I loved Tolkien from the first reading (40+ years ago) and continue to this day. As you point out, Wales is perfect for the West of Middle Earth. Having been to South Wales in my early 20s I always considered it to be, at least in some ways, a model for middle earth (I thought of Swansea and Glamorgan area as kind of "The Grey Havens" but I suppose that is simply because that's where I was. Until today, I never realized just how similar the coastline is to Eriador, though! Thank you for this wonderful post.
Tolkien, Lewis, Chesterton might be more important now than ever.
There's no such thing as 'Western Civilization' but there are Western Civilizations, to put it in the singular tense is to my mind weave a 'spell' genociding all the nations and cultures of Europe of their individual beauty, achievements, peoples and being so that this is the only criticism I'll offer this otherwise brilliant essay. Well done good sir really like this one.
Very true on your part, I really do love how you described things and the natures of we Occidentals, hahahaha. I also appreciate the jibe about being fractious and cantankerous and argumentative, though I’ve started to think that the Spanish, the Germans, and even the Scandinavians are agreeable people (in my experience). It is quite interesting and yet they are also highly tribal and dislike being grouped in together.
It is why I believe that unions like that of the European Union are doomed to fail at every turn. To group so many different tribes, ethnicities and tongues together is impossible and is perhaps best not done.
We all have our own beauty, our individual contribution to make to God’s holy Symphony rather like the Musique des Ainurs. So that your comment in response to mine is to my mind as lovely and amazing as your essay X)
Apologies for being so cantankerous, I blame the Celtique Fire-Blood and cheerful French need to debate and be as contrarian as possible ;) they are a terrible combo hahahaha.
Good idea, maybe working it on a ethnical or cultural level; a Pan-Celtic Confederation including France, Scotland & Ireland, all while the Danube lands get one, then one for Yugoslavian territories, the Baltic lands, and Scandinavia and so on.
Each one with their smaller Confederations rather than an EU type of organization. Thoughts?
It is possible to have a multicultural society in which the various cultures retain their independent identities. But admittedly, it isn't an easy thing to do. It takes a general willingness to agree on rules to keep the society running while at the same time recognizing the value derived from preservation of individual cultures.
Good point but there must be a compact or similarity between them. Technically China for example is multi-cultural and multi-ethnic, however there is a similarity between the people same goes for Russia, or even Poland-Lithuania, or the ancient Roman Empire.
That said, I’m not sure I buy into multiculturalism at this point, so going to have to politely disagree to an extent. Gives me no satisfaction or joy to say this though. I think though that the best unifying factors we can find is our shared humanity, or shared faith.
The US for example did a great job uniting Europeans with Africans & Natives, it wasn’t a perfect combo, same with Canada yet somehow it worked for nearly 200 years or so.
Many different cultural backgrounds came here. However, those cultures assimilated.
Over time the result was many influences, and the Culture of the U.S. evolved, though that evolution was not a replacement of the existing culture, it was built upon the existing culture, in accord with the existing values upon which the American culture had been based.
The key point, Assimilation first.
The current multiculturalism is about division and power struggles.
As an American, I embrace anyone from anywhere that wants to become an American.
I resent anyone that comes and insists America becomes the culture they left.
That is conquest, not immigration.
Were I to Immigrate to Italy, it would be because I wanted to live in the Culture, of Italy, I would learn Italian, Embrace Italian culture, work to Assimilate into Italian society.
Any other way of behaving is to my mind, an invasion, an attempt at conquest.
Better wording of what I meant, I like your explanation better. I must admit to having a preference for my native French culture, hahahaha. But whenever one wants to experience Italian culture one can simply have an argument in the morning as the purest form their culture takes is to argue with one another (I’m joking here).
Great material on Tolkien's influences! People are becoming more aware of some of the earlier cultures that influenced Tolkien, but people seeing Tolkien's elven language will most likely think of Norse runes rather than the Welsh alphabet or even Anglo-Saxon runes because the first named has been publicized more and because elves and dwarves are derived partly from the Norse alfar and duergar. It's important to be reminded that Tolkien drew from more varied sources.
I loved Tolkien from the first reading (40+ years ago) and continue to this day. As you point out, Wales is perfect for the West of Middle Earth. Having been to South Wales in my early 20s I always considered it to be, at least in some ways, a model for middle earth (I thought of Swansea and Glamorgan area as kind of "The Grey Havens" but I suppose that is simply because that's where I was. Until today, I never realized just how similar the coastline is to Eriador, though! Thank you for this wonderful post.
Tolkien, Lewis, Chesterton might be more important now than ever.
Really. Dangerous? How the world has fallen. Great post!
There's no such thing as 'Western Civilization' but there are Western Civilizations, to put it in the singular tense is to my mind weave a 'spell' genociding all the nations and cultures of Europe of their individual beauty, achievements, peoples and being so that this is the only criticism I'll offer this otherwise brilliant essay. Well done good sir really like this one.
You raise a solid point.
The thing about Occidental cultures ( rather than western civilization) is that, we are inherently a tribal people.
The idea of nationalities is a relatively new one.
Rome itself became less Roman, and more Pan-European over time.
Everything since has been essentially power struggles between various tribal cliques.
There is not a single European nation, or Western, ie, the Americas, Australia, New Zealand, that are a mono culture.
We are a conglomeration of Tribal peoples.
We are a fractious, cantankerous, argumentative group.
Very true on your part, I really do love how you described things and the natures of we Occidentals, hahahaha. I also appreciate the jibe about being fractious and cantankerous and argumentative, though I’ve started to think that the Spanish, the Germans, and even the Scandinavians are agreeable people (in my experience). It is quite interesting and yet they are also highly tribal and dislike being grouped in together.
It is why I believe that unions like that of the European Union are doomed to fail at every turn. To group so many different tribes, ethnicities and tongues together is impossible and is perhaps best not done.
We all have our own beauty, our individual contribution to make to God’s holy Symphony rather like the Musique des Ainurs. So that your comment in response to mine is to my mind as lovely and amazing as your essay X)
Apologies for being so cantankerous, I blame the Celtique Fire-Blood and cheerful French need to debate and be as contrarian as possible ;) they are a terrible combo hahahaha.
I am guilty of Celtic foibles myself.
If I may be so bold.
A voluntary federal union of Occidental people, is in my opinion unworkable.
As have Imperial systems shown themselves to be.
A Constitutional Confederation,
May be workable.
Confederate as opposed to federated, because in a Confederation, there is less centralized power and authority.
Good idea, maybe working it on a ethnical or cultural level; a Pan-Celtic Confederation including France, Scotland & Ireland, all while the Danube lands get one, then one for Yugoslavian territories, the Baltic lands, and Scandinavia and so on.
Each one with their smaller Confederations rather than an EU type of organization. Thoughts?
Pretty much my idea.
Divisions based upon culture and language.
Everything from village up to city, independent confederates.
Ahhh,
The dreams of a minarchist.
Same dream as my own, I also think that people could find jobs and make families more easily back in the day. Nowadays it seems pretty impossible.
It is possible to have a multicultural society in which the various cultures retain their independent identities. But admittedly, it isn't an easy thing to do. It takes a general willingness to agree on rules to keep the society running while at the same time recognizing the value derived from preservation of individual cultures.
Good point but there must be a compact or similarity between them. Technically China for example is multi-cultural and multi-ethnic, however there is a similarity between the people same goes for Russia, or even Poland-Lithuania, or the ancient Roman Empire.
That said, I’m not sure I buy into multiculturalism at this point, so going to have to politely disagree to an extent. Gives me no satisfaction or joy to say this though. I think though that the best unifying factors we can find is our shared humanity, or shared faith.
The US for example did a great job uniting Europeans with Africans & Natives, it wasn’t a perfect combo, same with Canada yet somehow it worked for nearly 200 years or so.
The thing with the U.S. is,
Many different cultural backgrounds came here. However, those cultures assimilated.
Over time the result was many influences, and the Culture of the U.S. evolved, though that evolution was not a replacement of the existing culture, it was built upon the existing culture, in accord with the existing values upon which the American culture had been based.
The key point, Assimilation first.
The current multiculturalism is about division and power struggles.
As an American, I embrace anyone from anywhere that wants to become an American.
I resent anyone that comes and insists America becomes the culture they left.
That is conquest, not immigration.
Were I to Immigrate to Italy, it would be because I wanted to live in the Culture, of Italy, I would learn Italian, Embrace Italian culture, work to Assimilate into Italian society.
Any other way of behaving is to my mind, an invasion, an attempt at conquest.
Better wording of what I meant, I like your explanation better. I must admit to having a preference for my native French culture, hahahaha. But whenever one wants to experience Italian culture one can simply have an argument in the morning as the purest form their culture takes is to argue with one another (I’m joking here).
Great material on Tolkien's influences! People are becoming more aware of some of the earlier cultures that influenced Tolkien, but people seeing Tolkien's elven language will most likely think of Norse runes rather than the Welsh alphabet or even Anglo-Saxon runes because the first named has been publicized more and because elves and dwarves are derived partly from the Norse alfar and duergar. It's important to be reminded that Tolkien drew from more varied sources.