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.
Well since he addressed you as 'Sir' I assume that you outrank him. If that's the case, then you are truly doing your duty by leading the men, getting right in there with them and showing them you can handle whatever happens! (Good thing you planned to take Thursday off!)
To quote the wacky captions: "The hobbits show exordinary resilient to deceive all."
Among the first hints that Bombadil could be some sort of nature spirit is his first mention in Letters: in Letter #19, Tolkien asks his publisher "Do you think Tom Bombadil, the spirit of the (vanishing) Oxford and Berkshire countryside, could be made into the hero of a story?" Like the early drafts of LotR, this 1937 letter cannot be considered trustworthy: Bombadil may have changed a great deal as he was assimilated into the legendarium. However, it provides a starting point for our investigation, showing that Tom Bombadil was a "nature spirit" when Tolkien first imagined him. It seems reasonable to wonder if this view remained unchanged.
http://tolkien.slimy.com/essays/Bombadil4Spirits.html
I find the 'nature spirit' explanation dissatisfying.
Your wife sounds a lot like me! My mother was always the house cleaner, though we did chores, etc when we were younger. Sir SuziQ loved it when she would come to visit because she cleaned like a fool; she just couldn't sit still! I did not inherit that ability! His mother was a real neatnick, so he likes an ordered household. Luckily he has mellowed as he's gotten older, and I've gotten a little better about cleaning, though I'll admit, not much.
SSQ says I need to do a house crap dump before we can begin remodeling. It is very paralyzing thinking about it because it is hard to know where to start; there are so many places that need it!
As far as Jr. and football, maybe he'll get so into video, he may forget about playing and start thinking about 'filming' the games! That's something that would be great about homeschooling; he would have time to 'follow his bliss' and photograph and video to his heart's content. I think that is a great idea about letting him go with you to your college and sit in on some classes. When he gets to high school age, he could probably take classes for real at a local community college. You could call it high school credit, and he'd be racking up college credits as well.
You mentioned your wife worked at a homeschool academy. Could Jr. take some of his courses there?
LOL! I have a 'Fruitcake Cookie' recipe that a neighbor of Mama's gave me just after SSQ and I got married. I laughed when I saw it because it says it makes 300 cookies; that's 25 Dozen!! I've never gotten 25 dz out of it though; I guess I make them bigger than they are supposed to be. I hate fruitcake, but I love these cookies. That's why I'm not making any of them this Christmas. I'm the only one who likes them and I don't NEED them!
I just stopped by for a bit to say hello. My dad arrived from Chicago tonight and will be staying with us until Tuesday. I'm a bit disappointed he couldn't stay one more day to see TTT with me, but oh well.
JenB - I'll echo the "good going" comment on your test! I'm sure you did great! :)
Good news all around! :)
Rose and I are thinking of taking a half-day off next Wednesday to see The Movie at 4:00 pm... will find out tomorrow if we can take the time off, hopefully!
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