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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Oct 21 2018, 1:05pm
Post #1 of 25
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TIME - October 21
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Today in Middle-earth
October 21, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. The Dwarves become more impatient waiting at the Hidden Door.
(determined from text)
...""Tomorrow begins the last week of Autumn," said Thorin...
..."...What is our burglar doing for us? [asked Dwalin] Since he has got an invisible ring, and ought to be a specially excellent performer now... ...I am beginning to think he might go through the Front Gate and spy things out a bit!"
...Bilbo heard this—the dwarves were on the rocks just above the enclosure where he was sitting... "...Good Gracious!" he thought, "so that is what they are beginning to think, is it? It is always poor me that has to get them out of their difficulties, at least since the wizard left. Whatever am I going to do..? I... ...don't think I could bear to see the unhappy valley of Dale again...""
Remembering Widfara… our brilliant, candycorn-loving TORnsib.
It's time for some BS
... A special little offering today for a special Lady who once said this first paragraph was one of her favourites. For Widfara... a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From the Prologue: The Fellowship of the Ring
..."The land was rich and kindly, and though it had long been deserted when they entered it, it had before been well tilled, and there the king had once had many farms, cornlands, vineyards, and woods.
...Forty leagues it stretched from the Far Downs to the Brandywine Bridge, and fifty from the northern moors to the marshes in the south. The Hobbits named it the Shire, as the region of the authority of their Thain... ...and there in that pleasant corner of the world they plied their well-ordered business of living, and they heeded less and less the world outside where dark things moved, until they came to think that peace and plenty were the rule in Middle-earth and the right of all sensible folk. They forgot or ignored what little they had known of the Guardians, and of the labours of those that made possible the long peace of the Shire. They were... ...sheltered, but they had ceased to remember it.
...At no time had Hobbits of any kind been warlike, and they had never fought among themselves. In olden days they had... ...been often obliged to fight to maintain themselves in a hard world; but in Bilbo's time that was very ancient history. The last battle... ...the only one that had ever been fought within the borders of the Shire, was beyond living memory: The Battle of Greenfields, S.R. 1147, in which Bandobras Took routed an invasion of Orcs. Even the weather had grown milder, and the wolves that had once come ravening out of the North in bitter white winters were now only a grandfather's tale....
......though there was still some store of weapons in the Shire, these were used mostly as trophies, hanging above the hearths or on walls, or gathered into the museum at Michel Delving. The Mathom-house it was called; for anything that Hobbits had no immediate use for, but were unwilling to throw away, they called a mathom. Their dwellings were apt to become rather crowded with mathoms, and many of the presents that passed from hand to hand were of that sort.
......ease and peace had left this people still curiously tough. They were... ...difficult to daunt or to kill; and they were... ...so unwearingly fond of good things not least because they could, when put to it, do without them, and could survive rough handling by grief, foe, or weather in a way that astonished those who did not know them well and looked no further than their bellies and their well-fed faces. Though slow to quarrel, and for sport killing nothing that lived, they were doughty at bay, and at need could still handle arms. They shot well with the bow, for they were keen-eyed and sure at the mark. Not only with bows and arrows. If any Hobbit stooped for a stone, it was well to get quickly under cover, as all trespassing beasts knew very well."
Cheers Wid :)
[league = 3 miles]
We have been there and back again.
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Oct 21 2018, 1:30pm
Post #2 of 25
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The Beginning of the Last Week of Autumn
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While I do very much like the date of October 22 to represent the Durin's Day of 2941 (as you know, it is my own personal pick), there is still the serious question of what reckoning of time was being used by Thorin and Balin. This was indeed the beginning of the last week of October in the calendar of the Shire-folk; however, the dwarves were speaking between themselves and might have been using a dwarvish reckoning with which we are unfamiliar. For the sake of simplicity (and my sanity!) I generally assume that Durin's Folk have adopted their days of the week and reckoning of the seasons from the same Northmen sources used by the Hobbits--but we do not know this with certainty.
"For a brief time I was here; and for a brief time I mattered." - Harlan Ellison
(This post was edited by Otaku-sempai on Oct 21 2018, 1:42pm)
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Oct 21 2018, 1:49pm
Post #3 of 25
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Unsure calendars are always a challenge :)
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The way you've approached putting the clues together is impressive and makes my poor ol' brain sweat! I figure while we don't have sure dates to follow, sticking with my current entries is my best bet. We've always had challenges with October dates :) Hunting down the clues is part of the fun of Tolkien! So many variables!
We have been there and back again.
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Oct 21 2018, 2:15pm
Post #4 of 25
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I've always felt that Ms. Fonstad's pick of October 30 for Durin's Day of 2941 was at least a bit hinky. In the Shire Reckoning this doesn't even represent the first day of a week (that would be October 29). The date of October 22 also lines up better with the phases of the Moon. If the moon was new on or just before the end of October then the moon of 1 Lithe (Mid-summer's Eve) would have been nearly at new moon as well--at least according to the moon phase calendars that I've consulted. October 15 seems too close to when the company set out from Lake-town to be viable (plus the moon would have been right around full at mid-year, which does not jibe with Tolkien's text).
"For a brief time I was here; and for a brief time I mattered." - Harlan Ellison
(This post was edited by Otaku-sempai on Oct 21 2018, 2:21pm)
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
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Oct 21 2018, 10:56pm
Post #5 of 25
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and the other dear TORnfolk who have sailed West...may we all meet again one day in pleasant pub in a far green country. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Oct 22 2018, 10:17am
Post #6 of 25
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Today in Middle-earth
October 22, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. Bilbo finds and opens the Secret Door.
(determined from text)
... "As the sun turned west [Bilbo] saw the orange ball of the sun sinking... ...and there pale and faint was a thin new moon above the rim of Earth.
... At that very moment he heard a sharp crack behind him. There on the grey stone in the grass was an enormous thrush... ...Crack! It had caught a snail and was knocking it on the stone. Crack! Crack!
... Suddenly Bilbo understood. Forgetting all danger he stood on the ledge and hailed the dwarves, shouting and waving...
... ...Quickly Bilbo explained. They all fell silent... ...The sun sank lower and lower, and their hopes fell. It sank into a belt of reddened cloud and disappeared. The dwarves groaned, but still Bilbo stood almost without moving. The little moon was dipping to the horizon.... ...Then suddenly when their hope was lowest a red ray of the sun escaped like a finger through a rent in the cloud. A gleam of light came straight through the opening into the bay and fell on the smooth rock-face... ...There was a loud crack. A flake of rock split from the wall and fell. A hole appeared suddenly about three feet from the ground.
... Quickly, trembling lest the chance should fade, the dwarves rushed to the rock and pushed—in vain.
... "The key! The key!" cried Bilbo. "Where is Thorin?"
... Thorin hurried up... ...and drew the key on its chain from round his neck. He put it to the hole. It fitted and it turned! Snap! The gleam went out, the sun sank, the moon was gone, and evening sprang into the sky.
... Now they all pushed together... ...Long straight cracks appeared and widened. A door five feet high and three broad was outlined, and slowly without a sound swung inwards. It seemed as if darkness flowed out like a vapour from the hole in the mountain-side... ...a yawning mouth leading in and down."
2. A plan to search the secret passage is made.
(determined from text)
... "For a long time the dwarves stood in the dark before the door and debated, until at last Thorin spoke:
..... "Now is the time for our esteemed Mr. Baggins, who has proved himself a good companion on our long road, and a hobbit full of courage and resource far exceeding his size... ...now is the time for him to perform the service for which he was included in our Company; now is the time for him to earn his Reward..."
... ...Bilbo felt impatient... ...and he knew what he was driving at.
... "If you mean you think it is my job to go into the secret passage first, O Thorin Thrain's son Oakenshield, may your beard grow ever longer," he said crossly, "say so at once and have done! I might refuse... ...But 'third time pays for all' as my father used to say, and somehow I don't think I shall refuse... ...I think I will go and have a peep at once and get it over. Now who is coming with me?"
... He did not expect a chorus of volunteers, so he was not disappointed... ...the others made no pretence of offering—except old Balin, the look-out man, who was rather fond of the hobbit. He said he would come inside at least and perhaps a bit of the way too..."
3. Bilbo descends to Smaug’s Cellar
(determined from text)
...""Is that a kind of a glow I seem to see..."
... ...As he went forward it grew and grew, till there was no doubt about it... ...it was now undoubtedly hot in the tunnel. Wisps of vapour floated up and past him and he began to sweat. A sound, too, began to throb in his ears, a sort of bubbling... ...This grew to be the unmistakable gurgling noise of some vast animal snoring in its sleep down there in the red glow in front of him.
... It was at this point that Bilbo stopped. Going on from there was the bravest thing he ever did. The tremendous things that happened afterward were as nothing compared to it. He fought the real battle in the tunnel alone... ...Before him lies the great bottommost cellar or dungeon-hall of the ancient dwarves right at the Mountain's root. It is almost dark... ...but rising from the near side of the rocky floor there is a great glow. The glow of Smaug!
... There he lay, a vast red-golden dragon, fast asleep... ...Beneath him, under all his limbs and his huge coiled tail, and about him on all sides stretching away across the unseen floors, lay countless piles of precious things, gold wrought and unwrought, gems and jewels, and silver red-stained in the ruddy light.
... Smaug lay with wings folded like an immeasurable bat, turned partly on one side, so that the hobbit could see his underparts and his long pale belly crusted with gems and fragments of gold from his long lying on his costly bed...
... ...To say that Bilbo's breath was taken away is no description at all. There are no words left to express his staggerment... ...the splendour, the lust, the glory of such treasure had never yet come home to him...
... ...almost against his will, he stole from the shadow of the doorway, across the floor to the nearest edge of the mounds of treasure. Above him the sleeping dragon lay, a dire menace even in his sleep. He grasped a great two-handled cup, as heavy as he could carry, and cast one fearful eye upwards. Smaug stirred a wing, opened a claw, the rumble of his snoring changed its note.
... Then Bilbo fled. But the dragon did not wake... "...I've done it! This will show them. 'More like a grocer than a burglar' indeed! Well, we'll hear no more of that."
... Nor did he. Balin was overjoyed to see the hobbit again... ...He picked Bilbo up and carried him out into the open air. It was midnight... ...but Bilbo lay with his eyes shut, gasping and taking pleasure in the feel of the fresh air again and hardly noticing the excitement of the dwarves, or how they praised him and patted him on the back and put themselves and all their families for generations to come at his service."
4. The cup is missed.
(determined from text)
... The dwarves were still passing the cup from hand to hand and talking delightedly of the recovery of their treasure, when suddenly a vast rumbling woke in the mountain underneath as if it was an old volcano... ...The door behind them was pulled nearly to, and blocked from closing with a stone, but up the long tunnel came the dreadful echoes, from far down in the depths, of a bellowing and a trampling that made the ground beneath them tremble.
... Then the dwarves forgot their joy and their confident boasts... ...and cowered down in fright. Smaug was still to be reckoned with... ...Dragons may not have much real use for all their wealth, but they know it to an ounce as a rule, especially after long possession; and Smaug was no exception. He had passed from an uneasy dream (in which a warrior, altogether insignificant in size but provided with a bitter sword and great courage, figured most unpleasantly) to a doze, and from a doze to wide waking. There was a breath of strange air in his cave. Could there be a draught from that little hole? He... ...glared at it in suspicion and wondered why he had never blocked it up... ...he had half fancied he had caught the dim echoes of a knocking sound from far above that came down through it to his lair. He stirred and stretched forth his neck to sniff. Then he missed the cup!
... Thieves! Fire! Murder! Such a thing had not happened since first he came to the Mountain! His rage passes description... ...His fire belched forth, the hall smoked, he shook the mountain-roots... ...then coiling his length together, roaring like thunder underground, he sped from his deep lair through its great door, out into the huge passages of the mountains-palace and up towards the Front Gate.
... To hunt the whole mountain till he had caught the thief and had torn and trampled him was his one thought. He issued from the Gate... ...and up he soared blazing into the air and settled on the mountain-top in a spout of green and scarlet flame. The dwarves heard the awful rumour of his flight, and they crouched against the walls of the grassy terrace cringing under boulders...
... ...There they would have all been killed, if it had not been for Bilbo once again. "Quick! Quick!" he gasped. "The door! The tunnel! It's no good here...."
... ...Those were perhaps the worst moments they had been through yet. The horrible sounds of Smaug's anger were echoing in the stony hollows far above; at any moment he might come blazing down or fly whirling round and find them there, near the perilous cliff's edge hauling madly on the ropes. Up came Bofur... ...Up came Bombur... ...Up came some tools and bundles of stores, and then danger was upon them.
... A whirring noise was heard... ...The dragon came.
... They had barely time to fly back to the tunnel, pulling and dragging in their bundles, when Smaug came hurtling from the North, licking the mountains-sides with flame, beating his great wings with a noise like a roaring wind. His hot breath shrivelled the grass before the door, and drove in through the crack they had left and scorched them as they lay hid... ...They crept further down the tunnel, and there they lay and shivered though it was warm and stuffy... ...through the night they could hear the roar of the flying dragon grow and then pass and fade, as he hunted round and round the mountain-sides."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Oct 23 2018, 10:24am
Post #7 of 25
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Today in Middle-earth
October 23, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. An angered Smaug searches the mountain.
(determined from text)
...[Smaug] guessed from the ponies, and from the traces of the camps he had discovered, that men had come up from the... ...lake and had scaled the mountain-side from the valley where the ponies had been standing; but the door withstood his searching eye, and the little high-walled bay had kept out his fiercest flames. Long he had hunted in vain till the dawn chilled his wrath and he went back to his golden couch to sleep—and to gather new strength. He would not forget or forgive the theft, not if a thousand years turned him to smouldering stone, but he could afford to wait. Slow and silent he crept back to his lair and half closed his eyes.
2. Bilbo returns to Smaug's chamber in the afternoon.
(determined from text)
..."Smaug certainly looked fast asleep… …when Bilbo peeped once more from the entrance. He was just about to step out on to the floor when he caught a sudden thin and piercing ray of red from under the drooping lid of Smaug's left eye. He was only pretending to sleep…! ...Hurriedly Bilbo stepped back and blessed the luck of his ring. Then Smaug spoke.
..."Well, thief! I smell you and I feel your air. I hear your breath. Come along! Help yourself again, there is plenty and to spare!"
...But Bilbo was not quite so unlearned in dragon-lore as all that, and if Smaug hoped to get him to come nearer so easily he was disappointed. "No thank you, O Smaug the Tremendous!" he replied. "I did not come for presents. I only wished to have a look at you and see if you were truly as great as tales say…"
..."…Do you now?" said the dragon somewhat flattered, even though he did not believe a word of it.
..."Truly songs and tales fall utterly short of the reality, O Smaug the Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities," replied Bilbo.
..."You have nice manners for a thief and a liar… …You seem familiar with my name, but I don't seem to remember smelling you before. Who are you and where do you come from, may I ask?"
..."You may indeed! I come from under the hill, and under the hills and over the hills my paths led. And through the air, I am he that walks unseen."
..."So I can well believe… …but that is hardly your usual name."
..."I am the clue-finder, the web-cutter, the stinging fly. I was chosen for the lucky number."
..."Lovely titles!" sneered the dragon…
..."…I am he that buries his friends alive and drowns them and draws them alive again from the water. I came from the end of a bag, but no bag went over me."
..."These don't sound so creditable," scoffed Smaug.
..."I am the friend of bears and the guest of eagles. I am Ringwinner and Luckwearer; and I am Barrel-rider," went on Bilbo beginning to be pleased with his riddling.
..."That's better!" said Smaug. "But don't let your imagination run away with you!"
...This of course is the way to talk to dragons, if you don't want to reveal your proper name… …and don't want to infuriate them by a flat refusal… …No dragon can resist the fascination of riddling talk and of wasting time trying to understand it. There was a lot here which Smaug did not understand at all… …but he thought he understood enough…
..."…he smiled to himself. "Lake-men, some nasty scheme of those miserable tub-trading Lake-men, or I'm a lizard. I haven't been down that way for an age and an age; but I will soon alter that…!"
......Bilbo was now beginning to feel really uncomfortable. Whenever Smaug's roving eye… …flashed across him, he trembled, and an unaccountable desire seized hold of him to rush out and reveal himself and tell all the truth to Smaug. In fact he was in grievous danger of coming under the dragon-spell....
..."...My armour is like tenfold shields, my teeth are swords, my claws spears, and the shock of my tail a thunderbolt, my winds a hurricane, and my breath death!"
..."I have always understood," said Bilbo in a frightened squeak, "that dragons were softer underneath, especially in the region of the—er—chest; but doubtless one so fortified has thought of that."
...The dragon stopped short in his boasting. "Your information is antiquated… …I am armoured above and below with iron scales and hard gems. No blade can pierce me."
..."I might have guessed it," said Bilbo. "Truly there can nowhere be found the equal of Lord Smaug the Impenetrable. What magnificence to possess a waistcoat of fine diamonds!"
..."Yes, it is rare and wonderful, indeed," said Smaug absurdly pleased. He did not know that the hobbit had already caught a glimpse of his peculiar under-covering on his previous visit, and was itching for a closer view for reasons of his own....
......the dragon spouted terrific flames after him… …the nostrils sent forth fire and vapour to pursue him, and he was nearly overcome, and stumbled blindly on in great pain and fear. He had been feeling rather pleased with the cleverness of his conversation with Smaug, but his mistake at the end shook him into better sense.
..."Never laugh at live dragons, Bilbo you fool!" he said to himself, and it became a favourite saying of his later, and passed into a proverb....
......[The dwarves] had difficulty in getting anything out of him… …he was now regretting some of the things he had said to the dragon, and was not eager to repeat them. The old thrush was sitting on a rock near by with his head cocked on one side, listening to all that was said. It shows what an ill temper Bilbo was in: he picked up a stone and threw it at the thrush, which merely fluttered aside and came back.
..."Drat the bird… …I believe he is listening, and I don't like the look of him."
..."Leave him alone!" said Thorin. "The thrushes are good and friendly---this is a very old bird indeed, and is maybe the last left of the ancient breed… …tame to the hands of my father and grandfather. They were a long-lived and magical race, and this might even be one of those that were alive then, a couple of hundreds of years or more ago. The Men of Dale used to have the trick of understanding their language, and used them for messengers to fly to the Men of the Lake and elsewhere...."
..."Well, he'll have news to take to Lake-town all right..," said Bilbo; "…though I don't suppose there are any people left there that trouble with thrush-language."
...'Why what has happened?" cried the dwarves. "Do get on with your tale!"
...So Bilbo told them all he could remember…
......All the while they talked the thrush listened, till at last when the stars began to peep forth, it silently spread it wings and flew away....
3. Smaug smashes the Secret Door.
(determined from text)
... "Darkness grew deeper and [Bilbo] grew ever more uneasy. "Shut the door!" he begged them. "I fear that dragon in my marrow. I like this silence far less than the uproar of last night. Shut the door before it is too late!"
... Something in his voice gave the dwarves an uncomfortable feeling... ...[Thorin] kicked away the stone that wedged the door... ...they thrust upon it, and it closed with a snap and a clang. No trace of a keyhole was there left on the inside. They were shut in the Mountain...
... ...They had hardly gone any distance down the tunnel when a blow smote the side of the Mountain... ...The rock boomed, the walls cracked and stones fell from the roof on their heads... ...They fled further down the tunnel glad to be still alive, while behind them outside they heard the roar and rumble of Smaug's fury. He was breaking rocks to pieces, smashing wall and cliff with the lashings of his huge tail, till... ...an avalanche of splintered stones fell over the cliff into the valley below.
... Smaug had left his lair in silent stealth, quietly soared into the air, and then floated heavy and slow in the dark... ...down the wind towards the west of the Mountain... ...spying the outlet to the passage which the thief had used. This was the outburst of his wrath when he could find nobody and see nothing, even where he guessed the outlet must actually be.
... After he had let off his rage... ...he had further vengeance to take. "Barrel-rider!" he snorted. "Your feet came from the waterside and up the water you came without a doubt. I don't know your smell, but if you are not one of those men of the Lake, you had their help. They shall see me and remember who is the real King under the Mountain!"
... He rose in fire and went away south towards the Running River."
4. Smaug attacks Lake-town.
(determined from text)
..."'...suddenly a great light appeared in the low place in the hills and the northern end of the lake turned golden. "The King beneath the Mountain!" they shouted. "His wealth is like the Sun, his silver like a fountain, his rivers golden run...!
...There was once more a tremendous excitement and enthusiasm. But the grim-voiced fellow ran hotfoot to the Master. "The dragon is coming or I am a fool... ...Cut the bridges! To arms! To arms!"
...Then warning trumpets were suddenly sounded, and echoed along the rocky shores. The cheering stopped and the joy was turned to dread. So it was that the dragon did not find them quite unprepared.
...Before long, so great was his speed, they could see him as a spark of fire rushing towards them and growing ever huger and more bright... ...Still they had a little time. Every vessel in the town was filled with water, every warrior was armed, every arrow and dart was ready, and the bridge to the land was thrown down and destroyed before the roar of Smaug's terrible approach grew loud, and the lake rippled red as fire beneath the awful beating of his wings....
......Roaring he swept back over the town. A hail of dark arrows leaped up and snapped and rattled on his scales and jewels, and their shafts fell back kindled by his breath burning and hissing into the lake.... ...At the twanging of the bows and the shrilling of the trumpets the dragon's wrath blazed to its height, till he was blind and mad with it. No one had dared to give battle to him for many an age; nor would they have dared now, if it had not been for the grim-voiced man (Bard was his name), who ran to and fro cheering on the archers and urging the Master to order them to fight to the last arrow.
...Fire leaped from the dragon's jaws. He circled for a while high in the air above them lighting all the lake... ...Then down he swooped straight through the arrow-storm, reckless in his rage, taking no heed to turn his scaly sides towards his foes, seeking only to set their town ablaze....
......But there was still a company of archers that held their ground among the burning houses. Their captain was Bard, grim-voiced and grim-faced... ...he shot with a great yew bow, till all his arrows but one were spent. The flames were near him. His companions were leaving him. He bent his bow for the last time.
...Suddenly out of the dark something fluttered to his shoulder. He started—but it was only an old thrush. Unafraid it perched by his ear and it brought him news. Marvelling he found he could understand its tongue, for he was of the race of Dale.
..."Wait! Wait..! ...The moon is rising. Look for the hollow of the left breast as he flies and turns above you!" And while Bard paused in wonder it told him of tidings up in the Mountain and of all that it had heard.
...Then Bard drew his bow-string to his ear. The dragon was circling back, flying low, and as he came the moon rose above the eastern shore and silvered his great wings...
..."...Black arrow! I have saved you to the last. You have never failed me and always I have recovered you. I had you from my father and he from of old. If ever you came from the forges of the true king under the Mountain, go now and speed well!"
...The dragon swooped once more... ...and as he turned and dived down his belly glittered white with sparkling fires of gems in the moon—but not in one place. The great bow twanged. The black arrow sped straight from the string, straight for the hollow by the left breast where the foreleg was flung wide. In it smote and vanished, barb, shaft and feather, so fierce was its flight. With a shriek that deafened men, felled trees and split stone, Smaug shot spouting into the air, turned over and crashed down from on high in ruin.
...Full on the town he fell. His last throes splintered it to sparks and gledes... ...A vast steam leaped up, white in the sudden dark under the moon. There was a hiss, a gushing whirl, and then silence. And that was the end of Smaug and Esgaroth, but not of Bard."
5. Lake-town in the aftermath.
(determined from text)
..."...down the wind came the voices of the people of Esgaroth lamenting their lost town and goods and ruined houses. But they had really much to be thankful for... ...though it could hardly be expected that they should just then: three quarters of the people of the town had at least escaped alive; their woods and fields and pastures and cattle and most of their boats remained undamaged; and the dragon was dead. What that meant they had not yet realized.
...They gathered in mournful crowds upon the western shores, shivering in the cold wind, and their first complaints and anger were against the Master, who had left the town so soon, while some were still willing to defend it... ...they praised the courage of Bard and his last mighty shot. "If only he had not been killed," they all said, "we would make him a king. Bard the Dragon-shooter of the line of Girion! Alas that he is lost!"
...And in the very midst of their talk, a tall figure stepped from the shadows. He was drenched with water, his black hair hung wet over his face and shoulders, and a fierce light was in his eyes.
..."Bard is not lost!" he cried. "He dived from Esgaroth when the enemy was slain. I am Bard, of the line of Girion; I am the slayer of the dragon!"
... "King Bard! King Bard!" they shouted; but the Master ground his chattering teeth...."
October 23, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Elrond's third day in his battle to save Frodo.
(not from the appendices)
..."[Gandalf] -- Elrond is a master of healing, but the weapons of our Enemy are deadly. To tell you the truth, I had very little hope; for I suspected that there was some fragment of the blade still in the closed wound. But it could not be found until last night. Then Elrond removed a splinter. It was deeply buried, and it was working inwards... ...'It is gone now. It has been melted.'"
October 23, 3019 (S.R. 1419) [date correction – moved from October 11]
1. Gandalf and the hobbits make their way home from Rivendell.
(not from the appendices)
..."At length they came to Weathertop; and it was then drawing towards evening and the shadow of the hill lay dark on the road. Then Frodo begged them to hasten, and he would not look towards the hill, but rode through its shadow with head bowed and cloak drawn close about him. That night the weather changed, and a wind came from the West laden with rain, and it blew loud and chill, and the yellow leaves whirled like birds in the air."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Oct 24 2018, 11:01am
Post #8 of 25
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Today in Middle-earth
October 24, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. Surviving Smaug attack, but now locked inside.
(determined from text)
..."[Bilbo and] the dwarves sat in darkness, and utter silence fell about them. Little they ate and little they spoke. They could not count the passing of time… …they scarcely dared to move, for the whisper of their voices echoed and rustled in the tunnel. If they dozed, they woke still to darkness and to silence going on unbroken.”
2. The people of Esgaroth struggle to find shelter and food.
(determined from text)
..."Bard took the lead, and ordered things as he wished, though always in the Master's name, and he had a hard task to govern the people and direct the preparations for their protection and housing. Probably most of them would have perished in the winter that now hurried after autumn, if help had not been to hand... ...help came swiftly; for Bard at once had speedy messengers sent up the river to the Forest to ask the aid of the King of the Elves of the Wood... ...these messengers had found a host already on the move..."
3. The Elves learn of Smaug's fall.
(determined from text)
..."The Elvenking... ...received news from his own messengers and from the birds that loved his folk..."
October 24, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Frodo recovers and wakes.
(from the appendices)
..."Frodo woke and found himself lying in bed. At first he thought that he had slept late, after a long unpleasant dream that still hovered on the edge of memory... '...Where am I, and what is the time?' he said aloud to the ceiling.
...'In the house of Elrond, and it is ten o'clock in the morning,' said a voice. 'It is the morning of October the twenty-fourth, if you want to know.'
...'Gandalf!' cried Frodo, sitting up. There was the old wizard, sitting in a chair by the open window.
...'Yes,' he said, 'I am here. And you are lucky to be here, too, after all the absurd things you have done since you left home...'
...'...Where is Sam?' Frodo asked at length. 'And are the others all right?'
...'Yes, they are all safe and sound,' answered Gandalf. Sam was here until I sent him off to get some rest, about half an hour ago.'
...'What happened at the Ford? ...It all seemed so dim, somehow; and it still does.'
...'Yes, it would. You were beginning to fade,' answered Gandalf. 'The wound was overcoming you at last. A few more hours and you would have been beyond our aid. But you have some strength in you, my dear hobbit! As you showed in the Barrow. That was touch and go: perhaps the most dangerous moment of all. I wish you could have held out at Weathertop.'
...'We should never have done it without Strider,' said Frodo. 'But we needed you. I did not know what to do without you.'
...'I was delayed... ...and that nearly proved our ruin. And yet I am not sure: it may have been better so.'
...'I wish you would tell me what happened!'
...'All in good time! You are not supposed to talk or worry about anything today, by Elrond's orders.'
...'But talking would stop me thinking and wondering, which are quite as tiring,' said Frodo. 'I am wide awake now, and I remember so many things that want explaining. Why were you delayed...?'
...'...You will hear all you wish to know,' said Gandalf. 'We shall have council, as soon as you are well enough... ...I will only say that I was held captive.'
...'You?' cried Frodo.
...'Yes, I, Gandalf the Grey,' said the wizard solemnly. 'There are many powers in the world, for good or for evil. Some are greater than I am. Against some I have not yet been measured. But my time is coming. The Morgul-lord and his Black Riders have come forth. War in preparing!'
...'Then you knew of the Riders already—before I met them?'
...'Yes, I knew of them. Indeed I spoke of them once to you; for the Black Riders are the Ringwraiths, the Nine Servants of the Lord of the Rings. But I did not know that they had arisen again or I should have fled with you at once. I heard news of them only after I left you in June... ...For the moment we have been saved from disaster, by Aragorn.'
...'Yes,' said Frodo, 'it was Strider that saved us. Yet I was afraid of him at first. Sam never quite trusted him, I think, not at any rate until we met Glorfindel.'
...Gandalf smiled. 'I have heard all about Sam... ...He has no more doubts now.'
...'I am glad,' said Frodo. 'For I have become very fond of Strider. Well, fond is not the right word. I mean that he is dear to me; though he is strange, and grim at times.... ...he reminds me often of you. I didn't know that any of the Big People were like that. I thought, well, that they were just big, and rather stupid: kind and stupid like Butterbur; or stupid and wicked like Bill Ferny. But then we don't know much about Men in the Shire...'
...'...You don't know much even about them, if you think old Barliman is stupid,' said Gandalf. 'He is wise enough on his own ground. He thinks less than he talks, and slower; yet he can see through a brick wall in time... ...But there are few left in Middle-earth like Aragorn son of Arathorn. The race of the Kings from over the Sea is nearly at an end. It may be that this War of the Ring will be their last adventure.'
...'Do you really mean that Strider is one of the people of the old Kings?' said Frodo in wonder. 'I thought they had all vanished long ago. I thought he was only a Ranger.'
...'Only a Ranger!' cried Gandalf. 'My dear Frodo, that is just what the Rangers are: the last remnant in the North of the great people, the Men of the West. They have helped me before; and I shall need their help in the days to come; for we have reached Rivendell, but the Ring is not yet at rest….'
...…As the evening drew on, Frodo woke up again, and he found that he no longer felt in need of rest or sleep, but had a mind for food and drink, and probably for singing and story-telling afterwards. He... ...discovered that his arm was already nearly as useful again as it had ever been. He found laid ready clean garments of green cloth... ...Looking in a mirror he was startled to see a much thinner reflection of himself than he remembered: it looked remarkably like the young nephew of Bilbo who used to go tramping with his uncle in the Shire; but the eyes looked out at him thoughtfully.
...'Yes, you have seen a thing or two since you last peeped out of a looking-glass,' he said to his reflection. 'But now for a merry meeting!' He stretched out his arms and whistled a tune.
At that moment there was a knock on the door, and Sam came in. He ran to Frodo and took the left hand, awkwardly and shyly. He stroked it gently and then he blushed and turned hastily away.
...'Hullo, Sam!' said Frodo.
...'It's warm! ...Meaning your hand, Mr. Frodo. It has felt so cold through the long nights. But glory and trumpets!' he cried, turning round again with shining eyes and dancing on the floor. 'It's fine to see you up and yourself again, sir! Gandalf asked me to come and see if you were ready to come down, and I thought he was joking.'
...'I am ready... ...Let's go and look for the rest of the party!'
..."'...Hurray!' cried Pippin, springing up. 'Here is our noble cousin! Make way for Frodo, Lord of the Ring!'
...'Hush!' said Gandalf from the shadows at the back of the porch. 'Evil things do not come into this valley; but all the same we should not name them. The Lord of the Ring is not Frodo, but the master of the Dark Tower of Mordor whose power is again stretching out over the world! We are sitting in a fortress. Outside it is getting dark.'
...'Gandalf has been saying many cheerful things like that,' said Pippin. 'He thinks I need keeping in order...'"
2. Boromir arrives in Rivendell at night.
(from the appendices)
..."...a tall man with a fair and noble face, dark-haired and grey-eyed, proud and stern of glance. He was cloaked and booted as if for a journey on horseback; and indeed though his garments were rich, and his cloak was lined with fur, they were stained with long travel. He had a collar of silver in which a single white stone was set; his locks were shorn about his shoulders. On a baldric he wore a great horn tipped with silver...."
We have been there and back again.
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(This post was edited by grammaboodawg on Oct 24 2018, 11:02am)
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grammaboodawg
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Oct 25 2018, 10:31am
Post #9 of 25
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Today in Middle-earth
October 25, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. The Dwarves venture into the Mountain.
(determined from text)
...""Now do be careful!" whispered the hobbit, "and as quiet as you can be! There may be no Smaug at the bottom, but then again there may be. Don't let us take any un-necessary risks!"
...Down, down they went. The dwarves could not... ...compare with the hobbit in real stealth, and they made a deal of puffing and shuffling which echoes magnified alarmingly... ...every now and again Bilbo in fear stopped and listened, not a sound stirred below....
......They saw the little dark shape of the hobbit start across the floor holding his tiny light aloft. Every now and again, while he was still near enough, they caught a glint and a tinkle as he stumbled on some golden thing. The light grew smaller as he wandered away into the vast hall; then it began to rise dancing into the air. Bilbo was climbing the great mound of treasure. Soon he stood upon the top... ...Then they saw him halt and stoop for a moment; but they did not know the reason.
...It was the Arkenstone, the Heart of the Mountain. So Bilbo guessed from Thorin's description; but indeed there could not be two such gems, even in so marvellous a hoard, even in all the world....
......The great jewel shone before his feet of its own inner light, and yet, cut and fashioned by the dwarves, who had dug it from the heart of the mountain long ago, it took all light that fell upon it and changed it into ten thousand sparks of white radiance shot with glints of the rainbow.
...Suddenly Bilbo's arm went towards it drawn by its enchantment. His small hand would not close about it, for it was a large and heavy gem; but he lifted it, shut his eyes, and put it in his deepest pocket....
......"Mr. Baggins!" Thorin cried. "Here is the first payment of your reward! Cast off your old coat and put on this!"
...With that he put on Bilbo a small coat of mail, wrought for some young elf-prince long ago. It was of silversteel, which the elves call mithril, and with it went a belt of pearls and crystals. A light helm of figured leather, strengthened beneath with hoops of steel, and studded about the brim with white gems, was set upon the hobbit's head.
..."I feel magnificent... ...but I expect I look rather absurd. How they would laugh on the Hill at home! Still I wish there was a looking-glass handy!"
2. The Elvenking's host leave Mirkwood for Erebor.
(determined from text)
..."...the Elvenking rode forth... ....marching with many spearmen and bowmen; and crows were gathered thick, above him, for they thought that war was awakening again, such as had not been in those parts for a long age."
October 25, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Council of Elrond.
(from the appendices)
..."Suddenly... ...a single clear bell rang out. 'That is the warning bell for the Council of Elrond,' cried Gandalf. 'Come along now! Both you and Bilbo are wanted.'
...Frodo and Bilbo followed the wizard quickly along the winding path back to the house; behind them, uninvited and for the moment forgotten, trotted Sam...
......Elrond was there, and several others were seated in silence about him. Frodo saw Glorfindel and Glóin; and in a corner alone Strider was sitting, clad in his old travel-worn clothes again. Elrond drew Frodo to a seat by his side, and presented him to the company, saying:
...'Here, my friends, is the hobbit, Frodo son of Drogo. Few have ever come hither through greater peril or on an errand more urgent...' ...And seated a little apart was a tall man with a fair and noble face, dark-haired and grey-eyed, proud and stern of glance... ...He gazed at Frodo and Bilbo with sudden wonder....
......all listened while Elrond in his clear voice spoke of Sauron and the Rings of Power, and their forging in the Second Age of the world long ago....
...'...What shall we do with the Ring, the least of rings, the trifle that Sauron fancies? That is the doom that we must deem.
...'That is the purpose for which you are called hither. Called, I say, though I have not called you to me, strangers from distant lands. You have come and are here met, in this very nick of time, by chance as it may seem. Yet it is not so. Believe rather that it is so ordered that we who sit here, and none others, must now find counsel for the peril of the world....'
......Boromir stood up, tall and proud, before them.... '...In this evil hour I have come on an errand over many dangerous leagues...
......a dream came to my brother in a troubled sleep; and afterwards a like dream came oft to him again, and once to me. 'In that dream I thought the eastern sky grew dark and there was a growing thunder, but in the West a pale light lingered, and out of it I heard a voice, remote but clear, crying: Seek for the Sword that was broken: In Imladris it dwells; There shall be counsel taken Stronger than Morgul-spells. There shall be shown a token That Doom is near at hand, For Isildur's Bane shall waken, And the Halfling forth shall stand.
...Of these words we could understand little, and we spoke to our father, Denethor, Lord of Minas Tirith, wise in the lore of Gondor. This only would he say, that Imladris was of old the name among the Elves of a far northern dale, where Elrond the Halfelven dwelt, greatest of lore-masters. Therefore my brother... ...was eager to heed the dream and seek for Imladris; but since the way was full of doubt and danger, I took the journey upon myself... ...I wandered by roads forgotten, seeking the house of Elrond, of which many had heard, but few knew where it lay.
...'And here in the House of Elrond more shall be made clear to you,' said Aragorn, standing up. He cast his sword upon the table that stood before Elrond, and the blade was in two pieces. 'Here is the Sword that was Broken!' he said.
...'And who are you, and what have you to do with Minas Tirith?' asked Boromir, looking in wonder at the lean face of the Ranger and his weather-stained cloak.
...'He is Aragorn son of Arathorn,' said Elrond; 'and he is descended through many fathers from Isildur Elendil's son of Minas Ithil. He is the Chief of the Dúnedain in the North, and few are now left of that folk.'
...'Then it belongs to you, and not to me at all!' cried Frodo in amazement, springing to his feet, as if he expected the Ring to be demanded at once.
...'It does not belong to either of us,' said Aragorn; 'but it has been ordained that you should hold it for a while....'
... [Then Gandalf spoke of his fears] 'I was lulled by the words of Saruman the Wise; but I should have sought for the truth sooner, and our peril would now be less.'
...'We were all at fault,' said Elrond, 'and but for your vigilance the Darkness, maybe, would already be upon us. But say on!'
...'From the first my heart misgave me, against all reason that I knew,' said Gandalf, 'and I desired to know how this thing came to Gollum, and how long he had possessed it. So I set a watch for him, guessing that he would ere long come forth from his darkness to seek for his treasure. He came, but he escaped and was not found. And then alas! I let the matter rest, watching and waiting only, as we have too often done.
...'Time passed with many cares, until my doubts were awakened again to sudden fear... ...That was seventeen years ago. Soon I became aware that spies of many sorts, even beasts and birds, were gathered round the Shire, and fear grew. I called for the help of the Dúnedain, and their watch was doubled; and I opened my heart to Aragorn, the heir of Isildur....'
...'...And then in my despair I thought again of a test that might make the finding of Gollum unneeded. The ring itself might tell if it were the One. The memory of words at the Council came back to me: words of Saruman, half-heeded at the time. I heard them now clearly in my heart.
...'"The Nine, the Seven, and the Three," he said, "had each their proper gem. Not so the One. It was round and unadorned, as it were one of the lesser rings; but its maker set marks upon it that the skilled, maybe, could still see and read..."
...[Much later after it's established they had the One Ring, talk turned of what to do]'...Very well, very well, Master Elrond!' said Bilbo suddenly. 'Say no more! It is plain enough what you are pointing at. Bilbo the silly hobbit started this affair, and Bilbo had better finish it, or himself. I was very comfortable here, and getting on with my book.... ...I am just writing an ending for it. I had thought of putting: and he lived happily ever afterwards to the end of his days. It is a good ending... ...it does not look like coming true; and anyway there will evidently have to be several more chapters, if I live to write them... ...When ought I to start?'
...'...Of course, my dear Bilbo,' said Gandalf. 'If you had really started this affair, you might be expected to finish it. But you know well enough now that starting is too great a claim for any...'
......The noon-bell rang. Still no one spoke. Frodo glanced at all the faces, but they were not turned to him. All the Council sat with downcast eyes, as if in deep thought. A great dread fell on him, as if he was awaiting the pronouncement of some doom that he had long foreseen and vainly hoped might after all never be spoken. An overwhelming longing to rest and remain at peace by Bilbo's side in Rivendell filled all his heart. At last with an effort he spoke, and wondered to hear his own words, as if some other will was using his small voice.
...'I will take the Ring,' he said, 'though I do not know the way.'"
[to be continued]
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
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Oct 26 2018, 11:03am
Post #10 of 25
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Today in Middle-earth
TIME – October 25 (continued)
October 25, 3018 (S.R. 1418) --- October 26 is close behind ;)
(not from the appendices—CONTINUED after the Council of Elrond]
..."Later that day the hobbits held a meeting of their own in Bilbo's room. Merry and Pippin were indignant when they heard that Sam had crept into the Council, and he had been chosen as Frodo's companion.
...'It's most unfair,' said Pippin. 'Instead of throwing him out... ...Elrond goes and rewards him for his cheek!'
...'Rewards!' said Frodo. 'I can't imagine a more severe punishment. You are not thinking what you are saying: condemned to go on this hopeless journey, a reward? Yesterday I dreamed that my task was done, and I could rest here, a long while, perhaps for good.'
...'I don't wonder,' said Merry... ...But we are envying Sam, not you. If you have to go, then it will be a punishment for any of us to be left behind, even in Rivendell. We have come a long way with you and have been through some stiff times. We want to go on.'
...'That's what I meant, said Pippin. 'We hobbits ought to stick together... ...I shall go, unless they chain me up. There must be someone with intelligence in the party.'
...'Then you certainly will not be chosen, Peregrin Took!' said Gandalf, looking in through the window, which was near the ground. 'But you are all worrying yourselves unnecessarily. Nothing is decided yet...'
...'...Well, anyway,' said Bilbo, 'nothing was decided beyond choosing poor Frodo and Sam. I was afraid all the time that it might come to that, if I was let off. But if you ask me, Elrond will send out a fair number, when the reports come in. Have they started yet, Gandalf?'
...'Yes,' said the wizard. 'Some of the scouts have been sent out already... ...We can't start until we have found out about the Riders.'
...'I thought they were all destroyed in the flood,' said Merry.
...'You cannot destroy Ringwraiths like that... ...The power of their master is in them, and they stand or fall by him. We hope that they were all unhorsed and unmasked, and so made... ...less dangerous; but we must find out for certain. In the meantime you should try and forget your troubles, Frodo. I do not know if I can do anything to help you; but I will whisper this in your ears. Someone said that intelligence would be needed in the party. He was right. I think I shall come with you.'
...So great was Frodo's delight at this announcement that Gandalf left the window-sill, where he had been sitting, and took off his hat and bowed. 'I only said I think I shall come. Do not count on anything yet. In this matter Elrond will have much to say, and your friend the Strider.'"
October 26, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. Thorin learns news of Smaug's death from the ravens.
(determined from text)
...[Balin speaks of ravens] "They live many a year, and their memories are long, and they hand on their wisdom to their children. I knew many among the ravens of the rocks when I was a dwarf-lad. This very height was once named Ravenhill, because there was a wise and famous pair, old Carc and his wife, that lived here above the guard-chamber. But I don't suppose that any of that ancient breed linger here now."
...No sooner had he finished speaking than the old thrush gave a loud call, and immediately flew away.
..."We may not understand him, but that old bird understands us, I am sure," said Balin...
......Before long there was a fluttering of wings, and back came the thrush; and with him came a most decrepit old bird. He was getting blind, he could hardly fly, and the top of his head was bald. He was an aged raven of great size. He alighted stiffly on the ground before them,... ...and bobbed towards Thorin.
..."O Thorin son of Thráin, and Balin son of Fundin," he croaked (...he used ordinary language and not bird-speech). "I am Roäc son of Carc. Carc is dead, but he was well known to you once. It is a hundred years and three and fifty since I came out of the egg, but I do not forget what my father told me. Now I am the chief of the great ravens of the Mountain... ...we remember still the king that was of old. Most of my people are abroad, for there are great tidings in the South—some are tidings of joy to you, and some you will not think so good.
..."Behold! the birds are gathering back again to the Mountain and to Dale from South and East and West, for word has gone out that Smaug is dead!"
..."Dead! Dead?" shouted the dwarves. "Dead! Then we have been in needless fear—and the treasure is ours!" They all sprang up and began to caper about for joy...
......[Thorin asks] I would beg of you, if any of you are still young and strong of wing, that you would send messengers to our kin in the mountains of the North... ...and tell them of our plight. But go specially to my cousin Dáin in the Iron Hills, for he has many people well-armed, and dwells nearest to this place. Bid him hasten!""
2. The Elves make their way to the mountain.
(determined from text)
..."...the king, when he received the prayers of Bard, had pity, for he was the lord of a good and kindly people; so turning his march, which had at first been direct towards the Mountain... ...hastened now down the river to the Long Lake. He had not boats or rafts enough for this host, and they were forced to go the slower way by foot; but great store of goods he sent ahead by water."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Oct 27 2018, 12:11pm
Post #11 of 25
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Today in Middle-earth
October 27, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. News travels of Smaug's defeat.
(determined from text)
..."Very great indeed was the commotion among all things with wings that dwelt on the borders of the Desolation of the Dragon. The air was filled with circling flocks, and their swift-flying messengers flew here and there across the sky.... ...Far over Mirkwood tidings spread: "Smaug is dead!" Leaves rustled and startled ears were lifted. Even before the Elvenking rode forth the news had passed west right to the pinewoods of the Misty Mountains; Beorn had heard it in his wooden house, and the goblins were at council in their caves."
October 27, 2949 (S.R. 1349)
1. Bilbo has some unexpected guests.
(not from the appendices—determined from text & referencing tuckborough.net]
...[Eight years after the Quest] "One autumn evening … Bilbo was sitting in his study writing his memoirs—he thought of calling them "There and Back Again, a Hobbit's Holiday"—when there was a ring at the door. It was Gandalf and a dwarf; and the dwarf was actually Balin.
..."Come in! Come in!" said Bilbo, and soon they were settled in chairs by the fire. If Balin noticed that Mr. Baggins' waistcoat was more extensive (and had real gold buttons), Bilbo also noticed that Balin's beard was several inches longer, and his jewelled belt was of great magnificence.
...They fell to talking of their times together... ...and Bilbo asked how things were going in the lands of the Mountain. It seemed they were going very well. Bard had rebuilt the town in Dale and men had gathered to him from the Lake and from South and West, and all the valley had become tilled again and rich, and the desolation was now filled with birds and blossoms in spring and fruit and feasting in autumn. And Lake-town was refounded and was more prosperous than ever, and much wealth went up and down the Running River; and there was friendship in those parts between elves and dwarves and men.
...The old Master had come to a bad end...
..."...The new Master is of wiser kind," said Balin, "and very popular... ...he gets most of the credit for the present prosperity. They are making songs which say that in his day the rivers run with gold."
..."Then the prophecies of the old songs have turned out to be true, after a fashion!" said Bilbo.
..."Of course!" said Gandalf. "And why should not they prove true? Surely you don't disbelieve the prophecies, because you had a hand in bringing them about yourself? You don't really suppose... ...that all your adventures and escapes were managed by mere luck, just for your sole benefit? You are a very fine person, Mr. Baggins, and I am very fond of you; but you are only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all!"
..."Thank goodness!" said Bilbo laughing, and handed him the tobacco-jar."
October 27, 2010 and all is well.
...After years, months, weeks and days of peril and adjustments, on October 15, 2010 it was announced that The Hobbit was greenlit and that Peter Jackson is producing and directing the 2-part film project. Then, on October 27, 2010, it was announced that filming of The Hobbit is staying in New Zealand!
...October 27, 2012 finds us with the The Hobbit being expanded from 2 films into 3!!!
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
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Oct 28 2018, 11:30am
Post #12 of 25
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Today in Middle-earth
October 28, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. Elves reach Lake-town.
(determined from text)
..."...elves are light-footed, and though they were not in these days much used to the marches and the treacherous lands between the Forest and the Lake, their going was swift. Only five days after the death of the dragon they came upon the shores and looked on the ruins of the town. Their welcome was good... ...and the men and their Master were ready to make any bargain for the future in return for the Elvenking's aid."
October 28, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Rivendell does its magic
(not from the appendices)
..."For a while the hobbits continued to talk and think of the past journey and of the perils that lay ahead; but such was the virtue of the land of Rivendell that soon all fear and anxiety was lifted from their minds. The future, good or ill, was not forgotten, but ceased to have any power over the present."
October 28, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. They reach Bree at nightfall.
(from the appendices)
..."'So it was that near the end of a wild and wet evening in the last days of October the five travellers rode up the climbing road and came to the South-gate of Bree. It was locked fast; and the rain blew in their faces, and in the darkening sky low clouds went hurrying by, and their hearts sank a little, for they had expected more welcome.
...When they had called many times, at last the Gate-keeper came out... ...He looked at them with fear and suspicion; but when he saw that Gandalf was there, and that his companions were hobbits, in spite of their strange gear, then he brightened and wished them welcome.
...'Come in!' he said unlocking the gate. 'We won't stay for news out here in the cold and the wet....'
......When they came to Bill Ferny's house they saw that the hedge there was tattered and unkempt, and the windows were all boarded up.
...'Do you think you killed him with that apple, Sam?' said Pippin.
...'I'm not so hopeful, Mr. Pippin,' said Sam. 'But I'd like to know what became of that poor pony. He's been on my mind many a time, and the wolves howling and all.'
...At last they came to The Prancing Pony... ...and there were lights behind the red curtains in the lower windows. They rang the bell, and Nob came to the door, and opened it a crack and peeped through; and when he saw them standing under the lamp he gave a cry of surprise.
...'Mr. Butterbur! Master!' he shouted. 'They've come back!'
...'Oh have they? I'll learn them,' ...and out he came with a rush, and he had a club in his hand. But when he saw who they were he stopped short, and the black scowl on his face changed to wonder and delight.
...'Nob, you wooly-pated ninny!' he cried. 'Can't you give old friends their names? You shouldn't go scaring me like that, with times as they are. Well, well! And where have you come from? I never expected to see any of you folk again, and that's a fact: going off into the Wild with that Strider, and all those Black Men about. But I'm right glad to see you, and none more than Gandalf. Come in! Come in...!'
...He led them down the passage to the parlour that they had used on that strange night more than a year ago; and they followed him, a little disquieted, for it seemed plain to them that old Barliman was putting a brave face on....
...'...You see, we're not used to such troubles; and the Rangers have all gone away, folk tell me. I don't think we've rightly understood till now what they did for us. For there's been worse than robbers about. Wolves were howling round the fences last winter. And there's dark shapes in the woods, dreadful things that makes the blood run cold to think of....'
...'...I expect it has,' said Gandalf. 'Nearly all lands have been disturbed these days... ...But cheer up, Barliman! You have been on the edge of very great troubles, and I am only glad to hear that you have not been deeper in. But better times are coming. Maybe, better than you remember. The Rangers have returned. We came back with them. And there is a king again, Barliman. He will soon be turning his mind this way....'
...'...Well, that sounds more hopeful, I'll allow,' said Butterbur. 'And it will be good for business, no doubt. So long as he lets Bree alone.'
...'He will,' said Gandalf. 'He knows it and loves it.'
...'Does he now? ...Though I'm sure I don't know why he should, sitting in his big chair up in his great castle, hundreds of miles away. And drinking wine out of a golden cup, I shouldn't wonder. What's The Pony to him, or mugs o' beer? Not but what my beers good, Gandalf. It's been uncommon good, since you came in the autumn of last year and put a good word on it. And that's been a comfort in trouble, I will say.'
...'Ah!' said Sam. 'But he says your beer is always good.'
...'He says?'
...'Of course he does. He's Strider. The chief of the Rangers. Haven't you got that into your head yet?'
...It went in at last, and Butterbur's face was a study in wonder. The eyes in his broad face grew round, and his mouth opened wide, and he gasped. 'Strider!' he exclaimed when he got back his breath. 'Him with a crown and all and a golden cup! Well, what are we coming to?'
...'Better times, for Bree at any rate,' said Gandalf.
...'I hope so, I'm sure,' said Butterbur.... '...Nob, you slowcoach!'
...'Nob!' he said to himself, slapping his forehead. 'Now what does that remind me of?'
...'Not another letter you've forgotten, I hope, Mr. Butterbur?' said Merry.
...'Now, now, Mr. Brandybuck, don't go reminding me of that! But there, you've broken my thought. Now where was I? Nob, stables, ah! that was it. I've something that belongs to you. If you recollect Bill Ferny and the horse-thieving: his pony as you bought, well, it's here. Come back all of itself, it did. But where it had been to you know better than me. It was as shaggy as an old dog and as lean as a clothes-rail, but it was alive. Nob's looked after it.'
...'What! My Bill?' cried Sam. 'Well, I was born lucky, whatever my gaffer may say. There's another wish come true! Where is he?' Sam would not go to bed until he had visited Bill in his stable."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
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Oct 29 2018, 11:56am
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Today in Middle-earth
October 29, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. With the help of the Elves, Bard arranges shelter and food for the townsfolk.
(determined from text)
..."Their plans were soon made. With the women and the children, the old and the unfit, the Master remained behind; and... ...men of crafts and many skilled elves; and they busied themselves felling trees, and collecting the timber sent down from the Forest... ...they set about raising many huts by the shore against the oncoming winter; and also under the Master's direction they began the planning of a new town, designed more fair and large even than before, but not in the same place. They removed northward higher up the shore; for ever after they had a dread of the water where the dragon lay... ...stretched cold as stone, twisted upon the floor of the shallows. There for ages his huge bones could be seen in calm weather amid the ruined piles of the old town. But few dared to cross the cursed spot, and none dared to dive into the shivering water or recover the precious stones that fell from his rotting carcase."
October 29, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. The hobbits rest in Rivendell.
(not from the appendices-no text)
October 29, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. The company rests at the Prancing Pony.
(not from the appendices)
..."...Mr. Butterbur could not complain of his business next evening at any rate. Curiosity overcame all fears, and his house was crowded. For a while out of politeness the hobbits visited the Common Room in the evening and answered a good many questions. Bree memories being retentive, Frodo was asked many times if he had written his book.
...'Not yet... ...I am going home now to put my notes in order.' He promised to deal with the amazing events at Bree, and so give a bit of interest to a book that appeared likely to treat mostly of the remote and less important affairs 'away south'.
...Then one of the younger folk called for a song. But at that a hush fell, and he was frowned down, and the call was not repeated. Evidently there was no wish for any uncanny events in the Common Room again."
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grammaboodawg
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Oct 30 2018, 10:44am
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Today in Middle-earth
October 30, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. They leave Bree.
(from the appendices)
..."The Bree folk were all out to see them off, and were in merrier mood than they had been for a year; and those who had not seen the strangers in all their gear before gaped with wonder at them: at Gandalf with his white beard, and the light that seemed to gleam from him... ...and at the four hobbits like riders upon errantry out of almost forgotten tales. Even those who had laughed at all the talk about the King began to think there might be some truth in it.
...'Well... ...good luck to your home-coming!' said Mr. Butterbur. 'I should have warned you before that all's not well in the Shire... ...Funny goings on, they say. But one thing drives out another, and I was full of my own troubles. But if I may be so bold, you've come back changed from your travels, and you look now like folk as can deal with troubles out of hand. I don't doubt you'll soon set all to rights. Good luck to you! And the oftener you come back the better I'll be pleased....'"
...'...I wonder what old Barliman was hinting at,' said Frodo.
...'I can guess some of it,' said Sam gloomily. 'What I saw in the Mirror: trees cut down and all, and my old gaffer turned out of the Row. I ought to have hurried back quicker....'"
2. The 'Travellers' come to the Brandywine Bridge at dark.
(from the appendices)
..."It was after nightfall when, wet and tired, the travellers came at last to the Brandywine, and they found the way barred. At either end of the Bridge there was a great spiked gate; and on the further side of the river they could see that some new houses had been built: two-storeyed... ...bare and dimly lit, and very gloomy and un-Shirelike.
...They hammered on the outer gate and called, but there was at first no answer; and then... ...someone blew a horn, and the lights in the windows went out. A voice shouted in the dark:
...'Who's that? Be off! You can't come in. Can't you read the notice: No admittance between sundown and sunrise?'
...'Of course we can't read the notice in the dark,' Sam shouted back. 'And if hobbits of the Shire are to be kept out in the wet on a night like this, I'll tear down your notice when I find it.'
...... Merry and Pippin climbed the gate, and the hobbits fled. Another horn sounded. Out of the bigger house... ...a large heavy figure appeared....
...'...What's all this,' he snarled as he came forward. 'Gate-breaking? You clear out, or I'll break your filthy little necks!' Then he stopped, for he had caught the gleam of swords.
...'Bill Ferny,' said Merry, 'if you don't open that gate in ten seconds... ...I shall set steel to you... ...And when you have opened the gates you will go through them and never return. You are a ruffian and a highway-robber.'
...Bill Ferny flinched and shuffled to the gate and unlocked it. 'Give me the key!' said Merry. But the ruffian flung it at his head and then darted out into the darkness. As he passed the ponies one of them let fly with his heels and just caught him as he ran. He went off with a yelp into the night and was never heard of again.
...'Neat work, Bill,' said Sam..."
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grammaboodawg
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Oct 31 2018, 10:48am
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TIME - October 31: Peter's Birthday!
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More of 30th's Today in Middle-earth
There are only 30 days in the Shire Reckoning... but it's Peter's day... so we'll make some extra TIME just for him!
October 30, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. The hobbits rest in Rivendell.
(not in the appendices – continuing October 30th posts)
..."Health and hope grew strong in them, and they were content with each good day as it came, taking pleasure in every meal, and in every word and song."
October 30, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. A Brandywine gate is barred.
(not in the appendices – continuing October 30th posts)
..."The hobbits at the gate still seemed ill at ease, evidently some rule or other was being broken; but there was no gainsaying four such masterful travellers, all armed, and two of the uncommonly large and strong-looking. Frodo ordered the gates to be locked again. There was some sense... ...in keeping a guard, while ruffians were still about. Then the four companions went into the hobbit guard-house and made themselves as comfortable as they could. It was a bare and ugly place, with a mean little grate that would not allow a good fire... ...on every wall there was a notice and a list of Rules. Pippin tore them down. There was no beer and very little food, but with what the travellers brought and shared out they all made a fair meal; and Pippin broke Rule 4 by putting most of the next day's allowance of wood on the fire.
...'Well now, what about a smoke, while you tell us what has been happening in the Shire?' he said.
...'There isn't no pipe-weed now,' said Hob; 'at least only for the Chief's men... ...We do hear that waggon-loads of it went away down the old road out of the Southfarthing, over Sarn Ford way. That would be the end o' last year, after you left. But it had been going away quietly before that... ...That Lotho----'
...'Now you shut up, Hob Hayward!' cried several of the others. 'You know talk o' that sort isn't allowed. The Chief will hear of it, and we'll all be in trouble.'
...'He wouldn't hear naught, if some of you where weren't sneaks,' rejoined Hob hotly.
...'All right, all right!' said Sam. 'That's quite enough. I don't want to hear no more. No welcome, no beer, no smoke, and a lot of rules and orc-talk instead. I hoped to have a rest, but I can see there's work and trouble ahead.'"
October 30, 3021 (S.R. 1421)
1. As the Shire recovers from its wounds.
(not in the appendices-no text–continuing October 30th posts))
...Rosie watches Sam as he caringly leads in the renewal of the Shire, tends to their gardens outside the windows of Bag End, and delights in play with baby Elanor; but she also sees him as he stands alone in the garden resting heavily against the hoe looking to the distant west beyond the mountains and across the sea.
  
October 31, 1961
1. Peter Jackson is born to Bill and Joan Jackson of Pukerua Bay.
(Could be in the appendices if he wanted it to be)
...One person can make a difference. Vigilant, devoted, a passionate steward of the works of Tolkien and his beloved homeland. Happy Birthday, Peter!
Peter T-shirt
Peter's film collage by Allan Barbeau
We have been there and back again.
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(This post was edited by grammaboodawg on Oct 31 2018, 10:53am)
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grammaboodawg
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Nov 1 2018, 11:41am
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Today in Middle-earth
November 1, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. The dwarves fortify the Front Gate while the ravens bring news.
(determined from text)
... "As they worked the ravens brought them constant tidings. In this way they learned that the Elvenking had turned aside to the Lake... ...they still had a breathing space. Better still, they heard that three of their ponies had escaped and were wandering wild far down the banks of the Running River, not far from where the rest of their stores had been left. So while the others went on with their work, Fili and Kili were sent, guided by a raven, to find the ponies and bring back all they could."
November 1, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. The hobbits rest in Rivendell as scouts search the lands for news of the enemy.
(not in the appendices-no text)
November 1, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. They are arrested at Frogmorton.
(from the appendices)
..."As they came to the east end of the village they met a barrier with a large board saying NO ROAD; and behind it stood a large band of Shirriffs with staves in their hands and feathers in their caps, looking both important and rather scared.
...'What's all this?' said Frodo, feeling inclined to laugh.
...'This is what it is, Mr. Baggins,' said the leader of the Shirriffs, a two-feather hobbit: 'You're arrested for Gate-breaking, and Tearing up of Rules, and Assaulting Gate-keepers, and Trespassing, and Sleeping in Shire-buildings without Leave, and Bribing Guards with Food…'
...'…I can add some more, if you'd like it,' said Sam. 'Calling your Chief Names, Wishing to punch his Pimply Face, and Thinking you Shirriffs look a lot of Tom-fools.'
...'There now, Mister, that'll do. It's the Chief's orders that you're to come along quiet. We're going to take you to Bywater and hand you over to the Chief's Men… …To the discomfiture of the Shirriffs Frodo and his companions all roared with laughter. 'Don't be absurd!' said Frodo. 'I am going where I please, and in my own time. I happen to be going to Bag End on business, but if you insist on going too, well that is your affair.'
...'Very well, Mr. Baggins… …But don't forget I've arrested you.'
...'I won't,' said Frodo. 'Never. But I may forgive you. Now I am not going any further today, so if you'll kindly escort me to the Floating Log, I'll be obliged… …Go on and we'll follow.'
...Sam had been looking the Shirriffs up and down and had spotted one that he knew. 'Hey, come here Robin Smallburrow!' he called. 'I want a word with you....'
...'...You should be ashamed of yourself having anything to do with such nonsense,' said Sam. 'You used to like the inside of an inn better than the outside yourself. You were always poppin in, on duty or off.'
...'And so I would be still, Sam, if I could… …You know how I went for a Shirriff… …Gave me a chance of walking round the country and seeing folk, and hearing the news, and knowing where the good beer was. But now it's different.'
...'But you can give it up, stop Shirriffing, if it has stopped being a respectable job,' said Sam.
...'We're not allowed to,' said Robin.
...'If I hear NOT ALLOWED much oftener,' said Sam, 'I'm going to get angry....'"
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grammaboodawg
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Nov 2 2018, 11:15am
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Today in Middle-earth
November 2, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. They come to Bywater and rouse the Shire-folk.
(from the appendices)
..."It was about eighteen miles to Bywater, and they set off at ten o'clock in the morning. They would have started earlier, only the delay so plainly annoyed the Shirriff-leader...
......It was rather a comic cavalcade that left the village, though the few folk that came out to stare at the 'get-up' of the travellers did not seem quite sure whether laughing was allowed. A dozen Shirriffs had been told off as escort to the 'prisoners'; but Merry made them march in front, while Frodo and his friends rode behind. Merry, Pippin, and Sam sat at their ease laughing and talking and singing, while the Shirriffs stumped along trying to look stern and important. Frodo, however, was silent and looked rather sad and thoughtful....
......At the Three-Farthing Stone they gave it up. They had done nearly fourteen miles with only one rest at noon. It was now three o'clock. They were hungry and very footsore and they could not stand the pace.
...'Well, come along in your own time!' said Merry. 'We are going on.'
...'Good-bye, Cock-robin!' said Sam. 'I'll wait for you outside The Green Dragon, if you haven't forgotten where that is. Don't dawdle on the way!'
......When they reached the Green Dragon, the last house on the Hobbiton side, now lifeless and with broken windows, they were disturbed to see half a dozen large ill-favoured Men lounging against the inn-wall...
......The ruffians had clubs in their hands and horns by their belts, but they had no other weapons, as far as could be seen. As the travellers rode up they left the wall and walked into the road, blocking the way.
...'Where d'you think you're going?' said one, the largest and most evil-looking of the crew... '...You little folk are getting too uppish. Don't you trust too much in the Boss's kind heart. Sharkey's come now, and he'll do what Sharkey says.'
...'And what may that be?' said Frodo quietly.
...'This country wants waking up and setting to rights,' said the ruffian, 'and Sharkey's going to do it; and make it hard, if you drive him to it...'
...'...You are behind the times...' [said Frodo] 'The Dark Tower has fallen, and there is a King in Gondor. And Isengard has been destroyed and your precious master is a beggar in the wilderness. I passed him on the road. The King's messengers will ride up the Greenway now, not bullies from Isengard.'
...'The man stared at him and smiled. 'A beggar in the wilderness!' he mocked. 'Oh, is he indeed? Swagger it, swagger it, my little cock-a-whoop....'
......This was too much for Pippin. His thoughts went back to the Field of Cormallen, and here was a squint-eyed rascal calling the Ring-bearer 'little cock-a-whoop'. He cast back his cloak, flashed out his sword, and the silver and sable of Gondor gleamed on him as he rode forward.
...'I am a messenger of the King,' he said. 'You are speaking to the King's friend, and one of the most renowned in all the lands of the West. You are a ruffian and a fool. Down on your knees in the road and ask pardon, or I will set this troll's bane in you!'
...The sword glinted in the westering sun. Merry and Sam drew their swords also and rode up to support Pippin; but Frodo did not move. The ruffians gave back... ...Fearless hobbits with bright swords and grim faces were a great surprise. And there was a note in the voices of these newcomers that they had not heard before. It chilled them with fear.
...'Go!' said Merry. 'If you trouble this village again, you will regret it.' The three hobbits came on, and then the ruffians turned and fled, running away up the Hobbiton Road; but they blew their horns as they ran...
...'...I've an idea,' said Sam. 'Let's go to old Tom Cotton's down South Lane! He always was a stout fellow. And he has a lot of lads that were all friends of mine.'
...'No!' said Merry. 'It's no good "getting under cover". That is just what people have been doing, and just what these ruffians like. They will simply come down on us in force... ...No, we have got to do something at once.'
...'Do what?' said Pippin.
...'Raise the Shire!' said Merry. 'Now! Wake all our people... ...Shire-folk have been so comfortable so long they don't know what to do. They just want a match... ...and they'll go up in fire. The Chief's Men must know that. They'll try to stamp on us and put us out quick. We've only got a very short time.
...'Sam, you can make a dash for Cotton's farm, if you like. He's the chief person round here, and the sturdiest.... ...I am going to blow the horn of Rohan, and give them all some music they have never heard before.'
...They rode back to the middle of the village. There Sam turned aside and galloped off down the lane that led south to Cotton's. He had not gone far when he heard a sudden clear horn-call go up ringing into the sky. Far over hill and field it echoed; and so compelling was that call that Sam himself almost turned and dashed back. His pony reared and neighed.
...'On, lad! On..! ...We'll be going back soon.'
...Then he heard Merry change the note, and up went the Horn-cry of Buckland, shaking the air. Awake! Awake! Fear, Fire, Foes! Awake! Fire, Foes! Awake!"
November 2, 3020 (S.R. 1420)
1. Buckland and the Horn of the Mark.
(from APPENDIX D: THE CALENDARS)
..."...In the Buckland the Horn of the Mark was blown at sundown every November 2 and bonfires and feastings followed... ...Anniversary of its first blowing in the Shire in 3019."
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grammaboodawg
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Nov 3 2018, 10:08am
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Today in Middle-earth
November 3, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. Battle of Bywater, and Passing of Saruman. End of the War of the Ring.
(from the appendices)
..."...a messenger from the Tookland rode in. He was in high spirits. 'The Thain has raised all our country,' he said, 'and the news is going like fire all ways. The ruffians that were watching our land have fled off south... ...The Thain has gone after them, to hold off the big gang down that way; but he's sent Mr. Peregrin back with all the other folk he can spare.'
...The next news was less good. Merry, who had been out all night, came riding in about ten o'clock. 'There's a big band about four miles away... ...They're coming along the road from Waymeet, but a good many stray ruffians have joined up with them. There must be close on a hundred of them; and they're fire-raising as they come. Curse them...!'
......The ruffians came tramping along the East Road, and without halting turned up the Bywater Road... ...they met a stout barrier of old farm-carts upturned. That halted them. At the same moment they became aware that the hedges on both sides, just above their heads, were all lined with hobbits. Behind them other hobbits now pushed out some more waggons that had been hidden in a field, and so blocked the way back. A voice spoke to them from above.
...'Well, you have walked into a trap,' said Merry. 'Your fellows from Hobbiton did the same, and one is dead and the rest are prisoners. Lay down your weapons! Then go back twenty paces and sit down. Any who try to break out will be shot.'
...But the ruffians could not now be cowed so easily.... ...A score or more broke back and charged the waggons. Six were shot, but the remainder burst out, killing two hobbits, and then scattering across country in the direction of the Woody End. Two more fell as they ran. Merry blew a loud horn-call, and there were answering calls from a distance.
......At last all was over. Nearly seventy of the ruffians lay dead on the field, and a dozen were prisoners. Nineteen hobbits were killed, and some thirty were wounded.... ...The fallen hobbits were laid together in a grave on the hill-side, where later a great stone was set up with a garden about it. So ended the Battle of Bywater, 1419, the last battle fought in the Shire, and the only battle since the Greenfields, 1147, away up in the Northfarthing....
......When the fighting was over, and the later labours were ordered, Merry, Pippin, and Sam joined him [Frodo], and they rode back with the Cottons. They at a late midday meal, and then Frodo said with a sigh: 'Well, I suppose it is time now that we dealt with the "Chief"...'
......At the top of the lane the party halted, and Frodo and his friends went on; and they came at last to the once beloved place. The garden was full of huts and sheds, some so near the old westward windows that they cut off all their light. There were piles of refuse everywhere. [Bag End's] door was scarred; the bell-chain was dangling loose... ...At length they pushed and the door yielded. They went in. The place stank and was full of filth and disorder: it did not appear to have been used for some time....
...'...This is worse than Mordor!' said Sam. 'Much worse in a way. It comes home to you, as they say; because it is home, and you remember it before it was all ruined.'
...'Yes, this is Mordor,' said Frodo. 'Just one of its works. Saruman was doing its work all the time...'
......Merry looked round in dismay and disgust.... '...If I had known all the mischief he had caused, I should have stuffed my pouch down Saruman's throat.'
...'No doubt, no doubt! But you did not, and so I am able to welcome you home.' There standing at the door was Saruman himself, looking well-fed and well-pleased; his eyes gleamed with malice and amusement.
...A sudden light broke on Frodo. 'Sharkey!' he cried.
...Saruman laughed. 'So you have heard the name, have you? All my people used to call me that in Isengard... ...But evidently you did not expect to see me here.'
...'I did not,' said Frodo. 'But I might have guessed. A little mischief in a mean way: Gandalf warned me that you were still capable of it.'
...'Quite capable... ...and more than a little. You made me laugh, you hobbit-lordlings, riding along with all those great people, so secure and so pleased with your little selves.... ...you must go dangling after [Gandalf], dawdling and talking, and riding round twice as far as you needed. "Well," thought I, "if they're such fools, I will get ahead of them and teach them a lesson. One ill turn deserves another." It would have been a sharper lesson, if only you had given me a little more time and more Men. Still I have already done much that you will find it hard to mend or undo in your lives. And it will be pleasant to think of that and set it against my injuries.'
...'Well, if that is what you find pleasure in,' said Frodo. 'I pity you. It will be a pleasure of memory only, I fear. Go at once and never return!'
...The hobbits of the villages... ...heard Frodo's command, they murmured angrily:
...'Don't let him go! Kill him! He's a villain and a murderer. Kill him!'
...Saruman looked round at their hostile faces and smiled. 'Kill him!' he mocked. 'Kill him, if you think there are enough of you, my brave hobbits!' He drew himself up... '... Whoever strikes me shall be accursed. And if my blood stains the Shire, it shall wither and never again be healed.'
...The hobbits recoiled. But Frodo said: 'Do not believe him! He has lost all power, save his voice that can still daunt you and deceive you, if you let it. But I will not have him slain. It is useless to meet revenge with revenge: it will heal nothing. Go, Saruman, by the speediest way!'
...'Worm! Worm!' Saruman called; and out of a nearby hut came Wormtongue, crawling, almost like a dog. 'To the road again, Worm!' said Saruman.... ...But even as Saruman passed close to Frodo a knife flashed in his hand, and he stabbed swiftly. The blade turned on the mail-coat and snapped. A dozen hobbits, led by Sam, leaped forward with a cry and flung the villain to the ground. Sam drew his sword.
...'No, Sam!' said Frodo. 'Do not kill him even now. For he has not hurt me. And in any case I do not wish him to be slain in this evil mood. He was great once, of a noble kind that we should not dare to raise our hands against. He is fallen, and his cure is beyond us; but I would still spare him, in the hope that he may find it.'
...Saruman rose to his feet, and stared at Frodo. There was a strange look in his eyes of mingled wonder and respect and hatred. 'You have grown, Halfling... ...Yes, you have grown very much. You are wise, and cruel. You have robbed my revenge of sweetness, and now I must go hence in bitterness, in debt to your mercy. I hate it and you! Well, I go and I will trouble you no more. But do not expect me to wish you health and long life. You will have neither. But that is not my doing. I merely foretell....'
...'...Worm killed your Chief, poor little fellow, your nice little Boss. Didn't you, Worm? Stabbed him in his sleep, I believe. Buried him, I hope; though Worm has been very hungry lately. No, Worm is not really nice. You had better leave him to me.'
...A look of wild hatred came into Wormtongue's red eyes. 'You told me to; you made me do it,' he hissed.
...Saruman laughed. 'You do what Sharkey says, always, don't you, Worm? Well, now he says: follow!' He kicked Wormtongue in the face as he grovelled, and turned and made off... ...suddenly Wormtongue rose up, drawing a hidden knife, and then with a snarl like a dog he sprang on Saruman's back, jerked his head back, cut his throat, and with a yell ran off down the lane. Before Frodo could recover or speak a word, three hobbit-bows twanged and Wormtongue fell dead.
...To the dismay of those that stood by, about the body of Saruman a grey mist gathered, and rising slowly to a great height like smoke from a fire, as a pale shrouded figure it loomed over the Hill. For a moment it wavered, looking to the West; but out of the West came a cold wind, and it bent away, and with a sigh dissolved into nothing....
...'And that's the end of that,' said Sam. 'A nasty end, and I wish I needn't have seen it; but it's a good riddance.'
...'And the very last end of the War, I hope,' said Merry.
...'I hope so,' said Frodo and sighed. 'The very last stroke. But to think that is should fall here, at the very door of Bag End! Among all my hopes and fears at least I never expected that....'"
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
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Nov 4 2018, 1:53pm
Post #19 of 25
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Today in Middle-earth
November 4, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. Elves and Lake-men depart Lake-town.
(determined from text)
..."But all the men of arms who were still able, and the most of the Elvenking's array, got ready to march north to the Mountain. It was thus that in eleven days from the ruin of the town the head of their host passed the rock-gates at the end of the lake and came into the desolate lands."
2. Thorin and Company were busy preparing.
(determined from text)
..."...the dwarves still had some days before them. They explored the caverns once more, and found, as they expected, that only the Front Gate remained open; all the other gates (except, of course, the small secret door) had long ago been broken and blocked by Smaug, and no sign of them remained."
November 4, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. The Hobbits enjoy Rivendell.
(not from the appendices-no text)
...The partially formed Fellowship rests in Rivendell and prepares for their journey while waiting for scouts to return from searching the lands for enemy movement. Frodo grows stronger in both heart and body through the grace of Rivendell. He would walk with his friends and explore the rich culture and craft of their refuge and spend time visiting and speaking with the Elves to Sam's sheer awe and delight; but much of his time he spends with Bilbo in his room. They speak of many things from years gone by and their adventure on the road, yet they are always careful to avoid mention of the Black Riders, the Ring, and the darkness that followed after Weathertop.
November 4, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. The healing of the Shire begins.
(not from the appendices)
..."The clearing up certainly needed a lot of work, but it took less time than Sam had feared. The day after the battle Frodo rode to Michel Delving and released the prisoners from the Lockholes. One of the first that they found was poor Fredegar Bolger, Fatty no longer. He had been taken when the ruffians smoked out a band of rebels that he led from their hidings up in the Brockenbores....
...'...You would have done better to come with us after all, poor old Fredegar!' said Pippin, as they carried him out too weak to walk.
...He opened an eye and tried gallantly to smile. 'Who's this young giant with the loud voice?' he whispered. 'Not little Pippin! What's your size in hats now?'
...Then there was Lobelia. Poor thing, she looked very old and thin when they rescued her from a dark and narrow cell. She insisted on hobbling out on her own feet; and she had such a welcome, and there was such clapping and cheering when she appeared, leaning on Frodo's arm but still clutching her umbrella, that she was quite touched and drove away in tears. She had never in her life been popular... ...But she was crushed by the news of Lotho's murder, and she would not return to Bag End. She gave it back to Frodo, and went to her own people, the Bracegirdles of Hardbottle.
...When the poor creature died next Spring... ...Frodo was surprised and much moved: she had left all that remained of her money and of Lotho's for him to use in helping hobbits made homeless by the troubles. So that feud was ended.
...Old Will Whitfoot had been in the Lockholes longer than any, and... ...he needed a lot of feeding up before he could look the part of Mayor; so Frodo agreed to act as his Deputy, until Mr. Whitfoot was in shape again. The only thing that he did as Deputy Mayor was to reduce the Shirriffs to their proper functions and numbers."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Nov 5 2018, 11:22am
Post #20 of 25
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Today in Middle-earth
November 5, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. Fili and Kili return with the ponies and supplies
(determined from text)
..."They were four days gone, and by that time they knew that the joined armies of the Lake-men and the Elves were hurrying towards the Mountain. But now their hopes were higher; for they had food for some weeks... ...chiefly cram... ...and they were very tired of it... ...already the gate was blocked with a wall of squared stones laid dry, but very thick and high across the opening. There were holes in the wall through which they could see (or shoot) but no entrance. They climbed in or out with ladders, and hauled stuff up with ropes. For... ...the stream they had contrived a small low arch under the new wall... ...Approach to the Gate was now only possible, without swimming, along a narrow ledge of the cliff... ...The ponies they had brought only to the head of the steps above the old bridge, and unloading them there had bidden them return to the masters and sent them back riderless to the South."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Nov 6 2018, 1:30pm
Post #21 of 25
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Meeting Fatty Bolger [Fredegar Bolger]
Here are some Book Spoilers that focus on Fatty Bolger... the 4th Conspirator. This got long, but Fatty has earned a place of honour by playing his part in saving the Shire (imho)... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From: The Shadow of the Past
..."[Frodo] lived alone, as Bilbo had done; but he had a good many friends, especially among the younger hobbits... ...who had as children been fond of Bilbo and often in and out of Bag End. Folco Boffin and Fredegar Bolger were two of these; but his closest friends were Peregrine Took (usually called Pippin), and Merry Brandybuck (his real name was Meriadoc, but that was seldom remembered)."
From: Three Is Company
September 13, 3018
..."...Frodo began to worry about Gandalf... ...The Birthday, and the removal, drew nearer, and still he did not come, or send word. Bag End began to be busy. Some of Frodo's friends came to stay and help him with the packing... ...Fredegar Bolger and Folco Boffin, and of course his special friends Pippin Took and Merry Brandybuck. Between them they turned the whole place upside-down."
September 20, 3018
..."On September 20th two covered carts went off laden to Buckland, conveying the furniture and goods that Frodo had not sold to his new home... ...The thought that he would so soon have to part with his young friends weighed on his heart....
......The four younger hobbits were... ...in high spirits and the party soon became very cheerful... ...When they had sung many songs, and talked of many things they had done together, they toasted Bilbo's birthday, and they drank to his health and Frodo's together according to Frodo's custom....
......The next morning they were busy packing another cart with the remainder of the luggage. Merry took charge of this, and drove off with Fatty.... '...Someone must be there and warm the house before you arrive,' said Merry. 'Well, see you later--the day after tomorrow, if you don't go to sleep on the way!'"
Here is some BS that fills in more of the story at Crickhollow.
From: A Conspiracy Unmasked
September 25, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Fatty learns about the Black Riders
..."The ferry-boat moved slowly across the water. The Buckland shore drew nearer...
......The four hobbits stepped off the ferry. Merry was tying it up, and Pippin was already leading the pony up the path, when Sam... ...said in a hoarse whisper:
...'Look back, Mr. Frodo! Do you see anything..?'
......they could just make out a figure... ...it seemed to move and sway this way and that, as if searching the ground. It then crawled... ...back into the gloom beyond the lamps.
...'What in the Shire is that?' exclaimed Merry.
...'Something that is following us,' said Frodo. 'But don't ask any more now! Let's get away at once... ...Let's get indoors and then we can talk.'
...'All right! You and Pippin know your way; so I'll just ride on and tell Fatty Bolger that you are coming. We'll see about supper and things... ...Give me that basket!' said Merry, and rode ahead into the darkness.
...It was some distance from the Brandywine to Frodo's new house at Crickhollow... ...As they walked up the green path from the gate no light was visible; the windows were dark and shuttered. Frodo knocked on the door, and Fatty Bolger opened it. A friendly light streamed out. They slipped in quickly and shut themselves and the light inside...
......Merry and Fatty went into the kitchen on the other side of the passage, and busied themselves with the final preparations for a late supper...
......They had supper in the kitchen on a table near the fire. 'I suppose you three won't want mushrooms again?' said Fredegar without much hope.
...'Yes we shall!' cried Pippin.
...'They're mine!' said Frodo. 'Given to me by Mrs. Maggot, a queen among farmers' wives. Take your greedy hands away, and I'll serve them...'
......when they had finished even Fatty Bolger heaved a sigh of content. They pushed back the table, and drew chairs round the fire.
...'We'll clear up later,' said Merry. 'Now tell me all about it... ...I want to know what was the matter with old Maggot, and why he spoke to me like that. He sounded almost as if he was scared, if that is possible.'
...'We have all been scared,' said Pippin ... '...You would been, too, if you had been chased for two days by Black Riders...'
......He then gave a full account of their journey from the time when they left Hobbiton. Sam gave various supporting nods and exclamations. Frodo remained silent."
After the Conspiracy is unmasked
..."Frodo sat for a while in thought. 'I have made up my mind,' he said finally. 'I am starting tomorrow, as soon as it is light... ...The only thing to do is to go off in a quite unexpected direction.'
...'But that can only mean going into the Old Forest!' said Fredegar horrified. 'You can't be thinking of doing that. It is quite as dangerous as Black Riders.'
...'Not quite,' said Merry. 'It sounds very desperate, but... ...It is the only way of getting off without being followed at once. With luck we might get a considerable start.'
...'But you won't have any luck in the Old Forest,' objected Fredegar. 'No one ever has luck in there. You'll get lost. People don't go in there.'
...'Oh yes they do!' said Merry. 'The Brandybucks go in--occasionally when the fit take them...'
...'...Well, do as you think best!' said Fredegar. 'I am more afraid of the Old Forest than of anything I know about: the stories about it are a nightmare; but my vote hardly counts... ...I am not going on the journey. Still, I am very glad someone is stopping behind, who can tell Gandalf what you have done, when he turns up, as I am sure he will before long.'
...Fond as he was of Frodo, Fatty Bolger had no desire to leave the Shire, nor to see what lay outside it... ... he had never been over the Brandywine Bridge. His task, according to the original plans of the Conspirators, was to stay behind and deal with inquisitive folk... ...to keep up as long as possible the pretence that Mr. Baggins was still living at Crickhollow. He had even brought along some old clothes of Frodo's to help him in playing the part. They little thought how dangerous that part might prove.
...'Excellent!' said Frodo, when he understood the plan... '...if Fatty is willing to hold the fort, and I can be sure of Gandalf knowing the way we have gone, that decides me. I am going into the Old Forest first thing tomorrow.'
...'Well, that's that,' said Pippin. 'On the whole I would rather have our job than Fatty's--waiting here till Black Riders come.'
...'You wait till you are well inside the Forest,' said Fredegar. 'You'll wish you were back here with me before this time tomorrow...'"
From: The Old Forest
September 26, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
..."...Soon after six o'clock the five hobbits were ready to start. Fatty Bolger was still yawning...
... ...soon they were riding off into the mist... ...After riding for about an hour, slowly and without talking, they saw the Hedge looming suddenly ahead...
...'...How are you going to get through this?' asked Fredegar.
...'Follow me!' said Merry, 'and you will see.' He turned to the left along the Hedge... ...A cutting had been made, at some distance from the Hedge, and went sloping gently down into the ground. It had walls of brick at the sides, which rose steadily, until suddenly they arched over and formed a tunnel that dived deep under the Hedge and came out in the hollow on the other side.
...Here Fatty Bolger halted. 'Good-bye, Frodo... ...I wish you were not going into the Forest. I only hope you will not need rescuing before the day is out. But good luck to you--today and every day!'"
From: A Knife in the Dark
September 30, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
..."Fatty Bolger opened the door cautiously and peered out... ...As he stared out into the gloom, a black shadow moved under the trees... ...Terror seized him. He shrank back, and for a moment he stood trembling in the hall. Then he shut and locked the door...
......Outside the gate... ...three black figures entered, like shades of night creeping across the ground. One went to the door, one to the corner of the house on either side...
...'...Open, in the name of Mordor!' said a voice thin and menacing...
......the door yielded and fell back, with timbers burst and lock broken. The black figures passed swiftly in.
...At that moment, among the trees nearby, a horn rang out. It rent the night like fire in a hill-top. AWAKE! FEAR! FIRE! FOES! AWAKE!
...Fatty Bolger had not been idle... ...he knew that he must run for it, or perish. And run he did... ...[when] he reached the nearest house, more than a mile away, he collapsed on the doorstep. 'No, no, no!' he was crying. 'No, not me! I haven't got it!' It was some time before anyone could make out what he was babbling about. At last they got the idea that enemies were in Buckland, some strange invasion from the Old Forest. And then they lost no more time."
From: The Grey Havens
November 4, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
..."The day after the battle [of Bywater] Frodo rode to Michel Delving and released the prisoners from the Lockholes. One of the first that they found was poor Fredegar Bolger, Fatty no longer. He had been taken when the ruffians smoked out a band of rebels that he led from their hidings... ...by the hills of Scary.
...'You would have done better to come with us after all, poor old Fredegar!' said Pippin, as they carried him out too weak to walk....He opened an eye and tried gallantly to smile. 'Who's this young giant with the loud voice?' he whispered. 'Not little Pippin! What's your size in hats now?'"
We have been there and back again.
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(This post was edited by grammaboodawg on Nov 6 2018, 1:40pm)
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cats16
Half-elven
Nov 10 2018, 8:44pm
Post #22 of 25
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Join us every weekend in the Hobbit movie forum for this week's CHOW (Chapter of the Week) discussion!
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Nov 12 2018, 2:25pm
Post #23 of 25
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Ravens carry messages to Durin's Folk
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Thorin to Roäc son of Carc:
"...I would beg of you, if any of you are still young and strong of wing, that you would send messengers to our kin in the mountains of the North, both west from here and east, and tell them of our plight."
I apologize for the lateness of this post. Can we conclude from this that Roäc sent messengers to Thorin's folk in the Blue Mountains? If the Dwarves of Thorin's Halls left the Ered Luin immediately, what route might they have taken to reach Erebor and how long might it have taken them to arrive?
My own best guess is that they would have first traveled south to the Grey Havens (perhaps as much as 160 miles). With winter coming on they would probably not be able to use any of the northern passes through the Misty Mountains. From Mithlond they could use the Great East Road to reach the Greenway, following that south to the Gap of Rohan. From the Fords of Isen the Dwarves would have had a choice: 1) travel up the Anduin Vales to circle around the northern part of Mirkwood Forest; or, 2) skirt the southern Eaves of Mirkwood and reach Erebor through East Rhovanion. In either case the journey would have taken several months and covered over 2000 miles. I think we would have to assume walking speed if we imagine that all of the Longbeards of the Blue Mountains were returning to Erebor as a single group.
"For a brief time I was here; and for a brief time I mattered." - Harlan Ellison
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Apr 28 2019, 3:43pm
Post #24 of 25
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A Tribute to Widfara 10-21-2002
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Tributes to our dear Widfara vanished with the Old Boards, so I want to share an accumulation of past posts of sibs celebrating our dear sister. It's long, so please forgive; but she's left her mark, and we will never forget her wit and generosity.
‘I live upon the open Wold in days of peace; Wídfara is my name, and to me also the air brings messages. Already the wind is turning. There comes a breath out of the South; there is a sea-tang in it, faint though it be. The morning will bring new things. Above the reek it will be dawn when you pass the wall.’
‘If you speak truly, Wídfara, then may you live beyond this day in years of blessedness!’ said Théoden.
(“The Ride of the Rohirrim,” The Return of the King”)
________________________________________
ROBIN ADONA MARVEL, 45, of Memphis, graphic designer for Shades of Gray, died Monday in Memphis. Services will be at 4 p.m. Thursday at First Unitarian Church of the River. Canale Funeral Directors has charge. She leaves her parents, Walter T. and Patricia R. Marvel of Trumann, Ark., and a sister, Judy Stanis Marvel of Georgetown, Ind. The family requests that memorials be sent to Monastery of St. Clare or PETA in Norfolk, Va. Original post
10/21/2002
Nick: Mrs. Boromir (Registered User)
Date: Tue, 10/21/2003
Subject:Of friends and hope and humor
Message:
One year ago today, many of us here on TORn lost a dear friend and a kindred spirit. I’m not going to dwell on the circumstances surrounding that loss, nor is it my wish to idolize our absent friend. Instead I’d like to take this time to remember Widfara for her kindnesses and her wonderful sense of humor, focusing on what is important in life—hope, friends, and most definitely, humor. I’d like to dedicate this thread, not to Widfara, but those here who remember her and called her a friend.
TORnwas Rivendell to Widfara. She found solace, friendship and a place to spread her humor and good will. She loved it here. One thing she would want all of us to remember is that we are all drawn to TORn for one reason—Tolkien. We all have the love of Tolkien’s works in common and we all share in the goodness and wisdom that comes from his books. I’ve met some of the best people in the world here, across the ether and in-person, and Widfara was one of them. She'd want us to remember that we should never take for granted what Tolkien and TORn have given us—the instruments which have allowed us to create a common bond and a fellowship.
I invite you to share, with the Admins’ blessings, remembrances of Widfara's kindness and especially her humor, and how Tolkien’s works reflect the values of hope and friendship.
Here's to all of us, and to Wid.
If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.
— Thorin Oakenshield, Hobbit
• I've heard so much about her... —Joelle— that's it almost like I knew her. Thank you all for keeping her alive in your thoughts so those of us who came late can still feel like they knew a wonderful person.
• *raises a glass* —Aydria Elenlinn— Widfara was great. I had only been on the boards for a couple of months before she passed away, but she made herself a friend right from the beginning. I loved her humor, the SASTs, her hilarious footers (*thin!*), her words of encouragement... she was a wonderful person and dearly missed.
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• One year ago... —Smokering—
So many things can happen in a year. So many friends can be made, so much knowledge can be gained, so much sadness can accumulate. It was year ago today that we lost Widfara to depression--for me she was a friend, a mentor and a muse. Her posts were always a hundred per cent guaranteed to make me laugh. She made everyone she knew feel special--she was the first person to reply to my first post on TORn, and when I posted another post in similar vein eight months later, she remembered the reference and responded in kind! After a few months we began sending each other emails, mainly stories I'd written and small anecdotes about our day. I remember a running joke we had about how she dared live in Chicago without a cosh, and a time when she pretended to plead for me to send her another story to cheer her up. I did, without thinking anything of it--now as I look back, I wish so hard that I had taken note of what she really meant--kept emailing--been there more. Wid spent so much of her time taking care of others that it was too easy to think of her as the perfect one, with all her problems sorted out and a good grip on life, and not see her as a struggling human like the rest of us.
I remember the one story of her own that she sent me, and how funny it was. I remember the last post she ever wrote me, calling me her 'precious and precocious Smokering' and complimenting me on my footer. I wonder now as I will wonder forever, whether he really knew she was saying goodbye at that point.
And I remember in harsh detail the terrible night when I found the email from Elendil the Tall, telling me kindly about what had happened. I remember racing to TORn with shaking hands, not daring to believe it was a mistake, unable to believe it wasn't true. I remember keying in her name under 'Search' and a hundred and forty-nine posts with Widfara in them appearing on the screen! I remember crying and crying and my mother unable to comfort me at three in the morning.
I remember a sense of awe and grief that hung over TORn. I remember friends who gathered round me and held me tight, despite being on the other side of the world. I remember sharing stories, seeking reassurance, swapping anecdotes and quotes and poems. I remember love as I had never known it before.
A year has passed, and the pain has dulled. A year has passed and other friends have filled my life, made my days worth living and phone calls exciting. Through it all one special friend, Tamara, has been there for me. Tamara knew Widfara only a little, and knew we were friends. She helped me through grief as only a friend can, and I saw her trying to take Wid's place in my life, in her own way. In a way she succeeded where Widfara failed, in staying with all of life's ups and downs no matter what the cost, and I love her for it.
I remember laughter, and I remember tears. I remember starting to write again, months after Wid's death, afraid that the words would not come. I remember finding one of her emails in my inbox and laughing and crying hysterically at her jokes. I remember constantly seeing her in someone's footer, in someone's jokes, and realising that a certain very lucky number of us were bound by the blessing of having known Widfara. I wish I had known her better; I am grateful she let me share some of her life. I know there is a fear on TOrn that some are idolising Wid, making her into an angel when in fact she was a very cheeky devil most of the time! I think if we must romanticise anyone, it is those living--the friends now whose presence we cherish more, just because we know that life isn't permanent. I want to say thank you to all the wonderful people here on TORn that we don't have to miss. NZ Strider, whose humour and knowledge raise TORn discussions by a good notch! I was so thrilled to meet him finally last year, and I hope we meet again. Eledhwen, who sent me hilarious and cheerful emails all throughout a time which must have been difficult, after having been run over in the pursuit of geekdom. Grammaboodawg, who is a mother to us all and a fun, loving, caring person to have round. Elendil the Tall, my special friend who has triumphed where I would have failed and forced me into new and exciting types of geekdom (X-Men!!!). Jadeshadow, the geekiest of geeks and most punctual of emailers! Eldersis of Merry, who makes me laugh more often than anyone I know and who is so full of life it spills over in every word she writes. Telkemeniel, who I met a precious few times and who is fun and bubbly and everything a geek should be. Fun crying with you during TTT, Telks! Watson and Curious, who have given me so many different spins on interpreting Tolkien. TOOTL, whose late-night discussions with me in the good old days are a happy memory. And so many others, so many people whose pains we've shared, triumphs we've rejoiced at, birthdays we've *glugged* and opinions we've hotly debated. I love you all.
So many tears for Wid, but so much laughter. And I think the joy will always outweigh the pain. There is more laughing than crying in my clearer memories of Widfara, and I think it will stay that way. God bless you all!
Bless you, Smokering.(No Text) —Curious
*hugs*(No Text) —Smokering
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• Wid the Cook —Mrs. Boromir
When I first referred to Widfara as "Wid," she laughed at having a nick for a nick. It was easy to make her laugh but she was herself blessed with a quick and often savage wit, tempered with the gentleness of a flower. She was one of the funniest persons I’ve ever known (as witnessed in Cel's wonderful post). I miss those days when we IMed behind the scenes of TORn, egging each other on to post one thing or another to liven up the boards on a slow day. I wish I’d kept some of those messages, but we also emailed quite frequently, as she did with many of you. This letter is one of my favorites because I can just see her, admittedly hopeless in the kitchen, struggling to follow a recipe I’d shared with her the day before.
Wid the Cook
Well, Mary, I just have a minute but I wanted to tell you that your coffeecake is in the oven. Here are some thoughts:
Hoity Toity Buttermilk Cinnamon Coffee Cake [her name for it]
2 1/4 c. flour (so far so good)
1 c. brown sugar (Ah, here's the rub. The brown sugar in my frig was purchased when the world was young. So it was hard as adamant. Where is Grond, Hammer of the Underworld, when you need it? I finally beat it into submission.)
3/4 c. granulated sugar (check)
2 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided (Mary, Mary. *tsk tsk* Remember your civics! A cinnamon divided against itself cannot stand. Still, at your behest, I divided it, humming the Battle Hymn of the Republic just in case.)
1/2 tsp. salt (check)
1/4 tsp. ground ginger (The age of miracles hasn't passed. I actually had this in my pantry.)
3/4 c. corn oil (check)
1 c. sliced almonds (check)
1 tsp. baking powder (Hard, hard, hard. I finally chipped out a teaspoonful.)
1 tsp. baking soda (Can you use the kind you keep in your frig for smells? Here's hoping.)
1 egg (free range, check)
1 c. buttermilk (I'm afraid of buttermilk, Mary, but overcame my fears in the interest of your coffeecake. I wondered if you had to "shake well." It didn't say (could have been an oversight at the factory) so I shook the hell out of it, just in case.)
Regarding the instructions, when you said "blend," did you mean the carpal-tunnel inducing "by hand" blending? Or the "what god intended" electric mixing? I availed myself of electricity.
"13 x 9 pan" *snort* No, no 13 x 9 inch pan. I used a slightly smaller one and ate a little of the batter raw.
Okay, must run. The coffeecake is baking (did I remember to turn on the oven?). I'll let you know how it turns out! Thanks for the recipe! Have a good Sunday!
• LOL! —Smokering— Wow, she was brilliant, our Widfara! How did the coffeecake turn out in the end, we wondersss?
• funny! —Cheshire Cat— That certainly was a sharp sense of humour.
• *wiping tears of laughter* I can see that Oh so clearly! —Mirkwood Maiden— And I seem to remember her mentioning trying to bake a coffeecake at some point. ROFLMAO! Thank you for sharing this, Mary. It really typifies the Robin we knew and loved!
• That's great! —Aerlinn
• What a sense of humor —Ginger— and my type of cook.
• Hilarious!!! —jordan_the_discursive— Cinnamon divided against itself? Who else but Wid would even *think* to say that?!?
I'm absolutely collapsed in laughter over this one. Thanks for posting it Mrs. B!!!!
• That's hilarious! —Uitlander— "My brown sugar was purchased when the world was young..."
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• Precious gifts. —Kimi—
From a draft of LOTR:
"I name before you all Frodo of the Shire and Samwise his servant. And the bards and minstrels should give them new names: Bronwe athan Harthad and Harthad Uluithiad, Endurance beyond Hope and Hope Unquenchable."
Would Samwise's hope have been unquenchable without the love that fed it? And would Frodo have been able to endure without hope if he had not had Samwise's love? It's easy to take our friends for granted; they are precious.
And on a lighter note: who but Wid could have given me a reason to smile indulgently on Tom Bombadil? Just over a year ago, NZ Strider started a "Let's talk like Tom Bombadil" thread. I still remember with affection (I can't quote them accurately, so will spare you my effort) the couplets Widfara and I exchanged, and every time I read the Bombadil chapters they will come to mind.
"I will not say, do not weep. For not all tears are evil."
• Indeed, each is nothing without the other. —jordan_the_discursive— Lovely words, Kimi. The grief of Wid's loss was almost beyond endurance, yet even when it threatened to overwhelm some of us, we held onto each other, and managed to see it through. Your quote from the draft is a lovely metaphor for our experience of this tragedy.
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I had mentioned in an email to Wid that I had made t-shirt quilts for my kids before they went to college. She sent me this column she had written for a local paper.
Satan’s bedspread and other wintertime projects
I decided to make a quilt over the winter. I’ve never made one before, but, hey, it’s not rocket science. I decided to start on the first day of fall and have a beautifully crafted quilt completed by the first day of spring, March 20. I told all my friends about my wintertime project. I made the announcement with a self-satisfied air, too: “Do you know what I’m going to do this winter? I’m going to make a quilt.” I basked in their warm encouragement and congratulations. But I’m starting to have doubts.
What I failed to take into account is that I don’t know how to sew. So, there is that. Oh, I understand the concept: Thread a needle, make a knot, then set about to lash two pieces of cloth together. But I have questions, dark terrible questions: What kind of thread? Does it come in more than one kind? What kind of needle? I can probably handle the knot, even without the help of sailors or Boy Scouts, but what about the cloth?
There are millions of bolts of cloth in the stores. (See, bolts is a technical sewing term. Bandying about words like that in front of my impressionable friends is what got me in this mess in the first place.) How do you narrow it down to the right two pieces of cloth which, when lashed together, will produce that warm traditional Amish feeling that I might be after. From speed-reading a quilt magazine in the checkout line, I find out that cloth has grain. It must be lashed together with all the grain going in the right direction. If not, from what I can make out, the queen-sized quilt will, when laundered, turn into a skewed throw for a baby’s bed. Having no baby and no baby’s bed, this is an unappealing prospect.
I haven’t actually begun the quilt. I am ostensibly in the pattern-picking stage. If you think there is a wide variety of cloth for sale, you are in for a hearty maniacal horse laugh when you see the infinite number of patterns available. Evidently, since the dawn of time, women have been creating patterns. So, this maddening array of quilt patterns has been parading from cave, frontier, farm, and suburb to choke hobby stores and Internet sites near you.
You can’t just pick any pattern, especially if you are a novice. The writers of the quilt books and magazines are quick to provide advice in this area. Next to a particularly tempting design, they will write: “The legendary Gazebo Star of Cooper-Young Quadruple Wedding Ring of Fire design (also known as Satan’s bedspread) is a must for any serious quilter. Novice quilters must not under any circumstances attempt this design. Edna Laughinghouse from Sioux City, Iowa, was new to quilting. She attempted this design. By now, you know the sad result. She got her grain going lengthwise and her thread going crosswise. Rescuers had to use the Jaws of Life to free her from the tangled mass.”
Finally, a bulletin from my “heaping sorrow upon sorrows” department: Add to all this the fact that I am a life-long, unredeemable procrastinator. Peering into the future, I see myself waiting until March 1 to begin. Knowing that supportive friends and family (a meddling bunch who would do well to get their own hobby) will be eager to see my one woman quilt show on the morning of March 20, I will have to work fast. Let’s see. If I take a three-week leave of absence from my job, drink meals-in-a-can for sustenance, and ignore my personal hygiene, I may just finish on time. I guess I was right about one thing. Quilting is not rocket science.
Rocket science is easy.
• LOL!!! *gasp* Eeeeps! —Padfoot— You would not believe how many of Satan's bedspreads I have attempted to make. Some days that includes just making the darn bed!
Thing is, while we are cyberhugging each other and trying to remember the best parts of a dear friend's life as it touched our own, Wid is probably just inside the Pearly Gates making St Peter wish they had a port-a-potty.
God bless you Wid for the laughter. Shine on.
• Hysterical! And I love your footer! —Mirkwood Maiden— Thanks so much, Ginger. It means a lot!
• *gasping for air!* —grammaboodawg— OMG! THAT'S ME!!!! Bwhahahahahahaaa... only mine has to do with housecleaning and organizing my freakin junque drawers... which means ALL OF THEM!
Perfect! I LOVE THIS WOMAN! *still chortling*
• Beautiful, Ginger. —Mrs. Boromir— "...supportive friends and family (a meddling bunch who would do well to get their own hobby)..." HA!
Your footer pic made me cry.
• Your footer is very appropriate —Ginger— and made me sniffle. I keep telling myself I was lucky to know her, and to be thankful for that.
• ROFL! —Eowyn_Shieldmaiden— I have to copy that and send it to my mother - an avid quilter. She will love it. Thanks ginger. :) :)
• ROFL *snif* Thank you, Ginger —Aerlinn— That's fantastic. She who gets the most IEC wins - and I think Wíd wins.
• OMG!! LOL!!! But also, —jordan_the_discursive— wiping tears. What a combination of feelings your post provokes!
I'm so glad you posted this. And to think she probably just dashed this off fairly quickly.....to have that much humor and wit, and to be able to express it so well! We were so lucky to have known her, weren't we?
And your footer pic.....
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• SAST fans toast jflower and Roheryn... —Uitlander
As many of us know, Widfara was the original Goddess (and I believe, founder) of the Short Attention Span Quizzes which were wildly popular from the start on TORN. It was the beginning of many noble traditions, such as Invisible Extra Credit for laughs (Remember -- if you don't know the answer, at least make a joke!); the Mediocrity Bench (which many of us who have trouble getting more than three right are *quite* familiar with) and the most-beloved Number Questions (Quick! How many toes on each of Treebeard's feet?). Sometimes sixty or more people would respond to these quizzes, and Widfara would grade each one personally, offering tribute and praise to those who scored highly, or made her giggle, snert, or snorfle (a cross between a snort, a guffaw and a chortle). She even allowed those of us who forgot to show up for the quiz to email her our late quizzes, without even taking any points off. (Try finding a professor who'll do that for you!) And now, out of the generosity of their hearts, Roheryn and jflower have restarted that fine tradition. We SAST fans cannot begin to express how much we appreciate all the work it takes to draw up, post and grade all those quizzes. Thank you both for your own special contribution to keeping Wid's memory and TORN's traditions alive!
*toasts Ro and jflower*
• Awww...shucks. We haven't done anything —Roheryn— worthy of toasting. They're just quizzes. Jflower was gracious enough to take me on board, and we've had fun (though I'm not sure whether I've given jflower more giggles or grey hairs over my scatterbrainedness).
But thanks. :-) We're glad others enjoy the quizzes too.
• *raises glass* Here, here!!(No Text) —CAhobbit *raises mug* —grammaboodawg— I don't post on the quizzes often, but I do lurk them... and I do praise Ro and jflower with great praise :)
I'd forgotten many of those Widdy references, Uitlander! *still snorfelling* Thank you :)
• *raises glass* Thanks jflower and Ro(No Text) —Ginger
• Hear hear!(No Text) —Aerlinn
• Amen, and cheers!(No Text) —Mrs. Boromir
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• Time goes ever on and on... —Mirkwood Maiden
And while my memories of Widfara have never dimmed, my grief has abated over the past year. Though I confess, I still can't edit the Album without a twinge of regret that Wid isn't there to help me with it as she always had done.
Widfara was more than a good friend to me. She was a mentor and a guide. I learned a great deal from her about people, emotions and life in general. In a way, I am still learning from her, and I appreciate my friends both cyber and real in a whole new light.
The key to understanding the fellowship of the nine is to understand and value friendship. Samwise is the best exemplar of this virtue... but each of the fellowship members acted within the bounds of friendship and loyalty. Through Wid's absence, I have come to think about these virtues differently, and in some ways, more passionately.
So I'd like to raise a glass to friends both old and new, some departed, and others with us still. Thanks to Tolkien for giving us all a common thread, and the biggest thanks to TORn for being the best internet community I have had the privilege to call home for the past 2 years.
• Well said, MM. *clink*(No Text) —Eowyn of Penns Woods
• Cheers MM.(No Text) —Cheshire Cat
• Very nice, MM. —jordan_the_discursive — Lovely words. And your footer quotes are perfect.
And we don't say it enough, I'm afraid, so here's to you, thanks for all you do in support of our wonderful community here!
• *lifts glass high* —grammaboodawg— To one and all. Thanks MM... for this and for gathering us together in the family album. Faces with the names makes this all much richer... because of you, m'dear :) {{Mirkwood Maiden}}
• Cheers, MM —Mrs. Boromir— That was beautiful.
• A fanfic... —Celandine Brandybuck
I wrote this story over the last couple of weeks. It is notabout Wídfara, nor did I write it solely because of her, but it is dedicated to her memory. I chose to use these particular characters to explore the theme because she read and enjoyed one of my earlier pieces with Haldir and Melpomaen (aka Figwit), and made many helpful comments on that one. I hope that a ship bore her across the sea, too.
*******
Departing
The king is dying.
Rumor ran quickly through the lands, and at its coming, many wept. Few or none were there among mortals who could now recall the days before the return of the king, and though his son was deemed a good man and worthy successor, still, the death of Elessar would be a loss hard to bear.
In Lothlórien, the few Elves who remained turned to each other and nodded gravely.
"What will happen to the queen? Did she not choose mortality to be with him?" asked Melpomaen.
"We will simply have to wait and see. Like Lúthien, I would think she will have the choice of when to depart. She spent much time here, as well as at her father's house in Imladris — she may wish to see Lórien again before she accepts her fate," said his companion Haldir.
"It is our duty to be here for Celebrían's daughter, should she come." Lórindol spoke with the authority of the eldest among them. "We have stayed all these years because we would not suffer our land to be abandoned, not while the king and queen lived. We will abide yet a little time more, until Undómiel is gone."
That winter the snows and rains fell abundantly across all of the king's realms, and the sun hid herself behind the clouds.
***
The king is dead.
Slow came the word now, as if tongues were reluctant to give voice to grief. Hard upon its heels came the one whom they had half-expected, the widowed queen.
They discussed whether they should greet her, care for her. She moved as if untouched by the world around. After conferring together, it was decided that they would leave her to herself, unless she sought them out. The king — and thus the queen — had known that there were still Elves in Lórien, and if she wished for aid or friendship, she would seek it. Melpomaen was not happy with the decision, but he acquiesced to the will of the rest.
Arwen gave no sign that she knew she was watched, though they left her food — the last store oflembas, leaf-wrapped and still fresh after sixscore years. As spring turned to summer, summer to autumn, they saw her wander through neglected Caras Galadon, spending many days and nights in the garden where the Lady Galadriel's mirror had been. She traveled through the woods to the Nimrodel and slept upon its banks. At last, as winter drew nigh, she returned and dwelt near Cerin Amroth, among the silver trunks and under the golden leaves of themellyrn.
Then it was that Elladan and Elrohir arrived, riding from Imladris to see their sister one final time. Seeking her first among her children in Minas Tirith, they had been delayed there for some weeks.
"Where is she?" Elrohir spoke for both of them, when Lórindol greeted them.
"She is not far, but I do not think she would welcome visitors — not even you. See for yourselves. Her whole being is turned inward, and we have not ventured to disturb her silence. Haldir will show you," said Lórindol.
The twins came back, chastened. "We will wait," said Elladan. "I do not think that it will be long. And what is time to us?"
When the last of the leaves was falling, they saw Arwen rise and make her way slowly to the crown of the hill, to the center of the double circle of trees there, white boles and silver alternating. There, in the chill starlight, she laid herself down and gave a great sigh.
***
For a day they waited, in respect. Then her brothers dug her grave, and raised the mound above it.
At Arwen's grave, a score, no more, of mourners stood. Elladan and Elrohir leaned together in their grief, and one by one each Elf present came to murmur words of condolence.
Last to do so were Haldir and Melpomaen.
"For her only did we wait. Now we too shall depart," Haldir told her brothers.
"The Golden Wood must fade," said Elladan, resigned. Elrohir nodded agreement, adding, "Galadriel told me that in the West, Yavanna herself planted the firstmallorn. I will like to see that; sad will be the land where nomallorn grows."
"That is true. I am glad you tell me that themellyrn thrive in the West, for I would have missed living among them. Will you leave with Lord Celeborn, from the Grey Havens?"
"Yes. And your people?"
"Word has come that Legolas builds a ship in Ithilien. Our few folk will join him, now that there is no reason for us to stay."
***
They journeyed south. As long as Lórien remained in sight, many of them turned to look back at it — Haldir not least among them, though Melpomaen kept his face resolutely forward.
***
Legolas's face broke into a smile when he saw the Elves of Lothlórien arrive to share his journey. A few of his own folk were traveling, but most had elected to stay longer in the fragrant woods of Ithilen. Someday they would follow.
Stumping around the nearly-completed ship, Gimli nodded to Haldir. "A good day to you, Master Elf. I am assured you will not need to bind my eyes this time."
"My apologies, Master Dwarf, but it was necessary then."
Gimli snorted. "Perhaps."
"I am surprised that you travel with us," Melpomaen said. "I did not know that Dwarves could do so."
"Legolas obtained this grace for me, that we need not be parted; he could no longer remain in Middle-earth, now that King Elessar is gone. Did you know the king, yourself?"
"We met in Imladris," answered Melpomaen, "but I would not say I knew him well."
"Only a little," said Haldir.
The Dwarf's eyes misted over. Legolas put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I would dare say there was never another such king among Men. 'Tis a shame."
"'Tis a gift," Legolas reminded him. "You will receive it too, someday, though longer now than if you were to stay." He looked at Haldir and Melpomaen. "Gifts may be difficult to accept, sometimes."
"Aye, lad," said Gimli gruffly. "I know. To accept your gift I must leave my people behind, just as did Arwen."
"For us the pain of grief at such a loss is rare," mused Haldir. "Though I knew the queen more by reputation than in person, she was still the Evenstar of our people — and with her passing comes the end of all our days here."
***
Onloënde, the day of midsummer, they embarked on the grey ship. Down the Anduin it drifted, sails reefed, guided by oars. When they reached the mouth of the river, with one accord they agreed to follow the coastline around the cape of Andrast and up to Harlindon, before turning west to sail the Straight Road.
"Are you afraid?" Gimli asked Haldir.
"That is not the word I would have chosen; apprehensive, rather. I imagine we all are — are you not?"
"Of course." Gimli took a deep breath. "I may be closer to you Elves than any other Dwarf has ever been, but that does not mean I entirely relish living among you alone until the end of my days."
Overhearing, Legolas said, "Mithrandir will be there, Gimli, though I would be surprised if either Frodo or Sam still lives. You will not be wholly alone. Moreover Valinor will be unfamiliar to the rest of us also. I look forward to encountering Oromë myself, and I suppose you hope to meet Aulë"
"Meeting Mahal was one reason I agreed to travel with you, yes," Gimli admitted. "Most of all I would like to see the Lady Galadriel again, and tell her that I have treasured her gift for all these years." His hand went to the leather pouch on his belt. "Whom do you hope to see, Haldir? Melpomaen?"
Melpomaen shrugged. "My parents. They left Middle-earth many, many years ago, long before the king returned."
"I don't really know," said Haldir. "We have given up the life we knew, but in return for what we do not know. I suppose this is how Elessar and Arwen must have felt? To relinquish so much that is beloved, believing that they will be joined together again somewhere, somehow. We cannot follow them — it is not in our nature — but this journey is a fitting memorial, that we also leave all our past for an unknown future."
***
At long last they passed through the Shadowy Seas and reached Tol Eressëa, and came to the haven of Avallónë They could see the peak of Taniquetil shining white in the dawn.
"Elendil said, and Elessar after him,Et Eärello Endorenna utúlien. Sinome maruvan ar Hildinyar tenn' Ambar-metta. (1) They could not abide in Middle-earth forever, being mortal, though their heirs will. And we who loved the king could not remain either, now that he is gone, and the Evenstar as well. So for us it is the opposite — from Middle-earth to Valinor we have come, and here we will remain," said Legolas. He clasped Gimli's hand. "Now is the War of the Ring truly ended indeed, and here we may be healed of any hurts that still linger."
"Nor need we part from those we love," said Haldir, standing together with Melpomaen. "Those who were lost to us once, we will again find, and there need be no more partings to cause grief — Master Gimli, save for yours."
Gimli bowed. "May I say, Haldir, that I would never expected to hear such words from you after our first meeting. Silver are the tongues of the Elves, when they choose! When it comes to be my time to depart, I may miss you almost as much as Legolas."
One by one the travelers disembarked from the ship, onto the white strands, and breathed in the air of the Undying Lands for the first time. A new day was begun.
*******
Footnote:
(1) "Out of the Great Sea to Middle-earth I am come. In this place will I abide, and my heirs, unto the ending of the world." Spoken by Aragorn in the chapter "The Steward and the King."
• How truly lovely, Cel. Thank you so much for sharing it.(No Text) —Mirkwood Maiden
• Beautiful, Cel. Thanks for sharing it(No Text) —Entmaiden
• Beautiful, Cel.(No Text) —Eledhwen
• Oh... —grammaboodawg— That was beautiful.... Thank you :)
• That's beautiful, Cel. —Aerlinn— Heartbreaking, but hopeful. Thank you.
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• Two memories really stand out —Eowyn of Penns Woods— in my mind: 1) the time she beat Blue in a game of wits---I won't go into details, but it had to do with a tattoo. *snertle* 2)when she paid me the highest compliment----her response to my SFTH contribution = "*bows* I'm in the presence of greatness." No, Wid, *we* were in the presence of greatness when it came to wittiness.
She was always gracious and encouraging to others, and didn't want credit for all of her good works (just ask MM). This is how I choose to remember her.
Gone, but never forgotten.
• Yes indeed. —Mirkwood Maiden
I'll never forget her emphatic request that her work on the Album remain anonymous. She was adamant on that point, and it always felt wrong to me somehow.
But that was her. Self-effacing, yet devoted to the greater good of the community. It's such a shame that her choices were to the great detriment of the TORn boards... but more importantly, to those who loved her in Real Life.
She'll be missed, as today's tributes illustrate so clearly. It's good to have this kind of closure.
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• So today's the sad anniversary, huh? —Clueless_I
Wid's tragic passing occurred during my hiatus from the boards, but I sure remember her and her contributions from the time when we were lucky enough to have her around. I can't say that I was particularly close with her, but I do recall one small (and seemingly innocuous) exchange: after reading one of her typically hilarious footers ("THREE.FILMS!"), I posted that I nominate it "Footer of the Century," to which she replied. "Thank you - coming from you, that's really saying something!" A small thing, to be sure, but needless to say it made my week.
It’s nice to read all the reminiscences.
RIP Widfara
• My thoughts are with all friends of Widfara today. —Cheshire Cat— I didn't know her as I only came onto the boards at the beginning of the year, but from the responses to this post I can tell that she was a special person. I'm so sorry for your loss.
• I'll drink to that. —ringers rock!— I'm in the same situation and discovered the same special person. Here's to Widfara, her friends, and her family.
• Thanks, CC —Mrs. Boromir— We're glad you're here with us. *chin chin*
• *raises glass* I second that. Here, here.(No Text) —CAhobbit
• *raises glass* —jordan_the_discursive— Although we mourn those we've lost, we also heartily toast the new friends we've made here! Cheers!
• {{CC}} —grammaboodawg— There have been so many who have come and gone that were as much an added flavour to the stew as Wid who I wish would come back... assuming they could. Widfara's wit, though, was always a surprise.
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• More Wídicisms —Roheryn
I saved Wíd’s emails to me and thought a few excerpts might be appreciated.
I’d been teasing her with anagrams in my SAST answers and she emailed me in hopes I’d show mercy and give her the solutions:
Anyway, I wanted to get back to you, even if it was waving a white flag... *looks* No, wait. Those are my granny panties.
Always self-effacing:
If you ever need a laugh, just email me. I’m usually good for one (sadly, not always intentionally. *smile* My long list of faux pas are hilarious reading in themselves. But I’m happy to humiliate myself for laughs!).
And finally, her thoughts on TORn: You know, I think it’s really neat how all the posters can be at each other’s virtual throats one minute (spoilers / no spoilers, wings / no wings, dildos pics / no dildo pics), but then when anyone needs help or encouragement, we’re all there 100 percent supporting him or her. TORn’s a special place. It’s also my first experience with an online community or discussion board. Man, I lucked onto the right place.
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• I wish I knew what to say —Eowyn_Shieldmaiden
I wish I had saved messages of hers, emails she wrote, one of those hilarious footers she was famous for - but I didn't. I never thought I would have to save them against an event when she would no longer be able to write them. I guess I just miss her. I miss her. I remember being so angry with her when I heard the news. I was so angry and so bewildered. You aren't supposed to give up. You keep fighting because you have to, damnit. It made me really think of the phrase from Roman Catholic funerals - in the midst of life we are in death.
But now as I reflect, I realize that we have it backwards. In the midst of death we are in life! Her passing awakened in me a desire to live and a strength to fight that I had never known before. And I found love and support and a home, and I have friends here that I will never forget. I feel closer to some of you, whom I have never met, than I do to most of my own family. I refuse to be angry anymore. I refuse to dwell on her death just as I refuse to wish for mine. And I thank her for that. And gosh how she made us laugh! Thank you Widfara. I hope you found what you were looking for. Thank you for helping me to find my way.
• {{ES}} Thanks for the insights... —Miriel Telcontar— and know we appreciate your strength and courage. We were really worried about you for a while! It is good to hear that you are in a good space, doing what you needed to do, and have made a commitment to wellness. Way to go!
• *flying tackle hug* —grammaboodawg— come'ere you!
• {{{ES}}} It was a valuable lesson she taught, eh? —Mirkwood Maiden— And it's sad that she couldn't internalize that very lesson for herself. At least we still have the opportunity to reach out to one another whenever and for whatever reason we need help. Just as your footer says.
Hugs, M'Dear. You are among friends who love you!
• {{{ES}}} —Roheryn
You're winning your own fight, ES, and I'll take that as something very positive resulting from something profoundly sad. Keep it up and know our thoughts are with you.
In one of the Little House on the Prairie books, Pa said "There is no great loss without some small gain," after the family had lost its entire crop of wheat to locusts. I took that quote to heart.
• And when all is done —Eowyn_Shieldmaiden— you can actually take the locusts and dip them in honey and eat them. ;)
Thanks Ro. :)
• Reciprocated, {{ES}}. Reciprocated.(No Text) —Aerlinn
• ((ES)) —Lottelita— Those are my feelings, as well -- that in the midst of sadness and grieving, we can be slapped awake to the value of our own lives and cling all the more tenaciously to what we have and have long undervalued. Perhaps that thought will help me cope with my own persistent anger, regret, and confusion. The laughs we're sharing now are helping, as well!
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• Laughter and hope...indeed. —Scout B—
Thanks, Mrs. B. Perfect message. My silly words about laughter, hope, and Tolkien:
The Messenger II
Swift Widfara of Rohan
Delivers a message
It is very important.
Laugh. Laugh often.
Ask for help. Any and every time you need it.
Take the time to do something for somebody else. Today. And tomorrow.
Tell others what they mean to you. Even if it's embarrassing.
Laugh again.
Realize that Middle-Earth is in each of us. It is so near, we can touch it.
Fantasize. We can talk to Gandalf, if we really try.
A final Message:
Remember hope. It's always there. You just have to reach for it in the darkness.
oh... —grammaboodawg— *tears again* You got me with that one.
I think I'll talk to one or two of the others when Gandalf and I are done ;)
• Definitely what Aerlinn said. —Mrs. Boromir— It's not silly, it's wonderful. I meant to post that earlier and then got distracted. Thank you, Scout.
• Not in the least bit silly. —Aerlinn— I've loved that poem since the first time I saw it. I had it on my wall at work to remind me of what lay beyond the cubicle. *That's* what Real Life is... Thank you again for that, Scout.
Silly is as silly does —Scout B— Right?
Cheers.
I think that's the moral of this thread...(No Text) —Aerlinn
Yeah - what 'Linners said —jordan_the_discursive— Not silly at all! You're a silly goose for thinking it's silly. :-]
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• Friendship and hope —Roheryn
A year ago, I and many others here lost a friend. Today, as I ponder what it means to have a friend, and so what it means to lose one, I find Data’s definition (from Star Trek) of friendship playing through my mind: a friend is one to whose sensory input patterns my neural pathways have become accustomed. At a very fundamental level, I think Data hit it right on the nose. I’d add to Data’s idea, though, and claim that making a new friend means creatingnew neural pathways. Losing a friend therefore means losing a part of yourself.
I choose to remember Wídfara for her empathy and for her witty sense of humor. Others have shared some of her wit; I’ll share a post she made to me that shows her empathy, and yet leaves me with a deep sense of irony because she ultimately did not heed her own message. I’d had a very rough day and had made a post asking for people to share their favorite comforting Tolkien quotations. Wíd shared four beautiful passages. She wrote the following:
I like this one, very comforting.
From Farewell to Lórien:
"Good night, my friends!" said Galadriel. "Sleep in peace! Do not trouble your hearts overmuch with thought of the road tonight. Maybe the paths that you each shall tread are already laid before your feet, though you do not see them. Good night!"
This speaks to bravery:
From Treebeard from TTT:
"Of course, it is likely enough, my friends," he said slowly, "likely enough that we are going to our doom: the last march of the Ents. But if we stayed at home and did nothing, doom would find us anyway, sooner or later. That thought has long been growing in our hearts; and that is why we are marching now. It was not a hasty resolve. Now at least the last march of the Ents may be worth a song. Aye," he sighed, "we may help the other peoples before we pass away.”
And this to perseverance:
From The Black Gate is Closed from TTT:
"I am commanded to go to the land of Mordor, and therefore I shall go," said Frodo. "If there is only one way, then I must take it. What comes after must come."
Sam said nothing. The look on Frodo’s face was enough for him; he knew that words were useless. And after all he never had any real hope in the affair from the beginning; but being a cheerful hobbit he had not needed hope, as long as despair could be postponed.
And about the possibility of happy endings:
From The Stairs of Cirith Ungol from TTT:
"I wonder what sort of a tale we’ve fallen into?"
"I wonder," said Frodo. "But I don’t know. And that’s the way of a real tale. Take any one that you’re fond of. You may know, or guess, what kind of a tale it is, happy-ending or sad-ending, but the people in it don’t know. And you don’t want them to."
…"Why, come to think of it, we’re in the same tale! It’s going on. Don’t the great tales never end?"
"No, they never end as tales," said Frodo. "But the people in them come, and go when their part’s ended. Our part will end later or sooner."
"And then we can have some rest and some sleep," said Sam. He laughed grimly. "And I mean just that, Mr. Frodo. I mean plain ordinary rest, and sleep, and waking up to a morning’s work in the garden. I’m afraid that’s all I’m hoping for all the time. All the big important plans are not for my sort. Still, I wonder if we shall ever be put into songs or tales. We’re in one, of course; but I mean: put into words, you know, told by the fireside, or read out of a great big book with red and black letters, years and years afterwards. And people will say: ‘Let’s hear about Frodo and the Ring!’ And they’ll say: ‘Yes, that’s one of my favourite stories. Frodo was very brave, wasn’t he, dad?’ ‘Yes, my boy, the famousest of hobbits, and that’s saying a lot.’
…"Why, Sam," he said, "to hear you somehow makes me as merry as if the story was already written. But you’ve left out one of the chief characters: Samwise the stouthearted. ‘I want to hear more about Sam, dad. Why didn’t they put in more of his talk, dad? That’s what I like, it makes me laugh. And Frodo wouldn’t have got far without Sam, would he, dad?’quot;
"Now, Mr. Frodo," said Sam, "you shouldn’t make fun. I was serious."
"So was I," said Frodo, "and so I am. We’re going on a bit too fast. You and I, Sam, are still stuck in the worst places of the story, and it is all too likely that some will say at this point: ‘Shut the book now, dad; we don’t want to read any more.’”
Tolkien’s messages of hope and courage are like the stars that shine forever beyond the transient darkness; we must remember the light and high beauty even when all seems muted by shadows. Sometimes it takes a friend to help us remember the high beauty of the stars and to nudge us into hoping and finding courage in unlikely places. Take the time today, and tomorrow, and the next, to tell a friend that you care, and share with her or him the eternal light of the stars. By doing so, you share the spirit of Tolkien’s works.
• I promised —grammaboodawg— myself I wasn't going to cry today. *tears* When I discovered what happened last year... I disappeared, withdrew through the shock, then pain, then anger, then sadness... but I've always, always regretted not standing here with you all, and am determined to get through the day... and your post has made it harder and yet... much better :) Thanks Ro...
• *hugs* Thank you so much for sharing, Ro. —Mirkwood Maiden— It means the world to me.
• Beautiful, Ro —Altaira— I remember that thread. I still have a few of those saved myself. :)
• What a wonderful post, Ro! —Mrs. Boromir— A beautiful tribute.
• Beautiful, Ro. —jordan_the_discursive
Lovely words, particularly your last paragraph. May I take this opportunity to put your words into action....Ro, to you, as well as to all my other friends here at TORn, I care about you, and am so happy to have found this place where we can share in each other's happiness, and yes, in each other's times of sadness.
Wid sent me that same passage about the Ents, just before I went to take the GRE. I was terrified that I would fail, and had shared that fear with her. She responded with an email in which she reminded me that doing something is far better than doing nothing, and included the passage about the Ents. I printed it out, and to this day, have it hanging on my bulletin board here at work, just above eye level, so that I can review it when I need a reassuring presence.
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• Wow, so many —jflower
wonderful thoughts, memories and feelings you all have posted here about Widfara. All these posts reflect the impact that Wid had on others and will allow her to live on through our memories. I did not know Wid as well as I would have liked, but she had such a great wit, thoughtfulness and gentleness in her posts that I just loved to respond and participate. In particular, in case you hadn't guessed ; ), I loved the SAST and I am proud to be able to carry it on for you all with the help of my wonderful partner and friend Ro. Wid is a tough act to follow, yet well worth the effort! Anyways I raise my glass to Wid who I hope has found peace; and I raise my glass again to you all and wish everyone happiness, peace and many more good times here at TOR.n. *clink*
• *clink*(No Text) —grammaboodawg
• Thank you and Ro, jflower. —Aerlinn— I know you both enjoyed participating in the SAST's, so taking on the role of co-Quizmistress must be a bit like PJ making the movies: doing it so it's done and done well, but in doing so sacrificing your own chance to enjoy it as a participant. So we owe you! Thank you, {{Quizmistresses}} - you do Widfara proud.
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• In leaving us, —jordan_the_discursive
she caused us to apprehend what we never knew was already ours - deep, abiding friendship, love and support that existed among us then, and continues to this day. I am thankful to have known her, and am thankful to my friends here for the gift you give me everyday of your kindness and friendship.
My contribution is an excerpt from "An Ordinary Evening in New Haven," by Wallace Stevens.
The last leaf that is going to fall has fallen.
The robins are la-bas, the squirrels, in tree-caves,
Huddle together in the knowledge of squirrels.
The wind has blown the silence of summer away.
It buzzes beyond the horizon or in the ground:
In mud under ponds, where the sky used to be reflected.
The barrenness that appears is an exposing.
It is not part of what is absent, a halt
For farewells, a sad hanging on for remembrances.
It is a coming on and coming forth.
The pines that were fans and fragrances emerge,
Staked solidly in a gusty grappling with rocks.
The glass of the air becomes an element --
It was something imagined that has been washed away.
A clearness has returned. It stands restored.
It is not an empty clearness, a bottomless sight.
It is a visibility of thought,
In which hundreds of eyes, in one mind, see at once.
• jordan —Cheshire Cat— no words.
• Oh nice... —grammaboodawg— That's perfect, Jordan :) {{JtD}}
Thanks.
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• Like hu, I feel that many of my TORn friendships —Lottelita
were sparked amid the quizzes. I cannot ever have thanks enough for that, and wish now that I had had the chance to express how much the laughter and togetherness Widfara fostered meant to me.
It seems that TORn was for Widfara a light when all other lights had gone out, and it was so for me, as well, for a while -- due in no small part to her contribution. Now as many of these e-friendships look to leap into 3D in December, I reflect on the degree to which I owe these friendships to her -- and how much I wish she could be among the gang in Toronto.
• I have often —grammaboodawg— thought... or been frustrated... that she missed the movies. Strange, but it bothers me. Reverend, too. It's a bummer.
• I think that —jordan_the_discursive— she will be, because if you're there, she'll be there with you in your heart.
Cheers, Lotte! I'm glad you're here with me. :-)
• cheers Lotte! *chin chin* —huorn— *mwah!*
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• *bowing in remembrance* —diedye
I wasn't around when that happened and am sorry to say that I never got to read her posts or this community's response to it, namely the coming together and consoling and supporting each other in their time of grief...
I was able to read the tribute page and got a sense of what a great bunch of people have frequented this board... and despite some flare-ups and a few trolls (and I'll admit a shaky start for me), I have found this board to be a cut above all the rest... and I guarantee that it's been due to people like Widfara and Reverend and all those who have and are frequenting this board that make it the special place that it is today...
So rather than dwell on her passing, I'd like to offer up a toast to her and to the Reverend... and to all of you TORn sibs who knew her and those who didn't but came to hear of her in the days and months afterwards... and all those who have joined this board before and since then...
Here's to all of you... may the light of Eru shine on all of you and push the darkness back to the shadows where it belongs...
Salut, Widfara... and Cheers, TORnSibs!
• Cheers diedye! Well put!(No Text) —Mirkwood Maiden
• *clink :)*(No Text) —grammaboodawg
• My favorite Fiesta order *ever*: —Aerlinn
"Scot and water, please. Billy Boyd in a wet t-shirt."
I didn't know Wídfara, except through the SAST's... I've always regretted not getting in touch with her, but I was still pretty new to the boards. But I loved her posts: I've got quite a few SFTH's saved, and thought you all might enjoy some of her contributions:
SCENES FROM THE HAT: Calls the Shirriffs responded to in the Shire:
— Burglary call at Balrog residence.
— Missing wings reported.
— Received reports AGAIN of Queen Berúthiel's cats stuck in party tree.
— Car traveling at excessive speed during Sam's big scene.
— Meriadoc Brandybuck cited for afterhours horn-blowing, disturbing the peace.
— One Will Whitfoot dislodged from door of mathom-house.
SCENES FROM THE HAT: Nicknames the Fellowship had for each other:
- After Amon Hen, everybody called Boromir, "Kenny."
- After Gandalf did a burlesque-type dance at the Prancing Pony, they started calling him "Gan Gan."
- Shoney's Big Boy: Frodo called Sam that a couple of times, I'm pretty sure.
- Gandalf = His Hirsute Highness, according to Aragorn, who has NO room to talk, imho.
- Pippin called Sam Captain Stubing behind his back down the Anduin.
- Pip sometimes called Merry "Mary Poppins" and then would start singing "Supercalifrajalisticexpialidocious." I don't mind telling you, it really got on Merry's nerves.
- Elrond also goes by Braidley.
- I heard Gandalf call Gimli "Shorty Shorterson"
SCENES FROM THE HAT: Conversation between the two Kings of the Argonath:
— Say. How would I look as a bookend?
— *looking over at Isildur* Nice hands. Palmolive?
— "Knock, knock..."
— Isildur, gesturing at self and pointing at Anarion: You've got a thing ... a little ... bird's nest over your eye there."
— Pardon me. Do you have any Grey Poupon? SCENES FROM THE HAT: One-line Eulogies for Boromir:
— Honorary posthumous membership for the Rauros trip — Gondor Canoe Club
— He was always making for me — The Gap of Rohan
— He gave me a cool nickname: New Devilry — The Balrog
— He got all the breaks, the lucky so-and-so. — Book Boromir
— I've just got a few short comments... — Ioreth
— Nyah nyah nyah nyah — The One Ring
— He bit his nails, but I liked him anyway. — Merry
— He had a good speaking voice. — Sauron
— He was good-lookin', almost as good-lookin' as me. — Legolas
*lifts Scot and water high* To Wídfara.
• Yyyyyes! That was the equation! —grammaboodawg— These are fantastic! Wid + Scenes from the HAT = Twilight Zone!
Thank you!
• Oh my gosh, I had forgotten some of these —Eowyn_Shieldmaiden— *laughing hysterically* She was so darn witty, wasn't she?! These are too funny. *wipes eyes* Thanks Linn.
• Thanks for this, 'Linners! —jordan_the_discursive— Her drink order is the explanation for my footer today. I'll never forget that one, either. :-)
• That's great! —Ginger— I thought you were trying to make EW jealous ;-)
• ROFL! Fantastic. —Aerlinn— *wishI'dthoughtofitfirst*
• Oh! I thought it was —Lottelita— a drool bucket!
• Oh, my...some of those are hilarious —Scout B— I'm laughing out loud. Thanks for posting them again!
Shorty Shorterson....ha.
• Thank you, 'linn!! —Mrs. Boromir— I was only able to save two Scenes games and may have been responsible for single-handedly disabling the TORn search function doing so.
Loved these!!
• I thought I did that... —Aerlinn— I'll send 'em to you if you like.
• Maybe we both did —Mrs. Boromir— ...by searching at the same time. It threw up its hands, said "oy vey" and checked out. Yes, please send them, every one!! Thanks muchly, 'linn. You're...a gift.
• I should have known you two were responsible, —Lottelita
and if it weren't for those darn meddling kids, you would have gotten away with it, too!
(How much money would we have to donate for TORn to buy the servers needed to bring Search back from the dead?)
I'd love to be copied on that e-mail, as well, Aerlinn. SFTH has always been my favorite bit of silliness around here.
• Done. —Aerlinn— Well, it will be in a sec.
FOOTER! —Mrs. Boromir— LMAO!
• Had to. —Aerlinn— jordan thought of the Scot and water first. :)
• As if the order isn't funny enough to imagine, —Lottelita— now I'm grinning at the thought of you holding said dripping actor over your head! Thanks.
• A girl can dream...(No Text) —Aerlinn
• I, too —Altaira— didn't get the chance to know Widfara off the board, but I did enjoy all her wonderful wit, like the samples you posted.
This is the best possible way I can think of to remember her, and I think she'd agree.
• Funny! —Curious— Thanks for that.
• "It's been fun" —Eledhwen— Those were Wíd's last words to me, and that's what I'm going to remember. The fun. We have fun here, and I think she'd want us to carry on having fun, today and all days, to encourage and support each other. If we keep that sense of fun, we'll stick together as a community.
• Second that agreement(No Text) —Ginger
• Agreed! Yes. —grammaboodawg— Fun is the first word that comes to my mind here... and she was one of the hootiest here! Yeah... it has been fun... and it'll always be that cuz we stick together :)
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• I would like to share —Celandine Brandybuck
something that Wíd sent me by email, one day when I had complained about all the teaching I had to do that day and asked jokingly if she would trade places and teach for me. Someday I’d love to give this lecture!
*******
Yes, I would happily trade places today. In fact, I’ll give your World Civ lecture today. This, in spite of the fact that I have never *ever* taken a world civ or world history class *in my long life*! Correspondingly, then, my "knowledge" *makes quote marks in the air* is based on conjecture, innuendo, and some falsehoods. *shrugs* So it has a few weak points. Still, you have my permission to use the following lecture in its entirety, and you don’t even have to credit me.
*clears throat*
Class, for the next 50 minutes, we will discuss, in depth, exploring all its cobwebbed nooks and crannies, The History of World Civilization. Why are you slumping in your seats? This will be fascinating, so listen up.
A long, ok, loooooong time ago (we don’t know how long for sure because it was before the Casio Corporation in Japan brought inexpensive time-keeping to the masses) there were some people. We don’t know where they came from. That’s not important. We *do* know what they were wearing. That *is* important. Loinclothes. *snicker* These people didn’t have a highly developed language, so they were very inadequate as email correspondents and most people took them out of their address books. Anyway, these Early People were never bored, as their daily lives were filled to the brim with:
1. Being chased by fierce wild animals
2. Chasing delicious wild animals
3. Procreating (for those of you slouched over in the back row, yes, YOU, that means creating new people, albeit small ones, at least initially)
4. Trying to figure out what the words to "A Horse With No Name" mean
After they had done these things for, oh, 52 years... (*thought bubble appears over head* No, must have been longer. Think, Wídfara!) no, make that 13,052 years, they became somewhat civilized. Is that a hand I see in the back? Yes? (blahblahblah) No, it’s not important what the word "civilized" means. That will not be on the test. We theorize that these Early People, around this time, all moved to Europe, or at least all the good-looking ones, and they’re all that matters, as any of you who’ve seen Baywatch knows.
Ok, at this point, there were um, plagues, and wars, and some discoveries were, um, ah, *discovered*, and they started having Renaissance Festivals. Yes? Here on the front? (blahblahblah) What were the plagues? Oh, well, the most dire, dreaded, awful plague, which octimated (took one-eighth) the population was the Green Plague.
The cause of the Green Plague was extreme jealousy over the West Indies. *shakes head sadly over man’s folly* Yes, jealousy over the white sand beaches, envy over Peach Daiquiris, lust for thong bathing suits... It swept through Europe like a... well, like a *plague*. "Many" people died, but it wasn’t all bad because the undertakers were suddenly wealthy and bought their wives new carts and had the floors of their homes redirtted.
Yes? (blahblahblah) *aggravated sigh* What were some of the discoveries? Look, *I* ask the questions around here. Well, the main "discovery", also called an "invention" (that won’t be on the test either), was the wheel. The wheel revolutionized (intentional) games like roulette, made possible such vital modern conveniences like, um, er *stumped*... WHEELbarrows. BUT *said with ominous undertones* it had its dark side, as we all found out with AMC’s Gremlin. That car was uuuuuugly. *holds nose*
Ok, continuing. Around then, the Queen Mary, on its maiden voyage, took Christopher Columbus to the New World. It really wasn’t brand spanking new, but it was sold "as is" so there was no warranty. The "new" part of the name indicates a certain Eurocentrism in the thinking of the time, but I don’t know what in the hell I just said so that will DEFINITELY not be on the test.
From this point on, only things happening in "America" were considered important. Yes, things happened on the complete other side of the planet, but seeing as how these people spoke a very indecipherable language (I mean, PULeaze!), we stopped asking for news of them and finally took them off our email distribution lists altogether.
*looks at wall clock* *said with a note of happy finality* And that brings us right up to this very minute. Arethereanyquestions?GoodIdidn’tthinkso.Classdismissed.
• The word of the day is "ocimated." —Lottelita— Thanks for posting that, Cel. :-)
• Logically, then... —Roheryn— "decimated" would mean taking one-tenth the population. Or else it means everyone's copulated ten times.
*ponders*
• Thanks so much Cel! —Ginger— What a great piece to share.
"had the floors of their homes redirtted"
• Hilarious, Cel! —Mrs. Boromir
"From this point on, only things happening in "America" were considered important. Yes, things happened on the complete other side of the planet, but seeing as how these people spoke a very indecipherable language (I mean, PULeaze!), we stopped asking for news of them and finally took them off our email distribution lists altogether."
Brilliant! Thanks for sharing it!
• Thanks for saving, and sharing that, Celandine! —Uitlander— I feel like I can hear her voice - the mark of a good writer- Damn, she was funny!
• What a wonderful thing to have saved! —Eowyn_Shieldmaiden— Oh gosh I am laughing through my tears. She had such a wit and such a way with words. Thanks for sharing Celandine. That's a great memory to have of her.
• Number four... —Watson
...puts me in mind of my sister, who -- very seriously, mind you, it's in her will -- has decreed that at the party she wants us to have in lieu of a funeral for her, we are to listen to "MacArthur Park" and discuss the significance and potential symbolism of its words (which she NEVER understood, and she's a retired English Lit teacher), paying special attention to the line "someone left the cake out in the rain." She will be delighted to know that she's not the only person to have trouble with the lyrics to certain songs. :)
Lovely memory. Pax vobiscum.
• LOL! —Eowyn_Shieldmaiden— Oh my lord that is hilarious. I can't believe that's in her will. *wipes eyes* It is good to laugh today. :)
• That's my family —Watson— We're all a tad off of center, so to speak. In my living will, it is expressly stated no funeral, no memorial service, no grave, cremation, plant the ashes under a bush, and have a party. And anyone who sings, or even mentions, "Amazing Grace" is to be promptly gagged and banned from the premises (I wanted to put in "shot on sight," but I thought that would be a tad harsh :).
• If it was "shot on sight," —Lottelita— the neighborhood bushes would be quite disturbed.
• Of course you have now —Curious— guaranteed that someone will mention "Amazing Grace," if just to comment on your requests.
Only... —Watson—...someone who felt they HAD to have the last word would do that, and my family and friends aren't like that (thank goodness). We've seen odd requests at funerals before (my paternal grandmother had one of the oddest), and to do anything but abide by the wishes of the deceased at whatever service or function was part of their will would be unconscionably rude.
• *snert* —Annael— "only someone who felt they HAD to have the last word" . . .
Yes, since the deceased can't reach out from the grave and yell "FOR ONCE, WOULD YOU JUST SHUT UP!" at them, it's best to put it in writing beforehand.
• I'm just —Curious— teasing. I'm sure that when that time comes (and may it be far in the future) your relatives will respect all of your wishes.
• What a wonderful memory!(No Text) —Curious
• "...and they started having Renaissance Festivals..." —Scout B— Great choice, Celandine! I'm laughing my head off.
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• Here's one I saved —grammaboodawg
of Wid's postings on her spin of a very serious LotR moment!
Thanks for this, Mrs. Boromir :) Fantastic!
Gandalf and Elrond watch Wídfara and Sam from the balcony in Elrond's study
Elrond: Her strength returns.
Gandalf: That belly button piercing will never fully heal. She will carry it the rest of her life.
Elrond: And yet to have come so far, still bearing the belly button ring, the quizmistress has shown extraordinary resilience to its evil.
Gandalf: It is a burden she should never have had to bear. We can ask no more of Wídfara.
Wídfara, overhearing and shouting up: Hey, G! *waves* What’d you want to ask me?
Gandalf, confused: N...Nothing. *attempting to stick to the script* Go on, Elrond, with what you were saying.
Elrond, startled: Um, er... Oh! Gandalf, the enemy is moving. Sauron's forces are massing in the east - his eye is fixed on Rivendell. And Saruman you tell me has betrayed us. Our list of allies grows thin.
Wídfara, moving toward the balcony and shouting up: Hey, Ronny! I love how you say "thin." Say it again!
Elrond, pleased, looking over the railing:Thin!
Wídfara, to Sam: Hot dang!
Elrond, coming to his senses: Gandalf, that belly button ring cannot stay here.
Gandalf: *snort* Ya think?
• I. Love. That. Footer. —Aerlinn
There are many, many moments in the book and in the movie that I can't read or watch without remembering something from TORn - and a lot of those connections are to Wídfara.
Thin.
Here's another:
Scene: The Mines of Moria
Frodo looks down into the cavern and sees a small figure leaping from stone to stone. Startled, he walks over to where Gandalf is sitting.
Frodo: There’s something down there.
Gandalf: It’s Wídfara.
Frodo: Wídfara?!
Gandalf: She’s been following us for three days.
Frodo: She escaped the dungeons of Graceland!
Gandalf: Escaped. Or was set loose.
From the distance below, Wídfara looks up, her large eyes pierce the darkness and observe the company.
Wídfara: Excuse me, Mr. McKellen, Mr. Wood? Could I trouble you for an autograph? It’s not for me; it’s just to make my TORnsibs jealous.
Holds out pen and paper.
Peter Jackson: CUT!!! Where the #&%% is Serkis?
Wídfara: You mean that extremely limber man? I gave him a ten-spot to sit this one out.
Peter Jackson: Security!!!
• LOL! Haven't seen that one before!(No Text) —Smokering
• *snort* —grammaboodawg— omg! That's SO cool!
• LOL! I loved *that* footer. —Roheryn— Glad you had that one saved. It's great to read these again.
• I love both those footers(No Text) —Ginger
• One more... —Aerlinn
Scene: Caras Galadhon, Lothlórien
The weary Fellowship stands waiting. Celeborn and Galadriel slowly descend the stairs.
Celeborn: "Eight that are here, yet nine there were set out from Rivendell. Tell me, where is my personality, for I much desire to see it."
Nervous silence.
Galadriel: "It has fallen into shadow."
Aragorn confirms this with an almost imperceptible nod.
Galadriel continues: "Your quest to become a nightclub comic stands upon the edge of a knife. Bore just a little, and you will fail, to the ruin of all." Pauses, scanning the faces of the Fellowship. "But hope remains, if the company is funny. Samwise might write you some one-liners while he’s here."
Samwise: "ZZZZzzzzzzz."
Everyone except the sleeping Samwise looks at Celeborn expectantly.
Marton Csokas: "What?! I only had the one line. Look, you people can stray from the script if you want ... "
Peter Jackson: "CUT!!"
• Fantastic! —Mrs. Boromir— Glad you saved that footer, gramma. It's priceless!
• My favorite.... —Scout B— ...and I wish I had it to post, is the one with Elrond in front of Mount Doom. The caption was "Middle Earth Photo Ops" and Elrond was saying,
"Get one of me in front of Mount Doom!"
Made me laugh every time.
• OH! —grammaboodawg— You HOBBIT, YOU! Never throw ANYTHING away! Bwhahahahaa!
• How did you ever......? —jordan_the_discursive— Thank goodness you kept that!!!
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• Memories... —Uitlander
It's just a tiny thing...
But I remember when a brand new TORN-sib who had just joined that week took one of the SAST quizzes and when the results were posted she questioned Wid's grading system (how dare she!) She also got Wid's name wrong, calling her "Widrara". I posted a slightly castigating *correction* saying something to the effect of, if you're going to criticize our beloved teacher, please at least spell her name right. The new TORNsib posted an immediate shamefaced apology, (which made me feel bad - like maybe I'd overreacted) and Widfara responded with a "No Text" message that said only "S'alright." and signed it, "Widrara."
She was not only endlessly patient and giving to people on TORN, she had a radiant humor about everything, including herself. She made this board feel as warm and welcoming as the Hall of Fire at Elrond's house, and I will always remember her for the laughs and joy she gave us.
• My very first quiz response —Aerlinn— - I had a footer that was just a picture of The Professor. She posted something like "Can't beat that footer!" Obviously, given that I still remember it, that meant a lot to me - coming from *her*! A tiny thing... but one that meant a lot.
• Ha! —Mrs. Boromir— Wonder who the newbie was. Thanks, Uitlie. *hugs*
• *snertle* —Roheryn— Too funny, Uitles. Thanks for sharing that.
• Good to hear you snertling, Ro... —Uitlander— ...How are you doing today, sweetie?
Wet. —Roheryn—
At least, that's how I woke up. Bad Puppy morning. At least this time, she peed *next* to me on the bed rather than *on* me like last time.
*grumblegrumblestupid18montholdpuppyshouldknowbetterbynowgrumble*
Thanks, Uitles...hope you're well too. :-)
*********************************** Humor is the great thing, the saving thing. The minute it crops up, all our irritations and resentments slip away, and a sunny spirit takes their place.
--Mark Twain
Magnetism is one of the Six Fundamental Forces of the Universe, with the other five being Gravity, Duct Tape, Whining, Remote Control, and The Force That Pulls Dogs Toward The Groins Of Strangers.
--Dave Barry
• oops! —Uitlander— It took me two years to break my cat of the habit of having "accidents" on the bed. Which weren't accidents at all, because she would do it whenever she was mad about something. She's finally figured out that crime doesn't pay. I hope your puppies learn faster!
• How thoughtful of her. —Lottelita— She knew you'd be sad today, and thought the best thing would be to distract you with quotidian concerns.
• Hmm... —Celandine Brandybuck—
perhaps I should reconsider my willingness to share a sofa with your pups, eh?
Love the footer - especially the DB bit! ;-)
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• friendship —huorn
As you well know, Mrs. B., it was through Widfara that you and I have become good friends. She used to jokingly scold us like a schoolmarm for peeking at each other's SAST quizzes...
Salud! everybody! Here's to friends made on TORn. *chin chin*
• Slainte, huorn.(No Text) —Aerlinn
• Cheers, huorn!(No Text) —Eowyn_Shieldmaiden
• Salud, huorn!(No Text) —jordan_the_discursive
• Cheers, huornito.(No Text) —Mrs. Boromir
• some thoughts —Anarya— I didn't join the boards until January this year, so never "met" Widfara, but I have come to realise from the postings just how special she was. I'm sure she is still watching over all of us and enjoying our postings even now. Long may she continue to do so!
• Just a small thing really... —Trinity the Purple—
Her footers would always make me laugh - be it 'elvish' lessons ('mellon - friend, water mellon, friend on the swim team') or the Bashki version of Elrond's bitterness at the Jackson version or well... if you had seen them you would know which ones I mean!
Terry Pratchett made a good comment in one of his novels, t'was Reaper Man, that has stuck with me about how that it's when the last thing you've set in motion has finished are you truly gone.
That's especially true here - once those who knew her have gone from here then and only then would Widfara be gone but then again... perhaps not.
I hope that makes some kind of sense.
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Original post
Nick:Smokering (Registered User)
Date:Thu, 7/3/2003
Subject:*raises glass* To a special TORnsib...
Message:
I've just found out that yesterday would have been Widfara's forty-sixth birthday. Although it's been eight or nine months since her passing, I know that none of us here have forgotten here, and will continue to commemorate her in our footers, thoughts and prayers. Widfara was a wonderful, sensitive, hilarious person to know on the boards, and TORn just isn't the same without her. So, if anyone would like to propose a toast to Widfara, now just might be a good time. Widfara, this is a little late, but: Happy Birthday! We love you! *clinks glass*
We have been there and back again.
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Cheers to Fatty! //
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