The New Hobbit Hole

[HairOfTheDog]

Welcome to The New Hobbit Hole
Concerning Hobbits
The New Hobbit Chronicles

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.

[RMDupree]

Mine?

[RMDupree]

Mine?

[Corin Stormhands]

Rats

[carton253]

Take it my good friends... Smeagol will give it up thanks to everyone's good advice and help.

[RMDupree]

HAHAHAHHA! I got the Mojo Precious!

[Corin Stormhands]

Good one. Things are crawling here or I woulda had it...I hope JR gets things figured out soon.

[RMDupree]

It took several attempts for me to get to the post screen. Pretty frustrating!

[Corin Stormhands]

Yep, it is frustrating. Corin has to go work now...sigh...

[2Jedismom]

Ah, the guy isn't really bothering me...just took my name from another ping list that I'm on (that I didn't ask to be on and wasn't asked if I wanted on) and bless him, he's been pinging me all morning. I just asked him to take me off his list and he says I'm not on any list of his.

Wow, this Requiem music is wild! What's the story behind it, does anyone know? Is it going to be on the soundtrack?

[RMDupree]

I'm on quite a few ping lists that I never asked to be on. I don't bother asking them to take me off because sometimes they ignore you and other times they give you an attitude about it.

As for your pinger friend, God bless him, it's not his fault that he wasn't raised to have manners.

[HairOfTheDog]

In all my college experience, I only had one really offensive instructor. He told extremely xxx jokes at the start of each class, and I was one of two chicks in the class of around 50 guys. Not real pleasant because they would all look at us to see how well we could "take it". When some of the decent guys in class saw that we could take it, but didn't enjoy it, they felt really ashamed and THEY complained to him in class about talking that way. This guy didn't stop, but it wasn't us that looked a fool after that.

The class was a Flight Engineer (third officer, navigator) class for commercial airliners. The instructor had been a Flight Engineer for United for 20 years. NO ONE remains a flight engineer for 20 years.

[HairOfTheDog]

I think that Requiem piece is great morning music...have listened to it a couple times! It is from "Requiem for a Dream?" Don't know anything about it before this!

[Sam Cree]

Going to try to get some work done, check in later, probably.

[carton253]

I've taught my cat to retract his claws by saying "put your claws in". He does it! The vet was amazed! Well, going to school, I'm going to have to learn to retract my feelings. I don't know if I'll ever get used to feeling humiliated though... or singled out as if I have the plague... I am going to have to learn not to let anyone know it bothers me... then come here to the Hobbit Hole and get a pint, a wing... and the best conversation I've had in a long time. Makes Smeagol feel better...

[2Jedismom]

Well, I just freepmailed my final reply to him. I freepmailed you a copy too and also JimRob and madfly.

I don't know why, but it really bothers me when people do that kind of stuff. Usurping other people's lists. Since it happened to me, I'm just fed up with it.

[HairOfTheDog]

OK! - Well, it seems all the harrassed hobbits are taken care of except Rosie.

Hoping and praying for a good job lead for you Rosie!

[NewCenturions]

If you'd ever danced on stage (as an adult) in front of an audience, you'd be forever immune to further public humiliation! (spoken as one who knows!)

[carton253]

Does anyone know how to do a lexus nexus search... what website to go to, etc. I need to do research for a speech I'm giving. And yes... I plan to get another A... and if I'm the only one who doesn't read her speech from her cards... well, too bad!

[2Jedismom]

Except the Hole is still paying for terrorists...

[carton253]

I did that in a piano recital. I totally screwed up... it was bad. I got up and no one applauded... (not that I expected them to) so I said, "a little humiliation is good for the soul."

I didn't want to be in the recital, but the little old lady who was my teacher made me. I changed teachers after that.