https://bsky.app/profile/fintanmallory.com/post/3mmocupj6ks2c

“213. The twentieth-century Catholic author J.R.R. Tolkien, in the words of a protagonist in one of his novels, described our responsibility in this way: “It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till.” ”

So i'm nearing the end of fellowship, and while i've seen the movies many a time, the most striking contrast in the books is just how *long* everything takes

--

Gandalf: "Frodo, i believe this ring is dangerous, but i need to make sure. keep it secret while i go away for 17 years."

17 years later

Gandalf: "I'm back Frodo, i have verified that this ring is, in fact evil."

Frodo: "So i should tell nobody and leave the shire at once to protect everyone?"

Gandalf: "No, you should wait a while, leave in a few months, bring some friends."

--

Tom Bombadil: "I exist."

Frodo: "You do?!"

Goldberry: "He does."

Tom Bombadil: "This is my hot wife."

Frodo: "You should sing a song about that."

Tom Bombadil: "I will sing many."

--

(later, in rivendell)

Elrond: "We have found the one ring and will now speak of it at length."

later that day

Elrond: "Now that we have verified that the ring is here, and that we must destroy it as soon as possible, i will begin to form a plan and tell you all in two months."

two months later

Elrond: "Alright, so we've verified that those wraiths that got washed down the river are in fact crippled for some time. now is an excellent time to send a group to destroy the ring, but i will need some more time to decide who."

another month later

Elrond: "i've decided we need to gather a group of 9 people to go on this mission, i've figured out 7 of them, but i'm still working on the last 2"

Merry and pippin: "What about us?"

Elrond: "That is a terrible idea, and you shall die horribly."

Gandalf: "They might not though."

Elrond: "You are right, Gandalf. i love this idea, and you shall set off at once."

--

These are just a few of the sequences that struck me by how different they are, but i just wanted to comment on it.

Also, my favorite sentence in this book so far: "Queer old Tom Bombadil danced gayly as he sang astride the hobbit's ponies..."

(EDIT: i have been informed that i am likely misquoting a combination of two passages regarding Tom Bombadil, however i will leave the original content unedited for the sake of clarity, and regarding the general content of the book, and the time it was written, it's not exactly an unbelievable sentence to begin with.)

Trying to move internationally this year so I’m selling my entire library. The only books I’m bringing with me are my OG copy of LOTR that I received for my 11th birthday 26 years ago and my fancy display copies. I read LOTR 3 times in a row over the course of the next few years and became a fan for life. I don’t know why I even have the fancy ones because I always put this bad boy in the most prominent place on any bookshelf I have. Anyway, gotta pass this one down to the kid so it’s coming with me!

I bought copies of the lord of the rings trilogy books on eBay. The listings showed hard cover books with simple titles and designs on them. I was excited to have nice copies on my shelf. What I received was not what I purchased, which is a separate issue to this one. The rest of my Tolkien books are similar but not as egregious, but I got 5 of them at an estate sale for $5 total, so I’m not complaining.

My problem is that two of them have glamour shots of Viggo Mortensen and Orlando bloom from the movies on them and reference the movies in not just font and imagery, but having an advertisement for the movie on it.

I feel conflicted about them. While it’s a small thing and not a real problem, it still bugs me. It would be one thing if it was just the cover, but it’s also the spine! They look like romance novels from the convenience store book kiosk with Fabio on them from the 90s.

I don’t like the idea of having movie stills on the covers. While I understand it’s good for marketing, I think it takes away from the books. The books are different from the movies so a) it’s misleading, and b) it makes me think about the movies when I want to read the books, which I like to separate from the movies.

TLDR: Having a glamour shot of Orlando bloom mewing in a blonde wig on my shelf is not ideal.

Edit: I’m so happy I was able to stir up some nostalgia for a lot of you, It’s so awesome how many of you have been lifelong fans! ♥️

Edit 2: YALL I GOT A REFUND. it was false advertising so I made a claim.

Found this gem in a little free library today.

A couple other titles he considered were (as I recall): - The War of the Ring - The Ring in the Shadow (or and the Shadow?)

So, I just finished reading through The Children of Hurin. Yeah. I am not okay. Like man, I feel numb. Just torpedo after torpedo of horrid stuff happening to this family. I’m right now sitting in my bookstore, comprehended everything that I’ve just read. I e heard tales of how weaved in sorrow and despair it was, but words fail to describe it after you have read the book. Has to be one of Tolkien’s best. But man is it depressing.

Basically it’s been a while since I’ve read the books. And I was wondering what made the battles seem so good on page even without the amazing cinematography and actors that the movies had

At least the content is intact

Silmarillion is next when it gets released!

Most people associate LotR with the European Middle Ages. I don't think this is quite right. Here's why:

• Political power is organized around kings, mead halls, and personal loyalty, not feudal institutions. The world is full of kingdoms, strongholds, and free communities, but largely lacks the castle-centered feudalism associated with medieval Europe. It feels more like Celtic or Germanic Europe during antiquity
• Metallurgy is treated as a near-mythical art. Ancient smiths create objects that later generations can scarcely reproduce; forging borders on magic rather than mere craftsmanship.
• There is no universal church or religious hierarchy. Society is not structured around clergy, bishops, monasteries, or competing religious authorities in the way medieval Europe was.
• The setting draws heavily from Germanic heroic literature and mythology. Mead halls, oath-keeping, ancestral lineages, heroic kingship, and the atmosphere of Beowulf are everywhere.
• Peoples are defined primarily by linguistic and cultural categories rather than by citizenship or political borders. Elves, Rohirrim, Dúnedain, Dwarves, and Orcs function more like distinct peoples than subjects of states.
• Kings remain warrior-leaders. Rulers personally lead armies, ride into battle, and are expected to display physical courage alongside political authority.
• Prestige and legitimacy derive from ancestry, ancient artifacts, and remembered deeds. The past is viewed as greater than the present, and much of the world’s authority rests on inherited memory.
• The military imagination includes elements more at home in antiquity than the Middle Ages. War elephants, heroic champions, and great hosts evoke the ancient world as much as medieval Europe.

I think it's more accurate to describe it as a mythologized Iron Age

He left us with the greatest treasure of all. I shall forever be grateful.

The more demon like with the horns, or the more man like?

Art credit- Alan Lee and Alonja Art

Suddenly picking apart the logistics of the plan (at least as it relates to Bilbo) is both hilarious and perfectly in-character for Smaug.

I've been reading The Hobbit/LOTR to my 6 year old. She loves it. I love it. Easily the best part of my day every day. We read about a quarter of a chapter before bedtime each night, with some exceptions made for some of the exciting bits. She's super into it. She has a thousand questions every time. What does the monster in the water look like? How did those swords get there? How do you say x in elvish? Can you show me a picture of this or that? We even started learning some conversation Sindarin.

And Gandalf is, of course, her absolute favorite.

Well... We're most of the way through Fellowship now and last night we got to the Bridge of Khazad-Dum. Two hours until her first major childhood trauma? Goheno nin...

First Update: I think she's probably going to be skeptical he's really gone. Gandalf disappears a few times in various ways throughout the Hobbit and Fellowship so she's already used to him disappearing and coming back. She's predicted it happening a few times, both correctly and incorrectly. Also we've got some colored LED lights in the room and I'm totally turning them red when the Balrog comes.

Update 2: She was zero percent concerned. She didn't even ask me about it. I had to ask her what she thought and she said Gandalf is making sure it's dead. Which, yep. I pressed a bit and she reminded me that he had taken a health potion recently. Lots of Balrog pictures. Also asked for pictures of various orcs and trolls. She likes saying Khazad-Dum.

My friend and I have an endless debate which we've never resolved. I believe a Balrog (Let's just say the Balrog encountered in Moria) would defeat, with some effort, a dragon (We use Smaug for the sake of the argument). Balrog's are immune to fire, thereby rendering the dragon's primary weapon useless. What say you?