Middle-earth Journeys

I was wondering if anyone recognizes Tolkien Reading Day on March 25th. I must admit I've not heard of it till I saw the news item I've just posted. The 25th falls on a Saturday. For those of you who can spare the time you could party all day!

I've heard of it, Philipa, and have celebrated it the last couple of years by forcing one of my young nephews to read some favorite passage to me. I'm sure they'll appreciate the memory more when they are older!

Philipa wrote:I was wondering if anyone recognizes Tolkien Reading Day on March 25th.

I must say that though I've known about it for years, I've never celebrated it, except as thinking that day about the destruction of the ring, beginning of a new year and a new age. March 25th always makes me happy and it's not just because it is Lady Annunciation Day, which in Sweden is celebrated with waffles. (I can actually explain why , it's a pun, if you say Vårfrudagen (Our Lady's Day) fast and "blurry" you get Våffeldagen (Waffles Day) )

I am actually wondering if anyone else but me celebrates March 1st, tomorrow ? Aragorn's birthday (and death day ), you know, plus return of Gandalf as the White Rider to lead the forces of good. Both turning points. It seems fit to celebrate the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere somehow. We are expecting some more snow today, but still, there is spring in the air, sniff, and the sun has returned. There is light both before and after work hours.

Estel...I like the idea of Swedes having waffles on Tolkien's special day. Perhaps the King and gracious Queen of Sweden can combine the two days and make it Tolkien's Waffle Feast Day!

I had forgotten the March 1st sugnificence. Thanks for the reminder. It's a very powerful day in many respects in Tolkien's calendar.

I just finished reading the March 6 Great Years Calendar. (If you haven't been reading the Calendar, you are missing a lot--March is a big month!) It reminded me of how glad we are when we find out that the riders that are overtaking our friends are indeed the Rangers! This passage has a bit of the same structure as when Aragorn and hobbits are found by Glorfindel: danger all around, tension for days, and the sound of hoofbeats rapidly approaching. Yet somehow when Glorfindel and the Rangers make themselves known, the reader feels that now, things are in good hands.

Gotta love those Rangers!

Pardon me for hijacking this thread for comments about The Great Years Calendar!

I am struck by two scenes, one of which happens today, and one that happens in the Houses of Healing: in both, Eowyn wants to rush off to do rash things, and first Aragorn and then Faramir gentle her down with arguments. Both say something like, we're all probably going to be facing death soon, and so you'll get your chance, but you need to do it thoughtfully and not just throw your life away.

What good men! I wonder if such conversations happened between comrades in arms in wartime.

Merry, what you say opitomizes both Aragorn and Faramir.
They were both able warriors and men of action, but men of thought and reason too. This is where Faramir and Boromir differ to me.
Boromir, although wonderful too, was more like Eowyn in this way.

Merry wrote:Pardon me for hijacking this thread for comments about The Great Years Calendar!

The posts for the calendar on the 10th and 11th are stunning. Gotta LOVE that Tolkien!

I have been reading the calendar posts too and that is why the chapter by chapter thread has not been keeping up and has slowed down. To go from the frenitic days of March to the slow beginnings of the company jaggles the senses. Myabe we should have better timing with these sorts of things.

This is for the ladies creating those entries.

On the subject of Tolkien Reading Day... since I work in education, have tried to celebrate this for the past 3 yrs. with my students. This year should be very interesting~ we will celebrate on the 24th, since school is not in session on a Sat. That week we will be concentrating on Tolkien. I have started the 'decorating' of our media center w/ posters and drawings by Tolkien, to be followed by a display of his works for the students to see. His various books will be read to the students from grades 4-8 during this week, culminating with a 'visit' from Eowyn ( me in costume that I am feverishly trying to complete!)
The Tolkien Society sent me cards/bookmarks to hand out to the students~

Well the refresh button just entered the post twice...

Oh, how wonderful, Varda! You'll have to give us a report of how much the students enjoy it all.

Varda, that sounds really cool!

The illustrations are so beautiful and so meaningful too!

I have to comment on today's Great Years Calendar: excellent point! You do have to wonder what was going on in Sauron's mind at this time. Whom did he think he had captured? Was he so arrogant that he didn't even think about Frodo except as a means to torturing Galdalf and company? And when Frodo and Sam escaped, wasn't Sauron just a little worried about what they might do, tottering around Mordor?

You also have to love how Tolkien weaves a story: the importance of Frodo's task to all the Free Peoples of Middle-earth is symbolized by the elven cloak, the dwarvish mail, and the "blade of the downfallen West". Does Sauron sense a conspiracy?

Merry wrote:I have to comment on today's Great Years Calendar: excellent point! You do have to wonder what was going on in Sauron's mind at this time. Whom did he think he had captured? Was he so arrogant that he didn't even think about Frodo except as a means to torturing Galdalf and company? And when Frodo and Sam escaped, wasn't Sauron just a little worried about what they might do, tottering around Mordor?

Merry, I think Sauron's true great fault is his arrogance. Concerning the Ring, I believe that it is Gandalf or Elrond who says, "That we should seek to destroy it has not entered his mind." He believes that he has created this overwhlemingly powerful weapon/Ring and that anyone who desires or possesses it would only ever want to use it.

Neither (in his arrogance) would he believe that Aragorn and Gandalf would have the unmitigated gall to march on the Black Gate without the Ring. He believes this so completely that he ignores evidence that the original Ringbearer...a Hobbit who he knew possessed the Ring at least at one time...may have entered Mordor from the South. All Sauron had to do was think about it. What possible purpose would the potential Ringbearer have to enter Mordor at all but to destroy the Ring? Did he want to give the Ring back to Sauron face to face? Shake his hand? Takeover Mordor? Not likely.

Wouldn't you have loved to been a mouse in the corner of the roon at Barad-dur when the Ring finally fell into the fire? If Sauron had a face, I would have loved to seen the look on it.