THE MYTHOPOETICS OF J.R.R. TOLKIEN’S WORKS IN THE CONTEXT OF LITERARY MYTHMAKING

Abstract

The article examines J. R. R. Tolkien’s mythopoetics within the context of literary mythmaking. It traces the cultural sources of his work—Norse, Celtic, Germanic, Old English, and Christian traditions—and highlights features such as sub-creation, archetypes, symbolic female figures, nature as a mythological force, and the concept of eucatastrophe. Tolkien’s mythmaking is shown as a unique 20th-century model that shaped the fantasy genre and became a lasting cultural phenomenon.