Mythmakers

One of the most inspiring aspects of Tolkien's work is his thinking about creativity. Following a question from a listener, Jacob Rennaker and Julia Golding discuss this using the poem Mythopoeia, the short story Leaf by Niggle and the essay 'On Fairy Stories' - all must-reads for Tolkien fans and anyone interested in writing fantasy. How does free will fit in the world of a Creator - and what has...

One of the most inspiring aspects of Tolkien's work is his thinking about creativity. Following a question from a listener, Jacob Rennaker and Julia Golding discuss this using the poem Mythopoeia, the short story Leaf by Niggle and the essay 'On Fairy Stories' - all must-reads for Tolkien fans and anyone interested in writing fantasy. How does free will fit in the world of a Creator - and what has...

Katherine Livesey, writer of the Sisters of Shadow trilogy, got her first deal at 26. Hear about her steps to becoming an author and how her search for stories about female romantic love prompted her to write her own young adult fantasy. Katherine also recommends some other titles dealing with same sex relationships. We discuss the importance of real landscapes in fantasy worldbuilding – and...

Today we present you with something very different! Jennifer Hayashi Danns tells us about her journey to being an author and describes her innovative fantasy novel Beneath the Burning Wave. This book breaks new ground using neutral pronouns for the first half before evolving into a kind of 'fallen' split language, this gives Jennifer a chance to invent a pre-history for civilisation. As Jennifer i...

H.S. Norup, author of Into the Faerie Hill, The Missing Barbegazi and The Hungry Ghost, uses her world travel to inspire her fantasy. In her latest book she is turning to the myths and legends of Europe and giving faeries something of a makeover. Dismiss any idea of cute creatures in gauzy skirts and prepare to meet a much more dangerous set of creatures in her Middle Grade adventure. In discussio...

One of the things we love at Mythmakers is to meet new fantasy authors. Germany-based author, Lilly Inkwood, originally from Easter Europe and who writes in impeccable English, is about to launch the first of her fantasy trilogy with HarperCollins called ‘The Kingdom is a Golden Cage’ (coming out in the Summer). Hear how she takes inspiration from real history, as well as fairy tales, to produce a...

We need to talk about...orcs. Where do they come from? Are they ruined elves, or something else? What is the history of Tolkien's own thoughts on the subject? Are they problematic, associated with a form of racism current in mid-20th century, or is CS Lewis' defence of Tolkien's shades of grey in his morality right? If you want to understand more about these key characters in Tolkien's world, or e...

In September we will be commemorating 50 years since the death of Tolkien. In this episode Julia Golding and Jacob Rennaker look at the changing fortunes of Tolkien's reputation from that decade through to the present. They look at academic assessment, the influence on books and the world of visual media, films, TV and games. Where next for our favourite professor? Be sure to visit https://oxfordc...

Welcome to the Mythmakers Season 3 premiere! Please share and tell a friend...we're so glad you're along for the journey! 22nd January ushers in the Year of the Rabbit. In this podcast, Julia and Jacob discuss rabbits in fantasy. Why are there more hares than rabbits? Who is the White Rabbit? Should you eat a rabbit in Narnia (if it doesn't talk)? We go from Beatrix Potter to Bugs Bunny - see if w...

As we approach the end of the year, we reach the end of Season 2 of our Mythmakers podcast. Today’s episode highlights this year’s most popular podcasts, hosted by Julia Golding and featuring our esteemed guests: A.J. Lancaster, T.A. White, Victoria Goddard, Lisa Edmonds and Kathrin Tordasi, as well as giving special mentions to many others who we were delighted to have on the show. Julia, and our...

Kathrin Tordasi is a prize-winning German writer whose first book for children, Bramble Fox, has just been translated into English by Cathrin Wirtz. Julia meets Kathrin to discuss everything from Welsh fairies, Shakespearian plays, Dark Lords, and the nature of evil! They go on to dig up some gems in the mines of German fantasy that we might have missed in English speaking world. And to help you w...

History has not remembered some fabulous women writers - even the woman who gave us the term 'fairy tale' to start with! Meet Madame D'Aulnoy and hear about her wonderful fairy tales and why author Claire O'Brien is retelling them now. Claire and Julia Golding broaden the conversation to discuss the power of fairy tales, how they have been selected and retold. Rediscovery of old ones without the f...

Julia Golding and Tolkien experts Jacob Rennaker and Paula Kalamaras hosted the second exclusive Readathon livestream event on completion of our latest Readathon, featuring The Silmarillion. Our participants tested their Tolkien knowledge in our quiz, we looked back at the past few weeks of our Readathon, and we announced our December Readathon topic! Watch now to find out what we'll be reading ne...

Sometimes fantasy stories define how we live our lives. Take Christmas. Dickens has been hugely responsible for our expectations of the season, not to mention the Christmas movie industry. Julia Golding takes a deep dive into the must-read fantasy ghost story, A Christmas Carol, and how Dickens designed and performed the story. She unpicks what makes it work. Have a listen and see if you agree. An...

Who would you cast to play you in the movie of your life? Mostly that's a fun game, but for Carolyn Weber it became a reality. Many people who come to Oxford to study leave changed by the experience. Carolyn Weber tells Julia Golding about her time in the city and how it inspired her to write her book Surprised by Oxford, a nod to CS Lewis' book Surprised by Joy. Carolyn goes on to tell us about t...

Listen to this past weekend's livestream hosted by Julia Golding and Tolkien experts Jacob Rennaker and Paula Kalamaras as they discuss the reaction to The Rings of Power series. We discussed various talking points and questions, including: What was the overall reaction to The Rings of Power? Was it worth watching/making? Did the creatives do a good job adapting the material they were given? And w...

Today we're re-releasing one of our most popular podcasts! Why is Oxford, England, such a fantasy hotspot? From Lewis Carroll to Philip Pullman, Diana Wynne-Jones to Deborah Harkness, it has inspired writers and is even the location for many fantasy stories. It is famously home of the Inklings whose leading figures, Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, established two of the biggest fantasy worlds yet invented...

Who are our mythmakers in fantasy and sci-fi? In a new thread to this podcast, Julia Golding highlights her 'must-read' picks from the fantasy greats. Find out the reasons why you should try Frankenstein (1818) - the novel rather than any of the spin-off films you might've seen. Hear about the structure, the ideas, the state of science in the 1810s, the politics of rights - and so much more that h...

What's wrong and right so far in the Rings of Power? Are you enjoying the new series? Julia Golding checks in at halfway to discuss what's going on in the programme. What's annoying Tolkien purists? What shout-outs and praise can we give? Setting aside whether or not it sticks to Tolkien, how does it do as a piece of writing? Find out what's going on in the costume department - shoulders and skirt...

In Part Two, Julia Golding and Jacob Rennaker tackle the Second and Third Age, linking it to The Lord of the Rings and The Rings of Power. Jacob also recommends these web resources for readers wanting an even deeper dive. https://tolkienprofessor.com/lectures/courses/silmarillion-seminar/ https://theprancingponypodcast.com/category/podcast-episodes/the-silmarillion/ Visit http://oxfordcentreforfan...

This autumn/fall we are going to tackle The Silmarillion in our next readathon (visit http://oxfordcentreforfantasy.org for info!). Many readers who come to it from The Lord of the Rings find it a daunting book to get through. Julia Golding and Jacob Rennaker take you through what you can find in The Silmarillion, signposting those parts which link to the stories you might be following, such as Lo...

Come to our book launch celebration for James Nicol The Spell Tailors https://jamesnicolbooks.com A fun part of our online courses is that you get to be friends with fantasy writers who are publishing in today's market. We celebrate the arrival of the next book from one of our tutors - James Nicol. Listen to how he was inspired by the secret content of biscuit boxes and developed an original line...

Join us for our first reactions to the Amazon Prime The Rings of Power series. It's useful to orientate ourselves at the start of a series so Julia Golding takes us through what the four ages of Tolkien and where the Second Age fits. She then outlines the headline differences between the Tolkien material and how they've adapted it - suited to a general listener. Next, we go on to our discussion un...

We will know very soon what choices the showrunners for the upcoming Amazon series Rings of Power have taken but let's look at what we can glean about the story choices already. How do you cope with such a big gap in the timeline? Do you know your Celebrimbors from your Ar Pharazons - and what has Sauron got to do with it all? What about the featured characters - how do they relate to the original...

What are the myths and legends of the place where you live? Julia Golding meets Claire Fayers, author and reteller of Welsh myths and legends, also a tutor on the Oxford Centre for Fantasy Novel-in-a-Year course. Claire tells us about dragons and tappers in mines, as well as the stories that grow up about local landmarks. It is a process that can be seen even within a generation. Where does the dr...