By D.W. Roach | MarauderBooks.com Few images evoke the Viking Age as sharply as the axe—broad-bladed, utilitarian, and deadly. But the truth behind the Norse axe is far richer than our modern pop-culture silhouette. To understand Viking warfare, you have to begin with the everyday lives of the people who fought—and the tool they carried … Continue reading The Viking Axe: Tool of the Farm, Terror of the Field
Tag: fantasy
For Tolkien – The Lord of the Rings Is Not Racist
By D.W. Roach – Marauder Books Every few years, a new wave of critics emerges to accuse J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings of racism. Lately, even some college courses and media pieces claim that Orcs represent “dark-skinned peoples” or that Tolkien’s mythos upholds “colonial attitudes.” These claims are without merit. They reflect not … Continue reading For Tolkien – The Lord of the Rings Is Not Racist
The Frost-Giant’s Daughter — Robert E. Howard’s Norse-Infused Vision
By D.W. Roach Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Cimmerian is a literary creation steeped in the raw power of myth and legend. While Howard pulled from many cultures to craft Conan’s Hyborian Age, few stories wear their Norse influence as proudly as The Frost-Giant’s Daughter. First published in 1953 (posthumously), the tale is a fever … Continue reading The Frost-Giant’s Daughter — Robert E. Howard’s Norse-Infused Vision
The Lord of the Rings and the Echoes of Norse Myth: How Viking Lore Shaped Tolkien’s World
By D.W. Roach Few works of modern fantasy have captured the imagination as profoundly as J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Yet behind the hobbits, elves, and dark lords lies a deep well of mythological inspiration—chief among them, the rich tapestry of Norse and Viking culture. Tolkien, a philologist and scholar of ancient languages, … Continue reading The Lord of the Rings and the Echoes of Norse Myth: How Viking Lore Shaped Tolkien’s World