Why I Love JRR Tolkien 

Quite the compliment, and quite funny given how much of my live I've lived overseas... then again, nothing makes you more English than being an Englishman abroad! 😄

😂❤

Thank you! I love sharing about the things Iove!

Yes, he talked about how Anglo-Saxon literature was prematurely cut off in 1066 and loved the idea of bringing back the poetical heroic epic. Elsewhere, possibly on RU-vid, is an old documentary on Tolkien narrated by Judi Dench which talks more about his private life, with interviews with his sons. Much is made of how not traditionally Shire English he was, especially as a Catholic back then, so perhaps he felt he had something to set out. Like myself, as a long time Brit abroad. I don't think I'd ever have started a podcast on "Britishness" if I hadn't spent so much of my life outside Britain!

How interesting! I should like to watch that. Thanks for the great videos. All the best@@BritishCulture

Oh wow, I shall have to get hold of them, thank you for the recommendation!

Definitely a national treasure 💯

Very well recognised! It is the intro for all my podcasts, as it is the march of REME (the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) in the British Army, in which my father and grandfather were both Majors.

Thank you for taking the time to write such a lovely comment, especially as English is not your first language. That's so nice of you! Those translated names are interesting! Thank you again for sharing!

Spread the word!

Thank you very much! It's a mixture of bespoke (the waistcoat and shirt) and thrift (the brown tweed jacket and tie). I'm always on the lookout for classic items! 😊

Hey, thank you, and I'm delighted you got the reference! Cheers! 😊🥃

Perfect for bedtime reading, that's what got me hooked! 😊

It is so beautifully written, and even the prose has a poetical ring to it. I often dip in, but hope I can read it cover to cover again soon.

@@BritishCulture I admit I didn't read the appendices this time, but as a kid I used to devour those too :)

I've read that Gary Gygax, the co-creator of D&D, preferred sword-and-sorcery fantasy like that written by Fritz Leiber and R. E. Howard to Tolkien's high fantasy, but I'd only read Lord of the Rings when I first bought D&D only months later, and it very much influenced how I played the game.

@@rikk319 Gary might have preferred the sword and sorcery, and we know his magic system is Vancian, but the influence of Tolkien on D&D is undeniable. Halflings were originally called hobbits until D&D got into copyright trouble over it. And the elves in D&D are certainly very much influenced by Tolkien's elves. Admittedly, D&D wizards aren't running around with Glamdring, but there's still a lot of drawing directly from LotR :)

@@SimonChambers No, I hear you--dwarves, elves, halflings, rangers, type VI demons--they all came right out of Lord of the Rings, and all the better for it. My younger brother even named some of his first characters after Tolkien's characters--Bilbo and Boromir among them. Gygax did mention that he wanted D&D to be human-centric, for some reason, because for me being something other than human was so much more fun, so I almost always ran an elf, dwarf, half-elf, or something even more exotic...D&D elves don't come close to the power and majesty of Tolkien elves, though.

I love how Tolkien's love of nature (yes, especially trees) comes through on the page. The enthusiasm is infectious!

They are simply muhteşem 😊

What an enviable experience!

That's a wonderful way to be introduced to the world of Tolkien, and absolutely, there's always something new. It is such a joy!

True comprehension came years later, but grateful for the foundation, it built, not only for incredible literature, but the basis of the language itself

Absolutely, and even when Tolkien returned from the First World War, areas he knew had changed inspiring him to write The Scouring of the Shire. There are still quiet corners, but they are harder and harder to find.

That's such a lovely comment to wake up to, thank you! If only I could reply with a photograph of my fountain pens, which are indeed in regular use!

I discovered Tolkien through an odd coincidence. It was on a Friday when school had just finished, and I was a little late getting all my things together to leave. Departing, I spied a coverless, dog-eared paperback in the hallway. I brought it home, curious as to what it was. I could not believe anyone had written such a great story, and read it that weekend. I've had similar coincidences, but Tolkien was who brought me through some very lonely and tough times. I loved the Lord o' the Rings even more, although the Hobbit seemed to carry more of a story in a shorter space. I loved the languages he came up with for the Elves and Faerie folk. My best friend liked CS Lewis (of course).

@@davidm1149 Nice stoty. I also read C.S. Lewis, even his "Sci-Fi" Perelandra. But I went off him when I realised the extent of his religious bent.

​@@flamencoprofthat is hilarious, because he was an Athiest until he met Tolkien; a devout catholic. All of this work has a "religious bent" as most of the best stories and storytellers tend to. The Lord of the Rings is literally about the rejection of sin. You fool 😂

@@ryanparker4996 Perhaps I should have said Lewis seemed to me more overtly christian in his writing. I have known Tolkien was catholic since the Seventies, at least. In LOTR Tolkein mines Indo-European/Norse mythology. He's not trying to spread Christianity per se.

@@flamencoprof No, Tolkien wrote LoTR as a mythology for the English, who were at the time Christians, and he expects that you've already read the Bible, and understand the morality. I always find it so funny when Athiests love LoTR. Theres another book you might like, you know

Thank you! I'm very glad you enjoyed it! 😊

Thank you so much, and I don't doubt you're aware Tolkien had a great interest in the Finnish language!

How wonderful! Thank you for sharing your story and experience. It certainly is interesting how many Catholics connect with him especially on faith. 😊

That's wonderful to hear! 😊

Thank you! It has been some time since I recorded a video, but comments like this very much encourage me to set time aside to make more. Thank you again!

Thank you so much, and I am glad to hear that Tolkien's work has been so positive for you. It's great to reach out and find more people who appreciate his wonderful writing. Best wishes, Thomas 😊

Recommendations well received, thank you!

I absolutely agree, do check out my 30 minute podcast episode for more on why I also enjoy it! T is for Tolkien!

Oh, that's wonderful, thank you! I rarely find someone else to chat about Turkish translations with! My email is always there: AlbionNeverDies@Gmail.com

Cheers from Yorkshire! ~ Thomas 😊

Thank you so much! I find every time I go back to The Lord of the Rings, I find something new, understand more, and can appreciate the world better. It's such a rich tapestry, and I am happy to share my love of it here! 😊

Thank you! Pleasingly, the tweed jacket was a find in a charity shop, whilst the linen waistcoat was bespoke from my tailor. I used to live in Shenzhen, China, and had many pieces made.

Thank you, it's genuinely a pleasure to create these, and then all the nicer to share them with others who appreciate them! 😊

Thank you! Hi, this version was published by Harper Collins in 2004. The original dust jacket was black with a gold design, and a little red. It is only without the dust jacket that you have this red cover, which I prefer. So, copies you see online might be correct, but not show what's underneath. Hope that helps? I'd share a link but they go obsolete so quickly!

What a wonderful gift! 😊

Thank you! 😃

Thank you for taking the time to leave such a lovely comment! 😊

That's lovely to hear, thank you! I don't have a regular schedule for these, I have a weekly podcast, and I upload videos when I have something I really want to show visually and can show it as I wish. So, expect a new video at some point, but and let me know what you like as I do requests!

The Silmarillion is a wonderful read, I first experienced it through the audio book read by Martin Shaw. Magnificent.

I must admit, this tree isn't in Oxford! I saw the tree when out and about in Howarth, and my wife took the photo. It happened that I was wearing a similar outfit to Tolkien's in this photo.

Thank you, O Matt! 😊

Hi, I've been looking into this! I don't doubt that many places Tolkien lived and worked in will have influenced him, including the West Midlands, Oxford, and even Leeds. I always feel limited for time in these videos, and give a bit more info on the podcast. However, the greater influence for The Shire specifically is generally thought to be Worcestershire. I am not sure about the tramp story, it is new to me. Local legends often abound about historic figures, in the West Midlands it is often claimed that William Shakespeare was caught poaching, or that his father was, but I'm not sure there's much evidence for that. Still, they can prove interesting, and who knows whatever evidence may arise.

I think it's always great to find the thing you love in your second or third language. 20 years ago, I was reading Star Wars in Turkish, and later it proved surprisingly useful when reading Ottoman history, as the translators had used many of the medieval terms for Lucas' world. It made sense it retrospect, although I hadn't planned the exercise to be useful.

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it. 😊

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Hi there, I'm glad you like the music, as it's me playing the flute! Most of the music from this video is my interpretation of tracks from the BBC Radio 4 adaptation of The Lord of the Rings (1981) which had some magnificent music by Stephen Oliver. I also play music based on the soundtrack to the more recent Peter Jackson films composed by Howard Shore. Again, thank you and I'm glad you noticed and enjoyed it!

Fantastic, thank you. @@BritishCulture

Not the original intention, but I've certainly nothing against this result!

True, but not available at my local library growing up, no internet ordering back then!

Understood I have reprints of the original copies of the hobbit and Lord of Rings in leather back. Along with book of lost tales and Silmarillian. Couldn't quite comprehend nor link the Lord of the rings characters to. But I admire how everything had a personality. I also hold grudge that Sting was not the only glowy sword. Gandalf and Thorin lead Bilbo and the dwarves with the shine from their swords. Glamding igniting with blue flame from sticking down the goblin king.

I love Smith of Wootton Major, it's a brilliant story with many layers to it.

Hi, this version was published by Harper Collins in 2004. The original dust jacket was black with a gold design, and a little red. It is only without the dust jacket that you have this red cover, which I prefer. So, copies you see online might be correct, but not show what's underneath. Hope that helps?

@@BritishCulture wow thanks, it's just hidden in plain sight:)

I have a copy, so not entirely lost!

Hahaha, I think it's surreal enough not to require anything else! 😄

Long on my reading list, but I haven't yet gotten to it. Is there a particular translation you'd recommend? 😊

@@BritishCulture 40+ years ago I first read John Crawford's translation of the Kalevala, the first in English (1880s), public domain reproductions are readily available. The one I think a young Tolkien first read with the TCBS was by W.F. Kirby, it came out in 1907. One feature of the Crawford and Kirby translations is that they reproduce the eight-syllables-per-line meter that appears in the original Finnish, which I find quite powerful and hypnotic. Many of Tolkien's poems follow this meter, see the magical struggle between Finrod and Sauron in the Tale of Beren and Luthien. A more academic translation is by Francis Magoun, it does not reproduce the original meter. I suspect that the Kalevala inspired Tolkien's desire for a British mythology. In the 1840s Finnish doctor Elias Lonnrot traveled around Finland collecting old songs, whose oral tradition was in danger of dying out. After collecting a few hundred of them he noticed that the same characters kept re-appearing, dominated by a semi-divine wizard named Vainamoinen. Lonnrot then assembled them into a particular order, beginning with a creation story and ending when wizard Vainamoinen sails away (seems I've heard a similar story somewhere. . . ). The Kalevala became a Finnish cultural icon, helping strengthen their national identity in the face of Russian domination. I have gotten to know a few Finns (never been to Finland though), and they all know it. Some 115 years ago Tolkien came to want a similar tradition for Britain. You probably already know that the Kalevala's Tale of Kullervo was the inspiration for the tragedy of Turin Turambar.

Good question, because in Worcestershire, we are stressing the shire's name, so reducing the stress on the latter syllable. Whereas, with 'The' Shire, there is nothing else to draw the emphasis, so no reduction. 😊

@@BritishCulture fascinating, thank you!

Haha, I considered it, but as someone with classical musical training, I know how appalling my voice is these days, so I decided to spare you the horror! 😄

@@BritishCulture Oh, sorry. My voice has also gone down since those days. I didn't know it was your case too.

No worries,@@hglundahl I'm just very out of practice!

I really love 'I sit beside the fire and think' and made up a little tune for it 🙂 there is a group called Clamavi De Profundus which does amazing musical renditions of Tolkien's poems, the Lament for the Rohirrim is incredibly beautiful.

@@joannemoore3976 I think I have heard their rendering of "Far over the Misty Mountains cold" and I love it.

That is an interesting perspective, and yes, I have a great deal of respect for the Catholic Church.

It is absolutely important to value our past, our heritage, as we move ever forwards.

THANK YOU!

If you'd like something more in depth, I suggest you check out a documentary called "JRR TOLKIEN '1892-1973' - A Study Of The Maker Of Middle-earth". It's narrated by Judi Dench and very informative. I think it's still on RU-vid. 😊

Haha, a number with very different meanings in different cultures!

We all get that way in the end 😄

Cool is a fad…it doesn’t last. Old fashioned does last. I’ll take old fashioned everyday.