Lord of the Rings

Im feeling free to disregard irl geography anyways numenoreans are the irish this is canon

big if true (and mostly looking bad for the irish) (deems is aragorn, he's fine)

wasn't tolk imagining arda as our own earth in its infancy? (an early title for the silmarillion was LOL FVCK GONDWANALAND)

Faramir tbh and youd need to know my older brother to see it

<3

A typo on the map site had me confused, where the mountains to the north of Mirkwood were written Ered Mithrim rather than Mithrin, so I briefly thought they were the same as the Mithrim in old Beleriand. But no, it's like I remember, the mountains to the east of everything in the Silmarillion are the mountains to the west of everything in The Hobbit / LOTR, like tearing off a fresh sheet of baking paper.

The working-class self-interest of the Orcs, chattering about rumours of what the powers are doing, resenting the Nazgul for being “His favourites these days”, yearning to be free of the yoke & just find a nice spot where there’s plenty of loot nearby.

^ I’m guessing you’ve read The Last Ringbearer?

Never heard of it til now, thanks!

I’ve often wondered what “the other side of the story” is in LOTR (in life, the bad guys don’t see themselves as bad guys), but my imagination is limited & I need stories fed to me before I can see the possibilities.

But I like how Tolkien feeds us enough of a glimpse into the inner life of Orcs, despite being clearly unsympathetic to them, to get a little wedge in.

Orcs are brought into this world as cockney poor and leave it killed by pure blood royalists

tbf, plenty of orcs are killed by orc on orc violence

This is all very well timed for our orc episode on the podcast, due to drop on Monday.

Was there talk about Bored of The Rings? Crtl F = 0. I read it as a teenager lol. No idea if it stands up to more, ahem, mature tastes.

It didn’t even stand up to immature tastes, but ....

Tom Bombadil chanting “Clean! Clean! Clean for Gene!” Always stuck in my head

Didn't they call Bilbo Dildo? Ivy League minds at work.

Dildo Bugger and his nephew Frito.

Nothing but the lowest of brows!

With Legolam, Gimlet, and Spam Gamgee. The names at least were funny.

Anyway, you wanted it (maybe), you got it. Orcs orcs orcs.

https://www.megaphonic.fm/bythebywater/23

Excellent episode.

No word on whether this book contains recipes for Lembas or stewed coney https://www.amazon.ca/Recipes-World-Tolkien-Inspired-Legends/dp/1645174425

Gandalf making Frodo & Sam get back into their reeking travel clothes & orc-garb after being rescued by the eagles. Come on, man!

Excellent episode.

Thanks! We were very pleased to see this as well in response:

The latest episode of @BytheBywater, "Hella Problematic In So Many Ways", was exactly what I'd hoped (orcs, racism, sexism, Tolkien's idiosyncratic theology, et c.). Lotta deep cuts in there

— Chris Palmer (@fugueish) February 9, 2021

Anyway on a lighter note

when you’re reading the LotR books and in comes Tom Bombadil pic.twitter.com/hf5SGsQBpe

— Tsar Bombadil (@ElSangito) February 7, 2021

omg dead

re: lembas recipe.

here's mine from when i first read LOTR when i was 9; based on empirical evidence. adjust to taste

https://images.ctfassets.net/qifm0zg3y057/Aq2BJbRN4mG1Fdiw4T1Hh/b6d0e60e86f3006066ef3997c9a75fcb/1440-x-960---Crispbread---Cruskits_0000_Crispbread---Cruskits---Original.png
https://s3.pricemestatic.com/Large/Images/RetailerProductImages/StRetailer2363/rp_24788943_0071992190_l.png
https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/30/2020/08/sugar-substitutes-honey-700-350-4211d21.jpg
https://www.naturalnavigator.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/how-to-use-tree-leaves-to-navigate.jpg

I LOVE IT

lol

i havent had cruskits since i was a kid! klassik

Holy shit, are the chapters between the destruction of the ring & the scouring of the shire ever a goddamn snoozefest.

the lembas would need something slightly herby/fragrant though, maybe Greek oregano, or mastic or cinnamon or something.

I just assumed it was Naan that satiated you for like three days

i pictured a cross btw a plain scone & shortbread, never got a sense that it was herbed or fragrant tho? just deeply nourishing

i actually think did add cinnamon for an Exotic Twist

I just assumed it was Naan that satiated you for like three days

same.

they are cocaine beignets, this is canon

https://www.thetradingpost.fr/Files/126939/Img/09/SCAMPIFR.jpg

well, exactly

Andy Capp's Hot Lembas Bread

I can’t remember if you dealt with this in your Bombadil episode, Ned, but what does everyone make of the hint that he might be an equivalent of a wizard from a previous Age, in retirement? (ref: the end of the chapter “Homeward Bound.”)

Hm, I don’t think we think of him in those terms.

I had never thought of it before, but the passage is kinda suggestive, don’t you think?

I dont think wizard tho. Hes referred to as something quite different iirc

Almost elemental- outside the lots and schemes of the other peoples of ME

Is there much to Tolkein's comment that (paraphrasing) 'every story has a red herring; Tom Bombadil is this story's red herring'?

Hes a very minor part to be a red herring

Sauron otoh....

Sauron basically shat himself in his bunker as soon as things looked bad

on my read-through last year with my kids i came away feeling that bombadil was something like the god, or a god, of middle-earth

Ive not read anything other than whats hinted in the books (ie nothing beyond the silmarillion), and from that i think its an open possibility but not quite suggested by the language gandalf is using

Hes something other

He’s overrated, I’ll tell you that for free.

Shocking Bombadilism

He's in the wrong book is what he is