Author: simon

Arda Measured with Jackson Mitchell-Bolton

• The Geocosmology of the Tolkien Legendarium
• General – Cosmology of Arda
• Overview
• 1st and Much of 2nd age
  • Flat and Enclosed
  • Late 2nd Age
  • Changes to being a sphere
  • Valanor separated from the rest of the world
  • What the earth is now
• What did Tolkien show us about the World?
• 5 maps in Ambarkanta
• Map 5 – Need to find out the scale
  • Start with main Lord of Rings map which has scale
  • Astronomy has a distance ladder
• The First Map of the Lord of the rings
  • Extends much further especially to the North
  • Has some differences with Final Map though
  • Fitted with Published map over the First Map
  • Created Smallest, Largest and Best matches
  • 3 possible lengths of 300 miles. Length of “red line” is 400 +-7 miles.
• The 2nd Silmirilion Map
  • Looking at features around the Blue Mountains
  • Able to get a size of Balariand
• But the Gulf shows up on map 5 so can go direct
  • So Using map 5 the equator is 13, 15 or 17 times the reference distance.
  • Girdle of arda is 13.3 +2.5/-2.2 times the reference length
  • Length of Girdle is 6120 -+1000 miles
  • about 0.77x the size of the earth ( +0.14/-0.11 )
• Compare to the Atlas of middle Earth.
  • 6400 falls in his estimates
• Ambarkana Diagram III – The worth made round
  • The straight path is a little bit wobbly
  • But actual distance is only about 1% different
  • Estimated size of Ardar is about half of present day earth
• This would imply greater there have been significant changes to the world some time between the books and the present day

Oaths and Promises: A Path Through Darkness and Uncertainty with Stephen Vrettos

• Oaths are used to obtain certainty
• The Oath of Feanor
  • He cannot offer them safety in middle earth
  • Rallys the greater path to follow him
• The Oath of Eorl, The Oath of Ciriom
  • Came to rescue of Gondor
  • Swore friendship with each other
  • Came to each other’s aid over the years
• Smeagol’s promise
  • Serve the Master of the Precious
• Why are Oaths so effective?
  • Certainty on how people will act
  • Certainty how other kingdoms will act
• Oaths have the ability to propel their own fulfillment
  • Language in the Silmirilion – “The Oath drives them”
• Iluvatar will enforce the Oaths are fulfilled
  • None can see how to get out of Oath of Feanor
  • Isildur’s Curse. How did a mortal man have the ability to bind the Oathbreakers beyond their deaths?
  • Seems unlikely he could do this himself even if he had magic. Even Valar could not make men immortal
  • Power of curse probably came from Iluvatar
  • Smeagol’s Oath – Frodo has no power, enforcement must have come from Iluvatar
  • Lots of discussion on this, hard to summarise

Keynote Address with Corey Olsen

• What is Estel?
• Two words in Sindarin for Hope. Estel and Amdir
• Amdir
  • Believe things are going to work out
  • Can have significant grounding and fact, analysis and reason
  • Take Glorfindel rather than Pippin in fellowship
• Estel
  • Elrond talking this up during council
  • Trust this is the right thing to do
  • “faith” is sometimes used but Corey is going to avoid using it. Has too many associations and different meanings.
  • “trust” might be a better word
• Estel = Trust
  • Stubbon Hope – Sam’s song in the tower. “In western lands..”
  • “I will not say the day is done, or bid the stars farewell”
  • The “Stars Forever Dwell” .. “Sam saw a while star twinkle for a while”
  • It doesn’t matter if we both dies, the shadow can’t reach the high beauty so the shadow will eventually lose
  • Trust in the Really big picture
  • Concerning Heroes – On the stair – “But so our path is laid”
  • Sam previously believed Heroes in stories were the kind of people who went out looking for them. Now understands they found themselves on a path that was chosen for them.
  • “But the people in it don’t know”
  • If they had turned back they would have been forgotten. Implies there were many others that had
  • The Unknown – on Stair after the above passage
  • Frodo opines that the people in a story don’t and shouldn’t know that what sort of the story he’s in.
  • It will change the story if the protagonist if the hero knew who it will turn out when they made choices.
  • Hope dies in Sam – Star of Mt Doom chapter – “But even as hope died in Sam”
  • Sam picks up he is in a sad story, from which he won’t come back
  • Doesn’t really fully accept that, thinks of the Shire and how he wants to see them. But his Amdir dies and he no longer hopes he will see them
  • But his Estel remains. He is walking the path because it is the path that has been laid for him.
  • Trust, what should be, shall be
  • Gandalf has a Suggestion – Shadow of the Past – Gandalf tells Frodo about the Ring
  • “There is only one way…”
  • How do you move the Ring from the Shire to Mordor?
  • “My only candidate for Ringbearer has failed to throw the ring into a fire” … “under the most optimal circumstances possible”
  • Gandalf knows that Frodo will fail – Amdir is low
  • Encouragement – Shadow of the past – There was more than one power at work
  • “Bilbo was meant to find the ring, and not by it’s maker”
  • Gandalf tests Frodo to see how affected he is by the Ring. Results not encouraging
  • Follows Estel
  • Bedrock – “Shall prove but mine instrument”
  • You can choose what you role is in the story
  • Questions
  • Q: Hope vs Despair
  • A: Despair is for those who see the future 100% . But you can lose all your Amdir but still keep you Estel . But Denethor lost both while Sam above kept Estel
  • Q: Is Gandalf’s selection of Mary & Pippin in Fellowship same as selecting Frodo to take ring?
  • A: Yes. The signs have provided two candidates. “That probably is the path”
  • Missed a couple of questions cause I was googling for a comic someone mentioned.
  • Q: Tolkien is the master of Mindfulness
  • Q: The whole book we has readers we have to have hope all the way through
  • A: Trudi gave up FoTR because Gandalf died and not much book left. Didn’t want to read “That kind of book”. She had a failure of Hope.
  • “Is this a kissing book?”

“She was not conquered”: Morwen and Motherhood in Middle-earth with Ilana Mushin

• Revisit 16-year old essay on Woemen in Tolkien
• Mother of Turin, wife of Hurin, Daughter of Baragund
• Sends Son Turin to Doriath but decides not to to accompany him
  • Long road, she is pregnant and safer with few in group
  • Hope Husband still alive
  • Would not take charity
• Mother in Anguish, fingers bleeding as Turin leaves ( “Sorrows of Turin”)
• Other scholars have noted that some of the problems of Turin are blamed on her
• Often scholars are negative towards her
• Tolkien and mothers
  • Tolkien lost mother early, often much read into this
  • Most left out of the story
  • Sometimes just genealogical
  • When acting as mothers sometimes they are sacrificing themselves
  • Later stories (and versions of stories) by Tolkien tend to have more women or expanded roles (eg Galadriel)
• Morwen
  • She is present in the 1920 version, so not a product of later writing
• Pride
  • More maternal desperation
  • Words and deeds rather than he imputed thoughts should be looked at.

To Enter the Perilous Realm or Not to Enter? That is the Question with Trudy Shannon

• Our Tolkien heroes are always given hard choices and usually choose them
• Aldarion and Erendis
• Tolkien most explicit about Faery in “Smith of Wooten Major”
• Aldarion
  • Think of Numenor has the land of humans and middle Earth as the Land of Faery
  • Aldarion goes to middle earth
  • After Aldarion returns he has grown in statue and his eyes look far away (similar to Smith). He cannot explain exactly what he saw (like Smith)
  • He keeps going back (Like Smith) and becomes a great fiend of the Faery King
  • Does not pass on his “passport” to faery directly
• Erendis
  • Invited to middle Earth by Aldarion
  • She rejects the invitation immediately
  • Not open to possibility of adventure. No way she can walk this road
  • Remember Tolkien always gives his characters choices
  • Says she loves the Woods of Numenor. But late grows to hate their sight
• Diamond
  • Given by Aldarion to Erendis
  • Taken as her Bethrothal gift
  • Not 100% obvious if it is magical
• Not a happy ending
  • Withdraws from Kings count, moves away from trees, Stops wearing diamond
  • Unrecognised by other people
  • May have tried to reconcile with Aldaron or perhaps voyage to Middle Earth
  • Neither has a Fairy Story ending
• Conclusion
  • Us here at Ozmoot may already be partially in Faery
• Q: How does the star on the brown connect to Aragorn?
• A: The Hobbits have a vision when they are with TomB, but it is a tradition that goes back to this story, but Tolkien is interested in how stories replay though the generations
• Q: How autobiographical? Separate interests between Tolkien and his wife
• A: More communication than seperate interests
• Q: Are there more parallels to Aragon the Star wearer?
• A: Perhaps some. Is it mainly a political sign.

Tolkien, Faith, and the Final Eucatastrophe with Elizabeth Lyon

• Tolkien’s Catholic faith is well known to most of us
• It is easy to look past through it’s familiarity
• What is evidence it made it’s way into his fiction?
  • Often appears in his letters
  • Appeared in “On Fairy Stories” re subcreation
  • “I am a Christian which can be deduced from my stories”
• In what way did his faith shape his fiction, especially LOTR
  • Where is the religious sensibility in the book?
  • The LOTR is infused with the same light that illuminates the man who wrote it
• What of March 25th?
• The date of the destruction of the Ring
  • The Catholic Annunciation. Date of the Conception of Christ
  • First day of the new age of middle earth
  • Annunciation day was the start of the New Year in most European countries in Medieval times. Celebrated as a new beginning
  • 25th March is sometimes also marked as the date of the crucifixion
• The aftermath – On Mount Doom
  • Like a passion – A merging a triumph and tragedy, sorrow and joy
  • But the tale goes on
• Resurrection
  • Still to come. Not until the end of each character’s journey
  • Renewal of the Shire
  • Hope for final healing for most of our characters, but offstage
• The Mirror of Galadriel
  • His work is a mirror to the real world and a person’s view of it
  • Especially the quotes where she says what it may or may not show
• Questions
  • Q: What did you think he didn’t duplicate the final battle?
  • A: Don’t really know. It was not complete when he died
  • Q: Do you like the generally positive and hopefully writing of Tolkien
  • A: I read widely but Tolkien helpped me at a difficult stage in my life. Reads other things though

Memories of Another Land with Peter Kenny

• Galadriel
• Three brothers who all perished in the first age. Touch by grief early
• Denies Feanor tresses of hair but gives them to Gimli
• Comes to Middle Earth
• Comes into contact with Mellian and Celeborn
• Video of the poem with various pictures added
• 2nd version online

The Future of Creative Writing: Lessons From Tolkien with Julian Barr

• Close reading of fiction engage the motor-cortex of the brain
• How are things for authors these days?
  • Writing can feel like taking a vow of poverty
  • Most authors make also zero money
• How does Tolkien’s literary career give lessons to today’s authors?
• Creative angle
  • Your voice matters. His own perspective of philology was unique
  • But he wrote to be read. To his friends and family
  • So many people want to write a book but worry their perspective is too strange. But reads crave a different voices
  • ChatGPT creates fairly bland and generic words
• Have good people around you
  • eg Inklings
  • Encouragement, educated feedback, Good reviews and recommendations to others
  • Writing is a lonely art. May be responsible for depression in authors.
  • The most productive authors lift each other up
  • rejection happens to everybody. Tolkien was rejected
• Cultivate relationships with your readers
  • Tolkien did more so than most authors
  • Requests for details about Gandalf and the Necromancer feed into the LOTR
  • Probably mostly enjoyed others who liked Arda
  • Use social media. Connect with others. Give and don’t take. Don’t just do marketing
• Build a portfolio with the eye to the commercial
  • Art need not exclude commerce
  • Tolkien created all sorts of works, no initial market for them
  • Tolkien knew that people liked Hobbits so he eventually did that
  • But danger of writing the same book or series and nothing else
  • Can you another name if other books are significantly different
• Advances aren’t everything
  • A third of Australian authors reported not getting any advances. That might not be as bad as it sounds
  • A failure to earn out an advance can be a big black mark
  • The LOTR had no advance and got 50% of the profits instead
• Patience and Persistence are a key
  • In 1937 Tolkien had the desire to write fiction full time
  • He didn’t achieve his desire until the last years of his life
  • He didn’t get serious money until the 1960s
  • Many budding authors disappointed with the life
  • The ones who make a living hold on through the dark times
• Questions
  • Q: How do you find your own inklings
  • A: Join a writers group. Ads with writing societies. Very hit and miss. Signum lso has groups around it’s creative-writing classes
  • Q: What is you writing process?
  • A: Write every day, just a little bit