Mythopoeic Awards
3 appearances
-
Edition 14 (1984) Winner
-
Edition 31 (2001) Winner
-
Edition 38 (2008) Winner
Thomas Alan Shippey
トーマス・アラン・シッピー
Tōmasu Aran Shippei
Aliases:
Tom Shippey / T. A. Shippey
Pen Names:
John Holm（Used for co-authored alternate history trilogy with Harry Harrison）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1943-09-09 （Calcutta, British India）
- Nationality
- United Kingdom
- Languages
- English, Old English, Middle English, Old Norse, German, Latin
- Residence History
- Calcutta, British India → Birmingham, UK → Cambridge, UK → Oxford, UK → Leeds, UK → Saint Louis, USA → Dorset, UK
Career
- Occupations
- Medievalist, Philologist, Academic, Writer, Critic
- Active Years
- 1964-
- Affiliations
- University of Birmingham, St John's College, Oxford, University of Leeds, Saint Louis University
- Influenced By
- J.R.R. Tolkien, Jacob Grimm
- Influenced
- Michael D. C. Drout, Janet Brennan Croft
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King Edward's School, Birmingham | — | Classics | — | 1954-1960 | United Kingdom |
| Queens' College, Cambridge | Faculty of Arts | English Language | B.A., M.A., Ph.D. | 1960-1970 | United Kingdom |
King Edward's School, Birmingham
Classics
Period:
1954-1960
Year of Graduation:
1960
Country:
United Kingdom
Secondary school
Queens' College, Cambridge
Faculty of Arts
/ English Language
Degree:
B.A., M.A., Ph.D.
Period:
1960-1970
Year of Graduation:
1970
Country:
United Kingdom
Studied Old English, Old Norse, etc., like Tolkien
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Mythopoeic Award | The Road to Middle-Earth | Inkling Studies | Mythopoeic Society | Winner |
| 2001 | Mythopoeic Award | J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century | Inkling Studies | Mythopoeic Society | Winner |
| 2001 | World Fantasy Award | J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century | Special Professional Award | — | Winner |
| 2008 | Mythopoeic Award | The Shadow-Walkers: Jacob Grimm's Mythology of the Monstrous | Myth and Fantasy Studies | Mythopoeic Society | Winner |
Mythopoeic Award
1984
Work:
The Road to Middle-Earth
Category:
Inkling Studies
Organization:
Mythopoeic Society
Result:
Winner
Mythopoeic Award
2001
Work:
J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century
Category:
Inkling Studies
Organization:
Mythopoeic Society
Result:
Winner
World Fantasy Award
2001
Work:
J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century
Category:
Special Professional Award
Result:
Winner
Mythopoeic Award
2008
Work:
The Shadow-Walkers: Jacob Grimm's Mythology of the Monstrous
Category:
Myth and Fantasy Studies
Organization:
Mythopoeic Society
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
The Road to Middle-Earth
1982 Criticism / Tolkien StudiesSets Tolkien in the tradition of comparative philology
PhilologyTolkienMiddle-earth
J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century
2000 Criticism / Tolkien StudiesPlaces Tolkien in the context of 20th-century issues
WarOrigin of EvilHumanity
Laughing Shall I Die: Lives and Deaths of the Great Vikings
2018 History / Viking StudiesExplores Viking heroic mentality and humor
VikingsHeroesDeath
Bibliography
- Old English Verse (1972)
- The Road to Middle-Earth (1982)
- J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century (2000)
- Laughing Shall I Die (2018)
Translations by Author
- Beowulf: Translation and Commentary (2024)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- ScholarlyPhilologically rigorousLogical and clear
- Recurring Motifs
- Creative philologyMyth and historyHeroic ethos
Legacy
Leading Tolkien scholar worldwide, honored with multiple festschrifts
Academic Societies
- Tolkien Society
- Mythopoeic Society
In Popular Culture
- Assisted dialect coaches on Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films
Quotes
-
Purely by accident, I followed in Tolkien's footsteps in several respects
Source: Personal statement
Trivia
- Attended same school as Tolkien, succeeded to his chair at Leeds
- Wrote SF novels under pseudonym John Holm
- Appeared in LOTR film documentaries