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J.R.R. Tolkien

michiro

Location: Sacramento, CA

Joined: Aug 13 2007

I did not realize that many of you here are fans of the LOTR fantasy lore. To me the stories are more memorable than D&D. I have only read the Hobbit and the LOTR novels, but It would be nice to be able to find the rest. I can't find those kinds of books here (Ukraine). I know that C.S Lewis was a good friend of Tolkien, but I have never read any of his books (other than Mere Christianity as an audiobook). I also know that many elements of the Lord of The Rings novels are based "loosely" from Tolkien's youth and his servitude in The Great War. I did not know that the Elvish language is a mixture of Welsh and Icelandic. Many more things to speak about.

Let's start with Tolkien's love of Language and Geography. He was the only author (other than Alan Campbell) whose work I could actually visualize in my non-imaginative brain. I love how he explains everything in detail. The world in LOTR seems so vast and overall just EPIC. I still haven't learned any elvish language or even any Rohirric. I'm quickly starting to forget many of what was written in the books. One thing that has stuck with me is Gandalf's horse (sort of) Shadowfax. It reminds me of animals that have long been forgotten and yet are the father's of the one's we have now. Also, what exactly is the The Silmarillion about?

The Silmarillion is the

auriplane

Joined: Sep 06 2008

The Silmarillion is the shadow behind LOTR. It gives it depth. In other words, it's a collection of some of the stories and mythology that make up the world of Middle-Earth.

Narnia is pretty good.

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Auriplane!!

Re: The Silmarillion is the

michiro

Location: Sacramento, CA

Joined: Aug 13 2007

auriplane said

The Silmarillion is the shadow behind LOTR. It gives it depth. In other words, it's a collection of some of the stories and mythology that make up the world of Middle-Earth.

Narnia is pretty good.

So, it is a bit like all those fairy tales we have nowadays?

In my opinion, it's more

kage25130

Joined: Aug 02 2011

In my opinion, it's more easily compared to the bible in scope and depth. I guess it would be somewhat of an 'old testament' for middle earth.

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Your knowledge of scientific biological transmogrification is only outmatched by your zest for kung-fu treachery!

exactly. the opening of it is

wayfaerer

"Embrace your dreams."

Location: The Lifestream

Joined: Apr 03 2011

exactly. the opening of it is about how the world of arda was formed by iluvatar, the supreme deity, by orchestrating a great song in void, the heavens. many other lesser gods aided in this, one of which was melkor. seeking to please iluvatar with his piece and rhyme, his overzealousness and greed was shown through more than anything else, for he wished to one-up the parts made by the other gods.

iluvatars wish was to make a grand music, in which thigns could be visualized, and created. trees were formed, and the waters of arda, and the animals and mountains. but melkors jealous spirit and conceited spirit cast a darkness on the music, and thus everything the others made was slightly touched by melkors malice. iluvatar seeing this, vast melkor from the heavens.

melkor grew angry at this, and began drawing servants to his cause, one of which was sauron, and melkor was changed to morgoth. he delved deep in the earth, and forged the iron fortress of angband, in which he planned to own the all of arda, and bend it to his will.

later the stories really begin to unfold, in the land of beleriand; of beren and luthien, my personal favorite passage from the silmarillion, and of the forging of the silmarils, the most precious gems in creation, and the light of the trees of valinor, and the blessed realm of aman, the exile of the noldor therein, for they sought to overcome the creation of iluvatar. it eventually discusses the downfall of dor-lomin, and the capturing of hurin the steadfast, a great wrrior in those times and lord of dor-lomin, whose blood is handed down from that of beren, and the sorrows that befell his turin, in his journeys across beleriand.

the silmarillion is tokiens most in depth work, and is the precursor to all that happens in the lord of the rings. it is HIGHLY recommended for any ring buffs. it is the mythology of creation, the origin of the dark lord morgoth, as well as the dark lord sauron, and discusses how beleriand was sunk beneath the sea by the angered gods, and the history of that land lost therein.

interestingly, the mountains on the western edge of the shire in lord of the rings, are actually remnants of the mountain range in the extreme east of beleriand, and it is past these were the grey havens are found, where the ships bear the remaining eldar to undying land of aman

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Re: J.R.R. Tolkien

musenji

Joined: Feb 02 2010

michiro said

...LOTR fantasy lore... To me the stories are more memorable than D&D.

That's good, since D&D is --strongly-- based in the lore that Tolkien created. Elves and Dwarves of the Tolkien variety, for example.

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And then I realized that the chord progression from Chrono Cross's Another World is the same progression as the chorus from Peace of Mind by Boston, and life was never quite the same.

Re: J.R.R. Tolkien

wayfaerer

"Embrace your dreams."

Location: The Lifestream

Joined: Apr 03 2011

musenji said

michiro said

...LOTR fantasy lore... To me the stories are more memorable than D&D.

That's good, since D&D is --strongly-- based in the lore that Tolkien created. Elves and Dwarves of the Tolkien variety, for example.

*solemnly nods*

and i believe tolkien is also credited with the creation of mithril, and orcs. praps not, but im pretty sure it is so.

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"i seem to be find a lot that apparently dont contain the .exe actually" -Anonymous

"Has anyone really been far as decided to use even go want to look more like?" -Pherioxus

How epic indeed

michiro

Location: Sacramento, CA

Joined: Aug 13 2007

I just recently came back from church. I have to say that the way some people preach I really start thinking deep about the meaning of life. Many things in LOTR remind so much about why I do what I do and that makes the stories that much more special to me. I can say that I understand Tolkiens work less than that of The Bible. That is not to say I appreciate it any less (though with the Bible you must study it thoroughly for it to truly have an impact on you). In a world we live in today and then reading all these books, I start to wonder how we went wrong. You see how people are so carnal and only think about themselves in reality. There's just this "untouchable" sort of nature to being "holy" or a "saint", which even Apostle Paul says no man can achieve on his own good merits. It pains me that real life is not like it is in fantasy, I strive to make the world a better place. Then again, now I am arguing with semantics, lol.