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
-----------------------------------------
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.
Oh wait, you're an elf. I guess you do...
ROFL!
Congratulations on your A's Jen...Are we surprised? No way.....
Well, we've had discussions of my dwarf identity crisis before. You know I'm here as part of the witness protection program after I escaped the religious wars.
I really wanted to be a wizard but thought that would sound pretentious...
You could make it a literal think tank - brains floating around in liquid... um, how are you going to get 50,000 words out of that? If you can, of course, more power to you. And of course you can always have a bunch of dwarves walk in halfway through the first chapter. That would be good for a few days of stuff!
I've been shaking my head in the general direction of the Smokey Backroom....
I think part of it is in the Council when he shushes Legolas.
Knowing the story we can assume he's saying "now's not the time," but it can also come off as "I don't want to deal with that..."
We see that he has accepted his destiny as Boromir dies in his arms...
That would.... so don't leave us bro'. We'll acknowledge you as a Dwarf Lord if you insist, but......even that sounds pretentious.....
"He [Jackson's Elrond] speaks disparagingly about his future son-in-law Aragorn, to whom (in the book) he is a surrogate father figure. He never smiles but is always acerbic and irascible. In fact, none of the Elves ever laughs or really smiles, though their race is supposedly renowned for merriment and singing."
I was there for 8 years. And some pretty bizarre stuff happened. There are a lot of side stories as well that can be sub-plots.
Like the guy who was married but had a woman in every town. (we travelled nationally) In a sort of "Affair to Remember" type story, one of his women was in a car accident and became a paraplegic. But it also affected her mentally and she no longer thought she was his girlfriend. She would call and identify herself as his wife...
And there's the time we were setting up an event with President Reagan at the White House and we got a call about our security clearance list because one of our employees had sued the Secret Service because they were "following her" and ruining her life...
Do I only get 50,000 words?
Mainly in that sappy scene with Arwen before (in front of) the shards of Narsil where he laments his weakness as being the same as Isildur's. He is definitely questioning his kingly (I almost typed kinkly) qualities at that point. But I'm with you on Aragorn overall. He is growing as the story progresses and that is fine....
Thank you. We're here all week!
OT, I think a murder-mystery with analytical scientists and PETA barbeque victims would be cool! I'd read it anyway!
Do you think we should force our friends here in the Hole to read our works in progress?
Yeah, that's one reason we picked it. There's tempting stuff on the other side - Woodstock seems neat, then there's VINS and the Montshire Science Museum - but VT is, I think, the epitome of "a nice place to visit, ..."
I think part of it is in the Council when he shushes Legolas.
Also when he's talking to Arwen after the Boromir/shards of Narsil scene. That part about the same blood, the same weakness as Isildur.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.