Posted on 01/27/2002 6:18:35 PM PST by John Farson
| New Zealander builds Hobbit hole A New Zealand man has built a Hobbit house. Carl Gifford, a stonemason from Wellington, says he used a 10-tonne digger to make the hole. He's put rocks either side of the front door and plans to install a chimney and lantern on top. He told the Evening Post he was embarrassed as he was constructing the home. He said: "I must admit I was hiding as the cars were driving past. I thought, 'These people think I'm an idiot'." The house is part of a series of stonework mounds, designs and sculptures dotted around his land. "I'm just having a bit of fun. Things that were built by those ancient people like caves have always fascinated me." |
My least favorite part of the film was Arwen sticking that sword on Aragorn's throat. Frodo's passing into the shadow world, five wraiths are chasing them and she's goofing off.
Maybe I'm just slow on the uptake, but did anyone else notice:
One wraith at Farmer Maggot's.
Two wraiths cut down the sherriff.
Three wraiths at Bucklebury Ferry.
Four at The Prancing Pony.
Five at Weathertop.
All nine chasing Arwen.
I'm probably just slow, but I just noticed it. They're closing in on Frodo...just scare me to death!
I don't recall a scene like that anywhere and I have seen the movie and read all the books.
Dan
My least favorite part of the film was Arwen sticking that sword on Aragorn's throat. Frodo's passing into the shadow world, five wraiths are chasing them and she's goofing off.
Well, I don't think you'll ever make me not like that, but you did crack me up. You have a point. But as good, loving women do, she's ever trying to lighten Aragorn up a bit, to cheer him, isn't she? And he could use some lightening. You know that he only really smiles once in the entire movie?
One wraith at Farmer Maggot's.
Two wraiths cut down the sherriff.
Three wraiths at Bucklebury Ferry.
Four at The Prancing Pony.
Five at Weathertop.
I, for one, hadn't noticed. Good catch! (So that is Maggot, eh? My wife had so surmised. Another character unfortunately but necessarily lessened in the telling, along with good old Butterbur.)
Dan
Um. Except when we're talking about Lord of the Rings. That's a good obsession. No need for psychological help here.
Obviously I've got to see it again. Will it be available on tape?
Fascinating! Of course, now that it has been more than 24 hours, I am going through withdrawals again.
No stress there.
Dan
The Last Alliance - who the heck was fighting? Elendil, Isildur, Anarion, Gil-galad, Elrond, Cirdan - sure, no problem, they're the big head-honcho commanders. But I can't figure out how there were more than a couple hundred people to command! Ok, maybe there were still lots of Elves left in Middle-Earth, even though their realms in Beleriand had been destroyed about 3000 years before and most of them had been allowed to go home if they wished. I'll say that the army had a lot of Avari foot-soldiers, the poor stupid Elves who didn't bother to go to Aman and so aren't important.
But what about the Numenoreans? According to the Tale of Years, Numenor was destroyed 11 years before the Last Alliance. That's a little bit of time for both Elendil and his kids, and Sauron to rest and regain strength. Elendil founds Arnor, Isildur and Anarion are down in Gondor. But it's not enough time to breed an army of Men.
We are told that nine ships escaped the downfall of Numenor; four for Elendil, three for Isildur, and two for Anarion. There are also some mentions of a few Numenoreans who had already moved to Middle-Earth, fleeing anti-elf-friend sentiment in the Ar-Pharazon regime. But there weren't that many - there couldn't have been. Otherwise they'd have had trouble with Elendil coming in and taking things over.
I guess there are a few options. One is that the Men were mostly 'Lesser Men', non-Numenoreans that joined the army for some reason. That would make the Numenoreans most likely officers. I could buy that. My other theory is that the word Professor Tolkien translated as 'ship', regarding Elendil's craft, more properly translates "Great big bloody ark-transport thing" and Elendil took approximately half the population of Numenor with him.
Or maybe they had a population boom and Numenorean kids grow up really really fast? Thoughts?
I may not have any idea what I'm talking about...so bear that in mind! LOL
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