Recent content by Elentir

Now that we're done with the Council, let me share my thoughts on the red star seen in the South above the rim of the valley. I think it was Mars, especially since Mars behaved in exactly the same way in the fall and winter of 1939, when Tolkien was writing this part of the book. Mars reached...

There's a place name in the San Diego area that has always tickled my brain and I now know why. The place is Japatul Valley (pronounced HOP-ah-tool) and it sounds like a word in the ring inscription. So I am going to give it a meaning. From the Greek haptikos meaning touch or grasp, the root...

I just found this, Ursula LeGuin reading from "A Wizard of Earthsea", for your enjoyment:

I got mine now. An impressive book.

Shut up and take my money!

I am so pleased to hear that the next Mythgard book is "A Wizard of Earthsea". For those of you who haven't read it, you're in for a treat.

"Not all that is gold does glitter" is more precise but doesn't fit the rhythm of the poem as well.

I expect that the Butterbur family has known Gandalf for hundreds of years. I can just see the scene of little Barliman hearing stories about Gandalf from his grandfather.

Style. An excellent foreshadowing of "The White Rider" too.

It's my opinion, in keeping with Tolkien's view of his work as "discovery" instead of "invention" that he himself never discovered who Bombadil was.

No worries, there's years of discussions in the appendices. Can you imagine how long it's going to take to discuss the kinstrife period of Gondor's history!!!

Another such word is sanction, which can mean to officially allow, or to officially provide for a punishment.

A couple of things come to mind here. Frodo's defiance at the ford slows the Witch King in the ford making him waste the time to break Frodo's sword and silence him. This gives the flood time to reach the ford before the Nazgul finish crossing. If Frodo hadn't defied the Nazgul, they may...

Tom must certainly know Aragorn or at least of Aragorn: 'Few now remember them,' Tom murmured, 'yet still some go wandering, sons of forgotten kings walking in loneliness, guarding from evil things folk that are heedless.' The hobbits did not understand his words, but as he spoke they had a...

Denethor and Faramir, too, operate well on less than normal sleep when the going gets tough. It's probably a Numenorian thing.