This Saturday at 5pm ET, we’ll be turning our attention back to The Return of the King in The Hall of Fire as we examine the very last chapter of the novel: The Grey Havens.
One evening Sam came into the study and found his master looking very strange. He was very pale and his eyes seemed to see things far away.
‘What’s the matter, Mr. Frodo?’ said Sam.
‘I am wounded,’ he answered, ‘wounded; it will never really heal.’
But then he got up, and the turn seemed to pass, and he was quite himself the next day. It was not until afterwards that Sam recalled that the date was October the sixth. Two years before on that day it was dark in the dell under Weathertop.
The Return of the King: Book VI, Chapter IX: The Grey Havens
The repairs after ‘Sharkey’s men’ go well: thousands of eager Hobbits work hard to rebuild their homes and homeland.
Each of the four Companions contribute differently: Frodo as Deputy Mayor, Merry and Pippin expel the last ruffians from the borders, while Sam busies himself travelling the Four Farthings of The Shire as he tries to make the wisest use of the Galadriel’s gift to him.
The following year — 1420 — proves marvellous in Shire history. The harvest is bountiful, numerous children are born and there is something in the air: a glimpse of a beauty beyond Middle-earth.
Yet for Frodo there is no lasting Peace this side of the Belegaer. In Autumn 1421, he sails from Mithlond with the bearers of the Three… and Bilbo.
Sam, Merry and Pippin watch the old world leaving the new, taking their close friend with it.
What does this chapter tell us about Hobbits? Why is Frodo not given the same fame as his companions? And what does the gift of Galadriel have to do with the year 1420 turning out the way it does?
Join us in #thehalloffire at 5pm ET as we examine the very last chapter of The Lord Of The Rings: The Grey Havens.
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:
5.00pm EDT (New York)
4.00pm CDT (Chicago)
3.00pm MDT (Denver)
2.00pm PDT (Los Angeles)
Europe:
10.00pm BST (London)
11.00pm CST (Paris)
Midnight EEST (Helsinki)
Asia-Pacific
8.00am AEST (Sunday) Brisbane
9.00am AEDT (Sunday) Sydney, Melbourne
11.00am 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. It is based on internet relay chat technology (that means it’s hella old skool). It’s a text-only, moderated chat room full of eccentric Tolkien fans. We’re open 24/7 (although some times are busier and more active than others).
There are many ways to connect to the chat server. However, the easiest is generally to use a browser-based client. We usually direct folks to Mibbit:
* TORn Mibbit Widget
* Mibbit direct (as opposed to the widget above, this allows you to see others joining and leaving)
If you’re more oldschool or technically adept, you can install one of the scores of standalone chat clients that available for desktop and mobile devices. Just plug in our server details (see bottom) into the client and connect.
* Xchat: http://xchat.org/ (Windoze PC and Linux. Free)
* mIRC: http://www.mirc.com/ (Windoze PC. 30-day trial)
* AndChat: http://www.andchat.net/ (Android app for mobile. Free)
* Colloquy: http://colloquy.info/ (Mac OS and Apple mobile devices. Free)
Our server details:
IRC server name: irc.theonering.net
Channel/room name: #theonering.net
Port: 6667 (6697 for SSL connections)
