[JameRetief]

The Daily Tolkien articles by various authors	The Tolkien Virgin articles by Mark Edmond
ARTICLES 1-10	1) Pre-amble and The Ainulindalë
ARTICLES 11-20	2) Ainulindalë/Valaquenta
ARTICLES 21-30	3) Of Aule and Yavanna
31) Model Languages: On Tolkien	4) Of The Coming of Elves and the Captivity of Melkor

[JameRetief]

Your Tolkien Virgin Ping!

Read along with a Tolkien Virgin as he discovers and comments on the history of Middle Earth as he reads it for the first time.  These articles start with The Silmarillion, journeys through The Hobbit, and finishes with the epic Lord Of The Rings.  At the pace of 2 articles per week (Mondays and Fridays) the articles will wrap up about the same time that the final movie of the Lord Of The Rings story is released. 

If anyone would like for me to ping them directly when I post the Tolkien Virgin articles or my Daily Tolkien articles let me know. I hope that you enjoy them!

[HairOfTheDog]

Ring Ping!!

[Maigret]

Posted yesterday in the 'Model Languages' Tolkien article - The word orc is used to describe goblins and is from the Old English word for "demon", a word used in Beowulf.

I've always seen the orcs as representing fallen angels. In Tolkien they are depicted as having something done to them to make them become orcs, Biblically speaking the angels that fell did so because they chose to follow Lucifer, but then they possibly did so because they believed his lies as Eve did.

[JenB]

I like this article. The breeding of Orcs is clearly said to be Morgoth's foulest deed, and I agree. Twisting such a noble and lovely race - I cannot find words to say how evil this is.

[Vast Buffalo Wing Conspiracy]

Three things:

1) Orcs are Elves corrupted by Morgoth: do they retain the Elvish immortality; ie, do Orcs live indefinitely free from age and disease, like Elves do, assuming they are not killed by violence?

2) If Morgoth can't create life, how did he create the Trolls? They are supposed to be created from stone in mockery of the Ents, but how did Morgoth do this, without creating life?

3) Can certain persons please take their incessant Islam-bashing to non-Hobbit Hole threads, please?