[3 Word Story II]

Why don't you guys do the three word story like this:

First person writes three words. Next person copies and pastes the previous post and adds three words. Next person copies and pastes the previous post and adds three words, and so on. So by the end you get bigger and bigger posts, but you can see the entire story. You could cut it off, let's say at 1200 words, which would be 400 posts. Then you post the "finished" story and start a new one.

[question and answer thread]

Well we need full answers If you don't know, just let someone else answer.

But Aldarion's ship was nicknamed "Turuphanto", which means "Wooden Whale"

[Morgoth's foot]

Interesting. Well I suppose that would be further proof of Tolkien's usage of the word then.

As for these "e-books", I've just found them through repeated searching over the years. They're not official by any means, and I don't think they are quite legal, but since I'm using them for research purposes, it constitutes as fair use under the copyright law, and besides, I have the real books right next to me, it's just a lot harder to copy and paste them

[Religion]

Why do you think I was trying to refute you?

I just posted to discuss how entropy affects something like DarkAngel was talking about, and I wanted to post some more thoughts on Mythos Ruler's original thoughts.

[What Bombs Do You Launch On New Years ?]

I live in good ol' Ohio where we commonly launch lots of things into the air

I live in a pretty secluded area, so if there's a big empty field somewhere around, no one cares if you blow stuff up

In fact, me and some of my friends built a little shoulder mounted rocket launcher with an electrical ignition.

But that was pretty primitive.

Our next little project is to construct a 2.5m or so tall trebuchet - we already built a prototype to study the mechanics, a small trebuchet, less than 35 cm in all dimensions, but it can fire a ping-pong ball sized object 9 meters

So I guess I prefer the more mechanical stuff to the explosive stuff.

[Latin Word Association]

non

[Morgoth's foot]

heh, I have e-book versions for research purposes like this. I can't stand using them for a long time, because it causes eye-strain - and I like my good ol' books.

But yeah, I just had MS Word search for "hew" Copy/Paste and it was done in maybe 15 minutes.

[ARDA DEATHMATCH #3]

Sorry, Sauron, but in the words of Gandalf, "gothmog will not prevail you"

He'd be busy giving you a sound, fiery beating

[Speech for my Speech and Debate class]

Anglo-Saxon = Rohirric. Yes.

The myth of Nûmenor is based on various atlantis myths -

The classical greek myth

The celtic myth (cp. Tuatha-de-danaan and Númenoreans)

Various anglo-saxon myths of the sea.

You should read such books as the Lost Tales and the Lost Road.

the Rohan arcitecture is supposed to resemble Norse arcitecture also

No, Anglo-Saxon rather. But norse isn't far off. Think of Beowulf and the great hall of Heorot.

Beowulf also contributes a lot to the story of TTT. Think about Aragorn's coming to Rohan as Beowulf's coming to Denmark.

[Names]

Rohirric names added.

[Names]

Which civ is this for?

I should probably say that the languages for the civs are as follows:

First Age of the Sun

Noldor - Sindarin

Sindar - Sindarin

Dwarves - Norse/Khuzdul

Edain (of Bëor and Hador) - Old Edainic, some Sindarin

Forces of Morgoth - Valarin derivative/Black Speech "restored" by Sukkit.

Independents:

Easterlings of Beleriand - ?

Edain of Haleth - Old Edainic?

Northmen - Gothic/Anglo-Saxon/Old Norse or similar languages

Laiquendi - Silvan - Same root language as Sindarin

Noegyth Nibîn - ? Khuzdul variant?

Drúedain - ?

Falathrim - Sindarin

Second Age of the Sun

Noldor - Sindarin

Nandor - Silvan - Same root language as Sindarin

Dwarves - Norse/Khuzdul

Númenor - Quenya, later Adúnaic

Forces of Sauron - Black Speech

Independents:

Dunland - Celtic, Pictish, Gaelic, or a similar language

Harad/Umbar - ?

Drúedain - ?

Northmen - Gothic, Anglo-Saxon, Old Norse, or a similar language

Mountain Orcs - Black Speech

Third Age of the Sun

Noldor - Sindarin

Galadhrim - Sindarin

Dwarves - Norse/Khuzdul

Realms in Exile - Sindarin (some Quenya)

Forces of Sauron - Black Speech

Rohirrim - Anglo Saxon

Independents:

Dunland - Celtic/Pictish/Gaelic, or a similar language

Harad/Umbar - ?

Drúedain - ?

Mountain Orcs - Black Speech

Bree - named after types of flowers and plants, oddly enough.

Hobbits - easy enough.

Silvan - Silvan - Same root language as Sindarin

Isengard - Black Speech

Wainriders/Balchoth - ?

Esgaroth - Old Norse, Gothic

[Morgoth's foot]

This one's been troubling me since I first read the silmarillion.

Tolkien writes in the Silmarillion:

Then Morgoth hurled aloft Grond, the Hammer of the Underworld, and swung it down like a bolt of thunder. But Fingolfin sprang aside, and Grond rent a mighty pit in the earth, whence smoke and fire darted. Many times Morgoth essayed to smite him, and each time Fingolfin leaped away, as a 'lightning shoots from under a dark cloud; and he wounded Morgoth with seven wounds, and seven times Morgoth gave a cry of anguish, whereat the hosts of Angband fell upon their faces in dismay, and the cries echoed in the Northlands.

But at the last the King grew weary, and Morgoth bore down his shield upon hint Thrice he was crushed to his knees, and thrice arose again and bore up his broken shield and stricken helm. But the earth was all rent and pitted about him, and he stumbled and fell backward before the feet of Morgoth; and Morgoth set his left foot upon his neck, and the weight of it was like a fallen hill. Yet with his last and desperate stroke Fingolfin hewed the foot with Ringil, and the blood gashed forth black and smoking and filled the pits of Grond.

Ok, so this provokes discussion - with the last stroke, does fingolfin completely sever the foot of morgoth?

I think we need to find out what Tolkien means by hew:

Here are some other instances in which Tolkien uses the word in similar context:

Then the Captain of Morgoth sent out riders with tokens of parley, and they rode up before the outworks of the Barad Eithel. With them they brought Gelmir son of Guilin, that lord of Nargothrond whom they had captured in the Bragollach; and they had blinded him. Then the heralds of Angband showed him forth, crying: 'We have many more such at home, but you must make haste if you would find them; for we shall deal with them all when we return even so.' And they hewed off Gelmir's hands and feet, and his head last, within sight of the Elves, and left him.

Now the phalanx of the guard of the King broke through the ranks of the Orcs, and Turgon hewed his way to the side of his brother; and it is told that the meeting of Turgon with Hurin, who stood beside Fingon, was glad in the midst of battle.

Yet fate saved the sons of F?anor, and though all were wounded none were slain, for they drew together, and gathering a remnant of the Noldor and the Naugrim about them they hewed a way out of the battle and escaped far away towards Mount Dolmed in the east.

At last Fingon stood alone with his guard dead about him; and he fought with Gothmog, until another Balrog came behind and cast a thong of fire about him. Then Gothmog hewed him with his black axe, and a white flame sprang up from the helm of Fingon as it was cloven. Thus fell the High King of the Noldor; and they beat him into the dust with their maces, and his banner, blue and silver, they trod into the mire of his blood.

Then all the hosts of Angband swarmed against them, and they bridged the stream with their dead, and encircled the remnant of Hithlum as a gathering tide about a rock. There as the sun westered on the sixth day, and the shadow of Ered Wethrin grew dark, Huor fell pierced with a venomed arrow in his eye, and all the valiant Men of Hador were slain about him in a heap; and the Orcs hewed their heads and piled them as a mound of gold in the sunset.

Last of all Hurin stood alone. Then he cast aside his shield, and wielded an axe two-handed; and it is sung that the axe smoked in the black blood of the troll-guard of Gothmog until it withered, and each time that he slew Hurin cried: 'Aurë entuluva! Day shall come again!' Seventy times he uttered that cry; but they took him at last alive, by the command of Morgoth, for the Orcs grappled him with their hands, which clung to him still though he hewed off their arms; and ever their numbers were renewed, until at last he fell buried beneath them.

And even as Turin came up the dreadful sack of Nargothrond was well nigh achieved. The Orcs had slain or driven off all that remained in arms, and were even then ransacking the great halls and chambers, plundering and destroying; but those of the women and maidens that were not burned or slain they had herded on the terraces before the doors, as slaves to be taken into Morgoth's thraldom. Upon this ruin and woe Turin came, and none could withstand him; or would not, though he struck down all before him, and passed over the bridge, and hewed his way towards the captives.

There Morgoth stood at last at bay, and yet unvaliant. He fled into the deepest of his mines, and sued for peace and pardon; but his feet were hewn from under him, and he was hurled upon his face.

Well here he had two feet, but remember that he was capable of changing his physical form :/

From FotR:

But the courage that had been awakened in him was now too strong: he could not leave his friends so easily. He wavered, groping in his pocket, and then fought with himself again; and as he did so the arm crept nearer. Suddenly resolve hardened in him, and he seized a short sword that lay beside him, and kneeling he stooped low over the bodies of his companions. With what strength he had he hewed at the crawling arm near the wrist, and the hand broke off; but at the same moment the sword splintered up to the hilt. There was a shriek and the light vanished. In the dark there was a snarling noise.

In the leaping light, as the fresh wood blazed up, Frodo saw many grey shapes spring over the ring of stones. More and more followed. Through the throat of one huge leader Aragorn passed his sword with a thrust; with a great sweep Boromir hewed the head off another. Beside them Gimli stood with his stout legs apart, wielding his dwarf-axe. The bow of Legolas was singing.

Boromir leaped forward and hewed at the arm with all his might; but his sword rang, glanced aside, and fell from his shaken hand. The blade was notched.

Gimli hewed the legs from under another that had sprung up on Balin's tomb.

Five dead Orcs lay there. They had been hewn with many cruel strokes, and two had been beheaded. The ground was wet with their dark blood.

From TTT

'We fought far under the living earth, where time is not counted. Ever he clutched me, and ever I hewed him, till at last he fled into dark tunnels.

'And a Dwarf is no horseman. It is orc-necks I would hew, not shave the scalps of Men,' said Gimli, patting the haft of his axe.

'Twenty-one!' cried Gimli. He hewed a two-handed stroke and laid the last Orc before his feet. 'Now my count passes Master Legolas again.'

And they hewed Háma's body before the gates of the Hornburg, after he was dead.

His axe is not for trees, but for orc-necks, O Fangorn, Master of Fangorn's Wood. Forty-two he hewed in the battle.'

Sam, eager to see more, went now and joined the guards. He scrambled a little way up into one of the larger of the bay-trees. For a moment he caught a glimpse of swarthy men in red running down the slope some way off with green-clad warriors leaping after them, hewing them down as they fled.

Sam laughed grimly. `Cobwebs! ' he said. `Is that all? Cobwebs! But what a spider! Have at 'em, down with 'em! '

In a fury he hewed at them with his sword, but the thread that he struck did not break

Then Frodo stepped up to the great grey net, and hewed it with a wide sweeping stroke, drawing the bitter edge swiftly across a ladder of close-strung cords, and at once springing away.

Sam hewed a last stroke at her dragging legs. Then he fell to the ground.

From RoTK:

?Faramir! Faramir!? men cried, weeping in the streets. But he did not answer, and they bore him away up the winding road to the Citadel and his father. Even as the Nazgûl had swerved aside from the onset of the White Rider, there came flying a deadly dart, and Faramir, as he held at bay a mounted champion of Harad, had fallen to the earth. Only the charge of Dol Amroth had saved him from the red southland swords that would have hewed him as he lay.

The Gate was shut. All night watchmen on the walls heard the rumour of the enemy that roamed outside, burning field and tree, and hewing any man that they found abroad, living or dead.

All about the streets and lanes behind the Gate it tumbled down, small round shot that did not burn. But when men ran to learn what it might be, they cried aloud or wept. For the enemy was flinging into the City all the heads of those who had fallen fighting at Osgiliath, or on the Rammas, or in the fields. They were grim to look on; for though some were crushed and shapeless, and some had been cruelly hewn, yet many had features that could be told, and it seemed that they had died in pain; and all were branded with the foul token of the Lidless Eye. But marred and dishonoured as they were, it often chanced that thus a man would see again the face of someone that he had known, who had walked proudly once in arms, or tilled the fields, or ridden in upon a holiday from the green vales in the hills.

?This, lord: they were errand-riders of Gondor; Hirgon was one maybe. At least his hand still clasped the Red Arrow, but his head was hewn off.

Still she did not blench: maiden of the Rohirrim, child of kings, slender but as a steel-blade, fair but terrible. A swift stroke she dealt, skilled and deadly. The outstretched neck she clove asunder, and the hewn head fell like a stone. Backward she sprang as the huge shape crashed to ruin, vast wings outspread, crumpled on the earth; and with its fall the shadow passed away. A light fell about her, and her hair shone in the sunrise.

The axes hewed Forlong as he fought alone and unhorsed; and both Duilin of Morthond and his brother were trampled to death when they assailed the mûmakil, leading their bowmen close to shoot at the eyes of the monsters.

Then Azog with a swift swing hewed his neck. His mail-collar withstood the edge, but so heavy was the blow that Náin's neck was broken and he fell.

Up the steps after him leaped a Dwarf with a red axe. It was Dáin Ironfoot, Náin's son. Right before the doors he caught Azog, and there he slew him, and hewed off his head.

WOW! That was exhaustive - but fruitful I think. Tolkien sure liked that word. From the research above, this is the definition I think Tolkien uses for "to hew"

To wildly swing at something, usually limb-like or tree-like with a bladed weapon in an attempt to sever or to entirely cut through something.

Tolkien uses "hew + off" to mean that something was successfully hewed, that is it was severed or cut through entirely.

Tolkien uses "hew + at" to mean that something was unsuccessfully hewed, and usually he uses this combination for a complete miss of a wild swing.

But tolkien uses simply "hew" to mean that an object was indeed hewn at, and the swing made contact, but if he doesn't use off with "hew", then that means that the object was not severed.

So in conclusion, Morgoth's foot was NOT completely severed. It was severely rended with a deep wound that was intended to sever it.

[Latin Word Association]

well this topic was getting kind of empty so:

nihil

[Religion]

@Darkangle - we need a "Delta" sign as a smilie here

Ok, basically the law says that entropy of the universe always increases.

Delta-S (sys) + Delta-S (sur) >= 0

so therefore, since the system and the surroundings comprise the universe - in other words, one little thing can be a system, and the rest of the entire universe would be the surrouninds. So in essence, the equation can be rewritten as:

Delta-S (universe) >= 0

So in english - the entropy of the universe can either stay the same or increase, but it can never decrease.

It's been demonstrated experimentally that the entropy of the universe generally tends to increase, rather than stay the same.

You can think of entropy as a general measure of disorder of a system.

So basically, look at an object like a computer. It seems like it is a very ordered object. Designed, made from all sorts of various raw materials from all around the world.

But this computer, though it may decrease disorder within the actual confines of its material, actually INCREASES the disorder of the rest of the universe.

Because think about this - by making a computer you have to hire people all around the world in factories to cast plastics, to make superconductors, graphics cards, research markets, make light-emitting-diodes, and then this could increase the stress level of the guy making the CD eject button, because he's got 10 kids to feed, and then the mother gets upset, and her coworkers get annoyed because she doesn't do as much work, so she gets fired, and then the ten kids have to live their lives on welfare, which gets a whole bunch of republican congressmen angry when a democratic presidential candidate invites the ten grown up kids to a debate and points them out in the audience...

See, every tiny thing in other words, creates ripples in the infinite.

A general way to think about this, the way in which you can apply this to real-life, I suppose, is that for everything you try to make better, it only makes other things worse.

depressing, isn't it. I'm increasing the entropy of the universe just by posting this.

Though entropy of a closed system can decrease, it just means that the surroundings must increase in entropy that much more to either equal zero or surpass it.

So take another example - wealth v. poverty.

The more wealthy families (closed system) try to make their lives better, let's say, investing more, and increasing their wealth, the poor get even more poor and despondent. Think of how this is true in history, in many instances. Look at the Johnstown Dam in PA in the 1800s, where the rich had a dam moved because it obstructed their view, of the river valley, so the dam was built in a weak place, and it burst, killing many and causing much damage.

Look at the railroad barons, and how they instated the US time zones so they could further control their industry. Think about how many problems time zones and daylight savings time have caused since then!

So the second law is perfectly valid in the case of big bang and the expanding universe.

But how does it go with christian apocalyptic beliefs?

Well if god 'ends' the world, it would create a massive decrease of the entropy of the universe, which is contrary to the law.

unless, of course - there is an even number universes that a god controls, so that a massive decrease in entropy in one universe is merely a massive increase in the other universe, rendering the known universe merely another system of a larger universe, which might be a larger system of another universe, which may be a larger system of another universe....

which is what I think DarkAngel was referring to

BTW Mythos_Ruler, great voltaire quote on the sig.

[Gathering of the Fellowship]

Are any of you guys attending this?

http://www.tolkiengathering.com/

In December of 2003, fans of J.R.R. Tolkien will travel from all over the world to gather in TORONTO, Canada for a Convention, featuring a masquerade banquet and ball with live music, various workshops, panels, galleries, a gaming room, and a vendor's room...  but there's more!!!

  This Gathering of the Fellowship will also feature the screening of the first two parts of New Line Cinema's The Lord of the Rings movie series, The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers , courtesy of New Line Cinema and Alliance Atlantis. Admission to the third movie in the series, The Return of the King , scheduled for release on December 17, 2003, will also be made available to the membership through the generous assistance of New Line Cinema and Alliance Atlantis.

  In this way, Gathering attendees will be able to view in theaters the full, TRIPLE FEATURE that is New Line Cinema's masterpiece The Lord of the Rings films, directed by Peter Jackson!

It sounds really interesting.

This seems to be the biggest gathering of unofficial Tolkien projects, undertakings, and purist fans I've ever seen.

I think we REALLY need to try and become members of this gathering before next year, team members.

This would be the ultimate networking experience and would allow us to really take root in the community.

I'd be very interested in attending next year.

[LoTR RTS]

Sorry, I was out of town for two days.

No, not for sure - since it's an independent film, it will be limited to a small area, I'm sure.

But you can check their website at:

http://www.ancanar.com

[question and answer thread]

Irensaga.

Who was What relationship did Aldarion and ëarendur share?

[Names]

we could make first and second syllabels (spelling?) which would be randomly chosen by the game itself

Good idea, but the intricacies of languages will make for bad combinations :/

Besides, we simply won't have enough combinations with other languages, and since the total combinations of many things is a lot greater than the total combinations of very few things, this would make some civs very unequal than others in terms of name-variation. If we simply have a large list for some and a small list for others, that's still a smaller factor of inequality than we'd have for combinations.

Come on you guys

Let's make some lists. I'm sure you can think of more names than this:

We can use names of characters from the books, but they have to be uncommon so as to avoid confusion for players. So for instance, we can use Lotho or Lobelia +(random last name!) for hobbits, since they are relatively minor names compared to Frodo, Samwise, or Meriadoc.

[The website:]

People like visual things

Yes, but you have to remember that the project is first made for people who like what tolkien wrote in his books, and then for people who like visual things. So don't expect an overload on images

Also we have as much on the website as you're going to see for a while now, simply because the game is not in the production phase yet.

[Religion]

I guess you could say I don't have enough faith to not believe in God.

Quite thought provoking.

[Names]

We are reading Julius Ceaser in english [tongue.gif]

So I will think of as many as I can

They need to be in Tolkien's languages.

All of Tolkien's elven names have a meaning.

gelmir

Gelmir was a character from Unfinished Tales, of Tuor and his Coming to Gondolin.

[The Mother of all Threads]

ticket

[3 Word Story]

What dreams came...

[COUNTDOWN]

Ok, I've got my tickets - 12:06 AM, that's 00:06 (12:01 was sold out!) on Wednesday the 17th of December!

It's going to be great.

[Religion]

Yeah, I have absolutely no clue obviously, if any of these theories hold water. I don't know why I have drifted in the direction of science either. Because really in the end, it's all relying on the same thing that religious faith relies on:

What was before?

I mean, scientists could debate over and over again what the first seconds of big band would be like, what the density had to be given the known mass of the universe, etc, etc.

But you ask a scientist where the big bang came from, or when the universe began oscillating, and he can't answer you.

I guess Christians would say that God is transcendent of time, that he merely 'was'. But to me, though this is thought provoking and interesting, I can't find it something on which to base my life and personal morals actively.

I guess I'm always going to be a wanderer