It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door…You step into the Road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.
Essay From The Tolkien Society Journal: The Mallorn "Aragorn: Tales of the Heir of Isildur.
Part 1 - The Evolution of the Man
Exclusive Preview
Part 2 - Strider's Tale"
True to his word, Per Håken Arvidsson has given us a preview of the conclusion of his thesis papers in advance of its publication in the Tolkien Society's next edition of The Mallorn. And, a very interesting Part 2 it is indeed. I will be eager to read all of your comments and will not spill the beans early.
A sparkle through the darkling trees,
a piercing glint of light he sees,
and there she dances all alone
upon a treeless knoll of stone!
Her mantle blue with jewels white
caught all the rays of frosted light.
J.R.R. Tolkien
Tolkien wrote and re-wrote the tale of Beren and Lúthien many times but the Lay of Leithian, although unfinished, is his most epic and poetic account of the great love of the mortal Beren for the immortal elf maiden Lúthien, and of their terrifying quest to steal the Silmaril from Morgoth's crown so that he might win her hand.
At over 4,000 lines long it's the most detailed treatment of one of Tolkien's core stories - the one he regarded as a 'fundemental link' in his whole mythological cycle and certainly the one closest to his own heart.
As some of us have read this epic (and I'm about to) we've opened a new Lay of Leithian discussion thread. So dust off your History of Middle Earth and come and join us
Now let the song begin! Let us sing together
Of sun, stars, moon and mist, rain and cloudy weather...
In this chapter we reach the heart of Lothlorien and the Fellowship meet Galadriel, the Lady of the Golden Wood. Let's get together on the LoTR thread and discuss this magical chapter with its unearthly light and glimpses of darkness, and its mixture of comfort and discomfort. What effect does it have on the Fellowship as they prepare for the rest of their quest?
Now let the song begin! Let us sing together
Of sun, stars, moon and mist, rain and cloudy weather...
Although I first read Tolkien in the early 1970’s it’s only in the last few years that I’ve become familiar with the work of the Brothers Hildebrandt. I guess no one ever bought me one of their now famous calendars of 1976, 1977 and 1978! I've been looking closely at their work and have been wondering, how does their vision of Middle-earth hold up now we have Lee, Howe and Nasmith, and following them, Peter Jackson’s films?
There are many places that have been associated with Tolkien throughout his long life: Oxford, Leeds, Birmingham, Bournemouth and visits to Ireland and elsewhere.
What are the places Tolkien lived and worked in like? We have a new thread in the 'Tolkien the Man' Forum called Tolkien Trail where any of us lucky enough to visit can share our adventures, thoughts and impressions.
First up: Iolanthe, Mabretere and Jonick's trip to Oxford
Now let the song begin! Let us sing together
Of sun, stars, moon and mist, rain and cloudy weather...
My sincere apologies to all for taking so long to post Per Håkan Arvidsson's COMPLETE MA Thesis. I believe this will answer many of your questions that stemmed from his previous drafts, and will renew a spirited discussion.
Download Per's thesis paper and join the discussion HERE.
We're happy to announce that Iolanthe's designs are available at the Viggo-Works Marketplace.
Her newest pieces Galadriel's Mirror, Lothlorien and Isengard have been added to shirts, mugs and prints. *At a later date they will be available on greeting cards. A percentage of the proceeds goes to the server fee for both Viggo-Works and Middle-earth Journeys.
If you would like the design to be on the back of a shirt, please PM or e-mail me Philipa, at philipa@viggo-works.com.
I'll be happy to create the product for the Marketplace.
Since our friends at The Writers of Rohan are closing up shop and their website, we have brought the Tolkien Library in house here at Middle-earth Journeys. We have revamped it a bit and have full intentions of adding many more of those great tolkien research books to the assortment in upcoming days.
In the meantime, take a renewed look at the Library. There's a lot of information and inspiration to be found there.
Rabbit Ridge Art is slowly opening its doors for business and that will lead to even bigger and better things for all of us who visit here…a true Artist’s Guild. Tolkien continues to inspire us to create and achieve and share. Stay tuned. Much more information will be posted in the coming days and weeks. These are exciting times.
Finally…the marriage of just the right original artwork…just the right eloquent quotations and poetry…and just the right meticulously handcrafted greeting cards and stationery that will enable you to truly speak from your heart.
Come take a look and feel the warmth as art and words combine to capture just the right greetings that you have always wanted to send…and then we think you will return again and again.
GRAND OPENING SPECIAL: SEPTEMBER 1-9
Any purchases made during the Grand Opening week will receive an additional 10% Off the entire purchase (includes both the Tolkien and Harvest Series - both Handcrafted and Elegant Parchment). This also includes 10% Off purchases using the BUY4ORMORE coupon. Now...that's a great deal!
After the long sojourn in Lothlorien the Fellowship is finally on the move again and they are not alone as it’s clear that Gollum, with all his talents as a waterman, is still following them. Even worse, a terrifying winged creature has flown over them and the journey down the river is proving far more difficult than anyone thought.
The Fellowship is stricken with indecision and the way is no longer clear, even to Aragorn who is now leading them. But as they approach the Argonath, the great Pillars of the Kings, we get a glimpse of the returning King of Gondor in Strider even as he wrestles with the difficult choices before them.
This is another short chapter but one that tells us that the journey is going to be a very different one from this point onwards! Come and join us over on the LotR Chapter by Chapter discussion thread as we pick up our own journey through the book again .
Now let the song begin! Let us sing together
Of sun, stars, moon and mist, rain and cloudy weather...
I've created a new thread especially for reports of Oxonmoots and Tolkien Events. This way we won't lose any interesting information. Hopefully we'll all get the chance to attend something once in a while that we want to tell the Tolkien world about! .
I certainly hope to attend more Oxonmoots - annual Oxford meetings of the Tolkien Society - and will be posting more reports here in the future
