There are two lamps of the Valar. They are Illuin and Ormal. They were brought on and built by Aulë at the prayer of Yavanna, in order to light Middle-earth - built along the encircling seas. This need for light was expressed after the Valar entered Middle-earth, subduing the fires of Melkor. Lamps of the Valar - Etymology While it was unclear where the name Illuin came from, it was claimed by Paul Strack that it came from the terms Il- 'sky' and -luin 'blue.' The name meant 'blue ...
Blog
Is Lord of the Rings Christian?
Apparently there's an article on Medium that's been going around saying that Lord of the Rings isn't Christian. Also, when I was in a TheOneRing.net group, I posted a photo I liked and out of (seemingly to me) nowhere someone tried to argue the same thing. I responded by saying that yes, Lord of the Rings is Christian, but his works are definitely not limited to people who share the Christian belief. Tolkien was a devout Roman Catholic, though it has been thought of in terms that he was ...
NoME Section 1: Time and Ageing
Greetings! We are underway in the Nature of Middle-earth Book Discussion, discussing Section I: Time and Ageing. It's interesting how it's said "time and ageing" (which my computer autocorrects to 'aging' unless I persist, as the latter seems to be the correct American term). I wonder if it's an intentional form on Tolkien's part, to add the 'e' in 'aging,' or not. After all, as I was reading the letters, I noticed he'd preferred to spell the plural form of "dwarf," a species in his ...
LOTRon Prime Finally Has a Name!
The wait is over...finally we have LOTRon Prime coming along. Especially since we've been talking about this for years now - at least they're taking a step forward! We are now seeing positive progress on this. When will LOTRon Prime be released? It is supposed to be out on September 2, 2022 on Amazon Prime Video. I had some concerns, but I hope it turns out well - and based on what I've seen here so far, I think it sounds like it will. Are you excited for LOTRon ...
Letter #246: Destruction of the One Ring
One day I looked into Tolkien Gateway and decided to change one part concerning Frodo's Destruction of the One Ring in Mount Doom. It also seems to be a hot button topic - that of Frodo's Destruction of the One Ring, and what role he had in the journey. I wasn't sure if changing the part was justified, since I was worried it was too much about how I was feeling - but later figured if Tolkien wrote it, then it was definitely justified. After all, there's a reason why he did and also there's ...
On Eucatastrophe as told in Letter #89
Word of the Day: eucatastrophe eu•ca•tas•tro•phe | ēu-kə-tăs′trə-fē noun the sudden happy turn in a story which pierces you with a joy that brings tears. (J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter # 89) For all of you preferred video learners, here's a video version of this topic in my new Youtube Channel below. Eucatastrophe background This term was coined during a letter, Letter #89, that Tolkien wrote to his son Christopher. However, it is not the first place I heard about the term. I had first ...