I read The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings in middle school / high school. But that was back when Peter Jackson was making his films. My comprehension of Middle Earth and its Ages never really extended past the One Ring. I didn't understand or care about the Mythos that Tolkien created. But in the last few months I discovered it.. Eru Ilúvatar, Eä and the Ainur, the Valar and Maiar... Arda and its peoples...
I always had respect for J.R.R. and knew that his tales were the birth of the entire modern fantasy genre, but I never truly understood just how deep the lore was. And the more I've come to understand, the sadder I am that he passed before fully fleshing his imagination. Thank God for his son, who has given us a glimpse into what was, and could have been.
That being said, I find the First Age far more fascinating and resounding than the Third Age. Elves battling Angels and Dargons, Trees of Light that existed before the Sun or Moon, Metaphysical beings that sang creation into existence...
Let's have a Silmarillion thread, ( or a Middle Earth Mythos thread at the least ).
> Thank God for his son, who has given us a glimpse into what was, and could have been.
Yeah, only too bad he allowed the making of Jackson's films. They had some cool parts yes, and Howard Shore's score is incredible, but overall they turned it into a shitty fantasy action movie, thinking that if they put some dialogs in Sindarin, it's loyal to books. Not even starting on The Hobbit.
But anyway, Tolkien's world is so vast and magical and dear to me to whine about the films. I'm waiting for a time in my life when I'll feel less cynical and frustrated, and enough peaceful to reread his books without ruining the unbreakable wonderful image they have in my mind.
>>7534540
why is this so awesome?
>>7534645
You gotta' let go of some of that hate, brother. The Hobbit movies were shit, this is undeniable. And Jackson's LoTR might of had it's flaws, but fuck me if he didn't try his best to be as loyal and faithful to the cannon with big Hollywood breathing down his neck. I don't think anyone could ever truly translate Tolkien's work, unmolested, into film, but Peter loved the mythos and did the best he could.
Anyway, let's talk about the Silmarillion and literature instead of movies.
>>7534681
The LOTR movies were awful horseshit
Anyone who thinks they were faithful is a faggot who thinks Tolkien wrote fantasy schlock and can't access any of its inner beauty
>>7534687
You sound like a hysterical asshole and a hate mongering faggot. I just wanted to talk about the Silmarillion. Please fuck off. I'd rather this thread 404 than it be filled with posts by some cynical douchebag.
If you want to talk about Tolkien's mythos then cool, but it seems like you just want to be an asshole.
Please grow up.
bought this a while back, but theres just so many goddamn names. didn't think the lore would be this fucking deep. that being said im gonna give it another go soon
>>7534751
At least read the tale of Berien and Luthien. It can be a little name-droping at times, but even if your new to the lore it's an incredible story.
>>7534732
Sorry I'm not a pleb like you. Go watch some more schlocky action-packed movie adaptations of the lifelong oeuvres of visionary scholars. Nothing like five hours of battle sequences and lifeless backdrops to capture an artist's spirit from the thousands of page he bled it out on.
>>7534652
I wish I knew...
>>7534773
>When the Ainur sang the Great Music before Eru, Melkor wove some of these alien thoughts into his music, and straightaway Discord arose around him. Some of those nearby attuned their music to his, until two musical themes were warring before the Throne. To correct the Discord, Eru introduced a Second, and then a Third Theme into the music.
This is my third attempt at redirecting the purpose of this thread. It was meant to be a discussion of The Silmarillion...
I don't think Tolkien would of liked you.
>>7534809
He must not like his son either
"Tolkien has become a monster, devoured by his own popularity and absorbed into the absurdity of our time," Christopher Tolkien observes sadly. "The chasm between the beauty and seriousness of the work, and what it has become, has overwhelmed me. The commercialization has reduced the aesthetic and philosophical impact of the creation to nothing. There is only one solution for me: to turn my head away."
"They eviscerated the book by making it an action movie for young people aged 15 to 25," Christopher says regretfully. "And it seems that The Hobbit will be the same kind of film."
>>7534825
Cool... I just wanted to talk about the Silmarillion. But thanks for ruining that.
Job well done you fucking asshole.
>>7534841
I support you and love the Silmarillion.. but please for the love of God learn the difference between "of" and "have", this is a literature board.
There is something very calming about imagining the lands of Middle Earth. I guess it's the idea that humans really haven't altered it and that large amounts of it aren't explored or accessible via Google Earth.
>>7534896
Great contribution.
>>7534915
Are you a chick or something? Seriously
>>7534925
You're a faggot.
>>7534652
nice meme
>>7534908
I get the same feeling as you. It's funny, I don't remember Tolkien being gratuitous with his landscape descriptions, yet it's so easy to get lost in Middle Earth. I might reread LOTR soon.
>>7534645
You don't know the history of the film rights at all.
J. R. R. Tolkien sold them for a reasonably large sum (at the time) in the 1960s, and some of them were resold to a guy named Saul Zaentz.
Every movie, game, action figure and bobblehead that has been published since then have been the consequence of those original deals. Bakshi's movie in 1978, the Rankin-Bass Hobbit and LOTR movies, the Jackson LOTR and Hobbit, and everything else. Zaentz made tons of money doing it.
Christopher Tolkien (I assume the son you are talking about) had very little to do with it, though I assume that JRRT talked with him about it.
>>7535172
It's interesting, though, to speculate about whether film rights to The Silmarillion will ever be sold.
On the one hand, Christopher Tolkien didn't like the LOTR and Hobbit movies, so he would probably not want them sold.
On the other hand, Christopher Tolkien is over 90 years old now and soon the decision will be more in the hands of the Tolkien Estate as a whole.
On the other hand, I assume that the Tolkien Estate more or less agrees with Christopher on this.
On the other hand, the copyright will run out eventually and the Tolkien Estate might eventually decide that they want to make some money off the property before it does.
On the other hand, JRRT died in 1973 and so that + 75 years is 2048, which still leaves them a lot of time.
On the other hand, if you argue (as is possible) that Christopher himself wrote (and didn't just edit) parts of The SIlmarillion, then the out of copyright date is sometime after 2090.
I love that book cover. Great wallpaper material.
>>7535186
Man modern copyright is fucked up
Nice to see a Tolkien thread, as I've just begun to work my way through his works. Rereading the Hobbit now and about to read the trilogy for the first time. Very excited. Will attempt Hurin and the Silmarillion too.
I loved the movies as a kid, and still enjoy them. And +1 for thesoundtrack; Concerning Hobbits has brought me to tears more than once.
I wonder if I'll be able to create new imagery as I read the books, having seen the movies so many times.
>>7535270
Well for one Legolas isnt blonde, and Aragorn has grey streaks all through his hair, also the hobbits are brown-skinned, or at least Sam is.
>>7535270
Just view a bunch of Nasmith's art and you'll be able to form a new image of Middle Earth in your mind's eye.
>>7535301
>Aragorn has grey streaks all through his hair
Well, to be fair, he was 80+ years old during the LoTR trilogy.
How did you guys cope with all the names? I tried the Silmarillion once and kinda lost interest after 60%
>>7535309
http://www.tednasmith.com/site-map/j-r-r-tolkien/
I prefered the movies, you get lost in tolkiens world because he spends an hour describing every tree inside of every forest.
With that said seeing old authors die before they're finished is always sad.
The books are great and so are the movies. Get over it. Nothing prevents you from appreciating both.
>>7535360
>With that said seeing old authors die before they're finished is always sad
It is. I wish I could read more about the fall of Gondolin, Ancalagon, the War of Wrath,
Numenors destruction, the war between the Elves and Sauron in the Second Age and so on.
>>7535541
>The books are great and so are the movies.
how to spot a redditor
seriously who let these retards on /lit/
bump for actual Silmarillion talk
Saw this thread, and thought I would pop in and tell everyone who loves Tolkien to go and read The Road to Middle Earth by Tom Shippey. Completely opened up my understanding of his work
>>7534825
>The commercialization has reduced the aesthetic and philosophical impact of the creation to nothing.
>>7535172
>Saul Zaentz.
>>7534908
I agree. I tend to escape to this world fairly often when the real world is pushing me into a corner.
I just feel like there gotta be a way to somehow make this world come true in terms of experiencing the real world. Not with monsters and such, but shouldn't this world be fantastic too? Traveling is probably the best option.
>>7535301
JRRT never states Legolas's hair color. He does state that his father Thranduil is blond, though.
>>7537483
Haven't read that one, but I have read JRRT: Author of the Century by the same author. Excellent.
>>7535255
Thank Disney.
My uncle works as a custodian there so I've met people who are so into the whole fantasy and I'm like, do you knwo the kind of fucking laws this thing has a part in passing?
Not to their face of course, that'd be quite gauche.
