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The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

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The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

Postby Varnafinde » Jul 12, 2012 10:11 am

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Tolkien had a group of friends and colleagues (called the Inklings) who used to meet up and talk about what they were writing at the time. C.S. Lewis was one of these friends - so what NarniaWebber wouldn't have liked to be there to listen to them?

Let's pretend that we are present at one of their meetings. Let's share our opinions and our questions about Hobbits, Elves, Dwarves, Ents and all the other inhabitants of Tolkien's world - and about the author himself. (And don't forget his languages - my own name Varnafindë is supposed to be a Quenya name!)

Let's talk about the books as Tolkien wrote them, and about what other people have made of them as adaptations, both as films, as audio dramas, and whatever else we may come across. At the time of this post, we are eagerly awaiting Peter Jackson's The Hobbit ... B-)

(Yes, this is Book 2, we've done it before - here is our first discussion.)

Bring a cup of tea (or some other favorite drink), pick up those biscuits left over from your elevenses, make sure any magic rings are secret and safe - and let the discussion begin!
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Re: The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

Postby johobbit » Jul 12, 2012 10:33 am

Great intro, Varna! There is something so compelling about that Inklings group. Hearing their name again makes me want to settle down for discussion, ice-cold glass of apple cider in hand, curled up in a comfy chair with my furry feet on a footstool, a gentle zephyr blowing through the open window, surrounded by kindred spirits. :D

*nabs a biscuit* Thanks! (Or was that lembas? ;) )

Highlighting fantasia's post here, which gives a link to a fun and challenging LotR/Hobbit quiz!

Only 155 days left until the release of The Hobbit: an Unexpected Journey!!! And I guess since the shooting is wrapped, they're already deep into post-production. :D Remember when we were wondering if the film(s) would ever come to fruition, and now, they're almost at our doorstep!
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Re: The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

Postby fantasia » Jul 12, 2012 11:07 am

johobbit wrote:Only 155 days left until the release of The Hobbit: an Unexpected Journey!!!

So excited!!!! :D :D :D :D :D

And for those who didn't already know, I'm hosting a Hobbit Line Party in Wichita KS and would love for people to come if they can. I have a FB page setup for it, but as I have it set to private, I don't think you'll be able to view it if you haven't been sent an invite, but I'll go ahead and post the link anyways....
https://www.facebook.com/events/193227894084421/
The date is December 15th (and maybe the 14th as well) and if you're interested in coming, shoot me a PM and I'll get you more details. :)
So far there are approximately 18-22 NarniaWebbers tentatively hoping to be there (and several more who have put it on their wishlist) so we'll see what happens. :)
I'll post more details as things get closer, or perhaps just start a whole new thread so I'm not hogging this one.

Here's a question for people who have been following the movie news a little more closely than I have, has an estimated movie run time been given for The Hobbit? I'm guessing not since they just finished filming and probably aren't even close to finishing the editing process yet. ;))

ETA: Oh, and Jo, thank you very much for your explanation on who that one character was. As soon as you started explaining it I remember immediately, but putting the character with the name... I had forgotten. ;)) I knew he had to be someone pretty awesome cause he's pretty high up on the list. :P
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Re: The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

Postby Varnafinde » Jul 12, 2012 12:01 pm

I had a quick look at the quiz - are you supposed to place the names correctly in order of frequency in the books, or do you just write them one after the other as fast as you can? :p

johobbit, if those were the ones I provided, they were probably lembas - my great-grand-aunt Galadriel was royal and as such was allowed to make and distribute them :D
(And I'm glad you like the intro! :) )
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Re: The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

Postby johobbit » Jul 12, 2012 2:02 pm

Woot, eager for an entire thread dedicated to the NarniaWeb Kansas Hobbit Party! :D ;))

Good question about the running time, fk. (I have no idea. :P)

I know, isn't that often the case with Tolkien? The name rings a bell, but since there are probably thousands upon thousands of characters in Middle-earth, where a minor one falls can be tricky. ;))

Varna, you are supposed to type characters down as fast as you possibly can, and it will fill them in their slot. There were a few I was surprised weren't included: Elrond's sons; Elanor Gamgee; Snaga (since Gorbag was there); Thranduil (instead, as has been mentioned, he was under the ElvenKing.
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Re: The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

Postby Meltintalle » Jul 12, 2012 2:33 pm

Oooh, I quite like the 'What has it got in its Pocketses' and 'Never laugh at live dragons' buttons! Too bad I'm not going to Comic Con either. ;))

Jo, I'm very sorry to hear about your Pez Frodo. Or, well, I would be if I wasn't laughing from the telling of the story. :ymsmug:

I was at the library yesterday and chanced upon J. R. R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator by Wayne Hammond which I promptly flipped through. What a neat book! And the Hobbit illustrations!!! I have a copy that mimics the 1st edition, I believe, but there are numerous studies and pieces that don't appear in the finished book, including several in full color; as well as pieces that might have influenced certain of the illustrations... It was Very Cool. :D

EDIT: I took the character quiz: 70/101 as well -- they didn't have Gwahir on there. I got hung up because I thought I was mis-spelling his name... oh, and apparently I fail at remembering villains. ;)) Also missing are Elrohir and Elladan. If you're going to put people who don't even HAVE a given name, why leave out people who do? (I did try Elanor Gamgee as well...)
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Re: The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

Postby Lady Courage » Jul 12, 2012 3:17 pm

I wanna go to your party Jo!! But that ain't gonna happen, sadly... :ymsigh:

I did TERRIBLE in that quiz. Obviously, it's time I read the books again. 50% is pathetic for a self-proclaimed fan. :P
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Re: The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

Postby AslansChild » Jul 12, 2012 3:41 pm

Did anyone see the WETA model of Smaug @ Comic Con?

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It's rather small, but it looks so cool! Kinda how I pictured Eustace/Dragon. :ymsmug:
Have to say, Benedict Cumberbatch doesn't strike me as the evil-dragon-type, but I am excited to hear him and see how Smaug looks.
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Re: The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

Postby Lady Courage » Jul 12, 2012 3:48 pm

It looks almost exactly like John Howe's Smaug!

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... And on further research it IS John Howe's Smaug!
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Re: The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

Postby 7chronicles » Jul 12, 2012 7:19 pm

Well my wallet is going to explode!

Here are some awesome props on display at Comic-Con!

Dwalin Statue
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Dwailn's Axes
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The Orcrist
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Me and my sister have been saving up for all the Hobbit stuff at the end of the year.
We knew from day one we wanted a replica of The Orcrist! I really hope they will sell the sheath with it!


EDIT:

From the OneRing.net:

The G-i-P folk also have a few pieces of very juicy spy news:

Bifur may only speak in Khuzdûl, possibly due to that silly axe protruding from his skull.
Dwalin’s skull tattoos actually have meaning, and are pictorial tale about Dwarvish history, laws, customs!

Thranduil’s sword will also feature lots of runic inscriptions
The Wargs will have their own constructed language for the Hobbit. The Warg chief, a great white wolf, will communicate with his pack using this simple, gluttal language!
Read their full report, including translation notes, here.


Analysis:

The news that the Wargs will speak is great news for readers hoping for greater textual fidelity from Peter Jackson’s adaptation.


On the other hand, Tolkien wrote that dwarves never “willingly” spoke Khuzdûl in front of outsiders (LOTR: Appendix F). While, in itself, it may be great to hear this language spoken, this is a bit of a stretch of canon — one obviously predicated on the nature of Bifur’s injury."
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The Value of myth is that it takes all the things you know and restores to them the rich significance which has been hidden by the veil of familiarity. C.S. Lewis
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Re: The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

Postby Varnafinde » Jul 14, 2012 12:40 pm

Lady Courage wrote:It looks almost exactly like John Howe's Smaug!

... And on further research it IS John Howe's Smaug!


I thought it would be - John Howe and Alan Lee were heavily involved with graphics and sets and layout for LotR, and I expected them to be involved again :)

There's a small error in your link above - try it like this instead:
http://www.wetanz.com/smaug-the-golden-faux-bronze/

I did the quiz - sat staring at the screen trying to think who would be in the next scene. Wasted time by entering names that weren't included. Ended up with only 48 correct names :ymblushing: A couple of the missing ones I had misspelt. A few of them I really ought to have thought about. But quite a few I honestly thought would have been mentioned more often than some of those that were not accepted ...
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Re: The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

Postby 7chronicles » Jul 14, 2012 9:00 pm

TheOneRing.net has a detailed description of the footage shown at Comic-Con!

Here is the Link:
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2012/07 ... -part-one/

I'm so excited!!!!!!! I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!! Only 152 days to go!!!!! :D :ymapplause: :)
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Re: The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

Postby AslansChild » Jul 15, 2012 1:47 pm

Warning: We are slightly guessing on the exact quote, due to excessive audience screaming.


ROFL. Loved it. I probably would have flipped out too. \:D/

So...will we be able to see "him" in the first film?
____________________________________________________________________
The Hobbit Showreel:
The reading of the contract is hilarious, as Bilbo goes over the terms and the various dwarves jump to reassure him that it will be painless once he’s turned ash...........Nesbitt, as Bofur, is superbly funny.

Then Bilbo faints. Thunk.


:p Really looking forward to this part.
_____________________________________________________________________
A series of quick shots of Radagast follow...


Okay, now I need to read the book to figure out who this guys is with his...bunnies. LOL. Sorry, just can't take that seriously; all I see in my mind is a guy going "Mush!, Mush!" and then the camera zooms out and we see: fluffy, white...bunnies. ROFL. :p
____________________________________________________________________
The riddle game…

Curious to see/read what the "riddle" is...
and why Gandalf has a different name. :-\

____________________________________________________________________
Cut to Bilbo picking up the ring

DUM DUM DUM! *flashbacks to Sir Ian Holm: "Oh, what's this..."*
____________________________________________________________________
The action shot sequence


:-bd @-) Ahhh...we get to see
some of the Fellowship again
...all is well in Middle Earth. Nicely done Sir PJ. :-bd \:D/ :-bd That and that alone makes me want to see this film.
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Re: The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

Postby Arwenel » Jul 15, 2012 1:53 pm

AslansChild wrote:Curious to see/read what the "riddle" is...
and why Gandalf has a different name. :-\



"Mithrandir" means 'The Grey Pilgrim' in Elvish. It's one of many names Gandalf uses in Middle-Earth.
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Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!
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Re: The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

Postby Varnafinde » Jul 16, 2012 4:36 pm

I think that in LotR people in Minas Tirith call Gandalf 'Mithrandir'. Perhaps even Denethor and Faramir do so - I don't remember straight off.
Saruman's Elvish name is 'Curunir'. I think Radagast has one as well, but I don't remember it.

To be exact, it's their Sindarin names, as Sindarin was the most used Elvish language at the time of LotR. Quenya was also used, but only rarely and as a more academic language.

I suppose Elrond might use their Sindarin names at times. He speaks Sindarin - he sometimes spoke Sindarin to Arwen in the LotR movies.
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Re: The Road Goes Ever On and On: Everything Tolkien - Book 2

Postby fantasia » Jul 23, 2012 11:58 am

Nobody has posted about the new blog video yet? :-O

Well here it is... Production Video #8.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151131427226807

Less than 5 months to go. I soooo cannot wait. ;))
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