Weird Studies Episode 204 – The Perilous Realm: J.R.R. Tolkien's 'On Fairy Stories'
35 snips
Jan 14, 2026 Dive into the realm of Faerie where fairy stories reveal deeper truths rather than mere escapism. Explore Tolkien's radical views on imagination and reality intertwined with myth. Discover the dynamics of language and story as fundamental to human experience. Unravel how history and myth blend in Tolkien's metaphors, and engage with the idea of sub-creation versus magic. The podcast also touches on how fantasy mirrors human desires and critiques modernity through the lens of mythic archetypes.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Fairy Stories Make Faerie Present
- Tolkien defines a fairy story as one that comes from and is part of Faerie, not merely about fairies.
- He treats the realm of fairy as an autonomous, indescribable mode of being that stories make present.
Mythic Creatures Belong To An Imaginal Realm
- Tolkien argues creatures like dragons and elves are not mere inventions but denizens of an imaginal realm encountered through story.
- He treats mythic figures as recurrent realities because Faerie is a persistent domain across cultures.
History And Myth Stew Together
- Tolkien uses a cauldron metaphor where history and myth stew together and causality can reverse.
- He suggests tales can enter people as much as people enter tales, blurring origin and effect.
