Hall Of Fire This Weekend - Of The Sun And The Moon
Demosthenes @ 4:29 am EST

Hall of Fire discussions resumes this Sunday August 21 with The Silmarillion, with Chapter 11: Of the Sun and the Moon and the Hiding of the Valinor. Following the events of the kinslaying, The Silmarillion leaves the divided and scattered elvish communities, and returns to the plight of the Valar in the aftermath of the loss of the trees of light.

We ponder Tolkien’s myth-like explanation of the Middle-earth cosmos. Does it fit with your conception of Middle-earth, or does it seem contrived? How is it similar to human myths handed down from time immemorial? And how is it different? What is the reasoning and significance of the choices of Tilion and Arien as the bearers of light?

Does the arrival of the sun signify the rise of Man and the demise of elves? Moreover, what is the significance of new light coming from the dead trees? While the sun and moon have an inferior influence, compared to the trees, their impact on Middle-earth appears to have more of a physical effect. Do you agree?

And what’s going on with the shift in the sun and moon’s rise from the west, to the east, by the end of the chapter?

We also see the recurrence of Tolkien’s theme of good coming from evil. How can the Valar consider the marring of Feanor as equal or more tragic than the death of the trees? What have they lost, with Feanor’s departure?

We’ll also compare the digging in of Morgoth with the hiding of Valinor. Were they necessary, and what did they signify in the wider conflict between Morgoth and the Valar? How are they similar (and different) to each other?

And was it impractical for the Valar to leave a route back to Valinor for the elves?

Join us this Sunday August 21 (2.00pm EDT) in #thehalloffire on the TORn IRC server as we discuss The Silmarillion, Chapter 11: Of the Sun and the Moon and the Hiding of the Valinor.

Time and date:
Sunday August 21

America:
2.00pm EDT
1.00pm CDT
12.00pm MDT
11.00am PDT

Europe:
7:00pm UK
8:00pm Central Europe

Asia-Pacific
4.00am (Monday) Brisbane
4.00am (Monday) Sydney
6.00am (Monday) Wellington

Chats usually last 45 mins to an hour, and are very newbie friendly. Simply drop in and join the conversation!

Where?

Chat happens on #thehalloffire on irc.theonering.net - the TORn IRC server. You can connect instantly via our java chat client that works inside your web browser (find it here! ) or choose to install a dedicated chat program such as mIRC on your computer.

To find out more about using mIRC to connect to TORn IRC server, check out these instructions.

Upcoming topics:

Sun August 21 - Silmarillion Ch 11
Sat August 27 - Elrond, Cirdan and Isildur at the Ring of Doom
Sun September 4 - Elrond, Cirdan and Isildur at the Ring of Doom
Sat September 10 - Silmarillion Ch 12
Sun September 18 - Silmarillion Ch 12

Got a topic? Let us know your idea!

If you have a burning desire to discuss something in Hall of Fire, drop us a line with your topic at halloffire@theonering.net. If we like it, we'll probably give it a run in the coming weeks - you might even get to guest moderate the session!

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