New factor - Myths of the fourth era.

                       Natalya REZANOVA

                     MYTHS OF THE FOURTH AGE

                 ...And you will know how the flesh crunches when-
              Lezo enters below the shoulder blade, as if it shudders in
              spasms of pain and horror throughout your pitiful being...
                                                      N. Perumov

                 Do not think that I have come to break the law or
              prophets; I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill.
                                              Matthew 5:17.

   Banning the continuation of The Lord of the Rings is futile.
English fans complement and add to J.R.R. for thirty years now.
Surely they do the same thing in other countries. Only none of
they did not go beyond the limits and volumes of the small press. And with us - mass
first edition! And in a volume that almost exceeds the original source!..And
in two publishing houses at once, and under different names. And again we
ahead of the rest... Well, what will Tolkien’s heirs say - not on-
no matter. It's up to us to decide whether to read it or not. It is known that among fans
some deliberately condemn the "Ring of Darkness" as a deliberate blasphemy and
refuse to read it on principle, others nominate it for the title
"Best novel of the year." My opinion is that you need to read it, at least to
run away from stylistics like “I haven’t read Pasternak, but I condemn him.”
   The general impression is that the internal, deep culture of "VK" has replaced
it seemsexternal. Well-read. Erudition. Many different
mythology - from ancient Greek to modern German, history of the Middle Ages
centuries and military art. Literary works are recognizable
sources. The result is okroshka. There is such a dish. Many
he likes it.
   To say right away - there is something in Perumov’s novel that is not...
I have to disagree - time does not stand still. Even in Middle-earth.
J.R.R. wrote an epic (or, if you like, pseudo-epic) ro-
man. Perumov is pseudo-historical. Tolkien's action takes place
in the era that is traditionally called “heroic”, Perumov in
the era of the High Middle Ages. We learn quite a bit from VK,
let's say about trade in Middle-earth, except that it is there, oh
about what kind of monetary system there is, about crafts and agriculture.
In Perumov we find a description of developed commodity-money relations
niy, workshop system, city government, etc. (though to
All this was formed, it took not three hundred years, but more. But this
ok).
   There is another interesting idea that, oddly enough, can be
found in the list of reproaches. Here she is.
  1.What you would probably pay attention to first
Tolkien. Perumov doesn't like hobbits. J.R.R. even though he laughs
all the time above them, knows - the world admires Aragorn, but keeps -
on Frodo and Sam - “little people”. Perumov has all the ho-
the bits, except for Folco, are greedy, stupid ordinary people. Oh manthese revo-
lusional romantics...
  (But the most common reproach against Perumov is
I am not suggesting that the composition of his novel duplicates VK. In my opinion
this is the principle. Not only the composition, but also a number of characters duplicate
heroes of "VK" - Folko - Frodo and Sam, Rogvold - Aragorn, Radagast
- Gandalf, Sutti - Eowyn, etc. Sometimes almost mechanically - on-
For example, in Tolkien, Sam does not remember until the middle of the novel that he
he has a girl left at home - Rosie, just like Perumov's Folko
about Millicent.)
  2. Purely reader's reproach. Four translations used
Tolkien (and it seems without taking into account the original) - inaccurate, but most
beloved by the people of Muravyov and Kistyakovsky, more accurate, but
hovaty - Grigorieva and Grushetsky, Z. Bobyr - the worst known
nykh, and in addition Rakhmanov’s translation of “The Hobbit”. Names and realities
are drawn from all four translations, but are not included in the system.
Let's add here more discrepancies in names and titles in Caucasian and
St. Petersburg publications. As a result, we have Brandisykes, but Bag-
gins, Laurus Narcissus, but Thorin Oakenshield, Aragorn was "ran-
Jerome" (maybe a ranger after all?), but Rogvold is a hunter and not
this is the end. Such verbal annoyance simply dazzles the eyes.
  3. Since our shortcomings are a continuation of our virtues
institutions, many of the shortcomings of Perumov’s novel stem from its “use”
toricity". Since the novel is “sort of” historical,peoples of Sre-
dizemya, historical analogues are selected, smoothly sliding into
political characteristics. As a result, the people of Middle-earth actively
"Scandinavised", the gnomes are intensively "mowing" under the Germans, in the distance
Easterlings are found (in the established tradition - Vastaki) - bra-
tya-Slavs, good, in general, guys, but ossified in the
love to the father of the nations Sauron - which, of course, does not apply to the great
likorossam-dorvags. There are also Vikings - Umbarians, Mongols - Khazgi,
Nidings are vile, by definition, Judeo-Masons, and a bunch of other things
people, and all this slightly smacks of Black Hundreds, but this is the modern
It’s not considered bad form anymore, right?
  4.Continuation of the previous one. Tolkien in his epic follows the epi-
ical tradition in relation to female images. Women in this
tradition is assigned only two roles - the proud ruler
or a maid. The same goes for the Professor. Female monster a la
Grendel's mother - Shelob - he can still describe, but as a true
tlmen cannot write badly about women as such. Even harmful
old woman Lobelia turns out to be capable of nobility and selflessness -
tie. Perumov has a completely domestic attitude towards women - “women
“Bitches, it would be much better without them.”
  (Thought along the way. And if Rogvold, to some extent, “replaces”
Aragorn, is his quarrelsome companion Oddrun deliberate?
a parody of the impeccable Arwen Undomiel, who with her positive
flatteryreally annoying?)
  5. NOTE OF PRINCIPALITY. It is no coincidence that Tolkien's novel ended
ends where it ends. Not only the novel has reached its conclusion,
an era has ended. Epic time must be replaced by the use of
toric, elves are replaced by people... But, judging by the layout of the event-
According to Perumov, absolutely nothing has changed in Middle-earth.
Neither the elves have gone anywhere, nor the magicians, nor the gnomes, nor the orcs, and even
a lot of all sorts of evil spirits came running, magic rings - the remaining ones
- they didn’t lose their strength... And then, unexpectedly, the villain Olmer, bo-
striving for the “independence of man”, against the imposition of dictatorship on him
that of a higher race and a higher will, it turns out absolutely right! Or, according to
at least he looks much more convincing than his opponents,
who are simply grandiloquent and helpless. But besides the fact that evil
here appears more attractive than good, what to do with predictions
Gandalf and Galadriel regarding the radical restructuring of the world
ra after the death of the One Ring? About the disappearance of magic, about
leaving the elves? And so, answers Perumov. There was an error...
“Even the great make mistakes”... By “great” the author does not mean
only Galadriel, but also J.R.R., clearly feeling himself the creator of No-
of the New Testament in relation to the Old. But, firstly, if Gen-
Dalf and Galadriel were wrong, the Lord of the Rings novel is simply not
would have the right to exist. And secondly, based on the general
contextTolkien's creativity, "VK" is the New Testament in relation to
niya to the Old One ("The Silmarillion"). And the Savior, incarnated in
human form has already come into the world. Consummmatum est! A "Ring"
Darkness" is an ordinary apocrypha.
  (Thought along the way. “The elves must leave,” and in the finale of “VK” we are
we see it with our own eyes. But orcs, as we know from The Silmarillion, are
"distorted" elves. Doesn't this mean that along with the exodus
Fov must somehow bring about the exodus of the orcs?)
  6. Note, the most important for me. The motto of old-fashioned Tolkien
- “pity and mercy” is replaced by the more modern one - “coolness”
on and Chernukha. "The novel is dominated by an atmosphere of general cruelty - execution,
torture, self-mutilation... the closer to us, the farther from Pro-
fessora. Moreover, the “good” ones are in no way inferior to the “evil” ones in this regard,
and sometimes even surpass. From the very beginning, how they address "slav-
new guys" with a captive niding, whose guilt is quite guessable?
Tolkien's heroes with Gollum, whose guilt was undoubted, were nothing like
They didn’t allow much. But in this sadistic action everything is calm
takes part in Folco, who is presented to us as a young man with tender
and a sensitive soul. But when closer to the end one of the chapters...
The main characters of the novel - the Kid - turns out to be a "double agent", with him
limited to a brief educational conversation. Double accounting
ria in relation to our own and strangers? I'm talking about the mass genocide of orcs
and I don’t say it. Tolkien'sOf course, they are also mowed down in batches, but in
fair fight. And of course, no one would even think about killing women.
chins and children. And to brag about it...
  (Thought along the way. Tolkien clearly knew, moreover, that the worst thing
it is better not to describe not only from ethical, but from purely literary
ry considerations. Otherwise it won't be scary. Let the imagination work
melts. Therefore, in particular, we are never given the opportunity to see Sa-
damage And only by the reactions of the characters can one guess how much he
terrible. And Olmer is there in person from the very beginning, so
the reader gets used to him, and even begins to sympathize with him.)
  7. Out of pettiness. The author sometimes simply doesn’t see what he’s talking about
writes. I can’t get rid of the next scene - Olmer breaks his hand-
yat Thorin's axe, and then gives him his staff for a new axe-
more Effective of course, but, my dears, can you imagine what
the thickness of the staff should be if it was used to make a combat hilt
an ax? But Olmer is by no means a giant; on the contrary, outwardly he is human
century is quite average parameters. And you can find many such examples -
th...
   Well, you say. For one point "for" - seven "against". It was worth it
Is it even possible to go broke? It was worth it. Because it's forbidden to continue
"VK"... (see first line). But this is not how it should be done. Without no-
carelessness. With an understanding of Tolkien's intentions. Do not break the covenants of the masses
tera, but to fulfill them. And there is no need to strive for relevance. Otherwise
world mythology willreplaced by the myths of mass consciousness of Russia
Siysk post-perestroika reality. They are, of course, myths too,
but what does Tolkien have to do with it? And it turns out that the author, for all his
erudition, failed to cope with the chosen task. You have to choose what you wear
on the shoulder.
  "We all shouldn't have attempted the impossible, remember.
“my words,” he finished gloomily and fell completely silent. Nick.
Perumov, "Ring of Darkness", vol.2.