Barliman's Chat Last weekend in Hall of Fire we discussed the hero and the heroic in Lord of the Rings. The topic proved quite popular for everyone, so by request this weekend we’ll be honing in a little more to examine heroism among the Fellowship itself.

‘I wish it need not have happened in my time,’ said Frodo.
‘So do I,’ said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given, us. A Shadow of the Past, The Lord of the Rings.

Aspects of heroism within the Fellowship

What do the Fellowship have to tell us about heroism? How does the heroism of Aragorn differ from the bravery of Boromir? Is Gandalf’s sacrifice at the Bridge of Khazad-dum the single-most selfless act of the entire Quest? Is Sam’s steadfastness actually that different from Frodo’s determination to not give in?

And if the bravery of each of the hobbits in the face of increasing adversity and danger show us that heroism need not have a great lineage, then what do Legolas and Gimli have to teach us?

Join us this weekend for what is sure to be yet another lively debate.

Some suggested reading:

FOTR Bk I, Ch 11: A Knife in the Dark
TTT Bk III, Ch I: The Departure of Boromir
TTT Bk IV, Ch X: The Choices of Master Samwise
ROTK Bk V, Ch VI: The Battle of Pelennor Fields

Time zone conversions

Not sure what time the chat will be where you are? Check this little conversion table out for some help. Alternatively, check our handy Event Announcer over on Time and Date for the correct time in your area.

America:
6.00pm EDT (New York)
5.00pm CDT (Chicago)
4.00pm MDT (Denver)
3.00pm PDT (Los Angeles)

Europe:
11.00pm BST (London)
11.00pm CST (Paris)
1.00am EEST (Helsinki)

Asia-Pacific
8.00am AEST (Sunday) Brisbane
8.00am AEST (Sunday) Sydney, Melbourne
10.00am NZST (Sunday) Wellington

How long do your topic chats go for?

Our chats usually last from an hour to ninety minutes, and are very newbie friendly. Simply drop in and join the conversation! However, our main room, #theonering.net is open 24 hours a day. We don’t always talk Tolkien there, but if you have a burning question, you’ll usually find one or two of “the regulars” up for a chat!

Where — connection details

Chat happens on #thehalloffire on irc.theonering.net — the TORn IRC server. You can connect instantly via our embedded Mibbit client that works inside your web browser.

Alternatively, you can install a dedicated chat program such as mIRC on your computer and just plug in the following connection details.

Server: irc.theonering.net
Port: 6667
Channel: #thehalloffire