Brondt Kamffer's Blog, page 14

on faerie — part ii

*This is a continuation of an essay I posted last week. To read the first half of the discourse on fantasy and child-like wonder, click this link.*

Take for instance this legend told by the West Coast Native American Ohlone people of the Hummingbird restoring fire to the world:

A long, long time ago, the oceans rose higher and higher, flooding the land until nearly everything was covered by water. The Eagle, the Raven, the Hawk, and the Hummingbird watched the world drown from the safety of a...

On Faerie — Part 2

*This is a continuation of an essay I posted last week. To read the first half of the discourse on fantasy and child-like wonder, click this link.*

Take for instance this legend told by the West Coast Native American Ohlone people of the Hummingbird restoring fire to the world:

A long, long time ago, the oceans rose higher and higher, flooding the land until nearly everything was covered by water. The Eagle, the Raven, the Hawk, and the Hummingbird watched the world drown from the safety of a...

turin in brethil

The Children of Hurin lecture 7 of 8, looking at Turin's coming to Brethil, the curse laid upon Nienor, Turin's sister, by Glaurung the dragon, and her coming to Brethil to be reunited with her brother, setting up the final tragedy of the novel.

Text:

Chapter 13, "The Coming of Turin to Brethil"

Chapter 14, "The Journey of Morwen and Nienor to Nargothrond"

Chapter 15, "Nienor in Brethil"

Direct Download – 50:16 – 46.3mb mp3

Text: The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien

*To my knowledge, there is ...

Turin in Brethil

The Children of Hurin lecture 7 of 8, looking at Turin's coming to Brethil, the curse laid upon Nienor, Turin's sister, by Glaurung the dragon, and her coming to Brethil to be reunited with her brother, setting up the final tragedy of the novel.

Text:

Chapter 13, "The Coming of Turin to Brethil"

Chapter 14, "The Journey of Morwen and Nienor to Nargothrond"

Chapter 15, "Nienor in Brethil"

Direct Download – 50:16 – 46.3mb mp3

Text: The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien

*To my knowledge, there is ...

on faerie — part i

*I am presenting in two parts over the next two weeks an essay I once composed on the topic of childhood fancy, beginning with the magical realm of faerie.*

The last time I saw an elf dancing under the moonlight in the cool of a spring evening must have been almost twenty years ago now, and for a man in his late-twenties that is an very long time. There was an age, of course, when the fair folk were as common as butterflies in summer or golden leaves in fall, even if they have always been...

On Faerie — Part 1

*I am presenting in two parts over the next two weeks an essay I once composed on the topic of childhood fancy, beginning with the magical realm of faerie.*

The last time I saw an elf dancing under the moonlight in the cool of a spring evening must have been almost twenty years ago now, and for a man in his late-twenties that is an very long time. There was an age, of course, when the fair folk were as common as butterflies in summer or golden leaves in fall, even if they have always been...

the future is … the next four months

This is a bit of an eclectic post in which I will cover a whole lot of news related to this website: the podcast, reviews, writing, and vacation-recovery. Today is the final weekday of my summer vacation, the Fall semester of the new academic year beginning at my university on Monday. As such, this week has been taken up by department meetings, syllabus construction, learning a whole new online course management system, and other things that take up time when preparing for the new semester...

The Future is … the Next Four Months

This is a bit of an eclectic post in which I will cover a whole lot of news related to this website: the podcast, reviews, writing, and vacation-recovery. Today is the final weekday of my summer vacation, the Fall semester of the new academic year beginning at my university on Monday. As such, this week has been taken up by department meetings, syllabus construction, learning a whole new online course management system, and other things that take up time when preparing for the new semester...

Best Summer Reads of 2011

I have just finished reading Patrick Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind, and while I absolutely loved the book (it's so good I think it almost warrants 6 stars out of 5), I hardly think it needs another glowing review printed on what is, admittedly, a pretty obscure review site. So, with the new university semester looming, which is likely to cut significantly into my reading and reviewing time for the next few months, I thought I would do a short round up of my favourite reads of this summer...

Turin in Nargothrond

The Children of Hurin lecture 6 of 8, looking at Turin's coming to Nargothrond, his rise in the favor of the king, the fall of the city to the wyrm Glaurung, and Turin's ill-fated return to his home in Dor-lomin at the prompting of the dragon.

Text:

Chapter 10, "Turin in Nargothrond"

Chapter 11, "The Fall of Nargothrond"

Chapter 12, "The Return of Turin to Dor-lomin"

Direct Download – 53:54 – 49.6mb mp3

Text: The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien

*To my knowledge, there is no difference in...