It's Tolkien Week! Which means my Tolkien Blog Party of Special Magnificence kicked off yesterday on my other blog, The Edge of the Precipice. Here are my answers to the party questions.
1. Who introduced you to Tolkien's stories?
My mom gave me The Hobbit to read when I was in high school. I didn't really care for it, so I mostly credit my fiance-at-the-time, Cowboy, and my best friend Emily for making me go see The Fellowship of the Ring when it came out while we were in college. That's what hooked me.
2. How old were you when you first ventured into Middle Earth?
Probably sixteen when I read The Hobbit. Twenty-one when I saw The Fellowship of the Ring and started reading The Lord of the Rings.
3. Did you read the books first, or see movie versions first?
A bit of both! Read The Hobbit first, long before the movies were made. Saw The Fellowship of the Ring first, then read the book, and then waited to read The Two Towers until I'd seen the movie. Ditto with The Return of the King.
4. A dragon or a balrog -- which would you rather fight?
Um... why didn't I think up an answer to this when I made up these questions? I guess maybe a dragon, as they're not entirely made of fire. They're more cunning, or seem like they are, since they can talk and all, but there's a teeny chance you could reason with them and have a battle of wits instead of brawn. But Balrogs -- whoa. Terrifying.
5. Who are three of your favorite characters? (Feel free to elaborate on why.)
Last year, I talked about Boromir, Sam, and Gandalf. They're my three absolute favorites. This year I'll talk about my next top three:
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I love Eomer because he's loyal. Steadfast in his devotion to Theoden even when Theoden supposedly has him banished. And he seems like a really good big brother, even taking the new king to task when he thinks Eowyn has been trifled with.
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I love Aragorn because he's not a shirker. He's spent decades protecting people who don't like him, and who don't even realize they're being protected. Thankless job, that. He uses the Palantir to wrestle with Sauron. He leads the army to the Black Gates even though he assumes he will die there. He's not just brave, he's also willing to do whatever must be done. I admire that.
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I love Faramir because he's thoroughly honorable. He's a recent favorite -- I only started loving him during my last read-through of the book, specifically here. He's like the epitome of the word "chivalrous," isn't he?
6. Have you ever dressed up like a Tolkien character?
No. Not yet. One day!
7. If someone asks you to go on adventure, how do you respond?
"But I already have my whole day planned out! Come back in five minutes when I've made new plans that can include your adventure."
8. Have you read any of the "history of Middle Earth" books?
To my lasting shame, no. Not yet. Not even The Silmarillion.
9. Would you rather drink a bowl of Ent Draught or a glass of Old Winyards?
Not a huge fan of wine, so I'd rather try the Ent Draught! Plus, I always wanted to be 5'8", and I'm only 5'7", so maybe it'd give me that extra inch!
10. List up to ten of your favorite lines/quotes from the books or movies.
(Trying not to use any from last year.)
"What news from the North, Riders of Rohan?" -- Aragorn
"Now there's an eye-opener, and no mistake" -- Sam
"What new devilry is this?" -- Boromir
"A wizard is never late. Nor is he early. He always arrives precisely when he means to." -- Gandalf
"The Men of the Mark do not lie, and therefore they are not easily deceived." -- Eomer
"Good and ill have not changed since yesteryear." -- Aragorn
"Courage is found in unlikely places." -- Gildor
"Oft the unbidden guest proves the best company." -- Eomer
"My cuts, short or long, don't go wrong." -- Strider
"I'm going on an adventure!!!!" -- Bilbo (Last time I was at my parents' house, I ran down their driveway yelling this, and my Mom told me to calm down. I'm 34. I think all hopes of me "calming down" are pretty well over. Just sayin'.)
Please join me at the party! You can find these questions here, enter the giveaways here, and there will be a new game each day from today through Friday, starting with this one :-)
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| Just a random screencap I took while prepping for party games. Love this dress! |
Okay, see, if you can get away with running down a driveway yelling "I'm going on an adventure" at 34, then surely I can get away with running around my living room with a spatula yelling "Forth, Eorlingas!" at 22. My mother thinks I'm delusional, but I think she doesn't read enough literature. Putting her through Hamlet in World Lit 101 was a nightmare, I tell you....
ReplyDeleteOh, and that's a perfect description of Eomer. He reminds me of my younger brothers, who are loyal to the death, and just as mouthy.
My hubby sometimes greets me with "What news from the north, Riders of Rohan?" And at work he sometimes tells people, "Gondor will see it done." As far as I'm concerned, this is very ordinary behavior. My mom has even read the books AND seen the movies, but... she thinks I'm a little too... exuberant sometimes.
DeleteWhere did you find Cowboy, and where can I find me one? LOL That's impressive. Most of the guys in my neck of the woods (i.e., church) have lifted trucks, and that's about it.
DeleteFound him in a small midwestern college, in German class :-) He's actually co-responsible for getting me into LOTR!
DeleteBRB, going to sign up for German class...
Delete[also, the fact that he buys you cardboard Thor cutouts speaks volumes about y'all's relationship. er, well, that's my humble observation. :-)]
Yup, I'm blessed! He cooks, he cleans now and then, he plays with our kids, he gives backrubs, and he's altogether awesome. Buys me giant cardboard superheroes, understands that when I say I love an actor or character, I'm not lusting after them or wishing he was them, just that they speak to me and interest me -- great guy.
DeleteSometimes my friends will complain about their husbands and I'll be like, "Um, my biggest thing I don't like about my hubby is that he doesn't wash the counters after every meal." Which bugs me, but not that much.
Loved reading your answers! I'm a little late to the party, but plan on working on my post tonight! Thanks for hosting this lovely blog party :)
ReplyDeleteYou're only late to the party if the party is over, and the party is NOT over, so you're all good!
Delete"But I already have my whole day planned out! Come back in five minutes when I've made new plans that can include your adventure."
ReplyDeleteHahahahahah! That made me laugh so much. Sooooo true.:-D
My family has always spoken (and shouted) movie lines in every day conversation, so running down the driveway and shouting you're going on an adventure like that would be perfectly normal. I just wish I'd been there to seen you do that! :-D
Yeah, that really is me.
DeleteMy family includes movie lines in conversation a lot too, so I'm not sure if she didn't recognize it as a quote (probably) or if she was just aghast that I took off down the driveway, hee.
Faramir, Aragorn, and Eomer are might three favorites as well! (in that order) I also dressed up as Faramir for a LOTR party one of my friends had. My sister dressed up as Rosie Cotton:) Here are our costumes.
ReplyDeletehttp://daughterofhisgrace.blogspot.com/2013/11/my-instagrammed-life-november.html
The picture is picture #27 from the top and picture #8 from the bottom. I would suggest going up from the bottom;) You’ll know it when you see it:)
That's so cool that you dressed up for a LOTR party! I'm so doing that some day.
Delete(Sadly, I couldn't see your costumes cuz that blog is invitation-only -- but thanks for sharing anyway!)
I'm sorry, I forgot that others couldn't see it. Maybe I'll post it on my blog sometimes. If I do I will let you know:)
DeleteSounds good! :-)
DeleteI couldn't really join in when this party happened as I hadn't read any Tolkien yet. But I am currently listening to AND reading The Hobbit and really enjoying it! So maybe next year I can join in. It was fun to read your answers anyway! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of boggling at the idea that you haven't read any Tolkien yet! You're so well-read, and so I just kind of felt like you would have. I'm so glad you're enjoying The Hobbit! What audio version do you have?
DeleteAnd yay! I'm glad you'll get to join in the fun next year :-D Here's a crazy, random happenstance: you are the second person today to talk about wanting to participate next year. So cool!