Showing posts with label j.r.r. tolkien. Show all posts
Showing posts with label j.r.r. tolkien. Show all posts
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Xenite.Org Begins Publishing Interviews with Tolkien Scholars
Ever since the new Middle-earth Website launched in July of this year I have been planning to add a section or series of articles unlike any other such series you'll find on the Tolkien fan Web. Although there are scattered interviews with Tolkien scholars around the globe, there has been no organized, systematic attempt to talk with them all (of which I am aware).
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
A Little Touch of Tolkien on the Web
Tolkien Studies on the Web has a new blog post, The Much Bemusing Bloggery of Online Tolkien Scholarli, which lists a couple dozen Websites either published by various Tolkien scholars or which publish the works of various Tolkien scholars. You may be surprised by some of the names that were included on the list. You may also want to read another recent article, Tolkien Geek: A Reader's Journey through Middle-earth.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Xenite.Org Launches Middle-earth Unplugged Essay Series
Through the years many people have asked me when I write more essays about Middle-earth. I have to admit that it has not been easy to think of interesting topics. But a few weeks ago I concluded that my problem wasn't so much lack of topics as lack of perspective. That is, I felt only so much could be said about Middle-earth from the viewpoint of the average essayist. I've written over 200 essays through the years.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Middle-earth Talk Radio Show 29 August 8 2010
Hawke has now uploaded Show 29 from Middle-earth Talk Radio, which we recorded on August 8, 2010.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Can't attend Tolkien Moot 2010? Watch it live online August 13-15
Tolkien Moot 2010 is scheduled for the weekend of August 13-15 in the city of Spokane, WA. However, people who cannot be at the event may watch the sessions live via the Internet. Tolkien Moot 2010 features three live performances (open to the public) from elvish music artist Rehtaeh (Heather Downing).
Friday, June 11, 2010
Listen to Middle-earth Talk Radio Episode 25
You can download Middle-earth Talk Radio Episode 25: May 31, 2010 here. We have already recorded Middle-earth Talk Radio Episode 26 but I've been slow in getting the announcements out for Episode 25 so there will be a short lag between announcements.
You can download and listen to ALL episodes of Middle-earth Talk Radio at the official Middle-earth Talk Radio Website http://www.middleearthtalk.com/ (and why didn't he include "radio" in the URL? -- who knows?).
We're still planning to have some guests on the show soon -- Hawke has been working on some technical issues that seem to be mostly resolved now (I think).
____________________________________________ SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Format: MP3
Duration:56 minutes 36 seconds
Filesize:77.7 MB (81,516,322 bytes)
Opening Music: "She Walks in Beauty" from the album Elementaria
by Rehtaeh
Topics Discussed
- Thank you to all the military veterans who make it possible for us to have the freedom we have.
- Big news - Del Toro resigns as director for The Hobbit movies, now what?
- theonering.net "slashdotted" and the "slashdot effect"
- Peter Jackson's old Zombie gory spoof movie "Dead Alive"
- Are there zombies in Middle-earth in his books?
- What makes a zombie a zombie?
- The Hobbit play in Norwich Theater - Roy Marsden
- Another Hobbit play in Liverpool at the Empire
- Terry Goodkind's "Sword of Truth" Series, "Legend of the Seeker", David Eddings Belgariad
- Books vs. eBooks vs. PDFs
- Civilization III vs. Civ IV (Michael thinks Civ IV "sucks")
- Harvard courses on Tolkien available online, Mark Zender Ph.D., how Tolkien uses language in storytelling
- British Petroleum Gulf Oil Spill
- Adventuring in the Second Age of Middle-earth
- Yahoo Fan Modules Group
- The Numenor Project
- The Numenor Project First Contact Series
- Classical civilization vs. medieval civilization for Middle-earth settings
- No Inns?
- Area later known as Andrast, peninsula in what would be far western Gondor many centuries later.
- Primitive early Men prior to the Numenoreans helping raise them from the darkness.
- Orcs and their daylight and night vision
- Story of Tal-Elmar .... Part IV of Peoples of Middle-earth
- A real palace that could be considered "Elvish" in design according to Michael (make this image for news announcements)
- How role playing games encourages research
- Second Age 1200 to 1600
- When would precursor/proto-hobbits first appear and where
Adunaic glossary
Closing Music: "Métima Lenda (Final Journey)"from the album Elementaria
by Rehtaeh
You can download and listen to ALL episodes of Middle-earth Talk Radio at the official Middle-earth Talk Radio Website http://www.middleearthtalk.com/ (and why didn't he include "radio" in the URL? -- who knows?).
We're still planning to have some guests on the show soon -- Hawke has been working on some technical issues that seem to be mostly resolved now (I think).
Friday, May 28, 2010
Middle-earth Talk Radio Episode 24 Now Online
The 24th episode of Middle-earth Talk Radio is now available for download, includes music from Rehtaeh. This is the most recently recorded episode (as of May 27, 2010) so you should be caught up with us if you have listened to the others. I'm just copying a message Hawke sent out. I may have accidentally omitted something that relates to the numbers in the braces.
Format: MP3
Duration: 57 minutes 21 seconds
Filesize: 78.8 MB (82,586,483 bytes)
Download URL
http://middle-earthtalk.com/Middle-earth-Talk-Radio-Show-0024-2010-05-23.mp3[1]
Opening Music
Ra Tarinya (For My Queen)
by Rehtaeh
From the album "Awakened"
http://rehtaehmusic.com/ [2]
Topics Discussed
* PLEASE PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON THIS SHOW!
Closing Music
Rohan Warrior
by Rehtaeh
From the album "Awakened"
http://rehtaehmusic.com/ [4]
References
Middle-earth Talk Radio is a non-profit, non-commercial fan-oriented Internet talk show devoted to topics relating to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (and relating to other related stuff that maybe you can relate to).
____________________________________________ SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Format: MP3
Duration: 57 minutes 21 seconds
Filesize: 78.8 MB (82,586,483 bytes)
Download URL
http://middle-earthtalk.com/Middle-earth-Talk-Radio-Show-0024-2010-05-23.mp3[1]
Opening Music
Ra Tarinya (For My Queen)
by Rehtaeh
From the album "Awakened"
http://rehtaehmusic.com/ [2]
Topics Discussed
- Tyra Banks - ModelLand
- Previously unexibited print by Tolkien called "Lamb's Farm, Gedling" to be shown
- Filming for The Hobbit Movie beginning in Novement 2010?
- Smaug Stein
- Mads Hobbit Hole Blog - Doll House model on Bag End
- Brief reading from The Hobbit about Hobbit Hole
- The Eowyn Challenge
- Expanding the show range of discussion, please comment!
- How much do Dwarves weigh?
- Can Dwarves swim?
- Dragonlance Dwarves vs. Tolkien Dwarves
- Battle of alternate passages
- Reading and discussion of Letter #31, 24 July 1938, letter to Mr Furth, explaining delay in sequel to The Hobbit, and his work on Farmer Giles
- Word "mythologies" - Michael feels vindicated. ;-)
- Michael reads from Book of Lost Tales - Chapter VIII - The Tale of the Sun and Moon - Christopher Tolkien's introduction.
- Michael reads the "Shibboleth of Feanor" - The Peoples of Middle-earth - The History of Middle-earth XII - and the word shibboleth defined (ad naseum)
- "Feanor was a momma's boy" - Michael Martinez
- Tolkien's representation of insight into psychological theory as expressed through his characters such as Feanor, Aragorn, and others, in the face of critics claiming the characters were too 2 dimensional
- Thanks to Christopher Tolkien for making all this extra material available over the decades
- Reminder Rehtaeh performing at this years upcoming TolkienMoot
- Our Middle-earth Talk Show now has dedicated domain(s):
http://www.middle-earthtalk.com/ [3] or http://www.middle-earthtalkradio.com/
* PLEASE PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON THIS SHOW!
Closing Music
Rohan Warrior
by Rehtaeh
From the album "Awakened"
http://rehtaehmusic.com/ [4]
References
- http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2010/05/23/36721-crumbses-and-tidbits-hobbit-start-date-casting-3d-discussions/ [5]
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/oxford/hi/people_and_places/arts_and_culture/newsid_8664000/8664496.stm [6]
- http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/100637-Tyra-Banks-Fancies-Herself-the-Next-J-R-R-Tolkien [7]
- http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2010/05/20/36698-smaug-themed-stein-now-available/ [8]
- http://www.3point.com/taverncraft/default.aspx?ProductLine=Hobbit [9]
- http://madshobbithole.wordpress.com/ [10]
- http://maddsrocks.wordpress.com/ [11]
- http://bitoflight.luminousbeings.net/keepsakes/BagEnd-final-small.jpg [12]
- http://www.lotronline.com/gallery/screenshots/BagEnd [13]
- http://www.sf-fandom.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=33401 [14]
- http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~kemmer/Words/shibboleth.html [15]
Middle-earth Talk Radio is a non-profit, non-commercial fan-oriented Internet talk show devoted to topics relating to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (and relating to other related stuff that maybe you can relate to).
Monday, May 24, 2010
Longevity of Harry Potter vs. Lord of the Rings
We occasionally mention other books and authors in our Middle-earth Talk Radio discussions and Hawke recently decided to put an interesting question to fans.
He is conducting a poll on the NEW Middle-earth Radio Website, asking if you think that the Harry Potter books will enjoy a longevity similar to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings books.
You can take the poll here.
BTW -- in updating the site, Hawke was unable to port over the old user accounts. If you had an account at Middle-earth Radio you'll have to create a new one. Please don't let that inconvenience hold you back from sharing your thoughts on the show. We enjoy the feedback.
As for Harry, in my opinion they should enjoy considerable longevity. I think the story is relevant to every generation. It's not really "set in its time" (that is, the time in which it was written) so much as it is set in a "Harry Potter timeframe" much like Middle-earth is set in the Third Age.
But the story follows the experiences of a unique set of young protagonists who grow up during a very dark and frightening time. Although that in some ways reflects our world today, J.K. Rowling began writing these stories before the War on Terror became a reality.
I'd like to see how people vote in the poll, so please do so and also share the URL with your friends.
____________________________________________ SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
He is conducting a poll on the NEW Middle-earth Radio Website, asking if you think that the Harry Potter books will enjoy a longevity similar to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings books.
You can take the poll here.
BTW -- in updating the site, Hawke was unable to port over the old user accounts. If you had an account at Middle-earth Radio you'll have to create a new one. Please don't let that inconvenience hold you back from sharing your thoughts on the show. We enjoy the feedback.
As for Harry, in my opinion they should enjoy considerable longevity. I think the story is relevant to every generation. It's not really "set in its time" (that is, the time in which it was written) so much as it is set in a "Harry Potter timeframe" much like Middle-earth is set in the Third Age.
But the story follows the experiences of a unique set of young protagonists who grow up during a very dark and frightening time. Although that in some ways reflects our world today, J.K. Rowling began writing these stories before the War on Terror became a reality.
I'd like to see how people vote in the poll, so please do so and also share the URL with your friends.
Download Middle-earth Talk Radio Episode 23 Now
Hawke and I recorded Episode 23 of Middle-earth Talk Radio on Sunday, Mother Confessor Day (Mother's Day to most people). (NOTE: Subsequently, confirmation of the cancellation of Legend of the Seeker was published).
These were the topics that came up in Episode 23:
Topics:
With music by Rehtaeh
http://www.rehtaehmusic.com
You can find all the episodes by visiting Middle-earth Talk Radio.
____________________________________________ SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
These were the topics that came up in Episode 23:
Topics:
- Grovelling to Theonering.net
- Michael the "Uber Geek"
- Iron Man II
- Mother Confessor Day foreshadowing from "Legend of the Seeker"
- Burren in County Clare claimed as another inspiration for J.R.R. Tolkien's work
- Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien relevant to Ireland, Letters #165 and #211
- Flintshire grandson of J.R.R. Tolkien stars in film "Pimp"
- Hugo Weaving will be The Red Skull in upcoming Captain America film
- Tangent: Hugo Weaving's accent as Agent Smith based on Wachowski Bros.
- Why there is no Jewish Narnia
- Development of role playing games for use as a therapeutic modality
- Israeli Defense Force frowns on Dungeons & Dragons participants (2005)
- Refuting the claim (through research) that role playing gaming causes "weak personalities" or "detachment from reality"
- The Middle-earth Weekend 2010 UK
- The Isle of Rum claims to have inspired J.R.R. Tolkien's peaks of Mordor
- The Isle of Muck ties to Isle of Eigg which ties to Howlin House where J.R.R. Tolkien was reputed to have visited on holiday
- Will Harry Potter have the global longevity of The Hobbit or the Lord of the Rings? Vote in the poll.
- Legend of the Seeker, Shakespeare, and J.R.R. Tolkien
- Twitter Take Over on Mother's Day for Mother Confessor Day
- Save the Seeker Campaign
- How would you produce a TV series on Tolkien's works?
- Circa Second Age 1000 to 1500 fertile time period
- The Middle-earth 3D Interactive mapping project: ME-DEM
- Merp.com launches version 7.0 of their website
- More rambling from Hawke - mining terminology for "muck"
With music by Rehtaeh
http://www.rehtaehmusic.com
You can find all the episodes by visiting Middle-earth Talk Radio.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Episodes 20 and 21 of Middle-earth Talk Radio
For reasons I cannot explain, after Hawke uploaded Episode 20 it didn't quite fit into the new site for Middle-earth Radio. The old site is "dying" and Hawke is moving everything over to a NEW Middle-earth radio site (which, for the time being, can be reached by http://new.middleearthradio.com/.
When the link starts working, you should be able to download Episode 20 from this page (I get only partial content right now).
I was able, however, to download Episode 21 of Middle-earth Talk Radio.
Episode 21 actually carries some late-breaking news. You can almost hear me say it. I asked Hawke to upload the raw, unedited file because I thought it would be cool to get the news out. He normally adjusts the volume on my channel so when he gets around to editing the file he'll fix this.
About 22 minutes into the discussion Hawke asked me to check my microphone setting and he said things improved after that.
Normally you don't get to hear all the banter but I hope that doesn't detract from the show.
So, I hope you can download both shows and enjoy them.
____________________________________________ SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
When the link starts working, you should be able to download Episode 20 from this page (I get only partial content right now).
I was able, however, to download Episode 21 of Middle-earth Talk Radio.
Episode 21 actually carries some late-breaking news. You can almost hear me say it. I asked Hawke to upload the raw, unedited file because I thought it would be cool to get the news out. He normally adjusts the volume on my channel so when he gets around to editing the file he'll fix this.
About 22 minutes into the discussion Hawke asked me to check my microphone setting and he said things improved after that.
Normally you don't get to hear all the banter but I hope that doesn't detract from the show.
So, I hope you can download both shows and enjoy them.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Tolkien and John Carter
Why Tolkien could not finish the Silmarillion takes a look at how research into creativity helps explain J.R.R. Tolkien's inability to finish The Silmarillion.
Update on John Carter of Mars movie recaps some of the recent news surrounding the Disney/Pixar film adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' A Princess of Mars.
Horsham school used as John Carter set rounds up the latest John Carter news with an excerpt from a news story about a boarding school. This thread includes some pictures of the school.
If you know why the "John Carter of Mars" movie was being filmed there, I would be very interested in hearing about it.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Update on John Carter of Mars movie recaps some of the recent news surrounding the Disney/Pixar film adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' A Princess of Mars.
Horsham school used as John Carter set rounds up the latest John Carter news with an excerpt from a news story about a boarding school. This thread includes some pictures of the school.
If you know why the "John Carter of Mars" movie was being filmed there, I would be very interested in hearing about it.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Xenite Hobbit Movie news archive rebuilt
December 2009 seems to have been a good month for rebuilding broken news archive on Xenite.Org. We do capture a lot of news headlines for science fiction and fantasy fans but the news sections have been added piecemeal through the years with no rhyme or reason. One of my Great Projects for the future is to reorganize everything into one huge beautiful news site.
Don't hold your breath, though, as I am doing this part time and Xenite's volunteer staff is no longer as large as it once was.
Still, I think the current version of the Hobbit movie news section works pretty well. In addition to scanning headlines for "hobbit movie news" it also has dedicated sections for Guillermo del Toro news and J.R.R. Tolkien news.
But that's not the coolest thing about the site. In July I thought I started capturing daily archives for the three news sections. Unfortunately I forgot I had set up some protections for the domain that prevented my auto-scripts from working. I captured many blank pages. :)
Well, I also didn't like the archive structure I created so earlier this month I rebuilt the archives for the three news sections and now they seem to be working properly. You can browse the Guillermo del Toro news archive, the Hobbit Movie News archive, and the J.R.R. Tolkien news archive.
Each archive preserves a daily copy of the news stories that the main site featured. It's not perfect but it should help document what the media has to say about all things Tolkien and Hobbit movies.
Xenite.Org, of course, is home to the Web's oldest continually updated source of news for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Don't hold your breath, though, as I am doing this part time and Xenite's volunteer staff is no longer as large as it once was.
Still, I think the current version of the Hobbit movie news section works pretty well. In addition to scanning headlines for "hobbit movie news" it also has dedicated sections for Guillermo del Toro news and J.R.R. Tolkien news.
But that's not the coolest thing about the site. In July I thought I started capturing daily archives for the three news sections. Unfortunately I forgot I had set up some protections for the domain that prevented my auto-scripts from working. I captured many blank pages. :)
Well, I also didn't like the archive structure I created so earlier this month I rebuilt the archives for the three news sections and now they seem to be working properly. You can browse the Guillermo del Toro news archive, the Hobbit Movie News archive, and the J.R.R. Tolkien news archive.
Each archive preserves a daily copy of the news stories that the main site featured. It's not perfect but it should help document what the media has to say about all things Tolkien and Hobbit movies.
Xenite.Org, of course, is home to the Web's oldest continually updated source of news for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Finally: the truth about Balrogs wings debates
People keep seeking me out to discuss Balrog wings with me. I've written a couple of essays through the years that I felt, on each occasion, should put the issue to rest -- at least as far as people's perception of my position on the matter is.
Unfortunately, there are some Websites that mislabel me as being a pro-Wings advocate. That's just plain wrong.
I have objected to both the Pro-Wings and Anti-Wings positions for many years. Neither side can put together a solid, reasonable, logical case for its position.
So I've tried once again, on the Tolkien Studies on the Web Blog, to explain where I stand (which is not with either group).
Read "The Truth About Balrogs (Again)".
It's about as short and simple an essay as I can write.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Unfortunately, there are some Websites that mislabel me as being a pro-Wings advocate. That's just plain wrong.
I have objected to both the Pro-Wings and Anti-Wings positions for many years. Neither side can put together a solid, reasonable, logical case for its position.
So I've tried once again, on the Tolkien Studies on the Web Blog, to explain where I stand (which is not with either group).
Read "The Truth About Balrogs (Again)".
It's about as short and simple an essay as I can write.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Monday, November 30, 2009
"Born of Hope" to finally be released on Web
December 1, 2009 is the big day for Tolkien fans eagerly looking forward to the release of the fan-made production "Born of Hope".
You should be able to watch the movie at Daily Motion.
We have been discussing the film in several Born of Hope threads at SF-Fandom. Please drop by and let us know what you think when you have seen the movie.
"Born of Hope" is set in late 3rd Age Middle-earth and it follows the developments leading up to the birth of Aragorn. The movie was filmed in the United Kingdom and made by film industry professionals for free.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
You should be able to watch the movie at Daily Motion.
We have been discussing the film in several Born of Hope threads at SF-Fandom. Please drop by and let us know what you think when you have seen the movie.
"Born of Hope" is set in late 3rd Age Middle-earth and it follows the developments leading up to the birth of Aragorn. The movie was filmed in the United Kingdom and made by film industry professionals for free.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Harvard offers second Tolkien course in January 2010
Dr. Marc Zender contacted me yesterday about a new Tolkien class he is teaching at Harvard starting in January. I'm helping spread the word so if you have the opportunity to the class, take it. Trust me, his two guest speakers will make it well worthwhile.
You can read full details about the class here. It is ANTH E-164 "Tolkien as Translator: Language, Culture and Society in Middle-Earth".
The guest speakers are Robert Foster and Dick Plotz. I'm very, very impressed.
Dr. Zender contacted me last May about his first Tolkien class which was offered over the summer.
I'll be starting a discussion about the class at The Tolkien Forum on SF-Fandom.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
You can read full details about the class here. It is ANTH E-164 "Tolkien as Translator: Language, Culture and Society in Middle-Earth".
The guest speakers are Robert Foster and Dick Plotz. I'm very, very impressed.
Dr. Zender contacted me last May about his first Tolkien class which was offered over the summer.
I'll be starting a discussion about the class at The Tolkien Forum on SF-Fandom.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
New book about Tolkien's use of words in LoTR
P Gilliver, J Marshall & E Weiner have published a book about some of the special words J.R.R. Tolkien used to depict the world of Middle-earth in The Lord of the Rings (and perhaps other books). I have not read the book as I only just found out about it, although this is actually the kind of stuff I enjoy reading.
The Independent has a very brief review of the book here that is so short I felt I could not even cite a brief passage of it.
Tolkien loved to use familiar words -- and archaic words -- in new, unique ways. He used the word "fief", for example, in non-feudal connotations in The Lord of the Rings -- a fact that came to light in The Peoples of Middle-earth, where Tolkien explained the meaning of the real word ("suza-t") that "fief" is intended to translate.
"Knight" is another such word. If you're familiar with the etymology of the word knight, then you know that it comes down to modern English from ancient Germanic cniht, which meant "boy, youth, servant".
In The Lord of the Rings Tolkien uses "knight" similar to the familiar medieval usage but he also distinguished between the Riders of Rohan and the "knights of the king's household" who rode with Theoden. In Middle-earth, therefore, a knight was not necessarily a feudal vassal who accepted land in exchange for service -- in fact, there were probably several intended meanings for "knight" in Tolkien's mythology and he was using the word very much the same way modern scholars use it to refer to Roman Equites.
If I can find more information about the book I'll post it here.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
The Independent has a very brief review of the book here that is so short I felt I could not even cite a brief passage of it.
Tolkien loved to use familiar words -- and archaic words -- in new, unique ways. He used the word "fief", for example, in non-feudal connotations in The Lord of the Rings -- a fact that came to light in The Peoples of Middle-earth, where Tolkien explained the meaning of the real word ("suza-t") that "fief" is intended to translate.
"Knight" is another such word. If you're familiar with the etymology of the word knight, then you know that it comes down to modern English from ancient Germanic cniht, which meant "boy, youth, servant".
In The Lord of the Rings Tolkien uses "knight" similar to the familiar medieval usage but he also distinguished between the Riders of Rohan and the "knights of the king's household" who rode with Theoden. In Middle-earth, therefore, a knight was not necessarily a feudal vassal who accepted land in exchange for service -- in fact, there were probably several intended meanings for "knight" in Tolkien's mythology and he was using the word very much the same way modern scholars use it to refer to Roman Equites.
If I can find more information about the book I'll post it here.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Where Middle-earth came from
I have been to England twice. On both occasions I was confined to the town of merry old London, so it is with some regret I must confess I have virtually no knowledge of English geography and landscape, except what I can find in books or online.
As someone who has studied the works of J.R.R. Tolkien for many years, I have often come across claims from scholars and locals that such-and-such-a-place is the inspiration for Middle-earth, or served as the model for Middle-earth, or some connection has been observed, claimed, or otherwise inferred, fabricated, and forced into the Tolkien mythology (by which I refer to the mythology that has grown up around J.R.R. Tolkien, not his Middle-earth mythologies).
And I am in no position to discuss, disclaim, dispute, ridicule, or otherwise diminish the merits of these claims -- which probably extend into the hundreds, if not the thousands. Any writer can tell you that when we write we write from personal experience, and J.R.R. Tolkien's personal experiences took him to many places including forests in northern England, seaside resort towns, Ireland, France, Switzerland, and Italy.
The vivid imagery Tolkien infused into his stories about Middle-earth, Beleriand, and even Numenor no doubt owe a great deal to the things he saw and experienced -- which of course only renders Middle-earth more unrealistic, because it's a bit like dragging parts of northwestern Europe across the globe. One simply cannot reproduce England in Brazil, so to speak.
And Tolkien was not trying to do that. He wanted to model Middle-earth after our world so that it seemed familiar and knowable to his readers. To that extent, Tom Shippey's place-name analysis for countries like Rohan makes perfect sense. Even drawing upon such obscure items as Tolkien's work on an archaeological dig in 1929 makes a certain sense, for 10 to 15 years later Tolkien would have had those memories to draw upon.
And yet one cannot help but see a pattern emerging, a social need for mythological identification with one of England's greatest authors. Here in the United States we have seen the phenomenon develop for many of our national heroes and characters from popular folklore. Daniel Boone, Johnny Appleseed, Davy Crocket, and George Washington (to name only a few) are commemorated in many places around the country. There is no doubt those guys got around. But one has to ask how fast they traveled and how briefly they stayed in the various places that have laid some partial claim on their legacies.
Mythology is not about making up unbelievable stuff. Mythology is about remembering things that are believed. In other words, myths are not fiction -- they are explanations, memories, and resonances. The chief differences between mythology are that science is a bit more organized than mythology and mythology is a bit more stable than science. Science constantly challenges itself to question what is currently believed. Mythology is more conservative and it really is a consequence of our instinct to preserve and memorialize the things we have lost to time.
To Tolkien, a linguist, language itself must have seemed like a living mythology, preserving and memorializing things lost to time that we can barely imagine or understand now. The English language may one day be populated with random words and expressions equivalent to "Tolkien was here" -- concepts that only a philologist a thousand years from now might devine from a few scraps of paper.
I occasionally go looking for pictures and other information of places Tolkien is said to have drawn upon for inspiration, such as the Forest of Dean. There is rarely mention of these influences in the traditional biographies. Certainly he does not discuss them in the letters that have been published. And Christopher Tolkien does not clarify his father's exposition very often by mentioning places or projects from his father's youth.
The omission of references in the traditional sources in no way invalidates the claims that people put forth about Tolkien's connections with their landmarks. Rather, quite the opposite -- these omissions call for increased research and scholarship. Logical conclusions must be shared, published, and analyzed. We need to look at these things now, fifty years from now, and 500 years in the future. Before it is too late. Before they are forgotten.
For in the end it is not so important to know where exactly Tolkien got Middle-earth from -- we know it came from his heart. Rather, we have an opportunity here to look into the evolving ideas and myths that create exactly what Tolkien was trying to show us -- we have the opportunity to see the world as he must have seen it, an ever-changing landscape of memories, traditions, and claims the truth of which no one could prove or know unfailingly, but which all enrichened our collective heritage.
That is really what Middle-earth is all about, is it not? The remembering of things that have almost been forgotten -- passing on the mantle of the Story to new generations, so that the Story itself will continue rather than fade.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
As someone who has studied the works of J.R.R. Tolkien for many years, I have often come across claims from scholars and locals that such-and-such-a-place is the inspiration for Middle-earth, or served as the model for Middle-earth, or some connection has been observed, claimed, or otherwise inferred, fabricated, and forced into the Tolkien mythology (by which I refer to the mythology that has grown up around J.R.R. Tolkien, not his Middle-earth mythologies).
And I am in no position to discuss, disclaim, dispute, ridicule, or otherwise diminish the merits of these claims -- which probably extend into the hundreds, if not the thousands. Any writer can tell you that when we write we write from personal experience, and J.R.R. Tolkien's personal experiences took him to many places including forests in northern England, seaside resort towns, Ireland, France, Switzerland, and Italy.
The vivid imagery Tolkien infused into his stories about Middle-earth, Beleriand, and even Numenor no doubt owe a great deal to the things he saw and experienced -- which of course only renders Middle-earth more unrealistic, because it's a bit like dragging parts of northwestern Europe across the globe. One simply cannot reproduce England in Brazil, so to speak.
And Tolkien was not trying to do that. He wanted to model Middle-earth after our world so that it seemed familiar and knowable to his readers. To that extent, Tom Shippey's place-name analysis for countries like Rohan makes perfect sense. Even drawing upon such obscure items as Tolkien's work on an archaeological dig in 1929 makes a certain sense, for 10 to 15 years later Tolkien would have had those memories to draw upon.
And yet one cannot help but see a pattern emerging, a social need for mythological identification with one of England's greatest authors. Here in the United States we have seen the phenomenon develop for many of our national heroes and characters from popular folklore. Daniel Boone, Johnny Appleseed, Davy Crocket, and George Washington (to name only a few) are commemorated in many places around the country. There is no doubt those guys got around. But one has to ask how fast they traveled and how briefly they stayed in the various places that have laid some partial claim on their legacies.
Mythology is not about making up unbelievable stuff. Mythology is about remembering things that are believed. In other words, myths are not fiction -- they are explanations, memories, and resonances. The chief differences between mythology are that science is a bit more organized than mythology and mythology is a bit more stable than science. Science constantly challenges itself to question what is currently believed. Mythology is more conservative and it really is a consequence of our instinct to preserve and memorialize the things we have lost to time.
To Tolkien, a linguist, language itself must have seemed like a living mythology, preserving and memorializing things lost to time that we can barely imagine or understand now. The English language may one day be populated with random words and expressions equivalent to "Tolkien was here" -- concepts that only a philologist a thousand years from now might devine from a few scraps of paper.
I occasionally go looking for pictures and other information of places Tolkien is said to have drawn upon for inspiration, such as the Forest of Dean. There is rarely mention of these influences in the traditional biographies. Certainly he does not discuss them in the letters that have been published. And Christopher Tolkien does not clarify his father's exposition very often by mentioning places or projects from his father's youth.
The omission of references in the traditional sources in no way invalidates the claims that people put forth about Tolkien's connections with their landmarks. Rather, quite the opposite -- these omissions call for increased research and scholarship. Logical conclusions must be shared, published, and analyzed. We need to look at these things now, fifty years from now, and 500 years in the future. Before it is too late. Before they are forgotten.
For in the end it is not so important to know where exactly Tolkien got Middle-earth from -- we know it came from his heart. Rather, we have an opportunity here to look into the evolving ideas and myths that create exactly what Tolkien was trying to show us -- we have the opportunity to see the world as he must have seen it, an ever-changing landscape of memories, traditions, and claims the truth of which no one could prove or know unfailingly, but which all enrichened our collective heritage.
That is really what Middle-earth is all about, is it not? The remembering of things that have almost been forgotten -- passing on the mantle of the Story to new generations, so that the Story itself will continue rather than fade.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Grizedale Forest to bring Ents to life in NW England
This is one of those rare news items I just had to announce in about every place I could. The UK Forestry Commission manages a lot of forests and Grizedale Forest as I understand it is a small wood in northwestern England, somewhere near the town of Grizedale (which sounds like something out of Andre Norton's Witch World books).
According to a story published on Easier.com children (who must be accompanied by an adult) will be able to carve their own Ent heads on November 15, 2009. This is part of a larger series of events and functions throughout October and November.
Here is the precise information about the event:
If after the 15th anyone posts pictures of the Ent heads, please feel free to let me know. I'd love to see them.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
According to a story published on Easier.com children (who must be accompanied by an adult) will be able to carve their own Ent heads on November 15, 2009. This is part of a larger series of events and functions throughout October and November.
Here is the precise information about the event:
'Ent' Heads
Date: Sunday 15 November
Time: 10.30am – 1pm and 1.30pm – 4pm
Duration: Varies depending on the nature of your creation.
Cost: £2.00
Age: All ages
Meeting place: The Yan, Grizedale Centre
Booking required: Just drop in. All children must be accompanied by an adult.
Description: Create your own ‘Ent’! Ents are guardians of the trees and protect our ancient lands against dark forces. Materials provided.
If after the 15th anyone posts pictures of the Ent heads, please feel free to let me know. I'd love to see them.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
CBC audience picks "Top Ten SF Authors"
It never fails to amaze me how well "old school" science fiction authors do in these surveys, but that does lead me to wonder who votes in the surveys.
CBC Books announced Top 10 Science Fiction Writers (as chosen by you) on October 1 and the top three writers were Frank Herbert, Isaac Asimov, and Robert Sawyer.
Unlike Herbert and Asimov, Sawyer is still very much among us and writing. Most of the writers in the list are dead. We'll probably see no more books from them, except the occasional posthumous publication of early works (such as Roger Zelazny and J.R.R. Tolkien.
On the one hand, I'm glad to see writers whose works I have enjoyed throughout my life remain popular, but I'm also very conscious of the fact that some generations hang on to habits that are not passed on to others. It would be nice to see one of these "top ten" surveys publish some demographic data.
An author's true impact can only be measured by the number of generations that admire his work. That is why William Shakespeare remains one of the top-selling and among the most admired of all authors in the English language -- there are people who truly appreciate his creativity and writing. His plays go on and on.
Some writers you would probably never read if you were not required to do so in high school and college. I would consider academic critical longevity to be both a sign of success and failure. It marks success because what you wrote rises above so many other potential works that could be used to teach literature. It marks failure if people only remember you because they had to read your books in high school or college.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
CBC Books announced Top 10 Science Fiction Writers (as chosen by you) on October 1 and the top three writers were Frank Herbert, Isaac Asimov, and Robert Sawyer.
Unlike Herbert and Asimov, Sawyer is still very much among us and writing. Most of the writers in the list are dead. We'll probably see no more books from them, except the occasional posthumous publication of early works (such as Roger Zelazny and J.R.R. Tolkien.
On the one hand, I'm glad to see writers whose works I have enjoyed throughout my life remain popular, but I'm also very conscious of the fact that some generations hang on to habits that are not passed on to others. It would be nice to see one of these "top ten" surveys publish some demographic data.
An author's true impact can only be measured by the number of generations that admire his work. That is why William Shakespeare remains one of the top-selling and among the most admired of all authors in the English language -- there are people who truly appreciate his creativity and writing. His plays go on and on.
Some writers you would probably never read if you were not required to do so in high school and college. I would consider academic critical longevity to be both a sign of success and failure. It marks success because what you wrote rises above so many other potential works that could be used to teach literature. It marks failure if people only remember you because they had to read your books in high school or college.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
J.R.R. Tolkien almost became a British spy
It's been pointed out to me that Wayne Hammond and Christina Scull had actually documented this brief episode of Tolkien's career in one of their books.
It's amazing how much news J.R.R. Tolkien has provided this year, given that he passed away 36 years ago in 1973.
The internationally celebrated author of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, The Children of Hurin, and The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun apparently was recruited by Great Britain's intelligence community as part of a cadre of linguistic specialists in the months running up to the second world war.
Although Tolkien ultimately declined to participate in the government's secret program, he nonetheless spent several days in a preliminary function. According to The Telegraph, Tolkien declined to accept the 500-pound annual stipend.
Here is an excerpt from the article:
Tolkien, one of his generation's most respected linguists, was ''earmarked'' to crack Nazi codes in the event that Germany declared war.
Intelligence chiefs singled him and a 'cadre' of other intellectuals to work at Bletchley Park, the codebreaking centre in Buckinghamshire.
Its staff - which included Alan Turing, the gay codebreaker - would later decipher the 'impenetrable' Enigma machines.
This saved Britain from German conquest by allowing the Navy to intercept and destroy Hitler's U-Boats.
According to previously unseen records, Tolkien trained with the top-secret Government Code and Cypher School (GCCS).
He spent three days at their London HQ in March 1939 - six months before the outbreak of the Second World War and just 18 months after the publication of his first book, The Hobbit.
But although he was ''keen'', Tolkien - a professor of English literature at Oxford University - declined a £500-a-year offer to become a full-time recruit.
We have started a discussion at SF-Fandom's Tolkien Forum.
I must say, this is the most interesting news about JRRT I've read in a very long time. I'm pumped, although I don't quite know what to make of it.
Tolkien did spend some time acting as an air-raid warden during the Second World War, and he served in the British Army during the First World War.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)