, and a wide range of exercises, with the option to receive personal feedback along the way.”