From pointy ears to Grima's tears
investigations of a Tolkien enthusiast
This page is devoted to an old hobby of mine: Tolkien. I am one of those fans who has read Lord of the Rings and usually The Hobbit annually, for the last twenty-five years or so. In the last decade I've added Silmarillion to the tradition. My recent, belated discovery of many of Tolkien's other postumously-published writings (thanks, Mom) and the recent films have inspired me to delve still deeper into Tolkien's world. My interests lie in three areas: the history and stories of Middle Earth, the Jackson films, and the languages which Tolkien invented using all his knowledge as a linguistic scholar.
In addition to this hobby, I am an archer and bard (storyteller) in the Society for Creative Anachronism. Back in the real world, I am struggling with a graduate degree in Classics (Latin and Greek). Bringing to life ancient or other cultures is my passion, all the more so when I can bring them to life for others to enjoy. I've had a little experience teaching Latin and other classics-related college courses. Finally, I am a compulsive writer and poet.
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Various & Sundry Investigations. Some more sundry than others.
- Aragorn vs. Denethor: In the books, Aragorn was NOT actually heir to Gondor, nor was Denethor insane. A short essay explaining why Aragorn wasn't king, and why Denethor didn't think he should be.
- How old are these people? Can't remember a character's age? This is most of 'em.
- Healing in Middle-earth: ongoing research (last update 6/05)
- Healing Arts of the Elves: an in-character examination of Elven healing, written as if by a visitor to Imladris (last update 6/05)
- A crash course in ME history, explaining who the Dúnedain are, and why Aragorn is (or isn't!) heir to the throne of Gondor.
- The Role of Arwen Evenstar in the books: what does she do?
- Gandalf's knowledge How much of the future (or present) could he see?
- A Character Study of Éomer Éadig and his impact on Rohan and Gondor
- Legolas of Mirkwood: Prince Among Equals, piecing together his unusual upbringing and family history from Tolkien's lesser-known writings. This is not the Legolas that most fans know!
- Did Tolkien's Elves Have Pointed Ears? The complete scoop.
- Elvish Medicine, the Hands of the King: Types of healing in LOTR:
- Men in Lórien: Who Escapes Her Nets? A little-known detail of LOTR.
- Brian Sibley's BBC Dramatization of LOTR: Better than the films?
- Push Him, Elrond! Why didn't Elrond simply cast Isildur into the fire?
- What happened to Erkenbrand in TTT? (or, Elves at Helm's Deep?!!)
- Hail, Théoden, King! (or not) A humorous critique of a wee little story arc problem in TTT
- The Boy with the Bow, an ever-evolving and startlingly popular homage to the stunt archery in the films.
- What Happened to Gallant Captain Faramir? Reconciling the movie and book versions of Faramir.
- An Immortal in a Mortal World Jackson puts Legolas through the ringer in a way Tolkien never did.
- Gríma's Tear: what are we to make of it?
- How to Use a Dictionary to Translate Between Languages: the most important thing every budding Elvish scholar MUST know
- Gelir does NOT mean "merry" - a minor corrective note, since I've seen this error creep into Elvish dictionaries
- Elvish poetry, the products of a novice in Sindarin who's still learning the ropes. Translations included.
- I Raid I Firn: The Paths of the Dead (stand-alone excerpt from Not Lightly Do the Leaves of Lórien Fall).
- The Khazad-dum Tinies. A little Tolkien humor.
Links to indispensible Tolkien sites
Copyright and trademarks for The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion,, The Hobbit, and other collections of Tolkien’s writings belong to The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Tolkien Enterprises. Peter Jackson's film adaptations of LOTR are © New Line Productions, Inc.
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