Michael Martinez Tolkien Essays

Michael Martinez is author of "Understanding Middle-earth", "Visualizing Middle-earth", and the eBook "Parma Endorian" (available for free PDF downloads on this site). Recognized around the world as one of the leading authorities on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, Michael Martinez has shared his knowledge and insights on Middle-earth with other fans in the online world for many years. His books and essays have been translated into Polish, Spanish, Italian, Hungarian, Greek, Hebrew, Portuguese, and Finnish. But though he is best known for his research into Tolkien's chief literary creation, this versatile author has garnered respect and acknowledgment in more than one field.

Politics: Just Politics

The conflicts between various Numenorean factions can be portrayed as clashes between conservative and liberal elements. Is there sufficient evidence to deduce what went wrong in Arnor when it was divided into three realms?

Et Tu, Faramir?

Originally Published on: February 25, 2002. Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Criticism and interpretation ,  Middle Earth (Imaginary place). The one thing even J.R.R. Tolkien could not provide his readers (or himself) was a large corpus of Middle-earth literature, stories and narratives written by the inhabitants of Middle-earth. We have a few poems and songs, enough to tantalize the more avid hunters of esoteric snippets among us, but there is really no attempt to construct a literary tradition for Middle-earth. The Silmarillion source texts are mostly written as Tolkien's own retellings of the older stories...

Hobbitry-in-Armchairs: Philandering Tolkien's Philology

An armchair investigation of tongue-in-cheek or pen-in-hand Biblical passages which might have, could have, would have, never did, and may still be influencing Tolkien preternaturally, posthumorously, or sincerely. In plain English, "As Coroner I must aver I've thoroughly examined her. And she's not only merely dead, she's truly most sincerely dead." Your mileage may vary. Tax, tags, and title are not included. Real Hobbits don't eat cram. This cliched space for rent.

Flying away on a wing and a hair ...

Authoritative new books about Middle-earth are few and far between. Quite often, when a newly published book provides new information about Middle-earth, our long-cherished ideas are challenged and must be re-evaluated.

Legolas, You're Just So Darn...CUTE!

Originally Published on: January 25, 2002. Related Subject(s): Legolas (Fictitious character) ,  Lord of the rings : the fellowship of the ring (Motion picture : 2001) ,  Bloom, Orlando, 1977-. Last month I wrote about the movie starring Orlando Bloom. I forget who else appeared in that flick, but in case you missed it, he played an elf named Legolas. Okay, I know who else appeared in the movie. Orlando had a supporting cast and all, but it was his movie. I know this because starting somewhere around December 20, 2001, my email began to explode with anxious queries from young ladies about that gorgeous elf in the movie. One of the oldest articles for the Suite101 Tolkien and Middle-earth topic is Speaking of Legolas.... I wrote that essay in March 2000. Almost 2 years ago. Since December 19, the most favorable reaction to that essay has been something along the lines of a lot of email saying, "Can you write anything else about Legolas?" The least favorable reaction to that essay has been something along the lines of a lot of email saying, "I LOVE LEGOLAS!"...

Walking With Ents

The one element Tolkien brought to Middle-earth which we cannot reconstruct or substitute through our own endeavors is also the one aspect of his mythology which makes it seem real. Why is Middle-earth special? Because not just anyone can create it. In fact, only one man ever had that special ability, and here is why.

The French Connection

Why did Tolkien use the word 'corsair' for his pirates? He needed special pirates with a storied history as rich and detailed as Middle-earth itself. And, as with so many other details of Middle-earth, the stories don't just concern the pirates.

Pedo barbarians a minno

Why are there no barbarians in Middle-earth? Are they too mundane for a heroic age or too simple for a complex world?

 Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Purists?

Originally Published on: December 19, 2001. Related Subject(s): Lord of the rings : the fellowship of the ring (Motion picture : 2001) ,  Jackson, Peter, 1961-. I've now seen The Fellowship of the Ring and it seems to me that people just have to see the movie for themselves in order to make up their minds. Unforgiving Tolkien purists will probably be offended. I think they have pretty much painted themselves into that corner. There is no saving grace in the movie for the hardcore fans who have dreaded the release of this picture, and who wish it had never been produced. There are Tolkien purists, however, who (like me) will do their best to separate their feelings for Tolkien's work from their reactions to Peter Jackson's work. I have to admit that it's not easy to watch this movie without thinking, "Well, that was different from the book."...

Where in the Wild is Gildor Inglorian?

An Elf and a Ranger were camping out in Eriador one night. As they lay in their blankets, the Elf nudged the Ranger and said, "Look up, my friend, and tell me what you see."...

Returning to the Ring

Six years ago I read an online rumor that someone was working on a "Lord of the Rings" movie. Since then, I've found myself jostling for sanity along with hundreds, even thousands of other writers who have all been swept up in the LoTR craze. And now here I am again, writing the obligatory review.

 And Now, For the Rest of the Poem

Originally Published on: April 25, 2002. Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973. Lord of the rings. It could be said that, but for an obscure thirteenth century manuscript, The Lord of the Rings might never have seen publication. Most people who have expressed something more than a passing fancy sooner or later hear that Tolkien actually pulled The Lord of the Rings from consideration by its eventual publisher, George Allen & Unwin, and submitted the work instead to Milton Waldman at Collins. But what may not be such common knowledge is the fact that Tolkien was enticed back into the George Allen & Unwin camp because of a poem he had written years before, which in turn made use of the word sigaldry. And sigaldry, it turns out, was a word Tolkien had gleaned from a 1200's era manuscript. I have no idea of what manuscript it was, nor even what language the word comes from. It is a lost and forgotten word, except for the fact that Tolkien used it in a relatively minor poem which had a profound impact upon modern literature...

The Magical Mythical Numenor Tour

In 1964, J.R.R. Tolkien answered one of the Inevitable Questions (readers liked to ask him) for Christopher Bretherton in what became Letter 257. The question is not provided, although it most likely began with something like, "How did you begin ...." But, begin what? In an early paragraph of the letter, Tolkien wrote, "With regard to your question. Not easy to answer, with anything shorter than an autobiography. I began the construction of languages in early boyhood: I am primarily a scientific philologist...."

What a Hobbit Wants

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit." One of the most famous opening lines in English literature lays down the law for our perception of the basic hobbit lifestyle: comfort. Hobbits don't live in "nasty, dirty, wet hole(s), filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell". They live in comfortable tunnels "without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats...."

 Mountains on the Left, Ruins on the Right

Originally Published on: March 25, 2002. Related Subject(s): Tolkien Enterprises (U.S.) ,  Fantasy games ,  Middle Earth (Imaginary place). The (mostly) gaming oriented journal Other Hands recently announced it would shut down its print publication and refrain from publishing new modules and articles based on Iron Crown Enterprise's Middle-earth Role-Playing game. The capitulation of Other Hands before the Tolkien Enterprises juggernaut was the final gasp of pre-movie Tolkien-inspired fan-designed adventure gaming. Now, there are still various MUDs, MUSHes, and underground modules and impromptu gaming systems floating around out there which owe something to Tolkien's Middle-earth. But Other Hands was different...

Do Elves Dream of Eclectic Sleep?

Author: Michael Siminski. Published on: November 30, 2001. Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Characters ,  Elves -- Fiction ,  Fantasy fiction. J.R.R. Tolkien devoted a lot of time and thought to determining what it means to be an Elf. He described the Elves in Letter 144 as representing "Men with greatly enhanced aesthetic and creative faculties, greater beauty and longer life, and nobility -- the Elder Children, doomed to fade before the Followers (Men), and to live ultimately only by the thin line of their blood that was mingled with that of Men, among whom it was the only real claim to 'nobility'." But what does all that mean?...

The Middle-Earth Prophecies

Originally Published on: October 26, 2001. Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Criticism and interpretation ,  Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Characters ,  Middle Earth (Imaginary place). Prophecy plays an important role in the Middle-earth stories. In fact, some people argue that Tolkien must have intended Middle-earth to have a predestined fate or timeline, because it seems like every prophecy mentioned comes true in some fashion. Well, false prophecies do occur in the stories, but they are rare. Or, if they are not false, they are at least unfulfilled...

Waiting for a King Like You

Why did the line of the High Kings of Arnor and Gondor come to an early end with the death of Earendur? Tolkien offers us only one comment on the reasons for the transition from the kingdom of Arnor to the three smaller realms of Arthedain, Cardolan, and Rhudaur. He tells us that "after Earendur owing to dissensions among his sons their kingdom was divided into three...." We are provided no cause for these dissensions. What did the three brothers disagree over? How to raise taxes? Which girl they should marry? When to celebrate the oldest son's coronation? ...(click the "Read more" link for the rest of this essay)...

 Something Wicked This Way Comes

Originally Published on: October 6, 2002 The sudden migration of the Halfling clans living in the upper Vales of Anduin across the Misty Mountains, starting in the year T.A. 1050, signaled the arising of the great shadow in southern Greenwood the Great. The Wise could not be sure of whom or what had settled in the forest, but they understood that something which had not previously dwelt there before had become active...

Trick or Treat? Spooky Middle-Earth

Originally Published on: October 31, 2001. Related Subject(s): Middle Earth (Imaginary place) -- Miscellanea ,  Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Criticism and interpretation. Most Tolkien fans will immediately recognize September 22 as the birthday of both Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, but their September 22 was not our September 22. Tolkien's offbeat calendar system for the Shire made the Hobbits' September 22 fall on our September 14 (September 13 in a Leap Year). So, for years, you've been toasting Bilbo and Frodo's good health 8 days too late. Halloween is not an especially important date in the Tolkien calendars, either. Our October 31 (All Hallows' Eve) falls on the Hobbits' November 9. By that time, their harvest is way behind them. But Halloween did not really originate in a harvest festival, as some have told the tale. It began as the Celtic festival called Samhain in Irish Gaelic (pronounced SOW-en, despite the "m" in the middle of the word)...

Tip-toe Through the Toponymy

Originally Published on: August 28, 2002 A current rage on the Internet seems to be for everyone to find out what their "hobbit name" is. I guess that's like a Love-o-meter, where you type in two people's names and see if they are compatible. Forget staring into each other's eyes, long walks on the beach, and chasing dogs through the local park. Love (and Hobbitdom) lies just a click away from your fingertips. One of the reasons why Tolkien's character names stand out is that they aren't simply a collection of medieval-sounding names, such as many fantasy authors populate their worlds with. Tolkien's names don't just mean something in some particular language. They mean something in a particular context, a context he provided, and which sometimes existed as part of a greater framework...

Love in the Trees

Suite101 Article 128 Author: Michael Martinez Published on: January 31, 2003 Tom Bombadil and the Ents have buried themselves in little niches and it seems there is no digging them up for new discussion. We should try to change that. The most common question asked about Bombadil is, "Why didn't the Ring affect him?" In reality, that question should be, "Why didn't Bombadil want the Ring." There is a difference. I believe the Ring did affect old Tom, at least to the extent that it roused his curiosity and drew his interest long enough that he had to satisfy himself regarding whether he was still his own master.

Middle-Earth Revised, Again

Originally Published on: July 27, 2002 In Letter 187 (dated to approximately April 1956, 20 months after The Fellowship of the Ring was published in August 1954), J.R.R. Tolkien told H. Cotton Minchin "as 'research students' always discover, however long they are allowed, and careful their work and notes, there is always a rush at the end, when the last date suddenly approaches on which their thesis must be presented. So it was with this book, and the maps...." He was speaking, of course, about The Lord of the Rings, and the maps associated with the text. In the course of the letter, Tolkien described parts of the project which had to be abandoned:     I am, however, primarily a philologist and to some extent a calligrapher .... And my son after me. To us far and away the most absorbing interest is the Elvish tongues, and the nomenclature based on them; and the alphabets. My plans for the 'specialist volume' were largely linguistic. An index of names was to be produced, which by etymological interpretation would also provide quite a large Elvish vocabulary; this is of course a first requirement. I worked at it for months, and indexed the first two vols. (it was the chief cause of the delay of Vol iii) until it became clear that size and cost were ruinous. Reluctantly also I had to abandon, under pressure from the 'production department', the 'facsimiles' of the three pages of the Book of Mazarbul, burned tattered and blood-stained, which I had spent much time on producing or forging. Without them the opening of Book Two, ch. 5 (which was meant to have the facsimiles and a transcript alongside) is defective, and the Runes of the Appendices unnecessary. Well, two of the facsimile pages (nos. 1 and 3) have now been published in J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist & Illustrator. I have yet to see the second page reproduced. And much material which JRRT had worked on through the years has also been brought forth since 1980, the year in which Christopher Tolkien first published Unfinished Tales. There is now far more information available about Middle-earth, in the form of paintings and doodles, essays and notes, maps, and linguistic analysis, than Tolkien ever dreamed could be possibly published. But what do we have to show for all that? We can research Middle-earth to our hearts' content, but do all these things bring us any closer to realizing what Tolkien had in mind than just The Lord of the Rings itself? A question was recently posed to me which is seldom asked any more: "Which books are considered unimpeachable resources?"...

 The Sauron Strategies: One War to Win Them All, Except...

Originally Published on: October 19, 2001. Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Characters ,  Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Criticism and interpretation ,  Middle Earth (Imaginary place). In the First Age, Morgoth attempted to overwhelm his Eldarin foes by throwing everything possible at them. Usually, his armies met with mixed success. Even the Nirnaeth Arnoediad proved to be so costly a victory that Morgoth could not fully capitalize on the defeat of the Elven armies and their allies. He seized Hithlum and the March of Maedhros, restored his troops to Dorthonion, and took full control over the upper Vale of Sirion. But the Falas, Nargothrond, Doriath (and Brethil, which was technically a part of Doriath), and Gondolin each had to be dealt with separately...

The Other Way 'Round

Originally Published on: June 26, 2002. When The Lord of the Rings was first published, some reviewers apparently decided that "all the good [peoples were] just good, and the bad just bad." In indirect response to such complaints, Tolkien noted to one reader: "...the Elves were not wholly good or in the right" (Letter 154). Indeed, none of his characters were wholly "good" or "evil"; and Elrond acknowledged as much, telling the members of his council that "nothing is evil in the beginning. Even Sauron was not so."...

Hey guys, how's the weather down there?

(Suite 101 Michael Martinez Article) Author: Michael Martinez Published on: September 17, 1999 Related Subject(s): Lord of the rings films (2001-2003) ,  Motion pictures -- Production and direction -- New Zealand ,  New Zealand -- Climate As I write this a growing number of the actors and extras are in New Zealand getting ready for primary photography on Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Some of the actors expect to be there for 18 months. I sort of wonder how many group photos will come out of this production, and if everyone will be wearing their sunblock in all of them.

 The Men Who Would Be Steward

Originally Published on: May 26, 2002. Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Characters ,  Middle Earth (Imaginary place) ,  Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Criticism and interpretation. Guardianship is the mark of the Stewards of Gondor. They are guardians, wardens, keeping an ancient trust placed in their hands by a family of kings which, at the end of the Third Age, no longer exists. Gondor's Ruling Stewards are a curious example of how authority combined with tradition can produce a subtle irony in power and position. ...

Real Orcs Don't Do Windows

Suite101 Essay 126 Author: Michael Martinez Published on: November 29, 2002 While doing some research on the Uruk-hai, I came across an interesting fact: there were no Uruk-hai when Tolkien first wrote the chapter which introduced them. He hadn't conceived of them by that point. The original title for the chapter was "An Orc-raid".

Celeborn Unplugged

Published on: November 11, 2002 Every now and then, someone asks me to speak up for Celeborn. He is, perhaps, the most maligned and misunderstood of Tolkien's characters. Many people consider the silver-haired Lord of Lorien to be oafish or even foolish. Why? Basically because of one sentence uttered by Galadriel...

Garn, Garn, It's an Orc's life for me!

Word has it that Michel Hurst, best known around the world as Iolaus on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys declined the opportunity to appear as an Orc in Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" movies. That's a shame. I'd have loved to see him bring the gravelly voiced wit and repartee of Charon to Middle-earth. "Hey! What are youse halflings doin' here? We got business witchoo!" Ah well, Michael's a little too busy, they say....

Cry 'Havoc!' and Let Slip the Wargs of Fandom!

Suite 101 Article 127 Author: Michael Martinez Published on: December 18, 2002 Peter Jackson's "The Two Towers" brings the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy around the bend. We're in the home stretch now, and as a wondering world begins to judge the second movie with a variety of opinions, the purist in me cries out: Ick. Of course, no one really cares what the purists think. Frankly, I don't, either. It's a good movie. And that is my review. Now for the analysis...

All the King's Horses and All the King's Men...

Originally Published on: September 24, 2001. Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Criticism and interpretation ,  Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Stories, plots, etc. "Osanwe-Kenta" is an interesting though somewhat confusing essay. Christopher Tolkien believes it was composed at the same time as "Quendi and Eldar" (circa 1959), most of which was published in The War of the Jewels. "Quendi and Eldar" is a collection of short essays providing the etymological development of certain words the Elves used to name themselves and other peoples, or to refer to individuals in some way...

Welcome to the New Middle-Earth, Pilgrim!

Originally Published on: September 14, 2001. Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Criticism and interpretation ,  Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Languages ,  Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Settings. In "The Rivers and Beacon-hills of Gondor", J.R.R. Tolkien added new elements to the complex pseudo-history of Middle-earth. He invented whole histories for words which explained their ancientness for no reason other than to give plausible explanations for why certain landmarks in Gondor possessed the names they had been given...

The Sauron Strategies: Footsteps into Failure

Originally Published on: October 13, 2001. Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Criticism and interpretation ,  Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Characters. Sun Tzu points out the wisdom of the "divide and conquer" strategy, but he also advocated the use of massive, overwhelming, superior force whenever it was available. The art of war is indeed an art, for both sides in any given war have the potential to learn and adapt. One of the notable qualities of Middle-earth history is Sauron's mutability. He alters his strategies...

Riding in Carts With Hobbits

Originally Published on: September 30, 2001. Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Criticism and interpretation ,  Middle Earth (Imaginary place) ,  Celts -- Europe -- History. There will probably never be a "Half-days of Thunder" movie, celebrating the wild cart-races between Hobbiton and Bywater. Hobbits by nature are a stay-at-home folk whose wildest risks tend to be along the lines of stealing mushrooms and getting in and out of boats. Sure, the occasional Took goes off to Sea, but until Gandalf enticed Bilbo and Frodo Baggins into wandering around Middle-earth, Hobbits had probably not spent much time outside their own lands for more than a thousand years...

It's All in the Family: The Elweans and Ingweans

Originally Published on: August 26, 2001 Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Characters ,  Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Criticism and interpretation ,  Middle Earth (Imaginary place) -- Miscellaneas Nothing is more confusing than trying to figure out who is actually supposed to be in the various family trees, and what their relationships to the three Eldarin kings are. Most people have only read The Lord of the Rings, and that book provides us with so few clues about the Eldarin families that all the cousins, brothers, aunts, and uncles who are named in The Silmarillion arrive as quite a shock. Why weren't these people mentioned in The Lord of the Rings?

 The Good, the Bad, and the Outlawed

Originally Published on: August 19, 2001. <br> Related Subject(s): Middle Earth (Imaginary place) ,  Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Characters <br> <br> It's almost impossible to have a real hero in Middle-earth who has not passed through a period of dispossession and outlawry. But since outlawry is the province of all the villains, too, there must be something in the character of the hero which helps him to achieve redemption. Or, if he does not require redemption, then his outlawry is a moral abridgement of rejection. That is to say, if you're an outlaw under Morgoth's regime, you're not an evil person. You have rejected evil.

The Tip of the Iceberg: New Information About Middle-Earth

Originally Published on: September 7, 2001. Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Criticism and interpretation ,  Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Characters ,  Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Stories, plots, etc. For about a year now, online discussions about Tolkien's world have been peppered -- in a few places -- with references to an obscure essay called "Osanwe-Kenta". The essay was first published in Vinyar Tengwar No. 39, the July 1998 issue of the official journal of the Elvish Linguistic Fellowship, a special interest group of the Mythopoeic Society...

It's All in the Family: The Finweans

Originally Published on: August 31, 2001. <br> Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Characters ,  Middle Earth (Imaginary place) <br> The central role of Tolkien's mythology is assigned to the family of Finwe, the first King of the Noldor. Unlike the Minyar (Firsts), all of whom migrated to Valinor and became known as the Vanyar, the Tatyar (Seconds) and Nelyar (Thirds) divided themselves into two groups. Those Tatyar who undertook the Great Journey became the Noldor, and Finwe was their leader. Those Nelyar who undertook the Great Journey became the Teleri, and the brethren Elwe and Olwe were their leaders. Hence, Finwe, Elwe, and Olwe were only kings over those members of their clans who followed them on the Great Journey. The remaining Elves, collectively known as the Avari, were ruled by other (unnamed) chieftains...

By This Sword, I Rule!

Originally Published on: August 10, 2001. Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Criticism and interpretation ,  Fantasy fiction -- History and criticism Robert E. Howard fans should recognize the echo of a Kull story in the sentence, "By this sword, I rule." Howard liked to write about strong, brooding warriors. They might be men in the wild west of America, boxers in the ring, or naive barbarians thundering through the halls of civilizations so ancient even the citizens had forgotten their distant origins. In some ways, Aragorn was a barbarian, at least from a Gondorian perspective. Although raised by Elrond in an Eldarin household, Aragorn was no city boy. And both his father and grandfather had been killed by creatures (Orcs, Trolls respectively) which most city-folk would flee from in abject terror.

Make Room for Dragons

Originally Published on: August 4, 2001. Related Subject(s): Dragons in literature ,  Middle Earth (Imaginary place) ,   Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Characters People sometimes ask why there are no dragon stories from the Second Age. In the development of Middle-earth, the Second Age was almost an after-thought, and it didn't really call for dragons, although we have to assume for the sake of the pseudo-history that they were always there, in the background, waiting for an opportunity to make their appearance...

Count, Count, Weigh, Divide

Originaly Published on: July 30, 2001. <br> Related Subject(s): Omens , Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Criticism and interpretation , Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973. Lord of the rings -- Criticism and interpretation <br> Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin. Count, count, weigh, divide. Those words are familiar to anyone who has studied the Biblical book of Daniel. Belshazzar, son of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, was having a party when a mysterious finger appeared and traced those words on the wall. When the drunken Babylonians could not decipher the cryptic message, they sent for the aged Daniel, and he told them that their kingdom had been numbered, weighed in the balance, found wanting, and divided between the Medes and the Persians. That night, so the story goes, the Medes and Persians did indeed take the city of Babylon...

Tolkien's Time Machine: When Literary Worlds Collide

Originally Published on: July 22, 2001. <br> Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Criticism and interpretation , Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Stories, plots, etc. , Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973. Lord of the rings -- Criticism and interpretation. <br> Although it may seem obvious that Middle-earth is "the world in which J.R.R. Tolkien sets his Elf and Hobbit stories", that is not precisely the case. There are Elf stories which are not part of the world of The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion. I speak of the Elves in The Father Christmas Letters and Smith of Wootton Major. Of course, there are similarities between these worlds. Like a run on bad puns, Tolkien kept resurrecting old ideas and giving them new form. Hence, the Elves help Father Christmas fight off the goblins, and Smith sees Elven warriors returning from strange and foreign wars when he is visiting Faerie. Middle-earth, which Tolkien said is our world in some imaginary time in the past, is distinct from the other worlds.

In Feanor's Footsteps

Originally Published on: July 16, 2001. <br> Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Criticism and interpretation , Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Stories, plots, etc. <br> The War of Wrath is a mysterious event. The Silmarillion tells us that it occurred some time after the Feanorians destroyed the haven at Arvernien. The War of the Jewels tells us it began in the year 545 of the First Age of the Sun and that the war lasted for 42 years. The account in The Silmarillion, compressed by Christopher Tolkien from earlier texts, says very little. The armies of Morgoth were vanquished in an unspecified number of battles, and then the Host of Valinor approached Angband, only to be driven back by the winged dragons. Eventually, Earendil and the Eagles of Manwe defeated the dragons...

Browsing the Compleat Middle-Earth Library

Originally Published on: July 26, 2001. <Br> Related Subject(s): Middle Earth (Imaginary place) -- Miscellanea , Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Stories, plots, etc. , Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Appreciation <br> If you've read The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit so many times that your books are dog-eared and you can recite all the rhymes, riddles, songs, and poems by heart, and you're still mystified about where I get all this neat stuff for these essays, well, then you're ready to take your next step into the world of Tolkien research...

The Magic of the Minstrels

Author: Michael Martinez Published on: September 1, 2000 Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Characters , Minstrels , Middle Earth (Imaginary place) Two things you won't find any mention of in Tolkien's Middle-earth are clowns and actors. Nor will you find any reference to plays, drama, jugglers, acrobats, or theaters, carnivals, fairs, and circuses.

Gil-galad was an Elven-king...

Author: Michael Martinez Published on: August 4, 2000 Related Subject(s): Gil-galad (Fictitious character) , Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Characters , Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973. Silmarillion -- Miscellanea And that is where we all agree. Gil-galad's ancestry hasn't yet become a nuclear topic among Tolkien fans, but time will tell if it does. As little information as we have on Tolkien's most famous Noldorin king, people have found reason to write huge editorials about him (and I'm no exception).

Good Night, Good Rhudaur

Originally Published on: July 1, 2001. <br> Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973. Lord of the rings -- Criticism and interpretation , Middle Earth (Imaginary place). <br> Rhudaur is always portrayed as an evil land. Its people betrayed the Dunedain and killed them or drove them out. The Hobbits who settled there fled. Trolls ventured down from the hills and drove everyone away. But when Elendil sailed to Middle-earth and established the Kingdom of Arnor, the Dunedain who settled in Rhudaur must have been members of his own following. They were Faithful Numenoreans who venerated the Valar and lived in friendship with the Eldar of Aman and Middle-earth. These were not evil people. So what happened? ...

Simple Hobbits Have Lots of Friends

Originally Published on: June 23, 2001. <br> Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Characters , Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Stories, plots, etc. , Mafia. <br> One of my pet peeves through the years has been the injection of thieves guilds and other role-playing motifs into Middle-earth. I once watched in disbelief as a mailing list of gamers defined Tharbad to be a din of iniquity, dominated by a thieves guild, without any apparent regard for the way Tolkien's world actually worked. I should say, "without any apparent regard for the way I believed Tolkien's world actually worked."...

Is your Canon on the loose?

Author: Michael Martinez Published on: August 11, 2000 Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Criticism and interpretation Until now I have given only light support to a fannish effort intended to establish a canon for Tolkien discussions. Not the canon, mind you, or the ultimate canon, or the final canon, or even the best canon. Merely a canon. My light support has consisted of granting permission to people to mention the project on The Tolkien and Inklings Forum (formerly The White Council). The real canonical discussion was started over at The Barrowdowns Web site, but it seems (as of this writing) to have stalled. And I think I can understand why it stalled. Part of the problem is that something like this project will take a lot of time, and it's very daunting.

Looking Inside the Sauron Project

 

Scaling the Walls of War in Middle-Earth

Originally Published on: June 17, 2001. <br> Related Subject(s): Middle Earth (Imaginary place) , Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973. Lord of the rings -- Miscellaneous. <br> In their Egyptian-like fashion, the Numenoreans built on a massive scale, according to Tolkien. That is, they liked to build really large things. We are provided glimpses of the large architecture in The Lord of the Rings, such as the Argonath, the two huge statues of Isildur and Anarion carved into the cliffs overlooking Anduin. <Br> The Argonath were built by Minalcar in the 13th century of the Third Age, and they may represent the last gasp of the ancient Numenorean architectural style. Ecthelion rebuilt the White Tower of Minas Tirith in the third millennium, but was the tower really one of those massive structures? ...

Who Is Like the Wise Elf?

Originally Published on: June 10, 2001. <br> Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Characters , Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Criticism and interpretation. <br> Gildor Inglorion, Glorfindel, Elrond, Galadriel, Celeborn, Luthien Tinuviel, and Finrod Felagund all share something in common: they are members of that vaguely defined group of Elves whom J.R.R. Tolkien called "the Wise". What did Tolkien mean when he used the word, "wise"? As a philologist he would not simply have grabbed the word at random. He would have studied its history and elected to use it for reasons which were very clear to him. ...

The Downfall of the Lore of the Rings

Originally published on: December 29, 2000. Some months ago, a teacher of English Literature wrote to gently chastize me for not exercising my considerable judgement in seeking the finer aspects of Tolkien's works. I.e., I'm wasting my talents because I'm not examining the symbolism and deeper meaning of Tolkien's works, which is of course where serious scholarship devotes its resources. Well, the compliments were (and are) indeed appreciated but the advice was not well received...

Magic by Melkor, No Returns Accepted

Author: Michael Martinez Published on: December 22, 2000 Related Subject(s): Magic in literature , Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Stories, plots, etc. , Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Criticism and interpretation Why gold? I've had that question put to me a few times now. Where on Earth did I get the idea that dragons might draw power from gold, or, more specifically, that there was something special about gold when it came to magic?

A History of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, Part 3

Originally Published on: June 1, 2001. Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Criticism and interpretation , Elves -- Fiction , Fantasy fiction -- History and criticism. <br> This is part three of a three-part article concerning the war of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. The article was originally written for the Tolkien journal Arda. Part 1 covered events leading up to the war. Part 2 covered events during the war. Special thanks to Rick House, who provided comments and suggestions when the article was written in 1996...

A History of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, Part 2

Originally Published on: May 25, 2001. <br> Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Criticism and interpretation , Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Stories, plots, etc. <br> This is part two of a three-part article concerning the war of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. The article was originally written for the Tolkien journal Arda. Part 1 covered events leading up to the war. Special thanks to Rick House, who provided comments and suggestions when the article was written in 1996...

Guess Who's Coming to the Disaster

Originally published: February 23, 2001. Someone recently asked me if there was much appeal in Tolkien for female readers. Curiously, this came at a time when I've found myself discussing Visualizing Middle-earth with a lot of women...

Razing Arnor: How real were the Dunadan conspiracies?

Author: Michael Martinez Published on: August 25, 2000 Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Criticism and interpretation , Middle Earth (Imaginary place) One of the most intriguing and infuriating points in Tolkien's pseudo-history is the division of Arnor in the Third Age 861 by the three sons of Earendur. Earendur was the last High King of Arnor, technically the last High King of the Dunedain-in-Exile. Analyzing the event leads to many questions and few answers. Tolkien often selected his names carefully, especially when naming characters or places associated with significant events, and it might prove helpful to know what Cardolan and Rhudaur mean, exactly, as well as what Amlaith means.

There Are Games Afoot!

Originally published on: February 18, 2001. Chris Seeman, the editor of Other Hands, recently mentioned in an email to his subscribers that New Line Cinema has been talking to a couple of gaming companies about producing a new role-playing game based on the "Lord of the Rings" movies...

Resurrecting Dale, City of A Thousand Untold Stories

Author: Michael Martinez Published on: June 2, 2000 Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Characters , Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973. Lord of the rings -- Criticism and interpretation Dale is one of those far-off places in Middle-earth that people sort of occasionally wonder about. Like many other aspects of Middle-earth, Dale has its mysteries and enigmas. Tolkien wrote two accounts of Dale's origins which contradict each other completely: Thorin told Bilbo, in The Hobbit, that in his grandfather Thror's time "men, who lived to the South [of Erebor], ... were gradually spreading up the Running River [and] ... they built the merry town of Dale there in those days."

Pasta la Feasta, Baby

Originally published on: February 11, 2001. How much attention did J.R.R. Tolkien pay to food in Middle-earth? That question comes up fairly often, usually with respect to the Elves. Most people think the Elves were vegetarians, although nothing could be farther from the truth. Well, it's true that the Green-elves of Ossiriand didn't eat meat, but they're about the only ones...

The Over-the-Bree-Hill Gang Rides Again

Originally Published on: March 14, 2001. Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973. Lord of the rings -- Criticism and interpretation , Middle Earth (Imaginary place) -- Miscellaneaous. The Lord of the Rings is not the kind of book which lends itself to a sequel. J.R.R. Tolkien realized that after making his first attempt to write The New Shadow. Today's fantasy audience has been denied the sense of finality which one experiences upon reading the words, "Well, I'm back". Not that this was the original ending for the story. Tolkien wanted some closure. He wanted to assure the reader that Sam would come out of his blue funk. He wanted the reader to understand that some of the High Elves had stayed behind...

Trampling the Legacy, Remaking the Myth

Originally published on: February 2, 2001. If there is any one element of modern fantasy entertainment which has done harm to the reputation of Tolkien's Middle-earth, I would have to say it was Dungeons and Dragons. The fault is not entirely with the people who designed the original game, unless it be that they dared touch upon the works of Tolkien at all...

A Long Time Ago, in a Middle-Earth Far, Far Away...

Original Published on: March 3, 2001. Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Stories, plots, etc. , Middle Earth (Imaginary place). In the early 1970s the Charlie Daniels Band hit the pop rock scene with a song called "The Devil Went Down to Georgia". It was common for songs of that period to tell a story, and this one focused on a violin duel between the devil and a good old boy named Johnny. The stakes were a golden fiddle (violin) and Johnny's soul. The devil got his comeuppance, as so often happens in folklore...

Online fandom: Have we gone too far or not far enough?

Author: Michael Martinez Published on: June 9, 2000 Related Subject(s): Lord of the rings films (2001-2003) , Lord of the rings films (2001-2003) -- Electronic discussion groups , Fantasy films -- Electronic discussion groups I created Lord of the Rings movie / Hobbit movie Fact/Rumor Roundup in January 1998 as a reaction to the 5-10 daily questions in the Tolkien news groups about the rumored movie. People in the news groups were getting fed up with the way strangers would come barging in demanding to know what was going on without even bothering to read the discussion threads which EXPLAINED what was going on (which, at the time, was nothing). So I didn't get into the movie reporting business out of fannish love, for the money, or even with good intentions...

Ithilien, Moon Over Gondor

Originally published on: January 26, 2001. I've always wondered what Ithilien must have looked like when it was full of people. The changing political landscape would have an economic impact on Ithilien, and that in turn would lead to population changes...

A History of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, Part 1

Originally Published on: May 19, 2001. Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Criticism and interpretation , Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Stories, plots, etc. In 1996 the editor of the journal Arda asked me to contribute some of my research to a twelfth volume which has, to my knowledge, never been published. I chose the war of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men as my topic because no one had really ever done a full treatment of the subject. My present circumstances have made it nearly impossible for me to continue writing essays for Suite101 or to complete other projects. So, over the next few weeks, I will provide that article here. It remains, to my knowledge, the fullest treatment of the Last Alliance ever published. Parts one and two provide the narrative for the article. Part three, the longest part, contains the end notes and source references. The material which follows has not been edited since mid-1996. I am indebted to Rick House for reviewing the article at that time and offering suggestions and corrections...

Beware That Baker in the Kitchen!

Originally published on: January 24, 2001. There's nothing like a good villain in Tolkien and, unfortunately, he has so few of them. Now, before people go hanging me, let me say that I think Tolkien intentionally kept the good villains to a minimum. The really evil folk were rare because they were corrupting and manipulating everyone else toward evil. Neither Melkor nor Sauron would have tolerated a rival Dark Lord. Almost all the other guys were just their minions. It's debatable whether the Balrog of Moria was really serving Sauron in the Third Age...

Is That an Orc in Your Pocket, Or Are You Just Happy to Be Evil?

Originally Published on: May 7, 2001. Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Characters , Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Criticism and interpretation , Middle Earth (Imaginary place). It may be a strategic shift in our social values which leads to many gamers today wanting to play Orcs and other bad guys in upcoming Tolkien-related games. Why is that? Do the bad guys really win that often in Tolkien? Or does Tolkien purism take a back seat to the opportunity for engaging in general mayhem?...

Life in an Elven Fishing Town

Originally Published on: May 12, 2001. Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Criticism and interpretation , Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Characters , Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Settings. Mithlond would have to be the only place in Middle-earth which would seem like a classic English village. "But what about the Shire?" people clamor, nodding their heads to each in knowing fashion. "We have him, this time!" Yes, the Shire's quaint little villages were clearly modelled on Warwickshire villages, but they lacked something which Mithlond possessed: the equivalent of a church...

He Shall Be Like a Tree Planted By the Rivers of Water

Originally Published on: April 20, 2001. Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Criticism and interpretation , Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Stories, plots, etc. , Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Settings. Why did the Ents end up in Fangorn Forest? How, and when, did they make the trek across Middle-earth to the southern end of the Misty Mountains. And why did they move all the way down there? Fangorn tells Merry and Pippin that he once wandered through the willow-meads of Tasarinan. "Willow-meads" is a curious turn of phrase. Trees don't grow in meadows. But Tolkien loved to scatter willows around Middle-earth, along with rivers and lakes. And willows do grow beside rivers and lakes...

Notinole from Babylon to Middle-earth

Originally Published on: April 27, 2001. Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Criticism and interpretation , Numeration. It requires a lot of nerve to criticize one of the most respected Tolkien linguists in the world, and to suggest he may be wrong, especially when you are no linguist yourself. But I'm going to suggest that Helge Fauskanger, and other linguists who have followed his lead or confirmed or accepted his work, may be wrong. About Elvish numbers. Numerals, that is, not the populations of Elves...

Lonely Wanderers and the Tales That Almost Were

Published on: April 14, 2001. Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Characters , Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973. Lord of the rings -- Criticism and interpretation. I think I know when Mithrellas left Imrazor the Numenorean. Nothing happens in Tolkien without a reason. Regardless of what elements Tolkien utilized in his story-telling, he always made sure that his characters took action for a reason. And if Mithrellas was going to leave Imrazor before he died, there had to be some compelling reason for her to do so. Elves didn't marry just on a whim. Mithrellas had to have found a soulmate in Imrazor...

Seeking the Wayward Children of Numenor

Author: Michael Martinez Published on: September 8, 2000 Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Characters , Middle Earth (Imaginary place) Something should be said about the founding of Arnor and Gondor, but it's not easy to assign the establishment of the Dunadan realms in exile their proper place in the Tolkien legendarium. In letter 276, written to Dick Plotz of the Tolkien Society of America in 1965, JRRT said, "...Of all the mythical or 'archetypal' images this is the one most deeply seated in my imagination, and for many years I had a recurrent Atlantis dream: the stupendous and ineluctable wave advancing from the Sea or over the land, sometimes dark, sometimes green and sunlit."

Shhh! It's a Secret Ring!

Originally published on: January 19, 2001. I get asked a lot of questions about Tolkien's world, and sometimes I just file the really interesting ones away for future reference. But the other day someone asked me something I don't believe I've ever come across before. Who knew about the Rings? A very astute reader pointed out to me that Boromir recognized the Ring immediately, Faramir figured out there was a Ring which concerned Gandalf, Denethor seemed to know all about it....When it comes right down to it, everyone who comes into contact with Frodo seems to know about "the precious Ring" (as Bombadil called it)...

Look What They've Done to the Official Web Site, Ma

Originally published on: January 12, 2001. LOTR Web sites come and go. New Line Cinema has launched and discarded a couple of its own Web sites. But now we're finally into the 21st century and the countdown to December whenever is starting to get serious. And the media hype is heating up...

Unwritten Tales of Love and War in Middle-Earth

Originally Published on: April 6, 2001. Related Subject(s): Middle Earth (Imaginary place) , Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Criticism and interpretation. If someone were to turn up a lost manuscript written by J.R.R. Tolkien, I would hope it provided a comprehensive narrative for the Second Age. We have only one brief narrative for the Second Age, in the form of the first chronological table in Appendix B to The Lord of the Rings. The only other information provided on the Second Age comes in glimpses scattered through "Akallabeth", "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age", and Unfinished Tales' "A description of the island of Numenor", "Aldarion and Erendis", "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn...", and "The Line of Elros"...

Just Whose Middle-earth Is It, Anyway?

Author: Michael Martinez Published on: January 28, 2000 Related Subject(s): Middle Earth (Imaginary place) , Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Appreciation , Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Computer network resources Issue 28 of Other Hands arrived today and I eagerly opened it because I'd been looking forward to some articles I had heard were coming. Jeff Erwin wrote about the Tatyarin Avari (those Elves from the second clan who did not go to Aman with their kindred, the Noldor). Thomas Morwisnky composed a history for Mount Gundabad. And David Salo provided a history of the Nandor, those Elves who turned away from the Great Journey in the Vales of Anduin. From them came the Green-elves of Ossiriand and (in part, at least) the Silvan Elves of Mirkwood and Lorien...

The Manly Men of Myth and Middle-Earth

Originally Published on: March 23, 2001. Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Characters , Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Criticism and interpretation , Beowulf. I was first introduced to the Beowulf legend in the fourth grade. My classmates and I were assembled along with a few hundred other lucky kids in an experimental school, the like of which I have never seen again. We were given the usual lessons and textbooks, but there was a particular emphasis on sparking the children's imaginations. We were literally inundated with audio-visual aids and tools. We watched movies, played our own film strips, interrupted classes to follow the space missions, and made things in our cone's art room...

Of Thegns and Kings and Rangers and Things

Originally Published on: March 30, 2001. Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Characters , Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Criticism and interpretation , Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Languages. Maybe only once have I ever seen anyone on the Internet ask how many Rangers would have been guarding Sarn Ford the day the Nazgul showed up. And then no one was able to provide a satisfactory answer. It's a tough question because, so far as we know, J.R.R. Tolkien himself never tried to answer it. And in trying to answer that question for ourselves, we quickly get drawn into digressions and tangents...

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Canon

Originally Published on: March 17, 2001. Related Subject(s): Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Criticism and interpretation , Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Knowledge -- Language and languages , Fantasy fiction -- History and criticism. I checked in on the Barrow-downs' canon discussions recently and was glad to see that they haven't died down completely. Not that I think they should die down, but this was a project I felt from the start would have trouble keeping up a head of steam. Let's face it, not too many people are going to care what one small group of readers decides should comprise the "correct Silmarillion". Whatever proposal finally emerges from the discussions, I am sure to disagree with it. So are many other people. But the canon discussions represent a legitimate effort by some of Tolkien's readers to identify his intentions. This may or may not be the first such attempt, but it will undoubtedly draw some fire when something is produced...

Where Have All the Dragons Gone?

Author: Michael Martinez Published on: December 15, 2000 Related Subject(s): Dragons in literature , Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973 -- Stories, plots, etc. I always thought the movie "Dragonslayer" was a bit goofy and slow in some places but there is one memorable scene that pretty much sells the movie, I think, to anyone who sees it. That's where the dragon's head rises up to d