Seriously, I listened to it three times and every time I was lost by the second sentence. The same happens if I attempt to read Tolkien. It doesn't connect with me. It's not that I am too dense or lacking an understanding of the English language even though it is my second language. I don't do any better with German, my first language. I just seem to lack a gene or something that makes me get into fantasy novels.
Tolkien set out to write a mythology for Britain. But, as he worked over the decades the mythology began to stand more and more on its own as a fantasy world such that peoples from all over the world could embrace it. Yet, even if in its final form Middle Earth has only faint apparent connections to England alone nevertheless, I believe The Lord of the Rings stands with Shakespeare in providing Great Britain a top place in the history of literature. In the 1970's I wrote a long research paper which made the claim that The Lord of the Rings would be one of the few twentieth century works of literature to still be read by average people in centuries to come. I stand by that claim.
I duno why you assume that something being a mythology for britain wouldn't be embraced all over the world, I love reading history and mythology from other places, and I like it because it is from other places. Japanese History is, extremely Japanese. Lotr can't be a mythology for Mongolia, for example, or Africa, it's very english and it's beauty is in the english language, in the same way that you can't appreciate the song of the Oddysey, because it's all rhymes, you can only read a crude translation or learn greek.
I read The Hobbit in high school in 1973. Loved it. When the movies came out, I was over the moon. A lot of content of the books was left out. I still prefer the books. Love the intricate details of the books.
I prefer the books as well, and I miss the plot points that were edited out. But I also don't miss the detailed, ancient backstory. That would have absolutely killed a movie.
1975 Hobbit via cool teacher. 1976 my dog's "birthday present " to me (thank you Mum!) = LTR. Have re-read dogeared/dog 'autographed'paperbacks every year since. Now I need readers :-) Have only seen bits of the movies, (one cannot avoid You Shall Not Pass & Smealgol/ Gollum) - they look wonderful, but I am tied my own visions. Probably cutting off my nose to spite my face!
@@hkbabel I love that you got LTR from your 'dog'! I thought that my family was the only one that gave each other gifts 'from the dog'. Cheers to your Mum! I liked the book version of 'The Hobbit' better than the book version of LOTR, but the LOTR movies are far superior to the Hobbit movies. Worth a watch!
@@hkbabel I first read LOTR in 1968. Then numerous times after. The movie was true to the popular LOTR art of that era and was enjoyable to watch. It did not break any of the imagry in my brain. I watched a preview of the Hobbit and will never watch it. I do not do TV or movies and prefer books.
You know what, I actually want a new channel of Simon exclusively telling me about all the stuff he's not interested in but with a similar level of factual dedication even though he can barely take it anymore. I will watch this please
This video is proof that Simon has that rare ability to sound like he knows exactly what he is talking about, even when he has no idea. :D Kidding aside: Good video!
It took Simon 103 takes over 3 days and nearly 14 hours of footage to get through all of this. And then he threw Matthew in the basement with Danny.... ALLEGEDLY.
Thank you for the straight-forward treatment of the this subject, unlike some of your other interesting subjects where we are treated to innumerable asides and general screwing around while waiting for the narrative to start. Exceptionally well spoken, I appreciate getting through the subject in half the time it takes some others to cover the subjects; well done.
Thankyou for doing this one. As a fan of Tolkien and his books I learned things I didn’t know. A very professional read despite not liking the subject. Well done, Simon.
I'm still up for split personality Simon... And blaze Simon must be screaming in the background here... I can hear him... The giant Trekkie nerd! We love all Simon!
I learned a lot in his video, I had no idea about how deep the stories from Tolkien were. I have a much different prospective now... Great video Simon!
I'm rather surprised that Simon is not a fan of J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien is a master tale teller, a weaver of interesting stories and Simon is the modern day evolution of that art.
WOW! I'm highly impressed, very comprehensive & highly informative. And you managed to get through the whole thing without any disparaging remarks. Bravo 👏 & thanks muchly for the effort.
I’ve been a Tolkien reader and fan since the 1970’s. I myself being a writer, of course I love his work. But, I’m a literature nerd and I understand those that don’t want to wade in these deep waters. To each their own. Thank you, Simon. ✌🏻👏🏻
@@KatieB33 same. I was like wait didn't he like constantly say how boring it was and that he never really watched it 😂. Man if this was a business blaze video he'd barely say two sentences without a Why are people interested in this? In between 😂
King Arthur may have been of Welsh derivation, but the full story was written in Norman, a derivation of newer Norse, where the"Round Table" is more accurately translated as "Round Temple."
Lalalove your work Simon! I’d just like to share that my dear grandma B kept the oral story of Beouwulf alive and told it in two forms. One that was child friendly and the second much more graphic with all of the blood and gore. I’m also a big fan of JRR Tolkien and am glad to learn more about his work. Thanks
LOTR and the Hobbit was written as a mythology of England? Someone had better let Amazon know that before they spend a billion dollars trying to turn Tolkien's work into a generic modern fantasy world for self-centered audiences....
Thank you for this! I know this essay must’ve taken much research and time to get down in to video form. This is a topic close to many peoples hearts, I’m sure. Fantastic work, sir. Again, thank you.
All these I was about to go to bed 😂. Isn't it like 2 am on the US Westcoast and later in the rest? I'm supposed to be a in somwhere in 2 minutes so obviously I'm just getting dressed and commenting for algorithm 😂. It's a holiday that's what they're there for
I had no idea the depth of Simon’s character until I started watching Blaze. I bet he was heaving and blowing chunks of lunch after each take of this video ALLEGEDLY..
We know you hate this stuff, but there is value in doing it. In this case you do well to draw the line between Tolkien's epic and the mythology he wanted, and that stuff matters. Even in fantasy novels when its well written, readers can draw parallels to the morality within their own lives, and this line between the story and the desire of the writer also helps with the readers own building blocks.
I challenge Simon's fans to watch a random video on any of his channels at double speed. I watch all videos that way, but its even more entertaining with him.
Love the elvish word dropping! We need a version of the video that shows an Legolas' face whenever an elvish word is stated - then we make it a drinking game! When you see the elf, take a pull on your beer!
Interesting video and as others have noted, it is appreciated that you make videos on subjects that aren't necessarily within your field of interest. It is worth noting also that Tolkien was part of an English society which, at the time, was seeking to distinguish itself culturally from its neighbours in the face of a rising sense of 'Celtic' identity. This was not a new phenomenon - Bede was essentially a propagandist for an 'Anglo-Saxon' identity that distinguished the English from the Welsh, Scots, Irish, etc. But significantly, this was not an identity based on the pagan beliefs of the original Anglo-Saxon migrants - similar in many ways to those of the Ancient Britons as they were all influenced by the culture of a central European 'Celtic' homeland - but a Christianised Anglo-Saxon identity sympathetic to the Roman Catholic Church. This identity was, in turn, somewhat dismantled by the regime of Henry VIII as it did not sit well with Henry's Welsh origins and the mythology upon which the establishing and legitimising of a Tudor dynasty relied. It also served Henry's purposes regarding the break with Rome over his divorce from Katherine of Aragon and helped provide historical precedent for his role as head of the English Church. However, in the face of a rising 'Pan-Celticism' in the nineteenth century the balance once again swung in favour of an 'Anglo-Saxon' English identity distinct from that of its neighbours and Tolkein's work can be seen as part of this. In essence though, the people of the 'home nations' actually share the same origin tales and mythologies arising from those of the Ancient Britons and although the influx of Anglo-Saxon peoples in the post-Roman period has impacted England more than its neighbours, the original Germanic mythologies of the Anglo-Saxons shared many similarities with their Celtic counterparts, as mentioned above. In fact, the distinction between England and it neighbours owes more to religious and political issues from relatively modern times than anything else. Even the seemingly ancient notion of a 'Celtic' race is a later construction based on an amalgam of historical fact and mythology - much of which could see the term equally applied to the English.
Well done sir. I know that was super hard for you, but for those of us that are fans of fantasy and JRRT we do appreciate it. Now, if we can just get Sam to make a meme real of Simon going spare over how stupid the fantasy genre is, that would be great :)
Yeh but the Angles and Saxons were Celt-Germanic tribes and the tribes all believed in a slightly revised version of the Scandinavian mythos. So much so that when the vikings invaded after the angles and saxons had established their place in briton hundreds of years earlier they could still understand each other..Normans weren't radically different either. they were French speaking vikings. The british isles werent really some completely unknown lands either. Remember that doggerland was above water for most of the stone age. It was buried in myth. Really the most native English mythos was Whatever the druids were doing that we've totally lost but really freaked out the romans.
I’m with those who don’t care for fantasy! Lol that being said, I have the book “ a witch, a wardrobe and a lion” the story of Tolkien and Lewis friendship, they knew each other from the 1 st world war? Also, my husband’s graduation at queens this was their theme! Bunch of nerds haha
It could be their time spent in the trenches of the war influenced their writing? Otherwise good job Simon, I can see when you are just spinning off the words or I interested in the tale haha
The best answer I can come up with is the depth of with which he takes the reader on during the journey. He created new worlds, language, and creatures. However, this probably won’t help much with you question so I do hope you will further explore your answer🙂
I love the linguistic nature of Tolkiens' work but the stories themselves feel like him playing a ttrpg by himself without the dice rolls so it becomes beyond convoluted.
AND Middle Earth DOES exist! Admiral Byrd wrote about it! And he certainly wasnt given to fantasy writing. Additionally, he insisted it not be published until after his death!
I know that Simon hates this stuff (fantasy novels) but I found this very interesting. Thank you for fighting through it, good sir. 👍🏻
I didn't know he hated fantasy stuff
Seriously, I listened to it three times and every time I was lost by the second sentence. The same happens if I attempt to read Tolkien. It doesn't connect with me. It's not that I am too dense or lacking an understanding of the English language even though it is my second language. I don't do any better with German, my first language. I just seem to lack a gene or something that makes me get into fantasy novels.
@@CologneCarter Yeah, it's horses for courses for me as well. I prefer the works of C.S. Lewis, but that's just me and the one I grew up reading.
It’s if nothing else an interesting way to learn history: through a fantastical lens
With his disdain for all things Tolkien, you know this hurt him
Tolkien set out to write a mythology for Britain. But, as he worked over the decades the mythology began to stand more and more on its own as a fantasy world such that peoples from all over the world could embrace it. Yet, even if in its final form Middle Earth has only faint apparent connections to England alone nevertheless, I believe The Lord of the Rings stands with Shakespeare in providing Great Britain a top place in the history of literature. In the 1970's I wrote a long research paper which made the claim that The Lord of the Rings would be one of the few twentieth century works of literature to still be read by average people in centuries to come. I stand by that claim.
It still functions quite well as a mythology for the English, literally everything in the story is just Germanic mythology
I duno why you assume that something being a mythology for britain wouldn't be embraced all over the world, I love reading history and mythology from other places, and I like it because it is from other places. Japanese History is, extremely Japanese. Lotr can't be a mythology for Mongolia, for example, or Africa, it's very english and it's beauty is in the english language, in the same way that you can't appreciate the song of the Oddysey, because it's all rhymes, you can only read a crude translation or learn greek.
Knowing how you hate this topic, honestly thank you for making this video. Legend
I am here to watch Simon's eyes glaze over as soon as the fantasy bits come into play.
🤣🤣🤣 it’s too wizardy!!
My thoughts exactly..
I can see the boy with the blaze struggling right there
Now I am just waiting for a long rant about making this video in a future blaze. No doubt completely unrelated to what ever the topic will be.
Simon smashed the dislike button on his own video. I guarantee it.
I read The Hobbit in high school in 1973. Loved it. When the movies came out, I was over the moon. A lot of content of the books was left out. I still prefer the books. Love the intricate details of the books.
Right on, Sandra!
I prefer the books as well, and I miss the plot points that were edited out. But I also don't miss the detailed, ancient backstory. That would have absolutely killed a movie.
1975 Hobbit via cool teacher. 1976 my dog's "birthday present " to me (thank you Mum!) = LTR. Have re-read dogeared/dog 'autographed'paperbacks every year since. Now I need readers :-)
Have only seen bits of the movies, (one cannot avoid You Shall Not Pass & Smealgol/ Gollum) - they look wonderful, but I am tied my own visions. Probably cutting off my nose to spite my face!
@@hkbabel I love that you got LTR from your 'dog'! I thought that my family was the only one that gave each other gifts 'from the dog'. Cheers to your Mum!
I liked the book version of 'The Hobbit' better than the book version of LOTR, but the LOTR movies are far superior to the Hobbit movies. Worth a watch!
@@hkbabel I first read LOTR in 1968. Then numerous times after. The movie was true to the popular LOTR art of that era and was enjoyable to watch. It did not break any of the imagry in my brain.
I watched a preview of the Hobbit and will never watch it. I do not do TV or movies and prefer books.
I guess you can't be a fan of every topic, Simon, but being a huge Tolkien fan I enjoyed it :D
You know what, I actually want a new channel of Simon exclusively telling me about all the stuff he's not interested in but with a similar level of factual dedication even though he can barely take it anymore. I will watch this please
This video is proof that Simon has that rare ability to sound like he knows exactly what he is talking about, even when he has no idea. :D Kidding aside: Good video!
Simon is a presenter, a reader of others words. Knowledge is not important, presentation is.
It took Simon 103 takes over 3 days and nearly 14 hours of footage to get through all of this. And then he threw Matthew in the basement with Danny.... ALLEGEDLY.
Yeah...there is not allegedly behind that.
ALLEGEDLY 😂
🤣🤣
So Simon, when's the live stream Lotr binge happening. Following it with a Star Wars marathon? He he.
Thank you for the straight-forward treatment of the this subject, unlike some of your other interesting subjects where we are treated to innumerable asides and general screwing around while waiting for the narrative to start. Exceptionally well spoken, I appreciate getting through the subject in half the time it takes some others to cover the subjects; well done.
Thankyou for doing this one. As a fan of Tolkien and his books I learned things I didn’t know. A very professional read despite not liking the subject. Well done, Simon.
To everyone coming to the comment section.
I recommend history of middle earth, and men of the west for more Tolkien lore.
I second the recommendation. It's a good channel if you're a Tolkien nerd.
I also recommend Men of the West, a great channel which covers a great deal of lore.
Men of the west and geek zone. Top channels for Tolkien lore.
@Ty Vsd1337 You on the other hand, literary genius. All hail the youtube critic.
"History of middle earth" had to change their channel name into "history of the ages" for legal reasons
Was about to go to bed but then this popped up oh well
I can understand this struggle tonight 😂 great upload timing though
Right!
I feel this
I'm still up for split personality Simon...
And blaze Simon must be screaming in the background here... I can hear him... The giant Trekkie nerd!
We love all Simon!
4:00-4:06 are part of why I love Simon's videos, tons of info, yet perfectly willing to be just as impressed as we are 😂
Excellent work for a person who can't stand Tolkien. Thank you for your doing this.
I learned a lot in his video, I had no idea about how deep the stories from Tolkien were. I have a much different prospective now... Great video Simon!
2:01 Simon, Frodo and Sam set out from *BAG* End. How ironic would it be if he started his journey from a place called 'Bad End'?
I'm rather surprised that Simon is not a fan of J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien is a master tale teller, a weaver of interesting stories and Simon is the modern day evolution of that art.
WOW! I'm highly impressed, very comprehensive & highly informative. And you managed to get through the whole thing without any disparaging remarks. Bravo 👏 & thanks muchly for the effort.
I’ve been a Tolkien reader and fan since the 1970’s. I myself being a writer, of course I love his work. But, I’m a literature nerd and I understand those that don’t want to wade in these deep waters. To each their own. Thank you, Simon. ✌🏻👏🏻
Simon has never watched LOTR has he?
Nope. This is killing me! Knowing everything he’s ever said about it lol
@@KatieB33 same. I was like wait didn't he like constantly say how boring it was and that he never really watched it 😂. Man if this was a business blaze video he'd barely say two sentences without a Why are people interested in this? In between 😂
@@stephjovi EXACTLY!
The only thing he’s ever watched is Star Trek. Allegedly.
@@adamloverin231 Love it! 😆
King Arthur may have been of Welsh derivation, but the full story was written in Norman, a derivation of newer Norse, where the"Round Table" is more accurately translated as "Round Temple."
Very cool, but btw at 8:58 the letter þ (thorn) is actually just pronounced as a th rather than a b, so more 'se uncutha holm'
Your pain getting through this is appreciated Simon!
Been a Tolkien fan for years, have tried and failed to get through the other works. Just couldn't get the big picture. Thanks for the video.
Yes, that was what I tried after I read LOT the first time. Made it through three or four chapters before my head exploded.
Lalalove your work Simon! I’d just like to share that my dear grandma B kept the oral story of Beouwulf alive and told it in two forms. One that was child friendly and the second much more graphic with all of the blood and gore. I’m also a big fan of JRR Tolkien and am glad to learn more about his work. Thanks
Good video 👍
Very good video.
Never really thought about Tolkien's motives for writing beyond the story for his wife.
OMG Simon the long blinks are killing me LOL 🤣
Thank you Simon. Of all your channels, this is the one video ive been waiting for.
LOTR and the Hobbit was written as a mythology of England? Someone had better let Amazon know that before they spend a billion dollars trying to turn Tolkien's work into a generic modern fantasy world for self-centered audiences....
Inner Simon: "Tolkien...fairies...elves...oh god, please kill me now"
I'm so grateful that you did this!
O how I enjoy watching Simon talk about a subject he ~allegedly ®~ has no interest for, but that I love!!
Thank you for this! I know this essay must’ve taken much research and time to get down in to video form. This is a topic close to many peoples hearts, I’m sure.
Fantastic work, sir. Again, thank you.
"...beneath the sky, who received that load"
Nice.
PS - Beowulf is a great saga/poem, & John Gardner's novel re-imaging 'Grendel' perhaps even better!
Thanks for the video, it was good to watch while eating lunch, tho I'm surprised to see you do this considering you have no interest in LotR
Wow, after spending the last week binge watching Business Blaze I'm pleasantly suprised to see you cover Tolkien, nice one guys 😁
All these I was about to go to bed 😂. Isn't it like 2 am on the US Westcoast and later in the rest? I'm supposed to be a in somwhere in 2 minutes so obviously I'm just getting dressed and commenting for algorithm 😂. It's a holiday that's what they're there for
Fascinating!!!
Hell yeah, was just about to go to bed. Now I have something interesting to go to bed to. Keep up the hard work Simon and co.
#nosleepsimon
Love the hashtag
i appreciated this video by the way.
Great video, thank you!
This was amazing Simon. I LOVED IT
legends of past eras wow
Having watched many Business Blaze episodes, I can guess how Simon felt about doing this video. XD lol
I had no idea the depth of Simon’s character until I started watching Blaze. I bet he was heaving and blowing chunks of lunch after each take of this video
ALLEGEDLY..
Despite the amazing speed with which you talk, I do enjoy your videos :-)
We know you hate this stuff, but there is value in doing it.
In this case you do well to draw the line between Tolkien's epic and the mythology he wanted, and that stuff matters.
Even in fantasy novels when its well written, readers can draw parallels to the morality within their own lives,
and this line between the story and the desire of the writer also helps with the readers own building blocks.
Thank you
Hah, I know how much of a LOTR fan Simon is, I can just imagine the out-takes here...
I challenge Simon's fans to watch a random video on any of his channels at double speed. I watch all videos that way, but its even more entertaining with him.
Love the elvish word dropping! We need a version of the video that shows an Legolas' face whenever an elvish word is stated - then we make it a drinking game! When you see the elf, take a pull on your beer!
"the more straightforward Silmarillion" 😂😂😂😂
"Tolkien wasn't going to pull sh*t out of his *ss."
Hilarious!
This is the most hilarious explanation of the Tolkien legendarium ever
I LOVE THAT SHIRT!
Interesting video and as others have noted, it is appreciated that you make videos on subjects that aren't necessarily within your field of interest.
It is worth noting also that Tolkien was part of an English society which, at the time, was seeking to distinguish itself culturally from its neighbours in the face of a rising sense of 'Celtic' identity. This was not a new phenomenon - Bede was essentially a propagandist for an 'Anglo-Saxon' identity that distinguished the English from the Welsh, Scots, Irish, etc. But significantly, this was not an identity based on the pagan beliefs of the original Anglo-Saxon migrants - similar in many ways to those of the Ancient Britons as they were all influenced by the culture of a central European 'Celtic' homeland - but a Christianised Anglo-Saxon identity sympathetic to the Roman Catholic Church.
This identity was, in turn, somewhat dismantled by the regime of Henry VIII as it did not sit well with Henry's Welsh origins and the mythology upon which the establishing and legitimising of a Tudor dynasty relied. It also served Henry's purposes regarding the break with Rome over his divorce from Katherine of Aragon and helped provide historical precedent for his role as head of the English Church.
However, in the face of a rising 'Pan-Celticism' in the nineteenth century the balance once again swung in favour of an 'Anglo-Saxon' English identity distinct from that of its neighbours and Tolkein's work can be seen as part of this.
In essence though, the people of the 'home nations' actually share the same origin tales and mythologies arising from those of the Ancient Britons and although the influx of Anglo-Saxon peoples in the post-Roman period has impacted England more than its neighbours, the original Germanic mythologies of the Anglo-Saxons shared many similarities with their Celtic counterparts, as mentioned above. In fact, the distinction between England and it neighbours owes more to religious and political issues from relatively modern times than anything else. Even the seemingly ancient notion of a 'Celtic' race is a later construction based on an amalgam of historical fact and mythology - much of which could see the term equally applied to the English.
Simon: I have, of course, never read Tolkien
much of my family is anglo saxon also.
17:20 - Bonus fact n°1
18:20 - Bonus fact n°2
Can anyone tell me where the illustration of Sceaf as a baby arriving on the shores is taken from please? Many thanks.
Well done sir. I know that was super hard for you, but for those of us that are fans of fantasy and JRRT we do appreciate it.
Now, if we can just get Sam to make a meme real of Simon going spare over how stupid the fantasy genre is, that would be great :)
As a lover of LotR, I find this fascinating. But I know Simon doesn't give a shit about it, so I'm impressed he managed this! Well done!
i am a big Tolkien fan, i take it seriously too.
My god Simon, how many channels do you have?!
At least read the Hobbit, Simon. Then you would know Bilbo wasn't from Bad-End. Are you trolling me?!
My favorite shirt & my favorite beard. Your beard is having a good hair day!💕💕 I don't like fantasy either.😝
I've never seen simons eyes look so dead while he just reads whats in front of him, not caring one dot 😂
Thank you.
God damn brilliant
Damn simon, how many channel do you have?
Poor, poor Simon...
Yeh but the Angles and Saxons were Celt-Germanic tribes and the tribes all believed in a slightly revised version of the Scandinavian mythos. So much so that when the vikings invaded after the angles and saxons had established their place in briton hundreds of years earlier they could still understand each other..Normans weren't radically different either. they were French speaking vikings. The british isles werent really some completely unknown lands either. Remember that doggerland was above water for most of the stone age. It was buried in myth. Really the most native English mythos was Whatever the druids were doing that we've totally lost but really freaked out the romans.
Simon looks as unamused with his job as I am with mine :D
I’m with those who don’t care for fantasy! Lol that being said, I have the book “ a witch, a wardrobe and a lion” the story of Tolkien and Lewis friendship, they knew each other from the 1 st world war? Also, my husband’s graduation at queens this was their theme! Bunch of nerds haha
It could be their time spent in the trenches of the war influenced their writing? Otherwise good job Simon, I can see when you are just spinning off the words or I interested in the tale haha
6:02 wait did Simon just pronounce the w in sword?
And, yes, I have read the Lost Tales.
I too hate it when ppl pull shbeeps our of the beeps.
Simon, have you ever heard philosophical novel Hayy ibn Yaqdhan?
Simon, we know you don't care.
Are you implying that Simon is a honey badger?
Recommend "Nerd of The Rings " on You tube for serious Tolkien info.
I agree with you Simon. I don't like fantasy books either. Great minds think alike. 😁😁🇺🇲
It bugged me that he pronounced Tol Eressëa correctly but kept fumbling Eärendil hehe. So close!
For someone who is not a fan you did a well enough and respectful job, albeit obviously disinterested.
Except in the remake of LOTR where we got to be all inclusive and multicultural.
Yep, I hear one Lenward Henry has been cast in the Amazon prequel . Don't think he's playing a "white saviour" somehow.
Warning: Blaze Simon containment leak! 4:04 ☢️
Tolkien went after the Anglo-Saxon mythology but not the previous Britonic tribes.
Why would he? The purpose was to revive English mythology
I won't lie. This just confused me more.😒
I hoped this would explain why people like it. I should read the actual book/s.
The best answer I can come up with is the depth of with which he takes the reader on during the journey. He created new worlds, language, and creatures. However, this probably won’t help much with you question so I do hope you will further explore your answer🙂
I love the linguistic nature of Tolkiens' work but the stories themselves feel like him playing a ttrpg by himself without the dice rolls so it becomes beyond convoluted.
You were quick to change the title.
1:10 hmm... i don’t remember either Adolf Hitler nor Charles Chaplin appearing in any Tolkien writing.
I thought this was the journey on the eagles :-)
AND Middle Earth DOES exist! Admiral Byrd wrote about it! And he certainly wasnt given to fantasy writing. Additionally, he insisted it not be published until after his death!
Middle earth is just the earth you live on
The Silmarillion = best book of all time
eyes glaze over
I'm probably one of the few people who number fantasy their favorite genre but did not like Lord of the Rings at all. Loved the Hobbit though.
I liked them both, but I agree that 'The Hobbit' was the better book.