David C. Downing's Blog, page 10

It all started a lifetime ago when an Oxford don jotted a sentence on the blank...

It all started a lifetime ago when an Oxford don jotted a sentence on the blank page of a student's exam book: "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit." And that eventually led to . . .



The Hobbit Official Trailer #1 - Lord of the Rings Movie (2012) HD
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The Hobbit Official Trailer #1 - Lord of the Rings Movie (2012) HD SUBSCRIBE to TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/vHt4np Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit, journeys to the Lonel...

Here's J. R. R. Tolkien reciting/singing "The Troll Song." You can hear his chil...

Here's J. R. R. Tolkien reciting/singing "The Troll Song." You can hear his child-like delight in the sounds and rhythms of words. (Thank you again to the ever-resourceful Jonathan Fruoco.)


J.R.R. Tolkien - The Troll Song
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Tolkien sings the troll song https://www.facebook.com/groups/29802749079/

The Muppets are going to Narnia? Is this for real or an April Fools joke?

The Muppets are going to Narnia? Is this for real or an April Fools joke?


The Muppets in Narnia Special is Coming! | Narnia Fans
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Fans of Narnia won't have to wait to long for another Narnia related flick, but this time, CS Lewis' beloved fantasy world is going to be visited by Jim

Anybody recall this BBC adaptation of THE SILVER CHAIR from 1990? That's Jill, P...

Anybody recall this BBC adaptation of THE SILVER CHAIR from 1990? That's Jill, Puddleglum, and Eustace. The acting was surprisingly good, but the special effects weren't too special. When the Green Lady turned into a serpent, for example, she looked more like a garden hose with a gland problem. . .

LOOKING FOR THE KING author David C. Downing spoke last week to an InterVarsity...

LOOKING FOR THE KING author David C. Downing spoke last week to an InterVarsity group on "Tolkien & the Inklings." Downing argued that Tolkien wrote "The Hobbit" thinking mainly of children as his audience. He wrote the Silmarillion materials largely as a private hobby. But in reading aloud to a specific adult group, his fellow Inklings, his clearer sense of audience allowed him to focus all his creative powers into one epic project, The Lord of the Rings.

A rare recording of J. R. R. Tolkien reading "The Eagle's Song" from The Return...

A rare recording of J. R. R. Tolkien reading "The Eagle's Song" from The Return of the King. Sounds vaguely biblical, does it not? Thanks to Jonathan Fruoco for posting this item on the "Christopher Tolkien" Facebook page.


The Eagle's Song - J.R.R. Tolkien
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J.R.R. Tolkien reads The Eagle's Song from The Return of the King https://www.facebook.com/groups/29802749079/

INKLINGS Q & A: What is unusual about the names of all the centaurs in Narnia?...

INKLINGS Q & A: What is unusual about the names of all the centaurs in Narnia?

A: Glenstorm, Cloudbirth, Roonwit. These compound creatures-- half-man, half-horse--all have compound names, imitating Anglo-Saxon kennings, poetic compounds such as "whale-road" as a name for the sea. "Roonwit" itself is Anglo-Saxon, meaning one wise enough to solve riddles.

According to THE TOLKIEN COMPANION AND GUIDE (2006), Tolkien was an avid fan of...

According to THE TOLKIEN COMPANION AND GUIDE (2006), Tolkien was an avid fan of Groucho Marx! Surely some ingenious pundit can write an erudite essay on "Marxist" influences in THE LORD OF THE RINGS?

Back in the late 1930s, a German publisher wanted to publish a translation of TH...

Back in the late 1930s, a German publisher wanted to publish a translation of THE HOBBIT. But first they inquired of Tolkien if he was of "Arisch" (ie German not Jewish) descent. Here is Tolkien's indignant but ingenious reply.


Letters of Note: I have no ancestors of that gifted people
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Fascinating letters. Interesting correspondence.

INKLINGS Q & A: The Inklings liked to meet on Tuesday mornings at "The Eagle and...

INKLINGS Q & A: The Inklings liked to meet on Tuesday mornings at "The Eagle and Child" pub, which they called the "Bird and Baby." What is the significance of the pub sign?

A: The sign depicts the myth of Ganymede, a beautiful boy carried off to Olympus by one of Jove's eagles to serve as cupbearer to the gods.