Posted on 03/14/2002 5:07:26 AM PST by HairOfTheDog
This is a continuation of the infamous thread New Zealander Builds Hobbit Hole originally posted on January 26, 2001 by John Farson, who at the time undoubtedly thought he had found a rather obscure article that would elicit a few replies and die out. Without knowing it, he became the founder of the Hobbit Hole. For reasons incomprehensible to some, the thread grew to over 4100 replies. It became the place for hobbits and friends of hobbits to chit chat and share LoTR news and views, hang out, and talk amongst ourselves in the comfort of familiar surroundings.
In keeping with the new posting guidelines, the thread idea is continuing here, as will the Green Dragon Inn, our more structured spin-off thread, as soon as we figure out how to move all the good discussion that has been had there. As for the Hobbit Hole, we will just start fresh, bringing only a few mathoms such as the picture above with us to make it feel like home, and perhaps a walk down memory lane:
Our discussion has been light:
It very well may be that a thread named "New Zealander builds Hobbit hole" will end up being the longest Tolkien thread of them all, with some of the best heartfelt content... Sorry John, but I would have rather it had been one with a more distinguished title! post 252 - HairOfTheDog
However, I can still celebrate, with quiet dignity, the fact that what started as a laugh about some wacko in New Zealand has mutated and grown into a multifaceted discussion of the art, literature, and philosophy that is Tolkien. And now that I've managed to write the most pompous sentence of my entire life, I agree, Rosie post 506 - JenB
Hah! I was number 1000!! (Elvish victory dance... wait, no; that would be too flitty) post 1001 - BibChr
Real men don't have to be afraid of being flitty! Go for it. post 1011 HairOfTheDog
Seventeen years to research one mystical object seems a bit excessive post 1007 - JenB
Okay...who's the wise guy who didn't renew Gandalf's research grant? post 1024 Overtaxed
To the very philosophical:
Judas Iscariot obviously was a good man, or he wouldn't have been chosen to be one of the Apostles. He loved Jesus, like all of the Apostles, but he betrayed him. Yet without his betrayal, the Passion and Crucifixion would never have occurred, and mankind would not have been redeemed. So without his self-destruction infinite good would not have been accomplished. I certainly do not mean this to be irreverant but it seems to me that this describes the character of Gollum, in the scenes so movingly portrayed above Lucius Cornelius Sulla
To fun but heartfelt debates about the integrity and worth of some of the characters
Anyone else notice how Boromir treats the hobbits? He's very fond of them but he seems to think of them as children - ruffling Frodo's hair, calls them all 'little ones'. He likes them, but I don't think he really respects them post 1536 - JenB
Yes... Tolkien told us not to trust Boromir right off the bat when he began to laugh at Bilbo, until he realized that the Council obviously held this hobbit in high esteem. What a pompous dolt post 1538 - HairOfTheDog
I think almost every fault of his can be traced directly back to his blindness to anything spiritual or unseen. He considers the halflings as children, because that is what they look like. He considers the only hope of the ring to be in taking it and using it for a victory in the physical realm. He cannot see what the hobbits are truly made of, he cannot see the unseen hope of what the destruction of the ring might mean--the destruction of Sauron himself, and he cannot see the unseen danger that lies in the use of the ring itself I just feel sorry for Boromir--he is like a blind but honorable man, trying to take the right path on the road but missing the right path entirely because he simply cannot see it post 1548 - Penny1
Boromir isn't a jerk, he's a jock post 2401 Overtaxed
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Oh, I think by the time Frodo reaches the Cracks, he's not even himself anymore! I think he's not only on the brink of a dangerous place physically, he's on the brink of losing himself completely during the exchange with Gollum. But for some reason, the take-over isn't complete till he actually has to throw the Ring in. The person speaking to Gollum is not Frodo, but the "Wheel of Fire" that Sam sees. After the Ring is destroyed, Frodo not only comes back to himself, but comes back with the unbearable (to him) knowledge of what it's like to be completely without compassion. I think that's why it's so important to him to be compassionate in the Shire post 2506 - 2Jedismom
Regarding Frodo's compassion... it's a little too much at the end. Even Merry tells him that he's going to have to quit being so darn nice. But you're right. He's learned a lesson about evil that very few ever learn since it wasn't an external lesson but an internal one. (Those kinds of lessons have the greatest impact) Not only did he totally succumb to it, but he was rather ruthless to my little Smeagol post 2516 - carton253
Well that Frodo was a big mean bully! (to Smeagol) post 2519 Overtaxed
So as you can see, everything JRR Tolkien (and Peter Jackson) is welcome here in our New Row, our soon-to-be familiar New Hobbit Hole
; philosophy, opinion, good talk and frequent silliness.
Where There's a Whip There's a WayWhere There's a Whip There's a Way
Where There's a Whip There's a Way
Where There's a Whip There's a WayWe don't want to go to war today, but
The Lord of lash says nay, nay, nay
We're gonna march all day, all day, all day
Where There's a Whip There's a WayWhere There's a Whip There's a Way
Where There's a Whip There's a Way
Where There's a Whip There's a Way
Left, right, left, right, left,
Where There's a Whip There's a Way, left, rightThe crack on the back says we're going to fight
We're going to march all day and night and more
'cause we are the slaves of the dark Lord Zor
Left, right, Left, right, Left, right, Left, right,. . .
Yes I tried to find a wav file for Dan, I really did.
I have a new computer!!!! :) :) :)
Now I just have to figure out how I'm going to transfer all those lovely files over....argh!
Yes - we all turned in early... I am trying to leave my computer for awhile, I have been here all day... just came back to look one more time!
Today, I think my daytime Freeping days ended. Some computer geek turned the agency firewall back on, and guess what the new filter is?
"Political groups."
SIGH
I installed my old HD's when I got my new system.
Left the chat room early because I'm fiddling with the laptop/TV connections. I got them linked but the laptop doesn't "see" the TV. Grrrr....and the customer support site is in circumnavigation mode. Everytime I look for drivers I get kicked out to the main Customer Service page.
Well, last night some of the co-conspirators and I (Jen and ecurbh) had an informal council in our chat room on the Green Dragon format, and we have some ideas on changes that might increase participation, and perhaps the depth and scope of the discussion. Sometimes we can fully discuss the content of an individual chapter within about 20 minutes, and then I look at it and conclude everything has already been said. The thread is either dead by Saturday morning, or it descends into chit chat while we wait for the next chapter.
We think the discussion is stifled by limiting us to only one short chapter at a time... and we lose some of the larger themes that take several chapters to develop, SO, Rather than strict "chapter" discussions, we think it might stimulate more interest to break the book into related "sections", that are one to three chapters in length, but deal with the same events...
For example (from where we have already been), The hobbits' journey from Hobbiton to Crickhollow could have been one discussion (two chapters there)
The Old Forest and Tom Bombadil, (Chapters 6-8) could have been another week's discussion.
Our current discussion covering the events at Bree could be opened up to cover everything that happens in Bree, which takes place over portions of three chapters. Maybe we are boring people by not moving along. I know I had gotten pretty tired of Bombadil after three weeks ;)
The sections from here on out are the important part, I can post some explaination to connect the Bree chapters together when we get this worked out.
I could suggest that we group the journey from here on out like this:
Bree (contained in parts of ch 9-11)
Journey from Bree to the Ford (contained in ch 11-12)
Rivendell (Book 2 - Ch 1-3)
The Ring goes South (3-4)
Moria (4-5)
Lothlorien (6-8)
The Breaking of the Fellowship (9-10)
I don't know about all of you, so I am asking. The other consideration is, that some of us are eager to get through The Two Towers before Christmas! I am sure it could be broken into logical sections also, and then, if the discussion is over within a week on a section, we move on, if not, we delay it until everyone is done.
A lot happens in Rivendell, for example. The council is very important, and only part of it... but a week is also a long time. Well, what do you think?
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