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  1. ForthDauntless3

    Concerning Old Gamgee

    In Episode 170 [I've gotten out of sync again. :-(], the class discussed the events in which Gaffer Gamgee grumpily dismisses the Black Rider asking for news of Baggins. In my head canon, the Gaffer follows, "Good night to you" by shutting his door in the astonished Rider's face. In the...
  2. ForthDauntless3

    Indis and Finwë

    I missed Morgoth's Ring #13, so I didn't get a chance to raise this point live. Upon reading the revised and extended version of Indis and Finwë, I was struck by parallels with Beren and Luthien. Indis, like Luthien, is the daughter of a great king among the elves. The two seem to have been...
  3. ForthDauntless3

    Homework: Estel vs. Amdir

    In the homework assignment from last week, we were asked to think about the effect of the "All that is gold..." poem. Specifically, why did the publishers allow Tolkien to get away with inserting the poem not once but twice. To try to answer that, I've been thinking about the effect it has...
  4. ForthDauntless3

    Boromir as Horatius Cocles?

    In our discussion from 4 February, I was struck by a parallel I had never noticed before. Boromir and Faramir made a heroic stand to hold the last bridge over the Anduin. They then swim the river—in the company of two others—once the bridge has been brought down behind them. I can't help but...
  5. ForthDauntless3

    Black Riders and the Ring

    During last week's class (#109 if memory serves), we had a spirited argument about whether Frodo's reluctance to reveal the nature of his quest was due to the influence of the Ring or due to simple caution. This got me thinking about how the Ring acts on Frodo's will, and I wrote a long post...
  6. ForthDauntless3

    Ring-Induced Rationalization

    During last week's class (#109 if memory serves), we had a spirited argument about whether Frodo's reluctance to reveal the nature of his quest was due to the influence of the Ring or due to simple caution. I think there are two factors we ought to consider if we're trying to analyze which of...
  7. ForthDauntless3

    Celebrimbor and the Making of the Rings

    During this week's class, I was very troubled by the notion that Celebrimbor poured not only his own power but that of the other elf-lords into the Great Rings. Corey proposed this as an explanation for the failure of Elvendom in Middle Earth after the destruction of the One. I'm troubled...
  8. ForthDauntless3

    Frodo's Defiance at the Ford

    During our discussion of Frodo's struggle with Old Man Willow, we commented that he had a partial success. He overcame the sleep song, but he then succumbed to the tree's desire that Frodo should bathe his feet in the Withywindle. When Frodo strove with the Witch-King at the Ford, he had a...
  9. ForthDauntless3

    Wormtongue and Gollum

    During my most recent read through, I noticed some striking similarities between Gollum and Wormtongue. They both start out as cunning and clever, but they wind up broken and enslaved to the power that controls them. Some of Tolkien's descriptions of their motions (e.g. Wormtongue's motion...
  10. ForthDauntless3

    Mythgard Mini-Class?

    It's almost certainly too late for it this year, but it might be fun to organize a Mythgard mini-class on "A Christmas Carol" next year. Thoughts?
  11. ForthDauntless3

    Nazgûl and Fire

    During episode 75 we discussed Strider's advice to the hobbits to grab long branches of wood out of the fire and use them for a defense against the Ringwraiths. We concluded that this was mostly a psychological defense to fortify the hobbits against the fear induced by the Nine. However, upon...
  12. ForthDauntless3

    The Morgul Blades

    During class on Tuesday, I was struck by the description of the Morgul blade carried by the Nazgul in Crickhollow: "...a drawn blade gleamed, as if a chill light had been unsheathed." The blade carried by the witch king on Weathertop is described thusly: "...both the knife and the hand that...
  13. ForthDauntless3

    Those Verses Go With That Name

    During class last week, Bluewizrd raised the interesting point that Bilbo's "All that is gold does not glitter..." poem attaches to Aragorn in a most peculiar way. Strider tells us, "I am Aragorn, and those verses go with that name." (Emphasis added). Strider definitely does not say that the...
  14. ForthDauntless3

    Book Selection

    I'm relatively new to the Mythgard Academy selection process, so I wanted to ask where and how I can propose books. I presume that the proposals must be going in soon to allow time for voting before the end of the War of the Ring class. Can anyone point me in the right direction?
  15. ForthDauntless3

    Butterbur's Literacy

    I was surprised by the reluctance last week to interpret Butterbur's pride in his literacy as implying a mark of status last week. Why else would Butterbur be proud of his literacy if it did not convey some mark of honor within the village? We know that the nearby Shire hobbits value literacy...
  16. ForthDauntless3

    Do Balrogs Have Names?

    I've been re-listening to the audio of Session 3-15 and I realized that the balrogs are basically being treated as glorified extras. We have Gothmog with a name and a significant, multi-season story arc, but the other 8 are completely interchangeable. Despite the menace and terror we want them...
  17. ForthDauntless3

    Frodo's Partial Successes

    Upon listening to the audio recording of Episode 50 (An Important New Acquaintance) I was struck by the parallels between Frodo's failure in the Prancing Pony and his similar failure with Old Man Willow. In both cases, Frodo resisted the initial temptation but failed to resist the backup plan...
  18. ForthDauntless3

    Proposed Field Trip

    I'm not sure if this is the right place to propose a field trip. If not, I apologize for the incorrect placement. In any case, if the Winter Festival bonus days are still running at the next class, I propose a field trip to Frostbluff. While not strictly compatible with the lore, I think this...
  19. ForthDauntless3

    Concerning Dwarvish Accents

    Upon re-listening to the iTunes podcast from Session 3-09, I noticed Prof. Olsen's reminder that Khuzdul is a semitic language and his suggestion that dwarves should have a middle-eastern accent. I'm worried that doing this would risk running afoul of anti-Semitic stereotypes. The dwarves...
  20. ForthDauntless3

    Tom and the Ring

    Upon reviewing last week's class, I noticed something that had escaped me up until that very moment. When Tom comments that Frodo's hand is more fair without the Ring, that must mean that Tom sees Frodo quite clearly! He isn't simply perceiving that Frodo is there the way we might see a...
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