The Foothills of the Misty Mountains
In early January 2023, I was feeling depressed about taking down the Christmas decorations, so I bought a LOTR themed diary and began planning my epic re-read of The Lord of the Rings.
I can't quite believe it's been a whole year - but here I am once again, poised and ready with my 2024 LOTR diary - somewhere in the Misty Mountains, five days away from Eregion, having set out from Rivendell on Christmas Day.
I didn't write a full blog post on Christmas Day (Been bizy - as the North Polar Bear would say!), but I did read a few pages of The Ring Goes south - appropriately in The Ring Goes South - the second volume of the six volume box set, which I was last reading from when the Ring set out back in September.
I thought I would take this opportunity - Tolkien's 132nd Birthday - to write a few words before toasting the professor this evening.
I'll almost certainly never embark upon a re-read like this again, although I enjoyed reading the hobbits' departure from The Shire throughout September as the year waned so much that I think I will probably make reading up to The Old Forest an annual September tradition in future!
As you can probably guess from the first sentence of this blog, I find January hard. When the decorations come down and and the darkness is no longer illuminated by fairy lights, I often think of Gandalf's line in the film "we must face the long dark of Moria." (The line is slightly different in the book!) Now I begin January literally heading into Moria. (Well, okay, maybe not literal Moria ... but literary Moria!)
Obviously there is a religious significance for Tolkien to have the fellowship set out on the 25th December, but it also really struck me as being about hope in the darkness. They are heading into the darkness of both winter and Moria with no guarantee of survival, and only the hope that the Ring can be destroyed / light will return. I talked briefly about this with Alan Sisto, who I was honoured enough to join on his wonderful podcast, Today's Tolkien Times, for his 'Fandom Friday' episode which will be released this Friday! https://tolkientimes.com/
It's wonderful to be sat here with my 2024 diary planning which chapters to read in the coming months (there is a lot of reading in March!) in anticipation of Spring and new life. (And the downfall of Sauron...)
Here's to Spring and new beginnings and, more importantly on this day, here's to the Professor!
https://www.tolkiensociety.org/events...
I can't quite believe it's been a whole year - but here I am once again, poised and ready with my 2024 LOTR diary - somewhere in the Misty Mountains, five days away from Eregion, having set out from Rivendell on Christmas Day.
I didn't write a full blog post on Christmas Day (Been bizy - as the North Polar Bear would say!), but I did read a few pages of The Ring Goes south - appropriately in The Ring Goes South - the second volume of the six volume box set, which I was last reading from when the Ring set out back in September.
I thought I would take this opportunity - Tolkien's 132nd Birthday - to write a few words before toasting the professor this evening.
I'll almost certainly never embark upon a re-read like this again, although I enjoyed reading the hobbits' departure from The Shire throughout September as the year waned so much that I think I will probably make reading up to The Old Forest an annual September tradition in future!
As you can probably guess from the first sentence of this blog, I find January hard. When the decorations come down and and the darkness is no longer illuminated by fairy lights, I often think of Gandalf's line in the film "we must face the long dark of Moria." (The line is slightly different in the book!) Now I begin January literally heading into Moria. (Well, okay, maybe not literal Moria ... but literary Moria!)
Obviously there is a religious significance for Tolkien to have the fellowship set out on the 25th December, but it also really struck me as being about hope in the darkness. They are heading into the darkness of both winter and Moria with no guarantee of survival, and only the hope that the Ring can be destroyed / light will return. I talked briefly about this with Alan Sisto, who I was honoured enough to join on his wonderful podcast, Today's Tolkien Times, for his 'Fandom Friday' episode which will be released this Friday! https://tolkientimes.com/
It's wonderful to be sat here with my 2024 diary planning which chapters to read in the coming months (there is a lot of reading in March!) in anticipation of Spring and new life. (And the downfall of Sauron...)
Here's to Spring and new beginnings and, more importantly on this day, here's to the Professor!
https://www.tolkiensociety.org/events...
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