Hello all!

I'm participating in Hamlette's 2017 Tolkien Blog Party!!

My long dormant LOTR fandom love got resurrected during Camp NaNo. It was kinda inevitable. I mean, my cabin was called The Fellowship of the Keyboards for a reason.....

So, on to the questions!

1. How long have you been a Tolkien fan? 

Since high school for sure.

I still haven't seen many of the movies - it's mostly been limited clips and pictures. I've heard mixed reviews - book purists really hate it and movie people love it. So...I don't know if I want to watch them or not.

I love the books, but I haven't read them in a while - I don't have my own copy yet. A problem that I hope to rectify soon.

That being said, I do like to read LOTR trivia, take LOTR quizzes, etc. So I guess I'm a full member of the fandom.

2. Has your love of Middle-Earth affected your life? 

Yes, in a positive way. It has connected me to some amazing bloggers, and has connected me deeper to my Faith.


And has been responsible for my shieldmaiden obsession. If I ever could be a fictional character I would be....


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(asdkfsorjeosdckdnowthsdncls. This GIF. Where has this GIF been? I LOVES IT).


*start shameless plug* You have to check out Joseph Pearce's lecture series on the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings if you are interested in the Catholic parallels to LOTR and the Hobbit. Seriously, you do. It really helps to understand Tolkien's symbolism. *end shameless plug*

3. If you had to take the One Ring to Mordor, which character would you choose for your sole companion? 

Samwise Gangee probably. I'd get pretty high strung if I was carrying that thing, I need someone really loyal by my side.


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Me. So. Me.

4. Which is scarier, Shelob or Balrog? 

Shelob.

*spiders aren't that scary are they?*


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AH, YEAH.....No comparison.

5. Which two towers do you think Tolkien was referring to in the title The Two Towers? (i.e. Orthanc, Barad-dur, Cirith Ungol, Minas Morgul, or Minas Tirith). 

I would say that the two tower that Tolkien referred to were Minas Tirith (as the stronghold of Gondor, that figured in a lot into the story) and either Orthanc or Barad-dur (I know I keep spelling it wrong, I can't find the silly symbol) as they are "dark" towers under Sauron's control.

(Interesting note: When looking up the names of these towers (as I was terribly rusty), I found that Tolkien did an original drawing that featured Minas Morgul and Orthanc as the "two towers". I guess Tolkien had his own ideas....)

6. Whose wardrobe would you like to have?

Eowyn's. That is, as long I can sword fight in a skirt knee-length or longer.

I mean, come on! Look at these costumes!

7. What do you think an Ent Draught would taste like?

I thought originally it would be like sugar water.

Knowing Tolkien though, that doesn't seem very likely.

So, I'm going to say that it's a sweet and crisp drink. Maybe like an Amaretto Sour x10.

(For those who are under 21, an Amaretto Sour is a cocktail made mostly with Amaretto liqueur and a citrus juice. Sweet, tangy, and crisp. My favorite.)

8. Where in Middle-Earth would you like to live? 

I'd like Hobbiton if it wasn't living in holes. I have a slight claustrophobia problem, so dark holes would not go over too well with me. That also eliminates the Orcs and Dwarves kingdoms too.

I'd probably live in the kingdom of Rohan. (oh my, that obsession with Eowyn might be a bit bigger than I thought....)

9. Do you have any Tolkein-related opinions that surprise other people? 

I've heard that Tolkien really didn't like females in his story. Which explains why he didn't have that many and why they weren't involved in the story all that much. (Tauriel is not an original Tolkein character. That is strictly a Peter Jackson addition - sorry Tauriel fans).

To which I say, excuse me Mr. Tolkien, but do you realize the power that we females can wield? We're not just some background support system. Without the females, your story would collapse.

10. List up to 10 of your favorite lines/quotations from the books or movies.

 
That's everything! Definitely go crash the party. Have a few Ent-Draughts (or Green Dragon drafts, if you prefer).

Scribblingly yours,

Catherine