The Lord of the Rings

i read them in primary school. they are amazing because of the world he created. an imaginary other world. of course he had to have the book based around a character who was a real innocent sort of a thing, so that it would be easier to describe the fantastic, you know?

of course most of his ideas were heavily borrowed from european folk tales etc. elves and all that stuff. but his was an interesting mix of a world. like alot of people think of middle earth as being annalogous to perhaps the dark ages, yet in the hobbit village on their farms and things, it kind of reminds me of the 1800's kind of Beatrice Potter Peter Rabbit kind of a jive.

Of course I still dont understand why an eagle couldnt have just dropped the ring into the mountain from the very beginning...

 

I know what you mean!! I have always thought the same thing!!! Did you ever notice in the writings of ME, whenever there seems to be no hope and good is at the absolute edge of being destroyed, the eagles come!!! I swear, in the trilogy, the hobbit, and the silmarrillion alone, eagles save the day like 7 times!! I counted once but can't remember!! They look out for everyone. It's like they don't want to get involved until they absolutley have to, like they are a bit like the wizards/elves/powerful people (ex. Tom Bombadil) and they realize that it HAS to be the smallest of people if evil can actually be defeated (that's i think why the eagles didn't just toss the ring into Mt Doom, and plus, we wouldn't have a trilogy, now would we?)

 

Nice observation, Loose Ends. By working together for a common purpose, one in which they all believed was for the benefit of everyone, they triumphed over evil. Some people had the same opportunity a little while ago and all they had to do was make a mark on a ballot paper. They couldn't even manage that.

 

Aragon's ancestor could have easily destroyed the ring, but he was captured by the power of it and, of course, it betrayed him to become lost.

 

Yes! I first read them when I was 18...OK maybe 17 but thats not the point...


I too am interested in the lore of Middle Earth and all the things that go unexplained drive me crazy! I want to know more about the Council of Wizards and more about how they are not humans but just take that form because it is their favorite. I wanted more, SO much more of Tom Bombadil and GoldBerry!

There are so many things that Tollkien hints around at but gives you nothing of. Things that he knows well in his own mind but only taunts you with......

Reading those books not only changed my life but also connected with something I already had in my heart but until then had lay dormant.

I consider them to be very important and I hold the story and meanings they provided me very dear.

 

yup, Isildur was too weak, the whole eagle thing is like one of those fleating thoughts that you entertain for a while, kind of a 'what if?' type of thing, like why couldn't Galadriel or Elrond or Tom Bombadil take the ring? But you eventually have to tell yourself that it just isn't possible.

 

The Hobbit was a class reading project in sixth grade where we listened to the book on tape and drew our own illustrations along the way, of course I spelled everything wrong like Billbow, Ghandolf, and Gholalm, lol! I read it again after I went to camp and a counselor was quieting everyone down and he's like "I am Sauron, Lord of Mordor, and I order you all to be quiet!" and I'm like "Where'd you get that from?" and he started telling me about Tolkien. I didn't read the trilogy until the movies came out, so I could read and watch at the same time almost. Now, I'm almost through with The Silmarillion and I'd love to read any other Tolkien thing i could get my hands on... letters, loose poems, I don't care what! JRRT is the God of Fantasy! LotR is so awesome because of the triumph of the fellowship and the challenges of all the different characters. I look at Gandalf like a father, or a parent... someone who's seen it all before, who's watching the younger generation grow, but won't hesitate to help them and protect them when in need. If I have a melodic metal band, I'm going to name it Mithrandir in his honor, and I already have an idea to make a concept album based on Gandalf's life. I started reading The Silmarillion because of my current favorite concept album, Blind Guardian's Nightfall in Middle-Earth. I'm going to read Tolkien to my unborn children in my belly, to the little tots they grow up to be as their bedtime stories, and help them through elementary, junior high, and high school writing many book reports and presentations. And, if we run out of Tolkien, there's always more fantasy... but Tolkien is the highest and mightiest in my opinion.

 

as someone who grew up like that, that's probably the best way to encourage a love of reading and an appreciation of fine literature, and to fill your kids' childhoods with magic and wonder. offer it to them, but don't push it - damien didn't really take to tolkien until i stepped back & let him discover it on his own. this afternoon he told me he "just couldn't get enough of the lord of the rings!"

 

Kinda reminds me of when I was about seven and sticking my head in an empty lego bucket and playing around and Dad goes "What are you, a Hobbit?" and I said "What's a Hobbit?" and he answered "A short creature who lives in a nice round hole. You should read the book sometime." OK, so it took me about four years to finally remember it again, but you could say Dad got me started too, hehe. Yeah, I'd never push anything on anyone.

 

Well, they did discuss this briefly in the books. When discussing Tom Bombadil, they discarded this, because he would not be able to understand the importance of such a thing and would probably lose it. A very bad thing. And Galadriel was offered it by Frodo and rejected it, thus buying "her stairway to heaven", so to speak. And Elrond, or Gandalf for that matter (and of course these three wear the elven rings) would be corrupted by it's power to the degree that they already had power. It would have been horrible as Galadriel described.
Love talking to other fans. Keep on Tolkein!

 

Alot of other possible outcomes could be concieved but I think the story and the very prophecy rests on the destruction of the ring happening the way it did.


My opinion (Sort of):

I think that all living things on Middle-Earth were tested once again to give them stories and history and to remind them that even the smallest things are essential and play their part on the grand scale. Everyone coming together and pouring all of themselves against odds innumerable streghthens the spirit and gives further meaning to life and helps to teach that power is not the ultimate goal in life. It teaches them to appreciate and treat all life with respect because once the seed of hatred is sown, all things can be affected. As the Elves were passing on and the men were scattering things were at an all-time low on Middle-Earth and with the passing of the third age all were given a chance to come together once again and restore the bond and unity that all life must have in order to be ......uh...you know. :H



I am having a hard time laying it out but I know what I want to say and if you wee here with me I could tell you in a way that you might understand what I mean.

 

I loved the films, and was curious about the books, so i sat and read it. It only took me a week, but it was very dragging. Some stuff could have been cut out, but that was amazing to see that much detail, and it really was an insight into such a detailed mind of Tolkien. I respect him to make all that up. I think the books are too long, but when u get in2 them, they get pretty gd.

~Vindicated~

 

First read the Hobbit in 7th grade english(we HAD to) and I loved it so got the Lord of the Rings books for Christmas. that was 1987 and have read most of Tolkien's stuff. The Silmarillion, Farmer Giles of Ham, all of the stuff his son has published since his death. I am unashamedly a Tolkien nerd.

 

I suggest reading the Hobbit, then LOTR trilogy, as the Hobbit was not as well written in my view, after having read the others. I read them all 24 years ago, and had forgotten much. The movies were a great reminder, and I did recall more than I thought I had.
The books were very good, in my view. I'd also advise reading them before seeing the movies, as those movies are so good, the books are likely to be a letdown. The films were far better in every way than the scenes I imagined when I read the books, way, way better.

 

I read LOTR many times, many years ago. Waited for years and when the Silmarillion came out read that many more times.
If you like LOTR you might like this site

http://www.lotrplaza.com/forum/default.asp

 

Tolkien's a genius and I never get enough of his work. I just finished reading the Hobbit for the I'm not sure how many-th time.

 

Saw the Fellowship on tv last night - wierd, cuz I have the tape and could watch it commercial free. HaHa. The balrog is awesomely done. Speaking of Tom Bombadil - I run or walk in the rain waving my hand above my head. HaHAHa!

 

I have read them all, including The Hobbit. As you're reading them you seem to grow with the characters.

 

The Two Towers is on right now but I have it on DVD but I still think I might watch it cuz I luvs it that much although I'm kinda pissed about the way Merry and Pippen had talk the Ents into going to battle. The Ents knew damn well what was happening and marched to battle with Sarumon filled with doom and rage----they didn't have to be talked into it.