Finally, Stephen's Tolkien Geekdom Pays Off
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- čas přidán 8. 12. 2015
- A man in Turkey is on trial for comparing President Erdogan to Gollum. But was it really Gollum? Stephen makes the defendant's case in the courtroom of being on television.
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In case anyone is wondering, Bilgin Ciftci was acquitted of insulting Erdogan in 2017.
cerulean tear I was, thank you ^_^
I was looking for this comment! Thank u!
Thank you, Stephen Colbert!
I'd love to see that transcript
oh wow, I thought this was a new video since it played automatically after one from yesterday. thanks for that.
Stephen is a true half-elf. You can see that heritage on his right ear.
I'm glad someone else has this thought 😂
Stephen Half-Elven has a nice ring to it
stephen peredhel lmao
@@pontifexmaximoose7433 a nice RING ? :)
YUP
"In the name of Eru Iluvatar." Now *that* has a ring to it.
R Pryce Lmaoooo
...and WHO or WHAT is 'Eru Illuvatar'?
jbohnoff God in Tolkien’s Legendarium
Please tell me that pun was intended
@@jbohnoff There was Eru, the One, who in Arda is called Ilúvatar; and he made first the Ainur, the Holy Ones, that were the offspring of his thought, and they were with him before aught else was made.
Peter Jackson October 26, 2012: "I have to say, his encyclopedic knowledge of Tolkien is spectacular, and *points to a deprived childhood* in some respects.”
I disagree. Escapism is healthy.
Escapism was necessary. He fell down the Tolkien rabbit hole after his dad and two brothers died in a plane crash.
That is so disturbing and sad.
@@deelzebub1213 I had no idea...that makes his comments to Anderson Cooper all the more poignant ❤
Dee Raver 😨
PETER JACKSON: That's Smeagol.
STEPHEN COLBERT: Don't listen to him; listen to me...That's Smeagol.
Haha
Basically
I always took it that Gollum knew he was going into the fire and didn't care, that he wanted the ring AND wanted the ring destroyed finally, to be out of his misery. He got both wishes in the end. Subconciously, did he do it on purpose? I always thought so. So, I thought he was a hero in his own weird way.
So, I thought maybe Colbert would say something like that.
@@Marnee4191 I never considered that point of view. I always saw it akin to an alcoholic who knew his next drink would kill him, but drinks it anyway.
Stephen, do a regular bit where you tell the tales, by fireside, from Tolkien's mythology.
Tell the tale of the two blue wizard brothers who tried to help the east against a greater enemy than even Sauron.
I know of those wizards, and they were given names in some of the tabletop RPG materials in the 80s or 90s (which may be based on some of Tolkien's notes), but I don't recall that the enemy they faced was greater than Sauron? I think they just went East and the story is shrouded in mystery. I suppose one might speculate it was Ungoliant, Shelob's mother. She almost overcame Melkor/Morgoth and her fate is unknown, as I recall.
Scratch that "Greater enemy" thing, just looked them up. They did however weaken Sauron during the second age. And possibly lead rebellions against him from the east.
This isn't canon at all, but I think some of those game resources
(awesome resources, really, from ICE/Rolemaster) implied or used those
two wizards as potential enemies who became, like Saruman, swayed by
power.
I'll always remember how fun and yet irritating it was to see that Legolas was only level 9, whereas Glorfindel was level 50 or so. Jesus: leave a Hobbit in Rivendell and give me Glorfindel!
Is that a DnD style thing?
stephen could start a college course all about lord of the rings and tolkien
Marc Klein a course on Tolkien’s world building and mythos would be amazing.
There are already 100s that Colbert wouldn't pass. Check out The Tolkien Professor & The Prancing Pony Podcast.
if only he could pronounce gollums name correctly
@@chrischerubini7766 He mispronounces A LOT of stuff. Do you know about "The Prancing Pony Podcast" by Alan Sisto & Shawn Marchese? I'm the "Chad in Texas" they speak of. Everyone on there BLOWS away Colbert.
I would definitely be a part of that.
I love when Stephen is geeking out. He should have a segment on his show for this,
The law itself insults the President by assuming he is so thin skinned that he can't take a joke. By it's own standards it should put itself on trial.
+554466551 Hahah, Hear hear!
That's the thing. How weak of a politician or political figure must you be to care about something so trivial? How morally bankrupt and weak must the government know it is to even think to create that law?
If you truly believe that individual citizens poking fun at you can start a revolution or remove you from power you KNOW you're part of an inherently weak system.
Truth doesn't make a noise or sweat insignificant shit like that and the law itself is like a tornado siren - it's loud and says all you need to know about the government.
Well If you look at the history of censorship for government criticism, you can assume that the law will come in handy
Good point.
+DannyWilliamH I don't think that this is personal Erdogan's initiative but rather idea of servile bureaucrats and prosecutors. It's a common trait of all authoritarian regimes: the most ugly is not a dictator but an army of his personal bootlickers.
Atticus Finch is my favorite LotR character.
+mariokarter13 It brought me to tears when Spock shouted "use the force!", but then Voldemort hit Finch with an arrow of darkness before he could summon his jedi magics - thank god Morpheus went back in time with the Delorian to save him, or I would have been devastated.
+Sam Poncho My whole body hurts after that one.
+mariokarter13
He's the one that can turn into a mockingbird... Right?
The Plebeian My spleen!
+Sam Poncho it's "Delorean" - otherwise that's sound logic
Can we just take a moment to not only appreciate Stephen's incredible knowledge of Tolkien but also the SPOT ON Gregory Peck impression lol
Yes!!
"IN THE NAME OF ERU ILLUVITAR"
my heart has burst of happiness
😃 Indeed! 😏 Blessings! 💕
Hello, fellow Edain!
I would love to listen to Stephen tell us stories about lord of the rings for two hours.
It would be kinda weird, I can't stare at him without laughing.
I would be so jealous. If I could get paid to teach Tolkien and LOTR to people I’d be so happy. Lol
He’s motivated me to read the books
Same bro..same
I grew up with that, my dad (not Stephen) still has a bunch of the stories memorized, and he read the books to my sister and I as kids.
Stephen Colbert as Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch. That's good.
Finally someone in the comments makes note of his "To Kill A Mockingbird" parody, thank you
+Joseph Morris too bad this happened before "go set a watchman"
Julian Morales-Silva I dont understand the reference
+Joseph Morris Atticus is actually a racist kkk member. The message is good it's just that Atticus happens to be a horrible racist
Are we both talking about To Kill A Mockingbird written by Harper Lee?
Hello everyone who bothers to read this comment. My name is Arda and I'm an 18 years old and from Turkey. I just so happened to come upon this video more than 2 years after it's release, and I was touched by the sincerety of Mr.Colbert and the time he put aside for a matter that is so distant to his world. Even though the points he makes during the trial scene are absolutely reasonable and correct, unfortunately that is not what we base our justice system upon in my country. This particular case admittably seems odd, but it is sadly one of many of it's kind. I know how greatly the freedom of speech is valued in your country, yet it has basically no importance in Turkey, whereas there are 156 journalists in prison at this moment. With that I would like to use this as an opportunity to bring your attention to the outmost injustice happening in Turkey, and thank Mr. Colbert for this wonderful segment. #FreeTurkishJournalists
Arda Ergör Could you please tell us what happened to this poor man? I've tried to find a reference to his fate online but I've been unsuccessful. Thank you.
It's ironic that your name is Arda, since in LOTR, Arda is the elvish word for the world in LOTR.
www.middleeasteye.net/news/doctor-who-shared-erdogangollum-meme-acquitted-turkey-1976719610
TL;DR Turkey sucks
Arda Ergör your name is ARDA!!!!!! OMG. 😃
I thought of myself as a Tolkienist.This clip however made it clear that road goes ever on and on...
Mr.J Glokta same
Yeah you need to allocate your whole childhood to that, it's intimidating.
There sheer immensity of it is truly baffling. You need to pretty well devote your life to it to be that consistently well informed.
The Prancing Pony Podcast has made learning Tolkien easy. Tell them "Chad from Texas" told you to listen. They have me on periodically. We all REALLY KNOW Tolkien (better than any famous people.)
Glokta, who's fingers are you cutting off now?
"It's like watching grass grow with people in the way." - Also a fitting description of cricket.
warmlittlediamond is And golf.
Nah
warmlittlediamond basically all sports not on sand or ice or a mat...
Naw son cricket is way WAAAAAAY more entertaining then baseball
I'm kind of indifferent to both but I have to say there is way more going on in cricket. The multiple days to play thing is a little much though.
"Maybe not baseball, it's like watching grass grow, with people in the way." HAHA. Oh Colbert, you'll never get old!
Can we get the lord of the Rings trilogy read by Colbert for audiobooks pls? Thank you
would be so amazing!!!
Yes, it would be - as long as he first spends time going through Appendix E in preparation...!
Until that happy day, try the Rob Inglis version. He’s fantastic.
Pangasauras yes please
With commentary track !!
I love the sincerity of his words when he says "Now.. I'm so tempted to tell you that story right now but anyway" about Beren and Luthien hahahaha, he truly considered derailing everything and spilling it
Only Stephen Colbert could seamlessly weave the lord of the rings into to kill a mockingbird
This is the only talk show that would do something this smart and funny. I love you Stephen!
+Groisu johns show is trash.......
+Groisu "I'm smart because the only shows I watch are Colbert and big bang theory"
+Groisu Last Week Tonight isn't a talk show.
+filteredcreativity Up thumb 181 ;-)
filteredcreativity Well if it's not Colbert that's the massive fan it's someone else on his staff but going if the glint in his eye when he talks about it it, it's all him...
I love watching this clip. Colbert is practically beaming in delight through the whole segment. People talking about what they love are such a joy to watch
Finally, all those times I said Steven looks like Atticus Finch paid off! And literally, that impression was perfect
I agree. One of my favorite films, and Stephen had his Atticus down. And when he said "They want to put him away", complete with hand gestures, I almost fell off my chair laughing!
I love Stephen Colbert, and he truly is one of the greatest Tolkien nerds out there. But I will have to pick at his incorrect pronunciation of the word 'Edain'. The following note on pronunciation is taken directly from The Children of Hurin:
AI - has the sound of English 'eye'; thus the second syllable of 'Edain' is like English 'dine', not 'Dane'.
I can finally say that I corrected Stephen Colbert on a matter of Tolkien nerdom. My life is now complete.
He also pronounced Sauron and Smaug incorrectly.
NNNEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRDDDDDSSS
He also says Golem instead of Gollum. Gollum should be pronounced gall (as in the bladder - um (as in wondering what you want to say).
+Bullseyedust Runescape Correct, but I was willing to overlook his pronunciation of Gollum as I just assumed it was his accent.
You know what, Tolkien is enough of a linguistic pedant that this is almost certainly true. Why else would a linguist use the "ai" dipthong, if he was not meaning it to be pronounced /ai/?
Masterful stroke, Elliot. 10 points to Griffindor.
The moment he rocked up in full Finch costume, I spat out my coffee laughing!
The black and white film with fake age-spots was a good touch
It took me a second to realize if wasn't Peck!
He looks just like him! I never noticed.
"Baseball: is like watching grass grow with people on it."
Exactly how I feel....
That is not what he said lol
I love baseball. It's the nuances, the chess matches, the statistics that make the game great and appeases those with bigger minds.
Football is great and all but if you notice, the average die hards are jockish douche bags with low IQs..
I love when Stephen totally nerds out on anything Tolkien. What's the icing on the cake is to read all these comments from dedicated Tolkien fans. My heart is full of joy...
only Stephen Colbert can combine To Kill A Mockingbird with Tolkien and make it powerful as well as ridiculous.
In the name of Illuvatar =))I lost it
Harmony Shimer in what time was that???
yeah! most of the silmarillion is an explanation for why you shouldn't swear (poorly thought out) Oaths on His name
I love when people are enthusiastic about things they love.
Stephen totally nails that Gregory Peck impression!
I keep getting distracted by Stephen's Right Elf-Shaped Tolkien Ear.
Alicia Westfall 😂😂😂 now I can't unsee it lol
That's his deaf ear, lol
Finally someone said it!
He's half Elven. Duh.
I’ve always seen that too, it’s so hard to pay attention sometimes
"Leaf by Niggle" is one of the most beautiful short stories ever written. It's astounding to see it referenced on a late night talk show.
Also I would love a modern rendition of to kill a mockingbird starring Stephen as Atticus.
Funny thing is “Bilgin Çiftçi” means “wise farmer” so it’s pretty hobbit-ish to me :D
Unlucky pair of names really. thank god not all Turkish names are like that. :D
yeah at least he wasnt called Batuhan Karahan
Whitsoxrule1 wtf? 👎
@uykusuz at Batu does not mean West , what you were trying to say was "batı" with an I in the end. These words resemble each other. However, Batu is a common masculine Central Asian name. In Mongolian, "Batu" means firm/stable. While the name is spelled Batu in Mongol Script (ᠪᠠᠲᠦ), the form Bat (Mongolian: Бат) is used in Mongol Cyrillic. In Turkish, "Batu" means "Prevailing", and/or "Preponderant". --------------- Anyone can learn this from Wikipedia.
"bilgin" is a very common Turkish name.
@@FlanaFugue nope :)
"in the name of Eru, Iluvitar, do your duty", made my day as a pretty major Tolkien nerd.
That moment when you get literally every single reference he made...
As not all those who wander are lost... not all those who are in jail are criminals.
I've read the Silmarillion - damn good book.
I totally agree. Ive read it many times. My favourite part is when Melkor seduces the elves and twists Feanors mind and steals the Silmarillions. Thus lay ground to all the other books! What is yours?
@@simonberggren4069 My favorite part is when Ungoliant sucks the life out of the Trees of Valinor and becomes even more powerfull than Melkor himself and then tries absorb his power.
@@acmaiden5236 My favourite part is when Fëanor insults Melkor and slam the door in Melkor's face.
@@simonberggren4069 I think my favorite part is Húrin's last stand at the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. "Aurë entuluva! Day shall come again!" So sad and yet so stirring. And the Tale of the Children of Húrin, tragedy even Shakespeare couldn't match. Fingolfin's duel with Morgoth before the gates of Angband is also absolutely epic.
@@brucetucker4847 Yea I totally agree that this stands over even Shakespeare! The book of Hurin is maybe the best story of them all (the full length). Of all Tolkien's work!
oh wow. I just looked up the case. apparently he got a year in jail and *had his parental rights stripped*... he said he's going to appeal, but damn
Bilgin Ciftci was acquitted by Aydin's Third Criminal Court on Tuesday, April 18, 2017, of violating Article 301 of the Turkish constitution, which censures anyone who "publicly denigrates state officials, the government and the judicial institutions of the state".
Hurray for the appeals process I guess. Fucking allies with draconians laws should be sanctioned.
That's messed up
That impression was imPeckable...
He should've told the audience the story of Beren and Lúthien. I don't usually go for love stories but that particular one gets me every time. And the whole backstory with Tolkien and his wife...listen, being a nerd isn't all about drawing up family trees and analyzing Quenya verb structure.
The names "Beren" and "Luthien" are even inscribed on their tombstone.
Every time Stephen said "Golem" instead of "Gollum" I died a little inside
I could argue that as he is older than the films he could retain his reader's bias for pronunciation but "Luthien rescued Beren from the dungeons of Sauron" is a morgul blade to the chest. It was Morgoth's dungeon
@@PSNSMANIACALMIND1st Beren was in Tol in Gaurhoth, that fortress was held by Sauron himself
@@JaniraRod15 I know this is a month-old comment, but I think the reason that line is "a morgul blade to the chest" is Stephen's pronunciation of "Sauron". It should be "Sow-ron", not "Soh-ron" (according to the pronunciation guide in my edition of the SIlm.)
@@fifirodriguez52 I think you should read the comment again. He wrote that Beren was in Morgoth's dungeon
Charys Russell he also mispronounced Sauron and Smaug
As
“Soh-ron” and “Smog”
Instead of
“Sau-ron” and “smaw-g”
LoTR Appendix E
if they ever remake To Kill a Mockingbird, i nominate Stephen to play Atticus Finch.
That taco seasoning graphic stayed there for a suspicious amount of time.
I am so glad a couple people cheered at the mention of Beren and Luthien. Their story and the tale of Turin are my favorite tales from The Silmarillion.
"My favorite book! Even though it's the one that no one reads!" Stephen: I have never felt greater brotherhood or affection for a television host than I have watching you say those words. 7:04
Stephen is more Atticus than Go Set a Watchman's Atticus
We don’t talk about Go Set A Watchman 😐
Oh. My. God. I can't believe I'm just seeing this now. I grew up on all things Tolkien- my mother used to tell me stories about how my father would read LotR to me when I was still in a crib. My favorite movie when I was a kid was the Bakshi animated version of LotR. I picked up the Silmarillion at age 7 (also my favorite book). I re-read all of them every 2 years or so and have for decades. Stephen Colbert has just satisfied me in a way no man ever has before. xD
For a derivative work, check out the album from Bo Hansson, "Music inspired by Lord of the Rings", 1972.
Kinda trippy, kinda prog-rock, kinda hard to nail down.
Each segment covers a passage from the books.
Not a complete musical score, but it captures some moments pretty well.
awww XD
This man makes me proud to be a nerd. Also, I love that "To Kill a Mockingbird" reference as his defence.
Stephen Colbert: "I'm a Tolkien expert!"
Also Stephen Colbert: "Golem"
K9 Gaming he also mispronounced Sauron and Smaug
As
“Soh-ron” and “Smog”
Instead of
“Sau-ron” and “smaw-g”
LoTR Appendix E
I believe he pronounced the names that way because he read the names from the books long before the movies were made.
When I was reading Harry Potter, I pronounced hermione as “her-me-onie” in my head. He’s just used to his pronunciation is all! To me, it just goes to show that he loves Tolkien and that he’s been an expert for a long time☺️
The pronunciations are in the appendices that were published with the books, they aren’t just from the movie.
“never mock someone for mispronouncing a word because that means they read it first”
@@Bitterswheat But n this case, they didn't read it thoroughly, because Tolkien details all the pronunciations for his characters
I read The Silmarillion. It was quite a bit like reading the bible
it is the bible
Teddybomber87
it's was more entertaining. I'd say it was like reading Greek mythology
The Silmarrillion can be compared to the Old Testament but it is a hell of a lot better
It was always my favorite of Tolkien's books. I was the only person I knew, out of many Tolkien fans (pre-films) to like that book over LotR. So when I heard Stephen express the same, it was as if the world made sense.
Well, Gollum/Smeagol was an innocent hobbit who was corrupted by pure evil, until the day he finally sacrificed himself to destroy the Ring and save all the goodness that yet remained in the world. Or, he bit off a guy's finger and then fell into a volcano, it really depends on how you look at it. Either way, he was a character that didn't know when to quit, who stood his ground and pursued the thing he loved even if it meant entering the darkest places in Arda. Which I think is something we can all respect.
Yeah, I agree - Tolkien represented Gollum/Smeagol more as someone to be pitied then seen as totally evil. And this was Gollum's purpose, I believe, in the story, and, of course, he was the one who fell into Mount Doom with the ring. He pursed the ring to his end.
I can't respect Gollum's pursuit of his precious. Gollum is a twisted being obsessed with power. The primary feeling I have for him is pity. To become so obsessed with the Ring that he destroyed himself in order to regain possession of it? That's not a good thing. He did not sacrifice himself to save all the good that remained in the world. He bit off a guy's finger so that that man could not destroy his precious or use it himself. Falling into the volcano was not his intention.
Although it is near impossible to overcome the power of the Ring, remember that Smeagol is pretty easily able to rationalize the accidental murder of his best friend right from the start of his possession of the Ring. He was innocent, but not necessarily good. Compare this to Bilbo and Frodo, who do not begin their possession of the Ring with vile acts. Bilbo DOES lie about how he got possession of it, but he gives up the Ring willingly. Frodo almost gives in to the Ring in the end, but he also faced a lot just to get to Oroduin, and knows that the Ring's destruction is the best path.
Awww :( I feel empathy for him now. Aww poor.. Smeagol I guess. Gollum is not a thing, it's just... :( :( poor smeagol. I love him.
jmariewoods Frodo folded
Gollum was riverfolk tho, not a hobbit
Wow, Stephen's Gregory Peck is really, really good. We love you Stephen
I love Colbert’s LotR nerdom and I love his To Kill a Mockingbird reference in his defence. Truly a well-read guy.
Solid Atticus impression
Thank you, finally someone else who read The Silmarillion
My favorite Tolkien characters are from the Silmarillion!
I'm a die-hard fan but no one has really read The Silmarillion. You get lost through the loooooooong litany of archeleogical recounting. The true nerd remembers the cousins and linealogical snippets and mythological delvings. I admire Stephen for it but will never put myself through it.
I've read the Simarillion and all Tolkiens finished and unfinished work.
Oh my lord! Why did I not see this till now? I am a huge Tolkien geek and that's how I raised my son. We also loves Stephen Colbert so this is awesome. Long live stephen!
Stephen is a half-elf. Look at his right ear
Aww crap, I've read the Silmarilion..
+Mike Oxsbigg
Awww yes, the bible of Middle Earth.
I enjoyed the tales of Morgoth.
+E vilo Nah...the bible of ME is the History of ME...all 12 volumes of it. ;)
Silmarillion is more like a recap of it.
+Mike Oxsbigg BEST BOOK EVARRR
+Mike Oxsbigg Who hasn´t ? I mean has the best middle-earth stories from Tolkien. :D
I was so hyped when I saw he was parodying To Kill a Mockingbird. Colbert may be a big Tolkienite, but I am a geek of classical literature.
RobotGoggles he even looks like Gregory peck!!
If they ever do a remake of, "To Kill A Mockingbird." Stephen is the one man who do can it!
During the "Court" scene, Stephen sounds almost exactly like John Noble.
Its Gregory Peck, as Atticus Finch.
Twenty years on and I am still appalled at the farce they turned Denethor into. He's supposed to be wise and noble but ultimately tragic, not a comic book villain and buffoon!
Atticus Finch!
barbaro267 i approve of your icon
Just read that book.
barbaro267 MERLIN💔💔💔
barbaro267 what the heck?!
To kill a mocking bird was one of my favorite childhood books and its my all time favorite black-and-white movie. Never saw a better role model for a father than Atticus Finch.
Fantastic impersonation of Gregory Peck.
Phil O'Shaughnessy Yes!
Steven, you have outdone yourself with this clever piece.
I've only just seen this today, and the first thing that struck me was how weird it was to hear a live audience react to the material. Turns out people really can adapt to the new, if it goes on long enough. Here's hoping they can get back to the real thing sooner rather than later.
From, another Tolkien geek, who does read The Simarillion every time before tackling LOTR.
Smeagle= pupils dilated. Gollum= tiny pupils. End of controversy
I never noticed how different Stephen's left year is from his right
Yes, and he is very hard of hearing in that ear.
I never knew that, that's really interesting.
He is deaf in his right ear from an operation he had as a child
Operation from what?
JonatasMonte: He read unclear instructions and got caught with his ear in a toaster.
baseball: watching grass grow with people in the way... LOL. love that metaphor!
Thank you Stephen Colbert. You did the best TKAM impression I have ever heard. You're awesome. Thumbs up to you.
When did Christoph Waltz play Atticus?
No, Gregory Peck did.
Max Hughes I know. Colbert sounds more like he's doing a Waltz impression
Ahh. I gotcha. Sorry, i misread your comment(:
Doesn't sound like Christoph Waltz at all m80
+Nate Puterbaugh No he is clearly doing an impression of J. Peterman from Seinfeld.
I too read the Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales as well! Every Book Tolkien wrote! I once passed in an English assignment written in the Cireth Angerthas Runes!
You schooled 'em Steven!
Wow, Colbert would actually be a really great Atticus...
You and me Stephen are the only two people to have read Leaf by Niggle. I salute you sir!
Also I truly wish you had told the story of Luthién and Béren. One of my favourites from The Silmarilion.
He actually looks like Atticus though
2:25 -- That's the edition of LotR I have. It's the second copy I had to buy, to replace my first copy, the set from the late 1960s with the psychedelic covers.
"Farmer Giles of Ham" is a rockin' story and funnier than hell, and I recommend anyone who has not read it, do.
However, I must submit that I am a greater Tolkien geek than Stephen -- although honesty compels me to admit that since I've been too lazy to unpack most of my books from a move a couple of years ago, half of my volumes of _The History of Middle-earth_ are still in boxes.
For instance, I know that "the Flame of Anor" and the Secret Fire are not the same things. It was the _Secret Fire_ that Eru sent forth to give being to the world; "the flame of Anor" isn't even mentioned in _The Silmarillion_. Stephen is conflating it with Gandalf's declaration to the Balrog on the Bridge of Khazad-dum, "I am a servant of the Secret Fire; wielder of the flame of Anor." Those are actually two different things. The Secret Fire is, as implied, that divine spark which gives reality to things. Anor is actually the elven name for the Sun (as in the older name for Minas Tirith, Minas Anor, "Tower of the Sun") created from the last fruit of Laurelin the Golden, one of the Two Trees that gave light to the land of Valinor before they were destroyed by Melkor and Ungoliant, which is piloted from east to west by Arien the Maia. The one is a moral/ontological statement about whose side Gandalf is on and by what authority he acts; the other describes his particular power, although the association of Olorin with Arien is unclear. (Olorin being a Maia in the train of Manwe, while Arien was a maiden of Vana.)
And I didn't have to look any of that up either.
Your move, Stephen.
+Lytrigian Thank you for pointing something as obvious out.
+Lytrigian Knew all that already as well, as studying Tolkien lore is a hobby. Deflate your head a bit, it's going to be hard getting through doorways.
+Lytrigian Gandalf contrasts the flame of Anor, which creates and preserves life, to the flame of Udun, which destroys it. His power doesn't literally come from the sun. It would have been greatly augmented by his possession of Narya, but he wasn't about to tell the balrog about that.
It's a bit ironic that he uses his allegedly constructive power to destroy the bridge, but he was doing it to save lives.
Luthien saved Bergen from Morgoth’s dungeon, not Sauron’s
Thanks, in that case it makes sense. Silmarillon is my favourite book, reading it once a year!
No. Luthien saved Beren from Sauron's dungeon, not Melkor's.
You're thinking of when Beren & Luthien snuck into Melkor's dungeon. They weren't prisoners there. They went in on purpose.
This instance is different. Beren was a captive & Luthien rescued him:
Beren was held in Tol-in-Gaurhoth with Finrod & many of his best warriors.
Sauron sent werewolves (not people who turn into wolves. In Tolkien, werewolf means 'big wolf') to discover their identities, killing them one at a time.
With only Beren & Finrod left, a wolf came to kill Beren & Finrod fulfilled his oath to aid the line of Barahir by killing the wolf, but died in the process. (FYI: Finrod is the coolest character in the entire Legendarium.)
Then Luthien & Huan (the hound of Valinor) arrived & rescued Beren.
PS: I am Chad Bornholdt, from the Tolkien Society. I am always happy to teach Tolkien's works to others. The VERY BEST way to learn Tolkien (way better than any famous person) is to listen to the Tolkien Society's Award-Winner for the best online content: The Prancing Pony Podcast .com
@eoe123321 I wrote a long write-up & when I clicked OK, I saw you had already explained. You obviously remember this part well. I'm part of the Tolkien Society. You should listen to The Prancing Pony Podcast .com to get a better understanding of Tolkien's works.
Silmarillion is my favorite Tolkien book too! Stephen really knows Tolkien!😄
I love the Silmarillion, but LotR is my favorite. Silmarillion is like a myth or fairy tale from an immeasurably remote past (which it is supposed to be, more or less) that you could never be in, but LotR is incredibly grounded in Middle-earth and you can put yourself in the story right along with the characters. You wish you could see, or even fully imagine, Gondolin or Valinor and "the unimaginable hand and mind of Fëanor at their work," but you feel you *have* seen Hobbiton, or Fangorn, or the Misty Mountains, or even Minas Tirith, and perhaps even lived there in an earlier (and better) life.
I find it particularly funny that Colbert jokes about Turkish names sounding like Tolkien characters, because many of the "pre-translated" Hobbit names sound very Turkish, e.g. Samwise Gamgee's name is actually Banazír Galbasi.
So is going to help this man or what?
+DustingBread It brings it to attention and that could alter the outcome, if Turkey didn't think there would be an international outcry then they would probably do it and no one would know.
+Ruby Doobie well he got a bit off track and this man could go to jail.
DustingBread I agree but this is better than nothing and the correct response (one urging some form of international protest) wouldn't fit will with the show. Regardless I was surprised there weren't more comments questioning the seriousness of the response.
+DustingBread What do you want him to do, exactly?
No, no it won't.
Good and kindly sir. Luthian got the Silmarill from Morgoth's place. Not Sauron'place.
Yes. She did. But she saved Beren from Sauron's place earlier. He's not wrong.
"It's like watching grass grow with people in the way!" Quoted for truth.
The brilliance of this monologue is that parts of the actual, original script have been integrated into Stephen's closing argument. Well played, writers!
Stephen Colbert, dressed and talking like Atticus Finch, passionately and intelligently talking about Lord of the Rings. That is so hot I can barely speak right now
He kept mispronouncing names and places and also got some things wrong and as a lotr fan that made me uncomfortable
I love Stephen when he does these creative fun segments like this. I hope one day the world will let him and the Late Show writers do this type of entertainment again.
I must say that this is the best late night show host I've ever seen, and I've seen more than I'd like to admit
HE DID THE THING I'M FREAKING OUT HE DID TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD I THINK I'M IN LOVE SHIT MY HEART...
Musician G ok but why this comment
At first i thought it was "Inherit the wind" but then i realized it was "To kill a mocking bird"
great Peck imitation too
lmfao I freaked out too shit that was amazing!
Elizabeth Cooper He did a good job of imitating Gregory Peck's performance. Love that movie and book.
I hope someday I can save someone's life with my knowledge of Harry Potter.
my thoughts exactly
Your honor, I would like to submit to the court that a horcrux is in fact intrinsically different from a phylactery.
inasmuch that a horcrux contains only a part of a soul, that of the one who created it, and a phylactery contains an entire soul, against it's will? I'm sure I'm only painting with broad strokes, but that is the gist of it, yes?
May the defence note that when you insult a Hippogriff, you are courting death! Let the record show that Hippogriffs are proud creatures and that my client warned mister Malfoy of the dangers of insulting this proud and beautiful beast. It is the ramifications of his own infraction that led to that scratch on his arm, not my client's!
That and Rick Riordan books/mythology and folklore
Doesn't matter if Smeagol or not, even Gollum is a good boi, without him the ring never would have been destroyed.
Indeed. He freed Frodo from the corruption of the ring.
He didn't do it out of good, though, he did it in spite of intending to do the very opposite. It's a common theme of Tolkien's, evil intent producing good in the end - the ultimate example being Melkor, who was evil incarnate and completely irredeemable and who caused much misery and sorrow, but whose evil acts also led to the creation of beauty and nobility that never would have existed without him (as Eru said after the Music of the Ainur). But that doesn't make Gollum or Morgoth any less evil.
I blogged about this case myself when it first came out, and if we're going purely by which personality is operating the character's body at the time of each picture, the first picture is of Gollum and the other two are of Smeagol. The easiest way to tell the difference is by looking at their pupils. They constrict when Gollum is speaking and expand when Smeagol is speaking.
"Smeagol is a perfectly normal hobbit, until he was corrupted by the One Ring and became the creature known as Gollum." Very perfect definition of who Erdogan really is.
He was not a perfectly normal Hobbit, though - he had a bad reputation before he obtained the Ring. And you might say his murder of Deagol was caused by the Ring, but Bilbo, Frodo, Sam, and the others managed to resist doing anything like that - particularly Bilbo and Frodo, who could have justly killed Smeagol but refrained out of pity.
What's a mockingbird, Precious? What's a mockingbird, eh?
If there ever was a live reenactment play of To Kill a Mockingbird on CBS, Stephen should play the role of Atticus again! He’s perfect!
“It’s like watching grass grow, with people in the way.” 0:15
Hahahahah
This is why I love Stephen. We're both Tolkien experts :)
+Jason A So can you pronounce Gollum? The journalist could ...
Holy shit he looks and sounds impressively like Gregory Peck! Nicely done!!
I love the Courtroom Scene.... Nice work pulling from to Kill a Mockingbird
I didn't realize how much we need a To Kill a Mockingbird remake til now.
There are very few good remakes made, stick with the original.
Hell No! the remake would screw everything up.