MetaFilter posts tagged with Tolkien

Tomes of ancient lore

Artw — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:13:37 -0800

Although it's commonplace nowadays to assume that J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings was the primary source of inspiration for Dave Arneson and Gary Gygax when they created the world's first tabletop roleplaying game, Dungeons & Dragons, a careful examination of the game suggests otherwise... James Maliszewski on The Books That Founded D&D. Some disagreement.

The pictures and sketches of JRR Tolkien

nthdegx — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:01:53 -0800

The pictures and sketches of JRR Tolkien

...I didn't actually read the link...

Artw — Thu, 28 May 2009 21:06:48 -0800

It’s only natural that if you wish to present yourself as a well-read person, a certain degree of complete bullshit is required. There’s no shame in lying about what you’ve read. There’s only shame in getting caught. Then you look like a doofus, and an illiterate one at that... How to lie about books.

The Shire is in Foreclosure

jrochest — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 22:52:00 -0800

Subprime crisis worse than we thought... The Shire, an Oregon housing development based on Tolkien's Hobbit village, is in foreclosure.

The Hobbit Movie, It's Offical

Mintyblonde — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:35:20 -0800

It's official, Del Torro is on board for the new Hobbit move and it's...um..sequel. Anyway, he seems to be adamant in keeping the as much as the original creative team on board which is a encouraging sign, roll on 2010?

Adventures in Balrog Math

homunculus — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 22:38:02 -0800

Some Thoughts On Balrogs.

The Fellowship of the Feebles?

dazed_one — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 19:35:09 -0800

"It is an army bred for a single purpose; to destroy the world of men."

The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien

stbalbach — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 13:55:57 -0800

The Children of Húrin is the first complete book by J.R.R. Tolkien in three decades, co-written by his son Christopher. His grandson Adam Tolkein explains how it came about. The Washington Post gives a great review.

If Middle Earth had a website this would probably be it

konolia — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 11:12:27 -0800

Council of Elrond You have stumbled upon one of the largest resource sites on the web offering a variety of unique features based on the creative works of J.R.R. Tolkien.

The Destruction of that Horrible, Annoying, Egotistical, Asinine, Off-Key and Exceedingly STUPID Ring, and the Return of Whatshisname

zennie — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 20:41:45 -0800

The Stupid Ring is 'Earth's largest Tolkien parody.' Given a taste of The Lord of the Rings on the big screen [warning: sound], some wacky Tolkien fans craved more. So they rewrote the entire book as a movie script. All sixty-plus chapters. Every scene, every song. And then some. Possibly while drunk.

Grey as a mouse, Big as a house.

sparkletone — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:06:28 -0800

Oliphaunts were one of the many amazing sights Sam Gamgee wished to see when he left The Shire. He immortalized the mighty beast in a song, and many other have paid tribute over the years. Origami, a design firm, and even a political cartoonist, it is clear that everyone who's anyone loves them some Oliphaunt. They even have their own urban dictionary entry, and a rather unflattering variant. Be careul not to confuse them with the Mastodon. Nor should be they be considered simple war elephants. The Oliphaunt towers over them all.

The Shire - Oregon Style

jonson — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 19:51:20 -0800

Attention Tolkien Fans: if this obscure recording of JRR reading (and signing) The Lord of The Rings doesn't quench your lust for all things Middle Earth, then perhaps you should consider buying a home in The Shire, a new real estate development in Bend Oregon (which oddly seems to not feature Hobbit holes, but rather looks instead like Bree, the human village nearest the Shire).

Write your name in Tengwar (Tolkien's Elvish)

persona non grata — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 22:18:30 -0800

Write your name in Tengwar, the Elvish language/alphabet created by JRR Tolkien. You can work with Tengwar fonts based on Middle Earth languages and runes and see many examples of the script via a Google Image search. According to Tolkien, "there is quite a bit of linguistic wisdom in it." There are certainly websites devoted to his languages and thier history. And It took some thought and work to make the speech sound right in the movies.

Govoreet Dobby, Droog?

blahblahblah — Sun, 05 Mar 2006 21:20:12 -0800

An index to 1,696 constructed languages. (or just look at the top 200) From the Nadsat of a Clockwork Orange and Tolkein's Quenya to Star Trek's Darmonk, a language based solely on parables (though Gene Wolfe got there first) and Borges's language of Tlon, there is plenty here for science fiction fans and language geeks alike. And, yes, for all you fanatics, Esperanto is listed, as is your source for news in Special English, limited to a 1500 word vocabulary.

Selections From The Journal of Religion And Popular Culture

y2karl — Sun, 27 Nov 2005 11:02:49 -0800

And here is 'You Either Get It or You Don't:' Conversion Experiences and The Dr. Phil Show. Also on hand, are They Refused Jesus Too: A Biblical Paradigm in the Writing of Bob Dylan and Popular Music on Christianity in the United States: Christianity's Failure to Love. Taste, perhaps, A Potion too Strong?: Challenges in Translating the Religious Significance of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings to Film. Or consider Curses and Catharsis in Red Sox Nation: Baseball and Ritual Violence in American Culture.
All are selections from The Journal Of Religion And Popular Culture.

Follow Follow Follow Follow Follow the Paths of the Dead

Joey Michaels — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 18:41:15 -0800

Did The Wizard of Oz inspire Lord of the Rings? "The first film version of L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz was released in the summer of 1939, less than a month before World War II officially began. Though started as early as 1937, The Lord of the Rings was largely composed during the war years, but not published until somewhat later. Therefore, it is by no means impossible that J.R.R. Tolkien saw the magnificent MGM movie before he wrote most of his magnum opus. Could Oz have influenced his tale somehow, consciously or unconsciously?"

I'm part Water Pixie!

Salmonberry — Thu, 16 Sep 2004 17:21:56 -0800

Otherkin. Weird. Otakukin. Very, very weird. Maybe you wonder if sometimes you are part...something. Unicorn? Dragon? You, are one of the otherkin. "Unless you go through some regression therapy to find that Otherkin part of you, chances are you won't have your memories available to you." But don't worry, you're not alone. (Unless you think you're an orc. Cause Tolkien is not a reference.)
Otakukin - even better. You're thing is anime.

hobbits and wizards and orcs, oh my!

konolia — Sun, 04 Jan 2004 16:23:46 -0800

The Encyclopedia of Arda A reference guide to Tolkien-can't tell an orc from a Uruk-hai? Stumped at what the three kinds of hobbits are? This website has the answers. Nicely laid out site, too.

Lawyer of the Rings

tdismukes — Mon, 22 Dec 2003 07:37:49 -0800

If you're going to make a deal with Sauron, consult your lawyer first.

Elf booty got soul!

homunculus — Tue, 16 Dec 2003 16:51:31 -0800

What Tolkien Officially Said About Elf Sex (SFW). I guess he would not have approved of elf porn or elf slash art (NSFW). [Via Fleshbot (NSFW)]

My Precioussssss

MintSauce — Mon, 29 Sep 2003 09:01:21 -0800

Final Lord of the Rings trailer [Quicktime Movie]. No sign of it yet on the official site. (Via BBC)

Liar!

e^2 — Fri, 29 Aug 2003 21:59:21 -0800

Japanese Tolkien fans angered over translation issues. Relatively old news, but I believe not that well known. Do the technical difficulties involved excuse the loss of important meaning in dialogue? Film translation seems to suffer from much less prestige than literary translation, though that too has its controversies. In the US, anime fans replay the loose vs strict translation debate daily, also protesting cuts and edits. Is it really impossible in the rush to make money off the geeks and off the masses to stay relatively true to the original material?

What IS the deal with Frodo and Sam, anyway?

UKnowForKids — Mon, 31 Mar 2003 05:25:30 -0800

Just how well do you know The Lord of the Rings? Test your knowledge here, courtesy of the Tolkien Sarcasm Page. Also of interest: the LOTR board game, and a brief synopsis of LOTR for you students who have to write a quick book report but just don't have the time to read the actual books.

Secret Diaries

Ron — Thu, 09 Jan 2003 00:00:15 -0800

Secret Diaries from the Lord of the Rings.

Tolkien's Eleventy-first.

condour75 — Fri, 03 Jan 2003 06:53:14 -0800

Tolkien's Eleventy-first. Today would've been JRR Tolkien's 111th birthday. According to the Tolkien Society, the proper thing to do is to raise a glass at 9 pm and say "The Professor." Mary-Ann was not available for comment.