tolkienmatters

[tolkienmatters]

He lived alone, as Bilbo had done; but he had a good many friends, especially among the younger hobbits (mostly descendants of the Old Took) who had as children been fond of Bilbo and often in and out of Bag End. Folco Boffin and Fredegar Bolger were two of these; but his closest friends were Peregrin Took (usually called Pippin), and Merry Brandybuck (his real name was Meriadoc, but that was seldom remembered). Frodo went tramping all over the Shire with them; but more often he wandered by himself, and to the amazement of sensible folk he was sometimes seen far from home walking in the hills and woods under the starlight. Merry and Pippin suspected that he visited Elves at times, as Bilbo had done.

As time went on, people began to notice that Frodo also showed signs of good 'preservation': outwardly he retained the appearance of a robust and energetic hobbit just out of his tweens. 'Some folk have all the luck.' they said; but it was not until Frodo approached the usually more sober age of fifty that they began to think it queer.

Fellowship of the Ring, The Shadow of the Past

#lotr #tolkien #fotr #fellowship of the ring #frodo #merry #pippin #bilbo #bag end

[tolkienmatters]

Lobelia Sackville-Baggins

Artist: Hristo D. Chukov TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link

#mtg #magic the gathering #tcg #hristo d. chukov #lobelia sackville-baggins #the lord of the rings: tales of middle-earth #lotr #tolkien #hobbit #spoon thief

[tolkienmatters]

‘I am deeply grateful,’ said Frodo; ‘but I wish you would tell me plainly what the Black Riders are. If I take your advice I may not see Gandalf for a long while, and I ought to know what is the danger that pursues me.’

‘Is it not enough to know that they are servants of the Enemy?’ answered Gildor. ‘Flee them! Speak no words to them! They are deadly. Ask no more of me! But my heart forbodes that, ere all is ended, you, Frodo son of Drogo, will know more of these fell things than Gildor Inglorion. May Elbereth protect you!’

‘But where shall I find courage?’ asked Frodo. ‘That is what I chiefly need.’

‘Courage is found in unlikely places,’ said Gildor.

Fellowship of the Ring, Three is Company

Frodo: what are the black riders

Guildor: I’d rather not tell you. If I did, you’d be too afraid to go on your journey. 

Frodo: oh okay, thank you. That was very helpful. 

#lotr #tolkien #gildor #frodo #black rider #earendil-was-a-mariner #elvish for “your problem not mine"

[tolkienmatters]

'After that there were no dwarves left alive inside, and he took all their wealth for himself. Probably, for that is the dragons' way, he has piled it all up in a great heap far inside, and sleeps on it for a bed. Later he used to crawl out of the great gate and come by night to Dale, and carry away people, especially maidens, to eat, until Dale was ruined, and all the people dead or gone. What goes on there now I don't know for certain, but I don't suppose anyone lives nearer to the Mountain than the far edge of the Long Lake now­a­days.'

Thorin on the aftermath of Smaug's sacking of Erebor. The Hobbit, An Unexpected Party

#lotr #tolkien #thorin #the hobbit #erebor #the lonely mountain #smaug #maidens you say?

[tolkienmatters]

The Shadows where the Mewlips dwell Are dark and wet as ink, And slow and softly rings their bell, As in the slime you sink.

You sink into the slime, who dare To knock upon their door, While down the grinning gargoyles stare And noisome waters pour.

Beside the rotting river-strand The drooping willows weep, And gloomily the gorcrows stand Croaking in their sleep.

Over the Merlock Mountains a long and weary way, In a mouldy valley where the trees are grey, By a dark pool's borders without wind or tide, Moonless and sunless, the Mewlips hide.

The cellars where the Mewlips sit Are deep and dank and cold With single sickly candle lit; And there they count their gold.

Their walls are wet, their ceilings drip; Their feet upon the floor Go softly with a squish-flap-flip, As they sidle to the door.

They peep out slyly; through a crack Their feeling fingers creep, And when they've finished, in a sack Your bones they take to keep.

Beyond the Merlock Mountains, a long and lonely road, Through the spider-shadows and the marsh of Tode, And through the wood of hanging trees and gallows-weed, You go to find the Mewlips - and the Mewlips feed.

The Mewlips is a Hobbit poem depicting numerous creatures (presumably) of hobbit lore. Possibly referring to orcs, the Misty Mountains, and Mirkwood. The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, The Mewlips.

#lotr #tolkien #hobbit #tom bombadil #poem #poetry #song #mewlips #merlock mountains #gorecrow

[tolkienmatters]

Happy Easter!

“And I concluded by saying that the Resurrection was the greatest ‘eucatastrophe’ possible in the greatest Fairy Story - and produces that essential emotion: Christian joy which produces tears because it is qualitatively so like sorrow, because it comes from those places where Joy and Sorrow are at one, reconciled, as selfishness and altruism are lost in Love. Of course I do not mean that the Gospels tell what is only a fairy-story; but I do mean very strongly that they do tell a fairy-story: the greatest.

Tolkien on the Resurrection of Christ. (From a letter to Christopher Tolkien, 28 October 1944 (FS 58) LJRRT, Carpenter)

#happy easter

[tolkienmatters]

Mirkwood Spider

Far and wide Shelob’s lesser broods spread from glen to glen, to Dol Guldur and the fastnesses of Mirkwood.

Artist: Alexander Ostrowski TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link

#mtg #magic the gathering #tcg #alexander ostrowski #mirkwood spider #shelob #the lord of the rings: tales of middle-earth

[tolkienmatters]

Happy Tolkien Reading Day!

To whom it may concern,

Today is March 25th, Tolkien Reading Day. It commemorates the downfall of the Lord of the Rings (Sauron) and the fall of Barad-dûr! I hope you all have a great week and I appreciate the community we enjoy together.

Here is a link to help you celebrate:

The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Cheers!

#lotr #tolkien #tolkien reading day #the hobbit #fellowship of the ring #reference #its a virus you get the Black Breath if you click

[tolkienmatters]

How many Noldor does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

None, they just leave during the darkness.

- Elvish humor

#tolkien #lotr #meme #valinor

[tolkienmatters]

‘Long after, but still very long ago, there lived by the banks of the Great River on the edge of Wilderland a clever-handed and quiet-footed little people. I guess they were of hobbit- kind; akin to the fathers of the fathers of the Stoors, for they loved the River, and often swam in it, or made little boats of reeds.

Gandalf on the hobbit-kind on the Anduin, a race Sméagol and Déagol belonged to. Fellowship of the Ring, The Shadow of the Past.

#lotr #tolkien #hobbit #smeagol #deagol #stoors #fellowship of the ring #gandalf #fotr #river-hobbits from lotro

[tolkienmatters]

Silver flow the streams from Celos to Erui In the green fields of Lebennin! Tall grows the grass there. In the wind from the Sea The white lilies sway, And the golden bells are shaken of mallos and alfirin In the green fields of Lebennin, In the wind from the Sea!

Sung by Legolas when recounting his journey to Pelargir with the Three hunters. Lebennin refers to this region in the south of Gondor along the ocean. The Last Debate, Return of the King.

#lotr #tolkien #rotk #return of the king #aragorn #legolas #gimli #gondor #pelargir #poem #poetry

[tolkienmatters]

It is just awesome to hear an author reading aloud from his own work! 

(And it’s very interesting how different people imagine Tolkien’s voice until they hear him for the first time.)

#lotr #tolkien #audio #video #audiobook #brainpicker #Maria Popova #seems legit #the hobbit #bilbo #smeagol #gollum #germantolksoc

[tolkienmatters]

Upon their shields they bore a strange device: a small white hand in the centre of a black field; on the front of their iron helms was set an S-rune, wrought of some white metal.

‘I have not seen these tokens before,’ said Aragorn. ‘What do they mean?’ ‘S is for Sauron,’ said Gimli. ‘That is easy to read.’ ‘Nay!’ said Legolas. ‘Sauron does not use the elf-runes.’ ‘Neither does he use his right name, nor permit it to be spelt or spoken,’ said Aragorn. ‘And he does not use white. The Orcs in the service of Barad-dûr use the sign of the Red Eye.’ He stood for a moment in thought. ‘S is for Saruman, I guess,’ he said at length. ‘There is evil afoot in Isengard, and the West is no longer safe. It is as Gandalf feared: by some means the traitor Saruman has had news of our journey. It is likely too that he knows of Gandalf’s fall. Pursuers from Moria may have escaped the vigilance of Lórien, or they may have avoided that land and come to Isengard by other paths. Orcs travel fast. But Saruman has many ways of learning news. Do you remember the birds?’

‘Well, we have no time to ponder riddles,’ said Gimli. ‘Let us bear Boromir away!’

‘But after that we must guess the riddles, if we are to choose our course rightly,’ answered Aragorn.

‘Maybe there is no right choice,’ said Gimli.

The Three Hunters contemplating the allegiance of the orcs they fought at Amon Hen. Two Towers, The Departure of Boromir.

#lotr #tolkien #legolas #aragorn #gimli #two towers #isengard #saruman #amon hen #boromir

[tolkienmatters]

Interesting, for reference, and beyond my understanding.

Sauron’s Name in Numenor

Coda to this post. Canonically, Tar-Mairon is the title Sauron used in Númenor, which means ‘King Excellent’ in Quenya. 

But speaking elven languages, like Quenya, was against the law; the majority of the Númenóreans were strongly anti-elvish, and Sauron hated the elves, so why would he use a title in Quenya? 

Maybe Ar-Pharazôn gave his adviser a special exception, but I think it’s more likely that Sauron actually used an Adûnaic translation of his name.

So what was his name then?

We know that Tar- becomes Ar- in Adûnaic, but we have no translation for the second word.

Sauron’s original name was Mairon, from Q maira “admirable, excellent, precious, splendid, sublime”.

Adûnaic simplifies ai into long ê, giving us the loan word mêra. 

If we add the adjective ending -ôn, we get the noun mêraôn, “admirable one,” similar to pharazôn “golden one.” But I’m doubtful this an acceptable or pronounceable vowel cluster in Adûnaic.

We could alter it by dropping the first vowel to form Mêrôn. Or we could add a glide consonant y to make Mêrayôn, like in the word Avalôiyada.

So possible Adûnaic names for Sauron are Ar-Mêrôn and Ar-Mêrayôn.

#lotr #tolkien #reference #sauron #language #numenor #I am too smooth brain for this but I think it touches on very interesting points #anthropologyarda #ask-sauron #vanwatano

[tolkienmatters]

Interesting detail in Peter Jackson's LOTR trilogy.

thinking about how aragorn wears boromir’s bracers after his death

image description under the cut!

[ID: first image is of boromir where he’s sitting down and you can see his bracer on his arm and the second image is of aragorn with his arm up where you can see the same bracer. the bracer is brown leather with an intricate design on it of feathers at the top towards the elbow, star like symbols run down the middle of the feather design, the white tree of gondor is on the bottom towards the wrist and finally outside the wrist area on both sides is some swirly looking accent design. End ID.]

#lotr #tolkien #aragorn #boromir #peter jackson #couldnt find it in the books but a great addition

[tolkienmatters]

The Ruling Ring passed out of the knowledge even of the Wise in that age; yet it was not unmade. For Isildur would not surrender it to Elrond and Círdan who stood by. They counselled him to cast it into the fire of Orodruin nigh at hand, in which it had been forged, so that it should perish, and the power of Sauron be for ever diminished, and he should remain only as a shadow of malice in the wilderness. But Isildur refused this counsel, saying: 'This I will have as weregild for my father’s death, and my brother’s. Was it not I that dealt the Enemy his death-blow?’ And the Ring that he held seemed to him exceedingly fair to look upon; and he would not suffer it to destroyed.

- Isildur refusing to destroy the One Ring following Sauron's defeat after the War of the Last Alliance. The Silmarillion, Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age.

#tolkien #lotr #quote #isildur #elrond #cirdan #sauron #silmarillion #mordor

[tolkienmatters]

Boromir: We shouldn’t go into those woods! An evil witch lives there!

Aragorn: Hey man, that’s like my grandmother-in-law

#great aunt? great great great etc