" These terms are borrowed from J.R.R. Tolkien, whose unequaled mastery of the language of myth gave the twentieth century one of its great works of mythic literature.  His comments are relevant to any thoughtful study of myth: “...I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence.  I much prefer history, with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers.  I think that many confuse ‘applicability’ with ‘allegory’; but the one resides in the freedom of the reader, and the other in the purposed domination of the author.”[ "

― John Michael Greer , A World Full of Gods: An Inquiry Into Polytheism