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

-----------------------------------------

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.

[HairOfTheDog]

That one is gonna have to grow on me. ;~D

[ecurbh]

Well, I've stayed up much later than I should. I still have to work tomorrow (actually, today now). Namárië! Here's a night-light.

[HairOfTheDog]

Namárië! Thanks for sharing that with me!

[2Jedismom]

Well, it's very early here and I can't sleep. Steve's delicious bbq pork roast didn't settle well with me...I took a Zantac and am waiting for it to calm down. On the imac because it turns on and off quicker than the PC, so I can't download those tunes. Are they the full tunes?? Or just the snippets?

[HairOfTheDog]

Those are the full tunes.... and the first five were posted earlier. up the thread.

[HairOfTheDog]

Good morning!

Let sleeping hobbits lie...

Lyrics to Gollum's Song, best I can cypher it.

Where once was light, now darkness falls.
Where once was love, love is no more.

Don't say goodbye!
Don't say I didn't try!

These tears we cry, are falling rain
For all the lies you told us, the hurt, the blame.

And we will wait, to be so alone.
We are lost. We can never go home.

So in the end, I'll be what I will be
No loyal friend was ever there for me
Now we say goodbye, we say "you didn't try".

"These tears you cry have come too late
Take back the lies, the hurt the blame".

And you will wait, when you face the end alone
You are lost. You can never go home.

You are lost. You can never go home.

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

Lyrics to Gollum's Song

Sheesh, what a downer! ;)

Good morning!

[HairOfTheDog]

It is a downer!.... and an eerie voice. Have you heard it? It is strange... I can't picture how it is used in the film, because it is so different.

Hullo! - Good Morning!

[Sam Cree]

Good morning All.

Glancing back over the last 100 posts or so that I missed last night, it looks like the discussion has been very musical. I'll have to try to catch up.

Last night I was up at the (Society of the Four Arts) art show opening in Palm Beach, where I'd gotten a couple drawings accepted for exhibition. A neighbor, who is an artist, told me I did good, that it was one of the most prestigious shows in Florida. I didn't know anything, just heard about it and sent off a couple drawings to them as a submission. Their letter of acceptance mentioned that they only took 145 of 758 works submitted.

Anyway, the thing was held right in Palm Beach, accross the street from where all the multi billionaires have all their 100+ foot yachts tied up, on their little exclusive island (the municipality of Palm Beach). I was slightly taken aback at the whole procedure.

I am somewhat abashed at all this shameless bragging, hope you guys'll forgive me, but this is a first for me.

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

No, haven't heard any of them, I'm still suffering the curse of the dial-up connection. Even so, I probably wouldn't want to hear them before seeing the movie... too close to being a spoiler for me! :)

[HairOfTheDog]

I think it is quite cool! - And it is quite OK for you to brag about such things!

Any way you can show us the work you had exhibited? - Scan or photograph them and post them? I would sure love to see them!

[HairOfTheDog]

I hadn't heard the soundtrack before seeing the last movie, and I didn't even hear the music the first couple times at the theater... Information overload, I guess something had to go! So it was the music.

Later, the music became more prominent. I think it will help me this time, if the music is more familiar, a comfortable familiar thing in a storm of overwhelming new sights! Least that is the way I am thinkin'.

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

Good morning! And congratulations! That is good news... perhaps it will be the start of something big! :)

[Sam Cree]

I think there are some somewhat poor quality scans of them in this computer somewhere. I'll try to find and post them.

[HairOfTheDog]

Good!

[Sam Cree]

Morning, Bear.

I did decide to go into art, in my old age, probably a dumba$$ed decision. Anyway, it is kind of good that this show thing happened.

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

If you enjoy it, and it causes no harm, then why not? Especially if others enjoy looking at your artwork... seems like a win-win situation to me! :)

[Sam Cree]

That's true, Bear, thanks. There's not much money in it for most people. However, I have a brother who has been very successful at marketing, so if I can get my artwork to a satisfactory level of craftsmanship, I believe he can help me get it sold.

It looks like we at FR owe our mention on "Rush" to Paul Atreides. As far as I can figure, he is the one who put together and posted that Michael Jackson-Rush Limbaught-Tom Daschle-baby over the balcony image that amused Rush so much. Am I right about that?

[HairOfTheDog]

Yep.... It was all Paul's doing!

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

I heard about the mention of FR by Rush, but I have not seen the picture. I haven't spent much time on the News side of FR lately!