Abstract
Considers the influence of Norse mythology on The Hobbit in particular, both in story elements and in “Northern courage.” Asserts that in The Hobbit, Tolkien “bases each of the major elements of the quest on an identifiably Northern mythological source.” Sees the moral choices presented in The Hobbit as characteristic of those faced by the “stern heroes of Northern myths” and important to children, whose notions of right and wrong are more basic than those of adults.
