When pondering the relevancy of Tolkien to the 21st century, some things immediately come to mind, such as the lure of power and industry vs. nature. But I wonder if it’s not even more interesting to look at our collective memory. For Tolkien anchored his stories firmly in the traditions and legends of Europe. Myths speak to us about who we are and where we come from, and surely that is the greatest and most fundamental relevance any story can have, no matter what age the reader lives in?
The Ring represents the temptation of exercising absolute power. And the leaders of the West have to face an old question: ‘if the good man uses the bad man’s weapon, does he then not become the bad man?’ Surely the events of the past 2 years have showed us that The Lord of the Ring lacks no relevance to today’s geopolitical conflicts.
Neither have the conflict between nature and industry lost any relevance since Tolkien’s days. Saruman cuts down the woods to feed the forges of Orthanc. We are told he has a ‘mind of wheels and metal.’ Likewise Mordor is a blasted wasteland void of living growth. The symbol of Gondor on the other hand is a white Tree, and in Middle Earth the forests themselves may go to war!
Of course there are many other issues that can be discussed as well; Solidarity between different peoples, loyalty as a virtue, how the small can overcome the mighty. Join us in #thehalloffire and share your views on Tolkiens relevance to the 21st century.
Upcoming Topics:
September 27-28: RoTK Book 6, Ch 4: The Field of Cormallen
October 4-5: Leaf by Niggle
Times:
Saturday Chat:
5:30pm ET (17:30)
[also 11:30pm (23:30) CET and 7:30am Sunday (07:30) AET]
Sunday Chat:
7:00 pm (19:00) CET
[also 1:00pm (13:00) ET and 3:00am (03:00) Monday morning AET]
ET = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
AET = Australian East Coast
Do you have a possible topic for Hall of Fire? Drop us a line at halloffire@theonering.net.
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Turimel writes: On Saturday, Sept 20 at 7 PM, there will be a film festival at Lloyd Cinema in Portland, Oregon, featuring LOTR Fan films. (A sample title: “The Blair Nazgul Project.”) Films have been submitted from all over the country, in categories like Original Drama, Parody, Music Video, and more. It promises to be a fun filled evening of Tolkien geekiness for everyone. Tickets are availalbe at ticketweb.com — look under Oregon, then “Lost Palantir.”
Turimel adds, Up until yesterday Viggo, Dom, and Sean were going to ATTEND the event “if their schedule permitted.” Unfortunately, they have been called in to do ROTK promos and are unable to make it. However, they have promised a video “hello” to fans at the festival, and Sean is scheduled to announce the winners live by phone!
* * *
Last chance for the Lost Palantir Fan Film Festival!
What: A celebration of the creativity of Ringers behind the lens, with over 30 submissions containing everything from Steve Latham’s Hobbit Teaser Trailer and an original film of Riddles In The Dark to a music video of kung-fu Elrond in drag.
Where: Regal Cinemas Lloyd Center 10, Portland, Oregon
By Whom: BitofEarth.net, the people who brought you Project Elanor, Sean Astin’s charity screening of The Two Towers, and the Rocky Horror Ringer Show
With Whom: Video and live-by-phone appearances by Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, and Viggo Mortensen
How to Get There: Purchase your tickets at www.ticketweb.com or buy at the door. We know this is short notice, but there has been a lot of insanity in getting this event together, and we know that we packed that same theatre with Ringers with the same short notice for the TTT screening, and are crossing our fingers – and staking our future events – that we can do it again.
How Much: $15
Why you want to go: In addition to the fun, fandom, and movie stars, the proceeds all go to support TentMoot 2003, the largest Rings convention in fandom history, which in turn will be benefitting children’s literacy and reforestation charities. In addition, if we can pack this theatre tomorrow night, we are guaranteed the special triple screening of the two extended editions and RotK at 11:00pm in December. Bring your friends and help bring Rings uber-geekness to Portland!
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Need weekend plans? Well, if you happen to live near New York, Los Angeles, Flagstaff, Arizona, or Alexandria, Virginia, you can celebrate Dear Old Bilbo’s birthday in style with Ringers in your own backyard!
Update: Busy this weekend? Well San Francisco Ringers can attend a party for Bilbo NEXT Saturday — apologies for the mixup!
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The Middle Earth Online website has now been updated to include sample mp3s of the game’s soundtrack. And while nothing can quite top the awesomeness of Howard Shore’s score it’s still quite cool.
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The Middle Earth Online website has now been updated to include sample mp3s of the game’s soundtrack. And while nothing can quite top the awesomeness of Howard Shore’s score it’s still quite cool.
[More]
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