The Shaping of Middle-earth, the fourth volume in “The History of Middle-earth” series, will be the focus of the next Mythgard Academy class starting today.
Mythgard Academy podcasts are free and open for anyone to attend thanks to the support of donations. Classes will be held each Wednesday evening at 9:30 pm EST until 24 February. They can be attended live, but are also available afterwards on the Mythgard website and iTunes U.
From the class description:
Originally published in 1986, The Shaping of Middle-earth offers the first recognizable versions of stories that eventually became part of The Silmarillion. As Christopher Tolkien explains in the preface, these drafts were written by Tolkien in the 1930s and represent the point to which Tolkien had developed his legendarium at the time The Hobbit was published in 1937. Among other things, it contains an early outline of “The Silmarillion,” along with the Quenta, Ambarkanta, and a number of Tolkien’s signature hand-drawn maps that illustrated-cartography lovers will enjoy.
The Mythgard Institute also offers a range of online courses, often Tolkien-based or related, which can be taken purely for pleasure, to develop your understanding and knowledge of language and literature, and can even contribute towards a Master’s level degree.
