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.

[HairOfTheDog]

Yeah.... would have been worse, certainly. I wouldn't be out for Saddam's head on my own, but I trust the president. Have to. I trust him to know more than I can about what the real threat is to us. So if he says go, I support it. Wimpy I know, but I don't have expertise in this stuff. I don't know it all.

[HairOfTheDog]

Oh - don't start at the beginning! - our endless chatter will certainly turn you to stone! We are a bunch of folk who like Tolkien and the movies and each other a lot... we bickered some today, but we are a great group here. In fact, the bickering is your fault, isn't it? - You posted that blasted thread! LOL!

[HairOfTheDog]

I keep trying to go to bed anyway! Good night Sam!

[Sam Cree]

Well, the French had a chance to stop Hitler with very little effort and maybe no loss of life, but didn't want to take a chance. If they could have seen in the future, they'd have probably taken the chance.

W, I believe, sees the U.S., as I do, as being mortally threatened by Islamic terrorists. He wants to do whatever may be necessary to end the threat to insure our survival. If these people would kill 3000 of us and dance with joy over it, there's probably not much doubt they'll do worse one day.

[Scott from the Left Coast]

Elves do, you know.

I just caught a bit of the show...I'm even to busy to stay around the computer and read my replies! But it looked really cool (the five minutes I saw). Channel 10 always shows things again...I'll look for it in the guide.

I'm hoping things calm down by the weekend.

[HairOfTheDog]

Heh.... I know... I am afraid I have fallen for an elf. Hroomm! I mean... I still love little Elijah Wood, but he is so young I should be arrested.

And Aragorn... well, I just feel outgunned by the other babes in the story, so I just look.

Sigh! Yeah! do catch a replay if you can, it was really a good one. The wargs coming at the group are really really really really really scary. I think I may keel over.

[SuziQ]

since I'm too old and too fat to fight... I've decided to go into counter terrorism.

LOL!! Look out world!!

[SuziQ]

I got busy this evening and totally forgot about the WB special!!! AARGH! I'm going to check on TV guide to see if it will be replayed.

[My back yard]

Good to see you down here in the Hobbit Hole. I am a daily lurker here. I'm waiting to see if I can race to the 50,000. While you are here, look back just a little for some of John Farson's posts. I was just reading over some of them. You're just the one to offer some helpful discussion on the subject. I'll bet.

[ecurbh]

I cannot go to this movie alone.... What am I going to do?

I know the feeling! All the friends I went with last year are up in MN. I'm trying to get my brother to go with me, but I don't know if it will work out.

[HairOfTheDog]

Well, I just want someone to be with me when I get scared... man, those Wargs freaked me out coming at me! ;~D

My brother and a friend will be going with me to the midnight show, I talked him into it, and another friend wanted to go because it will be a grand adventure!

For FoTR, I actually liked going alone most of the time, it was less distracting since I don't have friends except Penny that are really into it, or that have read the book in the last ten years (if at all).

Hullo! - Good Morning!

[Lil'freeper]

Morning! We have lots and lots of snow! Well, maybe 5 inches but for MD, that's a lot but it's not enough to stop the Army, so I'm at work. *pout* I'm kicking myself for missing the special last nite, but I'll read through the posts and see what I missed.

[HairOfTheDog]

Five inches is enough snow! Are you in the army Lil'freeper?

Catch a replay of that special if you can, it was a good one.

[Lil'freeper]

Hubby is in the Army, but will be getting out soon. I'm a civilian scientist and battled my way in. They've upped the accumulation forcast to maybe 12 inches, but the forcasters are known for hyperbole. Out of four "major winter storm events" (last winter and this one) it has only snowed once. Heh Heh Heh

[RosieCotton]

How's this:

Not bad...though I think (like Viggo) he looks better grungy.

I still think Faramir may turn out to be the best looking of the men - that's MEN, and not MALES. ;-) And then there are Elves...and Hobbits...

[HairOfTheDog]

Ah! - well, 12 inches is also a lot of snow!.

Alternating between drizzle, showers and rain here in the great Northwest.

[Lil'freeper]

The office mates and I are having fun as hardly anybody is here. We've been watching movie trailers trying to size up the competition for the Academy awards and listening to TTT on CD. Can't complain.

[HairOfTheDog]

ooh - Good idea... I think I shall listen to TTT soundtrack myself this morning!

[2Jedismom]

Good morning, all! It's a beautiful crystal clear snow-covered day. 19 Degrees outside, but supposed to warm up to over freezing anyway! High is going to be in the 50s tomorrow!

What an exciting program that was last night! Does my countdown actually say 12 days???

Where's the coffee?

[HairOfTheDog]

12 Days 17 hours 14 min!

Are you going to the midnight show?