Wow, so fascinating! I had no idea that mid-century medieval went so deep. It makes a lot of sense though, especially since LOTR was written by Tolkien with heavy influences from his wartime experience depicting the horrors of WWI and touching on the bonds that were formed, creating hope.
“The link between the Red Scare and Californians in codpieces selling turkey legs may seem tenuous, but the evolution was pretty organic.” This made me laugh so hard. Wonderful piece! ❤️
Love the vibe.... And, I remember it well! In a few months I'll be 74 yo. I've lived in a commune, hitchhiked across the country, and, when I got married in the mid-70s, I wore a cream colored Gunne Sax dress. The fantasy is still living in me, even though I hardly look the part now, except perhaps a Green Witch/Mystic Crone, but my heart still beats with the music and the idealism and the faith that it will grow once more! And there will again be dancing in the streets, and revolution in the air...
this is so interesting because my father was born in 1965 and was a huge lord of the rings fan. when he was younger he was much more radical, but with time his military background became a much more present part of his personality and he stopped being optimistic. I'm glad he raised me on things like that, because maybe if he no longer had faith maybe some part of him was hoping that the revolution would live on in me.
Love it! I attend a hippie festival every year where the 60s-70s medieval vibe is still around. It helps that everyone is camping, no one has service, and lots of people bring homegrown food or mead or *potions of various sorts* to sell/trade. Easy to channel your inner peasant (or hobbit) when everyone around you is covered in dirt and a little tipsy. I did not know the connection had such specific roots in LoTR and anti-war...really cool!
Great read, thank you for posting it! My dad was one of those 60s counter-culture guys -- he had long, wild hair, raced motorcycles, and carried a tattered copy of Lord of the Rings in his back pocket. Our family dog was named Strider, an homage to Aragorn. Now he works at a tech company, lovingly raises tomatoes, and collects woodworking tools. Alongside the Renaissance Fairs, a DIY medieval/renaissance group was also born in the 60s, the Society for Creative Anachronism. It lives on today, and self-organizes in groups around North America, Europe, Australia, and probably other areas of the globe. For some, it fuels imaginative creativity -- people recreate the arts of prior times (from all over the planet, not just Europe) and share them with their fellow enthusiasts. For others, it's an opportunity to explore martial games. I was once a member and it took me down a really fun rabbit hole of researching and recreating medieval-era clothing from France and England, during the late 14th and early 15th century. Very specific, I know, LOL, but so gratifying to get into at the time.
Kudos to you for being a young one able to mention the Society for Creative Anachronism. They truly were that weird but saw my first free-form, metal-heavy belly dancer there. Belly dancing surely an anachronism to medieval or Renaissance society.
Alas, not so young anymore, but yes, the Weird Factor gets turned up to 11 with the SCA -- it's part of its charm, I suppose. I assume you are correct re: belly dancing -- I have no idea what its true history is; I never partook. The SCA is far more its own culture than a faithful re-creation of an old culture that truly existed. The tension between those trying to get at faithful re-creation and those wanting to have a fantasy-inspired party in the woods was always present back when I was a member. I'm assuming it still is like that.
Great read, thank you! I'll share it with my 25yr old son who has become very disillusioned with the world and is wondering "what's the point". The cyclic nature of war and peace is evident throughout history and unfortunately a part of life that he must reconcile with. Perhaps he too can pick up his guitar and make a difference.
Great essay! So glad you brought up Led Zeppelin’s references to LOTR! Also, the green Gunne Sax dress embedded into your piece reminds me of a prom dress I wanted in 1974!
Never read LOTR, but my children did in middle school.
I came of age in the 60's. I discovered folk music, Joan Baez etc.I wrote my first college paper as a freshman on the Childe Ballads. But I was brought up on fairy tales of Scandinavia in the Midwest of the US.
Antiwar, civil rights movements , led to communes, Whole Earth Catalog, and indeed granny dresses, flowers in your hair.
Some of those hippies are now old MAGA voters living in rural America while my grandchildren who are Gen Zs are fascinated with Dudgeon and Dragons.
I agree with Roberta! That period was my coming of age - never a hippie but had many friends who were and never missed Renfaire! Thanks for the nostalgia!
Fantasy as rebellion keeps these novels alive and potent with energy.
A big motivation to begin writing consistently again happened after a re-watch of the trilogy in late 2023 that conjured all those same feelings and prompted a much deeper dive into Tolkien and his inspirations.
Interesting how authorial intent can be overwritten over time. There’s synergy between Tolkien’s formative era and the 60s for sure, but not as much as any of the later political movements might insist.
Wow, so fascinating! I had no idea that mid-century medieval went so deep. It makes a lot of sense though, especially since LOTR was written by Tolkien with heavy influences from his wartime experience depicting the horrors of WWI and touching on the bonds that were formed, creating hope.
I was thinking about that as well and Tolkien’s ties to his own war experiences. It’s really quite poetic how the book was picked up in rebellion.
“The link between the Red Scare and Californians in codpieces selling turkey legs may seem tenuous, but the evolution was pretty organic.” This made me laugh so hard. Wonderful piece! ❤️
Thank you so much!! And thanks for reading 🩷
Love the vibe.... And, I remember it well! In a few months I'll be 74 yo. I've lived in a commune, hitchhiked across the country, and, when I got married in the mid-70s, I wore a cream colored Gunne Sax dress. The fantasy is still living in me, even though I hardly look the part now, except perhaps a Green Witch/Mystic Crone, but my heart still beats with the music and the idealism and the faith that it will grow once more! And there will again be dancing in the streets, and revolution in the air...
Same❣️
this is so interesting because my father was born in 1965 and was a huge lord of the rings fan. when he was younger he was much more radical, but with time his military background became a much more present part of his personality and he stopped being optimistic. I'm glad he raised me on things like that, because maybe if he no longer had faith maybe some part of him was hoping that the revolution would live on in me.
Love it! I attend a hippie festival every year where the 60s-70s medieval vibe is still around. It helps that everyone is camping, no one has service, and lots of people bring homegrown food or mead or *potions of various sorts* to sell/trade. Easy to channel your inner peasant (or hobbit) when everyone around you is covered in dirt and a little tipsy. I did not know the connection had such specific roots in LoTR and anti-war...really cool!
Sounds amazing!!!
Great read, thank you for posting it! My dad was one of those 60s counter-culture guys -- he had long, wild hair, raced motorcycles, and carried a tattered copy of Lord of the Rings in his back pocket. Our family dog was named Strider, an homage to Aragorn. Now he works at a tech company, lovingly raises tomatoes, and collects woodworking tools. Alongside the Renaissance Fairs, a DIY medieval/renaissance group was also born in the 60s, the Society for Creative Anachronism. It lives on today, and self-organizes in groups around North America, Europe, Australia, and probably other areas of the globe. For some, it fuels imaginative creativity -- people recreate the arts of prior times (from all over the planet, not just Europe) and share them with their fellow enthusiasts. For others, it's an opportunity to explore martial games. I was once a member and it took me down a really fun rabbit hole of researching and recreating medieval-era clothing from France and England, during the late 14th and early 15th century. Very specific, I know, LOL, but so gratifying to get into at the time.
LOL my dad is probably friends with your dad!
Kudos to you for being a young one able to mention the Society for Creative Anachronism. They truly were that weird but saw my first free-form, metal-heavy belly dancer there. Belly dancing surely an anachronism to medieval or Renaissance society.
Alas, not so young anymore, but yes, the Weird Factor gets turned up to 11 with the SCA -- it's part of its charm, I suppose. I assume you are correct re: belly dancing -- I have no idea what its true history is; I never partook. The SCA is far more its own culture than a faithful re-creation of an old culture that truly existed. The tension between those trying to get at faithful re-creation and those wanting to have a fantasy-inspired party in the woods was always present back when I was a member. I'm assuming it still is like that.
Great read, thank you! I'll share it with my 25yr old son who has become very disillusioned with the world and is wondering "what's the point". The cyclic nature of war and peace is evident throughout history and unfortunately a part of life that he must reconcile with. Perhaps he too can pick up his guitar and make a difference.
Great essay! So glad you brought up Led Zeppelin’s references to LOTR! Also, the green Gunne Sax dress embedded into your piece reminds me of a prom dress I wanted in 1974!
My nieces are so lucky that my sister and I saved all Gunne Sax dresses from the 70s 😆 (We lived near the factory store.)
Never read LOTR, but my children did in middle school.
I came of age in the 60's. I discovered folk music, Joan Baez etc.I wrote my first college paper as a freshman on the Childe Ballads. But I was brought up on fairy tales of Scandinavia in the Midwest of the US.
Antiwar, civil rights movements , led to communes, Whole Earth Catalog, and indeed granny dresses, flowers in your hair.
Some of those hippies are now old MAGA voters living in rural America while my grandchildren who are Gen Zs are fascinated with Dudgeon and Dragons.
I had to reread this aloud to my partner and he enjoyed it, too. A great read, very insightful and fluidly written
This is so sweet, I’m so glad you both enjoyed it!!
I enjoyed this so much more than I thought!! Never read or watched LOTR but loved this essay, it's so interesting!! thank you <3
Thank you so much Roberta!! 🤍🤍
I agree with Roberta! That period was my coming of age - never a hippie but had many friends who were and never missed Renfaire! Thanks for the nostalgia!
So excited to read more, and super glad I stumbled on your substack!! 🌿✌🏻
Such an amazing read. As a history teacher with a love for Tolkien and fantasy this was so amazing to learn. Thank you for writing this!
the way that this is at the epicenter of my interests 🥵 I loved this read !!!
Fantasy as rebellion keeps these novels alive and potent with energy.
A big motivation to begin writing consistently again happened after a re-watch of the trilogy in late 2023 that conjured all those same feelings and prompted a much deeper dive into Tolkien and his inspirations.
Interesting how authorial intent can be overwritten over time. There’s synergy between Tolkien’s formative era and the 60s for sure, but not as much as any of the later political movements might insist.