Economic and Culture Observer

mood: amused

Dear Coldwarbaby, this is especially for you. However – for anybody who is interested also:)

Despite numerous Tolkienistic fans many Russians (I tend to believe in Alalich’s words) guess that under the exotic clothes of Tolkien’s world we can find a lot of comparisons with the real world.

Let’s take a look:

Shir, the quiet land of little Hobbits, is definitely something like Belgium. Little country with no significant power.

Rohan, Rohirrims. According to Tolkien these semi-nomadic people used to be horsemen and spoke Old English language in order to be textually distinct. At first approximation they look like Hungarians – half-European, half-barbarian nation. However, taking into account the Film with its picture of capital of Rohan it looks closer to an Old Russian state, like Kievan Rus or Norse state if we mention warlike-girls. But here I saw one major mistake. Do you remember that moment, when in the Third Part the Rohirrims (after some days of quick raid) came to defend Minas-Thirit? All horsemen were sitting on their horses in full armour and with NO AUXILARY HORSES!!! But anybody who knows the history of nomadic peoples (like Hunns, Mongols, Sioux etc) can tell you that it’s IMPOSSIBLE! Long steppe raids demanded of every warrior to use two horses as a rule. It gave additional speed abilities, when they used fresh horses entering the battle. Well, let them be Hungarians.

Harad with its pirates and black people from Southern countries is evidently something like Algeria with a little smell of Spain.

Fangorn, magic forest, full of ancient trees. Modern Western Europe has cut its forests long ago. But I think it’s something like Teutoburger Wald, the forest in the near-Rhine Germany, where ancient wild Germans defeated Roman legions. The forest still exists.

Elves. The biggest part of Elves lives overseas, across the Western ocean. And they continue to abandon their old lands in order to become migrants and settle there, in the West. However, Elven are famous for their battle abilities, arts and long life. It reminds me about Americans with some additions from other nations. As we know, Elves defended people and stood against Mordor with them during the history of the world. Though they don’t usually show any example of decisive fight until it’s really among their own interests. Yes, they are Americans. Here I remember one episode from the Second Part. Elvish unit came to help Arahorn to defend the Helm fortress. With their discipline they looked like official marine guards. But I found much more interesting moment at the scene of Arahorn and Elvish commander meeting. Arahorn (human being) was glad to take Elf in his arms, but Elf in his turn took some time to think, before he also raised his arms to do the same. Yeah – we, Americans, always have our own targets and values.

Gondor. The state with highly developed feudal system, castles, royal court and complicated dynastic problems. Of course this nation is the quintessence of France and Germany! And more of France I think.

Saruman. This crazy wizard with his dirty mineworks, dam, maniac ideas and Uruk-troops (genetically modified Elves) looks like ben Laden with his own state. Or like Cuba, Iraq or any other Axis Minor State.

Mordor. Its people – Orcs – have mongoloid faces, they are numerous, but they live somehow in the dirty country with broken lands and active volcanoes. They are ruled by the Absolute power of the Eye of Sauron.  Undoubtedly, it’s all about Soviet Union with something from China. The Empire of Evil. Mordor is enough strong to built fortresses and provide its soldiers with heavy armaments, to conquer lands and to produce attractiveness for many nations, like Black ones with their battle elephants. It has its own special spies and killers – Nazguls. Looks like KGB, doesn’t it?

So, the main idea which I want to express is that Western Alliance had no chances to defeat Mordor at the battlefield. That’s why decisive analysts like Gandalf broke Mordor by means of espionage and magic cheating. Russians have the same idea about the reason of their Soviet Empire crash…

More to say, what should be the world of Middle Earths after the fall of Mordor? Gandalf was sad, cause he knew that it would be the long history of feudal useless life.

So,what do you have to say about all that?