Skyrim is so Lord of the Rings : V - Skyrim

» Mon Sep 05, 2011 12:18 am

Its unreasonable to say that modern fantasy wouldn't exist without Tolkien. He, like every other fantasy writer, drew inspiration from real life legends and even religion, if Tolkien hadn't combined some and created something new, someone else would have. That doesn't deny his influence on so many piece of fantasy, or even the Elder Scrolls, the materiel was there for anyone to pick up and use, even if he hadn't been.

» Mon Sep 05, 2011 6:06 am

This is like saying that World of Warcraft was the first MMORPG... :facepalm:

» Mon Sep 05, 2011 8:34 am

This forum makes me cry sometimes.
I can't believe we've come to this...

» Mon Sep 05, 2011 7:38 am

The ONLY thing you could say is that since Lewis was a friend of Tolkien's that they might have inspired each other through conversation.

Might, you say? It's not a possibility, it's fact. They were both neighbours and best friends, and talked for countless hours with each other about their books, and shared a lot of ideas and concepts. An obvious example is that in several of Lewis' books he adopted a lot of the languages that Tolkien reconstructed/made up, like many names in the space trilogy of Lewis.

Tolkien didn't invent fantasy indeed, but the modern genre would probably be very very different without Tolkien's books in the mix.

» Sun Sep 04, 2011 11:14 pm

Might, you say? It's not a possibility, it's fact. They were both neighbours and best friends, and talked for countless hours with each other about their books, and shared a lot of ideas and concepts. An obvious example is that in several of Lewis' books he adopted a lot of the languages that Tolkien reconstructed/made up, like many names in the space trilogy of Lewis.

Tolkien didn't invent fantasy indeed, but the modern genre would probably be very very different without Tolkien's books in the mix.

Most likely more Conan-esque. Conan was created in 1931, and its somewhat doubtful that Howard had even heard of Tolkien at that point. The Hobbit didn't get published till 6 years later and the LotR books didn't get published till the 50s (though it was written shortly after the Hobbit).

» Mon Sep 05, 2011 1:20 pm

Tolkien got inspiration for his books from his own life, like trench warfare and his love for smoking on his pipe. It was a big success and to this day people gather inspiration from his books and apply it to their works as well. It's like an artist who sees a painting and is inspired to do one of his own. Nothing wrong with that at all. Inspiration from good things isn't a bad thing.

» Mon Sep 05, 2011 10:32 am

Its unreasonable to say that modern fantasy wouldn't exist without Tolkien. He, like every other fantasy writer, drew inspiration from real life legends and even religion, if Tolkien hadn't combined some and created something new, someone else would have. That doesn't deny his influence on so many piece of fantasy, or even the Elder Scrolls, the materiel was there for anyone to pick up and use, even if he hadn't been.

+1

» Mon Sep 05, 2011 6:13 am

Tolkien got inspiration for his books from his own life, like trench warfare and his love for smoking on his pipe. It was a big success and to this day people gather inspiration from his books and apply it to their works as well. It's like an artist who sees a painting and is inspired to do one of his own. Nothing wrong with that at all. Inspiration from good things isn't a bad thing.

I agree, inspiration is one thing, but to say that its based of Tolkien is an insult to everyone who ever wanted to write fantasy and implys that they wouldn't have been able to create without Tolkien's influence.

» Mon Sep 05, 2011 1:55 am

So... If I created a story with all the possible characters in the world (From Princess to Magical Pigs)... Every other story that come after mine would be inspired by mine because they share common elements?
Cool. :disguise:

» Mon Sep 05, 2011 2:13 am

Skyrim is LOTR... please. I enjoy Skyrim,

Inspired by, I can see. The stupid title of this thread is garbage, though.

» Mon Sep 05, 2011 3:02 am

lord of the rings is so skyrim

i dont know where you get the idea that its the other way around :teehee:

» Mon Sep 05, 2011 4:04 am

I agree, inspiration is one thing, but to say that its based of Tolkien is an insult to everyone who ever wanted to write fantasy and implys that they wouldn't have been able to create without Tolkien's influence.

No, but i think its fair to say Tolkien influence fantasy as a genre in a much larger way than the average writer.

You know he invented http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Mithril_armor right? His word, His concept, his material. It's been used in a lot of fantasy since, Including elders scrolls. And i'm willing to bet that if The Tolkien Estate weren't so business like with their trademarking of names / words etc, you'd find many of Tolkiens other creations directly referenced within modern day fantasy fiction.

» Mon Sep 05, 2011 8:11 am

No, but i think its fair to say Tolkien influence fantasy as a genre in a much larger way than the average writer.

You know he invented http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Mithril_armor right? His word, His concept, his material. It's been used in a lot of fantasy since, Including elders scrolls. And i'm willing to bet that if The Tolkien Estate weren't so business like with their trademarking of names / words etc, you'd find many of Tolkiens other creations directly referenced within modern day fantasy fiction.

He also invented http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orc.

But you guys are right. Modern fantasy would probably exist, if Tolkien never lived, but it would be completely different.

» Mon Sep 05, 2011 10:51 am

No, but i think its fair to say Tolkien influence fantasy as a genre in a much larger way than the average writer.

You know he invented http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Mithril_armor right? His word, His concept, his material. It's been used in a lot of fantasy since, Including elders scrolls.

It's funny you should bring up Mithril.

Anyways, the very fact that Tolkien's influence on fantasy is so considerable is precisely why some people want TES to move far away from Tolkien-ic fantasy.
His stuff is great, but it's massively overdone. We want something more uniquely interesting, something fantastic. What's the point of fantasy when it's as familiar and well-trod as Tolkien's world is? Give us something new and exciting.

Not that this discussion really matters, as anyone who thinks TES is largely inspired by LoTR has a grossly superficial view of TES lore.

» Sun Sep 04, 2011 10:27 pm

Durrr. Without Tolkien, I don't think there'd be anything related to fantasy. js. :spotted owl:
Long live Sauron! :mohawk:

Sauron's a tool.

Melkor is the OG.

I like a mix of old and new ideas. As long as their interesting, well liked, and understandable.

I don't want something to be new just for it to be new.

» Mon Sep 05, 2011 9:23 am

He also invented http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orc.

But you guys are right. Modern fantasy would probably exist, if Tolkien never lived, but it would be completely different.

Tolkien didnt create Orks either, he just replaced the K with a C.

» Mon Sep 05, 2011 3:53 am

Todd Howard described in an interview Skyrim as being similar with LotR - where you could do and be however you want to.

» Mon Sep 05, 2011 4:37 am

No, but i think its fair to say Tolkien influence fantasy as a genre in a much larger way than the average writer.

You know he invented http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Mithril_armor right? His word, His concept, his material. It's been used in a lot of fantasy since, Including elders scrolls. And i'm willing to bet that if The Tolkien Estate weren't so business like with their trademarking of names / words etc, you'd find many of Tolkiens other creations directly referenced within modern day fantasy fiction.

I agree, its more than fair to say he influenced alot of writers and the genera, but had he not came along someone else would have. The Elder Scrolls and Tolkiens work are far in between, but that doesn't stop The Elder Scrolls writers from being influenced by his work and it certainly doesn't mean that TES is based on The Lord of the Rings.

» Mon Sep 05, 2011 6:46 am

Tolkien didnt create Orks either, he just replaced the K with a C.

He ''revived'' the term, okay?

» Sun Sep 04, 2011 11:11 pm

The Elder Scrolls is awesome, and Lord of the Rings is awesome. :foodndrink: whats the problem :frog:

» Mon Sep 05, 2011 8:09 am

Every modern fantasy book or game or movie is based on Tolkien. So is Skyrim.

:facepalm: FALSE

» Mon Sep 05, 2011 12:30 am

Sauron's a tool.

Melkor is the OG.

I like a mix of old and new ideas. As long as their interesting, well liked, and understandable.

I don't want something to be new just for it to be new.

Yes, boss. :sadvaultboy:

This forum makes me cry sometimes.
I can't believe we've come to this...

No one can take a joke here. *points finger at a certain someone. :facepalm: :shakehead: :shakehead:

» Mon Sep 05, 2011 1:35 am

It's funny you should bring up Mithril.

Anyways, the very fact that Tolkien's influence on fantasy is so considerable is precisely why some people want TES to move far away from Tolkien-ic fantasy.
His stuff is great, but it's massively overdone. We want something more uniquely interesting, something fantastic. What's the point of fantasy when it's as familiar and well-trod as Tolkien's world is? Give us something new and exciting.

Not that this discussion really matters, as anyone who thinks TES is largely inspired by LoTR has a grossly superficial view of TES lore.

Oh I don't disagree, I too think the Tolkien horse is dead and has been well and truly beaten.

I just want to give the man the credit he deserves, some people in this thread seem to be downplaying his influence on the genre, but i think whether you're a fan of his work or not, you have to give the man credit for shaping the genre into what it is and, as i mentioned in an earlier post, making the genre as popular and as 'cool' as it is today (which is why Bethesda can pour millions into a game like Skyrim).

» Mon Sep 05, 2011 7:21 am

He ''revived'' the term, okay?

George MacDonald wrote about Orks, before Tolkien was even born.

» Mon Sep 05, 2011 2:49 am

The Elder Scrolls is awesome, and Lord of the Rings is awesome. :foodndrink: whats the problem :frog:

The probelm is that TES is not LoTR.
I love LoTR, but if I want Tolkien's brand of fantasy I'd read LoTR or play one of the millions of generic games that are directly inspired by his works.
When I play a TES game, I want something different.
I want to explore fascinatingly novel alien cultures under a sky with two moons that are the sundered flesh of a dead god.
I want TES orcs to be noble outcast nomads that herd centipedes, damnit!