Jump to content

Enarwaen

WFG Retired
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    3.020

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by Enarwaen

    Interesting Quote ...

    in Hall of Intellectuals

    Posted

    i agree whole-heartedly Klaas!

    somehow i think it is very shameful but also defining the current times when someone easily discards his/her right to vote as an unecessary thing when a little more than hundred years ago there were fights and uprisings of the population to even gain those rights!

    and its always easier to comment on something bad one's government is doing when nobody gets his "butt" off the sofa and actually goes voting.

    the non-voting percentage is steadily increasing. that way the politically motivated (even the ill-motivated ... see France's LePen, Austria's Joerg Haider :) ) voters can gain substantial increases because the general amount of votes decreases but the absolute percentages of their party increases.

    this way the non-voters in general harm the outcome of an election. that's what i usually say to non-voters here in Austria (when i get the chance), because - there is no party for the non-voters - their are just throwing their vote away, same w/ anyone who votes incorrectly out of protest (another popular voting myth here :) )

    suilad

    -Bernd

  5. Lotr Trailer Music

    in Introductions & Off-Topic Discussion

    Posted

    the music in the latter part of the trailer was taken from the movie "Requiem for a Dream" and re-orchestrated for the trailer. it gave me goose-bumps the first time i saw it. btw - if you want a depressing but good movie about drug addicts ... check it out :)

    also the music of the first internet preview (was that 1999 or 2000 ?) - called "Gothic Power" is kind of neat (and used now w/ other movie trailers as well e.g. T3)

    Interesting Quote ...

    in Hall of Intellectuals

    Posted

    very good black op - /me donates 10 points

    you might want to check up this article i found yesterday (and the reason for this thread here)

    http://www.snopes.com/quotes/goering.htm

    @topic

    i think what the saddest part about all this is the current lethargy concerning politics. i hear things like ElftheHunter said quite often. Many "younger" people i know are either absolutely not interested in politics or feel powerless to make a change themselves or are just disillusionised because no matter what political party wins it all just stays the same.

    i also have the impression that most people don't want to remember what a politician said over time, they don't seem to notice when suddenly the politicians point of view turns 180 degrees and right back the week after. they are lulled into obedient lemming-hood once again its time to cast a vote. this is something that drives me up the barricades.

    wise quote of the day: "every country deserves the government it has elected"

    all i propose is to observe the political landscape with a critical eye. don't buy into everything the (main) media tells you (fox-news *ahem*) :)

    suilad

    -Bernd

    Hollywood Peace

    in Hall of Intellectuals

    Posted

    "Many Palestinians do not even have television sets. What is more, for the past three years here no one has listened to anyone, so what makes these people think they will listen to Danny DeVito?"

    oh they do have TV's - well atleast not everyone but they invite half of the neighborhood to watch TV.

    i recently saw a documentary on media influence in palestinian settlements. i was kind of shocked to watch as even the smallest kids get influenced by stuff like music videos which glorify things like self-sacrifice for the palestinian people (i cant quote the translated lyrics but it was something like "don't cry for me mother, but the day will be a glorious one when i spill my blood for my country ...").

    they did a survey in a school and asked several 8year old children (both girls and boys) and they stated "yes i want to be a martyr - because then i can go to paradise!"

    this (for me) is just a shocking facet at what level the youngest ones are imprinted with a hatred that is about to go critical once they reach puberty or adulthood.

    and no - i don't have a grand idea on how to resolve this @#$% conflict.

    just one quote from the german poet Berthold Brecht:

    "Imagine there is a war, and no one joins the fighting"
    (poorly translated by me - the original is "Stell dir vor es ist Krieg, und keiner geht hin")

    suilad

    -Bernd

    Interesting Quote ...

    in Hall of Intellectuals

    Posted

    "Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country."

    reminds me of the situation back in march/april this year.

    i wonder if you dig up who originally said that. not that i endorse this person anyway :) but i find the truth beneath that quote kind of unsettling.

    suilad

    -Bernd

    Who Is Tom Bombadil?

    in The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit

    Posted

    No, enigmas are not meant to be solved, and if you consider "not being part of the mythology", being part of the mythology in some way, than it's a difference in interpretation, not a difference in empirical fact.

    very good indeed adam, i was about to post something similiar yesterday evening but was too tired ;)

    the article you linked was interesting but IMO shooting to far in wanting to desperatley cramp Tolkien's lore on the unsuspecting Tom Bombadil :lol:

    i too think that you cannot define who or what Tom Bombadillo really is - he is as you said an enigma which is not to be solved.

    one thing i recently noticed - after reading through the Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth (HoME vol. 10) was Tolkien's sly take on Christianity in his overall works. Those of you who read the Silmarillion will most likely remember the Music of the Ainur as well as the final theme introduced by Eru which contained the Children of Arda (Eldar and Atani). Tolkien goes as far as setting the existance of Arda as being finite. Thus the Eldar would be - though immortal in their existance - still be bound to a finite Arda - which causes them lots of "theological" pain. On the other hand he introduces mortal men - who in the end will be the redemption of Arda when Eru himself will descend into Arda (as Man ?) and transform (with the help of Men) Arda Marred into Arda Renewed (not Arda Healed!).

    So - why did i put this here - because there a loads of theories of Tom Bombadil being Eru himself and this clearly contradicts the "theological" view of Tolkien's world.

    suilad

    -Bernd

    Lotr Exhibition @ Science Museum

    in The Green Dragon

    Posted

    so ... after a really stressfull week here come my thoughts on the exhibition

    well - it isn't particulary huge (2 rooms only) and the stuff they show only scratches the surface of the movie - and of course no exhibits from RotK and only some from TTT.

    the most impressive piece was the armor of Sauron, which stands over 2 meters tall and is incredibly detailed. a shame this was not better shown in the movie.

    the costumes and armor/weapons/accessoires make up the bulk of the exhibition and one can truly marvel at the amount of work that went into it. kudos to the guys from weta workshop. the videoscreens showed mostly stuff that is (or will be known) from the extra material on the extended edition dvd(s). they also had one huge cave troll statue w/ backdrop from Moria (including a rotting dwarven skeleton as well as a Moria Orc - clinging to the wall *ahem*) :lol:

    all in all it was not bad - but not nearly as good as i've imagined. the merchandising "shop" upfront was a mere disappointment - just selling the usual stuff you get from any shop at outrageous prices.

    apart from that my london trip was productive - bought the last two volumes of the HoME series (vol 11 & 12), a great poster-book w/ artwork from Ted Nasmith covering the Silmarillion, a really cheap FotR-EE Collectors Edition (the one w/ the Argonath) for only GBP 30 (around 45 Euros) and some clothes. On Saturday we'd been up till 5 a.m. in the morning touring the local pubs/clubbings *hic*. maybe thats why i was not so blown away by the exhibition due to serious hangover ;)

    anyway - just wanted to give you a heads up on what i've experienced in the LotR Exhibition (and yes i started a discussion at the Galadhrim-armor from TTT about the EaHD-Problem ;) )

    cheers

    -Bernd

    Cheat/taunt Ideas

    in General TLA Discussion

    Posted

    @Elf

    check the programming forum in the O.A.D. community ... there is a thread from olsner which adresses your concerns

    @topic

    cheats are vital function during game-developing and testing. which codes survive into the finished game will be seen. but i think some funny quotes from the books might serve best

    suilad

    -Bernd

    Which books have you read?

    in The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit

    Posted

    @Frumpus

    the orc issue is an interesting topic ... i'll give you a "short" summary on my findings in HoME vol.10 "Morgoth's Ring".

    In the earliest drafts the "Orkor" :lol: were based off animals - with enough "Black Will" transfered from Morgoth (thus weakening him amongst other reasons) ... so it deems at first they were mortal and "mutated" from common animal into cruel beings that were used by the Dark Lord

    Later the idea of twisted Eldar (mostly taken from the surrounding of Lake Cuiviénen - the place of awakening ... cf. the dark legends of the "Hunter" told to Orome upon his arrival) was shaped (which survived into the Silmarillion). There is much discussion about the mortality of such twisted elves. The most plausible explanation would be that Morgoth was capable of twisting elves into something hideous but altering the Fea to be mortal would exceed even his abilities.

    Parallel to that the professor developed the idea that some of the lesser spirits that were drawn to Morgoth were given a shape and posed as commanding Orcs (there is a orc-commander called Burgâsh mentioned several times in his early Quenta Silmarillion)

    Later still he abandoned the idea of twisted elves and settled instead on early men, which again poses a problem concerning the time-table which he set up for the Quenta Silmarillion, where Orcs already appeared before the Rising of the Moon which would be before the Awakening of Men, when the Sun rose for the first time.

    I'll write up an essay as promised, but since i'm currently figuratively swamped w/ work you'll have to be patient a bit longer ;)

    suilad

    -Bernd

    Fire Of Orthanc?

    in General TLA Discussion

    Posted

    interesting! i would deem that creating "gunpowder" for fireworks (in Gandalf's case) and the destructive "Fire of Orthanc" (in Saruman's case) is indeed an act of crafting supplied by inherent "Lore" that was learned either back home in Valinor (and please remember that Saruman was a Maia of Aule !) or has been learnt during their time in Middle-earth. Personally i'd prefer that they learned of it in Valinor.

    But also Sauron seems to have a similar destructive "Fire". Ghân-buri-ghân reports to King Theoden the following (RotK - Chapter V - "The Ride of the Rohirrim")

    Presently Ghân turned to the king. 'Wild Men say many things ' he said. 'First, be wary! Still many men in camp beyond Dîn, an hour's walk yonder,' he waved his arm west towards the black beacon. 'But none to see between here and Stone-folk's new walls. Many busy there. Walls stand up no longer: Gorgûn knock them down with earth-thunder and with clubs of black iron. They are unwary and do not look about them. They think their friends watch all roads!'

    and don't forget about the catapults (Rotk - Chapter IV - "The Siege of Gondor")

    But the engines did not waste shot upon the indomitable wall. It was no brigand or orc-chieftain that ordered the assault upon the Lord of Mordor's greatest foe. A power and mind of malice guided it. As soon as the great catapults were set, with many yells and the creaking of rope and winch, they began to throw missiles marvellously high, so that they passed right above the battlement and fell thudding within the first circle of the City; and many of them by some secret art burst into flame as they came toppling down.

    suilad

    -Bernd

    Third Age Gothmog

    in The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit

    Posted

    @Sukkit

    you are totally right - none of the Ainur (including Manwe, Morgoth ...) could alter the Fate of Men, because everything on Arda (well almost ... cf. Creation of the Dwarves :lol: ) came from Eru Illúvatar himself. And no Vala or Maia had the power to change that (also cf. Home Vol 10: Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth).

    This leaves two distinct possibilites:

    1) Tolkien made an "error" when he wrote (or chose some unlucky words *ahem* for us to chew on - when he meant the whole phrase in another way)

    And he entered the service of the Dark Tower when it first rose again

    Just as a reminder: Sauron started building his Barad-dûr around SA 1000 and completed it around SA 1600. He abandoned Mordor after the "friendly invitation" from Ar-Pharazôn to Númenor in SA 3262. After his return in SA 3319 he rebuilt his strength (not necessarily the tower itself) in Mordor - so the above phrase could be taken in a literal way - meaning Sauron's again increasing power.

    2) OR Tolkien explicitly means the actual rebuilding of Barad-dûr in TA 2951 - this would imply that there are STILL Black Númenoreans lurking under some rocks down in Harad - which to me is rather unlikely - since the Black Númenoreans were almost wiped out when Gondor took Umbar in TA 933. The few survivors most likely mingled most likely w/ local Haradric People and so ...

    after the Fall of Sauron, their race swiftly dwindled or became merged with the Men of Middle-earth
    - Annals of the Kings and Rulers, Appendix A in: The Return of the King

    ... one could assume that the Black Númenorans bred themselves out of their "Númenorean DNA" ;) and so it would be highly unlikely that Sauron found one in the later centuries of the Third Age. Also the fact that Barad-dûr was rebuilt in TA 2951 and the public appearance of the Mouth of Sauron took place in TA 3019 would leave too little time to become as "wretched" as the MoS appeared to be further disqualifies that possibility

    in conclusion one could say that the MoS was recruited somewhere during the last century of the Second Age - and most likely has been given a Ring of Power that prolonged his life in an unnatural way

    suilad

    -Bernd

    Third Age Gothmog

    in The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit

    Posted

    Now - Why would Ologs and Nazgûl take orders from an Uruk or another Olog for that matter? To me it's much more plausible that the Gothmog who took power after the fall of the Lord of the Nazgûl was a being of higher and more fearsome status, such as a black numenorean or a nazgûl. In fact the black numenorean theory has literary support- in the second age, two of Sauron's most influential cohorts are two black numenoreans, Herumor and Fuinor, who both became Sauron's puppets in the South.

    ah yes ... the classic debate - we already had this in the old boards :lol:

    like adam already pointed out: Uruks and Ologs certainly dont fit. the only possible options left are either a Nazgûl or a Black Númenorean.

    I'd like to shift your attention to another character in Sauron's camp: The Mouth of Sauron. He is of (Black) Númenorean origin and seems to have been in Sauron's service since the FIRST rebuilding of Barad-dûr (after the drowning of Númenor in SA 3319), he seems to victim of "short-term-memory-loss" since he has forgotten his name ... cf. the following quote:

    At its head there rode a tall and evil shape, mounted upon a black horse, if horse it was; for it was huge and hideous, and its face was a frightful mask, more like a skull than a living head, and in the sockets of its eyes and in its nostrils there burned a flame. The rider was robed all in black, and black was his lofty helm; yet this was no Ringwraith but a living man. The Lieutenant of the Tower of Barad-dûr he was, and his name is remembered in no tale; for he himself had forgotten it, and he said: 'I am the Mouth of Sauron.' But it is told that he was a renegade, who came of the race of those that are named the Black Númenóreans; for they established their dwellings in Middle-earth during the years of Sauron's domination, and they worshipped him, being enamoured of evil knowledge. And he entered the service of the Dark Tower when it first rose again, and because of his cunning he grew ever higher in the Lord's favour; and he learned great sorcery, and knew much of the mind of Sauron; and he was more cruel than any orc.

    the question remains - how can any mortal live almost 3000 years ? Could Sauron's skill have prolonged his life ? Probably not, since he could NOT alter the Fate of Men, that was granted by Eru! Or was he given a Ring of Power - maybe one of the Dwarven Rings, that Sauron had left ? or maybe one of the Lesser Rings ? We don't know and will never find out. Maybe he was one of the "infamous" Black Númenoreans who gained power over the Southrons during the end of the Second Age, aptly named Herumor and Fuinor ?

    but this brings us back to the Gothmog-topic.

    Option A: Gothmog = Nazgûl - Lieutenant of Morgul (meaning second-in-command of Minas Morgul) is possible - since Nazgûl #2 (Khamul) is the Lieutenant of Dol Guldur.

    Option B: Gothmog = Black Númenorean: also possible since the Nazgûl were used in the Battle of Pelennor on their Fell Beasts and the army from Minas Morgul consisted also of Men (which race is unknown ... but they had cavalry - and i doubt that it was Orcs riding horses ;) )

    All that host was clad in sable, dark as the night. Against the wan walls and the luminous pavement of the road Frodo could see them, small black figures in rank upon rank, marching swiftly and silently, passing outwards in an endless stream. Before them went a great cavalry of horsemen moving like ordered shadows, and at their head was one greater than all the rest: a Rider, all black, save that on his hooded head he had a helm like a crown that flickered with a perilous light.

    So it could be that Gothmog was maybe the Leader of the Cavalry of Morgul and so highly trusted by the Witch-King.

    suilad

    -Bernd

    What Bothered You Most About Ttt Movie?

    in The Green Dragon

    Posted

    agreed ... it IS a great movie ... had PJ stuck closer to the literary source it would have been more than a movie :lol:

    in FotR there were more things i liked than disliked. TTT tipped the scales almost to equal (with slightly more things i liked than disliked) so i wonder about RotK if it will continue the trend or it will surprise me

    one thing i HOPE they won't dare is a final duel between Aragorn & Sauron ... this is a big NO NO NO ...

×
×
  • Create New...