Tolkien: The Master…

Most all of the inspiration for my work is derived from JRR Tolkien’s writing. Not just LOTR that I read while in college, but the rest of his work and letters that tell the tale of how LOTR grew out of his experiences during both World Wars and the stories he told his children…The inspiration for the Hobbit was written for his children while he was in the trenches of World War One…It wasn’t long after reading LOTR, that I started picking up all of the JRRT material I could find and about the same time, I started wood carving in an attempt to bring Tree Beard the Ent to life…Not long after that, I started doing craft shows, selling my tree spirits...I have made and sold hundreds  of them over the last 30 years...

Tolkien’s letters describe JRRT’s fascination with Deep Time and all of the history that has been lost and forgotten…

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2167731/Britains-Atlantis-North-sea--huge-undersea-kingdom-swamped-tsunami-5-500-years-ago.html

 There is a great article today in the Mail about Doggerland & legends of this place are reflected in JRRT’s great work…

 I will be writing a lot about Folkloric inspiration and the flood legends are among the best of what is known as cultural memory.

No known writing survives from the time of the melting of the glaciers 100 centuries ago…But there are lots of flood legends in every culture…Coincidence? I think not…

 There is a seed of truth buried in Folklore and as JRRT illustrates in the scene at the walls of Moria, when the wisdom of the mighty fails, the simple stories of folklore might have the answer…

 Look for us at Http://thedancinggoats.com , I sell Woodcarving Tools and Antiques on Ebay & My Woodcarvings, Woodturnings & other handcrafts on ETSY…Plus a half dozen regional shows in the Midwest every year...Just search for 'TheDancingGoats'...