If I can't be a dragon-whisperer, can I at least have a talking dog?
There are a wide variety of knitting and crochet patterns available for projects inspired by The Lord of the Rings including wearables appropriate for humans, elves, and dwarves. My favorites are for gauntlets, shawls, helmets, and – surprise! – beards. NOTE: Any pattern that I link to is something I thought looked cool. I don't... Continue Reading →
A range of knitted projects inspired by Middle-Earth.
Many claim the detailed, imaginative Middle-Earth is why Tolkien's books are popular, but the faith his characters display is what makes "The Lord of the Rings" phenomenal.
I like to think that I don't belong to a book club because no one is ready to dissect a text the way I do. But really, the reason is much simpler. I'm an introvert. I want to dissect books without actually talking to people. It sounds impossible, but I've found something to scratch my... Continue Reading →
I recently came across an interesting diagram that shows various statistics about thirty famous books, including how long it took to write them. Of the thirty books included, the one that took the longest was The Lord of the Rings*. Why did it take J.R.R. Tolkien twelve years** to complete his masterpiece? Some say perfectionism... Continue Reading →
Writers, dancers, painters, and musicians all have something to teach us about how create. That's why I read my way through The History of Middle-Earth: Volumes 6 - 9. These books are about how J.R.R. Tolkien wrote his masterpiece Lord of the Rings. They try their best to show when and how he came up... Continue Reading →
Fantasy gets a bad rap. When it's not referred to as escapist or mindless fluff, it's criticized for being unrealistic, the province of dreamy teenagers (or adults) who don't want to face the real world or deal with real life. But is that true? SPOILER ALERT: Details about the stories of Frodo Baggins, Harry Potter,... Continue Reading →
September 22nd is the birthday of both Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, characters in Tolkien's masterwork The Lord of the Rings. Here's a silly Lego clip to help you celebrate the day.
NOTE: The following discussion is about The Lord of the Rings books, not the movies. I'm concerned with what Tolkien intended, not what Peter Jackson and his friends decided to do with the story. When J.R.R. Tolkien wrote about Middle Earth, he was trying to write "a mythology for England." His story is a like an... Continue Reading →
