> Tolkien sets out from the get-go to create his
> own world. It has bases, of course, in the myths, legends, and
> languages of our world, but it is more of a total fabrication from
> the inception onward.
Howard has Giant-kings, Immortals, wizardry, reincarnation, all manner of "real"
demons and gods, a
pre-history with unbelievable monsters, serpent-men, etc. It sounds as fabricated and
"out there"
(if not more so) than Tolkien's Elves, Dwarves, Trolls, etc.
And Tolkien is less fabricated in many ways than you are giving him credit for.
Tolkien took a
Great Flood from history just as Howard did, Tolkien used "Atlantis" just as Howard
did, calling it
in Elvish (among other names) "Atalante". Tolkien's Tol Eressa (the haven of the
gods) was actually
called "Avallon" in at least one of his languages (see "The Drowning of Anadune").
That to me
sounds more Arthurian than any name Howard cribbed! And these are just the most
incredibly obvious
examples, there are so many more.
I just think the two worlds are far more similar than they are being given credit for.
Neither
seems more "real" or "invented" than the other, except that Tolkien plagiarized his
historical names
from more obscure sources, and covered his tracks with more ingenious linguistics.
But they both
rob history with equal fervor, and thank Crom (or Melkor) for it!
Leo
