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User talk:Dr Death

2007-07-01T04:31:33Z

62.231.243.138:

'''{{PAGENAME}}, welcome!'''

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I hope you enjoy editing here and we look forward to your future edits. By the way, you can sign your name on Talk and vote pages using three tildes, like this: ~<nowiki>~~</nowiki>. Four tildes (~~<nowiki>~~</nowiki>) produces your name and the current date. If you have any questions, see the [[Tolkien Gateway:Help|help pages]], add a question to the [[Forum:Council|Council forums]] or ask me on [[User talk:Hyarion|my talk page]]. Keep up the great work!

Rohan

2007-06-30T21:03:44Z

62.231.243.138:

{{Kingdom
| image=[[Image:Rohan.gif|250px]]
| name=Rohan
| type = Monarchy
| headofstate = [[King of Rohan]]
| hidep=yes
| executive =
| legislative =
| judicial =
| capital = [[Edoras]]
| language = [[Westron]]/[[Rohirric]]
| location= North of the [[White Mountains]], South of [[Fangorn Forest]]
| populous= Mostly [[Men]] (the [[Rohirrim]])
| currency =
| religious =
| holiday =
| anthem =
| formed = The people of [[Éothéod]]
| established = III 2510
| reorganized =
| fragmented =
| dissolved =
| restored =
|}}
'''Rohan''' is the territory of the [[Rohirrim]], a people of herdsmen and some farmers on the northern borders of [[Gondor]] in [[Middle-earth]]. Well-known for their [[horses]] and cavalry, they are Gondor's most important ally.

Conceptualized as the "Horse kings of Rohan" allied with [[Mordor]] in early drafts of [[1939]], the Rohirrim took their final form in 1942 when the text of the Lord of the Rings was completed to about one third.

==Inspiration==
[[Image:WAR-ICONS Rohan.jpg|thumb|left|150px]]
Several aspects of Rohan's culture and history seem to be inspired by both Goths, Scandinavians and the medieval Anglo-Saxons.

Just like the Germanic Ostrogoths, Rohirric culture was a mounted culture. It had separated from the [[Northmen]], moved south, and had settled in close proximity with a civilisation. In the Goths' case it was the Byzantine Empire and in the case of the Rohirrim, it was Gondor.

Especially Hervarar saga, with its [[Mirkwood]], Gothic horsemen and shieldmaidens, appears to have inspired Tolkien when creating the Rohirrim, although he exchanged the Gothic tongue with the Anglo-Saxon.

===Language===

Tolkien rendered Rohirric as Old English, but also included Scandinavian names, such as [[Westfold]]. Even words and phrases that were printed in Modern English showed a strong Anglo-Saxon influence. Old English was supposed to render an archaic form of [[Westron]], which was supposedly rendered by Modern English. This solution occurred to Tolkien in 1942, when he was searching for an explanation of the Eddaic name of the dwarves already published in [[The Hobbit]].

Rohirric nouns were pluralized with the suffix "-as", as were Old English nouns of the strong-masculine declension.

The Rohirrim used the Germanic patronymic "-ing". They called themselves the '''[[Eorlingas]]''', and [[Beorn]]'s people were the '''[[Beornings]]''', Scyld's people were the Scyldingas in Norse and Anglo-Saxon mythology.

[[Théoden]] was referred to as "Théoden King", rather than "King Théoden", just as Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon kings had the word "konungr"/"cyning" ("king") added after their names, e.g. ''Hervarðar konungr'', rather than before.

Many Rohirric names appear to be derived from Old English words. These include:

* '''Éothéod:''' from "eoh" ("war-horse") and "þeod" ("folk", "people", "nation")

* '''Gríma:''' possibly from "grima" ("mask", "helmet", "ghost")

* '''Eorl:''' from "eorl" ("nobleman")

* '''Théodred:''' from "þeod" ("folk", "people", "nation") and "ræd" ("counsel")

The antipathy between the Rohirrim and the [[Dunlendings]] resembles the historical tension between the Anglo-Saxon settlers of Britain and the native Celts.

== History ==
In the 1200s of the [[Third Age]] (T.A.), the Kings of Gondor made close alliances with the Northmen of [[Rhovanion]], a people akin to the [[Three Houses of the Edain]] (later the [[D

Silmarils

2007-06-16T05:40:26Z

62.231.243.138:

[[Image:Silima.jpg|thumb|left|150px|The Silmarils by [[Mike Dringenberg]]]]The '''Silmarils''' ([[Quenya]] '''Silmarilli''') were three gems of immense might and beauty created by [[Fëanor]] while the [[Eldar]] were still in [[Valinor]]. They were named for and crafted of the hard crystalline substance ''[[silima]],'' and contained some of the light from the [[Two Trees]] of Valinor. After F

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

2007-06-14T11:45:54Z

62.231.243.138:

[[Image:Peter Jackson's The Return of the King - Poster.jpg|thumb|250px]]

'''''The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King''''' is the third part in [[Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings]], based on [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.

The film premiered in [[Wellington]], [[New Zealand]], on December 1 2003, was attended by the director and many of the stars. Further premieres took place in major cities around the world in the days leading up to the film's worldwide theatrical release on Wednesday, December 17, 2003 with a runtime of 200 minutes (that is, 3 hours and 20 minutes).

Globally, The Return of the King is the 2nd biggest grossing film in cinema history. At the 2004 Oscars the film won 11 awards, equalling the record shared by ''Ben-Hur'' and ''Titanic''.

The first two films were ''[[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring|The Fellowship of the Ring]]'' and ''[[Peter Jackson's The Two Towers|The Two Towers]]'', although the film's story includes later events in the section of the book ''[[The Two Towers]]'' as well as most of ''[[The Return of the King]]''.

==Cast==
{| class="wikitable"
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC"
! Role !! Actor
|-
| [[Frodo Baggins]] || [[Elijah Wood]]
|-
| [[Gandalf|Gandalf the Grey]] || [[Ian McKellen]]
|-
| [[Aragorn]] (Strider) || [[Viggo Mortensen]]
|-
| [[Samwise Gamgee]] (Sam) || [[Sean Astin]]
|-
| [[Galadriel]] || [[Cate Blanchett]]
|-
| [[Théoden]] || [[Bernard Hill]]
|-
| [[Éowyn]] || [[Miranda Otto]]
|-
| [[Éomer]] || [[Karl Urban]]
|-
| [[Gimli]] son of [[Glóin]] || [[John Rhys-Davies]]
|-
| [[Treebeard]] || [[John Rhys-Davies]] (voice)
|-
| [[Meriadoc Brandybuck]] (Merry) || [[Dominic Monaghan]]
|-
| [[Peregrin Took]] (Pippin) || [[Billy Boyd]]
|-
| [[Legolas Greenleaf|Legolas]] || [[Orlando Bloom]]
|-
| [[Elrond]] || [[Hugo Weaving]]
|-
| [[Arwen Evenstar]] || [[Liv Tyler]]
|-
| [[Bilbo Baggins]] || [[Ian Holm]]
|-
| [[Gollum]] || [[Andy Serkis]] (voice and motion capture)
|-
| [[Denethor]] || [[John Noble]]
|-
| [[Faramir]] || [[David Wenham]]
|-
| [[Rose Cotton|Rose "Rosie" Cotton]] || [[Sarah McLeod]]
|-
| The [[Witch-king of Angmar]] (Lord of the [[Nazg

Lay of Leithian

2007-06-14T05:13:09Z

62.231.243.138:

{{lolcantos}}
The '''Lay of Leithian''' was a long [[Elvish]] lay that told the story of [[Beren Erchamion|Beren]] and [[Lúthien]], their [[Quest for the Silmaril]], and their return from [[Mandos]]. It was said to be the second longest of all such tales (with the longest being the ''[[Narn i Hîn Húrin]]'', the story of [[Túrin Turambar|Túrin]] and [[Nienor]]).

== Plot ==
[[Image:Anke Eissmann - Beren recovers a Silmaril.jpg|thumb|left|200px|''Beren recovers a Silmaril'' by [[Anke Eissmann]]]]
The Lay tells the story of Beren's escape from [[Dorthonion]] after the loss of his father [[Barahir son of Bregor|Barahir]]. Coming into the south, he entered [[Doriath]] and came across [[Lúthien Tinúviel]] in the woods. They desired to wed, but Lúthien's father [[Thingol]] set an impossible bride-price on his daughter—a [[Silmaril]] from the [[Iron Crown]] of [[Morgoth]] in the deepest pits of [[Angband]]. Beren set out on his hopeless quest with the aid of [[Finrod Felagund]], but they were captured and imprisoned by [[Sauron]]. Lúthien came to their aid through many troubles of her own, and with the help of [[Huan the Hound]] she rescued Beren. Using her magical arts, they penetrated Angband and stole one of the Silmarils, but in their escape Beren's hand, holding the Silmaril, was bitten from his wrist by the great wolf [[Carcharoth]]. Eventually, the wolf was hunted and slain, and the Silmaril recovered, but only at the cost of Beren's life. Then Lúthien, too, passed away, and pleaded before Mandos himself. Both Beren and Lúthien were returned to life, and they dwelt in the south of [[Ossiriand]] for a time. Lúthien had become mortal herself, and she passed away at last with her beloved beyond the [[Circles of the World]].

== True-life History ==
The Lay is not a mere literary invention — it does substantially exist in English, in the form of iambic tetrameter, and is contained within volume III of ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'', appropriately named ''[[The Lays of Beleriand]]''. Though the extant lay runs to 4223 lines and fourteen [[Cantos of the Lay of Leithian|Cantos]], [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] never fully completed the poem. He ended in the place that Carcharoth bites off Beren's hand.

The first recorded date of the writing of the Lay was at Line 557: August 23, [[1925]]. The next date is two and a half years later, 17-28 March, [[1928]], at line 1161. Over the next nine days he wrote fully 1769 lines, up to 2929. These dates are for the copying out of the manuscript, not for their writing, so Tolkien may have had many passages earlier before he put them together. In September, [[1931]], he abandoned the Lay. He sent it to [[C.S. Lewis]], who wrote back the following:
{{quote|I sat up late last night and have read the ''Geste'' as far as to where Beren and his gnomish allies defeat the patrol of orcs above the sources of the [[Narog]] and disguise themselves in the ''rëaf'' [ [[OE]]: 'garments, weapons, taken from the slain']. I can quite honestly say that it is ages since I have had an evening of such delight: and the personal interest of reading a friend's work had very little to do with it. I should have enjoyed it just as well as if I'd picked it up in a bookshop, by an unknown author. The two things that come out clearly are the sense of reality in the background and the mythical value: the essence of a myth being that it should have no taint of allegory to the maker and yet should suggest incipient allegories to the reader|The Lay of Leithian introduction}}

Later he wrote a detailed criticism, which pretends to treat the Lay as if it were a historical document. Tolkien was influenced by Lewis' comments, and made several minor changes based on them.

The etymology of the name is unknown. Tolkien remarked that it meant "''Release from bondage''". Probably Tolkien derived it in part from [[Quenya]] ''[[leithia]]'' ("release"). This word is only used in a single note hastily written, and "''Leithian''" may not have any etymological background at all.

== Recycling the Lay ==
Tolkien recycled parts of the older version of the Lay, most notably in [[The Lord of the Rings]], where [[Gimli]] sings of [[Moria]] to the rest of the [[Fellowship]]. Following is a piece found in both the Lord of the Rings and the Lay:

'''Original Lay'''

<blockquote>
...There might and glory, wealth untold 
Were wielded from his ivory throne 
In many-pillared halls of stone. 
There beryl, pearl, and opal pale 
And metal wrought like fishes' mail 
Buckler and corslet, axe and sword 
And gleaming spears were laid in hoard 
All these he had and loved them less 
Than a maiden once in Elfinesse. . . 
</blockquote>

'''Lord of the Rings'''

<blockquote>
...There forged was blade, and bound was hilt; 
The delver mined, the mason built. 
There beryl, pearl, and opal pale, 
And metal wrought like fishes' mail, 
Buckler and corslet, axe and sword, 
And shining spears were laid in hoard. 
</blockquote>

== See Also ==
*[[Cantos of the Lay of Leithian]]
*[[Lay of Leithian continued]]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKYq75Cc3yo Of Hunters Lore...] OpenMic Video: Excerpt of the Lay of Leithian (Canto II) by Loren

Humphrey Carpenter

2007-06-07T06:26:37Z

62.231.243.138:

[[Image:Humphrey Carpenter.jpg|thumb|''Humphrey Carpenter'']]
'''Humphrey Carpenter''' (1946 - 2005) wrote the Authorised Biography of J.R.R. Tolkien published by [[Allen