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12-25-2006, 02:57 AM | #1 |
Ghost Prince of Cardolan
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Essex, England
Posts: 886
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A Christmas Thread
Happy Christmas everyone.
I have a question. What was the significance of the Fellowship leaving Rivendell on 'Christmas Day'? Happy New Year too! |
12-25-2006, 05:06 AM | #2 | |||
Eagle of the Star
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Sarmisegethuza
Posts: 1,058
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Ok, this is going to be a long one:
Quote:
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12-25-2006, 06:26 AM | #3 |
Guard of the Citadel
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Oxon
Posts: 2,205
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Merry Christmas to all...
Anyway, really good post Raynor, didn't know about that... Just wanted to point out that there is another date close to the number 24 - Frodo left Bag End on September 23rd, however this might have very well only been a coincidence, since his birthday was the 22nd. A date which however does very well fit the pattern created by Tolkien is 25th October 3018, the day that, at the Council of Elrond, Frodo volunteers to take the Ring to Mordor.
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12-25-2006, 10:48 PM | #4 |
Ghost Prince of Cardolan
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Merry Christmas to you all as well !
Cheers as well for the departure of The Fellowship! As far as the significance of the date...as Tolkien states two completely opposite reasonings for the date as Raynor points out, it's hard to say. I'm going to have to say Tolkien knew in the back of his mind why he chose this date, and he probably smiled when he realized it fit into his Middle-earth time.
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"Loud and clear it sounds in the valleys of the hills...and then let all the foes of Gondor flee!" -Boromir, The Fellowship of the Ring |
12-26-2006, 05:19 AM | #5 |
A Mere Boggart
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: under the bed
Posts: 4,737
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Raynor has saved me some time there as I would have put those same quotes on! It does seem that Tolkien did not intend the dates to mean anything deeper, and he was greatly concerned with dates, moon cycles and so on being 'correct' in his work, so this was the most likely reason that he altered dates of events. His point about not wanting all the action to take place in winter is a solid and simple reason - had he allowed this to happen it would simply have restricted his choices for the story! And there is something poetic about moving from winter to spring as they move east and south and we learn more about Middle-earth on the journey. But obviously when he realised the other significance of the dates (in as far as they translate from the Shire calendar to ours) he was probably quite pleased!
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12-26-2006, 07:22 AM | #6 |
Eagle of the Star
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Sarmisegethuza
Posts: 1,058
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Then again, we should consider that the Nomenclature was intended by the author to be an official guide, while Resnik' account is second hand. From what I figured, both versions appear not long apart from each other, which further puts the article under question mark - if it was the same year, I doubt Tolkien's memory or view on matters would alter in months. In terms of official weight, the Nomenclature should be second only to LotR (if not equal).
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"May the wicked become good. May the good obtain peace. May the peaceful be freed from bonds. May the freed set others free." |
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