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Hungry Ghoul
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Re: Middle-Earth references in the Modern World
Strangely, most seem to come from the rock-, later metal- genre.
-The rock band Marillion even were named SILMarillion before difficulties with the Estate. I don't know much about them apart from their name, though.
-Summoning are mentioned often enough already, as well as Blind Guardian.
-Burzum has JRRT references - nomenclature mainly.
-Graveland has a stupid one, called 'White Hand's Power', about the supremacy of Isengard.
-Running Wild have on one of their earliest albums a song called Mordor (whose lyrics are less concrete).
-Bob Catley (ex-Magnum singer) has recently done an album called 'Middle-Earth' with lyrics about exactly that.
-Dozens of pathetic new Black Metal bands give themselves evil ME names such as Nirnaeth, Cirith Gorgor, Gorgoroth...
-A far earlier reference are Cirith Ungol, classical fantasy rock/metal.
-German metal band Riger have some references on their first album 'Wanderer'. Lyrics are practically not intellegible, but song titles include 'Melkor' and sth. like 'Dark Tower'.
As for other references, Juan Antonio Samaranch, head of the International Olympic Committee, is often called 'The Lord of the Rings' (and know we know where the mysterious five rings really belong to).
The PC adventure Simon the Sorceror has some nice references (such as a Gollum-guy fishing for a ring).
In one Simpsons episode ('This little Wiggy'), there is a toy shop called 'J.R.R. Toykin's'.
I know there are some more, but that's all I can think of at the moment.
Each man kills the thing he loves...</p>