Tolkien Origins: The Story of Kullervo

Tolkien wrote The Story of Kullervo early in his life after discovering the Finnish epic, The Kalevala. Many Tolkien fans will know that he always lamented the absence, in England, of really great myths. For his home, he yearned for its own Odyssey, or Illiad. This inspired the much adored The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion. First, however, it caused him to write his own version of the story of a particular character in The Kalevala, Kullervo.

Kullervo is a tragic hero with multiple flaws. He follows the arc of other, familiar, tragic heroes, except Kullervo never claims any real redemption. At least Odysseus returned and freed his household in the end. As in the Finnish original, Tolkien’s tale offers no such redemption. It is a steady march downward–a tragedy in the truest sense. 

The archaic language Tolkien employs in Kullervo will make some details difficult to discover. With this in mind, and for the curious scholar, the editor, Verlyn Flieger, has provided copious notes after the story. Also included are two versions of an essay Tolkien wrote on The Kalevala and another essay by Flieger titled, “Tolkien, Kalevala, and ‘The Story of Kullervo.’” This book will fascinate the Tolkien enthusiast and the scholar alike. Every page holds greater insight into Tolkien’s writing and his love for myth. Those who have only read his more popular writings may be less delighted at this volumes contents. While The Story of Kullervo is connected to Middle Earth (Kullervo inspired later characters and events.), it will only disappoint those who seek more Aragorn and Bilbo.

Verlyn Flieger has made available a valuable work in the Tolkien canon. It offers greater understanding into the development of Tolkien’s writing. As a Tolkien scholar herself, she has offered her own valuable insights on Tolkien and Kullervo. If you are interested in Tolkien as a writer and wish to understand his development as the creator of Middle Earth, this book is a must-read.

Who is Santiago?

I finally read The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. After hearing mostly negative reviews, it took a class assignment to get me to pick it up. My conclusion? I need to read more Hemingway.

In case you haven’t read the book, it follows an aged fisherman named Santiago who has hit a bad streak. After a life of successful fishing, he’s hit what many believe to be his final slump. Strangely enough, this seems to distress the other fishermen a lot more than it does Santiago. He goes out farther than usual and catches a fish. There. That’s the setup. That really isn’t the story. The story is what happens when he gets the fish.

Santiago finds that he has hooked a massive animal and it takes everything he has to finally bring it in. The vivid descriptions of his epic struggle with the fish show his expertise, his love of fishing, and his respect for the magnificent fish he has caught. When sharks rob him of his catch, he diligently defends it. When he lands his boat, he has nothing left from his long trip. A massive skeleton hangs lashed to the side of his boat. Again, the people who are most upset by this apparent failure are the onlookers. The old man has broken his bad streak and he goes to bed knowing he’ll catch more the next day.

There is so much texture in this book. It’s a lot like the film The Perfect Storm in that both show the rough and ragged life of the fisherman. Both feature captains out to redeem themselves. Both succeed in hauling in a huge catch, but eventually fail to bring it home. But that’s not my favorite part.

The Old Man and the Sea reveals a man with a tough job that he loves. Throughout the entire story, Hemingway shows us again and again how dedicated to quality Santiago is. He hangs his hooks at very precise depths and then carefully monitors them. He preservers. By the end, his hands are brutally cut up and he’s fought with the fish for a long time and then tore his boat apart to fight the sharks. That’s what I admire about Santiago–his love for doing his job the best he can.

Reading this book is like listening to one of Jeffrey Tucker’s enthusiastic speeches on the people of commerce. He celebrates the employees of McDonalds and Walmart at a time when most conversations about such people are filled with derision. His admiration goes to those who are anxious to serve and do their jobs the best they can. The man is nothing less than the cheerleader for the whole market economy. If you feel like your job doesn’t matter, listen to him and you’ll feel great (unless you work for government in which case you will realize you should quit immediately and apply at McDonalds)!

I believe that Santiago and Jeffrey Tucker would have gotten along great. Mr. Tucker would have admired his devotion to his craft and Santiago would have appreciated the encouragement.

Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea is one of the most encouraging works of literature I’ve read. Read it! Then think about how you can be a little more like Santiago.

(By the way, here’s an extra treat! Listen to Jeffrey Tucker talk about how wonderful productive work is!)

Antigone and the Higher Law

I read Antigone for the first time, today. For those of you who are unaware, Antigone is one of Oedipus’ daughters. Her brother is banished and returns with an army to seek revenge against the city. His brother defends the city and both brothers die in battle. Their uncle, Creon, becomes king and declares that no one is allowed to bury the brother who was banished. Apparently, this is not only unpleasant for any living person with a nose, but it traps his spirit in limbo. This makes Antigone irate and she spreads dirt over her brother and performs sacred rites over his body to release his spirit. Her actions enrage the king who tries to starve her to death as her penalty. The somewhat less important, and completely unsurprising, part is that a lot of people die including the king’s son and wife. Duh. Didn’t the king know he was in a Greek tragedy? You have to tread lightly when Sophocles is writing your life.

The point is, this play, aside from being superbly written,  has some great themes! One that libertarians will appreciate is Antigone’s “Don’t tell me what to do!” attitude. Regardless of the law, she follows her conscience, willing to pay the ultimate price. So we have civil disobedience.

Another important theme is Antigone’s dedication to a higher law. She didn’t sprinkle dirt on her brother to make her uncle mad. She did it because her religion and her moral compass indicated that this was the right thing to do. For us, this higher law can be our conscience, our religion, or in a political sense, the Constitution.

Antigone’s story causes readers to ask themselves what they would do in such a position. When faced with a choice between personal beliefs and the law, which will we choose to honor. Much like Thoreau’s essay on civil disobedience (He spent time in jail rather than pay a tax that would support governmental action with which he disagreed.), Antigone calls to those who talk about freedom and ask why they have not chosen to be free. You can make your own decision about the practicality of Antigone and Thoreau’s brands of civil disobedience. You have to choose your battles. The point is that these writings cause us to think. They force us to evaluate ourselves. This is one of the most important purposes of literature, today.