Published Books:
Parma Endorion, The Anglo-Saxon Myth

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The Anglo-Saxon Myth

Michael Martinez has found himself embroiled in many controversies through the years. One of the most frequently recurring disputes concerns his remarks about the so-called "Anglo-Saxon Myth".

Many people, including an overwhelming majority of Tolkien scholars and researchers, feel that Tolkien borrowed extensively from Anglo-Saxon literature. Michael often goes out of his way to point out alternatives to the Anglo-Saxon roots of Tolkien's literature. Why?

"There should be NO doubt that Tolkien drew upon Old English and Middle English sources," Michael says. "I have no problem with acknowledging his Old English and Middle English sources. What I object to are the strenuous arguments which present Tolkien as an incompetent or jovial liar. Integrity is pervasive throughout his fiction. He urged people not to make certain judgements without fully explaining himself, but he often mentioned topics which clearly had powerful influences on portions of his literature."

Should the average Tolkien reader care about how much "Beowulf" one finds in The Lord of the Rings?

"It has never been about how much influence 'Beowulf' has had on Tolkien," Michael points out. "It has always been about helping people to learn to appreciate Tolkien more fully. He did not confine himself to Old English and Middle English. People today want to restrict Tolkien to those areas, but his professional work and his personal interests extended well beyond the Old English world. Tolkien wanted Middle-earth to feel real to virtually anyone from across Europe. Basing a majority of Middle-earth on England would have undermined that goal. So, he drew extensively from many sources. People have made too much of the Anglo-Saxon sources and too little of the non-Germanic sources. I am seeking to balance the scales."

The controversy will not go away. Medievalists often write negative reviews about Michael's books, focusing on his rebuttals of pro-Anglo-Saxonist arguments. Whether he is right or wrong, Michael has made his mark among Tolkien readers (and experts) around the world.