From: "Strong, Lee" <StrongL at MTMC.ARMY.MIL>
To: "WSFAList (E-mail)" <WSFAList at keithlynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Myths Far and Wide
Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 10:21:50 -0500
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

	Barry Newton expressed his belief that dwarves, elves and trolls are
distinctly European in flavor and hence in entertainment value.  Au
contraire.  While trolls are fairly distinctively Scandanavian in origin,
practically all human cultures have some version of dwarves, elves, little
people, goblins, ogres, giants and undead, often with interesting
variations.  In addition, many people can enjoy good stories from other
cultures.  Tolkien's epic may be set in a fantasy prehistorical Europe but
it's popular precisely because he uses nearly universal symbols to speak to
nearly universal concerns.