Dune VS. Lord of the Rings: 10 Similarities (PLUS: Plagiarism accusation?)

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🔎Video Chapters🔍

00:00 Intro
00:42 Lord of the Rings
00:58 Dune
01:45 Dangerous Substances
02:56 Hero's Journey
03:29 Epic Cosmology
04:00 Role of the Little Guy
04:40 Good Fighting Evil
05:14 Future Tolkien Videos
05:54 Sword and Serpent
06:42 Emphasis on race, politics, religion, language, and geography
07:44 Themes of Leadership
08:43 Ecological Awareness
09:44 Prophecies and Destiny
10:30 Use of Magic/Mystical Powers
11:47 Conclusion

[michaelcurtis]

I think you're missing the underlying message in Dune which is (the author's belief) that religion is not to be trusted. It is made clear throughout the story that the "prophesies" are only manipulations of the Bene Geseritt (forgive the spelling) sisters. Any faith that you see in the story is part of the manipulation and because so many people buy into it, there is a lot of death that results. I think this is the reason that Tolkien didn't like the story. It represents the atheistic view of the world.

[acecondor]

Dune was once described to me as what Lord of the Rings would have been like if Aragorn had taken the Ring for himself and used it to replace Sauron

[anthonylogiudice]

Tolkien disliked Dune very much and stated so in a letter to a friend and asked the friend if he wanted the book returned to him.

[atmalewis]

I just want to mention that The Lord of the Rings is NOT primarily a "Hero's Journey", the solitary hero story. It is the about fellowship, hence the title of first book, The Fellowship of the Ring. Being Catholic, Tolkien emphasized the virtue of fellowship...a trusted bond, a "band of brothers". Like the apostles and disciples Jesus brought together, the importance of needing each other.
Jesus made clear that our journey is not a Hero's Journey ( which i am beginning to believe is a psyop) not living for myself but living for others. Journeying with fellow travelers. for the collective maturity of humanity. The Church.
The virtue of friendship, and fellowship - Satan cannot understand it just like he cannot understand empathy or sacrificing oneself for another. I do believe that it was THAT message that Tolkien meant to impart in LOTR.

[misteryakamoto]

Tolkien is a devout Catholic and his Christianity beliefs was really brought to life by Peter Jackson. Dune on the otherhand, in my opinion, lacks a lot of magic and beauty through humility that LOTR has. Maybe I'm just being biased, but hey, LOTR still hits the heart strings everytime I watch it. "Even the smallest of person can change the course of the future." - Galadriel

[Jake-hnyt]

1. Similarity of Dangerous Substances (The Ring Vs. The Spice)
2. Idea of the Heroes' Journey
3. Both Novel Universes have an Epic Cosmology. Expansive and detailed World-Building.
4. The Struggle of the Political Power and the Role of the Little Guy (Political Maneuvering and Alliances).
5. The Concept of Good, fighting and overcoming Evil.
6. Both have an emphasis on Race, Politics, Religion, Language, and Geography.
7. The theme of Leadership, which means Responsibility. Leadership that is based on a "Servant Mentality."
8. The Landscape and the Natural features of Middle Earth and Dune are based on an ecological awareness. There is an environmentalism. There is a moral element to the beauty of nature. The balance of an ecosystem and the consequences of the loss of that balance.
9. The importance of Prophecy and Destiny.
10. The use of Magic or Mystical powers. There are magical powers present in both narratives.

[christopherhorn]

I agree with others here that Tolkien's dislike of Dune has to do with their differing perspectives on religion, and magic vs. science. But that's also the reason why Dune is great sci-fi and LOTR is good as fantasy. The two series are opposites in a lot of ways.

[deltasteve]

If the heros journey is plagiarism, then most of literature is stolen work.

[chipious]

Tolkien believed that Good would triumph over evil and all it took was the right leader to do it. Herbert believed that a messiah is just another form of oppression once the followers of the messiah take the wheel. Power over others mind’s overrules both good and evil. I can see why this disturbs and must be deflected.

[rosetocreation]

I'm so glad I finally had the chance to watch this! The parallels you've discovered are fascinating. Now I understand why "Dune" never quite captured my attention, while Tolkien's trilogy drew me in instantly. I realize now that "The Lord of the Rings" was inspired by the Holy Spirit, given J.R.R. Tolkien's devout Christian faith as a Roman Catholic. It seems clear that Herbert drew heavily from Tolkien's work. This is a great example of how authors/artists then some, in copying creative ideas can never truly succeed, resulting only in an empty imitation. Thank you again Dr. Marshall... some day I'm going to join your University. God bless you and your family.

[RichardSmith-clqh]

Much of these factors are in Homer and later in Alice on Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz - so there is a long tradition for many of these elements - wonderfully presented❤

[lucymarion]

This is so cool...I'm glad you're doing this show with comparison between the two. I've never heard of Dune...but lately, my older son has been watching Dune series, and he's been recommending his younger brother to watch it.

[Helfinator]

I believe another reason why Tolkien did not like Dune was, besides the cynicism, that the main religious text in the book is called the “Orange Catholic Bible”. It’s a mixture of all the major religions on Earth. I think Tolkien addresses this watering down of Catholicism with other religions as appalling in his letter about the book.

[judgmentaltoast]

Love your regular content but I also really love this content as well!! 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

[zoompt-lmxw]

Great video
I remember one you did about Disney Star Wars. Keep them coming.

[janicem.]

There's no plagiarism. So many stories have those elements. Even Homer's Odyssey.

[keymaker]

LoTR is a deep dive into the human experience and how, despite great difficulties and defeats, it can go right. Dune is deep dive into the human experience and how, despite heroism and the best intentions, it can go wrong.

[fredlozano]

I can see what you’re saying but there are other authors and books that have been similar in their authorship. Have you read the Eragon series. If not then is recommend you look into it.

[andesean]

No plagiarism. Hefty accusations need material evidence. All the similarities found simply are marks of very good writing.

[solaura]

Paul Atraydies was believed by the mob to be the militaristic savior prophet known in Islam as the Mahdi. Paul is called Mahdi by the mob during his speech to the mob. .