14 yrs and up, $185 - Prerequisite: Must have read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Sojourn through the ages, reading Greek and Norse mythology and Christian tales. Each class will take time to discuss Tolkien’s works in light of the bigger, weekly discussions. The reading list includes titles that influenced J.R.R. Tolkien and his writings, and students can begin to glimpse the great wealth of inspiration that inspired the timeless characters of Tolkien's work. While some readings may be challenging, they serve as a great reminder of the early legends and stories that continue to shape our culture and persistently fascinate the imagination.
To Buy:
- The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
All other readings are provided in an online format below, although students may wish to obtain hard copies of the works by Padraic Colum and George MacDonald.
Each book will be split into two readings. Each class will be split into two parts: in the first part we discuss the reading itself; in the second part we discuss the reading in light of Tolkien, how it influenced him, etc.
Week 1: The Golden Fleece by Padraic Colum, Part 1
Week 2: The Golden Fleece, Part 2
Week 3: Old Norse Poetry*
- Poetic Edda: The Voluspo
- Poetic Edda: The Skirnismol
- Poetic Edda: The Alvissmol
- The Prologue to the Prose Edda
- Tolkien's partial translation of the Voluspa as "The Prophecy of the Sybil"
Week 4: The Children of Odin by Padraic Colum, Part 1: all and Part 2: Ch. 1 - 7 (“Far Away and Long Ago” to “Aegir’s Feast: How Thor Triumphed”)
Week 5: The Children of Odin, Part 2: Ch. 8 and all of Parts 3 & 4 (“The Dwarf’s Hoard, and the Curse that It Brought” to “The Twilight of the Gods”)
Week 6: Old English Poetry
- The Exeter Book Riddles, Riddles 1-14
- The Battle of Maldon
- The Dream of Rood
- The Wanderer
- The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorthelm's Son (a dialogue between two of the characters from The Battle of Maldon)
Week 7: Beowulf, Chapters 1-21
Week 8: Beowulf, Chapters 22-end
Week 9: The Nibelungenlied, “The First Adventure” to “The Nineteenth Adventure”
Week 10: The Nibelungenlied, “The Twentieth Adventure” to “The Thirty-Ninth Adventure”
Week 11: Phantastes by George MacDonald, Chapters 1-12
Week 12: Phantastes, Chapters 13-end
Week 13: The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis, Chapters 1-8
Week 14: The Last Battle, Chapters 9-end
*Disclaimer: the websites linked to are not controlled by WISDOM and may have questionable content and/or advertisements on other pages than those linked to.