SHADOW AND FLAME: J.R.R. TOLKIEN IN THE GEOSCIENCE CLASSROOM

Convincing humanities majors of the relevance of science to their lives and interests can present a considerable challenge to the university instructor. Likewise, science majors can sometimes find literature courses and other humanities to be tedious and irrelevant distractions from their major. However, science-based popular fiction and myth afford a valuable opportunity to both bring humanities students to science and get science majors to look beyond the laboratory. Dorothy Vitaliano coined the term geomythology in 1968 to describe the possible scientific truth hidden in some seemingly fantastical myths concerning the natural environment (such as the eruption of Mount Mazama). The geoscience education literature demonstrates that geomythology has been successfully used as a hook in some university courses to both attract nonscience majors to science, and to interest science majors in the humanities. Likewise, science fiction has long been used in a similar way. The works of famed fantasy writer J.R.R. Tolkien (The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion) are perhaps unique in their rich tapestry of internal mythology, detailed description of the natural environment, and, surprisingly, correct geoscience. Given that Tolkien clearly stated that Middle-earth is our Earth, often wrote of science as one of his life-long interests, and utilized the natural environment itself a major character in his works, it is not surprising that we should therefore find a large body of geomythology (and corresponding astromythology) within the pages of his so-called legendarium. Examples include mythic (yet scientifically relevant) explanations of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, lunar phases and calendars, eclipses, auroras, erosion and weathering, mountain building, meteors and meteorites, This presentation will illustrate concrete examples of geoscience in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and share examples of how they can be utilized in courses for both nonscience and science majors, as well as learning communities which pair literature and science courses which have a common theme and student body.