The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum - View Single Post - Public Research: How did you become Tolkien-lover?

Nogrod · 01-28-2006, 09:21 PM

Even though I have loved to hang around here as a non-sex, non-age character, I guess I can't help revealing something for the sake of a story.

It's interesting, that 34% of the people here have come to know Tolkien's works through parents reading them aloud (even though it's not reflected fully in the messages written here). After the Qu'aran, and the Bible, I can't quite imagine, which would be the third most read-aloud book in the world, if it's not the Lord of the Rings (and I even suspect, that if the Qu'aran schools were excluded, LotR would really be number one).

My father started reading LotR to me and my sister during the seventies, when I was less than 10 -years old. That reading never got further than Buckleberry ferry, but I read the rest by myself. Then I read the Silmariillion, Unfinished Tales etc., many times...

But why has no-one talked about the cartoon version by Bakshi? That film was shown in television in my country at 95' or something (I had seen the paper-version of it around 80' and the fil version at cinema a couple of years later). I had two children and took it on video to show them later on. Fortunately they saw that there was a cartoon in dad's VHS, and after a little discussion, we decided to look the film together (my daughters were then something like 5 & 4 years old). After that there was no end in begging: we want more!

So, getting better of my father, I managed to read the LotR to my girls from the beginning to the end. It took about half a year, reading almost every night. Then we read The Silmarillion, and next the Unfinished Tales.

After that, we started roleplaying together. My older daughter has read the LotR about twenty times (of which about one third in English), and is a regular visiter, player and commentator, at the Barrow Downs (she made me come to see this place in the first place).

So that way it also goes. Mothers & fathers passing on stories they like to the younger generation - and by times, themselves getting off the ground by those stories.

So: oldtimer's getting youngsters to get those same oldtimer's to get involved in the things they have made the youngsters to get interested in...

What do you call that?

Living tradition...

PS. Sorry for aggressive-looking avatar: it's here for the "outracing..." RPG, where it fits to my character better than the earlier one...

01-28-2006, 09:21 PM	#25
Nogrod Flame of the Ainulindalë Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Wearing rat's coat, crowskin, crossed staves in a field behaving as the wind behaves Posts: 9,308	LotR as tradition Even though I have loved to hang around here as a non-sex, non-age character, I guess I can't help revealing something for the sake of a story. It's interesting, that 34% of the people here have come to know Tolkien's works through parents reading them aloud (even though it's not reflected fully in the messages written here). After the Qu'aran, and the Bible, I can't quite imagine, which would be the third most read-aloud book in the world, if it's not the Lord of the Rings (and I even suspect, that if the Qu'aran schools were excluded, LotR would really be number one). My father started reading LotR to me and my sister during the seventies, when I was less than 10 -years old. That reading never got further than Buckleberry ferry, but I read the rest by myself. Then I read the Silmariillion, Unfinished Tales etc., many times... But why has no-one talked about the cartoon version by Bakshi? That film was shown in television in my country at 95' or something (I had seen the paper-version of it around 80' and the fil version at cinema a couple of years later). I had two children and took it on video to show them later on. Fortunately they saw that there was a cartoon in dad's VHS, and after a little discussion, we decided to look the film together (my daughters were then something like 5 & 4 years old). After that there was no end in begging: we want more! So, getting better of my father, I managed to read the LotR to my girls from the beginning to the end. It took about half a year, reading almost every night. Then we read The Silmarillion, and next the Unfinished Tales. After that, we started roleplaying together. My older daughter has read the LotR about twenty times (of which about one third in English), and is a regular visiter, player and commentator, at the Barrow Downs (she made me come to see this place in the first place). So that way it also goes. Mothers & fathers passing on stories they like to the younger generation - and by times, themselves getting off the ground by those stories. So: oldtimer's getting youngsters to get those same oldtimer's to get involved in the things they have made the youngsters to get interested in... What do you call that? Living tradition... PS. Sorry for aggressive-looking avatar: it's here for the "outracing..." RPG, where it fits to my character better than the earlier one... __________________ Upon the hearth the fire is red Beneath the roof there is a bed; But not yet weary are our feet... Last edited by Nogrod; 01-28-2006 at 10:00 PM.