Sam wrote in with a video he posted at YouTube from the recently passed annual Middle-earth Weekend in Birmingham near Sarehole Mill, famously a site of inspiration for Tolkien. The video, shot by Ian Fish with photography from Ellie Gibbons is an 11-minute taste of the weekend which doesn’t feel dramatically different from fan gatherings around the world, except that it takes place in J.R.R. Tolkien’s childhood stomping grounds. Included are costumes, interviews and a look at the mill that will seem familiar to readers of “The Hobbit,” and “Lord of the Rings.” Enjoy!
Category: J.R.R. Tolkien
Note: This comes from our newest contributor Momosanla. Look for more great stuff from her soon.
If you’re looking for a good book to read on your summer holidays – fire up those digital readers because you’re in luck. The finalists for the 2012 Mythopoeic Awards were announced on Tuesday, May 22. Past award winners have included the Harry Potter series, Orson Scott Card for “Seventh Son” and Neil Gaiman for “Anansi Boys”. With a track record like that, you’re sure to find a quality read amongst the nominees.
The Mythopeoic Society, founded by Glen GoodKnight in October of 1967, is a group dedicated to the discussion of and the study of the literary genre of mythopoeia: authors who create an entirely “new and transformative” mythology or “incorporate and transform existing mythological material.” Specifically the society focuses on the works of Inklings members J.R.R Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and Charles Williams. Each year, since 1971, they have honored outstanding examples in both adult and children’s fiction and non-fiction studies. Continue reading “Mythopoeic award finalists (good reading) announced”
I never considered myself a tattoo guy.
Until now.
It started innocently enough. I wanted to commemorate what I considered no small achievement: reading all 12 volumes of the History of Middle-earth in one year. I made the pledge and started the trek in January of 2011, and managed to turn the last page in mid-December of that year. (I wrote about the experience here and here)
So what could I do to mark this considerable milestone?
I’d had every opportunity in my younger days to become one of the Inked. Lived with several bands, traveled around with all sorts of characters in a circus-like caravan for years before pretending to settle down and got a “real job”.
But never once did I feel the urge to get a tattoo. Big, small, cool or silly, it never crossed my mind as anything I would ever want to do. “How permanent!” “Do I really want everyone to see and judge me?” “Wouldn’t it affect my job or the impression customers and co-workers would get?” All of that crossed my mind, but not in any sort of huge, conflicting way. I just never wanted one.
So why, when searching for an appropriately Big Sign statement to mark the conclusion of my most recent Tolkienian Journey, was that one of the first things that came to mind?
Mayhap, as some have speculated (myself included), it’s a sort of midlife crisis, only instead of a Porsche I got some ink. (By the way – if this truly is the midpoint of my life, 50% gone and 50% still to come, I’ll take it, say thankee-sai.)
Others have said, simply, “I think he’s lost his mind…”
Possibly so.
We thought readers might be interested in this:
“Tolkien’s literary masterpiece The Hobbit has been given a bit of a makeover and now it’s better than ever. Well…sort of? Anyway, brace yourselves, because The Hobbit is now available as Gaeilge. Yes, really.
The Cork Independent reports that the classic novel by JRR Tolkien has been successfully translated into Irish by Nicholas Williams and edited by Dr Alan Titley, the former Professor of Modern Irish at University College Cork.” You can read the full story right here.
Just how much was Smaug’s stolen hoard worth? Tolkien fans certainly seem to think they know. So much so that Forbes had to revise their original estimate of $8.6 billion due to enthusiastic input from those very fans:
“Taking into account a variety of factors including the estimated length of a dragon (64 feet), how many scales he has on his belly (822), the percentage of air in the treasure mound (30%) and the price of gold, silver and diamonds I estimated the ancient wyrm to be worth $8.6 billion. The Internet disagreed…”
Follow the “Read More” link to read this hugely entertaining account of how they recalculated Smaug’s worth based on fan input, and what the final result was. Then follow the link in the article to find out how much the other “Fictional 15” characters are worth, including characters such as Tony Stark, Bruce Wayne and Tywin Lannister from Game of Thrones. Read More ...
Discussion board member Modtheow reminds us of this annual event where discussion board members N.E. Brigand, visualweasel and Indigo Istar will be among the presenters!
Every year about 3,000 medievalists descend on Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI for the International Congress on Medieval Studies, but tucked into the over 600 sessions on every medieval topic imaginable, you can find 6 or 7 sessions on Tolkien, often referred to as “Tolkien at Kalamazoo.” You don’t have to be a medieval scholar to attend this conference, though I should say that it is meant to be a scholarly event — still, there’s lots of fun to be had, especially in the Friday night “Tolkien Unbound” entertainment, or the Saturday night dance, or in some of the gaming sessions, or dinner at Bilbo’s Restaurant. You can find information about the full conference here.