The Choices of Master Samwise Gollum has fled, and Sam confronts Shelob in what must rate as one…
Continue ReadingThe Choices of Master Samwise
Gollum has fled, and Sam confronts Shelob in what must rate as one of the most mismatched battles in the history of Middle Earth. Sam is able to drive Shelob off, showing a beserker-like attitude, and bravery worthy of – or exceeding – heroes such as Hurin and Turin. [More]
Ever wondered what it was like on the sets of The Lord of the Rings in New Zealand? How was the magic of Middle-earth was created?
We invite you to join us on Saturday, December 7 at 6pm GMT (1pm EST) in #TheHallofFire for a live, moderated chat with Brian Sibley.
Brian is author of “The Lord of the Rings: The Making of the Movie Trilogy”, “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Insiders’ Guide”, and “The Lord of the Rings Official Movie Guide” among many other works. [More]
In total, The Lord of the Rings features a long list of characters; roughly seventy speaking parts and numerous others in the periphery of things. However out of all these parts, there are only three female characters who play decisive parts in the War of the Ring; Arwen, Eowyn and Galadriel. Based on this fact alone, the Hall of Fire staff invite you to join us this weekend as we discuss one of the most discussed topics surrounding Tolkien’s work:
Gender Imbalance In The Lord Of The Rings
Tolkien has often been criticised by the modern establishment over the lack of strong female characters in his literature, particularly in The Lord of the Rings. In a climate now dominated by the importance of being ‘politcally correct’ Tolkien’s literature may look almost archaic in its presentation of women, something which even director Peter Jackson felt he needed to address by enlarging the role of Arwen in his cinematic adaptation of The Lord of the Rings.
However, when addressing these issues many people forget that The Lord of the Rings was written at a time where women had barely even begun their quest for equality in society; by the standards of the 1950s, Tolkien’s trilogy was far from being offensive. Is it therefore unfair now to criticise it now? Could there be moments in the book where female roles could be enlarged while at the same time not creating a ‘XenArwen’ character? Or is the very idea of tinkering with Tolkien’s classic almost sacrilege?
Join us this weekend as we discuss one of the burning and more relavent debates surrounding J.R.R Tolkien’s award-winning epic.
Place:
#thehalloffire on theonering.net server; come to theonering.net’s chat room Barliman’s and then type /join #thehalloffire .
Saturday Chat: 5:30 pm ET (17:30) [also 11:30 pm (23:30) CET and 7:30 am Sunday (07:30) AET]
Sunday Chat: 7:00 pm (19:00) CET [also 1:00 pm (13:00) ET and 4:00 am (04:00) Monday morning AET]
ET = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
Questions? Topics? Send ‘em here.
With only twenty-six days until Peter Jackson’s theatrical version of The Two Towers is released, the Hall of Fire’s chapter-by-chapter discussions are nearing an end for this year, with only two chapters left to delve into thoroughly before December 18th. This weekend, the Hall of Fire staff invite you to join us as we discuss the penultimate chapter of The Two Towers and the point at which Peter Jackson’s ‘Two Towers will end:
Book IV, Chap IX – Shelob’s Lair
When Frodo asked Gollum to help himself and Sam find an alternative route into Sauron’s realm of Mordor, he trusted that the apparently reformed stoor hobbit would do his best to keep them out of danger. However, within the pass in the mountains lays the tower of Cirith Ungol, and there lies a forgotten evil from the early years of Middle-earth, an evil which the Hobbits would fail to avoid.
Shelob’s Lair is a fantastic chapter which sets in motion not only the conclusion of The Two Towers but some important events in The Return of the King. Sam’s loyalty to his master and disregard of his own safety is inspiring, as his valiant charge into battle seems to take his progression throughout The Lord of the Rings one step further, a stark contrast from the beginnings of The Fellowship of the Ring.
Join us this weekend as we discuss this intriguing chapter and get ourselves psyched up (as if we needed to!) for December 18th.
Upcoming Discussions:
Nov 30 & Dec 1 – Gender imbalance in LotR
Place:
#thehalloffire on theonering.net server; come to theonering.net’s chat room Barliman’s and then type /join #thehalloffire .
Saturday Chat: 5:30 pm ET (17:30) [also 11:30 pm (23:30) CET and 7:30 am Sunday (07:30) AET]
Sunday Chat: 7:00 pm (19:00) CET [also 1:00 pm (13:00) ET and 4:00 am (04:00) Monday morning AET]
ET = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
Questions? Topics? Send ‘em here.
Centre-pieces to much of the action within The Lord of the Rings, the Palant’ri are one of the most mysterious and, to the annoyance of its writer, ‘magical’ items in Middle-earth. Powerful spheres used to communicate, the Palant’ri play an instrumental part in linking the events of The Lord of the Rings together and even setting them in motion. This weekend, the Hall of Fire crew invite you to join us as we discuss:
The Palantiri
Which came first; the betrayal or the Palantir? By looking into the seventh of nine Palantir, did Saruman become ensnared by the lidless Eye of Sauron? Or was the will to deceive his allies always there? Similarly, why did Saruman the White fall to the ‘dark side’ while Denethor in contrast simply lost his sanity? Do the Palantiri by nature perceive the weaknesses and fears of its users and focuses on them; were they designed to seek trouble rather than watch for it?
Which begs the question, do we truly understand how the Palantiri work? To call them simply tools for communication would be understating a power and potential within them that goes much deeper. Could the Palantiri have been used in a more productive way in the War of the Ring? Why did Gandalf not use a Palantir a long time ago to keep the growing evils in Middle-earth in check?
All these questions and more will be discussed this weekend as we deal with a topic on which a whole chapter in Tolkien’s Unfinished Tales is based.
Upcoming Discussions:
Nov 23 & 24 – TTT Book 4, Chap 9 – Shelob’s Lair
Nov 30 & Dec 1 – TTT Book 4, Chap 6 – Forbidden Pool
Place:
#thehalloffire on theonering.net server; come to theonering.net’s chat room Barliman’s and then type /join #thehalloffire .
Saturday Chat: 5:30 pm ET (17:30) [also 11:30 pm (23:30) CET and 7:30 am Sunday (07:30) AET]
Sunday Chat: 7:00 pm (19:00) CET [also 1:00 pm (13:00) ET and 4:00 am (04:00) Monday morning AET]
ET = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
Questions? Topics? Send ‘em here.
Been wondering what’s on the cards for Hall of Fire for the rest of November? Here’s the schedule! [More]
