Before the days of special-effects cinema lighting up silver screens and Blu-ray DVDs presenting crystal clear quality in every home, epic storytelling was a much more modest art form.
All it took was an eloquent storyteller sitting in a circle with an audience around a fire, crafting the story with his own voice.
The listeners would lean closer and closer to the fire for warmth as the storyteller spun his stories about mythic heroes and monstrous villains, so close it was as if they were biting on the coals of the fire.
The imagery may seem a little extreme, even ridiculous, but those who shared stories around a hearth in the cold air were known as “coalbiters” because they leaned so close to the fire. While a professor at Oxford University, J.R.R. Tolkien, author of “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings,” started a club of writers and scholars that took the name “coalbiter” and redubbed it “Kolbitar.”
It was the purpose of Kolbitar to study the ancient myths and legends of medieval times, specifically those of Icelandic, Germanic and English cultures. Tolkien and fellow author C.S. Lewis were inspired by the literature of the medieval ages as they wrote their best-selling novels.
And now a club with the same name and similar interests has found its way onto Harding’s campus.
Every other Monday night, Dr. Larry Hunt, associate professor of English, and Greg Laing, assistant professor of English, gather in the Kibo Room at Midnight Oil with students and other faculty members to study and discuss medieval literature.
“I have always had a romantic attraction to the medieval,” Hunt said. “At first, I was attracted to it indirectly through authors like Tolkien and Lewis, whose writings have a medieval feel to them. Later, I began to develop an academic taste for the period itself.”
Hunt and Laing said they began the group at the beginning of last semester, opening it to anyone interested in studying ancient medieval lore, and the group has grown to include about 10 members at every meeting. They said the group members have a shared passion for the medieval legends and they spend their time delving into the material to learn more about the ancient cultures.
Before every meeting, the group is given a certain text to read, which they find and read online, for the next meeting to discuss. Currently, Hunt said the group was reading through the “Volsunga Saga,” a legendary saga originally written in Icelandic prose about the rise and fall of the Volsunga Clan.
According to Hunt, the saga, which includes the tale of Sigurd slaying the dragon Fafnir, was a great influence on Tolkien’s and Lewis’ works. Freshman Michael Bridges said he joined the group at the beginning of last semester and has enjoyed reading the “Volsunga Saga.”
“The myths, legends and style [of what we read] all hold a great fascination for me,” Bridges said. “I have learned how to appreciate old literature and even compose in Norse prose.”
Hunt said most of the works they read were originally written in Icelandic or German and they read the English translations. However, Hunt said many students are interested in learning Icelandic.
“I am so impressed with the students and our discussions,” Laing said. “They draw on their own knowledge during our meetings and they have such a passion [for the material]. I am also impressed they are studying things they don’t have to.”
