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Thoughts on Tolkien's legendarium
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2018-11-19 at 12:43 AM UTCZanick, do you know of a quality Tolkien message board that you would recommend for a beginner? I picked up the Silmarillion from thriftbooks a while back, but I have immense trouble motivating myself to read books.The following users say it would be alright if the author of this post didn't die in a fire!
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2018-11-19 at 1:40 AM UTC
Originally posted by Zanick OG Totse niggas are the Calaquendi, those Eldar who beheld the light of the trees Laurelin and Telperion in the blessed realm. Those of us from Zoklet are the Sindar who didn't quite make it there in the migration, and everybody else is Nandor. DateHoteliers are the Atani, who will one day inherit our horrible project after we've faded from the circles of Arda, but this process has thus far been warded off by Lanny, who holds one of the Three.
i was a kid when i found totse and wound up getting expelled from school completely in 10th grade because of totse. what am i -
2018-11-19 at 2:10 AM UTC
Originally posted by Zanick The decline of Totse and its eventual closing marks the beginning of the First Age. Zok would have to be Morgoth because he's black (IIRC, Morgoth is a Sindarin name given by Fëanor, literally translating to "Black Foe of the World" so I think it's fitting) and his corruption doomed our kind to fail.
I had a dog named Morgoth. I had a goat named Feanor. Morgoth was one badass. He could do more drugs than any other creature I've encountered, and still stay standing. -
2018-11-19 at 3:51 AM UTCfuck that nigga tolkien
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2018-11-19 at 5:22 AM UTCrats
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2018-11-19 at 5:23 AM UTC
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2018-11-19 at 5:25 AM UTCI mean Jesus, I'm glad you're alive, but pretending to pull a Malice (that's a phrase now) and going dark and then popping back in cuz "oops, forgot ma wallet!lol) is not kosher.
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2018-11-19 at 6:01 AM UTC
Originally posted by DietPiano Zanick, do you know of a quality Tolkien message board that you would recommend for a beginner? I picked up the Silmarillion from thriftbooks a while back, but I have immense trouble motivating myself to read books.
I found the audiobook is much more inviting, and try to have a map of Beleriand present when possible to give you an idea of the political features in the story as well as to reference geography.
The Tolkien Forum is somewhat active, and every now and then a truly valuable thread comes up with the opportunity to learn a lot.
The Barrow Downs has a few gem posters and is home to the famous Revised Silmarillion project (though I'm not personally familiar with it) which is a work of several dedicated people to expand upon the original text, and while this isn't canon I'm told it's still fun reading.
/r/tolkienfans is the one subreddit I would recommend, they're a community focused on quality posting and canon sources are always encouraged.
As for online reference, Encyclopedia of Arda is precisely what you're looking for, because it largely focuses on the material of the trilogy, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion. When you're familiar with that and want to go deeper, Tolkien Gateway draws from all twelve books in The History of Middle Earth series and goes into much greater detail. Avoid lotr.wikia at all costs, they do not give good info.
Originally posted by snab_snib i was a kid when i found totse and wound up getting expelled from school completely in 10th grade because of totse. what am i
Celebrimbor. He was deceived into helping Sauron manufacture the Rings of Power and then was tortured, flayed and used as an enemy banner during the genocide of his people. It's just like an ambitious Noldorin elf to reach for knowledge and suffer catastrophe. -
2018-11-19 at 7:02 AM UTCHere's a map of Beleriand that I like to use:
And here's much of the rest of the continent, for perspective:
Edit: Found a better map! Please bear in mind that this combines all three ages together, so it doesn't reflect Middle-Earth at one particular time.
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2018-11-19 at 7:04 AM UTC
Originally posted by hydromorphone I had a dog named Morgoth. I had a goat named Feanor. Morgoth was one badass. He could do more drugs than any other creature I've encountered, and still stay standing.
I can't say I condone it, but I am curious how you get a dog to intake drugs. Did your goat swear the other farm animals to his oath?
Originally posted by OG_GREENPLASTIC_JOHNSON_III fuck that nigga tolkien
I disagree, fuck you nigga, though I wish he had dropped acid at least once. -
2018-11-19 at 12:45 PM UTC
Originally posted by Zanick Celebrimbor. He was deceived into helping Sauron manufacture the Rings of Power and then was tortured, flayed and used as an enemy banner during the genocide of his people. It's just like an ambitious Noldorin elf to reach for knowledge and suffer catastrophe.
WELL THATS NOT GOOD -
2018-11-19 at 5:23 PM UTCNeither are most the events in the legendarium. Lots of it is genocide, some is plague, and just a little bit is victory of the good.
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2018-11-19 at 5:28 PM UTCThe elves have suffered the theft of the only light they've ever known, witnessed the systematic destruction and torment of their people until only a small fraction remained, and the gods turned their back on them until it was too late. Think about it, when you live forever and do battle frequently over the course of thousands of years, what does that mean? PTSD, all the elves have it. Every single one.
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2018-11-19 at 5:34 PM UTCIt really is just like our community.
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2018-11-19 at 7:36 PM UTCthe elves all have ptsd?
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2018-11-19 at 10:32 PM UTCThe remaining elves by the Third Age are mostly veterans each of enough battle for one hundred lifetimes. They technically were never supposed to be killed, but here they are, thousands of years later, still dying by scores of thousands to inferno and butchery. There is a counterargument to this idea which suggests that the spiritual constitution of the elves was such that they did not suffer mental affliction, just like they don't endure disease. I don't think there's anything to support that, but then again nor is there to support my conclusion. So, it's not in the story, it's a modern interpretation to include a concept of the aftermath of warfare that wasn't ubiquitous at the time of authorship. I think it's likely that Tolkien, being a WWI veteran, thought of what we'd call PTSD as shell shock, and therefore wouldn't have thought to demonstrate this in theme as his setting is inspired by the dark ages of Europe.
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2018-11-20 at 12:31 AM UTCvery interesting zanick. thank you for sharing your thoughts. i just wish i wasn't celebimbo.
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2018-11-20 at 12:58 AM UTCDon't be distraught, Celebrimbor had a crucial role to play in the Second Age. His grandfather created the Silmarils, and he was regarded to be almost as innovative.
Yes, he was deceived by Sauron into helping craft the rings of power, but he also had the foresight to both craft three of his own in secret and then to deliver them to other elven leaders for safekeeping, after which they safeguarded the realms of his people from the influence of Mordor for like 4,000 years.
Were it not for Celebrmibor's actions, when his fortress was sacked and he was slain, all three elven rings would certainly have fallen into the hands of The Dark Lord. In a way, you could say that his wisdom saved Middle-Earth. -
2018-11-20 at 1 AM UTCthanks zanick that makes me feel a bit better
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2018-11-20 at 6:40 AM UTC
Originally posted by Zanick The combined forces of the Atani and the Eldar were no match for ONE Morgoth, who essentially waged a successful genocide against them all in just 500 years compared to Sauron who couldn't subjugate the then weakened free peoples in six thousand. Two Morgoths at the height of their power would have outmatched even the gods in their holy land and brought the world to heel. It would have required the direct intervention of Eru for them to have any hope whatsoever.
The one time Eru did intervene was when Sauron had persuaded Numenor to make war on Valinor. To Sauron's credit. Pulling the "divine intervention" card, kind of feels like cheating to me though.
