unicorns?

rainbow · 10-16-2002, 04:03 PM

y arent there unicorns in lotr?

they wld b a perfect character-wise mysterious etc etc

was tolkien being lazy????

sun-star · 10-16-2002, 04:08 PM

Quote:

was tolkien being lazy????

That's probably about the one thing you can't accuse Tolkien of being

Radagast The Brown · 10-16-2002, 04:15 PM

Maybe Tolkien didn't wanted unicons in his books? I can;'t blmae him about that, I don't like unicorns either. And I don't think he was lazy, too.

***Earniel*** · 10-16-2002, 05:02 PM

I guess for the same reason that there aren't any:
chimaeras
griffons
minotaurs
mermaids
selkies
pegasus (Is there actually a plural for this?)
manticores
roks
...
in LOTR.

Tar-Elendil · 10-16-2002, 06:12 PM

maybe it would take away the gloss of shadowfax?

Treebeard's apprentice · 10-16-2002, 08:33 PM

Quote:

pegasus (Is there actually a plural for this?)

I think it would be pegasi. Right? Or wasn't there supposed to be just one Pegasus?

Anyway, it wouldn't be as much fun and creative with a mythical creature from 'real' earth.

webwizard333 · 10-16-2002, 10:00 PM

Though unicorns in LotR would be interesting, LotR always struck me as a type of story in which there is less of a fantastic element, and more of a realistic or "grounded" feel. Hmmm, that doesn't say it right, but it's the closest I can think of to verbalizing it. I'll get back to this when I think of a better way to say it.

Sminty_Smeagol · 10-16-2002, 10:30 PM

well said webwizard. Middle-earth was more of a "history" than a fantasy, and didn't contain any of the obviously fantastical elements... for one thing, the magick is much more subtle and deeper than the magic in many of books with fantastical elements.

Ñólendil · 10-16-2002, 11:52 PM

"And the wayfarer, his words shall be forever lost on the mossy stones."

Quoth the learner.

UnStashable · 10-17-2002, 04:37 PM

There may be but they would all be in Valinor. never brought over to middle earth.

Fred Baggins · 10-17-2002, 07:12 PM

As much as I love unicorns, I agree that it would kill the story to have them in LOTR. Unicorns are TOO fanciful.

Tar-Elendil · 10-17-2002, 09:04 PM

as webwizard said.. it does have some realistic feel. to me that is what possibly makes it seem more like a fantasy..

yea..i know..that didnt make sense

Linarryl · 10-19-2002, 08:57 AM

TOLKIEN WAS NOT LAZY!!

I don't think unicorn would fit anywhere in the book.
Besides Tolkien probably wanted something new! Because too many fantasy books have unicorns!

Ñólendil · 10-19-2002, 04:52 PM

Whoops. My earlier post was supposed to be in the Fastasy or Reality thread.

Sailor Saiya-Elf · 10-20-2002, 11:40 PM

I agree with the whole 'unicorns spoiling the story'. Maybe Tolkien didn't include them because they are more fairytale like things rather than the sort of 'real' feeling he was trying to create. By farytale like I kind of mean the whole damsal in destress and the dashing price who comes to rescue her sort of thing.

Renille · 10-21-2002, 05:48 PM

Okays...what would unicorns DO in LOtR, anyway??? Except maybe for each one of the Fellowship as a parody of the Nazgul's black horses. That would make sense. But I think that, while Lord of the Rings is very fanciful, it's also written as a parallel to our world. Unicorns wouldn't fit, because they don't really fit in our world. Dwarves, elves and hobbits are imaginable as humans. Maybe Tolkien didn't look into horses quite as deeply as he did our race.

Sailor Saiya-Elf · 12-04-2002, 08:33 PM

Maybe the unicorns could do the whole 'drink my blood for eternal life' thing from HP. Or they could have one sitting in on the council in Rivendell...

Elfhelm · 12-04-2002, 09:05 PM

Tolkien was creating a mythology for England because he felt they didn't have one. Germany had all their Teutonic myths, Greece had Homer, Rome had Virgil. England is made up of people from all over Europe and it had fragments of each of theirs in the folk tales of the countryside. So he mixed some Old English epic poetry (to make the Rohirrim) with folk tales (to make the elves) and turned the "little people" into the more dignified hobbits. I believe unicorns are eastern and middle eastern in origin and thus do not enter into a mythology of England.

WallRocker · 12-04-2002, 09:31 PM

Quote:

~posted by webwizard333~ LotR always struck me as a type of story in which there is less of a fantastic element, and more of a realistic or "grounded" feel.

I'd have to agree with webwizard. also, C.S. Lewis, who was a friend of Tolkiens, had Unicorns in has book "The last Battle". Maybe Tolkien was trying to not compete with Lewis.

Firekitten2006 · 12-05-2002, 07:09 PM

There was only one pegasus

I used to know the story, but all i remember is someone put the golden (or was is silver?) bridle on him and they could ride him. I think he was Athena's horse.

And Unicorns would just be too much

although I do like them, they would just make it tooooo fatasy, fairy tale.

10-16-2002, 04:03 PM	#1
rainbow Enting Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: in my head Posts: 61	unicorns? y arent there unicorns in lotr? they wld b a perfect character-wise mysterious etc etc was tolkien being lazy???? __________________ smile & be happy (frodo lives) BANANERISM RULES!!!!! the spotty dog chases its tail till all its spots fall off!

10-16-2002, 04:15 PM	#3
Radagast The Brown Elf Lord Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Israel Posts: 6,975	Maybe Tolkien didn't wanted unicons in his books? I can;'t blmae him about that, I don't like unicorns either. And I don't think he was lazy, too. __________________ Lalala... poof! AboutNewJersey.com - New Jersey Travel and Tourism Guide

10-16-2002, 05:02 PM	#4
*Earniel* The Chocoholic Sea Elf Administrator Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: N?n in Eilph (Belgium) Posts: 14,363	I guess for the same reason that there aren't any: chimaeras griffons minotaurs mermaids selkies pegasus (Is there actually a plural for this?) manticores roks ... in LOTR. __________________ We are not things.

10-16-2002, 06:12 PM	#5
Tar-Elendil Númenorean Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Louisiana Posts: 1,050	maybe it would take away the gloss of shadowfax? __________________ Why can we not be sober..

10-16-2002, 10:00 PM	#7
webwizard333 Elf Lord Join Date: May 2001 Location: myob Posts: 587	Though unicorns in LotR would be interesting, LotR always struck me as a type of story in which there is less of a fantastic element, and more of a realistic or "grounded" feel. Hmmm, that doesn't say it right, but it's the closest I can think of to verbalizing it. I'll get back to this when I think of a better way to say it. __________________ Boo!

10-16-2002, 10:30 PM	#8
Sminty_Smeagol Manic Cardboard-Box Dweller Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: In a house Posts: 1,071	well said webwizard. Middle-earth was more of a "history" than a fantasy, and didn't contain any of the obviously fantastical elements... for one thing, the magick is much more subtle and deeper than the magic in many of books with fantastical elements.

10-16-2002, 11:52 PM	#9
Ñólendil Elf Lord Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: California Posts: 60,865	"And the wayfarer, his words shall be forever lost on the mossy stones." Quoth the learner. __________________ Falmon -- Dylan Last edited by Ñólendil : 10-16-2002 at 11:53 PM.

10-17-2002, 04:37 PM	#10
UnStashable Enting Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 52	There may be but they would all be in Valinor. never brought over to middle earth. __________________ This elevator only goes to the basement, and sombody made an awful mess down there

10-17-2002, 07:12 PM	#11
Fred Baggins Belladona Gamgee of the night sky Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: second star to the right and straight on till morning. Posts: 1,783	As much as I love unicorns, I agree that it would kill the story to have them in LOTR. Unicorns are TOO fanciful. __________________ Emperor Cusco: Lemme guess. We're about to go down a huge water-fall. Pacha:Yep. Cusco: Sharp rocks at the bottum? Pacha:Most likely. Cusco:Bring it on. ~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~` Yes, I'm female. Fred Baggins is my NICKNAME! ~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~` "The reason of the unreasonable treatment of my reason so enfeebles my reason, that with reason I complain of your beauty."~Don Quixote ~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~` "Once upon a time there was a magical land where it never rained. The End."~from the movie 'Holes' ~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~` ()_))_Crayola_))_>

10-17-2002, 09:04 PM	#12
Tar-Elendil Númenorean Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Louisiana Posts: 1,050	as webwizard said.. it does have some realistic feel. to me that is what possibly makes it seem more like a fantasy.. yea..i know..that didnt make sense __________________ Why can we not be sober..

10-19-2002, 08:57 AM	#13
Linarryl Elven Warrior Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 160	TOLKIEN WAS NOT LAZY!! I don't think unicorn would fit anywhere in the book. Besides Tolkien probably wanted something new! Because too many fantasy books have unicorns!

10-19-2002, 04:52 PM	#14
Ñólendil Elf Lord Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: California Posts: 60,865	Whoops. My earlier post was supposed to be in the Fastasy or Reality thread. __________________ Falmon -- Dylan

10-20-2002, 11:40 PM	#15
Sailor Saiya-Elf Hobbit Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: the dark corners of the computer lab. Posts: 18	I agree with the whole 'unicorns spoiling the story'. Maybe Tolkien didn't include them because they are more fairytale like things rather than the sort of 'real' feeling he was trying to create. By farytale like I kind of mean the whole damsal in destress and the dashing price who comes to rescue her sort of thing. __________________ Never underestimate Tolkien fans bearing impliments of destruction.

10-21-2002, 05:48 PM	#16
Renille Elven Lady of Speed-posting Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the cheese state Posts: 988	Okays...what would unicorns DO in LOtR, anyway??? Except maybe for each one of the Fellowship as a parody of the Nazgul's black horses. That would make sense. But I think that, while Lord of the Rings is very fanciful, it's also written as a parallel to our world. Unicorns wouldn't fit, because they don't really fit in our world. Dwarves, elves and hobbits are imaginable as humans. Maybe Tolkien didn't look into horses quite as deeply as he did our race. __________________ Oh the thinks you can think! Think and wonder and dream...far and wide as you dare! When your thinks have run dry, in the blink of an eye, there's another world there... (from Seussical the Musical. Listen to it...watch it...really.)

12-04-2002, 08:33 PM	#17
Sailor Saiya-Elf Hobbit Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: the dark corners of the computer lab. Posts: 18	Maybe the unicorns could do the whole 'drink my blood for eternal life' thing from HP. Or they could have one sitting in on the council in Rivendell... __________________ Never underestimate Tolkien fans bearing impliments of destruction.

12-04-2002, 09:05 PM	#18
Elfhelm Marshal of the Eastmark Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 1,412	Tolkien was creating a mythology for England because he felt they didn't have one. Germany had all their Teutonic myths, Greece had Homer, Rome had Virgil. England is made up of people from all over Europe and it had fragments of each of theirs in the folk tales of the countryside. So he mixed some Old English epic poetry (to make the Rohirrim) with folk tales (to make the elves) and turned the "little people" into the more dignified hobbits. I believe unicorns are eastern and middle eastern in origin and thus do not enter into a mythology of England. __________________ cya

12-05-2002, 07:09 PM	#20
Firekitten2006 Elven Warrior Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: the US of A! But I wish i was in austraila, never been, just think it would be a fun place to live :) Posts: 372	There was only one pegasus I used to know the story, but all i remember is someone put the golden (or was is silver?) bridle on him and they could ride him. I think he was Athena's horse. And Unicorns would just be too much although I do like them, they would just make it tooooo fatasy, fairy tale. __________________ I'm Baaaack!!