Annoying the unknowing with your knowledge - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Balin999 · 01-13-2003, 11:46 AM

I wonder if it has ever happened to you that you have explained someone something about the LotR and you couldn't stop?
When I had my military service, I was driving with a commander (he was really a nice person) and we had a trip that lasted nearly two hours. One of our subjects was the FotR. Then he made a terrible mistake: HE asked me if I had read the books. Then I went explaining for at least half an hour, coming from the balrog to the very beginning of it all. When I finished, I noticed that I had talked alone for at least twenty minutes, leaving him feel rather stupid, I think.

Another one: We had a party at one of my friend's home, and later on in the evening I started to talk about the LotR with one of my friends. I think the conversation lasted about one hour, but I guess my friend was really confused after all I had told him about LotR.

Has something like that ever happened to you, we wondersss??

Liriodendron · 01-13-2003, 12:32 PM

Well yes Balin999, I have experienced this. It also happens when you try to explain ANYTHING to children sometimes! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

the phantom · 01-13-2003, 02:48 PM

Oh, yes, this happens all the time!!

I have some friends that haven't read the books and sometimes they want to know what some of the differences are between the two. And once I get going on one thing, I move to another, then another, until it's time to leave.

The other day my buddy asked me about Arwen, so I started with her, of course I had to mention Glorfindel, then I explained his history, which meant explaining Gondolin, which meant introducing Turgon, at which point I needed to run down the whole family tree and show all relations between Galadriel, Elrond, Aragorn, and ect. I must've talked for two straight hours!!!

I'm far too obsessed with these books!!

lord of dor-lomin · 01-13-2003, 02:56 PM

Me too. Sometimes I forget that other people aren't as into some things as much as I am. I at least try to go slow and explain things well, but that just makes it take longer. Oh well.

Lindril Arvilya · 01-13-2003, 03:21 PM

I dragged my friend Bill with me to see The Two Towers, little remembering or caring that he hadn't read the books OR seen FotR (I didn't know him last year or he would have.)
We got out of the movie, and he turned to me and said "So... how did the Fellowship get split up in the first place?"
I would have explained the whole last movie (and I was starting on the books) when my other friend dragged me off, as I was supposed to give him a ride home.

[ January 13, 2003: Message edited by: Lindril Arvilya ]

Balin999 · 01-13-2003, 03:23 PM

I think that's the "problem" about LotR: When you have read it a few times and are really into it, and somebody asks you about it, you can talk for hours, because there is so much that is going on parallel and there are so many things you have to explain if you want to do it properly and give a real insight.
Most of my friends couldn't accept me being a LotR-fanatic until the movie came out. Then one of my friends, who has NEVER read a book in his whole life, told me that he has started to read the FotR. I really liked that [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

VanimaEdhel · 01-13-2003, 03:59 PM

Any time anyone mispronounces anything or incorrectly describes something in my school, I have the habit of correcting their pronunciation, then going into a history of the derivation of the name, then the entire story around the person or thing.

Then, in history class, on Halloween I was dressed as an Elf. That prompted a boy I know to say, "Anyway, what's with Middle Earth? Is there an Upper Earth or something?" and my teacher to say, "You know, I went to see that with my dad. At one point he leaned over and said to me, 'I wish I had that ring so I could disappear right now!' He was right! It was so pointless!"

My response was first to ask my teacher if he read the books, to which he responded, "Of course not!" I responded that of course he did not understand the movie then, as they left many key elements out.

Then, I addressed the guy, saying, "Well, no, there are not 'Upper Lands' and the like, but there is Valinor, which is part of Aman, the Undying Lands. The Vala live there. Manwe, Ulmo, Melkor, Yavanna, Varda: they are all Vala. They are gods of sorts. Well, Iluvatar or Eru is the ultimate god, but he is more of a presence. Then, there are also Maia, such as Gandalf. He was of the Istari, which are Maia, or demi-gods. The Balrog was also a Maiar. They were actually once good before Melkor, often referred to as Morgoth, turned them through false promises and the like..."

Then, my teacher cut me off... [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img] I would have gone through the entire Silmarillion if he had let me. My excuse is that technically this is history, just history of something that doesn't exist!

Sapphire_Flame · 01-13-2003, 04:20 PM

Heh, I do that! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] I have more of a tendency to correct pronounciation of names and places (I know people who say Aragorn wrong. Can you believe it?). Someone will usually stop me before I can go into too much detail though! [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img]

Balin999 · 01-13-2003, 04:25 PM

I know many people who can't say Sauron or Gandalf. Most of them say "Gandolf" which infuriates me. My uncle can do that really well [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] But then, he hasn't read the books so far, so he is not to be blamed.

the real findorfin · 01-13-2003, 04:53 PM

This happens to me too, all the time! I can draw the Family Trees of the Teleri and the Noldor from memory and all my friends get annoyed when i start on something then find an excuse to bring them in, which i do by getting my pad out and drawing it.

Even my Dad thinks im sad (im so underappreciated!)

Brinniel · 01-13-2003, 05:51 PM

When my parents and sister ask me a question about the movie or books (which they haven't read), I go into much more detail than I need to in order to answer. I think they get a little frustrated since I can go on for hours about Tolkien's works and they are lost from the moment I started speaking!

Gorwingel · 01-13-2003, 06:13 PM

I do that too, especially whenever someone says something incorrectly or I find out that they read the books. Then I am like "Are you into it" and then I start going on and on. Especially because I am trying to find friends that are into it, because right now I really have no one to talk about it with except for my sister, and the people on the Barrow Downs (of course [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] )

Horse-Maiden of the Shire · 01-18-2003, 10:22 AM

FINALLY! *sniff sniff* there are people like me!
whenever somebody spells something wrong i flip at them, i.e. my friend spelled Legolas with an E instead of an A and i was all legoLAS LAS LAS LAS!! its LAS! and whenever i can i start jabbering about LotR. My friend loves it too, but sometimes i annoy her becuase i jabber about it so much....lol. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] i havent read the Silmarillon (sp?) and i want to, but i cant find it! this infuriates me. [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img]

Duncariel · 01-18-2003, 06:32 PM

One of my friends one told me that there were faeries in Mirkwood. I just about blew up and had to explain to her for about half an hour that they were actually elves, most certainly not faeries. if I spelled that wrong, shoot me.

I know most of the family trees from all of the books and drive my friends crazy remembering them.

Aiya · 01-18-2003, 06:46 PM

Oh, yes, I know that feeling...

When you make the simple comment that a friend looks like Elrond... Then you get to spend hours trying to explain -who- Elrond is... He'd even seen the movie, but no, he couldn't remember who the Lord of the Eyebrows was...

Melephelwen · 01-19-2003, 08:21 AM

*giggle* I just love doing that!

For example, one of my friends who have seen the movies, liking them, and got the books on her to read-list, once asked me a question about ... Gollum, I think. I started to explain her about Sméagol and Déagol, which led to Goblins in the Misty Mountains, which again got me to Balrogs and their origin, and how they're sort of related with Gandalf, the difference between Valar and Maiar. Then I moved back to how the Ring worked with aging (using Sauron as the "conjunction"(right word?)), then I had to explain how old Hobbits and other races of ME could get - and then, sadly, our break was over, and we had to go to math-class. Somewhat, I don't think my friend was very sad about that... [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img]

Mintyztwin · 01-19-2003, 04:29 PM

Boy, can I relate or what? I go to college, and most of the people there don't have TIME to read the books, so they are all messed up.

Whenever I hear a conversation going on about ME (usually movie-realted) I can't help butting in, and uh . . . expounding everything I know about ME (not much, considering how much some people here know) and . . . well, I get some very odd looks that way!

Usually, when their eyes start glazing, I'll ask, "Haven't you read the books?" They say no, and I just kinda say, "Oh. Well you SHOULD!!" And then wander off. If they HAVE read the books, I'll bring up some obscure point, such as Who/What is Tom Bombadill? Or other stuff. Then I tell them about the Downs. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] I'm a great advertiser for them! Hey! I should get a salary! (Just kidding!)

Balin999 · 01-21-2003, 12:58 PM

I was always annyoing my girlfriend with LotR until the movie came out. Until that time she always said that seh didn't like the LotR, although she hadn't read it yet. Then we saw the movie together and suddenly she even started to read the books. I was feeling THAT important when we left the theatre and she had about 20 questions that needed to be answered by ....me [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]
I think that was the only time when I was not annyoing my girlfriend with LotR.

Bekah · 01-21-2003, 03:43 PM

My best friend (actually, she's about the only one who will put up with me - but she really truly is my best friend) had not read the books when the FOTR was coming out. She managed to get up to T.B. though before I hustled her to the theatre. I've only read about half of the Silm, but that's enough to really bug her when I say "Elentari is the Quenya Elvish word for 'Queen of the Stars', given to Varda, one of the Valar and spouse of Manwe, when she put the constellations in the sky for the first-born, the elves, and she is also more commonly known as Elbereth..." She gets a kind of look on her face which says 'shut up, when I've finished the books you can preach the history to me.' [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img] [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

She has now read at least half of TTT, but once again I dragged her off to the theatre...hopefully she'll have finished ROTK before the movie, as I think it's better to read the books first and form your own visual pictures. She's already lost a lot of them, I fear...

But yes, I most definitely know a lot more than most of the people I know...so Barrow-downs is a relief - I don't have to explain all of the genealogies to you guys
because you already know! Wonderful...

God bless,

~ Elentari (aka Bekah)

01-13-2003, 11:46 AM	#1
Balin999 Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: May 2000 Location: East of the Sun, West of the Moon Posts: 493	Annoying the unknowing with your knowledge I wonder if it has ever happened to you that you have explained someone something about the LotR and you couldn't stop? When I had my military service, I was driving with a commander (he was really a nice person) and we had a trip that lasted nearly two hours. One of our subjects was the FotR. Then he made a terrible mistake: HE asked me if I had read the books. Then I went explaining for at least half an hour, coming from the balrog to the very beginning of it all. When I finished, I noticed that I had talked alone for at least twenty minutes, leaving him feel rather stupid, I think. Another one: We had a party at one of my friend's home, and later on in the evening I started to talk about the LotR with one of my friends. I think the conversation lasted about one hour, but I guess my friend was really confused after all I had told him about LotR. Has something like that ever happened to you, we wondersss?? __________________ ...Nichts ist gelber als Gelb selber... ...The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice, but conformity... ...Everything is possible, except to ski through a revolving door...

01-13-2003, 12:32 PM	#2
Liriodendron Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Indiana Posts: 527	Well yes Balin999, I have experienced this. It also happens when you try to explain ANYTHING to children sometimes! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] __________________ http://www.lizmargason.com

01-13-2003, 02:48 PM	#3
the phantom Beloved Shadow Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: The Stadium Posts: 5,971	Oh, yes, this happens all the time!! I have some friends that haven't read the books and sometimes they want to know what some of the differences are between the two. And once I get going on one thing, I move to another, then another, until it's time to leave. The other day my buddy asked me about Arwen, so I started with her, of course I had to mention Glorfindel, then I explained his history, which meant explaining Gondolin, which meant introducing Turgon, at which point I needed to run down the whole family tree and show all relations between Galadriel, Elrond, Aragorn, and ect. I must've talked for two straight hours!!! I'm far too obsessed with these books!! __________________ the phantom has posted. This thread is now important.

01-13-2003, 02:56 PM	#4
lord of dor-lomin Wight Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: dor-lomin, of course Posts: 167	Me too. Sometimes I forget that other people aren't as into some things as much as I am. I at least try to go slow and explain things well, but that just makes it take longer. Oh well. __________________ I used to be indecisive. Now, I'm not so sure.

01-13-2003, 03:21 PM	#5
Lindril Arvilya Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: In a box at the end of Harrison Ford's street, with a pair of binoculars Posts: 332	I dragged my friend Bill with me to see The Two Towers, little remembering or caring that he hadn't read the books OR seen FotR (I didn't know him last year or he would have.) We got out of the movie, and he turned to me and said "So... how did the Fellowship get split up in the first place?" I would have explained the whole last movie (and I was starting on the books) when my other friend dragged me off, as I was supposed to give him a ride home. [ January 13, 2003: Message edited by: Lindril Arvilya ] __________________ Neo, watch out! Trinity's going to steal your pants! Pants thief! Pants thief!

01-13-2003, 03:23 PM	#6
Balin999 Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: May 2000 Location: East of the Sun, West of the Moon Posts: 493	I think that's the "problem" about LotR: When you have read it a few times and are really into it, and somebody asks you about it, you can talk for hours, because there is so much that is going on parallel and there are so many things you have to explain if you want to do it properly and give a real insight. Most of my friends couldn't accept me being a LotR-fanatic until the movie came out. Then one of my friends, who has NEVER read a book in his whole life, told me that he has started to read the FotR. I really liked that [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] __________________ ...Nichts ist gelber als Gelb selber... ...The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice, but conformity... ...Everything is possible, except to ski through a revolving door...

01-13-2003, 03:59 PM	#7
VanimaEdhel Etheral Enchantress Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Wellesley College! Posts: 1,461	Any time anyone mispronounces anything or incorrectly describes something in my school, I have the habit of correcting their pronunciation, then going into a history of the derivation of the name, then the entire story around the person or thing. Then, in history class, on Halloween I was dressed as an Elf. That prompted a boy I know to say, "Anyway, what's with Middle Earth? Is there an Upper Earth or something?" and my teacher to say, "You know, I went to see that with my dad. At one point he leaned over and said to me, 'I wish I had that ring so I could disappear right now!' He was right! It was so pointless!" My response was first to ask my teacher if he read the books, to which he responded, "Of course not!" I responded that of course he did not understand the movie then, as they left many key elements out. Then, I addressed the guy, saying, "Well, no, there are not 'Upper Lands' and the like, but there is Valinor, which is part of Aman, the Undying Lands. The Vala live there. Manwe, Ulmo, Melkor, Yavanna, Varda: they are all Vala. They are gods of sorts. Well, Iluvatar or Eru is the ultimate god, but he is more of a presence. Then, there are also Maia, such as Gandalf. He was of the Istari, which are Maia, or demi-gods. The Balrog was also a Maiar. They were actually once good before Melkor, often referred to as Morgoth, turned them through false promises and the like..." Then, my teacher cut me off... [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img] I would have gone through the entire Silmarillion if he had let me. My excuse is that technically this is history, just history of something that doesn't exist! __________________ "I think we dream so we don't have to be apart so long. If we're in each others dreams, we can be together all the time." - Hobbes of Calvin and Hobbes

01-13-2003, 04:20 PM	#8
Sapphire_Flame Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: The World That Never Was Posts: 1,232	Heh, I do that! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] I have more of a tendency to correct pronounciation of names and places (I know people who say Aragorn wrong. Can you believe it?). Someone will usually stop me before I can go into too much detail though! [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img] __________________ The Hitchhiking Ghost

01-13-2003, 04:25 PM	#9
Balin999 Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: May 2000 Location: East of the Sun, West of the Moon Posts: 493	I know many people who can't say Sauron or Gandalf. Most of them say "Gandolf" which infuriates me. My uncle can do that really well [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] But then, he hasn't read the books so far, so he is not to be blamed. __________________ ...Nichts ist gelber als Gelb selber... ...The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice, but conformity... ...Everything is possible, except to ski through a revolving door...

01-13-2003, 04:53 PM	#10
the real findorfin Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Mirkwood Posts: 514	This happens to me too, all the time! I can draw the Family Trees of the Teleri and the Noldor from memory and all my friends get annoyed when i start on something then find an excuse to bring them in, which i do by getting my pad out and drawing it. Even my Dad thinks im sad (im so underappreciated!) __________________ Legends of Middle Earth

01-13-2003, 05:51 PM	#11
Brinniel Reflection of Darkness Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Polishing the stars. Well, somebody has to do it; they're looking a little bit dull. Posts: 2,983	When my parents and sister ask me a question about the movie or books (which they haven't read), I go into much more detail than I need to in order to answer. I think they get a little frustrated since I can go on for hours about Tolkien's works and they are lost from the moment I started speaking! __________________ Nolite te bastardes carborundorum

01-13-2003, 06:13 PM	#12
Gorwingel Beholder of the Mists Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Somewhere in the Northwest... for now Posts: 1,419	I do that too, especially whenever someone says something incorrectly or I find out that they read the books. Then I am like "Are you into it" and then I start going on and on. Especially because I am trying to find friends that are into it, because right now I really have no one to talk about it with except for my sister, and the people on the Barrow Downs (of course [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] ) __________________ Wanted - Wonderfully witty quote that consists of pure brilliance

01-18-2003, 10:22 AM	#13
Horse-Maiden of the Shire Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Chillaxin' with Glorfindel-441 miles on the RtR Posts: 1,197	FINALLY! sniff sniff there are people like me! whenever somebody spells something wrong i flip at them, i.e. my friend spelled Legolas with an E instead of an A and i was all legoLAS LAS LAS LAS!! its LAS! and whenever i can i start jabbering about LotR. My friend loves it too, but sometimes i annoy her becuase i jabber about it so much....lol. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] i havent read the Silmarillon (sp?) and i want to, but i cant find it! this infuriates me. [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img] __________________ "There's a big...machine in the sky...some kind of electric snake...coming straight at us." "Shoot it," said my attorney. "Not yet...I want to study its habits."

01-18-2003, 06:32 PM	#14
Duncariel Wight Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: The Land of the Ice and Snow Posts: 226	One of my friends one told me that there were faeries in Mirkwood. I just about blew up and had to explain to her for about half an hour that they were actually elves, most certainly not faeries. if I spelled that wrong, shoot me. I know most of the family trees from all of the books and drive my friends crazy remembering them. __________________ Middle-earth: Insanity "What, the peons aren't trusted?" -- Yazoo, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

01-18-2003, 06:46 PM	#15
Aiya Pile O'Bones Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Sydney Posts: 22	Oh, yes, I know that feeling... When you make the simple comment that a friend looks like Elrond... Then you get to spend hours trying to explain -who- Elrond is... He'd even seen the movie, but no, he couldn't remember who the Lord of the Eyebrows was... __________________ "I was there the day Isildur took the ring - I was there when the strength of men failed."

01-19-2003, 08:21 AM	#16
Melephelwen Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: May 2002 Location: the Middle of Nowhere Posts: 291	giggle I just love doing that! For example, one of my friends who have seen the movies, liking them, and got the books on her to read-list, once asked me a question about ... Gollum, I think. I started to explain her about Sméagol and Déagol, which led to Goblins in the Misty Mountains, which again got me to Balrogs and their origin, and how they're sort of related with Gandalf, the difference between Valar and Maiar. Then I moved back to how the Ring worked with aging (using Sauron as the "conjunction"(right word?)), then I had to explain how old Hobbits and other races of ME could get - and then, sadly, our break was over, and we had to go to math-class. Somewhat, I don't think my friend was very sad about that... [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img] __________________ We're all following a strange melody We're all summoned by a tune We're following the piper And we dance beneath the moon

01-19-2003, 04:29 PM	#17
Mintyztwin Wight Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: The other side of crazy Posts: 212	Boy, can I relate or what? I go to college, and most of the people there don't have TIME to read the books, so they are all messed up. Whenever I hear a conversation going on about ME (usually movie-realted) I can't help butting in, and uh . . . expounding everything I know about ME (not much, considering how much some people here know) and . . . well, I get some very odd looks that way! Usually, when their eyes start glazing, I'll ask, "Haven't you read the books?" They say no, and I just kinda say, "Oh. Well you SHOULD!!" And then wander off. If they HAVE read the books, I'll bring up some obscure point, such as Who/What is Tom Bombadill? Or other stuff. Then I tell them about the Downs. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] I'm a great advertiser for them! Hey! I should get a salary! (Just kidding!) __________________ So, where are we going? But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. 1 Timothy 6:2

01-21-2003, 12:58 PM	#18
Balin999 Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: May 2000 Location: East of the Sun, West of the Moon Posts: 493	I was always annyoing my girlfriend with LotR until the movie came out. Until that time she always said that seh didn't like the LotR, although she hadn't read it yet. Then we saw the movie together and suddenly she even started to read the books. I was feeling THAT important when we left the theatre and she had about 20 questions that needed to be answered by ....me [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] I think that was the only time when I was not annyoing my girlfriend with LotR. __________________ ...Nichts ist gelber als Gelb selber... ...The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice, but conformity... ...Everything is possible, except to ski through a revolving door...

01-21-2003, 03:43 PM	#19
Bekah Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Several miles over the madness horizon and accelerating Posts: 431	My best friend (actually, she's about the only one who will put up with me - but she really truly is my best friend) had not read the books when the FOTR was coming out. She managed to get up to T.B. though before I hustled her to the theatre. I've only read about half of the Silm, but that's enough to really bug her when I say "Elentari is the Quenya Elvish word for 'Queen of the Stars', given to Varda, one of the Valar and spouse of Manwe, when she put the constellations in the sky for the first-born, the elves, and she is also more commonly known as Elbereth..." She gets a kind of look on her face which says 'shut up, when I've finished the books you can preach the history to me.' [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img] [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] She has now read at least half of TTT, but once again I dragged her off to the theatre...hopefully she'll have finished ROTK before the movie, as I think it's better to read the books first and form your own visual pictures. She's already lost a lot of them, I fear... But yes, I most definitely know a lot more than most of the people I know...so Barrow-downs is a relief - I don't have to explain all of the genealogies to you guys because you already know! Wonderful... God bless, ~ Elentari (aka Bekah) __________________ Vocatus Atque Non Vocatus Deus Aderit ------------~~~~~~~~~~~~~------------ A laita Atar, ar Yondo, ar Ainasule. Ve nes i yessesse na sin, ar yeva tennoio. Nasie.