Basilisks in Middle-earth
Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2014 11:14 pm
Hello all,
I have been wanting to write about this for some time. First I would like to say that I think the game is great and I really do enjoy the new vision of Middle-earth, enriched in details but respecful with the books.
That said, I was surprised by this nasty fellow, the basilisk. Tolkien was picking beyond words about names and he deliberatedly stayed away from anything related to Greek/Roman mythology. There are no unicorns, centaurs, satyrs, hydras and so on in Middle-earth because his original idea was to create a rich mythology for the English people (he deemed that the few scattered surviving legends were not enough).
I know the Basilisks concept evolved during the Middle Ages from their original Greek origin, but they never made it to the Nordic legends as far as I know. Besides, in the game they do not have the stone-turning vision which is what defines a Basilisk (or do they? those statues near the Old Forest Road...). My point is that there is no need to use a name with Greek resonances in Middle-earth and the more suitable Elven name makes it unnecesary. However the creature concept is perfectly fine.
Yeah, I know I'm picky and grumpy.
I have been wanting to write about this for some time. First I would like to say that I think the game is great and I really do enjoy the new vision of Middle-earth, enriched in details but respecful with the books.
That said, I was surprised by this nasty fellow, the basilisk. Tolkien was picking beyond words about names and he deliberatedly stayed away from anything related to Greek/Roman mythology. There are no unicorns, centaurs, satyrs, hydras and so on in Middle-earth because his original idea was to create a rich mythology for the English people (he deemed that the few scattered surviving legends were not enough).
I know the Basilisks concept evolved during the Middle Ages from their original Greek origin, but they never made it to the Nordic legends as far as I know. Besides, in the game they do not have the stone-turning vision which is what defines a Basilisk (or do they? those statues near the Old Forest Road...). My point is that there is no need to use a name with Greek resonances in Middle-earth and the more suitable Elven name makes it unnecesary. However the creature concept is perfectly fine.
Yeah, I know I'm picky and grumpy.