Sources: Gylfaginning compared to The Silmarillion

The knowledge of Tolkien's medieval sources changes my perception of the novels and it heightens my appreciation for the Silmarillion. Reading the Prose Edda felt very similar to reading the Silmarillion. In fact, it helps me appreciate how Tolkien created a much more readable mythos. Knowledge of the mythological sources helps especially when reading the Silmarillion because every Valar or Maiar has a counterpart in different mythologies. Tolkien based the opening chapters of the Silmarillion on elements from Christian, Norse, and Greek. I think it's interesting that the name "Ilúvatar" is most similar to the Norse: Allfather "alfodr" a.k.a Odin. I believe that Tolkien intended for his mythos to be a sort of fantasy origin for England. So all the ways in which the Norse mythology fits medieval norwegian culture so would Tolkien's mythos fit the culture of England. Or at least the parts of it which Tolkien admired. I think its also important to think about the differences between Tolkien's writing and the stories in  Gylfaginning. For example in Tolkiens mythology the entirety of existence comes from the single mind of its creator. However in Gylfaginning before the earth itself Is created there are the frost giants.The Frostgiants come before the true pantheon of gods just like the titans in Greek mythology. In both of these stories the giants which come before the gods represent evil in the world and an instability which slowly drives it towards chaos. In Tolkien's mythos and in Christianity the 'creator' is omniscient and is the sole originator of existence itself.  These different approaches to explaining the creation of the world show the underlying differences in meaning of existence which these stories establish for their worlds. It occurred to me that the evil before the world began in Norse mythology is the cold. Which makes sense given the conditions medieval Norwegians would have to face. There's also the fact that wolves born from hags in the woods chase the sun. These are the evils which appear ageless and unavoidable to the medieval Norwegian. To the ancient Greeks it seems that the subjugation of Gaia's children by the gods or by man is the evil that will always bring chaos. In Contrast, Tolkien's Mythos and Christian tradition both have 'evil/ original sin' come from the children of the creator himself not from 'frost giants or titans' who represent an evil even more ancient than the creation of the world. 

Gylfaginning states that Odin and Freya are father/mother to all who "fall in battle". This we can then assume, must be the driving force behind this culture. Because it establishes that only those who die in battle are favored by the creator and are allowed to go to Valhala. Those who die a normal death will go to the icy realm of Hel; one of Loki's children. A group of people who held these creation myths to be true would have to be conflict oriented. Speaking of Loki, he represents an especially interesting point of contention between mythologies. Loki is the seed of evil in norse mythology. Himself being born from a frost giant, his children Fenrir, Hel, and Jormungandr all take part in the destruction during Ragnarok (the fate of the gods). In Tolkien and in Christian mythos, Satan and Melkor are children of the creator same as all the other gods or angels. They were both more clever than their siblings and this turned them towards rebellion, deceit, and ultimately pure evil. They both bring about the distancing of man/elf from god and the undoing of eternal bliss. Loki's main characteristic is his cleverness which is similar to Melkor. However Loki is not ultimately good or evil. He fights with the frost giants during Ragnarok but throughout all the time of the gods he is just as often found helping them as harming them. In this way Melkor more closely resembles Satan; in that he is the root of all evil in middle earth. We can see the same difference in understanding of existence here that I talked with the existence of original evil. In Norse mythology and Greek mythology there is no peace that comes before existence. There is no guarantee of eternal bliss even at the moment of creation. There is always chaos. The Norse Mythos goes as far as to have the downfall of its own gods foretold in its creation myth. Its not just the destruction of the world or of people but of almost all the gods and every feature of the old order. In Tolkien's mythos and in Christianity the beginning is marked by the promise of eternal bliss. Evil does not exist at all before the creation of the angels or Ainur/Valar. Instead it is introduced by a single discordant child of the creator. Who from there on represents all evil and everything that is wrong with the world. These are two distinct viewpoints to have on creation and existence. In the case of North mythology the creation of the world comes after the creation of evil and therefore all the order and good which comes from the world must eventually return to evil. There will be a rebirth but the old gods will no longer exist. Tolkien's viewpoint is that the song of Iluvatar was completely pure. Melkor was the sole originator of all corruption and theoretically had he never existed the world could have existed without any strife or conflict. I think this is the reason that Melkor and Satan have to be pure evil unlike Loki. They don't just perform evil actions. They are the originators, they are the spoilers of eternal bliss. And while they are necessary for the events of creation and for the future of men/elves they will always be hated for introducing all the misery and turmoil which people encounter in their lifetimes. 

We've talked a lot in this class about how Tolkien's Christianity influences the themes and morals of his fiction. But its obvious that his knowledge of ancient mythologies influenced his writings greatly as well. Knowing the history of the tropes that Tolkien uses allows us to understand his true intentions for middle earth. It helps us understand the choices Tolkien made consciously or unconsciously to create an engrossing fantasy world. With self contained morals and logic.  Honestly I think reading ancient mythologies helps our understanding of the nature of humanity as a whole so It makes sense to me that it would help you to understand what Tolkien is trying to convey in his stories better. Although sometimes I do wonder exactly how productive all this comparing and contrasting really is.