Realmer`s Digest #2

Transcription

Realmer`s Digest #2

COUNCIL OF ELROND’S REALM MAGAZINE
REALMER’S DIGEST
Number 2, May 2008
lotr musical
a phantasmagoria of light,
action and sound...
providence in lotr
find out all about Eru Iluvatar’s
involvement in the War of the Ring
around middle-earth
a report from the lotr movie locations tour
Also in this issue:
Earendil, Bard, Boat Building,
Trolls, Women of Middle Earth, Poetry
lord of the rings realm of nienna nienna news
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Editor’s Note
I welcome you my fellow council members to the second
Realmer’s Digest. It’s been a long five months since
our first issue and you have my apologies for such a
delay. But I hope you’ll find the wait worth it and that
you’ll enjoy all the wonderful articles we have prepaired
for you.
Once again we have something for everyone’s tastes.
Book fans should check out the character profiles.
Again Ilandir did a fantastic job and introduced
Earendil to us, while Princess Pana will warm us up
for the upcoming Hobbit madness with her article on Bard. For the movie fans we
have 2 great articles done by Lossendiliel who traveled to New Zealand this spring
and prepaired a movie locations tour review and a tourism article for you to enjoy.
We devoted a few pages of this issue to Trolls, thanks to Rose who wrote in detail
about this ever popular race of Middle-Earth. For a bit of culture we have a review
of the LotR musical performed in London, and the standard poetry and photography
sections. RD is also a good place to meet your fellow council members. You’ll have a
chance to find out how Isillinde and Dolwen were inspired by their realms, and what
Tholinnas and Lady Alya do for hobbies.
And for this issue’s spotlight we have a great article written by Lotr Qlan called
Providence in LotR. Be sure to read it and find out if (and how) Eru Iluvatar was
involved in the War of the Ring.
There is of course plenty more to find here so have fun exploring the rest on your own.
One more thing I’d like to mention and that’s that we have finally uploaded the 3
“Nienna News” magazines to CoE. If you’re interested to see how this magazine
looked before we expanded it to other realms then take a few minutes and download
them. I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading them as well :)
http://www.councilofelrond.com/downloads/realms/nienna_news_November_06.pdf
http://www.councilofelrond.com/downloads/realms/nienna_news_January_07.pdf
http://www.councilofelrond.com/downloads/realms/nienna_news_August_07.pdf
Head Dwarf of RD
Aegor
Earendil - Character profile ... by Ilandir (Ulmo)
Bard - Character profile ... by Princess Pana (Nienna)
LotR Musical Review ... by Princess Pana (Nienna)
Women in Middle-Earth ... by Princess Pana (Nienna)
Around Middle-Earth ... by Lossendiliel (Yavanna)
Lord of the Rings Tourism in New Zeland ... by Lossendiliel (Yavanna)
"Journey" - A short story ... by Rose (Nienna)
Rohan Restaurant ... by Adonnenniel (Nienna)
Trolls ... by Rose (Nienna)
Providence in the Lord of the Rings ... by lotr_qlan (Aule)
Boat Building ... by Tholinnas (Nienna)
Tolkien Trivia ... by lotr_qlan (Aule)
Carrying Tulkas With You ... by Isillinde (Tulkas)
Carrying Vaire With You ... by Dolwen (Vaire)
Scarecrow Week ... by Magoleth (Nienna)
Hobbies - Woolery ... by Lady_Alya (Vana)
Middle-Earth Comic ... by Adonnenniel (Nienna)
Poetry
56 The Gifts of the Zenith ... by Ithilia (Varda)
57 Awakening ... by Princess Pana (Nienna)
58 Evermind ... by lotr_qlan (Aule)
59 Far Over the Dreary Highways Cold ... by Gumawerian (Ulmo)
60 Longing ... by raina_alasse and Ar-Rahmandur (Ulmo)
62 Middle-Earth on Earth - Photography
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Contents
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Character Profile: Earendil
Introduction
Eärendil is one of (if not) the most
important figure in the history of
the First Age of Middle-Earth.
He has been renowned throughout
the Ages for his acts of bravery and
is ever mentioned in numerous tales
and lays.
by Alice Falto
Other Names and the Etymological
Due to his experiences in the First Age, Eärendil has also being given other names
such as: 'Half Elven', 'The Blessed', 'The Bright' and 'The Mariner'.
The name Eärendil in itself means, 'Lover of the Sea' in the High Elven Language
of Quenya 'Ëar' being the word for 'sea'.
History of Eärendil
Eärendil was a half-elf being, the son of Tuor (Hurin's brother) and Idril (daughter
of Turgon, High Elf King of Gondolin). He was born in this same city of
Gondolin, 503 years since the Noldor's arrival to Middle-Earth.
In 'The Silmarillion' a specific paragraph, sums up the most important traits of this
character:
“Of surpassing beauty was Eärendil, for a light was in his face as the light of heaven,
and he had the beauty and the wisdom of the Eldar and the strength and hardihood of
the Men of old and the Sea spoke ever in his ear and heart, even as with Tuor his
father.” Of Tuor and The Fall of Gondolin
(Turgon's kinsman). It resulted that Gondolin was attacked, when Eärendil was
only seven years old. They passed through many perils until finally they came to the
Western shores of Beleriand. After such escape, Eärendil's parents (Tuor and
Idril) left the shores of the Hither lands and sailed away to the uttermost West,
though of their fate, none ever knew what had become.
As Eärendil grew older, dwelling “nigh to Sirion's mouths” ('The Silmarillion'
Of The Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath), he married Elwing the fair
and had two sons, Elrond and Elros. During this time, he sailed around all the shores
of the Hither Lands trying to settle down his restlessness, though in vain.
By befriending Cirdan the Shipwright (who dwelt upon the shores near the Isle of
Balar), he built his ship Vingilot, The Foam-Flower, whom Men call Rothinzil.
In 'The Silmarillion' it is described as being the “fairest of the ships of song” Of
The Voyage Eärendil and the War of Wrath. It was built using timbers from the
Birchwoods of Nimbrethil, south of Beleriand near the mouths of Sirion. He used
the vessel to go on long voyages exploring the vast and unconquered seas of the world.
By this time, the Silmaril taken by Beren and Lúthien from Morgoth's crown, had
then passed to Elwing. But after the attack of Maglor and Maedhros upon her land
and people to reclaim the jewel, she cast herself into the sea.
But it happened then that: “Ulmo bore up Elwing out of the waves ... and upon her
breast there shone as a star the Silmaril, as she flew over the water to seek Eärendil
her beloved.” ('The Silmarillion' Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of
It was during this time that Morgoth bent his thought on the city. He tried to seek it
in all ways until finally, he succeeded, through the capture and confession of Maeglin
Wrath).
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It was then that Eärendil began to seek again for Valinor and ask for the aid of the
Valar. With Elwing by his side and the Silmaril on his brow, he sailed to the
Uttermost West. It is thought that the Silmaril protected them and brought them
safely past Tol Eressëa and upon the shores on the Bay of Eldamar a deed that
no living man had done ever before.
Leaving Elwing by the shores, Eärendil went to seek out the Valar, but the lands
around were empty and Tirion (The Elven City) was deserted. Just as he was
turning back in despair, he was taken by Eönwë (Herald of Manwë) to Valinor.
Holding a Council together, the Valar granted Eärendil's prayer; i.e. to pardon
the Noldor and have pity and mercy on Men and Elves to aid them in their need.
Manwë also gave Eärendil and
his family, the chance to choose
under which kindred they would
join and be judged. Both Elwing
and Eärendil chose to be with the
Firstborn of the Children of
Ilúvatar.
Concerning Vingilot, it is said
that: “… they (Valar) took
Vingilot, and hollowed it, and
bore it away through Valinor to
the uttermost rim of the world,
and there it passed through the
Door of Night and was lifted up
even into the oceans of heaven”.
“Far he (Eärendil) journeyed
in that ship, even into the starless
voids; but most often was he seen
at morning or at evening,
glimmering in sunrise or sunset
…” ('The Silmarillion' Of The Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath).
Later History
Such was the importance of Earendil as an inspiring figure that in 'The Lord of
the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring', in the chapter 'Farewell to Lorien', as
the Company of the Ring prepare to depart from the Elven realm, Galadriel gives
a phial to Frodo. It is said to contain the light of Earendil and was to be used “in
dark places, when all other lights go out.” ('The Fellowship of the Ring'
Farewell to Lórien).
Of the Fate of Eärendil
By reading Tolkien's entire mythology, spanning from 'The Silmarillion' until
'The Lord of the Rings', it is clear that Eärendil has remained a historical figure,
being sung in various works, such as The Lay
of Eärendil and in all Three Ages, he is
mentioned as voyaging through the skies. It
seems fairly certain that throughout all those
thousands of years, Eärendil has always kept
watch upon both land and heaven and will
continue to do so until the Last Battle and the
ending of the world.
by Ilandir
The War of Wrath
After Eärendil's brave act and his journeying into the heaven with the Silmaril,
seen from afar, the people of Beleriand called it Gil-Estel, the Star of High
Hope. For them, it was a sign that all was made ready and they no longer
despaired; but Morgoth was filled with doubt.
In the last chapter of 'The Silmarillion' it is described how the Valar and their
host came to the aid of Beleriand and defeated Morgoth. Eärendil also took part
in this great War: “… about Vingilot were gathered all the great birds of
Heaven …” and it was then that Eärendil faced his greatest opponent, Ancalagon
the Black, greatest of Morgoth's dragons. They fought for an entire day until
finally, Eärendil slew the creature and it fell upon Thangorodrim, bringing an end
to Morgoth's realm.
With this defeat, the Dark Lord was trust into the void and Eärendil keeps
watch upon the ramparts of the sky, scouting around the Door of Night beyond the
Walls of the World into the Timeless Void.
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Bard, the Unlikely Hero
Bard the Bowman who killed the Dragon in the Hobbit was an unusual kind of
hero. His qualities were not appreciated by his fellow town dwellers, and he
remained an unrecognised Hero until he had actually destroyed Smaug, the
Dragon from the Lonely Mountain. As the narrator suspends telling the story of
Bilbo and the dwarves at the mountain, and focuses on Smaug, the Dragon flies
toward Lake Town to wreak vengeance. The people of Lake Town see the dragon
coming from a long way off (some think at first that his fire is the river running with
gold as per the prophecies of old) and prepare archers and many buckets of water to
douse the coming flames. Their readiness is of little help, for Smaug flies over the
town and lights every roof on fire. The men’s arrows bounce harmlessly off the
dragon’s diamond-like hide. When most of the men have abandoned the city, and the
Master of the city seeks to save himself and his fortune, one man, Bard, the captain
of the archers, readies his last arrow. Suddenly, a thrush lands on his shoulder and
speaks in a language he can understand. The bird tells Bard to watch for the
dragon’s weak spot in the hollow of his left breast. Bard looks, sees the open patch,
and lets fly his arrow. It plunges through the chink in the Dragon’s armour and
buries itself in the dragon’s heart. The beast comes crashing down, destroying the
rest of Lake Town as he dies. Bard manages to dive safely into the water and join
the rest of his people, who are mourning the dead and their lost town.
Bard’s opportunity for heroism lay in three gifts, the gift of prophecy, a famed
ancestral weapon, and an understanding of birds. With his prophetic insight, Bard
made gloomy predictions that made him unpopular. In an allusion to the Biblical
story of Noah, one of the doomed citizens scoffs: "You are always foreboding gloomy
things...Anything from floods to poisoned fish." Bard can also be compared to the
ancient character of Greek Mythology, Cassandra, who is unheeded in her prophetic
warnings to the town of Troy. It was this gift however that made him anticipate the
Dragon’s coming and warn the people of Lake Town of what would come to pass.
The unfailing arrow with which Bard shot the dragon is an heirloom, that had been
passed from father to son down a line descended from Girion, Lord of Dale, whose
realm had been destroyed by the dragon when it entered the region one hundred and
seventy years before.
From the point of view of Mythology, however, the most familiar part of the Bard’s
story was his inherited understanding of birds. Bard’s descent from the people of
Dale, who lived in peace with Thorin’s ancestors in happier times, before Smaug,
allows him to hear the words of the thrush that had listened to Bilbo and the
Dwarves & learn of the dragon’s one weak point. In many myths and folk tales it
was understood that birds & beasts spoke among themselves and were aware of events
distant in time and place. In Tolkien’s work too, some animals spoke in their own
languages whilst others, such as Eagles, spoke the Common tongue. In myth, the
special knowledge that birds and beasts had was sometimes supernatural, that is
prophetic knowledge or knowledge of what people thought secretly. The very nature
of a bird is to go farther & see more than humans do from the ground and animals can
listen unnoticed to secret conversations. The Old thrush that warned Bard was such
an unrecognised listener, but the unrealised power that readied Bard for battle with
the dragon was his own. In old folk tales the special knowledge of animals was often
disclosed to a hero or a potential hero. The lesson of this universal type of story is
that good deeds are recognised and rewarded.
The name Bard establishes the character as a "story-teller" which may account for
the people' of Lake Town’s disregard of his news in general and for Tolkien's higher
estimation of his character, for Tolkien is himself a Bard. Many Mythical heroes
were, like Bard, undistinguished until they had acted on magical information they
had received in folk tales and fairy stories. In such stories the basic theme, which no
doubt appealed to Tolkien, is the implication that if a person has qualities which are
unrecognized by his contemporaries, then insightful outsiders or even wild beasts still
know his true worth (Both Bilbo & Faramir are extensions of this theme) and
sometimes supernaturally come to his aid.
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Bard’s purpose in the hobbit was to be the dragonslayer. Rather than choosing an
established leader such as the Master of Laketown for this venture, Tolkien
produced a new character, an unrecognised hero, though of royal stock who by his
heroic acts established himself as, and was chosen as, ruler by his people. Bard, the
only human hero in ‘The Hobbit‘, is grim, courageous, and honourable. Bard is also
brave enough to be the last man standing in the town and skilled enough to kill Smaug
with a single shot. Some blame the dwarves for waking the dragon, but most assume
that they too are dead. Then the Lake men remember the gold in the Lonely
Mountain, and they think eagerly of how the wealth could rebuild their town. Bard
is kind and reasonable, presenting the demands of the men and Elves as politely as
possible to Thorin and asking only for what is needed to rebuild Lake Town and
help alleviate his people’s suffering.
After they find the treasure, the dwarves’ disturbing greed escalates to the extent
that Thorin seems more like a villain than a hero by Chapter 15. We sense that poor
Bilbo, as an ally of the dwarves, is stuck on the wrong side of the conflict. When
the Elven and human armies advance to propose that the treasure be shared, the
narrator observes that Thorin’s lust for gold has been building ever since he entered
the dragon’s lair. This lust has made Thorin and most of the other dwarves totally
unreasonable. We are told that only Bombur, Fili, and Kili do not completely
share Thorin’s stubbornness. He’s not simply criticizing the dwarf race, Tolkien’s
depiction of the dwarves’ insensitivity serves as a warning against the destructive
power of greed, in Life as in Tales, which has turned those who were once friends,
the dwarves under the mountain and the men of Dale, into enemies. Humans,
dwarves, and Elves who are all “Good People,” ought to be on the same side in
Middle-Earth, and their common enemy ought to be evil creatures, such as the
goblins. Such was the case while the dragon was alive, but now that Smaug is out of
the way, lust for gold blurs the proper lines between good and evil. This is the
inevitable Moral to grasp at the tale’s conclusion.
by Princess Pana
In a sense, Bilbo’s desire for peace and his generous desire to share the treasure is
a mark of The Hobbit’s swerving between the modern and ancient epic traits that
shape his character. Bard’s slaying of the dragon is thoroughly drawn from epic
literature, but Bilbo’s desire for a peaceful outcome to the conflict would be hard
to find in Anglo- Saxon literature. In ancient Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian
epics, gold and treasure were treated with the same seriousness and reverence that
is exhibited here by the dwarves. Bilbo’s desire for understanding and sharing is a
sign that, having explored Epic heroism both in Bilbo’s past actions and in Bard’s
slaying of Smaug, Tolkien is also interested in exploring a more modern notion of
heroism, which connects Courage to sympathy and understanding, a theme that
prefigures the Heroic Characters that will adorn ‘The Lord of the Rings’.
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The Lord of the Rings Musical
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London.
YOU’VE read the book, you’ve seen the movies, now here’s the musical – except it
isn’t really a musical, but a series of spectacular scenes with dialogue and songs. And
spectacular is hardly the word for it – it’s a phantasmagoria of light, action and
sound, - the stage revolves , sections of it rise and fall, people appear and disappear
as if by magic, there are fireworks, lighting, and other effects which really have to be
seen to be appreciated. There are walking, talking Ents, Elves appearing out of the
foliage covering the auditorium boxes and well choreographed kabuki style fights
where one side seems to be on springs which makes for impressive action.
Amid all this there is a story trying to get out, one which covers three long volumes
(four if you count The Hobbit) and here condensed into under three hours. How then
does it work? . . . It doesn’t!
The authors have done their best to try to bridge the gaps between scenes with
descriptive dialogue, but unless you have prior knowledge of the tale it doesn’t really
add up or make sense. To try to cram all the action from Tolkien’s tome into three
movies was already tough, to fit it into a three hour musical has proved impossible. If
you hadn't read the book or seen the films, you would almost certainly be lost. But
does that matter? I believe so, but that’s a personal decision. My companion, who
has very little idea about Middle Earth and all that flows therefrom, just sat back
and enjoyed it for what it was – a fabulous visual pleasure.
Acting-wise, Sam (Peter Howe) took the
Hobbit crown… lead actor Frodo (James
Loye) came across somewhat stilted as the put
upon “hero” of the tale. He failed to make
Frodo the least bit sympathetic, so we never
empathised with him or cared where he went or
what he got up to. Sam’s devoted journey
however, portrayed the genuine struggle between the perils of friendship and the safe
and familiar embrace of home. The writing didn't allow for the audience to connect
emotionally to the characters, and we lost the main plot of Frodo and Sam's journey
along the way. Jerome Praden's Aragorn was a proud warrior struggling with his
duty and heritage and his love for the beautiful Elf Lady Arwen (picture), played by
Rosalie Craig. Both were particularly inept with absolutely no stage presence and
displaying the most, wooden, school production 'dramatic' acting. It was Malcolm
Storry as Gandalf though, who was the most disappointing. He spoke too quickly
and his performance was just not believable, his disappearances and reappearances
were incoherent, the enormity of his task of living up to the character created by Ian
McKellan proved way too much.
We were seated in the first row of the lower balcony and had a great view of the
stage. The Shire greeted us through a forest growing out from a proscenium arch,
and the centre-piece, a giant gold ring surrounded by branches, was the door to
Bilbo’s hobbit hole, which ingeniously doubled as a portent of Sauron’s eye. Hobbits
were chasing around the auditorium catching fireflies as the audience took their seats
and I have No idea how they made the fireflies look so real. This set the scene and
over the next three hours (yes, it was that long), we were impressed by the tech
wizardry on display. The Theatre Royal had shut down for four months to prepare
for this production; it’s easy to see why. Visually, the set is spectacular. Twisted
bramble, a rotating stage, in fact a rising, falling, spinning stage, and exquisite
lighting give an impressive ‘wow-factor’.
Mechanics aside, there are, of course, actors
amidst the visual glory trying to make their
presence felt without, I’m afraid, very much
success as the scenario is so episodic. Even
with the help of the synopsis in the programme
it’s very difficult to follow. Every line was
basically a chapter from the book, there was
next-to-no time for character development.
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Laura Michelle Kelly,
however, made a very fetching
Lady of the Golden Wood,
she sang beautifully and
dominated her scenes as the
character should. Gollum also
enthralled. Unaided by
Hollywood animations,
Canadian actor Michael
Therriault twisted his lanky
body like an emaciated,
strange, ring-obsessed goblin
on narcotics. The rasping voice and erratic behaviour evoked collective audience
pity, fear, humour and curiosity… .he was the personification of demonic evil, his
hissing voice and physical writhings, his entrance, (which he makes climbing down the
scenery), is breathtaking, and he never lets up, maintaining a performance which
makes one forget for a moment that this is a human being and an actor, not a demented
creature. Just the way Gollum should be. He was Superb. Apart from Gollum &
Galadriel’s stunning performances, the other characters were shoddily portrayed. At
best the acting was average. At worst . . . ?? The songs didn’t quite work well
either, or were too long-winded. The music was distinctly ‘Bollywoodish’.
A helter-skelter journey through the tattered remanants of JRR Tolkien’s great
work ensued and anything and everything that might be a bit complex or demanding
was simply elided. So we bounced from Bilbo’s eleventy-first birthday party (cue a
song) to the Prancing Pony
(cue a really big number) in
a breathless whirl. There
was a very clever staging of
Bilbo’s disappearance at the
end of the party when he puts
on the ring, and the horror of
the Dark Riders was
alluded to, (the dark riders
were giant puppets that
really looked scary and huge
and perfect) but it was all
terribly jumbled.
We were then introduced to
Saruman’s orcs, the Uruk-hai,
very full of wicked energy, most had
to prance around on crutches. The
lucky ones got to wear bouncy stilt
things which made them doubly
scary. Then off to the Mines of
Moria. Speak Friend, and Enter.
In we went & Pippin dropped a
stone down the well . . . . Gandalf
stands front of stage facing the
audience and proclaims as fiery light
surrounds him that the Balrog will
not pass. Unfortunately for poor
Gandalf, the Balrog appeared from
the centre of the stage, whipping him
down to the underworld and Act I
closed.
A 20 minute trip to the bar!!
There were two intermissions. The first was a normal one. There were still two
volumes to be played out and as we returned, there were Ents, played by actors on
breathtakingly high stilts. Truly stunning, but of course time would not permit
more than a brief treatment of their role within the story. The battle of the
Hornburg took some three minutes, and was interpreted through dance, which
started off well but became tedious to the point where it started to look like a boy
Suddenly, we arrived in Rivendell where there were a lot of Elves floating. The
Elf costumes were incredibly ornate, one had 1,800 hand-sewn Swarovski
crystals on it. (according to the programme). Again, wonderfully staged. Indeed,
this was a major theme throughout the entire evening: the staging was everything.
The central revolving section, which elevated and descended in various sections,
was put to great use and allowed some deft scene changes whilst conveying the
physical journey being undertaken. Frodo recovers from being stabbed by a dark
rider’s dagger (I can’t remember it happening, but maybe they sung about it),
Bilbo reappears, as does Gandalf, and they have a hasty Council of Elrond. So
we stumbled on.
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band in armour doing a routine. After that my attention wandered, along with the
flotsam and jetsam of Tolkien’s plot.
The second intermission was short, and you didn't leave your seat. They just
brought down the curtain, upped the lights a little and set the Orcs loose in the
theatre. These Orcs were pure nightmare material – their bouncing, screeching,
dribbling was terribly magnificent. A surprisingly-scary-up-close Orc approached
us snarling and I screamed … and in case you venture to the Royal Theatre, I’m
leaving you a surprise! Let’s just say Arachnophobics are advised to steer well clear
. . . Shelob was impressively amazing and the scary bits were awe inspiring, as was
the final casting of the ring into the Crack of Doom.
Technically the show is brilliant, with some clever effects and ‘wow’ moments but
this is no compensation for a generally disappointing show. Frankly, you can't dress
up bad acting with special effects. The songs, when they appeared, were lacklustre
and one might just as well have done without them except, I suppose, you can get
away with more obfuscation of the plot if you describe it as a Musical rather than a
dramatisation of the original. It always felt like the story was competing with the
spectacle, never evening itself out to create a seamless interwoven stunning piece of
theatre. As a straight play it might have worked but as a musical - NO! in a word.
This is a spectacular piece of theatre, but that is all it is – Tolkien’s ‘Lord of the
Rings’ it isn’t!
by Princess Pana
My first introduction to JRR Tolkien was ‘The Hobbit‘, a thoughtful thirteenth
Birthday gift for a girl who adores fantasy literature. I read it and re-read it so
many times, until that first paperback wore out. I don’t remember how many times
I’ve read ‘The Lord ofthe Rings’ either, maybe ten times, maybe a dozen, maybe
more... But I do remember feeling somewhat lonely in the ancient, masculine
fellowships of both books. My reading mind wanted something Fantastical,
something on the other side of boundaries & tradition, something that included me...
My loneliness dissipated when later I met with Éowyn, but how many girls,
women, put Tolkien down at an early stage on the journey, and close the book on the
fellowship? How many stop in the middle of the Road and abandon Tolkien as a
‘Male’ oriented writer, creating fantasy for other males? How many think, as the
heroic Aragorn puts it to Éowyn, that “This was no place for women and
children.” What place is there for Women in Middle-Earth ?
An Oxford professor of Anglo-Saxon & Philology, Tolkien moved in a world
steeped in masculine intellectuality. Although he himself took female students,
women played almost no part in scholarly life at Oxford in the 1930s, 40s & 50s.
Tolkien was also a prominent member of the Inklings, an all-male coterie of pipesmoking, pub-loving Dons. Like many men in such a milieu, Tolkien put women on
a pedestal. In an era that doesn’t prize traditional female virtues, his work stands
out for its idealized view of women.
He takes us back to a more romantic and feminine approach to the female presence.
He highly honours their traditional roles. Now, Heroines think nothing of saddling
a horse, belting on a sword, and riding off on adventures of all kinds. They
overcome evil, acquire knowledge & power, assume thrones, and give out orders
Women in Middle-Earth
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with no qualms. Then, women were left back in their palaces to weave, wait and
wonder how the adventurers were faring. The Fellowship, the Wizard’s
Strongholds, the Battlefields, the Bastions of Power were all solely the preserve of
males.
To the ire of feminists, LOTR’s three heroines conform to conventional feminine
types, not unique to Tolkien, but familiar from Medieval literature and Fairy tales.
These are Arwen the Fairy Bride, Galadriel the Good Witch, and Eówyn the
Shield Maiden. Their negative equivalents, however, are significantly absent.
Tolkien doesn’t include evil counterparts so there’s no Temptress, Sorceress, or
Femme Fatale in his story. Nor are any women ever shown in the service of the
Dark Lord Sauron, or his ancient master, Morgoth. Tolkien’s heroines,
furthermore, excel in traditional feminine functions. They inspire, counsel, preserve,
nourish, and heal - all life nurturing services! They are mistresses of domestic arts,
Arwen embroiders, Galadriel weaves, Eówyn cares for her infirm uncle and manages
his royal household.
When ‘The Fellowship of the Ring‘, came out in 2001, a newspaper article noted
that there "wasn’t much oestrogen flowing" in the movie. Filmmaker Peter Jackson,
however, has made some intriguing changes to the story’s female characters. His
principal alteration was to give Tolkien’s
Women more screen-time and more
opportunities to be active. In the book, Arwen
the Elf maiden may seem just a pretty face, a
promised trophy wife to reward the human hero
Aragorn for his mighty deeds. She’s meant to be
Aragorn’s supportive partner who makes him
more compassionate & strengthens him, making
him more of a man than he would have otherwise
been. Despite her significance, Arwen makes
only the briefest appearances in the books. This
treatment would do for a Medieval romance but
contemporary audiences, of any sexual politics,
expect to see more of the hero’s love interest. As
director, co-producer, and co-writer of the three
‘Rings’movies, Jackson widened Arwen’s role,
casting Liv Tyler in the part. He dramatized
the poignant romance of Arwen and Aragorn that
The filmed ‘Fellowship of the Ring’ puts a sword in Arwen’s hand, supposedly the
sword of her great-grandmother, Luthien, who Tolkien probably didn’t picture
armed. And it’s Arwen, rather than the male Elf warrior Glorfindel, who rescues
Frodo, the hobbit who bears the Ring, when enemy forces close in. For ‘The Two
Towers‘, the second film in the trilogy, Peter Jackson invented a scene where a
vision of Arwen restores the breath of life to an ailing Aragorn. The concluding
instalment, ‘The Return of the King’ devises another initiative, Arwen requests
the re-forging of Aragorn’s broken ancestral sword to enhance his manhood, aid his
military prospects, and strengthen his claim to his throne. The written text has her
engaging in a more conventional female pursuit - embroidering his Royal banner. In
the film, Arwen herself brings the banner to Aragorn’s Coronation, but it’s not
specified as her own handiwork. Purists may scream about the alterations and
doctrinaire feminists are unlikely to have been mollified with all his tinkering, but I
think Jackson has done a Splendid job!
Arwen’s maternal grandmother Galadriel,
greatest of her people, is a far more complex
character, ably played by Cate Blanchett.
Eager to come to Middle-earth, Galadriel
listened to the voices of rebellion and
departed the Undying Lands against the will
of the Valar who rule there. She is forceful
in other ways as well. Her mother originally
called her "Man-maiden" because at six feet
four inches in height, she was the tallest of all
Elf~women and notably athletic. Despite
her formidable appearance, she functions as a
compassionate, consoling, protective, wise
mother-figure, possessing soft feminine
traits. She is also bearer of Nenya, the ring
of Adamant, one of the three gifted to the
Elves.
Tolkien had relegated to an appendix in his hobbit-centered story. Jackson
emphasizes Arwen as a source of loyal encouragement, she believes in Aragorn’s
destiny more strongly than he initially does. Against her father’s wishes, she insists
on sharing her lover’s mortal status even before he’s won his victory.
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Another female character skilfully adapted by Jackson is Eówyn, a human maiden
played by Australian actress Miranda Otto. Eówyn is the 24-year-old niece and
nursemaid of enfeebled King Theoden. Called "the Steel Lily," she longs to do
great deeds in the company of men. Tolkien depicts her plight with sympathy but
implicitly rejects her notion that men’s work matters more than women’s, hardly an
unenlightened view!!! Jackson gives Eówyn an extra opportunity, he allows her to
beat Aragorn at Sword play. In ‘The Return of the King‘, Eówyn plays the hero
as she does in the book by slaying Sauron’s greatest servant, the Witch-King of
Angmar, “whom no man can kill”’.
Although there are no villainous women to oppose LOTR’s three heroines, there is
a female monster, Shelob, the giant spider, who attacks Frodo and his companion
Sam on their journey to destroy the Ring. Shelob is an Archetypal Devouring
Mother of Fairylore, sadistic and entrapping, a female who takes and destroys
rather than nourishes. One Feminist critic has decried this episode as an attack on
the womb, and evidence of an anti-female bias. But after breathing a prayer to
‘Varda Elbereth‘, (yet another powerful Tolkien woman) and blinding the spider
with a light source provided by Galadriel,
Sam is able to kill Shelob (she unwittingly
helps him drive his sword into her own belly).
Evil mars itself, and two good female powers
overcome an evil one. Tolkien obviously
prefers to show females in a positive
light!
Marriage is presented as the best destiny for
Women (and Men, Elves & Hobbits) in
Tolkien’s world. Marriage for Tolkien is
the culmination of the past and the promise of
the future. The wedding of Arwen and
Aragorn that renews his Kingdom unites
three lineages of Elves and three of humans,
not to mention a trace of divine blood. Their
fateful marriage consciously recapitulates the
union of their ancient heroic ancestors,
Luthien, an Elf-princess, and Beren, a
human warrior, who fought the ancient
enemy, Morgoth, in ‘The Silmarillion‘.
The Royal union of Arwen and Aragorn has a rustic parallel in the marriage of
hobbits Sam and Rose at the end of ‘The Return of the King‘. Rose is Sam’s
touchstone of normality, his emblem of hope in the bleakest part of the Ring-quest.
Being able to found a family with her shows that bearing the Ring has not harmed
him as it has his master Frodo. The Hero comes home to his garden and his Rose.
Although Tolkien’s females are conventional, they are also powerful. They bring
inspiration and instil hope. They listen to the woes of the world, encourage
resistance, and shed tears of pity. In Tolkien’s writings, feminine virtues make life
worth living for All, and symbolize the Middle Earth that it’s Men fight to uphold,
and that in this woman’s opinion is no small thing. His works have occupied a large
part of my mental landscape for more than ten years now, and I expect that they shall
do so for another ten at least, as I continue to study the man and his writings, and
learn new ways to appreciate his creative genius. This lady loves Tolkien!!
by Princess_Pana
Tolkien modelled the unconquerable Luthien on his own wife Edith, both for her
beauty and for the long struggle they endured to marry, contact had been forbidden
until He came of age. "She was my Luthien," he said and had that name inscribed for
her on their joint tombstone, with his later entered as "Beren."
21
Around Middle-Earh
”If you want to see Orcs, go and see the movie. If you want to see Middle-Earth
then go to New Zealand.”
This quotation is from one of many Lord of the Rings tours brochures I picked up
during my tour around New Zealand, and it is what Ian Brodie’s Lord of the
Rings Location Guide Book is all about as well. If you go to New Zealand to be
able to live the movies, you will likely be disappointed. But if you go there to
understand what made Peter Jackson think New Zealand would be the perfect
place to film the epic movies on a train ride many years ago, as I did, you will be
blessed with sights able to amaze and draw even the most ignorant hobbit from his
fireplace.
My start and end was in Queenstown, “Adventure Capital of the World”, and so
much more. Knowing there was many remote, but stunning bits of Middle Earth
around, I thought “what better way to experience it than on horseback?”, still a
little keen to go in their footsteps, or in this case, hoof steps. There is definitely a
special feeling about riding along Dart River towards Isengard and the Misty
Mountains. When you see Fangorn Forest stretching itself up the mountains, you
almost expect Treebeard to wander out. It is not for nothing that you find
Paradise just right around the corner.
Fangorn Forest
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Mt.Sunday Valley
Onwards up north I ended in Christchurch, for a visit to probably the most stunning
scenic spot: Mt. Sunday, also known as Edoras. Out there you feel as small and
insignificant as possible, because the nature is so wild and untamed, untouched by
humans. In the middle of the valley you find Mt. Sunday, a small hill compared to the
surrounding mountains, but a most stubborn and windblown place. Standing on the top
of the hill, in the middle of what used to be the Golden Hall, you are in Rohan, with
the big fields of yellow grass and the mountains all around. You feel Rohan around
you, not New Zealand.
Another scenic feature around Queenstown is the hills just outside the centre of town,
called Deer Park Heights. The Remarkables in the background makes the perfect
scenic picture, so no wonder PJ choose this place for several different shots, one of
them being the Flight to Helm’s Deep.
Mt.Sunday Edoras
23
The one spot you have to visit if you are into the movies is of course Matamata, home
of the Shire. Located in the middle of the North Island, it is a bit more isolated from
most of the other locations, but definitely worth a visit! Located in the middle of a
huge farm area, impossible to see from the road, you find the peaceful home of the
hobbits. Even though you only see the skeleton of the hobbit holes, and a lot of poles
placed to show you where everything was, you feel the spirit of the peace and
tranquillity of the hobbits, with only hills, trees and sheep around you.
Bag End
Hobbit Holes
And of course the Party Tree, the small lake, marketplace, and the water mill, the
two latter if only in your inner vision when you stand on the top of Bag End, where
Bilbo and Gandalf sat before the big party.
Party Tree
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by Lossendiliel
There are many other locations around New Zealand, but Wellington is definitely
also a must for Lord of the Rings fans, being the home of Peter Jackson and
WETA, and a few locations can also be found here. Just outside Wellington you
will find Kaitoke Regional Park, and somewhere in there, Rivendell. Probably
one of the hardest locations to see with the mere eye, you really need inside knowledge
to see the exact spots of filming, after you have been guided there by signs. Up Mt.
Victoria, just outside the city centre, you find a peaceful forest, and a lot of
locations, mostly from the hobbits first journey, Bag End to Bree. This is also the
place the very first shots were filmed, giving it a significant air altogether. It was
the beginning of their journey almost 10 years ago, but near the end of my journey
through Middle Earth. So waving the four hobbits off on their life changing journey,
I walked away; probably with somewhat the same feeling Peter Jackson had that
day many years ago when he decided on New Zealand as the perfect spot.
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Lord of the Rings Tourism in New Zeland
Even though New Zealand in itself is far beyond need of help when it comes to
tourism, considering the stunning nature, the friendly and open people, and the great
variety of possibilities and activities, Lord of the Rings have certainly done its fair
share for New Zealand.
From my own experience, speaking to a lot of young people during my two months
trip, when asked why they wanted to go to New Zealand instead of somewhere else,
the three most used reasons was: 1) All the cool things one can do in New Zealand,
like bungyjumping, skydiving and jet boating, 2) The great variety of breathtaking
views and nature, and 3) The Lord of the Rings movies were filmed in New
Zealand. And when I met people travelling on arranged trips around New Zealand,
they were all going on at least one Lord of the Rings location trip, somewhere along
the road. You probably have to be quite the fan to go there only for Lord of the
Rings, but apparently the beauty and peace in New Zealand encourages people to
become fans of Lord of the Rings as well. On all the many guided locations trips I
went on, there was at least a couple of people who had never read the books nor seen
the movies, but the scenery made such a great impression on them that they all ended
up with the same conclusion: They had to go see the movies, and some even read the
books, as soon as they returned home to their corner of the world.
When I asked my various guides how much they believed the movies had affected
New Zealand tourism they all replied they had seen a somewhat strong increase of
all ages of people come, especially among those who want to travel for a longer time.
And that many they had spoken to had either come down there to see the movie
locations, and fallen for the rest of the country, or the other way around.
And it was clear to me that the people of New Zealand have warmly embraced Lord
of the Rings and all it has done for their country. A couple of funny things I learned:
Matamata is called Hobbiton among the locals, and their information centre is built
up with a hobbit hole outside, and quotes from Tolkien’s books written on the walls, a
dolphin up in the Bay of Islands
has been named Gollum due to
some scarves on his body, and on
one of the ferries sailing the Cook
strait, between Picton and
Wellington, the wall in the lounge
has the decoration as to make you
believe you are inside a hobbit hole
looking out into the Shire.
With the coming and discussion of the Hobbit movies I thought I wanted to ask a
few of the people of New Zealand what their opinion was on the problems, and mostly,
if they would like to see the crew and cast come to New Zealand to film the movies.
As for the former question they all answered they would very much like to see the
movies come true, and hoped all the problems
concerning them could be worked out to all’s
satisfaction, but when it came to New Zealand
being the possible location, it was very split between
enthusiasm and concern. Some would love to
welcome back the whole excitement about it, and
being able to help create more magic for the world to
see, while others were concerned with how it would
go this time. Mainly the guides for the different
location trip companies was not keen at the prospect
of having to close down for months so the locations
could be filmed in the exact same spots, but could
also see why it would be best to use the same places
once again.
by Lossendiliel
My guide in Matamata, the Hobbiton location, told me over 147,000 people had
visited the sight since they had made the first tours 5 years ago, and people are still
very interested, and they rarely have to cancel a tour due to too few participants. She
had no doubt that they would continue with the tours for many years to come, because
people are still very interested in the movies.
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“Journey”, a short story
I
t was early and nobody else was moving in the house, when Tathra awoke.
Stretching, she turned back her covers and got out of bed. Opening her bedroom
door, the young girl yawned then headed for the bathroom. Finishing her ablutions, she
tiptoed along the short landing, stopping to listen at her parents' bedroom door. Gentle
snoring from her Dad, but no other movement. “I'll leave a note. Don't want to
wake them.”
She made her way back to her bedroom and dressed. Blue jeans, black boots and a red
sleeveless top. She plaited her long chestnut hair and checked her image in the mirror.
Leaving her bedroom she, quietly closed the door and crept downstairs. Toodles, the
cat, wrapped herself round Tathra's legs as the young girl entered the kitchen. Tathra
rolled her eyes. “You'll trip me up, you silly cat. Come on then, let's give you some
food.” Opening a tin, she fed the cat then attended to her own breakfast. She turned
on the radio to listen to the weather forecast, and sat down at the table. The
weatherman predicted fine weather, even though it was still early Spring. Tathra
smiled, just right for her and her friends to take their horses for a ride up on the moors
Swallowing the last spoonful of her cornflakes, she looked at her watch. “Oh lord,
look at the time. They'll be wondering where I am!”. She scribbled a note and
fastened it to the fridge door. 'Gone for a ride. Back later. Luv ya. Tathra.'
Grabbing her leather fringed jacket from the coat rack in the hall, and slowly turning
the door handle, hoping it wouldn't make a noise, she opened the door, slipped through
and closed it gently behind her.
It wasn't far from her house to the stables and as Tathra turned into the stable yard,
she could hear the horses neighing and her chatting as they saddled up. “Hi,
everyone,” Tathra called as she went into Charmer's stall to lead him out into the
Up on the moors the sun was warm, a gentle breeze was blowing and Tathra readied
herself and her horse as her friends set of at a fast canter. She urged Charmer on.
………. What happened next, nobody could have foreseen. It was sudden and Tathra
had no chance of stopping herself as Charmer's foot went into a rabbit hole. The horse
stumbled and Tathra fell heavily and darkness took her.
How long it was before she opened her eyes, Tathra wasn't certain. But the sun was
high in the sky. She leant up on one elbow and looked round. She frowned. Her horse
had gone and her friends. Tathra's frown deepened. Where had they gone and more
importantly, *why* had they left her. She sat up and rubbed her shoulder.
“Strange!” she thought beginning to look around, “I don't remember those trees, and
the surrounding country looks different too!”
Pushing herself to her feet, the young girl walked towards a large tree stump at the
edge of a slope. It gave quite a good vantage point over the forest to the right of her
and the vista before her. But there was no sign of her friends.
'What on earth happened?' Tathra said, the sound of her own voice comforting her.
She was beginning to feel a little unnerved.
Humming a tune to herself, she looked down the slope. At the bottom were what looked
like patches of marshy ground and beyond those a river. “Oh well, no point standing
around here.”. Untying the ribbon that held her long chestnut hair, she shook it free,
letting the wind whip through it then set out purposefully for the river. Tathra loved
the open air, and especially wild countryside. She looked around her as she bounced
down the hill "and this certainly fits the bill!" she giggled.
The sun was warm as she reached the bottom of the slope and began to pick her way
through the marshy patches, finding a spot on the river bank where there were several
large boulders and the water wasn't too deep and cool.
She slipped off her boots and socks, leaving them on top of a boulder just behind the
one she was going to sit on. The water sparkled in the sunlight and she could see small
fish darting in the shallows. Tathra sat down and dabbled the ends of her toes in the
cold river water. "Ahaaahha!!" she said, lifting her feet out again. "Crikey, that's
cold.”
yard. The six riders and horses trotted out of the stable, along the Avenue and headed
for the bridle path that would lead them to the open countryside.
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Watching the silver forms of the fishes as they darted under small rocks, some
investigating her toes, Tathra giggled, then sighed. "I wish I knew where I was!"
Never despondent for long, the young girl swung her feet out of the water and onto the
warm grass surrounding the boulder. She looked up at the sun and wriggled herself
further onto the rock. "They'll soon dry and then I can start to look around."
Some minutes or so later, her feet dry, Tathra pulled on her socks and boots and
jumped down off the boulder. She licked the end of her finger and stuck it in the air to
see which way the wind was blowing and laughed. "Why, did you do that, you silly
idiot!" she said out loud and smiled. It was something her Dad always did when they
went out for the day up on the moors. Her eyes filled as she thought of her parents.
"Love you Mum, love you Dad," she called into the air, knowing they couldn't hear
her, but it made her feel better.
"Okay, let's see what this place holds!" Making for firmer ground, but keeping along
the side of the river, she walked off, away from the forest, hoping she would find a
village, or people, or anything. The wind had picked up a little and she wrapped her
arms round herself, making for the bend further along. She straightened her shoulders
…. turning a bend always opened up possibilities.
A noise made her turn. She thought she caught a glimpse of a shadow moving through
the bushes. She stopped, peering to see if there was actually anyone there, or if she
was hearing things. Yes, there is was again, a rustling of leaves, a crack of a twig.
Suddenly, the undergrowth parted and a figure stood in front of her. Tall, blond
hair, cloaked, a bow slung over his shoulder, the figure bowed. Tathra backed away,
her feet beginning to sink into the river mud.
This wasn't real, she would wake up in a bit. Her Mum would shout her name and
she'd get up. Nothing happened. She was still looking at the figure in front of her.
Had he come from a fancy dress party or something.
The Elf cocked his head and studied the person in front of him, equally unsure of
who, or what she might be. Some kind of goblin, maybe, or a creature in the service
of the Necromancer. Galdir decided the interloper looked too pleasant and harmless
to be either. He stretched his arm and proffered his hand to help Tathra out of the
mud into which she was sinking.
Tathra nodded agreement, feeling that there was little choice. It was either follow
the Elf or be alone in a place she hadn't a clue about. “My name is Tathra,” she
offered, “and yours is...” The Elf turned his head as he led the way along a tunnel
of green gloom formed by the trees of the woods. “I am named Galdir. May I ask
where you are from?”
“I'm… I'm from …” She stopped, would this creature know where she was from, she
thought. “Where are we, where is this place?” she asked. Galdir stopped.
“Mirkwood,” he answered.
“Mirk…where? Hold up!” Tathra said, “you are kidding right and I suppose you
are an Elf!“
“I am. You seem surprised,” Galdir replied.
Tathra shook her head, her sense of reality definitely shaken. She was in Middleearth!! How many times had she read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and
imagined herself in here…
*******
The years passed, Tathra and Galdir married and had two sons and a daughter.
Their life together had been wonderful but the time had come. Tathra was not of
Elven blood and therefore her lifespan was short.
She lay quietly on her bed, her family around her. Galdir sat close, his hand holding
hers as he stroked the familiar brow, his fingers tracing her cheek. She smiled at the
face she loved so much, then her eyes moved passed it to her children. Galdir's hand
tightened on hers as she beckoned him towards her. “Never forget me, beloved,” she
whispered, “I will always be with you.”
Galdir nodded, an unbidden tear trickled down his cheek. Holding her hand to his
heart, he wept. “You will always be here.”
Tathra swallowed, looked into the gentle grey eyes and smiled, reaching for the Elf's
hand. “Thanks,” she said, her boots making a sucking noise as they came out of the
mud. Galdir inclined his head and gestured with his arm towards the treeline. “I ask
you to accompany me to my village.”
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Tathra sighed and closed her eyes, images of her life appearing before her. Her
children, Galdir, her woodland home. She was lying along an embankment, watching
horses in the field below. One that she seemed to recognise pranced, neck arched,
impressing his dominance on the smaller ponies. She kept her eyes closed tightly, so as
not to lose the image. She could hear the murmer of chatter from somewhere in the
distance, near a river.
Then other images appears. People, stables and stalls, and there was laughter and
clanging of feed buckets as horses were bedded down for the night and the people
prepared to go home.
Tathra moved restlessly and held onto the hand in hers. She could hear a voice gently
calling her, it sounded like Galdir's but ... “Tathra … Tathra,” the voice insisted.
There was a warm coppery taste in her mouth and she could hear other voices.
Something nudged her face. She felt her brow furrow. Was it Galdir … no … it felt
soft and velvety, like … then she heard a gentle whicker in her ear.
"Get off, Charmer!!" she heard herself say, her hand involuntarily moving the horse's
muzzle from her face. "I'm fine."
Then there were hands lifting her. Opening one eye, and wiping the blood from her
temple, Tathra smiled and cried all at the same time.
She was back!! Someone asked was she alright… she didn't know. “How long have I
been out?” she asked, looking up at her friends. “About 15 minutes,” someone
replied.
by Rosearialelven
Welcome to the Hobbiton branch of the Rohan Restaurant. As you can see
we have expanded beyond the boarders of Rohan and Gondor into the lands of
the West. Today we have a special deal for our hungry hobbit friends.
Menu
Hearty Beef and Vegetable Soup
Chicken and Cheese Pasta Bake
Pavlova
Lamingtons
Hearty Beef and Vegetable Soup:
500 gm Chuck Steak
2 heaped teaspoons Paprika
2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
Method
8 sprigs fresh Thyme
Brown meat in batches
1 chopped Onion
- remove. Add onion
2 Bay Leaves
and carrot, cook for 5
2 Carrots, chopped coarsely
minutes. Add garlic and cumin seed and cook for 2
2 tablespoons Tomato Puree
2 cloves Garlic, chopped
minutes return meat to pan, add paprika, toss for 3
300 gr chopped Potatoes
minutes to coat beef. Add stock, bay leaves, thyme
1 tbsp Cumin Seed
and tomato paste. Bring to boil, reduce heat and
2 sticks sliced Celery
simmer for 1 hour - till meat is tender. Add more
1.5 L Beef Stock
stock if required. Add potatoes and celery and cook
1 cup Sour Cream
for 15 minutes. Cook lightly, add sour cream,
season to taste. Garnish and serve.
Rohan Restaurant
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Chicken and Cheese Pasta Bake:
1 roast chicken
400 grams Tortiglioni/Rigatoni Pasta
1 small red onion, finely sliced
2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated
100 grams baby spinach leaves
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
5oo gram jar tomato pasta sauce
Discard skin and bones from the chicken. Chop flesh. Preheat over to 180 degrees
C. Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water and follow packet directions until
it is tender. Drain and return to saucepan. Meanwhile heat oil in a frying pan over
medium high heat. Add garlic and onion. Cook for 3 minutes; stirring often. Add
onion mixture, pasta sauce, chicken, 3/4 cup grated cheese and spinach to the hot
pasta. Season. Gently toss until well combined. Spoon pasta mixture into a baking
dish. Top with remaining cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden and heated
through.
Pavlova:
6
1
1
1
1
egg whites
teaspoon vinegar
teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cups castor sugar
1/2 tablespoon cornflour
Whisk egg whites until stiff, add half the sugar and whisk until dissolved. Fold in
the rest of the sugear, vinegar, vanilla and cornflour.
Line the tray with foil and place mixture in centre of foil, smooth around with
palette knife.
If using a gas oven, before starting to beat, mix, turn temperature up to the highest
and when ready place tray into oven, turn down to the lowest point cook for about 1
1/2 hours. Check if firm to touch, turn oven off and leave to cool in the oven
gradually.
1/2 cup butter
3 eggs
pinch salt
tsp vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups sr flour
1/2 cup milk
Ingredients for icing:
2 cups icing sugar
1 big tablespon butter
1/3 cup cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
approx 3 cups of coconut
Cream the butter and sugar, then beat in eggs and vanilla. Mix in the flour and milk.
Pour into a greased lamington tin and bake for approx 30 mins on 180 C.
When cool cut into squares. Icing: Mix the ingredients except coconut with boiling
water until quite thin. Coat the cake squares in icing then roll in coconut. Leave on a
plate to set.
And a special treat for Hobbits who are going on a long trip: the Rohan
Restaurant's version of Elf Bread (and an Australian Classic) Damper.
Damper:
This is a traditional bread baked in the coals of an open fire but nowadays we bake it
in a normal oven.
4 cups self-raising flour
3/4 - 1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter at room temperature
1 cup milk
1/2 cup water
Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and mix in the sugar. Rub in the butter with
your (clean) hands until a fine breadcrumb texture is achieved. For a well in the
top of the flour, pour in the milk and water, and mix well with a knife until the
dough come clean from the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a floured board and
knead until smooth and silky, like a baby's bottom.
Shape into a mounded loaf, (some people cut a deep cross in the top) and bake in
a preheated oven, 200 c / 400 F, for 25 minutes. Then lower the temperature to
180 c / 375 f and cook a further 10 - 15 minutes until done. The loaf should be
a light golden brown colour and sound hollow when tapped.
by Adonnenniel
Lamingtons:
Ingredients for Cake:
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Trolls
♫ I'm a Troll fol de rol, I'm a troll fol de rol
I'm a Troll fol de rol, and I'll eat you for supper. ♫
From the Scandinavian faerie tale 'Three Bill Goats Gruff' to Troll
Dolls or Gonks of the 1960's, to 'Shrek', trolls have been with us in our
nursery tales and our dreams. They appear in Fantasy fiction, Role
Playing games and Films.
Trolls are mythical beings with their origins deep in Norse Mythology. They
typically belonged to the Giant family, ranging from Ogre size to smaller, more
human-like creatures who live inside hills, caves or mounds.
Although not strictly known, the name 'Troll' may have derived from a word from
Swedish law, 'trolleri', a certain magic meant to do harm. Also, from Northern
Germany there are words such as 'trolldom' (witchcraft) and 'trolla/trylle'
(performing magic tricks). However, in Norse Mythology, the word 'Troll' can
mean an uncanny being.
Where, traditionally the image of a Troll is large,
brutish with little intelligence, there were Troll folk
who were small, social beings who lived in hills or
underground complexes. They kept animals, enjoyed
cooking, baking and feasts. Hmmmm, sounds a
little familiar. Maybe Hobbits were distantly
related to Trolls. Who knows.
There is a theory that Trolls are a distant memory of meetings with Neanderthals
by our ancestors. Fossil evidence suggests that our recent ancestors and the
Neanderthals could have lived in the same parts of Europe at the same time in
history.
Could the Yeti be a Troll, or the Sasquatch from America?
Trolls have been immortalised in music, probably the most famous being Grieg's
Hall of the Mountain King and The March of the Trolls. Also illustration,
painting and sketches have been produced over the years. Theodor Kittelsen and
John Bauer producing some of the best, together with Alan Lee, Ted Nasmith and
John Howe.
JRR Tolkien's Trolls
Tolkien's trolls were large creatures of great strength,
difficult to kill, and more often than not, served the
Enemy. They were much taller and broader than Men
and their skin was scaly. They had large flat feet, and
their blood was black. There one weakness, and they
probably had one, was that most of them turned to stone
if caught outdoors at sunrise.
Trolls were generally stupid, and were not prone to building or creating things,
preferring to hoarded riches that they stole and often eating the people they robbed.
Some Trolls could speak Common Speech and Sauron taught those in his service
the Black Speech, however the remainder of the trolls had no language of their own.
Trolls lived in Mordor, the Misty Mountains including Moria, Southern
Mirkwood, and in the Ettenmoors in Eriador, close to the woods called the
Trollshaws.
It was as Sauron's power grew that Trolls became more of a menace in Middleearth and Arador, the grandfather of Aragon, was killed by Hill-trolls in the
Ettenmoors in 2930.
Other Troll traits were hoarding gold, thievery, spoiling the production of beer and
bread and kidnapping people to use as slaves. Also, Trolls were believed to take
babies and leave their own offspring in their place. These were known as
Changelings.
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At the Battle of the Morannon, Hill-trolls from
Gorgoroth fought and as the battle took place during
the day, it was possible that these trolls may have
been Olog-hai strain. In this battle, Beregon was
woulded by the Troll-chief wounded Beregond, that
would have bitten his throat, but Pippin Took
intervened, stabbing the Troll with his sword, which
afterward called "Troll's Bane." Gimli later found
Pippin alive under the Troll's dead body.
When Sauron's power was brought down, the Trolls that had served him became
mindless and directionless without his evil guidance. Some killed themselves and
others fled and hid. At the start of the Fourth Age, the Men of Gondor and Rohan
continued to hunt down Sauron's servants, and in time, it is probable that Trolls
ceased to pose a threat to the peoples of Middle-earth.
It is said that Trolls were made by Morgoth, possibly in mockery of the Ents
although Tolkien was uncertain of their origin:
"I am not sure about Trolls. I think they are mere 'counterfeits', and hence ... they
return to mere stone images when not in the dark. But there are other sorts of Trolls
beside these rather ridiculous, if brutal, Stone-trolls, for which other origins are
suggested."
The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien: Letter #153
In an unpublished note, in what appears to be a reference to the Olog-hai, Tolkien
suggested that "It would seem evident that they were corruptions of primitive human
types." (HoME X, p. 414)
The latter of these Trolls, were written about by Tolkien in The Hobbit. Their
names were William, Bert and Tom. These Trolls were encountered by Bilbo
and the Dwarves on their journey to the Lonely Mountain. Had it not been for
Gandalf's and his ability to trick William, Bert and Tom into arguing until
sunrise, when they turned to stone, who knows how The Hobbit would have finished.
Frodo and his companions saw the same three trolls some 77 years later on their
journey to Rivendell.
Tolkien Names & Etymology:
Trolls were called Torog in Sindarin.
The Black Speech word was Olog. The ending hai appears to be a collective plural
also found in Uruk-hai.
by Rosearialelven
Races of Trolls:
Cave Trolls ~ fought alongside Orcs in Moria;
Hill Trolls ~ used in Sauron's armies;
Mountain Trolls ~ large and strong and used to carry Grond at Pelennor Fields;
Olog-hia ~ a race bred by Sauron that lived between Mirkwood and Mordor. They
could withstand direct sunlight. Cunning, large and powerful with skin as hard as
stone. They understood the Black Speech, though they rarely spoke. They lived
near Sauron's stronghold of Dol Guldur in southern Mirkwood and in the
mountains of Mordor;
Snow Troll ~ relatively unknown, but apparently well adapted to winter condition.
It was even considered that Helm Hammerhand was a Snow Troll.
Stone Trolls ~ the least intelligent, that turned to stone in sunlight.
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Providence in the Lord of the Rings
‘There was more than one power at work, Frodo.’ – Gandalf, in The Fellowship of
the Ring
Erú Ilúvatar is a very visible Character in The Silmarillion – certainly in the
Ainulindalë and the Valaquenta, the stories of the Creation of Eä, or Arda. But
despite Erú’s involvement in The Silmarillion, He seems to be missing from The
Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Or is He? Certainly, there is no direct
involvement: Erú never speaks to anyone – not Gandalf, Elrond, or Galadriel. But
does the Creator move through the War of the Ring in a different way?
Providence: 1. a protective care of God or nature, 2. (Providence) God in this
aspect, 3. timely care or preparation; foresight; thrift.
Providential: 1. of or by divine foresight or interposition, 2. opportune; lucky.
(The Oxord Desk Dictionary and Thesaurus: American Edition, copyright 1997)
Is it possible that Erú Ilúvatar is involved in The Lord of the Rings in a
providential manner? I studied the three books (or the BOOK, if you prefer), and
I have come to the conclusion that the answer is YES. Here is what I have found:
A reader might notice that he can obtain more information about the story through the
characters’ dialogue rather than through the narrative itself. This is mostly how I
gathered my “evidence”. And the information comes from Gandalf, you may be sure
that it is right.
‘You are an interfering old busybody,’
laughed Bilbo, ‘but I expect you know
best, as usual.’
‘I [Gandalf] do – when I know anything.’
– The Fellowship of the Ring
The very first hint at the hand of Providence is something that Gandalf says, a line
of his made famous by Peter Jackson’s film trilogy: ‘All we have to decide is what to
do with the time that is given to us.’ Given? Given by whom? The simple answer is
Erú Ilúvatar, the Creator of time, and therefore, the Giver of it. He gives His
people a certain time to live in, according to His plan (the fate of Arda probably lies
in the third music of Ilúvatar in the Ainulindalë), and He gives them the free will to
choose how to use that time.
Gandalf says that something else was at work besides the Ring and Sauron, and
perhaps he says that he can put it no plainer because he knows that Frodo would not
understand. Maybe Gandalf himself at this point does not understand completely –
after all, despite how much he knows, he is not omniscient. But on some level, he must
know that his Creator is ultimately behind all this. Even the Dark Lord’s Ring is a
part of Ilúvatar’s third theme, the plan by which the fates of all are moved.
There are times in The Lord of the Rings when characters seem very lucky. In The
Hobbit, Thorin Oakenshield and Company find themselves relying on Bilbo’s
uncanny “luck” again and again. In Rivendell, Gandalf tells Frodo that he is lucky
to be there “after all the absurd things he has done.” But is luck the right word?
The Silmarillion gives a clear enough answer: events surrounding Elves and Men are
always being moved by beings greater than themselves. Melkor Morgoth curses Húrin
and his family, and Glaurung the dragon serves as a mechanism of the curse. When
Beren stands before King Thingol in Doriath, he looks to Queen Melian (a Maia
like Gandalf, Saruman, and Sauron), “and it seemed to him that words were put into
his mouth.” Perhaps it is Melian, perhaps it is even the Valar, who have been said to
do such things. And above the Valar and Maiar moving the fates of Elves and Men is
their Creator Erú Ilúvatar. Just as His music is ever greater than Melkor’s (a
created being, not a true Creator), so His plans are ever greater, larger, than the plans
of all the Valar combined. The way that The Silmarillion regards fates as part of an
overall plan cancels out any notion of real “luck.”
So how does Providence fit into The Lord of the Rings? One way is through what
the characters often call “luck”.
One of the earliest is the encounter with Tom Bombadil in the Old Forest. He had
only planned on gathering water– lilies for his wife Goldberry, as he tells Frodo. But
his errand brings him right to the point of space and time in which Frodo and Sam
desperately need help to free Merry and Pippin from Old Man Willow.
‘Behind that there was something else at work,
beyond any design of the Ring– maker. I can put it
no plainer than by saying that Bilbo was meant to
find the Ring, and not by its maker. In which case
you also were meant to have it. And that may be an
encouraging thought.’ – Gandalf
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Coincidence? If it IS a coincidence, it is a very big one. If Merry and Pippin
had been killed by Old Man Willow, the Fangorn adventure would never have
happened…
Elrond opposes the idea of Merry and
Pippin being part of the Fellowship of
the Ring. In The Two Towers,
Aragorn thinks that following the
captured Hobbits to Fangorn Forest
was a waste of time, as Merry and
Pippin are now safe with Treebeard,
without any help from Aragorn, Legolas,
or Gimli. But Gandalf tells him that,
for one thing, Boromir’s death while
trying to save the Hobbits probably saved Boromir himself from a worse fate. He
goes on to say that Merry and Pippin have another “part they have to play,” that the
Uruk-hai brought the pair to Fangorn, where they would never have come
otherwise. Merry and Pippin are the catalyst that fully awakens Treebeard and the
Ents to their peril, so that while the Rohirrim and the Huorns destroy the Urukhai at Helm’s Deep, the Ents destroy Isengard. If this had not happened, not only
would Rohan have fallen, but Gondor would have been caught between the forces of
Isengard and Mordor.
Gandalf tells Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli that he was sent back from death until his
task is done. Who sent Gandalf back? Perhaps those who sent him in the first
place, the Valar. But for certain, it is a part
of Ilúvatar’s plan for Middle-earth: for
without Gandalf, Middle-earth would
certainly fall. Théoden would never be healed,
Rohan would be destroyed, and Gondor
would follow.
Perhaps the most remarkable moving of fates
in The Lord of the Rings is the joining of
Frodo and Gollum on the Quest. In The Fellowship of the Ring, Gandalf tells
the Council of Elrond: ‘But he [Gollum] may play a part yet that neither he nor
Sauron have foreseen.’ Frodo later tells Faramir that Gollum is somehow “bound
up with his errand.” Because of Gollum’s obsession with his “Precious” Ring, he
There is probably more that I could say on the issue of Providence in The Lord of
the Rings, but what I have given here ought to be enough to prove my point: Erú
Ilúvatar is involved in the War of the Ring, and He is ultimately in control. I
sincerely hope that my essay has given you some food for thought.
by lotr_qlan
follows Frodo and Sam to reclaim It. Yet
when Frodo shows the wretched creature
mercy, Gollum becomes the Hobbits’ guide
to Mordor. Without Gollum, the Hobbits
would have crossed the open plains, rather
than take the paths of the Dead Marshes.
Without Gollum, they would have tried to
pass through the Black Gate, and would
assuredly have been caught. And while
Gollum DID betray them in leading them to Shelob, they survived and escaped –
they would not have escaped Sauron’s guards at the Black Gate. And in Frodo’s
own words: ‘But for him, Sam, I could not have destroyed the Ring.’ Frodo would
have kept the Ring had Gollum not interfered, and Middle-earth would be lost.
Every single evil intention of Gollum – shadowing the Hobbits, leading them to
Shelob, biting off Frodo’s finger to reclaim the Ring – works for good. How could
chance possibly make such tremendous good come out of such insidious evil?
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Boat Building
My brother says I'm the only person he knows who wakes up one morning and says,
“I think I'll build a boat,” and then does it. It's hard to tell if he means it as a
compliment or not. I don't know if other people have these ideas, but I can tell you
from personal experienceit's a crazy one.
I am building an outrigger sailing canoe.
Since I love to build things and I couldn't
afford the boat I wanted, this project seemed
like a good challenge and a worthwhile
experience. So far it has been both.
The boat is made of wood and fiberglass and
is reminiscent of some traditional Hawaiian
canoes, but is not a replica by any means. It
should be fast and (hopefully) beautiful, but
there's a lot of work to do before putting it in
the water.
She is to be a 27' (8.2 Meter) outrigger that can be paddled as well as sailed. She
should seat 3-4 people (I haven't decided yet) and average around 10-15 knots in
good wind. I want to go faster once in a while but that is getting into the realm of
stupid.
As the form takes shape, the boat reminds
me of an arrow that is meant to be shot
through waves with passengers on board.
It is only about 18” at its widest point
on the main hull and will require that the
crew be sitting on the side over the water
when sailing.
I've discovered that many boat building
projects go unfinished. Even smaller
boats like mine are often abandoned. The reasons seem to be simple: it takes too much
time and money or the person becomes frustrated by needing to learn so many new
skills. Mostly, though, it comes down to motivation.
Another crazy boat idea has been growing stronger and taking shape in my mind. In
watching the Fellowship EE, I noticed the swan boat that Galadriel takes on the
river. And, of course, I somehow got it in my head that I need to build one of those.
I've started planning and brainstorming for the project. I don't want to build
something merely beautiful, but functional as well. So my initial thoughts are to
make it a bit larger and to add an electric inboard motor. This would keep it silent
and clean, but it could be used to fish and as a harbor boat or coastal short day trip
boat. I am also toying with the idea of adding a sail for assistance and for
appearance. It's all growing in my head. Nobody has professional designs for this
kind of thing, and why would they?
So I will have to learn to design a boat or at least
to modify plans for one. Something else I've never
done before. In fact, most of the skills I need to
build these boats are ones I have never developed. I
learn as I go and the fact that I've never done
anything like this before didn't ever slow me down.
The swan boat is still a few years from being started
but I think it will take me that long just to figure out
what it should be like and how it should be created. I
still have to finish the first one as well. It takes a lot
of dedication and enthusiasm to carry you through to
a finished boat and you can never have too much
support. So if you see some crazy boat builder or someone on a homebuilt boat, please
stop by and talk, or even lend a hand. I assure you they will be thankful.
I have been posting pictures and brief explanations of my progress on my Fickr page
at http://www.flickr.com/photos/billd/sets/72157601394224742/. Feel free to
stop by once in a while and look, post a comment or PM me with a question. Telling
me I'm out of my mind is also appreciated.
by Tholinnas3
It is very hard to hold onto your motivation over the long months of work. Your
friends and family don't want to hear you talk about it all the time and getting people
to help is harder than getting a hobbit to go on a diet. It just doesn't really happen.
So working alone on weekends and holidays covered in glue and sawdust, I must find
ways to stay excited. The support of my Realm (Nienna) has been great. Everyone
there seems to be interested in hearing about the latest developments in the project, or
to listen to other crazy boat ideas I have. Their advice and opinions also throw gas
into the inferno of insanity that is my brain.
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Tolkien Trivia
Did you know that the Quest to Destroy the Ring
from Rivendell to Mount Doom lasted exactly
three months?
The Fellowship of the Ring started out from
Rivendell on December 25th, T.A. 3018, and the
Ring was destroyed on March 25th, T.A. 3019.
There is significance for both these dates.
December 25th as Christmas Day is obvious. But
March 25th is also important: tradition holds that
this is the date of the very first Easter. Tolkien
chose to make the most important day of his story the
same as the traditional date of the most important
day of our own history.
Did you know that the first conversation between
Frodo and Bilbo in The Lord of the Rings
actually took place in Rivendell?
Frodo is not an active character in the story
until Bilbo has just vanished at the birthday party.
Frodo's first recorded line is to Gandalf: 'Has he
gone?’
Did you know that Aragorn was actually
eighty-eight in The Two Towers, not eightyseven as Viggo Mortensen says in the film?
Aragorn starts out as eighty-seven in the
book, but the day that he, Legolas, and Gimli
reunite with Gandalf is March 1st. This same
day is his eighty-eight birthday. Gandalf's
return made a great birthday surprise!
Did you know that Sam Gamgee and Faramir
were the same age?
Both were born in T.A. 2983, and were going
on thirty-six when they first met.
Did you know that Aragorn was seventeen years
older than Théoden?
Théoden, son of Thengel, was born in T.A.
2948, and was seventy when he died.
Did you know that the character of
Legolas was once voiced by Anthony
Daniels?
Anthony Daniels, one of the stars of Star
Wars as C-3PO, voiced the Elf prince
for Ralph Bakshi’s 1978 The Lord of the
Rings, an animated movie with rotoscope
live-action footage.
by lotr_qlan
Did you know that Aragorn was only one year
younger than Denethor?
Denethor, the last Ruling Steward was born
in T.A. 2930, and Aragorn was born in 2931.
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Carrying Tulkas With You...
When my brother, Erumelmo from the Realm of Nienna, introduced me to the Lord
of the Rings, many moons ago, I never realised that the fixation would take such a
firm hold over my thought processes and my heart. I loved the movies. Saw them
incessantly, and though I am an avid reader, in this case, the movies took me to the
books. Then it was that Erumelmo brought me to the forums on the Council of
Elrond. I am not an internet person, and working with forums was a first for me.
Initially, I was hesitant, but as I understood the pleasure he derived from RP-ing
I wanted to give it a try myself. Pretty soon, I was hooked. Before that though, I
understood what forums were all about – and I was lucky enough to have an elder
brother to guide me to just the right one. For the Council of Elrond is truly a
delightful place to be. He showed me what the Realms were and how I could find out
where I fit.
I took the quiz. I was placed into Tulkas’s Realm. I couldn’t be more pleased.
Tulkas Astaldo. The champion of Valinor. The one who ventures forth naked into
battle and the Valar who came last into the being. But what made me really like him
was the phrase: slow to anger and slow to forget. I am partly like that: partly,
because I am quick to anger and slow to forget. But intrinsically I am an incredibly
loyal person, which on reading I gather so is Tulkas. So I fit right in with the realm
where I am.
Within the forums, I get the chance to write, to create and to be. It takes me into a
world that I had read about and wondered if I could be a part of…and this site helps
my wonder turn into reality. The gallery is awesome and inventiveness is
appreciated. I have made a couple of good friends here. Role-playing is absolutely
wonderful and I feel tremendously satisfied after I have posted my piece in the
forums. It gives me an insight on how creative I myself can actually be.
I don’t get online much, per se. But whenever I do get the time, the Council of
Elrond is my first stop. The time I spend here fulfils me somehow – it gives me a
place to be – another world where I can step into and, for the time being, think of how
things could be, instead of the way things are. It is relaxation and, in most ways, an
expression of being as well. I am grateful to Rumel for showing me the path to this
world, and immensely happy to be a part of it now.
by Isillinde
I discovered Lord of the Rings when Fellowship
was released on DVD. I enjoyed the movie so
much that I couldn’t wait for Two Towers to come
out in theaters and planned to see it on the first day.
My youngest child had other plans and decided to be
born that day. But, I finally did get to see it a few
weeks later and loved it. So I bought my first set of
books and began reading. I was so enthralled with the
world Tolkien created that I finished the books in a
couple of weeks and was hooked on Middle-Earth for life.
I found CoE in 2004 while searching for Sindarin lessons. I was fascinated
with the site and all it had to offer. I visited often but being new to forums only
“lurked” for months. Finally, in December I decided to register. Being the shy,
quiet type, it took me a while to post anything but slowly I started to get more
involved.
I had seen a little bit about the realms but didn’t really start to explore them
until I had been a member for over a year. I have to admit that at first I thought a
person needed to possess some special talent (writing, art, graphics etc.) to fit into a
realm and I wasn’t talented in any of those areas. So it took me a long time to join
in. Eventually, I took the quiz, asked some questions and finally pm’d a few of the
realm heads to get a better idea of what the realms were all about. I finally decided
to join Vaire in March of 2006 and my only regret is that I didn’t join sooner.
I was a little shy when I posted my introduction in Vaire but was quickly
greeted by wonderful, friendly people who made me feel at home right away. I
started out slowly by getting involved in a couple of the games. After a while I felt
comfortable enough to explore more of what the realm had to offer and got involved in
a few of the projects. I learned that even though I wasn’t a writer (as many of the
members are) I still had shared other interests with this group of people. Many of
our members share a love of reading and discussions. We can be serious one minute
and have a philosophical discussion but be a bit crazy the next and re-decorate
Mordor. I fit into the realm more that I ever imagined I would. Vaire is a small
and sometimes quiet realm but also a great group of people. My fellow weavers are
an amazing, intelligent, talented, supportive and caring family. I am proud to say
that I am a Weaver.
by Dolwen
Carrying Vaire With You
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Scarecrow Week
My sister lives in a small village called
Dalston in the Lake District in Cumbria
and last year as I was passing through the
outskirts to visit when I got the shock of
my life. It was their local village show
and they had a competition called
Scarecrow Week.
I was astounded on the way past the
village green to see a man with a saddle and
no horse sitting on the wall.
As we drove further along I spotted this
little trio and began to wonder which planet
I had landed on. My husband drove on a
little further towards the village green and
there was the Town Council standing
around the village well.
Intrigued we finally arrived at my sister's
house and asked what was going on. She
told me about Scarecrow Week and then
told me to look around the corner as there
were several more to be seen near her house.
I hopped out of the car and armed with
camera and spare batteries I headed down
the street.
There I found a Cat Burglar...
A new way of fishing...
Little Brittain - very appropriate for a
small village...
The Last of the Summer Wine...
Trust me I'm a doctor...
And the Perfect Size Zero...
Each house that wishes to, puts in an
entry to the competition but they are all
very secretive and some of them are put up
in the dead of night just before the
judging.
There were so many and even the local
public house had someone crawling in
through an upstairs window.
I missed so many of them but what a fun
way to spend a lovely sunny day walking
around the village spotting the
Scarecrows! The villagers had put in so
much effort and I look forward to this
year. I shall certainly do it again and
make sure that I see them all next time.
by Magoleth
A parachutist in dire need of help!!!!
Look at the fingernail scratches!
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Hobbies: Woolery
Greetings to all Council members. I am Lady Alya, the spinner of Gondolin.
I've been spinning for about two years now and I've taken my wheel several places
doing demonstrations for events such as a live
nativity and a heritage festival. I love to
share my talents with others. To start off, I
think it would help by introducing the parts of
a spinning wheel.
This is a picture of an Elizabeth II
spinning wheel. The parts of the wheel are
as follows:
A. Fly Wheelthe wheel that rotates when
treadling and causes the other various parts to
operate.
B. Drive Banda cord that goes around the fly wheel and the flyer whorl.
C. Flyera U-shaped piece of wood with hooks lined up on one or both arms. The
hooks are used to store the yarn evenly on the bobbin. The flyer is rotated by the
drive band which as a result puts the twist into the fiber.
D. Flyer Whorla pulley attached to the flyer and operated by the drive band. The
different sized grooves on the flyer whorl determine how fast the wheel will spin.
E. Maidensthe upright posts that hold the flyer and the bobbin.
F. Mother-Of-Allthe bar that mounts the maidens, flyer, bobbin, and tension
knob.
G. Tension Knobused to adjust the tension of the drive band by lowering or raising
the mother-of-all on the example shown. There are other types of tensioning
devices on other wheels.
H. Bobbinrotates on the spindle along with the flyer and stores the yarn. It can
operate with or independent of the drive band.
I. Treadlethe pedal(s) that operates the wheel by using your feet.
J. Footman or con rodthe bar that connects the treadle to the fly wheel and causes
it to turn.
K. Orificethe opening at the end of the spindle where the yarn goes through to
connect to the hooks of the flyer.
The parts on the wheels are the same, only slightly
rearranged. The little device holding two bobbins
is called a 'lazy kate.'
Before starting spinning, there are some steps
that have to be taken to prepare the wool for its
journey.
Hand carders are used to clean the wool of impurities. They are pulled against each
other in opposite directions, cleaning the wool. It would be like brushing your hair,
but I wouldn't recommend using them! Ouch. The bristles are made of metal and
they're really sharp.
I keep my uncarded wool in these burlap
sacks because, as I said, I do
demonstrations different places in my
community. The burlap gives it an 'oldtimey' look. The white and brown wool
are both llama wool. The brown is
actually from a llama I owned at one time.
The little bundles of wool are called
'rolags'. When the wool is finished being
carded, it is transferred onto one carder
and 'rolled' off the carder into these little
bundles. They are now ready to be spun.
This is a picture of my spinning wheel:
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When spinning first started in the pre-agrarian world, they used rocks as a spindle.
Now, a spindle looks like this:
The round disk-like part on the top is called the whorl.
The rocks were used as the whorl until someone added a
stick to it, thus creating the drop-spindle. It is the
simplified version of a spinning wheel, although it takes
much longer to spin the same amount of wool.
Hand spinning on a wheel is like this.
Your feet press the treadles which move
everything else and your hands draw out
the fibers of a rolag into yarn.
This is a close up of the flyer. The thread
goes in through the orifice and winds onto the
bobbin. The purpose of the hooks on the flyer
is to guide the thread up and down the bobbin
so the whole thing gets full.
It's hard to believe that at one time, this was
the only way to get your clothes made. There
was no Wal-Mart or mall around that you
could just go to and buy your clothes. The
yarn was taken off the bobbin, washed and set, and then woven into material used to
sew clothing. Society has certainly come a long way since the 1800s. I'm proud to
carry on the tradition of spinning and I hope that one day, I will have someone to
pass it on to as well.
If you have any questions regarding this, feel free to PM me, Lady_Alya,
regarding this. I would love to answer them. Blessings!
Pippin’s Adventure at Farmer Maggots
by Adonnenniel
55
The Gifts of the Zenith
My eyes gazing
at the burning ice
of the stars
in the galaxies
that reign
from far above.
Listening
to the twilight:
words of farewell,
tales of yore,
slowly fading
far above.
My spirit whispering
to the sunset;
wishes of hope
to the kind
veil of light
from far away.
My heart hearing
the call of the wind,
enchanting voice
always aiming
to the distance
far above.
Dreams flowing
to the temple
of ancient woods,
misty and majestic,
their columns raise
high above.
by Ithilia (realm of varda)
04
56
If the day should pass me by,
I pray that I be granted wings
So like a bird, take wing and fly.
And in the quiet reaches of Night,
When all day has faded from sight;
When Dreams of Faeries who dance,
And Elves who sing sad lullaby,
Of men who venture to forgotten lands,
Where creatures of Myth live and die.
In Dreams, as when we met, there is no other way.
I’ll take you by the hand, and lead you
To where Sky and Earth meet;
And where Golden trees sway
To cool breezes so sweet.
We’ll sit upon soft meadow grass,
Among Lorien ‘s blossoms fragrant and sweet.
And when the Nightingale sings,
We become his melodious song.
But when the Sun begins to rise,
And sleeping things start to stir,
I’ll wake from my bittersweet dreams of you,
And simply wish that you were here.
by Princess Pana
Awakening
57
04
58
Evermind
The year was young, the land was fair,
The flowers’ scent was in the air.
And Treebeard, he was walking there
On the plains of Rohan green,
The sturdy Ent walked the night unseen.
The Moon shone full in velvet sky,
Among the clouds a-shimmering.
And o’er the plains the West Wind sighed,
And somewhere near, an owl cried,
And Eldest, he, too, softly sighed.
He mourned at the coming frost:
He mourned for what would be lost.
And o’er his head, the Moon shone full,
On the green grasses a-flickering.
The night grew cold, the night grew deep,
As most the land lay fast asleep.
Treebeard his watch continued to keep,
And he saw in the grass a white eye,
And more, Rohan’s simbelmynë.
Under the full Moon in the black sky,
The flowers were a-glistening.
“The evermind shall not see the Dawn,
For frost shall o’er these plains be drawn,
And the life in simbelmynë be gone.
Like so much else of eld is lost,
Withered by the future, the frost.”
So sang Treebeard beneath the Moon,
Among the evermind a-glimmering.
The Dawn broke full in the Eastern sky,
And frost over the land did lie,
And Eldest heaved a solemn sigh.
But to his wonder, a flower fair,
A simbelmynë, untouched, was there.
In the rosy light of the fiery sun,
The evermind stood a-shimmering.
And Treebeard gazed at the wondrous sight,
A blossom defying the cold frost’s might,
Stronger now in growing sunlight.
Maybe the memory of eld lasts also:
Its beauty still to shine, even though
The days be gone beyond recall –
The memory lasts a-flickering.
by lotr_qlan
Far over the dreary highways cold
With costumes and with popcorn old
In disarray we make our way,
Our place in line to claim and hold.
In pre-dawn light, our homes we quit
Of sleeping we care not a whit
With eyes aglow, we cross the snow
(In hobbit-feet, I must admit)
Our costumes we have made with care
As bearded dwarf or elf-maid fair
With pointy ears and plastic spears
We laugh at those who stop and stare
For on this long-awaited morn
To cinemas have we been borne
The Hobbit calls, multiplex sprawls:
Another Tolkien tale reborn.
Far over the dreary highways cold
With costumes and with popcorn old
Our place in line to claim and hold.
With replicas of ring and sword
Anticipating our reward
With careful thought, as we’ve been taught,
We speak of Bilbo, Gollum, Bard.
It is first place in line we seek
For we are Ringers, so to speak
Our will is set, our place we’ll get
Even if we must wait a week.
We camp outside the theatre
In freezing wind, we barely stir
But though the cold has taken hold
It is all worth it, we concur.
“Oh please let Legolas be there!”
A fangirl squeals her hopeful prayer
We roll our eyes, plot her demise
And sit back in our folding chairs.
Far over the downtown alleys dim
With plastic chairs and faces grim
Our place in line to claim and win!
by Gumawerian (Ulmo)
Far Over the Dreary Highways Cold
59
04
60
Longing
Elenna:
I hear the whispers of my beloved,
like melodious silvery bells, the sound is to my ears.
I close my eyes and I see him...
His hair shines like gold in the sun,
his eyes are like the deep oceans.
How I long to be with him, in his embrace find peace!
Elendil:
I too long to return to thee,
My shining star,
My Elessar!
You shine across the distant sea
And 'tis thy beauty that I see...
Please come to me! Please come to me!
Elenna:
Like Eärendil is my love,
the brightest star upon the sky,
in times of trouble he comforts me;
my heart again finds hope.
How I long to be with him, in his embrace find peace.
Elendil:
'Tis her that in my dreams I see,
And 'tis with her I wish to be.
So that my joy with her I share
And trouble send away from her.
Mine eyes desire you to see,
Elenna:
Soft and gentle are the whispers I hear,
caressing my ears: he asks me to come.
My love is his, his love is mine!
In haste I go, by horse, by foot, by ship!
How I long for his touch, in his embrace find peace.
Elenna:
Arrived I have: I search for him
amongst those who awaits their loved ones.
I long for the haven my love gave to me:
embraced, held close, listening to his heartbeats.
How I long to rest with him, in his embrace find peace.
Elendil:
I see you now,
Beside the sea,
On ivory shores...
So near to me!
I wave my hand up high for you to see...
Elenna:
I suddenly see him upon a hill:
he stands graceful as the deer and strong as the lion!
Enchanted by his love, I smile at him.
My heart rejoices at the sight of my beloved.
Light are my feet when I'm running to him!
"How I longed for thee! How I longed for thy embrace!"
Elendil:
My eyes are clear, my heart content
To have you near to me!
You understood what my words ment,
And thus you came so swiftly!
I'm happy now to have you here, so great a sight to see...
In hearing me you hurried on,
You came to me! You came to me!
by raina_alasse and Ar-Rahmandur (Ulmo)
Elendil:
Clear are the sighs of she with whom I long to be,
And clear as light itself her face across the sea...
And from my mind all troubles flee
When 'tis you I see...
61
04
62
Middle-Earth on Earth Photography
Talan
The way to Lothlorien
Dimril Dale
Path through the Wood
by Ithilia
Ent
63
04
64
Helm’s Deep
Henneth Annun
The Brandywine Bridge
The road goes forever...
65
lord of the rings realm of nienna nienna news blabl
Realmer ’s Digest, Council of Elrond’s Realm Newspaper
May 2008
04
Disclaimer: This Magazine is for entertainment purposes only. The content has been
produced by fans of J.R.R.Tolkien. Whilst we will be referring in part to the world
created by J.R.R. Tolkien and using characters, scenarios and timelines created by
him, or mentioned in the work of Christopher Tolkien, by no means is any "ownership" of
their original creations implied. Images used in this magazine and related items are from
the New Line Cinema Lord of the Rings movie trilogy and other Artists, and no
ownership is implied by their use hereto.

Realmer`s Digest #2

Transcription

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