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Topic: A Reaction to ...

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Lord Elrond of Rivendell - Rank 9
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Posts: 2960
Date: May 29, 2010
A Reaction to ...

All,
I don't know how many times I have read Lord of the Rings...but this is the fifth paperback volume I have worn the covers off.  One back cover has a price of $1.75 American...so you know it goes way back.
I am not hurting for things to read.  Nor am I bed-ridden: I have things to do, places to go, people to see, and find things other than Tolkien that strike my interest.
None the less I am still captivated by Tolkien's works and once I start I can't put it down until I've finished it...
Not only am I fascinated by his works but the man himself draws my attention...personally and professionally.
In the last day or two, after my umptheenth time finishing Lord of the Rings, I stumbled on a 12 part interview with Christopher Tolkien, Tom Shippey, and other Tolkien family and fans about how the man himself fell in love with and created this "secondary world" where I love to go.  I couldn't step away from the interview until that was finished either.
And so finishing the books and the interview and absorbing various opinions about how and why he created this world I felt that nagging gut twisting place where somebody ought to say something...
So for my own peace of mind, and because the Forums are just that Forums, I am throwing this out there.

I love where Tolkien takes me.  I am scholastically inclined so the forumlas expressed of  multicultural mythologies, languages, landscapes, and place names fits into those crevices in my brain where Arda and Tolkien's stories are sorted, cataloged, deciphered, explored, labeled in the usual ways literature is studied.
But there is something more here...perhaps my friends you can identify with me that quality that escapes my tongue in its affect, power, and conception.
Perhaps it is a numinous and divine spark which is indescribable...none the less it is there... a mystery yet mystically revealed.
Perhaps Tolkien defined it in his work more clearly than any logical or rhetorical skill I can bring to bear.

Gandalf, the very wise wizard says, "...Well, here at last, dear friends, on the shores of the Sea comes the end of our fellowship in Middle-earth. Go in peace! I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil."

Then Frodo kissed Merry and Pippin, and last of all Sam, and went aboard; and the sails were drawn up, and the wind blew, and slowly the ship slipped away down the long grey firth; and the light of the glass of Galadriel that Frodo bore glimmered and was lost. And the ship went out into the High Sea and passed on into the West, until at last on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water. And then it seemed to him that as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise.

But to Sam the evening deepened to darkness as he stood at the Haven; and as he looked at the grey sea he saw only a shadow on the waters that was soon lost in the West. There still he stood far into the night, hearing only the sigh and murmur of the waves on the shores of Middle-earth, and the sound of them sank deep into his heart. Beside him stood Merry and Pippin, and they were silent.

At last the three companions turned away, and never again looking back they rode slowly homewards; and they spoke no word to one another until they came back to the Shire. but each had great comfort in his friends on the long grey road.

At last they rode over the downs and took the East Road, and then Merry and Pippin rode on to Buckland; and already they were singing again as they went. But Sam turned to Bywater, and so came back up the Hill, as day was ending once more. And he went on, and there was yellow light, and fire within; and the evening meal was ready, and he was expected. And Rose drew him in, and set him in his chair, and put little Elanor upon his lap.

He drew a deep breath. 'Well, I'm back,' he said."
(The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, Book Six, Chapter IX - "The Grey Havens", pgs. 1030 - 1031)

I would welcome any feedback or thoughts  you might wish to express.





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Tom Bombadil
Status: Offline
Posts: 1886
Date: May 29, 2010
Every year I read the Lord of the Rings in its entirety and every year I notice something I had not noticed before. It's like Hanukkah every year I get lots of new presents. I found out that I am not a scholar, HoME is to intricate and I soon got perturbed and bored, so I took them to Half Price Books and exchanged for something else. I feel like I am being "fine tuned " and enjoy the Simplicity of the LotR and the weaving of the history in the Silmarillion. Since English is not my first language, I have to study harder at it. My poet heart is the one that gives most of the utterance of what I feel, and is expressed in some of my poems.

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Hey dol! merry dol! ring a dong dillo!
Ring a dong! hop along! fal lal the willow!
Tom Bom, Jolly Tom, Tom Bombadillo!

Thorin Oakenshield - Rank 6
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Posts: 1109
Date: May 30, 2010
I agree Bear, Tolkien's world has a real draw to it. I guess that is why we crave for a 'complete version' of the histories, and are troubled we only have broken parts here and there which have to be prioritised and deciphered.

Only some people can cope with fantasy. Some people simply cannot relate to it and it does not penetrate their (limited usually) imagination. Such people are often slack when it comes to thinking outside of the box, and find things like religion and philosophy hard to comprehend. In short, they live in the physical world almost entirely and cannot let their mind stray too far from their bodies, so to speak.

Tolkien's works have a gift of being able to penetrate into the imagination quite easily due to its scope and charm. It isn't too much of a 'block' like some mythologies in our world, which can be hard to comprehend and seem remote, and yet has enough mundane 'earthlyness' that we can relate to, while still holding onto the fanatasy setting.

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Rohirrim of Edoras - Rank 4
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Posts: 396
Date: Jun 1, 2010
For me Tolkien's works offer an escape from the cruelly mundane, mediocrity of every day life. I wake up at 5 am to see my husband off to work get the kids up at 6:30 am to go to school then I'm off to work myself. We get home, clean the house, work in the yard, go to the beach if the weather and time permits ( my highlight ) then it's showers maybe a t.v. show and to bed to do the same thing the next day. Everyday! There are no battles to be won, unless it's within myself and who likes fighting with themselves, no dragons to slay, no wizards to follow or throw down, no evil diety spewing fire from his throne in the mountains, just work, school,sleep. I'm not whining. I have a very blessed life with my family and a good job. We are all healthy and happy. But wouldn't it be fun to be tooling around with friends and happen upon a magic ring that throws you and those friends into a quest to save the world! You would of course have to abandone the normalities like your job and be thrust upon Mother Nature's mercies to get the job done. You'd battle bad guys and monsters. You'd camp under stars, hunt your own food and plan daring escapes and rescues. You'd meet people in distant lands and be guests at the tables of kings you didn't even know were there. You'd drink their mead, eat their food and dance thier dances. You'd miss your loved ones and dream of their sweet faces when you were able to sleep that deeply and their memory would grow sweeter because of the distance. Inevitably there would be moments where you would wonder why in the world this trial had come to you and if you would be able to return home. The evil villan would have to be dealt with of course but because of everything you had been through you would be ready for the job. You'd return home victorious. There would be more to you than when you had left. A thicker core that hummed there at your center and that people could see in your eyes and feel when they stood close to you. Your water would taste sweeter, your food better and each breath would mean something because you had defined the moment instead of letting the moment define you. The romance, the adventure, the tenderness, the war mongering, the dependancy on nature and the dawn after a dark night. That is what I love about Tolkien's work. That is why I read them over and over again.

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Lord Elrond of Rivendell - Rank 9
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Posts: 2960
Date: Jun 1, 2010
lomoduin,
Beautiful...
I would love to go with you on your quest.
Wouldn't it be fine to sit in Elrond's halls and listen to the poems and legends?
Or to watch Gandalf's fireworks?
(sigh)
I might like to bash a few Orcs too!


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Vocatus atque non vocatus, Deus aderit
Called or uncalled, God is present

Rohirrim of Edoras - Rank 4
Status: Offline
Posts: 396
Date: Jun 1, 2010
LOL Bear!! I'm up for fighting on horseback with the men and women of Rohan and getting to know Eomer before Imrahil's daughter can get her greedy hands on him.

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The winds of heaven do not blow gentle.
Samwise Gamgee - rank 9
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Posts: 2372
Date: Jun 2, 2010
There is indeed a certain appeal to far-flung adventures in the wilderness against an evil king in a far off land.

It seems the comforts of modern life also bring considerable boredom and restriction. The highlight of many a persons week these days is a soap on the television. We really have been dumbed down...

At least we can escape in our minds with a book to aid us, if all else fails.wink.gif

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Hobbit from Hobbiton - Rank 4
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Posts: 217
Date: Jun 2, 2010
Fantasy ?

Is it ?

For many people it's as real or more real than the true histories of the world.

True histories...and what are they but the musings and ramblings of victors or prophets.

Well why not.

It's my world and I choose Tolkienism.

Hail ERIS

I have seen the FNORDS



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Samwise Gamgee - rank 9
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Posts: 2372
Date: Jun 3, 2010
You begin an interesting point, Filli.

Many people rave about 'real history' and yet have no time whatsoever for fantasy mythology, like Middle-earth. But when you boil down to it history is done and dusted, in the past, it's only influence over us today is from an entertainment and interest perspective, both attributes that can be found in Tolkien's world. Just because history 'actually happened' does not necessarily mean it has any more sway over us today than a work of fiction might.

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My Master Sauron the Great bids thee Welcome....
Lord Elrond of Rivendell - Rank 9
Status: Offline
Posts: 2960
Date: Jun 3, 2010
My friends,
Once again I have a point of disagreement with your view.
Fantasy and History are not the same thing ... the Holocaust is not Mordor ... the Ring is not the hydrogen bomb ... slavery on earth is not slavery on Middle Earth ... Idi Amin is not King Theoden...etc and etc.

I live everyday with people and patients haunted by real history which has traumatized them so much that they do live in a fantasy world ... turns out survival in a fantasy world can be as traumatic and deadly as a real one.

I am with you when you say you choose to live in Tolkien's world.
Me too!  I want five or six meals a day, Gandalf's fireworks, a brew at the Prancing Pony, and the elf lords better look out for those cute elf maidens I have in my sights.
I would love to go horseback riding with Eowyn!

My point is that, real world or not, there is some quality in Tolkien's "secondary world" that changes us on the inside ... that provides food to an imagination where history stays in its real mode and yet provides us with an imaginal vicarious experience where that catch phrase of the 70's is alive...
"FRODO LIVES!"


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Vocatus atque non vocatus, Deus aderit
Called or uncalled, God is present

Tom Bombadil
Status: Offline
Posts: 1886
Date: Jun 4, 2010
"FRODO LIVES!" indeed my dear Bear. My escape to Middle-earth is the only thing at times that keeps me sane. Having the RL name of 2 Elves, really does motivate me and keep me on my toes. I am not a historian. With only a 6th grade German Education, I never had History, so I had to learn what little I know of Real History after growing up. But I guess " I Live the Dream"

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Hey dol! merry dol! ring a dong dillo!
Ring a dong! hop along! fal lal the willow!
Tom Bom, Jolly Tom, Tom Bombadillo!

Lord Elrond of Rivendell - Rank 9
Status: Offline
Posts: 2960
Date: Jun 11, 2010
My friends,
It is a late morning here.  It was a sleepless night waiting for my daughter to come home from across the country.
Where did I go as I held my vigil?
Why into Tolkien's world of course.
A little "Music of the Ainur" and a quiet little journey with "Aule and Yavanna" ... really only a few minutes ... maybe a half an hour at most ... pages turned slowly ... accompanied by the soundtrack of the movies.
But where I go from that brief reading is deep into a world where music has divine power, where God forgives an impetuous act of creation with mercy and wisdom and sets in motion an awakening that will bring this creation into existence which will enrich the world., where a divine feminine entity kindles and nurtures life and the essence of life. Where her love and desire gives us beauty and life.
It is a story where evil is foiled by enfolding it into the strength of Goodness and Light.
It is many things with many paths and tangents that lead in and out of Tolkien's world and in and out of our real world too.
As Lady Arwen says;
" My escape to Middle-earth is the only thing at times that keeps me sane."
Sanity may be over-rated.
I like Filli's claim;
"For many people it's as real or more real than the true histories of the world.  True histories...and what are they but the musings and ramblings of victors or prophets.  Well why not?  It's my world and I choose Tolkienism."
If Tolkien's world is where he would rather stay I say; "ERU Bless Us Everyone!"

I am glad "The Silmarillion" was there last night.
Meredith's hugs were there in the morning.
FRODO LIVES!!!

With a moment of introspection,
Bear


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Vocatus atque non vocatus, Deus aderit
Called or uncalled, God is present

 
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