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grammaboodawg
Immortal
May 9 2023, 3:06pm
Post #26 of 46
(2983 views)
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Today in Middle-earth
May 9-?, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. Bilbo's adventure is already getting old.
(determined from text)
..."...the party went along very merrily, and they told stories or sang songs as they rode forward all day, except of course when they stopped for meals. These didn't come quite as often as Bilbo would have liked them, but still he began to feel that adventures were not so bad after all.
...At first they had passed through hobbit-lands, a wild respectable country inhabited by decent folk, with good roads, and inn or two, and now and then a dwarf or a farmer ambling by on business. Then they came to lands where people spoke strangely, and sang songs Bilbo had never heard before."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
May 9 2023, 4:27pm
Post #27 of 46
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That's Quickbeam (aka Cliff Broadway) at 1:43, 3:33 and MrCere (aka SandWitch King) at 3:31, 0:22
And some others are:
Royd Tolkien next to his brother Michael at 0:30
Dean O'Gorman (Fili) 1:25 & 3:47
The One Ring 1:36
Peter Jackson 1:40 and Invisible PJ 3:00
Gollum 2:42
Most of them are scattered throughout the Video.
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
May 10 2023, 12:59pm
Post #28 of 46
(2944 views)
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Here's part 1 of a 6-part Book Spoiler of a strong personality Gandalf had to deal with during his days of the war... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From The Pyre of Denethor: The Return of the King ..."'He will not wake again,' said Denethor. 'Battle is vain. Why should we wish to live longer? Why should we not go to death side by side?'
... 'Authority is not given to you, Steward of Gondor, to order the hour of your death,' answered Gandalf. 'And only the heathen kings, under the domination of the Dark Power, did thus, slaying themselves in pride and despair, murdering their kin to ease their own death.' Then passing through the door he took Faramir from the deadly house and laid him on the bier on which he had been brought... ...Denethor followed him, and stood trembling, looking with longing on the face of his son...
... '...Come!' said Gandalf. 'We are needed. There is much that you can yet do.' .
... Then suddenly Denethor laughed. He stood up tall and proud again and stepping swiftly back to the table he lifted from it the pillow on which his head had lain. Then coming to the doorway he drew aside the covering, and lo! he had between his hands a palantír. And as he held it up, it seemed to those that looked on that the globe began to glow with an inner flame, so that the lean face of the Lord was lit as with a red fire, and it seemed cut out of hard stone, sharp with black shadows, noble, proud, and terrible. His eyes glittered.
... 'Pride and despair!' he cried. 'Didst thou think that the eyes of the White Tower were blind? Nay, I have seen more than thou knowest, Grey Fool. For thy hope is but ignorance... ...For a little space you may triumph on the field, for a day. But against the power that now arises there is no victory. To this City only the first finger of its hand has yet been stretched... ...even now the wind of thy hope cheats thee and wafts up Anduin a fleet with black sails. The West has failed. It is time for all to depart who would not be slaves.'
... 'Such counsels will make the Enemy's victory certain indeed,' said Gandalf.
... 'Hope on then!' laughed Denethor. 'Do I not know thee, Mithrandir? Thy hope is to rule in my stead, to stand behind every throne... ...I have read thy mind and its policies. Do I not know that you commanded this halfling here to keep silence? That you brought him hither to be a spy within my very chamber? And yet in our speech together I have learned the names and purpose of all thy companions... ...[to] bring up this Ranger of the North to supplant me."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
May 11 2023, 1:04pm
Post #29 of 46
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Here's part 2 of a Book Spoiler of the defiance and delusion of Denethor as he challenges Gandalf... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From The Pyre of Denethor: The Return of the King ... "'But I say to thee, Gandalf Mithrandir, I will not be thy tool! I am Steward of the House of Anárion. I will not step down to be the dotard chamberlain of an upstart... ...he comes but of the line of Isildur. I will not bow to such a one, last of a ragged house long bereft of lordship and dignity.'
... 'What then would you have,' said Gandalf, 'if your will could have its way?'
... 'I would have things as they were in all the days of my life,' answered Denethor, 'and in the days of my long-fathers... ...to be the Lord of this City in peace, and leave my chair to a son after me, who would be his own master and no wizard's pupil. But if doom denies this to me, then I will have naught: neither life diminished, nor love halved, nor honour abated...'
... '...it would not seem that a Steward who faithfully surrenders his charge is diminished in love or in honour,' said Gandalf. 'And at the least you shall not rob your son of his choice while his death is still in doubt.'
... At those words Denethor's eyes flamed again, and taking the Stone under his arm he drew a knife and strode towards the bier. But Beregond sprang forward and set himself before Faramir.
... 'So!' cried Denethor. 'Thou hadst already stolen half my son's love. Now thou stealest the hearts of my knights also, so that they rob me wholly of my son... ...But in this at least thou shalt not defy my will: to rule my own end.'
... 'Come hither!' he cried to his servants... ...two of them ran up the steps to him. Swiftly he snatched a torch from the hand of one and sprang back into the house. Before Gandalf could hinder him he thrust the brand amid the fuel, and at once it crackled and roared into flame.
... Then Denethor leaped upon the table, and standing there wreathed in fire... ...he bowed and laid himself on the table, clasping the palantír with both hands upon his breast. And it was said that ever after, if any man looked in that Stone, unless he had a great strength of will to turn it to other purpose, he saw only two aged hands withering in flame.
... Gandalf in grief and horror turned his face away and closed the door."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
May 12 2023, 12:44pm
Post #30 of 46
(2910 views)
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Here's part 3 of a Book Spoiler of the defiance and delusion of Denethor as he challenges Gandalf... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From The Pyre of Denethor: The Return of the King ... "'So passes Denethor, son of Ecthelion,' said Gandalf. Then he turned to Beregond and the Lord's servants that stood there aghast. 'And so pass also the days of Gondor that you have known; for good or evil they are ended. Ill deeds have been done here... ...let now all enmity that lies between you be put away, for it was contrived by the Enemy and works his will. You have been caught in a net of warring duties that you did not weave. But think, you servants of the Lord, blind in your obedience, that but for the treason of Beregond, Faramir, Captain of the White Tower, would now also be burned...
... '...we will bear Faramir, Steward of Gondor, to a place where he can sleep in peace, or die if that be his doom.'
... Then Gandalf and Beregond taking up the bier bore it away towards the Houses of Healing, while behind them walked Pippin with downcast head. But the servants of the Lord stood gazing as stricken men at the house of the dead... ...there was a great noise... ...they saw the dome of the house crack and smokes issue forth... ...it fell in a flurry of fire; but still unabated the flames danced and flickered among the ruins. Then in terror the servants fled and followed Gandalf.
... At length they came back to the Steward's Door, and Beregond looked with grief at the porter. 'This deed I shall ever rue... ...but a madness of haste was on me.' Then taking the key that he had wrested from the slain man he closed the door and locked it. 'This should now be given to the Lord Faramir,' he said.
... 'The Prince of Dol Amroth is in command in the absence of the Lord,' said Gandalf; 'but since he is not here, I must take this on myself. I bid you keep the key and guard it, until the City is set in order again.'"
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
May 13 2023, 12:01pm
Post #31 of 46
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Here's part 4 of a 6-part Book Spoiler of the aftermath of Denethor's madness as Gandalf, Beregond and Pippin make their way through the streets of Minas Tirith... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From The Pyre of Denethor: The Return of the King ... "Now at last they passed into the high circles of the City, and in the light of morning they went their way towards the Houses of Healing; and these were fair houses set apart for the care of those who were grievously sick... ...now they were prepared for the tending of men hurt in battle or dying. They stood not far from the Citadel-gate, in the sixth circle... ...and about them was a garden and a greensward with trees, the only such place in the City. There dwelt the few women that had been permitted to remain in Minas Tirith, since they were skilled in healing or in the service of the healers....
... ...even as Gandalf and his companions came carrying the bier to the main door of the Houses, they heard a great cry that went up from the field before the Gate and rising shrill and piercing into the sky passed, and died away on the wind. So terrible was the cry that for a moment all stood still, and yet when it had passed, suddenly their hearts were lifted up in such a hope as they had not known since the darkness came out of the East; and it seemed to them that the light grew clear and the sun broke through the clouds.
... But Gandalf's face was grave and sad, and bidding Beregond and Pippin to take Faramir into the Houses of Healing, he went up onto the walls nearby... ...like a figure carven in white he stood in the new sun and looked out. And he beheld with the sight that was given to him all that had befallen; and when Éomer rode out from the forefront of his battle and stood beside those who lay upon the field, he sighed, and he cast his cloak about him again, and went from the walls. And Beregond and Pippin found him standing in thought before the door of the Houses when they came out...
... ...for a while he was silent. At last he spoke. 'My friends,' he said, 'and all you people of this city and the Western lands! Things of great sorrow and renown have come to pass. Shall we weep or be glad? Beyond hope the Captain of our foes has been destroyed, and you have heard the echo of his last despair. But he has not gone without woe and bitter loss... ...that I might have averted but for the madness of Denethor.'"
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
May 14 2023, 1:09pm
Post #32 of 46
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Here's part 5 of a Book Spoiler of Denethor's actions and the battle within Minas Tirith... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From The Pyre of Denethor: The Return of the King ... "Beyond hope the Captain of our foes has been destroyed,[said Gandalf]… …Alas! but now I perceive how his will was able to enter into the very heart of the City.
... Though the Stewards deemed that it was a secret kept only by themselves, long have I known that here in the White Tower, as at Orthanc, one of the Seven Stones was preserved. In the days of his wisdom Denethor did not presume to use it, nor to challenge Sauron, knowing the limits of his own strength. But his wisdom failed... ...as the peril of his realm grew he looked in the Stone and was deceived: more than once... ...since Boromir departed. He was too great to be subdued to the will of the Dark Power, he saw nonetheless only those things which that Power permitted him to see. The knowledge which he obtained was... ...often of service to him; yet the vision of the great might of Mordor that was shown to him fed the despair of his heart until it overthrew his mind.'
... 'Now I understand what seemed so strange to me!' said Pippin, shuddering at his memories as he spoke. 'The Lord went away from the room where Faramir lay; and it was only when he returned that I first thought he was changed, old and broken....'
... '...in the very hour that Faramir was brought to the Tower that many of us saw a strange light in the top-most chamber,' said Beregond. 'But we have seen that light before, and it has long been rumoured... ...that the Lord would at times wrestle in thought with his Enemy.'"
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
May 15 2023, 12:29pm
Post #33 of 46
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Here's part 6 of a 6-part Book Spoiler showing Gandalf's diversion from his own anticipated destiny... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From The Pyre of Denethor: The Return of the King ... "'Alas! then I have guessed rightly,' said Gandalf. 'Thus the will of Sauron entered into Minas Tirith... ...thus I have been delayed here. And here I shall still be forced to remain, for I shall soon have other charges, not Faramir only.
... 'Now I must go down to meet those who come. I have seen a sight upon the field that is very grievous to my heart, and greater sorrow may yet come to pass. Come with me, Pippin! But you, Beregond... ...return to the Citadel and tell the chief of the Guard there what has befallen. It will be his duty... ...to withdraw you from the Guard; but say to him that, if I may give him counsel, you should be sent to the Houses of Healing, to be the guard and servant of your captain, and to be at his side when he awakes—if that shall ever be again. For by you he was saved from the fire. Go now! I shall return soon.'
... With that he turned away and went with Pippin down towards the lower city. And even as they hastened on their way the wind brought a grey rain, and all the fires sank, and there arose a great smoke before them."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
May 16 2023, 12:28pm
Post #34 of 46
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Today in Middle-earth
May 16, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. The Company passes Amon Sûl.
(determined from text - referencing Karen Wynn Fonstad, The Atlas of Middle-earth)
..."Bilbo and Company follow the road that continues northeast past Weathertop and reaches the southeastern foot where they come to the last foothill below and camp at its foot."
~~Now here's a Book Spoiler that takes a look at Amon Sûl/Weathertop... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From Strider: The Fellowship of the Ring ..."'Weathertop?' said Sam. 'What's that?'
...'It is a hill, just to the north of the Road, about halfway from here to Rivendell. It commands a wide view all round; and there we shall have a chance to look about us...
...'...There is no barrow on Weathertop, nor on any of these hills,' answered Strider. 'The Men of the West did not live here; though in their latter days they defended the hills for a while against the evil that came out of Angmar. This path was made to serve the forts along the walls... ...in the first days of the North Kingdom, they built a great watch-tower on Weathertop. Amon Sûl they called it. It was burned and broken, and nothing remains of it now but a tumbled ring, like a rough crown on the old hill's head. Yet once it was tall and fair. It is told that Elendil stood there watching for the coming of Gil-galad out of the West, in the days of the Last Alliance.'"
May 16, 2001
1. Cannes Film Festival has first look at Middle-earth.
... Peter Jackson introduces a 24-minute presentation at the Cannes Film Festival. The preview of Jackson's adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings features a completed sequence from the Mines of Moria (as the Fellowship enters the Great Hall to just before the Balrog appears), and a brief glimpse at footage from other scenes of the trilogy. Jaded industry representatives are reportedly blown away by what they see.
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
May 17 2023, 12:53pm
Post #35 of 46
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Today in Middle-earth
May 17, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. The Company continues northeast on the road, dropping slowly into the 'Lone-lands'.
(determined from text - referencing Karen Wynn Fonstad, The Atlas of Middle-earth)
..."...they had gone on far into the Lone-lands, where there were no people left, no inns, and the roads grew steadily worse. Not far ahead were dreary hills, rising higher and higher, dark with trees. On some of them were old castles with an evil look, as if they had been built by wicked people. Everything seemed gloomy, for the weather that day had taken a nasty turn."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
May 18 2023, 2:21pm
Post #36 of 46
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Here is a Book Spoiler that looks at the Hobbits' perception of the Old Forest… for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From The Old Forest: The Fellowship of the Ring ... [Merry] "'We have come almost in the opposite direction to which we intended. This is the River Withywindle....'
... ...there was fairly solid ground between the cliff-foot and the river; in some places firm turf went down to the water's edge. 'What's more,' he said, 'there seems to be something like a footpath winding along on this side of the river. If we turn left and follow it, we shall be bound to come out on the east side of the Forest eventually.'
...[ [Pippin] '...Who made the track, do you suppose, and why? I am sure it was not for our benefit. I am getting very suspicious of this Forest and everything in it...'
... ...There being nothing else for it, they filed out, and Merry led them to the path that he had discovered. Everywhere the reeds and grasses were lush and tall, in places far above their heads... ...once found, the path was easy to follow, as it turned and twisted, picking out the sounder ground among the bogs and polls. Here and there it passed over other rills, running down gullies into the Withywindle out of the higher forest-lands, and at these points there were tree-trunks or bundles of brushwood laid carefully across.
... The hobbits began to feel very hot. There were armies of flies of all kinds buzzing round their ears... ...At last they came suddenly into a thin shade; great grey branches reached across the path. Each step forward became more reluctant than the last. Sleepiness seemed to be creeping out of the ground and up their legs, and falling softly out of the air upon their heads and eyes.
... Frodo felt his chin go down and his head nod. Just in front of him Pippin fell forward on to his knees.... '...It's no good,' he heard Merry saying. 'Can't go another step without rest... ...It's cool under the willows. Less flies!'
... Frodo did not like the sound of this. 'Come on!' he cried. 'We can't have a nap yet. We must get clear of the Forest first.' But the others were too far gone to care. Beside them Sam stood yawning and blinking stupidly."
We have been there and back again.
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(This post was edited by grammaboodawg on May 18 2023, 2:27pm)
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
May 19 2023, 12:15pm
Post #37 of 46
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It's time for some.... *yawn*... BS!
[In reply to]
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Here's some BS about how tiring or downright boring it can be in Middle-earth that hobbits clearly never hesitate to express… for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From Three Is Company: The Fellowship of the Ring ..."After a while they plunged into a deeply cloven track between tall trees that rustled their dry leaves in the night. It was very dark. At first they talked, or hummed a tune softly together, being now far away from inquisitive ears. Then they marched on in silence, and Pippin began to lag behind. At last... ...he stopped and yawned.
...'I am so sleepy,' he said, 'that soon I shall fall down on the road... ...It is nearly midnight.'
...'I thought you liked walking in the dark,' said Frodo."
From The Old Forest: The Fellowship of the Ring ... "Frodo woke suddenly. It was still dark in the room. Merry was standing there with a candle in one hand, and banging on the door with the other....
... '...It is time to get up. It is half-past four and very foggy. Come on! Sam is already getting breakfast ready. Even Pippin is up... ...Wake that sluggard Fatty! At least he must get up and see us off.'
... Soon after six o'clock the five hobbits were ready to start. Fatty Bolger was still yawning."
[Later in the Forest]
... "Frodo felt his chin go down and his head nod. Just in front of him Pippin fell forward on to his knees... '...It's no good,' he heard Merry saying. 'Can't go another step without rest. Must have nap. It's cool under the willows....'
... ...'Come on!' [Frodo] cried. 'We can't have a nap yet. We must get clear of the Forest first.' But the others were too far gone to care. Beside them Sam stood yawning and blinking stupidly."
From Many Partings: The Two Towers ... "As soon as the whole company was assembled, standing in a wide circle round Treebeard, a curious and unintelligible conversation began. The Ents began to murmur slowly: first one joined and then another, until they were all chanting together...
... ...Though he could not catch or understand any of the words... ...Pippin found the sound very pleasant to listen to at first; but gradually his attention wavered... ...he found himself wondering... ...whether they had yet got further than Good Morning... '...I wonder what the Entish is for yes or no,' he thought. He yawned.
... Treebeard was immediately aware of him."
From The Palantír: The Two Towers ... "Guards were set, two at a watch. The rest... ...wrapped themselves in a cloak and blanket and slept. The hobbits lay in a corner by themselves upon a pile of old bracken. Merry was sleepy, but Pippin now seemed curiously restless... ...he twisted and turned.
... 'What's the matter?' asked Merry. 'Are you lying on an ant-hill?'
... 'No,' said Pippin, 'but I'm not comfortable. I wonder how long it is since I slept in a bed?'
... Merry yawned. 'Work it out on your fingers... ...how long it is since we left Lórien.'
... 'Oh, that!' said Pippin. 'I mean a real bed in a bedroom....'"
... [Pippin] "'...All right! What's the harm in telling you what I should like: a look at that stone? I know I can't have it, with old Gandalf sitting on it, like a hen on an egg... ...it doesn't help much to get no more from you than a you-can't-have-it-so-go-to-sleep...!'
... [Merry] '...I'm sorry, Pippin, but you really must wait till the morning. I'll be as curious as you like after breakfast... ...But I can't keep awake any longer. If I yawn any more, I shall split at the ears. Good night!'"
From The Passage of the Marshes: The Two Towers ... "Sam had lain still, fascinated by this debate... ...watching every move that Gollum made from under his half-closed eye-lids... ...things had plainly gone far enough, and were getting dangerous... ...he roused himself with an effort and sat up. Something warned him to be careful and not to reveal that he had overheard the debate. He let out a loud sigh and gave a huge yawn."
From The Window on the West: The Two Towers ... [Henneth Annûn] "For a while [Sam] and Frodo lay back and watched the torchlight, and the men moving to and fro speaking in hushed voices. Then suddenly Frodo fell asleep.
... Sam struggled with himself, arguing this way and that. '[Faramir] may be all right,' he thought, 'and then he may not. Fair speech may hide a foul heart.' He yawned. 'I could sleep for a week, and I'd be better for it... ...Sam stuck his knuckles in his eyes...
... ...Now more torches were being lit. A cask of wine was broached. Storage barrels were being opened. Men were fetching water from the fall... ...A wide copper bowl and a white cloth were brought to Faramir and he washed.
... 'Wake our guests,' he said, 'and take them water. It is time to eat.'
... Frodo sat up and yawned and stretched."
From The Forbidden Pool: The Two Towers ... "Frodo woke to find Faramir bending over him. For a second old fears seized him and he sat up and shrank away.
... 'There is nothing to fear,' said Faramir.
... 'Is it morning already?' said Frodo yawning.
... 'Not yet, but night is drawing to an end, and the full moon is setting. Will you come and see it?'"
From Journey to the Cross-Roads: The Two Towers ... "...twilight deepened as great vapours rose in the East and crawled above them. Frodo and Sam took a little food and then lay down, but Gollum... ...would not eat any of their food, but he drank a little water and then crawled about under the bushes... ...Then suddenly he disappeared.
... 'Off hunting, I suppose,' said Sam and yawned. It was his turn to sleep first, and he was soon deep in a dream. He thought he was back in the Bag End garden..."
From The Passing of the Grey Company: The Return of the King ... [Helm's Deep after Pippin and Gandalf left for Minas Tirith] "Merry got up and yawned. His few hours' sleep had not been nearly enough; he was tired and rather dismal. He missed Pippin, and felt that he was only a burden while everybody was making plans for speed in a business that he did not fully understand."
From The Siege of Gondor: The Return of the King ... "Pippin was roused by Gandalf....
... '...What is the time?' said Pippin yawning.
... 'Past the second hour,' said Gandalf. 'Time to get up and make yourself presentable. You are summoned to the Lord of the City to learn your new duties....'
... ...Already it seemed years to Pippin since he had sat there before, in some half-forgotten time when he had still been a hobbit, a lighthearted wanderer touched little by the perils he had passed through...
... ...he knew now that he was taking part in no play; he was in deadly earnest the servant of a grim master in the greatest peril... ...He turned his tired gaze away from the darkling fields below and yawned, and then he sighed.
... 'You are weary of this day?' said Beregond.
... 'Yes,' said Pippin, 'very: tired out with idleness and waiting. I have kicked my heels at the door of my master's chamber for many slow hours... ... And I'm not used... ...to waiting hungry on others while they eat. It is a sore trial for a hobbit, that.'"
From The Scouring of the Shire: The Return of the King ... [The Travellers at the Brandywine Bridge: Merry speaks to Hob] "...we want a lodging for the night, and as you seem to have pulled down the Bridge Inn and built this dismal place instead, you'll have to put us up.'
... 'I am sorry, Mr. Merry,' said Hob, 'but it isn't allowed....'
... '...What's the matter with the place?' said Merry... '...I thought it had been a fine summer and harvest.'
... 'Well no, the year's been good enough,' said Hob... '...It's all these "gatherers" and "sharers"... ...They do more gathering than sharing, and we never see most of the stuff again.'
... 'Oh come!' said Pippin yawning. 'This is all too tiresome for me tonight. We've got food in our bags. Just give us a room to lie down in. It'll be better than many places I have seen.'"
We have been there and back again.
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
May 19 2023, 10:47pm
Post #38 of 46
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Oh dear, gramma, now I've yawned several times reading this! 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
May 20 2023, 1:19pm
Post #39 of 46
(2525 views)
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Today in Middle-earth
May 20, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. Passing Weathertop.
(determined from text - referencing Karen Wynn Fonstad, The Atlas of Middle-earth)
..."The Company of Hobbit, Wizard, and Dwarves has passed Weathertop as the Road turns more east."
May 20, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Spring at Bag End.
(not from the appendices-no text)
...Frodo and Gandalf enjoy a peaceful Spring in Bag End and make plans for the fall as the Conspirators make plans of their own.
May 20, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. The Fellowship rests in Minas Tirith.
(not from the appendices)
..."The Hobbits still remained in Minas Tirith, with Legolas and Gimli; for Aragorn was loth for the Fellowship to be dissolved.... ...In those days the Companions of the Ring dwelt together in a fair house with Gandalf, and they went to and fro as they wished."
2. Elrond and Arwen come to Lórien.
(from the appendices-no text)
...[There's nothing in the story or appendices of what occurred to bring Elrond and Arwen to Lothlórien other than to imply they've gone to join with Galadriel and then journey together to Minas Tirith.]
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
May 21 2023, 2:03pm
Post #40 of 46
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Today in Middle-earth
May 21-23, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. Bilbo and Company continue east.
(determined from text - referencing Karen Wynn Fonstad, The Atlas of Middle-earth)
..."Far behind, the Weather Hills show less and less. Ahead, company begins to see the tops of the Trollshaws. The road becomes rough."
This is a short entry, so let's take a closer look at this:
...The Weather Hills span east of Bree-land and north-west of the Lone-lands (located between Bree-land and the Trollshaws along the Great East Road) in central Eriador. Weathertop, or Amon Sûl, lays at the southern end of the range.
...When Angmar was formed, the range was fortified (to include Weathertop) by Argeleb I, the seventh king of Dúnedain, in an attempt to return Arnor to its former glory. Once the most regal and prominent feature of the Lone-lands rising above the road, Weathertop was a proud tower of vision and vigilance and the home of the strongest palantír of the north. However, it fell in battle to the Witch-king of Angmar, and has sat derelict in the wild ever since.
... Marks of this fortification still existed in the path of Thorin and Company and when Aragorn led the hobbits from Bree to Rivendell. No other peak in any nearby area matches Weathertop's height. Any traveller is affected by its fashion and power and are moved by its ruin.
[Info gleaned from Tolkien Gateway and Lotro-Wiki.com]
... While The Weather Hills might not be mentioned by name in the texts of either The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien does mention them in APPENDIX A: ANNALS OF THE KINGS AND RULERS: ERIADOR, ARNOR, AND THE HEIRS OF ISILDUR. They are also named on Christopher Tolkien's maps and he refers to them in his notes for ALDARION AND ERENDIS in Unfinished Tales.
[Info supplied by Otaku-sempai 5/20/2020]
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
May 22 2023, 2:12pm
Post #41 of 46
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Here's a Book Spoiler of how Bilbo dealt with his Quest years later… for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From The Fellowship of the Ring: PROLOGUE: Of the Finding of the Ring ..."Now it is a curious fact that this is not the story [of the finding of the Ring] as Bilbo first told it to his companions. To them his account was that Gollum had promised to give him a present, if he won the game; but when Gollum went to fetch it from his island he found the treasure was gone: a magic ring, which had been given to him long ago on his birthday. Bilbo guessed that this was the very ring that he had found, and as he had won the game, it was already his by right.... ...he said nothing about it, and made Gollum show him the way out, as a reward instead of a present. This account Bilbo set down in his memoirs, and he seems never to have altered it himself, not even after the Council of Elrond. Evidently it still appeared in the original Red Book, as it did in several of the copies... ...But many copies contain the true account (as an alternative), derived no doubt, from notes by Frodo or Samwise, both of whom learned the truth, though they seem to have been unwilling to delete anything actually written by the old hobbit himself….
...…Of Bilbo's later adventures little more need be said here. With the help of the ring he escaped from the orc-guards at the gate and rejoined his companions. He used the ring many times on his quest, chiefly for the help of his friends; but he kept it secret from them as long as he could. After his return to his home he never spoke of it again to anyone, save Gandalf and Frodo... ...no one else in the Shire knew of its existence, or so he believed. Only to Frodo did he show the account of his Journey that he was writing.
...His sword, Sting, Bilbo hung over his fireplace, and his coat of marvellous mail, the gift of the Dwarves from the Dragon-hoard, he lent to a museum, to the Michel Delving Mathom-house... ...But he kept in a drawer at Bag End the old cloak and hood that he had worn on his travels; and the ring, secured by a fine chain, remained in his pocket."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
May 23 2023, 12:27pm
Post #42 of 46
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It's time for some special BS!
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May 23, 2000
1. Half-way point of principal photography LotR.
May 23, 2000 was the middle of principal photography for The Lord of the Rings. Peter Jackson had special vests made for the crew to wear to earmark the day.
So to celebrate the day in the here and now, here's a special Book Spoiler to look at things in the middle... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
1. Right away, we have this place called "Middle-earth". Convenient, eh? :D
2. The Gaffer is telling a stranger and others: "I saw Mr. Bilbo when he came back, a matter of sixty years ago, when I was a lad... ...while the sale was on. And in the middle of it all Mr. Bilbo comes up the Hill with a pony..."
3. When Frodo was distributing Bilbo's mathoms: "In the middle of the commotion the Sackville-Bagginses arrived. Frodo had retired for a while... ...When Otho loudly demanded to see Frodo..."
4. "To Frodo's astonishment and distress the wizard threw it suddenly into the middle of the glowing corner of the fire."
5. Gildor invites the hobbits to come along: "'You had best walk in the middle so that you may not stray.'"
6. The hobbits come to Bombadil's: "Nothing could be seen of the house in the dark: it stood back from the lane in the middle of a wide circle of lawn surrounded by a belt of low trees inside the outer hedge."
7. Nob helps out: "'I've ruffled up the clothes and put a bolster down the middle of each bed.'"
8. Aragorn finds a beryl: "'I found it in the mud in the middle of the Bridge'"
9. Bilbo chastises Elrond: "'...you have disturbed me--in the middle of making up a song.'"
10. Saruman monologues to Gandalf: "'The Elder Days are gone. The Middle Days are passing. The Younger Days are beginning.'"
11. Gandalf approaches the door of Moria: "He stepped up to the rock again, and lightly touched with his staff the silver star in the middle beneath the sign of the anvil."
12. Gandalf follows his nose: "'I do not like the feel of the middle way; and I do not like the smell of the left-hand way: there is foul air down there, or I am no guide.'"
13. "The Balrog reached the bridge. Gandalf stood in the middle of the span, leaning on the staff in his left hand, but in his other hand Glamdring gleamed, cold and white."
14. "Merry and Pippin in the middle boat were ill at ease, for Boromir sat muttering to himself, sometimes biting his nails..."
15. "Treebeard lowered himself slowly onto this (with only the slightest sign of bending at his middle)"
16. "'Isengard is a sort of ring of rocks or hills, I think, with a flat space inside and an island or pillar of rock in the middle, called "Orthanc.'"
17. "'Now, now!' said Gimli. 'We are beginning the story in the middle. I should like a tale in the right order, starting with that strange day when your fellowship was broken.'"
18. While Faramir was questioning Frodo: "Sam had been getting more and more impatient and angry at this conversation. These last words were more than he could bear, and bursting into the middle of the ring, he strode up to his master's side."
19. Faramir speaks to Frodo and Sam: "'For so we reckon Men in our lore, calling them the High, or Men of the West, which were Númenóreans, and the Middle Peoples [Encyclopedia of Arda: Descendants of the Edain], Men of the Twilight, such as are the Rohirrim and their kin that dwell still far in the North; and the Wild, the Men of Darkness... ...We are become Middle Men, of the Twilight.'"
20. "...the middle door of the Black Gate was thrown open with a great clang, and out of it there came an embassy from the Dark Tower."
21. "...rage blazed in Sam's heart to a sudden fury. He sprang up, ran, and went up the ladder like a cat. His head came out in the middle of the floor of a large round chamber. A red lamp hung from its roof; the westward window-slit was high and dark. Something was lying on the floor by the wall under the window, but over it a black orc-shape was straddled. It raised a whip a second time, but the blow never fell. With a cry Sam leapt across the floor, Sting in his hand."
22. "Inside it was filled with a grey dust, soft and fine, in the middle of which was a seed, like a small nut with a silver shale."
And finally:
23. "'You tried to give us the slip once before and failed, Frodo,' he said. 'This time you have nearly succeeded, but you have failed again. It was not Sam, though, that gave you away this time, but Gandalf himself!'
...'Yes,' said Gandalf; 'for it will be better to ride back three together than one alone. Well, here at last, dear friends, on the shores of the Sea comes the end of our fellowship in Middle-earth. Go in peace! I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil.'
...Then Frodo kissed Merry and Pippin, and last of all Sam, and went aboard; and the sails were drawn up, and the wind blew, and slowly the ship slipped away down the long grey firth; and the light of the glass of Galadriel that Frodo bore glimmered and was lost."
We have been there and back again.
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(This post was edited by grammaboodawg on May 23 2023, 12:28pm)
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
May 24 2023, 10:26am
Post #43 of 46
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This is a Book Spoiler about the effect of the Ring when it's put on... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From The Choices of Master Samwise: The Two Towers ..."Only a few steps; and now only a few more and he would be going down and would never see that high place again. And then suddenly he heard cries and voices. He stood still as stone. Orc-voices. They were behind him and before him... ...He wheeled round. He saw small red lights, torches, winking away below there as they issued from the tunnel. At last the hunt was up. The red eye of the tower had not been blind. He was caught...
......In a minute they would reach the top and be on him. He had taken too long in making up his mind, and now it was no good. How could he escape, or save himself, or save the Ring? The Ring. He was not aware of any thought or decision. He simply found himself drawing out the chain and taking the Ring in his hand. The head of the orc-company appeared in the Cleft right before him. Then he put it on.
...The world changed, and a single moment of time was filled with an hour of thought. At once he was aware that hearing was sharpened while sight was dimmed... ...All things about him now were not dark but vague; while he himself was there in a grey hazy world, alone, like a small black solid rock, and the Ring, weighing down his left hand, was like an orb of hot gold. He did not feel invisible at all, but horribly and uniquely visible; and he knew that somewhere an eye was searching for him.
...He heard the crack of stone, and the murmur of water far off in Morgul Vale; and down away under the rock the bubbling misery of Shelob... ...and voices in the dungeons of the tower; and the cries of the Orcs... ...deafening, roaring in his ears, the crash of the feet and the rending clamour of the Orcs before him. He shrank against the cliff. But they marched up like a phantom company, grey distorted figures in a mist, only dreams of fear with pale flames in their hands. And they passed him by. He cowered, trying to creep away into some cranny and to hide.
...He listened. The Orcs from the tunnel and the others marching down had sighted one another, and both parties were now hurrying and shouting. He heard them both clearly, and he understood what they said. Perhaps the Ring gave understanding of tongues, or simply understanding, especially of the servants of Sauron its maker, so that if he gave heed, he understood and translated the thought to himself."
We have been there and back again.
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(This post was edited by grammaboodawg on May 24 2023, 10:27am)
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
May 25 2023, 1:00pm
Post #44 of 46
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Today in Middle-earth
This Book Spoiler looks at the delivery of Dwarves, a Hobbit and a Wizard... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From Out of the Frying-Pan Into the Fire and Queer Lodgings: The Hobbit … "[Bilbo]was allowed to climb on to an eagle's back and cling between his wings. The air rushed over him and he shut his eyes... ...as off rose fifteen great birds from the mountain’s side. The sun was still close to the eastern edge of things. The morning was cool, and mists were in the valleys and hollows... ...Bilbo opened an eye to peep and saw that the birds were already high up and the world was far away, and the mountains were falling back behind them into the distance. He shut his eyes again and held on tighter.
… "Don’t pinch!" said the eagle. "You need not be frightened like a rabbit, even if you look rather like one. It is a fair morning with little wind. What is finer than flying?"
… Bilbo would have liked to say: "A warm bath and late breakfast on the lawn afterwards;" but he thought it better to say nothing at all...
… ...After a good while the eagles must have seen the point they were making for, even from their great height, for they began to go down circling round in great spirals. They did this for a long while, and at last the hobbit opened his eyes again. The earth was much nearer, and below them were trees... ...and wide grass lands, and a river running through it all. But cropping out of the ground, right in the path of the stream which looped itself about it, was a great rock, almost a hill of stone, like a last outpost of the distant mountains, or a huge piece cast miles into the plain by some giant of giants.
… Quickly now to the top of this rock the eagles swooped one by one and set down their passengers.
… "Farewell!" they cried, "wherever you fare, till your eyries receive you at the journey’s end!" That is the polite thing to say among eagles.
… "May the wind under your wings bear you where the sun sails and the moon walks," answered Gandalf, who knew the correct reply...
… ...There was a flat space on the top of the hill of stone and a well worn path with many steps leading down it to the river, across which a ford of huge flat stones led to the grass-land beyond the stream. There was a little cave (a wholesome one with a pebbly floor) at the foot of the steps and near the end of the stony ford. Here the party gathered and discussed what was to be done."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
May 26 2023, 1:12pm
Post #45 of 46
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Here's a Book Spoiler that tells a bit of the history of Mirkwood... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From OF THE RINGS OF POWER AND THE THIRD AGE: The Silmarillion ..."Now of old the name of that forest was Greenwood the Great, and its wide halls and aisles were the haunt of many beasts and of birds... ...and there was the realm of King Thranduil under the oak and the beech. But after many years, when well nigh a third of that age of the world had passed, a darkness crept slowly through the wood from the southward, and fear walked there in shadowy glades; fell beasts came hunting, and cruel and evil creatures laid there their snares.
...Then the name of the forest was changed and Mirkwood it was called, for the nightshade lay deep there, and few dared to pass through, save only in the north where Thranduil's people still held the evil at bay. Whence it came few could tell, and it was long ere even the Wise could discover it. It was the Shadow of Sauron and the sign of his return... ...out of the wastes of the East he took up his abode in the south of the forest, and slowly he grew and took shape there again; in a dark hill he made his dwelling and wrought there his sorcery, and all folk feared the Sorcerer of Dol Guldur, and yet they knew not at first how great was their peril."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
May 27 2023, 1:25pm
Post #46 of 46
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Today in Middle-earth
May 27, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. The escort of Arwen leaves Lórien.
(from the appendices-no text)
...Arwen is leaving Lothlórien to travel to Minas Tirith via Edoras along with Elrond (Lord of Rivendell), Galadriel and Celeborn (Lady and Lord of the Galadrim), Glorfindel and Erestor (Elrond's chief counsellor), and other members of the household of Rivendell.
May 27, 3020 (S.R. 1420)
1. Spring in the Shire.
(not from the appendices-no text)
...The hobbits of the Shire enjoy the fairest spring they can remember while continuing to heal the hurts caused by Sharkey and his brute-squad.
We have been there and back again.
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