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[sylvaknight]

WHERE NOW THE HORSE AND THE RIDER-Aka how I just had a Tolkien related freak out on the train

I can't believe what just happened to me. As in, it's such a weird chain of events that it has left me a little dizzy.

I was reading "Les Nourritures Terrestres" by Gide, and I got to a point he cites parts of a poem which I liked very much. The notes informed me that it's a French translation of "an 8th century saxon elegy called 'The Wanderer' "

That intrigued me, and, being on a train with a lot of time to pass (plus being a little tired of reading in French), I took out my phone and searched for the poem.

I found it here. It's the lament of a warrior in exile who has lost his lord and mourns the joy and glory of a world that has now disappeared. I was enjoying it a lot.

And then I got to this point:

And my mouth actually dropped open, because what?

Are you telling me that the Lament for the Rohirrim, one of my favourite poems in LOTR, which I learnt by heart at 13 and later took care to learn in the original English, which I sing when I do the dishes and which routinely makes me cry, is Tolkien's translation of an 8th century Saxon elegy?

Well, the notes at the end of the page confirmed it:

"Tolkien's rendition is hard to resist" I bet it is. I love that professional philologists add notes to their work saying "yeah, by the way, this bit here? It's in your favourite fantasy novel, and I am kinda jealous of how well it was translated, but it's Tolkien, the man spoke Old English, what can you do? Carry on, xoxo"

I mean, I had gathered that the Tolkien poem played on themes used in medieval literature, but I had no idea it was based on an actual, specific text. That makes it a hundred times cooler!

Maybe it's common knowledge, but it was a delicious tidbit of good news to me. Especially since I wasn't expecting it in the least, so I was blindsided by it.

Cherry on top? I had ignored the Old English text, since I don't understand it, but at the end I gave it a cursory read , and the line "Alas for the splendor of the prince"? "Eala þeodnes þrym!"

Now, I have never studied Old English, but I know roughly how to pronounce it (what kind of Silmarillion fan would I be if I didn’t recognize the thorn?). þeodnes has to be where "Theoden" comes from, right?

Apparently yes. I googled the "Lament for the Rohirrim", and Tolkien Gathaway has a nice little parapraph in which they explain all this. I don't know why I had never read it before, but it was a lot more fun learning it as an unexpected detour from my French practice, not gonna lie.

Bottom line: Tolkien was a both a nerd and a genius and continues to make my life brighter, and this is one of those moments in which I am very happy I have spent years of my life learning languages.

Thanks for coming to my impromptu TedTalk.

[sylvaknight]

“Some who have read the book, or at any rate have reviewed it, have found it boring, absurd, or contemptible; and I have no cause to complain, since I have similar opinions of their works, or of the kinds of writing that they evidently prefer.”

— J.R.R. Tolkien, foreword to the second edition of The Lord of the Rings, October 1966

[sylvaknight]

My favourite aesthetic, behind the scenes period drama. The mystique of the surroundings and clothes ruined by phones and coats and shiz. Magnificent.

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Manifesting glass stained windows

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golden hour in september

[sylvaknight]

This is what writing feels like, especially when everything is a mental struggle. But I will say, so far the latest chapter of my WIP is going much more smoothly than the last one.

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Last night I dreamt that Frodo saved Dom and Letty’s lives by activating the parachute on his muscle car and dragging the Wicked Witch over a cliff.

Sometimes I know where these things come from, but this morning I have no idea.

[sylvaknight]

“When they reached the mountain’s summit, even Clancy took a pull,      It well might make the boldest hold their breath,   The wild hop scrub grew thickly, and the hidden ground was full     Of wombat holes, and any slip was death.   But the man from Snowy River let the pony have his head,     And he swung his stockwhip round and gave a cheer,   And he raced him down the mountain like a torrent down its bed,    

While the others stood and watched in very fear.   He sent the flint stones flying, but the pony kept his feet,     He cleared the fallen timber in his stride,   And the man from Snowy River never shifted in his seat —     It was grand to see that mountain horseman ride.   Through the stringy barks and saplings, on the rough and broken ground,    Down the hillside at a racing pace he went;   And he never drew the bridle till he landed safe and sound,     At the bottom of that terrible descent.”

Excerpt from the poem ‘The Man From Snowy River’ by Banjo Paterson.

(background image from the movie ‘The Man From Snowy River 2′)

[sylvaknight]

“War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.”

— Faramir, The Two Towers (via tolkienillustrations)

[sylvaknight]

My mom’s cat knows he’s a model.

[sylvaknight]

Have you read the six new Thrawn books Zahn wrote in recent year out of curiosity? Which he said could also could be read as prequels to his Legends storylines, although set in the current canon?

I’ve read the first three—they were excellent. Haven’t got my hands on ascendency yet, but those are next on my list. I’ll read anything Zahn writes!

[sylvaknight]

After many years, I began to get over the bitterness about Disney tossing the EU out the window. I started to consider trying to read the new canon, watch the new shows, and become okay with the fact that ALL those books I had spent so much time with were no longer relevant.

Then I happened across Zahn’s original Thrawn trilogy on my bookshelf and reread them. AND IT’S NOT OKAY.

That trilogy was perfect. It FELT just like the original movie trilogy. The visuals, the dialogue, you can hear John Williams soundtrack. It’s got everything we love from the movies—the characters, the space battles, the intrigue. All the characters get something significant and important to do, and no one feels left out or shoehorned in. And then, on top of all that, you get a NEW plot, NEW characters (that fit in perfectly), NEW planets, NEW ships. Everything fits together. It all makes sense. It’s GREAT.

I’ll never get over it.

[sylvaknight]

Oh look, it's my theme song:

Oh! how I hate to get up in the morning,

Oh! how I'd love to remain in bed;

For the hardest blow of all, is to hear the bugler call;

you've got to get up, you've got to get up, you've got to get up this morning!

Some day I'm going to murder the bugler,

Some day they're going to find him dead;

I'll amputate his reveille, and step upon it heavily,

And spend the rest of my life in bed.

[sylvaknight]