It's the time of year once again for Hamlette's Tolkien party (the 8th annual!) and I'm so happy and excited. Definitely been looking forward to this! ;) Let's start right in with her tag questions:
1) What Tolkien character do you think you're the most like? ~ Hmm. Never really thought about it in these terms, but probably Faramir. He feels and ponders things deeply, really genuinely studies other people (which I'd like to think I do), knows great darkness and discouragement by times, yet holds merriment. And he loves stories. I'm not the same (definitely not as courageous), but I guess all in all have rather a similar bent.
2) What Tolkien character do you wish you were more like? ~ (Looking at my last answer and hoping this won't sound dreadfully pompous -- it's NOT intended that way ;p), but Faramir (per the ending of this post -- which always makes me cry.)
3) What would your dream home in Middle-earth be like? ~ Hee. This doesn't actually have anything tremendously to do with Faramir and Éowyn (if anything, it actually has more to do with Frodo and Sam's trek through it), but some sort of stone or timber frame hall/establishment in Ithilien in a fairly high up, wide running place.
"…all about them lay a tumbled heathland… Here and there they saw knots of tall pine-trees. The hearts of the hobbits rose again a little in spite of weariness: the air was fresh and fragrant, and it reminded them of the uplands of the Northfarthing far away.
"…So they passed into the northern marches of that land that Men once called Ithilien, a fair country of climbing woods and swift-falling streams. The night became fine under star and round moon, and it seemed to the hobbits that the fragrance of the air grew as they went forward; and from the blowing and muttering of Gollum it seemed that he noticed it too, and did not relish it. At the first signs of day they halted again.
"…All about them were small woods of resinous trees, fir and cedar and cypress, and other kinds unknown in the Shire, with wide glades among them; and everywhere there was a wealth of sweet-smelling herbs and shrubs… fronds pierced moss and mould, larches were green-fingered, small flowers were opening in the turf, birds were singing. Ithilien, the garden of Gondor now desolate kept still a dishevelled dryad loveliness.
"…The travellers turned their backs on the road and went downhill. As they walked, brushing their way through bush and herb, sweet odours rose about them. Gollum coughed and retched; but the hobbits breathed deep, and suddenly Sam laughed, for heart's ease not for jest." (Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit in The Two Towers)
I also feel very strongly about the whole venture of reclaiming and cleaning up after the horrors of war, and rebuilding and bringing life and culture out of the ruins, so would love to be in Faramir and Éowyn's retinue. Fun fact: I'm actually currently in the process of creating a garden space somewhat reminiscent of Lothlorien, but using as many of the named plants from Ithilien as I can. It's all an ongoing process and a story for another day (the trees are growing well so far! so that's good news ;D), but yeah, definitely Ithilien. <3
4) You get to make a movie of the story of Beren and Luthien! Who do you cast as the leads? ~ Oh goodness. This is an excellent question. Problem is, I have very very definite ideas/a mental picture and really haven't seen any actors of late that match up. + When I'm reading they tend to get inflated in my mind with Aragorn and Arwen, but not exactly as they're cast in the movies (which y'know I have yet to see, but anyway, I digress).
Ok, I've scoured Pinterest (and haven't seen the sources for these), but visually, something along these lines:
5) Have you ever marathoned the LOTR or Hobbit movies? ~ Nooo, cause I still haven't seen them a'tall. Yet. (Wait, I guess I just said that, sorry.) Anyway, for many and various reasons there's a high chance this may change very soon. We shall see!
6) Do you have a favorite song or track from the movie soundtracks by Howard Shore? ~ Not yet (see above ;p)
7) Which of Tolkien's characters would you like to be best friends with? ~ Ooh, I don't think I can choose this one...! *holds head in hands in quiet desperation, quite literally* It's too much, no I really don't think I can choose. Um... ok...... I'll try.... Merry and Pippin?? If I start listing more I'll soon have the entire company and then some, so.... Full Stop.
8) Who of the people in your real life would you want in your company if you had to take the ring to Mordor? ~ My lord and husband. Nonnegotiable. Then certain family members and whichever friends wouldn't mind roughing it in some tough, miserable terrain. Any other friends who wished to volunteer could take care of my little home and keep the lights burning. (Note: Fatty Bolger is such a dear, indispensable, much under talked of, and nonetheless most brave and loyal hobbit -- exceedingly brave -- risking his life for his friend and fighting the encroaching darkness behind the scenes and up and down the very lanes and hills of his homeland while everyone else is off toiling in far countries.)
9) Have you read any of Tolkien's non-Middle-earth works? ~ Farmer Giles of Ham (always a tip top favorite <3) and not sure if it counts, but I love his translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
10) Is there a book by Tolkien you haven't read yet, but want to? ~ I very much need to delve properly into The Silmarillion.
~
Just in case you didn't catch it already, I'm planning to start a LOTR read-along this coming Monday the 28th on my read-along blog and would love to have you join us! You can pop over to read fuller details HERE.
And later in the week I'm planning to do a post on The Big Three (Galadriel, Éowyn and Arwen), and possibly one more idea if I can pull it together. So stay tuned for all that. ;)
Thank you for the thought provoking questions Hamlette! And again, be sure to check out the rest of her party here, including her amazing giveaway. :) See y'all soon!
Ithilien is really cool! I love your garden idea :-o
ReplyDeleteFatty Bolger is a brick, and I defy anyone who says otherwise.
Oooooh, tantalizing ideas for posts! And for the first time in years, my hubby and I will be rereading LOTR at the same time... and my 10-yr-old is determinedly trying it for her first time, so it's shaping up to be a very Middle-earth-ful autumn around here!
I love what you said about Faramir! I relate to him a lot, too, and I feel a smidge guilty because he's one of the perfect characters. XD
ReplyDeleteI hadn't seen the movies myself until last December. There are parts that are very well done, but I don't approve of the way they did Faramir. At all. It upsets me greatly. I'm told that the extended versions have more of him (+ Eowyn), but I yet have to see. If it when you do see them, I would love to read your thoughts!
Fatty Bolger! He is wonderful and I felt so bad earlier when I couldn't think of his name!
I actually had a similar phenomenon occur when answering questions 1 and 2. I know the characters I resemble, but I'd actually like to resemble them even more. Hee.
ReplyDelete"some sort of stone or timber frame hall/establishment in Ithilien" Okay, so that is pretty much word-for-word EXACTLY what I want. I'll give more detail in my answers tomorrow. ;D
I've seen someone else cast Katie McGrath as Luthien, and I definitely see it.
Ahh, you reminded me of Farmer Giles of Ham just in time to amend my answers. Hehe.
Lovely answers!
(Also, love that you're making a LotR-inspired garden!)
ReplyDeleteThe Ithilien garden sounds amazing! I love that idea!
ReplyDeleteI have the same problem with the first two questions, except with Sam Gamgee. :) I feel like this is common? Tolkien's characters are so amazing that while we feel we're like them, we can't possibly be all the way like them...
As Tolkien once observed (or maybe it was Lewis? Can't remember...that's what I get for reading biographies of both at the same time), an author can't make interesting/relatable characters who are also good unless they are slightly less good than him- or her-self, which says a LOT about how good Tolkien must have been! (I hope that was intelligible--it was in my mind, and in the quote I'm thinking of, but it may have been garbled on its trip through my brain XD)
Fatty Bolger is 100% underrated, and needs to be given love and cookies.
Also, the movies are fun, but partially ruined my mental pictures of the characters. I have a problem where my mental pictures of characters in books are very distinct, but also very fragile--once they're gone, especially by seeing another person's imagination of the character, they don't come back without a LOT of effort, and sometimes not even then. So, I mean, I like the movies (and the casting is good on some characters, especially Aragorn, but not on others--they totally miscast Eowyn, imo), but I don't consider them essential to watch.