A new series on world mythologies has been airing in the USA History Channel since late August 2009. The series started with Classical Greek Myths (Zeus, Medusa, Hercules, and others) and the next few episodes are now going to focus…
Hobbit Songs and Rhymes: The Folklore of Middle-earth
I was recently asked by lotrplaza.com to contribute an article to their new Scholars Forum on a Tolkien-related topic. My recently published book Tolkien, and Cultural History: From Fairies to Hobbits includes an important part on Tolkien’s knowledge of folklore…
Do you know your classics?
This morning the Poet Laureate, Andrew Motion, told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme that it is becoming increasingly difficult to teach English Literature because students do not know the Bible or classical mythology. Having encountered very similar problems when teaching…
New Tolkien Book: The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún
After a long and pretty nasty illness, I am back online to report – somewhat belatedly – some really exciting news! A new Tolkien book is scheduled to be released in May 2009. HarperCollins will publish Tolkien’s retelling of the…
New “Choices” just published
The Centre for Lifelong Learning at Cardiff University has just launched its Spring/Summer 2009 programme of part-time courses for undergraduates and adult learners in the new Choices prospectus. The new Spring/Summer 2009 programme kicks off the New Year with almost…
Old Norse Made New
A collection of essays entitled Old Norse Made New: Essays on the Post-Medieval Reception of Old Norse Literature and Culture, edited by David Clark and Carl Phelpstead, has been published by the Viking Society for Northern Research. The essays investigate…