A land was made for the Edain to dwell in, neither part of Middle-earth nor of Valinor, for it was sundered from either by a wide sea; yet it was nearer to Valinor. It was raised by Ossë out of the depths of the Great Water, and it was established by Aulë and enriched by Yavanna; and the Eldar brought thither flowers and fountains out of Tol Eressëa. Akallbeth, The Silmarillion.

Akallabêth: The Downfall of Númenor

Documented in The Silmarillion, Akallabêth charts the rise and fall of the Dúnedain of Numenor. Rewarded with a bounteous land of their own for their forefathers’ sacrifices in the dreadful wars against Morgoth, after centuries of peace and propsperity the anscestors of the Númenoreans proceed to throw it all away in a fit of hubris and misplaced envy of the immortality of the elves of Valinor and of the Valar themselves.

Not even the most earnest entreaties of elven emissaries sent by Manwë himself seems able to dissuade the Númenoreans that Valinor itself is the source immortality.

And when the last and mightiest Númenorean king Ar-Pharazôn brings Sauron to the island as his prisoner and hostage, it’s not long before the Dark Lord seduces the majority of the populace to the open worship of Morgoth and has the king plotting war upon the Undying Lands.

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

Some suggested reading:

The Silmarillion: Akallabêth
Unfinished Tales: The Druedain

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‘Go to sleep!’ said Merry. ‘You’ll get information enough, sooner or later. My dear Pippin, no Took ever beat a Brandybuck for inquisitiveness; but is this the time, I ask you?’

‘All right! What’s the harm in my telling you what I should like: a look at that stone? I know I can’t have it, with old Gandalf sitting on it, like a hen on an egg. But it doesn’t help much to get no more from you than a you-can’t-have-it so-go-to-sleep!’

The Two Towers: Book III, Chapter XI: The Palantìr

When Wormtongue hurls a black orb at Saruman from the upper levels of Orthanc, the first to respond is Pippin. Gandalf rescues it from him, but the strange object piques the Hobbit’s curiosity.

Later that night when Gandalf, Theoden and the remainder of the company rest, Pippin finds a way to steal the orb from the wizard’s grasp and peer into its dark depths. His reckless toying with the orb, an ancient Palantìr that allows communication over incredible distances, rapidly puts him in dreadful danger — caught in the grasp of the Dark Lord himself. Only Sauron’s greedy desire to bring the Hobbit to Barad-dur for direct questioning saves the Quest.

Gandalf quickly pulls the truth of the encounter from the terrified Hobbit, then as one of the Nine flies over their camp leaves the Palantìr with Aragorn and rides with Pippin for Minas Tirith.

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

Some suggested reading:

TTT Bk III, Ch XI: The Palantìr
Unfinished Tales: The Palantìr

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‘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

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I think the simple ‘rustic’ love of Sam and his Rosie (nowhere elaborated) is absolutely essential to the study of his (the chief hero’s) character, and to the theme of the relation of ordinary life (breathing, eating, working, begetting) and quests, sacrifice, causes, and the ‘longing for Elves’, and sheer beauty. Letter #131, Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien.

The hero and the heroic in The Lord of the Rings

We know from his letter to Milton Waldman that Tolkien regarded Sam as the chief hero of the tale. But why? What is it that makes him Tolkien’s hero? Do you even agree with Tolkien’s appraisal?

More generally, what actions or traits create a hero anyway?

The Greek and Latin etymology of the word suggest a hero is a protector, or a defender.

So is it all about sheer physical strength and courage in battle such as Boromir exhibited? Warrior brawn? But what of the inspirational guidance that Aragorn and Gandalf show? And how much of a role must adversity play? And are quieter, less flashy traits important ingredients? Traits such as steadfastness and loyalty to a seemingly impossible cause or task?

Join us in the href=”http://www.theonering.net/torwp/chat”>The Hall of FireHall of Fire on Saturday July 20 from 6pm EDT (New York time) for what promises to be another great discussion.

Some suggested reading:

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

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‘I am not Gandalf the Grey, whom you betrayed. I am Gandalf the White, who has returned from death. You have no colour now, and I cast you from the order and from the Council.’ He raised his hand and spoke slowly in a clear cold voice. ‘Saruman, your staff is broken.’ There was a crack and the staff split asunder in Saruman’s hand, and the head of it fell down at Gandalf’s feet.

Book III, Chapter X: The Voice of Saruman

This chapter begins with our heroes entering the ruins of Isengard; Orthanc tall, undamaged and unassailable in the centre. Yet it ends with the ents watching over as fallen Saruman.

How many changes take place between these two points? How great are they? And how much is revealed that will influence the future course of the War of the Ring?

Join us in the Hall of Fire on Saturday July 13 at 6pm EDT (New York time) for what promises to be another great discussion as we continue our Lord of the Rings read-through in The Hall of Fire.

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“…the rule of no realm is mine, neither of Gondor nor any other, great or small. But all worthy things that are in peril as the world now stands, those are my care. And for my part, I shall not wholly fail of my task, though Gondor should perish, if anything passes through this night that can still grow fair or bear fruit and flower again in days to come. For I also am a steward. Did you not know?”

Gandalf, The Lord of the Rings.

Stewards of Middle-earth. Who? What? Why?

Many characters seem to fill the role of stewards in Tolkien’s Middle-earth. Some are obvious: rulers such as Denethor and Theoden, members of the council of the wise like Elrond and Garadriel, the Istari and the Valar.

Treebeard, and even Tom Bombadil and the Entwives can also be examined in the same light. Others such as Samwise and Eowyn are more subtly portrayed.

But what are the defining traits of a steward in Tolkien’s milieu?

And, apart from a great love for their individual ‘stewardships’, what do they have in common? What traits set them apart from others?

Was Sauron ever a steward? More, what exactly is the distinction between stewarding something and seeking to dominate it, and what can we learn from the example of Saruman about just how easy (or hard) it is to tip from one into the other?

These are just a few of the things we’ll discuss this weekend on Saturday July 6 at 6.00pm EDT in The Hall of Fire.

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Throughout the first half of The Two Towers, Tolkien weaves together two threads of narrative. On one hand we have Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas and their efforts to find the hobbits, and then to assist the Rohirrim. On the other, Merry and Pippin’s captivity among the Uruk-hai, their escape and their burgeoning friendship with the Ents of Fangorn.

Flotsam and Jetsam finally reunites the two groups and reveals what happened after the Ents marched on Isengard.

Though Isengard be strong and hard
As cold as stone and bare as bone
We go, we go, we go to war
To hew the stone and break the door!

The Two Towers: Book III, Chapter IX: Flotsam and Jetsam

Flotsam and Jetsam is a chapter of big events, and small, yet important, gestures of friendship.

Pippin and Merry describe the destruction of the ring of Isengard, Saruman’s narrow escape to the safety of the black pillar of Orthanc, and the departure of many Huorns to wreak revenge against Saruman’s army of orcs and Dunlendings in the south.

Aragorn returns the barrow blades of the two Hobbits, and Pippin’s Lorien brooch — sacrificed during their captivity as a sign for any rescuers. Pippin offers Gimli a spare pipe that he has carried with him since leaving The Shire, and the five companions relate their adventures since that fateful day on Amon Hen.

Tiny gestures of companionship and camaraderie — flotsam and jetsam against the greater events of the War of the Ring — but is that not the essence of hobbitry?

Join us in the Hall of Fire this Saturday June 29 at 6pm EDT (New York time) for what promises to be a great discussion as we return to our Lord of the Rings read-through.

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This Saturday, (July 15 at 6pm EDT (New York time)) the Hall of Fire crew invite you to join us as we discuss the downfall of Saruman, the wizard who would become the Lord of the Ring.

‘Welcome, my lords, to Isengard!’ he said. ‘We are the doorwardens. Meriadoc, son of Saradoc is my name; and my companion, who, alas! is overcome with weariness’ – here he gave the other a dig with his foot – ‘is Peregrin, son of Paladin, of the house of Took. Far in the North is our home. The Lord Saruman is within; but at the moment he is closeted with one Wormtongue, or doubtless he would be here to welcome such honourable guests.’

The Two Tower: Book III, Chapter VIII: The Road to Isengard

The battle of Helm’s Deep is over, and the forces of Saruman have been defeated, thanks in no small part to the assistance of the denizens of Fangorn Forest. With the followers of the White Hand defeated, Gandalf travels to Isengard to confront the wizard he once called friend.

However, the price of victory is high — many Men of the Mark lie dead.

The Road to Isengard, living in the shadow of the chapter before it, tenderly deals with the aftermath of Helm’s Deep and the strengthened bonds of the survivors. We continue to see the relationship of Gimli and Legolas flourish, along with the bond Aragorn and Éomer forged during battle.

It also serves to highlight how evil can corrupt good to the point where it is the device of its own destruction.

Join us this Saturday in Hall of Fire for what promises to be a great discussion as we return to our Lord of the Rings read-through.

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Then I began thinking about Tauriel… and Kili. And those rumours. So, of course, having too much time on my hands and an over-active mind, I started toying with some concepts to see if something might fit the rhyming structure.

Turns out, it kinda does. I call it I thought hot dwarf, and … well … enjoy … or something. Oh, and mad props to TORn Barlichatter Elanesse for the moral support and extra ideas.

I Thought Hot Dwarf

To the tune of Taylor Swift’s I Knew You Were Trouble

So, this Saturday at 6pm EDT New York time Hall of Fire will be dedicating an entire, and probably spoiler-filled, session to exploring this new character that Jackson, Boyens and Walsh are introducing into their adaptation of The Hobbit. Warning: character and plot spoilers follow below!

Tauriel, captain of Thranduil’s guards

In announcing the character in 2011, Jackson told us: “Her name means ‘daughter of Mirkwood’ and, beyond that, we must leave you guessing! (No, there is no romantic connection to Legolas.)”

Additional details have slowly emerged via interviews with Aidan Turner and Evangeline Lilly. First Turner hinted that the dwarf Kili would become enamoured of the Woodland elf of Mirkwood.

Then Lilly revealed in a Total Film article that:

“She’s a very, very young elf. She’s only 600 years old, unlike Legolas who’s like, 1,900 years old and Thranduil who’s about 3,000 years old. She doesn’t have quite the wisdom and pose that those two boys do; she’s a little more… gritty. A little more spontaneous, passionate perhaps.

“To play this character I need to have a certain amount of grace. But I’m also supposed to be an absolutely ruthless, deadly killer.”

Lastly, with the release of the EW still we learned from Lilly that:

* “She sort of goes against the social order of the elves a little bit.”
* “She will definitely have a love story. I can’t give away too much about it. It’s not a huge focus but it is there and it is important and it does drive Tauriel and her story and her actions.”
* “Tauriel’s relationship with Legolas is significant. They’ve known each other since they were children, and Legolas’ dad, Thranduil, has a soft spot for Tauriel and sees something very special in her. So if you grow up side by side, and your dad has a very special spot in his heart for this young woman who’s a fantastic warrior, I think it’s hard not to notice her. That’s probably as much as I can say.”

Join us later today (Saturday June 8 at 6pm EDT (New York time)) when we’ll chat about all these teasing details and much more as we discuss the addition of Tauriel to Peter Jackson’s adaptation of The Hobbit in Hall of Fire.

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Our chats usually last an hour to an hour and 30 minutes, and are very newbie friendly. Simply drop in and join the conversation! Our main chat 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!

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Suddenly the clouds were seared by a blinding flash. Branched lightning smote down upon the eastward hills. For a staring moment the watchers on the walls saw all the space between them and the Dike lit with white light: it was boiling and crawling with black shapes. The Two Towers Bk III, Ch VII.

The Two Towers, Book Three, Chapter VII: Helm’s Deep

News arrives that Saruman’s orcs have overrun the Fords of the Isen, scattering Erkenbrand’s forces. Gandalf tells Theoden riders to turn toward the ancient Gondorian fortress of Aglarond — known to the Rohirrim as the Hornburg.

The Rohirrim prove hard-pressed to defend the fortress against the reckless attacks of orcs. Aided as they are by the arts of Saruman, the orcs destroy a portion of the Deeping Wall and force the remaining defenders into mountain caves and the Hornburg’s tower keep.

But the Rohirrim must survive and repel Saurman’s forces if they are to even hope to aid Gondor against Sauron.

Would Theoden’s Eored have survived if they’d been caught on the plains? Does the king’s presence noticibly lift the morale of his warriors? What exactly is the nature of the “devilry” of Saruman? And how does the battle solidify Legolas and Gimli’s emerging friendship?

These are just a few of the questions we’ll be discussing, so join us later today (Sat June 1 at 6pm EST (New York time)) for what’s sure to be another engaging Hall of Fire debate!

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How long do your topic chats go for?

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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

He was capable of great deeds – at great cost to himself he saved the seed of the White Tree from under the nose of Sauron and bore it to Middle Earth.

Sauron hated him above all other men and elves, and even after Isildur was long dead, poured all his malice and hatred into the destruction and corruption of Minas Ithil – Isildur’s city.

Yet Isildur son of Elendil was also responsible for the Oathbreaker’s curse. And primarily because of him, the Ring survived when it ought to have been destroyed.

Through his actions (and inaction), Isildur left a lasting legacy on the history Middle Earth, setting the stage for of events the Third Age.

This weekend in Hall of Fire we’ll discuss Isildur’s important place in the history of Middle Earth and ponder what drove this unique character.

Join us Saturday May 25 at 6pm EST (New York time) when we’ll chat about the question of Isildur and his place as one of the key shapers of the Third Age.

Suggested Reading:

* Unfinished Tales – “The Disaster of the Gladden Fields”
* Silmarillion – “Akallabeth” and “Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age”
* Fellowship of the Ring – “Council of Elrond”
* Return of the King – “Passing of the Grey Company”

Would you like to suggest a topic for Hall of Fire? Drop me an e-mail at demosthenes@theonering.net — if there’s about an hour’s discussion in it, we may give it a run! And don’t forget that you can check out logs of our most recent chat topics over in the TORn Library.

Time zone conversions

Not sure what time the chat will be where you are? Check this little conversion table out for some help. Or visit our Event Announcer over on Time and Date for a comprehensive list.

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 an hour to an hour and 30 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