Post by Andorinha on Jan 16, 2009 5:10:22 GMT -6
The Sil ARCHIVE: Do Not be Scared!
______________________________________
Reply
Message 1 of 8 in Discussion
From: Glorfindle
Sent: 2/19/2002 9:08 PM
I know the Simarillion is daunting to many of us. It is not the usual Tolkien narrative we are used to. But it is the focal point where the great world came from, and to know and learn about it, is to understand why Sam could sit there and recite Earendil was a Mariner.....
Beren and Tinuviel was the Arwen and Elessar of the second age....or was it the first??? Ha Ha! that is what learning this book is all about. So you can sit there with confidence and know!
Are all the names and dates and ages important? Well....that is up to you. Many of us find much joy in following not only the history of the third age wherein the LOTR take place, but what led up to it and why. And not only that, but how this world came to be and what forces made it.
Many of the ancient stories have a charm of their own, and it is easy to see Tolkiens hand in it. If you loved the poetry in the LOTR books and want to know more about the characters that inhabit that poetry, here is where you will find it.
And because it is Tolkien, not only will you find theses characters you read about in LoTR, you will find a rich background and storyline that far surpases your wildest hopes.
For Tolkien not only qualifies his poetry, he invades the very world he made to give substance and rich history to it.
As for me, I wander home to my quiet hobbit hole, draw my daughter into my lap, open the Red Book of Westmarch, and read to her of the heroic deeds of times long ago.
The fire crackles with warmth before us, she lays her head upon my shoulder...and we dream together.....
Glorfindle
A Elbereth Gilthoniel!
________________________________________
Reply
Message 2 of 8 in Discussion
From: Stormrider
Sent: 2/21/2002 6:04 AM
Glorfindle....your encouragement reminds me of a persuasive speech I listened to from a fellow classmate back in eighth grade. He told of the adventure, mystery, action, horror, etc. of The Bible and was persuading us to read it. It was a very effective speech!
I am not afraid to read The Silmarillion. I look forward to it. Even if it is a bit confusing with the strange names and places that need mapping out in order to picture it in my head. I can't wait to begin our discussions here!
___________________________________________
Reply
Message 3 of 8 in Discussion
From: DaleAnn
Sent: 2/21/2002 1:56 PM
I can't resist posting this. Found it while looking for good Silmarillion sites.
The Silmarillion
Probably the closest thing to a sing-along that we've managed yet... It's to the tune of "My Old Man's a Dustman". One of our 'true love bonding' experiences was in the early days of new found love, when Anne discovered a copy of the aforementioned book on Tim's bookshelf. "Wow! Have you really read all this?" she said, impressed as she'd never made it past page ten without losing track of gods or falling off to sleep. "No," he replied, "I never made it past page ten with losing track of gods or falling off to sleep." Soul mates forever.
CHORUS
Oh, my father was a hobbit,
My mother was an elf,
My Uncle Mabel's dwarvish,
God knows about myself.
But even though my ancestors were readers, every one,
I still can't understand the bloody Silmarillion.
The hobbit was a favourite,
Farmer Giles was brill,
Lord of the Rings was rather good,
Lost Tales was better still.
The Silmarillion I've tried,
Time and time again,
But reading past page ten
Is sending me right round the bend.
CHORUS
The brother of the father of the uncle to myself,
Was married to the cousin of the sister of an elf.
Morgoth is my granny, Frodo is my Aunt,
I hope you're making sense of this, 'cos I still bloody can't!
You might have figured out by now, it's driving me insane,
The knights and Gods and heroes are whirling round my brain.
So if ou've got it figured out, please do not hold back,
You'll find me in the jacket with the sleeves around the back!
CHORUS AD NAUSEUM
www.weyrd.demon.co.uk/silmarillion.html
____________________________________________
Reply
Message 4 of 8 in Discussion
From: MSN NicknameLord_Algamesh
Sent: 2/21/2002 2:51 PM
What a wonderful drinkin' song ... hey Glor, you buying us all a round?
DaleAnn ... where do you find this stuff, or rather, find time to find this stuff
Algamesh
___________________________________
Reply
Message 5 of 8 in Discussion
From: MusicMom
Sent: 2/21/2002 3:42 PM
Should we start "Silmarillions Annonymous?" I, too, have owned the book for well over 20 years and never made it past page 10. I expect y'all (I formerly lived in Savannah, GA) to keep me on task this time. I plan to make charts (I have trouble keeping names straight--of anything, not just Sil) unless one of you whizzes know of a reference work that has already done that. I am getting excited about tackling it--I really want to know the stories behind the stories of LOTR.
BTW DaleAnn, loved the song!
MusicMom
_____________________________________________
Reply
Message 6 of 8 in Discussion
From: megn1
Sent: 2/21/2002 8:44 PM
My advice for reading the Silmarillion:
Don't think of it as a story, like LOTR. Think of it as a history book.
Don't try to get all the names the first time around. You won't be able to, and you'll fill your head and your index cards with lots of names you'll never need. (Maybe some of us who know the book can point out the significant names as they come up.)
You don't know where the gems are, but they are there - look for them.
You are reading this book because you already love Middle Earth, and the people of it. Let that love drive you. I promise you that when you are done you will understand that world better. You will understand
what motivates elves,
why dwarves are the way they are,
who Elrond, Galadriel, and Aragorn are,
where ents came from,
and what lies behind all those great stories.
You will know nothing more about hobbits.
____________________________________________
Reply
Message 7 of 8 in Discussion
From: Zauber
Sent: 2/22/2002 8:32 AM
That song is a genuine LAUGH OUT LOUD!! Thanks!
___________________________________
Reply
Message 8 of 8 in Discussion
From: DaleAnn
Sent: 2/22/2002 10:34 AM
You are reading this book because you already love Middle Earth, and the people of it. Let that love drive you. I promise you that when you are done you will understand that world better. You will understand
what motivates elves,
why dwarves are the way they are,
who Elrond, Galadriel, and Aragorn are,
where ents came from,
and what lies behind all those great stories.
I really needed this. Thanks, Megn1.
______________________________________
Reply
Message 1 of 8 in Discussion
From: Glorfindle
Sent: 2/19/2002 9:08 PM
I know the Simarillion is daunting to many of us. It is not the usual Tolkien narrative we are used to. But it is the focal point where the great world came from, and to know and learn about it, is to understand why Sam could sit there and recite Earendil was a Mariner.....
Beren and Tinuviel was the Arwen and Elessar of the second age....or was it the first??? Ha Ha! that is what learning this book is all about. So you can sit there with confidence and know!
Are all the names and dates and ages important? Well....that is up to you. Many of us find much joy in following not only the history of the third age wherein the LOTR take place, but what led up to it and why. And not only that, but how this world came to be and what forces made it.
Many of the ancient stories have a charm of their own, and it is easy to see Tolkiens hand in it. If you loved the poetry in the LOTR books and want to know more about the characters that inhabit that poetry, here is where you will find it.
And because it is Tolkien, not only will you find theses characters you read about in LoTR, you will find a rich background and storyline that far surpases your wildest hopes.
For Tolkien not only qualifies his poetry, he invades the very world he made to give substance and rich history to it.
As for me, I wander home to my quiet hobbit hole, draw my daughter into my lap, open the Red Book of Westmarch, and read to her of the heroic deeds of times long ago.
The fire crackles with warmth before us, she lays her head upon my shoulder...and we dream together.....
Glorfindle
A Elbereth Gilthoniel!
________________________________________
Reply
Message 2 of 8 in Discussion
From: Stormrider
Sent: 2/21/2002 6:04 AM
Glorfindle....your encouragement reminds me of a persuasive speech I listened to from a fellow classmate back in eighth grade. He told of the adventure, mystery, action, horror, etc. of The Bible and was persuading us to read it. It was a very effective speech!
I am not afraid to read The Silmarillion. I look forward to it. Even if it is a bit confusing with the strange names and places that need mapping out in order to picture it in my head. I can't wait to begin our discussions here!
___________________________________________
Reply
Message 3 of 8 in Discussion
From: DaleAnn
Sent: 2/21/2002 1:56 PM
I can't resist posting this. Found it while looking for good Silmarillion sites.
The Silmarillion
Probably the closest thing to a sing-along that we've managed yet... It's to the tune of "My Old Man's a Dustman". One of our 'true love bonding' experiences was in the early days of new found love, when Anne discovered a copy of the aforementioned book on Tim's bookshelf. "Wow! Have you really read all this?" she said, impressed as she'd never made it past page ten without losing track of gods or falling off to sleep. "No," he replied, "I never made it past page ten with losing track of gods or falling off to sleep." Soul mates forever.
CHORUS
Oh, my father was a hobbit,
My mother was an elf,
My Uncle Mabel's dwarvish,
God knows about myself.
But even though my ancestors were readers, every one,
I still can't understand the bloody Silmarillion.
The hobbit was a favourite,
Farmer Giles was brill,
Lord of the Rings was rather good,
Lost Tales was better still.
The Silmarillion I've tried,
Time and time again,
But reading past page ten
Is sending me right round the bend.
CHORUS
The brother of the father of the uncle to myself,
Was married to the cousin of the sister of an elf.
Morgoth is my granny, Frodo is my Aunt,
I hope you're making sense of this, 'cos I still bloody can't!
You might have figured out by now, it's driving me insane,
The knights and Gods and heroes are whirling round my brain.
So if ou've got it figured out, please do not hold back,
You'll find me in the jacket with the sleeves around the back!
CHORUS AD NAUSEUM
www.weyrd.demon.co.uk/silmarillion.html
____________________________________________
Reply
Message 4 of 8 in Discussion
From: MSN NicknameLord_Algamesh
Sent: 2/21/2002 2:51 PM
What a wonderful drinkin' song ... hey Glor, you buying us all a round?
DaleAnn ... where do you find this stuff, or rather, find time to find this stuff
Algamesh
___________________________________
Reply
Message 5 of 8 in Discussion
From: MusicMom
Sent: 2/21/2002 3:42 PM
Should we start "Silmarillions Annonymous?" I, too, have owned the book for well over 20 years and never made it past page 10. I expect y'all (I formerly lived in Savannah, GA) to keep me on task this time. I plan to make charts (I have trouble keeping names straight--of anything, not just Sil) unless one of you whizzes know of a reference work that has already done that. I am getting excited about tackling it--I really want to know the stories behind the stories of LOTR.
BTW DaleAnn, loved the song!
MusicMom
_____________________________________________
Reply
Message 6 of 8 in Discussion
From: megn1
Sent: 2/21/2002 8:44 PM
My advice for reading the Silmarillion:
Don't think of it as a story, like LOTR. Think of it as a history book.
Don't try to get all the names the first time around. You won't be able to, and you'll fill your head and your index cards with lots of names you'll never need. (Maybe some of us who know the book can point out the significant names as they come up.)
You don't know where the gems are, but they are there - look for them.
You are reading this book because you already love Middle Earth, and the people of it. Let that love drive you. I promise you that when you are done you will understand that world better. You will understand
what motivates elves,
why dwarves are the way they are,
who Elrond, Galadriel, and Aragorn are,
where ents came from,
and what lies behind all those great stories.
You will know nothing more about hobbits.
____________________________________________
Reply
Message 7 of 8 in Discussion
From: Zauber
Sent: 2/22/2002 8:32 AM
That song is a genuine LAUGH OUT LOUD!! Thanks!
___________________________________
Reply
Message 8 of 8 in Discussion
From: DaleAnn
Sent: 2/22/2002 10:34 AM
You are reading this book because you already love Middle Earth, and the people of it. Let that love drive you. I promise you that when you are done you will understand that world better. You will understand
what motivates elves,
why dwarves are the way they are,
who Elrond, Galadriel, and Aragorn are,
where ents came from,
and what lies behind all those great stories.
I really needed this. Thanks, Megn1.