This Saturday at 6pm ET Hall of Fire will be examining two of the key characters of Return of the King: Denethor and Théoden.
‘Be careful of your words, Master Peregrin! This is no time for hobbit pertness. Théoden is a kindly old man. Denethor is of another sort, proud and subtle, a man of far greater lineage and power, though he is not called a king.’
Denethor and Théoden: a study in contrasts
Two able and respected leaders who had guided their respective lands through hard times. Both boasting a long, proud lineage. Both lose a son in untimely fashion. Both lose a wife. And both are worn down by loss and the constant insinuations of the enemy. Yet, with the aid of Gandalf, Théoden rallies. Denethor, on the other hand, never recovers from his steep decline.
What is the difference? Gandalf is able to play a key role in bringing Theoden out of his torpor. What factors contribute to make Denethor unreachable? And what role do cultural differences play?
How are Théoden and Denethor similar and different? What are their strengths and weakenesses as leaders — and as human beings. What are their leadership styles? What qualities do you see in each that makes them effective — and ineffective?
Join us this Saturday at 6pm ET (please note the time change in the USA because of Daylight Savings!) in the Hall of Fire for what’s sure to be a lively discussion!
Upcoming discussions:
March 29: ROTK Book 5 Chapter 6: The Pyre of Denethor
April 5: Exactly who were the Druedain? (Pukel men)
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:
10.00pm GMT (London)
11.00pm CST (Paris)
Midnight EEST (Helsinki)
Asia-Pacific
8.00am AEST (Sunday) Brisbane
9.00am AEDT (Sunday) Sydney, Melbourne
11.00am NZDT (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
