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.
Ooooh, cool! I'm an honorary Dwarf. As long as I don't have to go into any caves.
Well from experience, I would consider that a badge of honor. And for the record, I didn't see you mocking anyone (although Mom and her merry band of orcs frequently deserve it)
Somehow I doubt it will play locally, though. With only three screens and one showing most nights, our local theater does a LOT of picking and choosing. But if it IS playing, I know where I'm taking certain siblings this weekend!
Don't forget your medicine. ;^)
BTW, I'm getting better at playing by ear: Twinkle twinkle... Mary had a Little Lamb, even Of the Father's Love Begotten, and parts of Concerning Hobbits. But I really have trouble reading the music and translating that to finger positions... That is going to hamper me in the long run, isn't it?
Basically yes, but the virus does the spreading...it's not intentional on the senders part.
Is there a way to track that down and let folks know?
If people look at the complete e-mail headers of the messages coming "from" you, they tell where the e-mail actually came from. That's something I don't know how to do without looking it up, and it varies depending on the e-mail client. Bear? Any ideas?
I'm not 2J, but I'll butt in anyway...
In my opinion, being able to play by ear is as important as being able to read music. They're both good skills to have. I've been really working on my ear training lately...my sister can go to a playing session, hear a song a couple of times, and be able to pick it up right then. On the other hand, she really struggles with reading music. She has to go very, very slowly, note-by-note, which means she usually waits for one of us to learn a tune from the music and then picks it up by ear.
I envy her to an extent, but I also like being able to take a piece of music I've never heard before and pull it off the page, make it real. It's a great experience!
Of course, if you already read music and are just translating this to whistle, I've said a bunch that I didn't need to say...oops...
Along with doc, OP and Woody, she's one of the nastiest posters over there. I know that from experience.
But, then, I could be too. That's why I had to leave.
Whatever the "true" theology is, what I saw and participated in over there was not Christ-like behavior.
x has encouraged me to come back because I do have a particularly acidic wit. But it wearies me just to read through what's already happening.
Guess I gots ta wait until it comes out on video.
What's "Red Dragon"?
;-)
You're not butting in. If this were private, we'd take it there.
Brief history. I avoid the religion forum because I've been over there under this screen name and my previous screen name in some pretty nasty arguments. In fact, I closed my previous account and created this one basically because "Ward Smythe" became the scapegoat for everything.
But there are four basic factions on the religion threads: Calvinist / Arminian / Catholic / Mormon(LDS). Depending on the argument you will find strange alliances. For example the discussion of the millenium divided the Calvinists.
That forum is not for the feint of heart. There's some good stuff that happens over there "The Neverending Story" is a pretty good thread. But the Calvinist/Arminian "debates" are pretty ugly.
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.