This weekend, Hall of Fire (Saturday 6pm ET) turns to the kingdom of Gondor as we chat about the role and importance of Gondor, especially in the latter part of the Third Age.

“But in the wearing of the swift years of Middle-earth the line of Meneldil son of Anárion failed, and the Tree withered, and the blood of the Númenoreans became mingled with that of lesser men. Then the watch upon the walls of Mordor slept, and dark things crept back to Gorgoroth. And on a time evil things came forth, and they took Minas Ithil and abode in it, and they made it into a place of dread; and it is called Minas Morgul, the Tower of Sorcery.”

The role and importance of Gondor: its rise, and its decline

By the time of the rule of Denethor, Gondor was much reduced and barely able to project force beyond its borders. But what were the reasons for this? Where was its high point? And is there one place where the rot began?

Is Elrond’s evaluation of Gondor’s strength broadly correct, or does Boromir have a point when he states that: “By our valour the wild folk of the East are still restrained, and the terror of Morgul kept at bay; and thus alone are peace and freedom maintained in the lands behind us, bulwark of the West.”?

And what of the perspectives of Aragorn, Faramir and even Denethor?

Come share your thoughts with us on Saturday in what’s sure to be another great Hall of Fire discussion!

Upcoming chat topics:

Saturday May 7: The Last Alliance
Saturday May 14: Families in Middle-earth
Saturday May 21: Tolkien and myth
Saturday May 28: Aragorn as king of Gondor and Arnor

Children of Hurin read-through

In other news, we’ll be starting a chapter-by-chapter readthrough of The Children of Hurin in the first week of August, examining one chapter every second week. The Children of Hurin, assembled by Chris Tolkien from a number of original manuscripts and published in 2007:

…takes the reader back to a time long before The Lord of the Rings, in an area of Middle-earth that was to be drowned before Hobbits appeared, and when the great enemy was still the fallen Vala, Morgoth, and Sauron was only Morgoth’s lieutenant. This heroic romance is the tale of the Man, Húrin, who dared to defy Morgoth, and his family’s tragic destiny, as it follows his son Túrin Turambar’s travels through the lost world of Beleriand…

minas-tirith_00317155Minas Tirith by Ted Nasmith.

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 EET (Helsinki)

Asia-Pacific
8.00am AEST (Sunday) Brisbane
9.00am AEDT (Sunday) Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne
11.00am NZST (Sunday) Wellington

How long do your topic chats go for?

Our chats usually last about an hour, 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).

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