My fifth annual Tolkien Blog Party is in full swing over on my book blog, The Edge of the Precipice! I've got games, giveaways, and more -- be sure to check it out if you're a Tolkien fan. There's also a tag with ten questions to answer, and as usual, I'm going to answer them over here :-)
1. How long have you been a Tolkien fan?
Since the first time I saw The Fellowship of the Ring in the theater in 2001. Sixteen years!
2. Has your love of Middle-earth affected your life?
Indeed, it has. It's brought me quite a few friends, both in the blogging world and in real life. Well, I guess I haven't met anyone in real life just because of Tolkien, but a shared love of his works has definitely deepened several friendships.
I think it's affected me as a writer too, because I have a deeper appreciation for mythic stories thanks to Tolkien. I like to use the "hero's quest" form in my own stories a lot of times, and I wouldn't have wanted to learn about that if I hadn't read things about how Tolkien used it himself.
3. If you had to take the One Ring to Mordor, which character would you choose for your sole companion?
Glorfindel! He's extremely awesome, even if he does have a tiny role in LOTR. He was such a great person, he actually got sent back to earth after dying during The Silmarillion. In LOTR, he rode openly against the Nazgul and successfully fought off several of them. I definitely want Glorfindel on my quest. (But he doesn't go along in the books cuz yeah, that would make it too easy.)
He's not really in the movies, though supposedly he shows up at the end of Return of the King:
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I'm not exactly a fan of the "smug Ken doll" look, to be honest. If I were casting him in a movie, I'd probably cast Chris Hemsworth. Yeah, yeah, I'd probably want to cast Chris Hemsworth in just about any movie, but he wears long hair well and can do "warrior dude" brilliantly, so I stand by my casting choice.
4. Which is scarier, Shelob or the Balrog?
Shelob. I hate, loathe, and despise spiders.
5. Which two towers do you think Tolkien was referring to in the title The Two Towers? (i.e. Orthanc, Barad-dûr, Cirith Ungol, Minas Morgul, or Minas Tirith)
I think Tolkien meant Barad-dûr and Minas Tirith, the dark tower and white city opposing each other. But I think Peter Jackson meant Orthanc and Barad-dûr.
6. Whose wardrobe would you like to have?
Bard the Bowman's. I especially love his animal-skin coat. I actually found a replica on Etsy once, but it cost many hundreds of dollars, so yeah, didn't get that. But I would wear anything of his! His practical coat, his makeshift fingerless gloves, his plain homespun tunic and trousers, his sturdy boots... and also the fancier blue coat and chain mail he gets later on. These are comfortable clothes I could live in, which is what I want from clothes.
7. What do you think an Ent Draught would taste like?
Like a clear vegetable broth, a sort of celery-plus-onions-plus-mushrooms flavor.
8. Where in Middle-earth would you like to live?
Either the Shire or Rohan. I do like comfort and books and good food, but I also like horses and wide-open spaces, so I'd like to live in either place. (But for vacations, I want to go to Rivendell.)
9. Do you have any Tolkien-related opinions that surprise other people?
Well, I like the movies of The Hobbit better than the book, which I know is pretty shocking to some people. The awful truth is, I don't actually like the book all that well, for a variety of reasons. But I really love the movies, especially The Battle of the Five Armies (2014).
Also, Boromir is my favorite LOTR character, which kind of confuses some people.
10. List up to ten of your favorite lines/quotations from the books or movies.
"Books ought to have good endings." -- Bilbo
"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
"Look out for me, especially at unlikely times!" -- Gandalf
"The time of my thought is my own to spend." -- Dain
"May your beer be laid under an enchantment of surpassing excellence for seven years!" --Gandalf
"In the morning counsels are best, and night changes many thoughts." -- Theoden
"Need brooks no delay, yet late is better than never." -- Eomer
"Short cuts make delays, but inns make longer ones." -- Frodo
There! Now I've finished this and can go read all the tag posts people have been sharing at the party. Yay!
EEP! All the Tolkien things!
ReplyDeleteBoromir is my favorite, too....
Jenelle, yes! ALL the Tolkien things.
DeleteHooray for another Boromir fan! <3
Number 9 is certainly surprising! While the Hobbit is one of my least favorite Tolkien books (which is like saying mashed potatoes are one of my least favorite favorite foods, meaning I only eat them once a week instead of practically daily, like chocolate), I REALLY didn't like the movies. *Shrugs* To each her own, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteI actually like Boromir a lot as well. I think he's an interesting character.
Thanks for sharing your answers!
RM Lutz, I like The Hobbit better than I like potatoes. But that's because... I really hate potatoes. I only eat them to be a good example to my children, and as soon as they're grown, I'm not going to eat potatoes any more.
DeleteBut I know a lot of people who don't like the Hobbit movies. And a lot who do. They're much more divisive than the LOTR movies.
Yay for another Boromir fan! Sometimes I feel like nobody likes him at all, but I'm discovering that's not so. Happy day!
I loved reading this!
ReplyDeleteBard's wardrobe -- an interesting and unexpected choice, but I like that. You do really seem to love Bard a lot;) (With good reason, of course. Just an observation.)
I have not gotten through the whole book of The Hobbit, but I do prefer the movies compared to what I have read.
Yes! I so think Boromir deserves more fans. He is a very misunderstood character.
Fantastic quote choices, too, btw.
Thanks, Elanor! I do love Bard a lot, mostly because I identify with him very, very strongly. So it makes sense that I'd like his clothes, I guess, as I feel we have a lot of similarities in other ways too.
DeleteI think I read The Hobbit too late. Most of the people I know who love it read it first when they were 10 or under. I was 15. So the sort of condescending tone it gets sometimes really bugged me then, and now I'm bothered by the lack of coherent plot and other things.
We gave our son a copy when he turned 8, and it's one of his absolute favorite books. I do think age makes a big difference.
Hooray for another person who doesn't dislike Boromir!!!
I knew you would put Bard the Bowman in there somewhere!!
ReplyDeleteMy first experiance with The Hobbit was the last movie, and it terrified my little sister, and I hate it when romance is thrown in for no reason so it's not my favorite.
I think I like Boromir better in the book, than the movie. I would have picked a different actor.
"Courage is found in unlikely places." -- Gildor, I, too, really like that!!
Thank you for hosting this!!
MC, of course I would put Bard here somewhere. I mean, what's the point of hosting a party and creating a tag for it if I can't engineer the questions so I can talk about characters I love?
DeleteYeah, TBOTFA could be pretty scary. Won't be showing it to my kids any time soon. I don't think the romance is there for "no reason," though. It's saying some pretty cool things about peer pressure, individual choices, and loyalty -- which are things the story as a whole dwells on. But if you just start with TBOTFA and haven't watched AUJ and DOS first, you won't get the whole picture, so I can see how it would feel "thrown in." (I mean, besides the fact that Tauriel is non-canon and so on.)
I'm going to ignore your thoughts on casting Boromir so we can still be friends ;-)
Thanks for joining in!
Haha, wow, your answers are purely marvellous! (I always feel so unoriginal, after reading everybody else's. :P) But I guess you DID think them up.
ReplyDeleteChrist Hemsworth as Glorfindel... He definitely looks better than that dork in the photograph, and he rocks the warrior pose, but I feel like he doesn't look very 'elf-y'. :P
Oh, that's a good point - about Minis Tirith opposing Bara-dur. I hadn't thought of that. That would make more sense.
Bard DOES have some pretty cool costumes. ;D
Those quotes are fantastic!
Gabby, that's precisely why I try to post mine before I read everyone else's! Then I can't sit around bemoaning my own answers. They are posted and I won't change them.
DeleteWhen Chris is all brawny for Thor, he doesn't quite have an elf vibe, it's true. But when he's all trimmed down, like for In the Heart of the Sea, he gets all sleek. I think he would do very nicely. But, then, I *am* a fan ;-)
Chris Hemsworth is definitely someone who can pull off the long haired warrior kind of character. xD
ReplyDeleteI still remember some of your defense posts on Boromir from a few years ago, when I was newer to the blogging world. I don't think I had even been introduced to LOTR yet. I'm not sure what I would have thought of Boromir otherwise, but I do know your posts on him definitely helped shaped my opinion. :) He's such a fantastic character.
Natalie, I think he's pretty good at it :-9
DeleteI didn't know that you weren't into LOTR already back then! Wow, I feel kind of tingly to know that my posts helped you see Boromir in a positive light! Thanks for telling me that -- it made my day!
Really? Aww I'm glad I told you, then!! :D
DeleteI love Lotr too!! And those quotes at the end... they really give you an insight into who the character is, right? Also, your blog is amazing! As a fellow book nerd myself I really appreciate the effort and dedication you put into writing all these entertaining and inspiring articles! :)
ReplyDeleteTheAuthorGirl, you're so right -- those lines really say a lot about the people who speak them. That's the best kind of dialog, don't you think?
DeleteThanks for your kind words! Do you follow my book blog, then? If so, stop by and comment sometimes! I do so enjoy discussing bookish things with people :-)