David C. Downing's Blog

A new photograph of the young C. S. Lewis has been found, taken when he was in training at Keble College for military service during World War 1. He arrived at the front line trenches of France on his 19th birthday.


An Unknown Photograph of C. S. Lewis ��� Keble College
www.keble.ox.ac.uk
C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) is one of the best-known Oxford dons of all time. He gained a ���Triple First��� while an undergraduate at University College, gaining First Class Honours in Classical Moderations in 1920, First Class Honours in Greats in 1922, and First Class Honours in English Language and Lite���

Soon after The Lord of the Rings was published, J. R. R. Tolkien received a letter from one Sam Gamgee, asking how Tolkien had decided upon that name. Tolkien replied that he was quite astonished to receive a letter signed "Sam Gamgee" and explained that he recalled "gamgee" from childhood, a gauze tissue invented by a surgeon named Sam Gamgee. Tolkien offered to send signed copies of the three Lord of the Rings books to the real-life Sam Gamgee, who gratefully accepted!

A Phillies pitcher discovers C. S. Lewis!


More than a player: Phillies' De Fratus leans on his faith
www.philly.com
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Justin De Fratus, baseball player. That was his identity.
De Fratus was pretty good, too. The Phillies drafted him in 2007, and he excelled in the minor leagues. The righthander was considered one of the team's top pitching prospects.

Q: What did J. R. R. Tolkien once describe as the "heart" of his Lord of the Rings epic? (Letters, 221).

A: Tolkien said the "heart" of the story was the description of Lothlorien in The Fellowship of the Ring: When Frodo first sees Lothlorien, "he stood awhile lost in wonder. It seemed to him that he looked on a vanished world. A light was on it for which he had no name. . . . In winter here no heart could mourn for summer or spring. No sickness or blemish or deformity could be seen in anything that grew upon the earth. On the land of Lorien there was no stain.

When Frodo rejoins Aragorn, the latter seemed "wrapped in some fair memory," with "the grim years removed from his face, he seemed clothed in white, a young lord tall and fair. . . 'Here is the heart of Elvendom on earth,' said Aragorn, 'and here my heart dwells forever, unless there be a light beyond the dark roads that we must tread, you and I. Come with me!' And taking Frodo's hand in his, he left the hill of Cerin Amroth and came there never again as living man." (Fellowship, Book 4, chapter 6).

Q: J. R. R. Tolkien's full name was "John Ronald Reuel Tolkien." What does the name Reuel mean?

A: "Reuel" means "friend of God" in Hebrew, a name associated with Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses. Tolkien's father had this second middle name, and he passed it on to his son John. John, in turn, used that second middle name for all three of his sons, as well as his daughter, Priscilla.

LOTR quiz: What does Galadriel's name mean and who did Tolkien say he drew upon as an archetype for this character?

A: Galadriel means "lady of the glittering garland," with reference to her golden hair. Tolkien wrote in a letter that his portrait of Galadriel was influenced by "Christian and Catholic teaching and imagination about Mary." He added, though, that, unlike Mary, Galadriel was "a penitent," someone who had rebelled against the Valar (angelic guardians) in her youth, but had been pardoned because she resisted the temptation to grasp the One Ring (Letters, 403).

LOTR Quiz: When Eowyn, disguised as Dernhelm, confronts the Lord of the Nasgul, she says, ���Begone, foul dwimmerlaik, lord of carrion! Leave the dead in peace!" What, pray tell, is a dwimmerlaik?

Answer: "Dwimmerlaik," in the language of Rohan means "evil phantom." (Bonus: "Eowyn" means "horse-friend" in Old English, and "Dernhelm" means "hidden protector.")

5 Things you (may not) know about The Lord of the Rings. (Some of you experts MAY have already known these things!)


5 Things You Didn't Know About 'The Lord Of The Rings'
www.huffingtonpost.com
If you're a dedicated fan and essentially consider Middle Earth a second home, you probably have your own extensive knowledge of trivia surrounding J.R.R. Tolkien's work. Since The Hobbit was released in 1937 and The Lord of the Rings 17 years later ...

Here is a haunting version of the Lord of the Rings theme song by The Piano Guys. Thanks to Justin Wiggins for calling this to our attention!


Lord of The Rings - The Hobbit (Piano/Cello Cover) - ThePianoGuys
www.youtube.com
To purchase this song and (or) our album "WONDERS" click HERE: https://thepianoguys.com/shop/music DEUTSCHLAND FANS klicken Sie hier, um Videos anzuschauen: ...

Here's an Irish tourist site that claims Tolkien must have visited a site called the "Hole of Gollum" in his visits to the west of Ireland. They believe that is where he found the name for his sinister character in Lord of the Rings. We'll let you decide . . .


Literary Landscapes in Ireland
www.ireland.com
Landscapes in Ireland can get under your skin. Go on a trip into the landscapes that inspired literary legends and attracted the attention of CNN.