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I finally found my point of confusion about the echoes of Irish and English usage of this phrase. But (conjunction) all-the-while (a measure of time ). As such, the phrase all-the-while is a signal that this activity would modify the sit and think to become something capturing the present...

When I was thumbing through the section we are about to cover tonight (looking to see if we are likely to hit one of my favorite parts of the entire book), I noticed something — something we are unlikely to catch in class. I think Tolkien has included, via the typesetting, long, pregnant or...

I got a call from my family last week (a happy, if unexpected, virtual gathering) so missed the class discussion. I did notice one word (emphasis added) we missed in the discussion of the first slide: ”They took me and they set me alone on the pinnacle of Orthanc....” The they here, mentioned...

After reading some of the responses here in the forums, I wanted To go back and check something about the implied population of the north. Perhaps I missed something somewhere, but I wanted to call attention to Aragorn’s phrasing here: “But my home, such as I have, is in the North. For here the...

I wanted to get down a couple thoughts about the poem from last night’s session — the one I logged off with two minutes to go (Had I but known!): 1) We have been referring to this metrical scheme as Elven. Given that this portent comes from the West, would it be more appropriate to think of it...

The question came up, last class, about the minions of Sauron not being permitted to use his name conflicting with the Mouth of Sauron using it. I did a quick electronic search of the text and couldn’t find evidence of any of his minions using Sauron’s name. Indeed, even Saruman won’t be using...

I’d like to raise the possibiltiy for a more subtle approach in the Mouth of Sauron’s offer to the Dwarves than is initially apparent — one that indicates he wins in every way expect the one that plays out. First, he wins if the Dwarves tell him that they know of Hobbits and where they are...

While listening to the class asynchronously, I noted something about Gloin’s mourning over Moria: “Glóin sighed. ‘Moria! Moria! Wonder of the Northern world! Too deep we delved there, and woke the nameless fear. Long have its vast mansions lain empty since the children of Durin fled.” Compare...

While catching up on what I missed last class, I began to notice a parallel between the poem and Frodo’s quest: Earendil comes through death and darkness to Valinor on a mission to save all Middle Earth = Frodo comes through death and darkness to Rivendel on a mission to save all Middle Earth...

Hello, everyone! Corey asked me to post this question here. The Ring poem reads: Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky, Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die, One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows...

I’m catching up with the classes I missed while traveling and wanted to add a quick thought about why quote directly from The Hobbit in Rivendell — especially as it applies to the question of who is the narrator. In addition to the ideas mooted by the class (and related to the...

I am not convinced I am any closer to understanding the why Gandalf added boulders to the flood at the Ford of Bruinen, but I have noted a couple of things while considering this passage: “At that moment there came a roaring and a rushing: a noise of loud waters rolling many stones. Dimly Frodo...

A quick follow up to last night’s field trip, which I am watching this afternoon. You considered the Market in Rivendell as a showcase with small, ad hoc stalls, staffed by individuals in livery/uniform on the outside to handle the new arrivals needing armor to replace worn out material. I’d...

I wanted to briefly circle back around to the question of Gandalf’s ability to see into the Wraith World. I think there is some evidence in the text that he can, to at least a limited degree, do so: Gandalf moved his chair to the bedside and took a good look at Frodo. The colour had come...

Sorry about the delay in getting to this, but I had a few thougths about this particular passage from a couple of weeks ago: ‘Yes, I, Gandalf the Grey,’ said the wizard solemnly. ‘There are many powers in the world, for good or for evil. Some are greater than I am. Against some I have not yet...

A follow up from tonight’s class. I did a quick search of Tom Bombadil’s name. Everyone calls him Tom Bombadil except for Aragorn, who calls him Old Bombadil, and Gandalf and Elrond. This points to an interesting possibility for Gandalf or Elrond being an editor (perhaps while Bilbo is still...

There is a point to this that matters to what we are reading now. I was thinking about, as one does when making dinner, Prince Imrahil and the Swan Knights of Dol Amroth and how the population of Minas Tirith looks upon their arrival with a mixture of elated hope and then despair because they...

A note while catching up: In the discussion of Glorfindel and his raiment, there was a sense that the word was being used differently. Looking through the times it is used, it appears to be associated with elf-made items: the clothing of Arwen and Glorfindel, the cloaks of the Fellowship that...

One thing we should probably keep an eye on, since it is coming up soon, is the wound that never heals. Frodo will receive his on Weathertop as he heads out looking for his uncle. There is another wound which never heals that is tied up with a nephew and an uncle: The Dolorous Blow. I don’t...

I wanted to make a brief observation about Bilbo’s translation of “The Fall of Gil-galad”. We talked a bit about Bilbo’s allusion to the ring poem in the final line of the poem (“in Mordor where the shadows are.”/“In the land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.”) — although we did not touch on how...