Friday, September 10, 2010

Puzzler for You: J.R.R. Tolkien

Who is this man? (Love the wool jacket!)
He is J.R.R Tolkien (1892-1973), a good friend of C. S. Lewis.


His chief interest: Literary and linguistic aspects of the early English written tradition, especially Beowulf, the Ancrene Wisse, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, but even as he studied these classics, he was creating a set of his own.
MY QUESTION IS: In which of Tolkien's books is the following quotation found? Who said it and who was it about? The Hobbit, published in 1937, catapulted him to fame and gave rise to other major works, including The Lord of the Rings. To date, Professor Tolkien's works have been translated into 25 languages. It has reached and entranced some 12 million readers.

"All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king."
It should sound familiar to many of you--you've seen the movie, I'm sure. And I know that some of you have read the book! Please let me hear from you, if you think you know. I know you don't want to think on a weekend, but your brain will thank you for it. And I will thank you for it!

This book is in the Fantasy category. Here is what C. S. Lewis had to say about it: "No imaginary world has been projected which is at once so multifarious and so true...Here are beauties which pierce like swords or burn like cold iron." Who doesn't enjoy everything Lewis has to say???

I will say that my area of emphasis in college was the Medieval Period, and I wrote a paper for Dr. Connelly in English at Middle Tennessee State U. on "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." I think it's the best paper I ever wrote, and if I can find it, I'll share part of it with you. I think I said in my intro that I began college work at age 33, so it was serious business to me.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend with the family, and give some time to thinking about your Maker, your Savior, the Holy Spirit, and all your Blessings!

Blessings to all of you...Mimi

8 comments:

  1. The Lord of the Rings. I knew I had heard it, but I couldn't place it until you said it was in movie form, then I remembered. I believe the poem/saying is about Aragorn.

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  2. Yes, Jon, you're right! It is about Aragorn. You're really good! Do you know who said it? I guess you recognize J. R. R. Tolkien in the picture. Good for you and thanks for answering.

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  3. I don't remember who said it, I just remembered there being a poem for Aragorn and since Aragorn had a special sword which was once broken, but in the story was reforged, I figured this was the poem. Actually, I didn't know what Tolkein looked like until I saw this picture (although I've probably seen his photo before.)

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  4. I still think you did very well, Jon. Gondolf sent a letter to Frodo and this was his description of Aragorn. Good books that I'm glad you've read!

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  5. I knew the saying was from The Lord of The Rings Books, but I wasn't sure which book. Have you ever read the Silmarilion (I'm not sure I spelled that right)?

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  6. Well, it's probably been a while since you read the "Rings" books. I haven't read the book you mention (I think it has 2 "lls" in it), but I think I have it somewhere. Thanks for commenting!

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  7. It has been a lot of years since I read them. Although I did read them all several times. :) The Silmarillion is a tough read about the history of middle earth and the elves and the eldar all kinds of stuff.

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  8. This will surprise you and I hate to admit it, but I haven't read any of the books. They weren't around when I was growing up--at least not for us. I've watched the movies, of course, but it isn't the same. Those "tough reads" are good for your mind. The toughest reads I ever got through was a Medieval course that was reading poetry--Chaucer--in Middle English. And I also barely got through Dostoesky's "Crime and Punishment." And I enjoyed the poetry,but never liked the Russian novel.

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