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
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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.
My mother told me a story about her paternal grandmother that reflects that. When my gradfather (her son) was diagnosed with stomach cancer and told he had 6 months to live, his mother went into her room and had a 'come to Jesus' meeting with the Man himself. My grandmother heard her outside the door telling Jesus and his Mother to sit down because she wanted to have a talk with them. She told them that her George was a good boy and that he had little children and it wasn't time for him to go. She told them if they wanted somebody, they should take her instead. Well about a year later, Grandaddy was fine, but his mother had died. He lived long enough for the baby of the family to have gotten up and grown and died in 1950 at the age of 58, three years before I was born.
Ah, the power of intercessory prayer, or at least persistence in this case.
Mine hasn't had a chance to try for squirrels yet, but I'm sure she'd LOVE to try! As for the climbing bit...she unfortunately has great skill in that department. I can't leave anything remotely edible on the table unless there's nothing she can scoot over to get up on the table. And scolding doesn't seem to do any good! The labs we had growing up wouldn't do things again if they'd been caught and scolded - they HATED to offend us. Dachshunds, on the other hand, have no consciences...
Our Pastor told this story recently in a sermon.
An old man was dying and the family called the minister in to talk with him about his spiritual condition. The minister visited the old gentleman in his bedroom and noticed a very ornate chair sitting over to one side. But it looked as if no one ever sat there. The minister asked about the chair.
The old gentleman said, "I'm a very visual person. I don't have much education. So when I talk to the Master, I imagine Him sitting there in the chair."
The minister left and on his way out told the family they need not worry about the old man's spiritual condition. A few days later the minister received a call that the old man had passed.
"How did you find him?" asked the minister.
"It was the strangest thing. He had gotten out of his bed and was on the floor. But his head was in the chair..."
That is one of the sweetest movies I've ever seen! I heard Michael Medved recommend it once, and finally found it a few years ago. The film is just magical and the music is lovely!
But they sure can put on the 'pitiful face' when fussed at, can't they?
1) Finding Peace
2) The Eucharist of Jesus Christ
Something seems quite ironic about that......in a sad sort of way...
Sorry, forgot to format after sticking some HTML in there.
My family agrees.
Hi all. Here briefly. I have to take sibs to see a play tonight. Can't find Veggies anywhere near us! AHHH!
As for the novel thing, I had a great idea and have a plot-gem now, as well as some characters. This is gonna be so fun!
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