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[Loxley]

It does, but "They're taking the Hobbits to Isengard" was just made as a joke-song. Although i still dont understand what makes that line so funny.
Murmurs of Middle Earth is actually pleasant to listen to.

On another note, it continues to amaze me how many covers, of various songs from the soundtrack, you can find on youtube. Quality pieces too. Really goes to show how powerful that soundtrack actually was.

One of my favorites is probably The Lord of the Rings - The Hobbit (Piano/Cello Cover) by The Piano Guys. It's not their strongest arrangement as a group, but the fact that they acknowledge the existence of The Grace of Undómiel (one of my personal favorite tracks) gets them major bonus points.

 

[Finrod]

Beautifully shot too, though i imagine getting that huge piano to those various locations must have been a pain in the ass.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

I'll just leave this here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRVIVJjuaHE

Hey Dol! Merry Dol!

 

[Finrod]

Such a happy song, very fitting to the character.
They should have made it into an end-credits song, at least then we would have had a part of him in the movies.

 

[Loxley]

Such a happy song, very fitting to the character.
They should have made it into an end-credits song, at least then we would have had a part of him in the movies.

I can only imagine audience's reactions as the credits begin to role on Fellowship and that song kicks in. "You will beg for Enya before the end!"

Spoiler

I have a soft spot for it myself.

 

[The Artful Dodger]

I was hoping for Misty Mountain Hop to be played over the credits for the first Hobbit.

But I didn't think it was likely to happen.

 

[bengraven]

I'm sorry but I think I still prefer the animated Hobbit so far.

That said, I love the non-realistic pictures of Middle Earth as was posted further above. Howe and Lee give us a very grim, but beautiful and realistic look at the world. But I love stuff like this:

It reminds me that these are fairy tales and shouldn't be hammered too much into the real world. It's a place where giants can throw rocks at each other and a little guy who is and was always just himself and everything can exist and it doesn't need to make sense to the narrative.

Such a happy song, very fitting to the character.
They should have made it into an end-credits song, at least then we would have had a part of him in the movies.

Well Ian McKellen likes to say that Tolkien was a part of the production because he based Gandalf's voice on Tolkien's, but i agree.

God, can you imagine all the geek tears if the last few lines of BOFA were narrated by Tolkien himself, reading from his book in some lost recording?

 

[Finrod]

I can only imagine audience's reactions as the credits begin to role on Fellowship and that song kicks in. "You will beg for Enya before the end!"

Spoiler

I have a soft spot for it myself.

Compromise: have Enya sing it.

I was hoping for Misty Mountain Hop to be played over the credits for the first Hobbit.

But I didn't think it was likely to happen.

I actually really liked the song we got for the first hobbit.
Ed Sheeran`s I see fire has grown on me as well. though i still dont think it fits the movie.

 

[bengraven]

Compromise: have Enya sing it.



I actually really liked the song we got for the first hobbit.
Ed Sheeran`s I see fire has grown on me as well. though i still dont think it fits the movie.

The Sheeran song didn't grow on me, but Misty Mountains certainly did. I didn't realize at first they were going to go with all male musicians doing more rambunctious, adventure and tavern style music (which makes sense in reflection), so I was hoping for another Gollum's Song or Into the West. Misty grew on me really quick. I hope Song 3 will as well, but Sheeran...nah.

 

[Loxley]

The Sheeran song didn't grow on me, but Misty Mountains certainly did. I didn't realize at first they were going to go with all male musicians doing more rambunctious, adventure and tavern style music (which makes sense in reflection), so I was hoping for another Gollum's Song or Into the West. Misty grew on me really quick. I hope Song 3 will as well, but Sheeran...nah.

Same here, Neil Finn's song grew on me pretty quickly, but Ed Sheeron's hasn't as of yet. However, I'm not saying it never will - it wasn't really until I started talking the films on GAF a few years ago that I gained a appreciation for Gollum's Song, so who knows?

 

[Edmond Dantès]

The Sheeran song didn't grow on me, but Misty Mountains certainly did. I didn't realize at first they were going to go with all male musicians doing more rambunctious, adventure and tavern style music (which makes sense in reflection), so I was hoping for another Gollum's Song or Into the West. Misty grew on me really quick. I hope Song 3 will as well, but Sheeran...nah.

It does make me wonder what song will accompany the last roll of credits in the Peter Jackson era of Tolkien filmmaking.

Leonard Nimoy, where art thou?

 

[Loxley]

It does make me wonder what song will accompany the last roll of credits in the Peter Jackson era of Tolkien filmmaking.

Leonard Nimoy, where art thou?

On the topic of Tolkien art, I adore David Wenzel's art in The Hobbit graphic novel.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

On the topic of Tolkien art, I adore David Wenzel's art in The Hobbit graphic novel.

http://i.imgur.com/17c756s.jpg[/IMG

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/rK9Gm7f.jpg[/IMG

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/w3EIgix.jpg[/IMG

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/FZ5G5gi.jpg[/IMG

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/rr5aAuK.jpg[/IMG[/QUOTE]
I'd be happy with an animated film with this art style.

 

[Kyleripman]

As long as we still get to see artists offer their own visual take on the greater Middle Earth setting, I guess I'll be happy.

You know....this made me think of something. What's the legal distinction between any number of commercial artists who make paintings based on the Silmarillion, and things like that fan film that got shut down? Aren't they both just art? Is it because illustrators and painters were originally working on editions of the book?

Sorry if this is incredibly obvious. I never thought about it before.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

You know....this made me think of something. What's the legal distinction between any number of commercial artists who make paintings based on the Silmarillion, and things like that fan film that got shut down? Aren't they both just art? Is it because illustrators and painters were originally working on editions of the book?

Sorry if this is incredibly obvious. I never thought about it before.

Legally, there is no distinction, but many of the commercial artists are sanctioned by the Estate. Others obviously slip through the net and the Estate just tends to ignore them. But the Estate have a very different stance on the film medium, maybe due in part to the conflicts with New Line, WB and most importantly Middle-earth Enterprises.

 

[Kyleripman]

Legally, there is no distinction, but many of the commercial artists are sanctioned by the Estate. Others obviously slip through the net and the Estate just tends to ignore them. But the Estate have a very different stance on the film medium, maybe due in part to the conflicts with New Line, WB and most importantly Middle-earth Enterprises.

Makes sense, thanks. I guess if they aren't happy with the PJ films then they would definitely object to further adaptations.

I think I like Ted Nadsmith's Middle Earth art the most. Some of his hobbit faces are a bit weird looking, but his landscapes are breathtaking.

 

[Finrod]

Those pictures look amazing Loxley. Such a fitting style to the book.
Always interesting to see everyones different takes on the 13 dwarves.

 

[soldat7]

Going through my Alan Lee and John Howe books for poops and giggles, and I was reminded of just how much I love this Rohan piece by Lee:

I've always liked this one, as well. In fact, the art in the Middle-earth CCG is generally fantastic.

 

[Altazor]

I love Alan Lee's landscapes, and John Howe's "action" scenes. With notable exceptions, of course.

 

[The Artful Dodger]

Going back and rereading the LOTR.

One of the things, I wish the films had included was Saruman becoming Saruman of Many Colours. I doubt they could have done that without making it seem corny, but nevertheless it really was a good moment in the books that illustrates who Saruman had become.

What do people make of the Blue Wizards?

Tolkien had two ideas of their story, right?

Initially, they had failed and were responsible for secret cults and other magics.

But later, he had decided they might've had a much bigger role and had just as much success as Gandalf, but in the East and we just never see it due to the setting of the story.

I always liked the second one better, I'd be curious to hear other's thoughts about it though.

 

[fredrancour]

Going back and rereading the LOTR.

One of the things, I wish the films had included was Saruman becoming Saruman of Many Colours. I doubt they could have done that without making it seem corny, but nevertheless it really was a good moment in the books that illustrates who Saruman had become.

What do people make of the Blue Wizards?

Tolkien had two ideas of their story, right?

Initially, they had failed and were responsible for secret cults and other magics.

But later, he had decided they might've had a much bigger role and had just as much success as Gandalf, but in the East and we just never see it due to the setting of the story.

I always liked the second one better, I'd be curious to hear other's thoughts about it though.

I've always pictured the first possibility as another variant on Saruman's failings, but inherently on a much pettier scale due to the lack of a ring. The idea of leftover darkness in the world as a lingering threat for future generations appeals to me more than the idea of off-stage victories when the story as it currently stands works so much better. Don't complicate an existing story needlessly, just plant the seeds of the next one. The road goes ever on and all that jazz.

Cults would also potentially drag magic to earth to confront people more directly, which seems like an inevitable consequence of the generation-over-generation decline in grandeur associated with the Middle-Earth legendarium, so it feels like it fits on a thematic level as well.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Going back and rereading the LOTR.

One of the things, I wish the films had included was Saruman becoming Saruman of Many Colours. I doubt they could have done that without making it seem corny, but nevertheless it really was a good moment in the books that illustrates who Saruman had become.

What do people make of the Blue Wizards?

Tolkien had two ideas of their story, right?

Initially, they had failed and were responsible for secret cults and other magics.

But later, he had decided they might've had a much bigger role and had just as much success as Gandalf, but in the East and we just never see it due to the setting of the story.

I always liked the second one better, I'd be curious to hear other's thoughts about it though.

Latter writings of Tolkien's unpublished work tend to be the most valid and scholars tend to ascribe to those. But, that's not to say his earlier thoughts on the matter are invalidated, on the contrary, like any real world mythos, you must consider everything, even the smallest shreds.

I ascribe to the latter thoughts. That the Blue Wizards played a pivotal role in dealing with Sauron's eastern forces via subterfuge and propinquity with the people. .

What the Blue Wizards did also parallels certain characteristics of the Powers who sent them.

Gandalf - Wisest and most powerful of the Istari (although veiled). Sent by Manwe because of his his humbleness and closeness in mind, just as Manwe was closest in mind to Eru, unlike his 'brother' Melkor.

Saruman - Of Aule's lot, just as Sauron before him, obstinate, with creative ambitions, but unlike Aule, unwilling to humble himself as Aule did before Eru. Deemed to be the most powerful of the Istari by the unwise. Manwe and Varda certainly knew the truth. Cirdan too sensed it when Gandalf arrived from the West, thus giving Gandalf Narya, to be utilized to greater effect.

Radagast - An interesting one, deemed to have failed. But in whose eyes? He was sent by Mother Nature herself, Yavanna Kementari. A lover and protector of nature, dealing with the ills of Sauron as Yavanna commanded him to. Remaining in Middle-earth to carry on Yavanna's task of alleviating the ruin of Sauron and Melkor before. However, futile an endeavour. The very same futility that is so ingrained in Tolkien's mythos.

Alatar and Pallando - Of Orome's lot, thus far traveling, just as Orome (first of the Valar to lay eyes on the Elves) who roamed Middle-earth like no other Vala. But just as Orome was bested by Melkor in first discovering the Elves, so to were the Blue Wizards bested by Melkor with the Easterlings, who Melkor had seduced ages before.

The Istari are intriguing indeed, the most 'successful' was single minded in his quest to aid the peoples of Middle-earth, others seemingly with ulterior motives deemed less successful.

 

[Log4Girlz]

On the topic of Tolkien art, I adore David Wenzel's art in The Hobbit graphic novel.

I like dis art.

 

[TitusGroan]

I'm not sure if this has been posted in this thread yet, but there's some very interesting archived BBC interviews with Tolkien up on Youtube. Well worth watching just to see him pottering about Oxford College, causing mischief and talking about his love for trees. Unfortunately, the interviews are interspersed with some truly cringeworthy footage of young Oxford students trying to talk clever about Tolkien and his works, but it can be entertaining in a 'spot the toff' sort of way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XR-4vMEiQ_U

There's actually something Tolkien touches on in the interview which has always been one of my bigger fascinations with his works: the idea of recurring mythological devices and tropes. I'm a pretty big fan of guys like Joseph Campbell who went into the whole comparative mythology/recurring tropes idea, and I've always held a suspicion that between the release of The Golden Bough in 1890 and Hero With A Thousand Faces in 1949, that Tolkien used his fictional mythology as a setting to play with his own ideas on recurring mythological motifs. I'll have to see if I can find it, but I'm sure I remember reading a quote where he says that the creation of the Two Lamps and the Trees of Valinor were a deliberate subversion of the normal recurring mythology of light. In a large number of mythologies, it is the sun and moon that are seen as being primary celestial or divine objects. Either they are worshipped as supreme gods, or they are seen as being among the first creations from which everything else came. Whereas in the Middle Earth mythology, the sun and moon are not primary divine objects, nor celestial objects of any importance, but were simply created after the previously divine objects (the Lamps, then the Trees) were destroyed. Basically, the Middle Earth setting places a surprisingly little amount of importance on the sun and the moon as celestial or divine objects when compared to other myths, and I'm sure Tolkien said somewhere that it was a deliberate trope subversion on his part.

It would be interesting to know if Tolkien was ever familiar with works like Hero With A Thousand Faces, as I'm certain a scholar like him would have had a lot to say on the topic.

 

[Finrod]

I'm not sure if this has been posted in this thread yet, but there's some very interesting archived BBC interviews with Tolkien up on Youtube. Well worth watching just to see him pottering about Oxford College, causing mischief and talking about his love for trees. Unfortunately, the interviews are interspersed with some truly cringeworthy footage of young Oxford students trying to talk clever about Tolkien and his works, but it can be entertaining in a 'spot the toff' sort of way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XR-4vMEiQ_U

There's actually something Tolkien touches on in the interview which has always been one of my bigger fascinations with his works: the idea of recurring mythological devices and tropes. I'm a pretty big fan of guys like Joseph Campbell who went into the whole comparative mythology/recurring tropes idea, and I've always held a suspicion that between the release of The Golden Bough in 1890 and Hero With A Thousand Faces in 1949, that Tolkien used his fictional mythology as a setting to play with his own ideas on recurring mythological motifs. I'll have to see if I can find it, but I'm sure I remember reading a quote where he says that the creation of the Two Lamps and the Trees of Valinor were a deliberate subversion of the normal recurring mythology of light. In a large number of mythologies, it is the sun and moon that are seen as being primary celestial or divine objects. Either they are worshipped as supreme gods, or they are seen as being among the first creations from which everything else came. Whereas in the Middle Earth mythology, the sun and moon are not primary divine objects, nor celestial objects of any importance, but were simply created after the previously divine objects (the Lamps, then the Trees) were destroyed. Basically, the Middle Earth setting places a surprisingly little amount of importance on the sun and the moon as celestial or divine objects when compared to other myths, and I'm sure Tolkien said somewhere that it was a deliberate trope subversion on his part.

It would be interesting to know if Tolkien was ever familiar with works like Hero With A Thousand Faces, as I'm certain a scholar like him would have had a lot to say on the topic.

Well, i wouldn't say the sun and moon are of little importance in his work. As the last remaining light of the two trees they do hold a lot of importance. Because of this, and because of them being steered by Arien and Tilion, both Maiar, they could defininely be seen as divine objects.
And while they are not among the first creations, they may very well be regarded as this to most people in middle earth, save some of the elves.
They also serve an important role in warding off evil. Most evil creatures are afraid of their light. Especially of Anar's.

Still, maybe in comparison with other works they may hold less importance, but i havent read much besides Tolkiens work.
I really like the way Tolkien presents the sun and moon, he basically gave them a far greater history, and meaning, than if they were just there from the beginning.
So to me, by subverting those tropes he actually made something much more interesting

 

[TitusGroan]

Well, i wouldn't say the sun and moon are of little importance in his work. As the last remaining light of the two trees they do hold a lot of importance. Because of this, and because of them being steered by Arien and Tilion, both Maiar, they could defininely be seen as divine objects.
And while they are not among the first creations, they may very well be regarded as this to most people in middle earth, save some of the elves.
They also serve an important role in warding off evil. Most evil creatures are afraid of their light. Especially of Anar's.

Still, maybe in comparison with other works they may hold less importance, but i havent read much besides Tolkiens work.
I really like the way Tolkien presents the sun and moon, he basically gave them a far greater history, and meaning, than if they were just there from the beginning.
So to me, by subverting those tropes he actually made something much more interesting

Oh, I absolutely think it's interesting the way he framed these things. It just struck me that the more we learn about recurring ideas in mythology, the more the Legendarium seems like a deliberate effort to play around with many of them.

 

[The Artful Dodger]

Oh, I absolutely think it's interesting the way he framed these things. It just struck me that the more we learn about recurring ideas in mythology, the more the Legendarium seems like a deliberate effort to play around with many of them.

I had a book called Tolkien's Ring,it's a big beautfiul hardcover with many illustrations. One of the cool things it does, is identify some of the myths and legends Tolkien might have pulled from. It's a good survey read about many of those influences.

 

[Loxley]

[BBC Travel] In Alpine villages, Hobbits lurk

No one will believe you are going to Middle Earth. Most visitors arrive in Zurich ready to shop on Bahnhofstrasse and sightsee in the Niederdorf old town. Or they use the Swiss city as a jumping-off point to explore the resorts of St Moritz, Klosters or Davos.

But head southwest, past the misty mountains and jagged peaks that tower over the city of Lucerne and the lake town of Interlaken, and up the deeply cloven valley that winds from Lake Thun into the heart of the Bernese Oberland region – and with a little imagination you could find yourself staring into the verdant Elvish valley of Rivendell or in the middle of a huffing and puffing Hobbit walking party.

That’s because the steep-sided cliffs, glacial grottoes and fertile dells of forests and wildflowers were the true inspiration for JRR Tolkien’s Middle Earth sagas: The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Naturally, the stunning Alpine villages of Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald and Wengen – and the soaring Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau peaks that guard them – are not some sort of hidden secret; travellers have been exploring these valleys since the Berner Oberland Bahn railway opened in 1890. But their role in the creation of Tolkien’s fantastical Middle Earth epic is less known. The author acknowledged as much in the 1950s in a little-known letter to his son, Michael. “From Rivendell to the other side of the Misty Mountains,” he wrote, “the journey... including the glissade down the slithering stones into the pine woods... is based on my adventures in Switzerland in 1911.”

In popular imagination, New Zealand has become the home of dwarves, elves, dragons and 4ft-tall hairy-footed Hobbit burglars since director Sir Peter Jackson used his homeland as the backdrop for his version of Middle Earth in the Academy-Award winning film series. But for JRR Tolkien, it was Switzerland that won his heart. Traversing the Bernese Oberland on a summer holiday had a profound effect on the 19-year-old author-to-be. Some 57 years later he wistfully remembered the regret at leaving the eternal snows of the Jungfrau and the sharp outline of the pyramid-shaped Silberhorn peak against the dark blue of the sky. They were “the Silvertine of my dreams,” he wrote, referencing one of the peaks that stood above the Dwarven city of Moria in The Lord of the Rings.

For fans of the fantasy series, Switzerland’s ultra-efficient train network makes it easy to shadow Bilbo and Frodo Baggins’ footsteps and retrace Tolkien’s journey from the town of Interlaken (seen by Tolkien scholars as inspiration for The Hobbit’s Esgaroth, or Lake-Town) to the moraines beyond the mountain village of Mürren (see Mount Doom in the final part of the Rings’ trilogy).

The hybrid aerial rail and cableway Bergbahn Lauterbrunnen-Mürren brings hikers up to car-free Mürren and its rotating mountain restaurant Piz Gloria atop the 2,970m Shilthorn. Alternatively, the Wengernalpbahn shuttles visitors up the opposite side of the valley to Kleine Scheidegg for views of the notorious North Face of the Eiger peak – one of hardest professional climbs in the Alps – before connecting to the Jungfraubahn train. Tackling a steep 25% gradient, the cogwheel train tunnels its way through the mountain, past viewing galleries glazed into the side of the peak, to the Jungfraujoch – a narrow col below the Jungfrau itself, on which is built the Sphinx, a three-storey astronomical observation station. At 3,741m, it’s the highest viewing platform and rail station in Europe, and the eagle-eye views of the Bernese Alps let you chart the next stage of Tolkien’s cross-country adventure.

Tolkien and his party of 12 continued across a number of high altitude mountain passes, crossing from Grosse Scheidegg to the town of Meiringen, famous for the nearby Reichenbach Falls, used by one of Tolkien’s literary predecessors, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as the setting for the fictional presumed death of his deer-stalker wearing sleuth Sherlock Holmes in The Final Problem. Finally, Tolkien continued across the 2,165m Grimsel Pass and through upper Valais to the village of Brig, before crossing the Aletsch glacier, the largest in the Alps, into the popular mountain resort of Zermatt.

The Gornergrat, the country’s oldest electrified rack-and-pinion line, runs from Zermatt to the Rotenboden railway station, where you can see Switzerland’s most famous peak, the dagger-like spike of the Matterhorn, mirrored in the transparent waters of the Riffelsee. At the end of the tracks is the country’s highest hotel, 3100 Kulmhotel Gornergrat, surrounded by 29 peaks – a view as spectacular as anything Tolkien himself dreamt up.

Diehard fans can continue their journey through Middle Earth by heading cross-country to the canton of Graubunden – a part of Switzerland that Tolkien never actually visited. There are not many places that have capitalised on the Swiss-Middle Earth connection, but the unlikely village of Jenins is one such place.

Opened in October 2013 and built in the style of Bag End, Bilbo’s house in Hobbiton, the Greisinger Museum houses the world’s largest collection of Middle Earth-themed art, literature and collectibles. Its founder, Bernd Greisinger, has spent decades collecting some 3,000 items, including valuable Tolkien manuscripts and paintings; and each exhibition room, some of which are still under construction, is dedicated to a different chapter in the Tolkien universe. After entering through the Hobbit-sized solid-oak door into the living room and library – built to replicate the minute descriptions of the fireplace, oak-fashioned windows and neck-craning ceiling in Tolkien’s books – you can explore rooms themed around Middle Earth realms, such as Moria and Gondor.

It’s as authentic a homage as any fan could wish for – including items such as a life-size Balrog – a creature from the underworld in the Lord of the Rings – and a sculpture of The Hobbit’s Smaug, the talking dragon, as he flies under a sky full of stars. In the words of Tolkien, now that’s a real unexpected journey.

I looked up a few of these places, and yep, I'll eat my feathered hat if Lauterbrunnen isn't Imladris:

 

[Finrod]

Switzerland looks like a beautiful country to visit sometimes.
I have been to Austria last year, and while that was beautiful too, i hear Switzerland is a bit more rugged still.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Here's a collection of images and the equivalent Tolkien location.

Glyder Mountains (Wales) - The Redhorn Pass

Gullfoss (Iceland) - The Falls of Ruaros

Asbyrgi (Iceland) - Mordor

The Hurlers (England) - Barrow-downs

Madeira mountains (Portugal) - Ephel Duath

Hatfield Forest (England) - Mikwood

Hodges Close (England) - Door to Moria

Black Cuillin of Skye (Scotland) - Misty Mountains

Sarehole Mill (England) - Orthanc

 

[Finrod]

Wow, those are spot on, remarkable how well Tolkien managed to capture it in the books. Especially the one for te Barrow-downs looks great.
The onlyone that seems off is Orthanc, i expected grander. but maybe thats because of the movies.

 

[Loxley]

I've always thought the Sears Willis Tower in Chicago was a good contemporary stand-in for either Orchanc or Barad-dûr.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Wow, those are spot on, remarkable how well Tolkien managed to capture it in the books. Especially the one for te Barrow-downs looks great.
The onlyone that seems off is Orthanc, i expected grander. but maybe thats because of the movies.

Sarehole MIll is an interesting one because he lived very close to it when he was a child. It would have been a regular sight for him at an impressionable age, so it's no wonder it left its mark on him.

This would have been an imposing sight for a 6 year old Tolkien.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

I've always thought the Sears Willis Tower in Chicago was a good contemporary stand-in for either Orchanc or Barad-dûr.

Sauron likes to move around these days it seems.

The Shard.

 

[The Artful Dodger]

Sarehole MIll is an interesting one because he lived very close to it when he was a child. It would have been a regular sight for him at an impressionable age, so it's no wonder it left its mark on him.

This would have been an imposing sight for a 6 year old Tolkien.

It's amazing how this and like the imagery of Spiders really stuck with him, and he was able to effectively tap into that as an adult in his works.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

It's amazing how this and like the imagery of Spiders really stuck with him, and he was able to effectively tap into that as an adult in his works.

Yes indeed. It's like first finding the pieces, then putting the jigsaw puzzle together.

So we have:

• Sarehole Mill
• The West Saxon word; Searu, meaning amongst other things; work of skill, machine, device, artifice, deceit
• The Mercian form of Searu is Saru.

Put all this together and we have Saruman of course. Inspiration spotting is one the favourite activities of Tolkien scholars. Love it.

 

[hunnies28]

Hey guys, an article on Switzerland as inspiration for Tolkien popped up on BBC.

I wish I can travel there some day.

beaten, once again by Loxley

 

[The Artful Dodger]

Yes indeed. It's like first finding the pieces, then putting the jigsaw puzzle together.

So we have:

• Sarehole Mill
• The West Saxon word; Searu, meaning amongst other things; work of skill, machine, device, artifice, deceit
• The Mercian form of Searu is Saru.

Put all this together and we have Saruman of course. Inspiration spotting is one the favourite activities of Tolkien scholars. Love it.

That is awesome.

 

[Altazor]

Sauron likes to move around these days it seems.

We've got our own Dark Tower here in Chile, curiously enough. "Affectionately" nicknamed Barad-dûr by LOTR fans, the tower was built as a sort-of vanity project by one of Chile's most powerful men, german-born (and shady character) tycoon Horst Paulmann.

Behold, Chile's Dark Tower: Costanera Center

 

[Finrod]

It seems Mordor has gone with the times.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

We've got our own Dark Tower here in Chile, curiously enough. "Affectionately" nicknamed Barad-dûr by LOTR fans, the tower was built as a sort-of vanity project by one of Chile's most powerful men, german-born (and shady character) tycoon Horst Paulmann.

Behold, Chile's Dark Tower: Costanera Center

A blight on an otherwise beautiful mountainscape.

 

[Altazor]

A blight on an otherwise beautiful mountainscape.

I guess it's not that bad if you like building-dominated landscapes - the mutiple brights floating the the dark of night, neon and LED showing the way, a highway of light. I like it, in a certain way. I'm a sucker for those kinds of night landscapes.

But if you're more like the Professor, then I'd guess you'd mourn the loss of what was a rural part of town 100 years ago. Now it's center of business and trading, a mix between Silicon Valley and Wall Street, the symbol of the neoliberal revolution that was imposed by fire and blood (and that's an ASOIAF reference that I found oddly fitting) by Pinochet's dictatorship and was never really challenged by all the democratic presidents after it.

I guess it all depends on your point of view - and I'm deeply sorry for the political aside this post ended up becoming.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

I guess it's not that bad if you like building-dominated landscapes - the mutiple brights floating the the dark of night, neon and LED showing the way, a highway of light. I like it, in a certain way. I'm a sucker for those kinds of night landscapes.

But if you're more like the Professor, then I'd guess you'd mourn the loss of what was a rural part of town 100 years ago. Now it's center of business and trading, a mix between Silicon Valley and Wall Street, the symbol of the neoliberal revolution that was imposed by fire and blood (and that's an ASOIAF reference that I found oddly fitting) by Pinochet's dictatorship and was never really challenged by all the democratic presidents after it.

I guess it all depends on your point of view - and I'm deeply sorry for the political aside this post ended up becoming.

Don't be, the resonances of the wider issues at large in real life can be found in Tolkien's works. What Tolkien thought of Pinochet is unknown as he died just a few days before the coup, but I like to think that what he thought of Hitler, is what he thought of all such people throughout history.

To quote Tolkien:

"...I have in this War a burning private grudge – which would probably make me a better soldier at 49 than I was at 22: against that ruddy little ignoramus Adolf Hitler..."

 

[The Artful Dodger]

Don't be, the resonances of the wider issues at large in real life can be found in Tolkien's works. What Tolkien thought of Pinochet is unknown as he died just a few days before the coup, but I like to think that what he thought of Hitler, is what he thought of all such people throughout history.

To quote Tolkien:

"...I have in this War a burning private grudge – which would probably make me a better soldier at 49 than I was at 22: against that ruddy little ignoramus Adolf Hitler..."

Yeah, this sentiment is expressed again and again by Tolkien.

I've heard he used to refuse to go into pubs that had a radio playing in there. Looking at the chapters with Ents, and the Scouring of the Shire it seems in many ways Tolkien was mourning what is lost with these developments.

 

[Loxley]

LOTRProject unveils an interactive graph comparing the time/distance traveled between Bilbo and Frodo.

 

[Finrod]

Neat little bit of trivia.
Frodo's journey would have gotten him from the top of Europe to the very bottom.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Winnie-the-Pooh named best loved children's book of last 150 years, Hobbit fourth

Winnie-the-Pooh has been named as the favourite children's book of the past 150 years, in a poll of more than 2,000 adults. The first of the classic AA Milne books beat Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland into second.

The Gruffalo, by Julia Donaldson from 1999, was the most recently written book named and came in fifth. The YouGov poll was carried out as part of a campaign to promote reading and support vulnerable children in the UK.

The list of favourite titles is dominated by British authors.

It was issued in conjunction with the start of the reading initiative entitled Story Time - supported by children's charity Barnardo's and retailer John Lewis - which was launched by the newly appointed Doctor Who, Peter Capaldi.

"Being read to as a child is something most of us take for granted but for many of the children Barnardo's supports, storytelling and communicating are skills that their parents don't have," said Capaldi.

"I would encourage people across the country to embrace storytelling, bury your head in a good book and donate as much as you can through Story Time in aid of Barnardo's.

"You'll be helping the charity reach out to parents of some of the UK's most vulnerable children and ensuring they build the confidence and knowledge to help their little one thrive."

Winnie-the-Pooh was the first of two books of stories about the much-loved bear and his friends Christopher Robin, Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo and Tigger and was published in 1926.

Carroll's fantasy novel appeared in 1865.

And the third place book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by US author and illustrator Eric Carle, came out in 1969.

JRR Tolkein's The Hobbit, from 1937, came in fourth place.

Roald Dahl featured twice in the top 10, with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The BFG.

Link


1. Winnie-the-Pooh - AA Milne (1926)
2. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland - Lewis Carroll (1865)
3. The Very Hungry Caterpillar - Eric Carle (1969)
4. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien (1937)
5. The Gruffalo - Julia Donaldson (1999)
6. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl (1964)
7. Black Beauty - Anna Sewell (1877)
8. Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson (1883)
9. The BFG - Roald Dahl (1982)
10. The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe - CS Lewis (1950)

 

[Jacob]

How does one come up with a definition of "children's literature" that includes both Tolkien and Eric Carle (who are quite different) while excluding the early Harry Potter books?

 

[teiresias]

How does one come up with a definition of "children's literature" that includes both Tolkien and Eric Carle (who are quite different) while excluding the early Harry Potter books?

By defining it as good children's literature?

 

[The Artful Dodger]

Winnie-the-Pooh named best loved children's book of last 150 years, Hobbit fourth


Link


1. Winnie-the-Pooh - AA Milne (1926)
2. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland - Lewis Carroll (1865)
3. The Very Hungry Caterpillar - Eric Carle (1969)
4. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien (1937)
5. The Gruffalo - Julia Donaldson (1999)
6. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl (1964)
7. Black Beauty - Anna Sewell (1877)
8. Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson (1883)
9. The BFG - Roald Dahl (1982)
10. The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe - CS Lewis (1950)

Wind in the Willows would've been up there once upon a time. It's sad to think it's not read as widely as it once was.