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[Edmond Dantès]

As if Tolkien's writing was difficult to read before?! And Edmond's commentary... holy shit, dude, I'm in tears.

It puts a bit of perspective on all the silly, inane questions I have but feel too self-conscious to ask, hehhh

Ask away. All questions are valid. Better to ask, than not to ask at all.

 

[Loxley]

i'll just leave this here, seems like a good fit

What the crap :lol I checked out what my OP looks like through that "lens", and the results are golden.

The Hobbit:

Set up in a time "Between tha Dawn of Færie n' tha Dominion of Men", Da Hobbit bigs up tha quest of home-gangbangin hobbit Bilbo Baggins ta win a share of tha treasure guarded by tha dragon, Smaug. Bilboz journey takes his ass from light-hearted, rural surroundings tha fuck into mo' sinista territory. Da rap is holla'd at up in tha form of a episodic quest, n' most chaptas introduce a specific creature, or type of creature, of Tolkienz Wilderland. Y'all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! By acceptin tha disreputable, romantic, fey n' adventurous side of his nature n' applyin his wits n' common sense, Bilbo gains a freshly smoked up level of maturity, competence n' wisdom. Da rap reaches its climax up in tha Battle of Five Armies, where nuff of tha charactas n' creatures from earlier chaptas re-emerge ta engage up in conflict.

Da Hobbit is considered ta be a cold-ass lil childrenz funky-ass n' is tha fourth best-pimpin book up in history, wit over 100 mazillion copies sold ghettowide.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

What the crap :lol I checked out what my OP looks like through that "lens", and the results are golden.

The Hobbit:

Even better when you imagine it in Tolkien's voice.

 

[Candeldandel]

Okay, so.. a big question I have about Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit is: what is the reason for the lack of women? Of course, there are some in LotR, but they are few and far between... and if I'm not mistaken, there are no female characters in The Hobbit at all. I know it's been asked before (frequently), and I've read a few speculations, too, but I don't feel like I entirely understand. Is it where Tolkien was drawing his inspiration (WWI)? Or just the era he was writing in, or something else? It doesn't impact my affection for the stories, but everyone likes something (or someone) they can relate to in stories they read, and the lack of ladies in such important literature is a bit of a bummer.

 

[Altazor]

i'll just leave this here, seems like a good fit

I LOL'd at this:

His stepmutha holla'd unto him, "It was well fo' thee ta gots a hoe, n' I gots a thugged-out daughter whoz ass is sought of every last muthafuckin playa of renown up in tha ghetto. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass."

"I aint yet of a age ta wed," answered tha youth. Then her big-ass booty holla'd unto him, "I declare ta thee, dat it is thy destiny not ta be suited wit a hoe until thou obtain Olwen, tha daughter of Yspaddaden Penkawr." And tha youth blushed, n' tha ludd of tha maiden diffused itself all up in all his wild lil' frame, although dat schmoooove muthafucka had never peeped her muthafuckin ass fo' realz. And his wild lil' daddy inquired of him, "What has come over thee mah son, n' what tha fuck aileth thee?"

"I be a gangsta yo, but y'all knew dat n' mah stepmutha has declared ta me dat I shall never gots a hoe until I obtain Olwen, tha daughter of Yspaddaden Penkawr."

"That is ghon be easy as fuck fo' thee," answered his wild lil' father. Shiiit, dis aint no joke. "Arthur is thy cousin. I aint talkin' bout chicken n' gravy biatch. Go, therefore, unto Arthur, ta cut thy hair, n' ask diz of his ass as a funky-ass boon."

 

[GhaleonEB]

To cleanse they spiritz of tha evil of tha One essentially. Even Sam whoz ass carried carried tha One fo' such a short time was afforded tha right ta make journey ta tha Westside.

I really enjoy Edmond Dantès posts on all things Tolkien. But this might be my favorite.

 

[Loxley]

Okay, so.. a big question I have about Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit is: what is the reason for the lack of women? Of course, there are some in LotR, but they are few and far between... and if I'm not mistaken, there are no female characters in The Hobbit at all. I know it's been asked before (frequently), and I've read a few speculations, too, but I don't feel like I entirely understand. Is it where Tolkien was drawing his inspiration (WWI)? Or just the era he was writing in, or something else? It doesn't impact my affection for the stories, but everyone likes something (or someone) they can relate to in stories they read, and the lack of ladies in such important literature is a bit of a bummer.

I'm sure Dantès can give a far better explanation, but from what I can recall Tolkien's experiences in WWI did have a decent amount of influence on his characters, with the bonds of the Fellowship - in particular between Frodo and Sam - mirroring those that form between soldiers on the battlefield. Specifically a British officer and his batman, or assistant/servant.

I can't recall if Tolkien ever directly addressed this in his letters or elsewhere, but I'm pretty there isn't one particular reason why the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit are so blatantly male-centric outside of Tolkien simply writing for any one specific age or gender demographic.

 

[B-Dubs]

I'm sure Dantès can give a far better explanation, but from what I can recall Tolkien's experiences in WWI did have a decent amount of influence on his characters, with the bonds of the Fellowship - in particular between Frodo and Sam - mirroring those that form between soldiers on the battlefield. Specifically a British officer and his batman, or assistant/servant.

I can't recall if Tolkien ever directly addressed this, in his letters or elsewhere, but from what I understand there isn't one particular reason why the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit are so blatantly male-centric outside of Tolkien simply writing for any one specific age or gender demographic.

That and what generation he was from pretty much explain it. I'm sure if he wrote it today there'd probably be some more important women.

 

[fredrancour]

That and what generation he was from pretty much explain it. I'm sure if he wrote it today there'd probably be some more important women.

It's funny imagining such changes come from the replacing of existing characters. Would one of the 4 hobbits leaving the shire have been a chick? Would the elf on the fellowship have been a lady instead? The inherent absurdity of elves would have balanced out any concerns about sending a chick on a mission likely to feature daily melee fighting.

I feel like if this was written today each book would have been slightly longer, and there would have been bigger subplots internal to rivendell, lorien, rohan, and gondor that would've added new characters. Perhaps we'd see the defenses of locations like lorien as actual chapters and not just a faint glimpse in the distance.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Okay, so.. a big question I have about Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit is: what is the reason for the lack of women? Of course, there are some in LotR, but they are few and far between... and if I'm not mistaken, there are no female characters in The Hobbit at all. I know it's been asked before (frequently), and I've read a few speculations, too, but I don't feel like I entirely understand. Is it where Tolkien was drawing his inspiration (WWI)? Or just the era he was writing in, or something else? It doesn't impact my affection for the stories, but everyone likes something (or someone) they can relate to in stories they read, and the lack of ladies in such important literature is a bit of a bummer.

To add to Loxley's great explanation.

Many of Tolkien's great female characters were saved for his most beloved work The Silmarillion (Luthien, Melian, Morwen, Nienor etc) and work that went unpublished; The Mariner's Wife (Erendis) and Athrabeth Finrod Ah Andreth (Andreth).

In an ideal world, the works above would have been completed and published during Tolkien's lifetime, as a result people would be far more aware of the majestic female characters that Tolkien was responsible for creating.

The main factor in influencing Tolkien's female characters was his mother who died after refusing medical intervention due to her beliefs. He martyrized her in a sense and this greatly affected his approach in developing female characters. You'll notice that many females in the Legendarium are of a good nature. The few exceptions include the spiders, the vampire, a Numenorean and a certain Queen with a fondness for cats. But the vast majority reflect what he saw in his mother, his wife and the countless women he encountered during the War.

In terms of The Hobbit, Tolkien wasn't wholly swept up by the zeitgiest of the time, he and his children (which included his little girl Priscilla) when devoloping The Hobbit just couldn't find an appropriate place to put one of his females in.

I'd recommend The Mariner's Wife and The Athrabeth Finrod Ah Andreth mentioned above.

 

[Candeldandel]

I'm sure Dantès can give a far better explanation, but from what I can recall Tolkien's experiences in WWI did have a decent amount of influence on his characters, with the bonds of the Fellowship - in particular between Frodo and Sam - mirroring those that form between soldiers on the battlefield. Specifically a British officer and his batman, or assistant/servant.

Oh good, I'm glad I wasn't too far off on that one. Could be this is one of the reasons I have issues with really "getting into" the story in LotR (besides the flowery language); relating to that kind of hardship is much beyond my knowledge. I can't even imagine

To add to Loxley's great explanation.

Many of Tolkien's great female characters were saved for his most beloved work The Silmarillion (Luthien, Melian, Morwen, Nienor etc) and work that went unpublished; The Mariner's Wife (Erendis) and Athrabeth Finrod Ah Andreth (Andreth).

In an ideal world, the works above would have been completed and published during Tolkien's lifetime, as a result people would be far more aware of the majestic female characters that Tolkien was responsible for creating.

The main factor in influencing Tolkien's female characters was his mother who died after refusing medical intervention due to her beliefs. He martyrized her in a sense and this greatly affected his approach in developing female characters. You'll notice that many females in the Legendarium are of a good nature. The few exceptions include the spiders, the vampire, a Numenorean and a certain Queen with a fondness for cats. But the vast majority reflect what he saw in his mother, his wife and the countless women he encountered during the War.

This makes me feel so much better, I can't even begin to express it! I've been disheartened by this because I know that Tolkien loved his wife very, very much, so I felt that he wasn't unfamiliar with women, or adverse to them in any way. I had noticed that many of the female characters have overwhelmingly positive (and just slightly ethereal) features, which is actually still a little rare in stories today, whereas the females with the more antagonistic qualities seem to be less human and more rooted in the fantasy realm.

Perhaps that's why I wanted more of his take on women; they're strong and gentle and loving and wise; I can't get enough genuine kindness he sees in the people around him <3

I'd recommend The Mariner's Wife and The Athrabeth Finrod Ah Andreth mentioned above.

Okay yeah, these'll be the next things to tackle on my reading list! Thank you so much

 

[Megalosaro]

Now... It's been some time since I read the Mariner's Wife. Some ten odd years. But wasn't Erendis kind of a bitch? Completely unwilling to compromise while her husband was out

Spoiler

fighting Sauron

.

It's a shame there isn't more Numenor material in general. Numenor plays such a huge role in mythology but what we know about them either comes from brisk descriptions or viewed in diluted form from the Gondorians we meet in LotR

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Now... It's been some time since I read the Mariner's Wife. Some ten odd years. But wasn't Erendis kind of a bitch? Completely unwilling to compromise while her husband was out

Spoiler

fighting Sauron

.

It's a shame there isn't more Numenor material in general. Numenor plays such a huge role in mythology but what we know about them either comes from brisk descriptions or viewed in diluted form from the Gondorians we meet in LotR

She had to deal with Aldarion's lofty ambitions and restlessness. I'm surprised she put up with him at all.

A detailed narrative dealing with Numenor would have been something on Tolkien's mind, but as with many things, he never had the time to complete it before the tiredness of life set in and Edith's death must also have had a profound affect on him.

 

[Loxley]

The OP is now complete. Sorry about that, there's a ludicrous number of options to sift through when choosing books about Tolkien. There are some good ones I unfortunately had to cut simply because I was starting to reach the max character limit per post.

Hopefully it's a satisfactory summation

 

[Edmond Dantès]

The OP is now complete. Sorry about that, there's a ludicrous number of options to sift through when choosing books about Tolkien. There are some good ones I unfortunately had to cut simply because I was starting to reach the max character limit per post.

Hopefully it's a satisfactory summation

You've done a fantastic job with the OP.

Salute.

Also, have you finished your reading of The Silmarillion? Would love to hear your thoughts.

 

[derder]

Just finished listening to the The Return of the King on Audiobook. It was my first time reading/listening to LOTR, ever.

I don't want it to be over, all I can think about is starting from the beginning with the fellowship again.

What do I do gaf?

 

[fierrotlepou]

Just finished listening to the The Return of the King on Audiobook. It was my first time reading/listening to LOTR, ever.

I don't want it to be over, all I can think about is starting from the beginning with the fellowship again.

What do I do gaf?

Start with The Hobbit again!

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Just finished listening to the The Return of the King on Audiobook. It was my first time reading/listening to LOTR, ever.

I don't want it to be over, all I can think about is starting from the beginning with the fellowship again.

What do I do gaf?

Move on to The Silmarillion audiobook narrated by Christopher Lee.

 

[derder]

Start with The Hobbit again!

I should. It's a quick read/listen.

This was my first time reading LOTR and I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. Robert Ingles does a great job and with my hour long commute, I looked forward to getting stuck in traffic. Ha!

The fellowship was my favorite our of the four (if you include the hobbit), mainly because it was less dark and dreary. I also enjoyed the sense of comradery and... well... companionship.

I hope someone turns this into a TV series similar to Game of Thrones. There's so much lost in the movies - especially how much sacrifice Sam has to make in Mordor.

Move on to The Silmarillion audiobook narrated by Christopher Lee.

I think I'll move on to reading a piece of non fiction before delving back into Tolkien. How does he compare to Robert Ingles, by the way?

 

[Edmond Dantès]

I should. It's a quick read/listen.

This was my first time reading LOTR and I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. Robert Ingles does a great job and with my hour long commute, I looked forward to getting stuck in traffic. Ha!

The fellowship was my favorite our of the four (if you include the hobbit), mainly because it was less dark and dreary. I also enjoyed the sense of comradery and... well... companionship.

I hope someone turns this into a TV series similar to Game of Thrones. There's so much lost in the movies - especially how much sacrifice Sam has to make in Mordor.



I think I'll move on to reading a piece of non fiction before delving back into Tolkien. How does he compare to Robert Ingles, by the way?

Christopher's narration is highly accomplished. His voice really does add the kind of weight needed for certain rather dramatic parts of the book.

 

[Loxley]

You've done a fantastic job with the OP.

Salute.

Also, have you finished your reading of The Silmarillion? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks man I'm actually only up to Of Fëanor and the Chaining of Melkor with the Silmarillion, mostly because of the combination of me being a slow reader and not having a ton of time to read at all over the past couple of weeks. But I am definitely enjoying it, the second time through everything is a lot more clear to me now. Especially because I'm listening to Corey Olsen's Silmarillion Seminars along the way, in addition to taking notes.

I'm really looking forward to getting to Akallabêth, which was my favorite chapter from my first read-through. I'm curious how it'll hold up for me.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Thanks man I'm actually only up to Of Fëanor and the Chaining of Melkor with the Silmarillion, mostly because of the combination of me being a slow reader and not having a ton of time to read at all over the past couple of weeks. But I am definitely enjoying it, the second time through everything is a lot more clear to me now. Especially because I'm listening to Corey Olsen's Silmarillion Seminars along the way, in addition to taking notes.

I'm really looking forward to getting to Akallabêth, which was my favorite chapter from my first read-through. I'm curious how it'll hold up for me.

The Numenorean's are a fascinating aspect of the Legendarium and another example how power is mostly associated with corruption in all the various species, including the Ainur.

I've said it before, but a Peter Weir directed film dealing with the Numenorean's would be quite something and seeing Sauron's face as he sits atop the throne in Numenor just as Eru sinks it would be rather satisfying.

 

[Loxley]

The Numenorean's are a fascinating aspect of the Legendarium and another example how power is mostly associated with corruption in all the various species, including the Ainur.

I've said it before, but a Peter Weir directed film dealing with the Numenorean's would be quite something and seeing Sauron's face as he sits atop the throne in Numenor just as Eru sinks it would be rather satisfying.

Completely agree, glad to see someone else has an appreciation for Master & Commander

 

[Ezio]

I get the feeling this topic will be more of a 'listen and read' topic for me

Most of those topics are way over my head. I should read the Silmarillion asap.

Since Eru is basically "God" would he have not known that Melkor would betray him when he created him?


Edit - Also Awesome OT Loxley!

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Since Eru is basically "God" would he have not known that Melkor would betray him when he created him?


Edit - Also Awesome OT Loxley!

It's the old case of 'free will' that's been discussed a multitude of times when dealing with many of the world's religions. In Melkor/Eru's case, it can be directly paralleled with Lucifer/God. Why create Lucifer knowing that he would rebel? Why endow Melkor with such might/pride knowing that he would rebel? It was debate Tolkien was well versed in and he integrated it into his own mythos.

 

[Loxley]

Oh and I did make sure to finally add the Letters From Father Christmas to the 'Poems and Short Stories' section. Definitely couldn't omit that.

 

[Ezio]

So it was mentioned earlier by Edmond I believe. But I don't think anyone posed the question. Who created the dragons? Did they have a hierarchy of power? If so, where was Smaug in that list?

Thanks for the answer to my other question Edmond!

 

[Edmond Dantès]

So it was mentioned earlier by Edmond I believe. But I don't think anyone posed the question. Who created the dragons? Did they have a hierarchy of power? If so, where was Smaug in that list?

Thanks for the answer to my other question Edmond!

Melkor engineered/corrupted them using creatures that already existed. He couldn't create anything himself. The father of the dragons was Glaurung, a wingless Fire Drake. The greatest dragon was Anacalagon who Melkor unleashed during the final battle of the First Age. There wasn't a hierarchy per se, but the Fire Drakes (fire breathing dragons) were more powerful than the Cold Drakes (non-fire breathers).

Of the named dragons (Glaurung, Anacalagon, Scatha, Smaug), Smaug would be on par with Glaurung, mainly because of his ability to fly. But Glaurung may have been a Maiar corrupted by Melkor, plus he was even more cunning than Smaug and had the ability to wipe people's minds.

Scatha was a Cold Drake, a menace to the Dwarves.

 

[Ezio]

Melkor engineered/corrupted them using creatures that already existed. He couldn't create anything himself. The father of the dragons was Glaurung, a wingless Fire Drake. The greatest dragon was Anacalagon who Melkor unleashed during the final battle of the First Age. There wasn't a hierarchy per se, but the Fire Drakes (fire breathing dragons) were more powerful than the Cold Drakes (non-fire breathers).

Of the named dragons (Glaurung, Anacalagon, Scatha, Smaug), Smaug would be on par with Glaurung, mainly because of his ability to fly. But Glaurung may have been a Maiar corrupted by Melkor, plus he was even more cunning than Smaug and had the ability to wipe people's minds.

Scatha was a Cold Drake, a menace to the Dwarves.

Just read a bit about Anacalagon, I'm suprised he was able to be beaten, being as big and powerful as he was.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Just read a bit about Anacalagon, I'm suprised he was able to be beaten, being as big and powerful as he was.

Earendil in his ship with a Silmaril was a deadly combination.

 

[Candeldandel]

The OP is now complete. Sorry about that, there's a ludicrous number of options to sift through when choosing books about Tolkien. There are some good ones I unfortunately had to cut simply because I was starting to reach the max character limit per post.

Hopefully it's a satisfactory summation

Good god, so much info... This thread is definitely going to grow into quite an incredible resource for everyone. I'm glad you included books about Tolkien; sometimes it can take a myriad of outside views to clarify a subject, and Tolkien and his world are no exception. Honestly, they're probably right at the top of the list!

Fabulous job, sir! I hope I get to see more of your Tolkien art, too

 

[Ezio]

Also just read that the Dwarves were "technically" the firstborn race by Aule. But Eru put them back to sleep because the Elves were supposed to be (or ordained) to be the firstborn. Is this why the two races don't seem to get along?

 

[Watevaman]

I have a few questions after watching The Hobbit again last night. These may have been answered in that big "why didn't Sauron just make another ring?" thread or in the books (I put The Silmarillion on the backburner when school started up) so forgive me if they've been answered.

1) Why is Galadriel seen as being above Gandalf in the scene in The Hobbit at Rivendell? I'm aware she has a ring, but I still don't know why a Maiar like Gandalf seems to see her as a superior.

2) What is the excuse for the eagles not bringing the company closer to Erebor? Is it a more narrative reason such as Smaug would have noticed them or is it more to prolong the film in a larger sense?

 

[CorvoSol]

I have a few questions after watching The Hobbit again last night. These may have been answered in that big "why didn't Sauron just make another ring?" thread or in the books (I put The Silmarillion on the backburner when school started up) so forgive me if they've been answered.

1) Why is Galadriel seen as being above Gandalf in the scene in The Hobbit at Rivendell? I'm aware she has a ring, but I still don't know why a Maiar like Gandalf seems to see her as a superior.

2) What is the excuse for the eagles not bringing the company closer to Erebor? Is it a more narrative reason such as Smaug would have noticed them or is it more to prolong the film in a larger sense?

1) It's probably like with Qui Gon Jinn. Gandalf is a very talented and educated Wizard, but he's not exactly the most obedient, straightlaced guy. Meanwhile Galadriel is, well, Galadriel and at that time I think only Saruman outranked her in their Council of the Wise or whatever. I'm pretty sure Gandalf had a ring, too, but being a Maiar, especially one that's since become a Wizard, doesn't put you above Elves. Maiar is kinda a very diverse club. After all, Balrogs, Istari, and Sauron are all Maiar, but Sauron is obviously not ranked with the Balrogs.

2)The Eagles are dicks. It's the answer I give everyone. They do small favors for Gandalf, but they're sure as hell not carrying a bunch of dwarves and hobbits to mountains of fire surrounded by dragons, ringwraiths, and pissed off demi-demi-Gods. That or, as I like to joke with my brother, Gandalf was playing on Hard Mode during the Hobbit. That's why he picks a party consisting solely of dwarves and a hobbit. Thus, he makes the Eagles drop them off, because he can't get all the XP he wants out of this quest unless he does some walking, and if his dwarves skip all that grinding on the way through Mirkwood, they'll never be high enough levels for the final battles.

We were talking today in one of my classes about the Silmarillion, and I compared it to the Old Testament. As in, "You read it, and your eyes kinda glaze over. Then you realize that it's a chapter entirely about a guy killing a bunch of other guys with a jawbone. And the Silmarillion you read it, and your eyes kinda glaze over. Then you realize its a chapter entirely devoted to a wolf who is breathing fire because he ate a magical gem and won't stop breathing fire till his guts burn out."

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Also just read that the Dwarves were "technically" the firstborn race by Aule. But Eru put them back to sleep because the Elves were supposed to be (or ordained) to be the firstborn. Is this why the two races don't seem to get along?

Exactly that. Eru even says it to Aule, just after he grants the Dwarves actual life.

 

[Loxley]

I have this amusing image in my head of the dwarves sprouting out of the ground and Eru knocking them back in like whack-a-moles.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

I have this amusing image in my head of the dwarves sprouting out of the ground and Eru knocking them back in like whack-a-moles.

Close enough.

 

[Candeldandel]

Y'all are really feeding the pity I have for the dwarves, damn! They really did get the ...something... end of the stick, over and over again. I'm a little afraid of how I'm gonna react to reading about it on my own. Sometimes the details just make me sad! Why? Why does Tolkien invoke such sadness??

/sob

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Y'all are really feeding the pity I have for the dwarves, damn! They really did get the ...something... end of the stick, over and over again. I'm a little afraid of how I'm gonna react to reading about it on my own. Sometimes the details just make me sad! Why? Why does Tolkien invoke such sadness??

/sob

It took three ages, but the strife between the Dwarves and Elves was finally resolved during the gift giving of Galadriel, not to mention Gimli been granted the privilege of travelling to the West with Legolas by his side.

 

[fierrotlepou]

Close enough.

Wow, that's rather dark and twisted. I didn't know such things occured in the LOTR history.

 

[Loxley]

Wow, that's rather dark and twisted. I didn't know such things occured in the LOTR history.

Oh, Tolkien was not afraid of getting dark and twisted with the Legendarium. Seriously, read that list of things that happen in The Children of Húrin (although I would simply recommend reading it since it's a beautifully written story), hard to believe it's that same universe in which the kid-friendly Hobbit happened.

 

[Ape Gone Insane]

Loxley, a link to TV Tropes? Why?! Now I'm going to be stuck on the site, exploring every link on the page and then every link on the successive pages and so on. D:

 

[CorvoSol]

It took three ages, but the strife between the Dwarves and Elves was finally resolved during the gift giving of Galadriel, not to mention Gimli been granted the privilege of travelling to the West with Legolas by his side.

Does that even count, though? Of course there was no more strife between Dwarves and Elves. The Elves all left. Can't well have strife if they all just left.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Does that even count, though? Of course there was no more strife between Dwarves and Elves. The Elves all left. Can't well have strife if they all just left.

Many Elves remained in Middle-earth. Legolas even established a colony away from Thranduil's kingdom.

Even after Legolas left, a certain number of Elves remained, those unwilling to go to Valinor. They would have suffered a fate not to disimilar to the Dwarves; dimishment. Their raiments dissipating and becoming specters that the race of men would be oblivious to.

 

[Candeldandel]

Yeah, I love the hell outta the end of Legolas & Gimli's story. I found this post a while back (apologies for the film refrence; it's the backstory that I like). Though it lacks the eloquence I'm used to around here, it still made me tear up when I read it. The title (?) Elf-friend gives me the warm fuzzies 'cause it carries so much meaning <3

Many Elves remained in Middle-earth. Legolas even established a colony away from Thranduil's kingdom.

Even after Legolas left, a certain number of Elves remained, those unwilling to go to Valinor. They would have suffered a fate not to disimilar to the Dwarves; dimishment. Their raiments dissipating and becoming specters that the race of men would be oblivious to.

So they diminished, erm, not "together", but in a way? Comradery via diminishment.

And the specters... Did they remain forever? Do they remain forever...

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Yeah, I love the hell outta the end of Legolas & Gimli's story. I found this post a while back (apologies for the film refrence; it's the backstory that I like). Though it lacks the eloquence I'm used to around here, it still made me tear up when I read it. The title (?) Elf-friend gives me the warm fuzzies 'cause it carries so much meaning <3



So they diminished, erm, not "together", but in a way? Comradery via diminishment.

And the specters... Did they remain forever? Do they remain forever...

Yes, in Tolkien's mind the spirits of the Elves who remained in Middle-earth are still present in what is now either the Sixth or Seventh age. Bound to Arda until its breaking and the weaving of a new Arda free from Melkor's discord.

Sauron too, clawing at the physical world, devoid of any of his original angelic powers.

 

[Loxley]

'Some Speculation About Tolkien's The Fall of Arthur'

 

[Edmond Dantès]

'Some Speculation About Tolkien's The Fall of Arthur'

I'm looking forward to delving into Tolkien's take on the Arthurian legend.

 

[fredrancour]

So the very end of the hobbit behind-the-scenes/teaser livestream today featured footage of

Spoiler

Gandalf and radagast exploring some place that I think Jackson called the High Fells, which contained the tomb of the ringwraiths. Did they make this up? I thought the ringwraiths never really died/got sealed up and just kind of languished in obscurity for ages as feeble spirits.

Spoiler contains a question as to whether added content is legendarium stuff I hadn't heard of or original movie interpretations of events.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

So the very end of the hobbit behind-the-scenes/teaser livestream today featured footage of

Spoiler

Gandalf and radagast exploring some place that I think Jackson called the High Fells, which contained the tomb of the ringwraiths. Did they make this up? I thought the ringwraiths never really died/got sealed up and just kind of languished in obscurity for ages as feeble spirits.

Spoiler contains a question as to whether added content is legendarium stuff I hadn't heard of or original movie interpretations of events.

It is a bit revisionist history from the writers of the film. The Nazgul were never entombed by the Dúnedain. They remained in Minas Morgul awaiting Sauron's reclamation of title after preparing himself in Dol Guldur as The Necromancer.