[Lord of the Rings] How did you find your way into this universe

[sundancer]

Since @brennon is of reading words printed on dead trees I thought this is the best time to make some LotR threads.

My question to the community: how did you find your way into LotR? What was your first exposure to it?

For me it was the 1978 movie by Ralph Bakshi though at that point I wasn’t aware of the larger universe behind it. It must have been somewhere between 1985 and 1990 when I’ve seen it.

Years later (2001 to be exactly) I’ve watched the first of the movies made by Peter Jackson and then I’ve read the books for the first time. And because I’m a glutton for punishment I borrowed my mothers book which was in English.

This was the first and only time I had to have a dictionary next  to the book I was reading to comprehend the story. What quickly followed was The Hobbit in dead tree form (but in German) and some other Tolkien works as German Audiobooks.

Obviously I’ve watched the other movies including that animated one and also Oh Lard dem Rings of Powa. I feel I have also played some board game but I can’t recall which one and as there are SO FUCKING MANY of them I can’t just search-engine it.

What was your journey into Middle Earth?

[danlee]

I remember trying to read the hobbit when I was around 10, but not really getting in to it. I think my next exposure was going on a date to see the first Peter Jackson movie. I remember concluding that the cinema is a rubbish method of dating. We were both busy watching the movie the whole time. I think shortly after I read through all the books.

[sundancer]

I remember concluding that the cinema is a rubbish method of dating.

You just chose a bad movie for that. Should have gone for something more steamy XD

[pagan8th]

My first encounter with Tolkien was the Hobbit on ZX Spectrum which came with the novel which I read.

Then I read the LotR novels… Ralph Bakshi movie… Silmarillion… Book of Lost Tales… ICE MERP… it’s a long story.

[sundancer]

What is ICE MERP?

[stubbybrush]

Middle Earth Role Playing by Iron Crown Enterprises

[sundancer]

Ah, should have guessed. Thank you. I’m sure Ben would have known too. If he only hadn’t taken off to read letters of a dead tree. 8)

[smithsco]

I was 12. My older brother was in a DVD of the month club (times have changed). I saw the Two Towers DVD sitting on the kitchen table and offered to buy it because it looked interesting. $5 turned into an obsession.

[sundancer]

“First shot is free” but you paid 5$

I wonder how Sam got hooked?

[limburger]

In the before time when libraries were still a thing … that’s where I’ve discovered Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

I think I read LoTR and the Hobbit both in Dutch and English. Not sure in which order.

I remember the LotR book as it was big (like Tolkien intended) with lots of thin pages. It was an ancient copy compared to the regular books in the library at that time (probably from the 60’s or a lot of borrowing).

I’ve seen glimpses of the Bakhsi movie.

btw: you should try Silmarillion … that thing is a slog. I think I read one page and gave up. Tolkien created an interesting world, but he is a terrible writer.  He’d rather spend ten pages describing the road than waste a single word on a big battle.

The Hobbit is IMHO his best work, because he had to write it for his kids instead of himself.

Somewhere in my collection is a copy of ‘The Hobbit’ with illustrations by Alan Lee
Not sure where in the pile of my stuff it’s hiding.  I’d swear I own a copy of LotR with those illustrations as well, but I could be imagening that.

The One Ring by Free League Publishing has art that reminds me so much of the stuff done by Alan Lee. I’m not sure if they used the same artist or someone similar to his style, but it is glorious.

The movies were kind of meh. As great as it was to see some of the stuff on the big screen I was dissapointed that aspects from the book had been changed drastically (especially in ‘return of the king’ and practically all of the Hobbit trilogy with that darned love interest and bloated battle). If they ever do the entire series as a tv-series they should have ‘the scouring of the Shire’ as the finale season.

[smithsco]

I want to see the Scouring of the Shire on screen. I read the books when I was 16 and well acquainted with the movies. Was totally caught of guard when I hit that part and I loved it.

[sundancer]

Scouring of the Shire? Not sure if I know what that is. Must look that up some time.

[pagan8th]

Scouring of the Shire is the red light district of the Shire… it’s where all the scrubbers are 🙂

[sundancer]

Oh noes!

[limburger]

It’s the final act of LotR before Frodo gets shipped to the grey havens with the elves.

The gang returns home, only to find that their homelands have become corrupted by evil dudes.
So they get to kick some fat behinds …

It kind of show that while they were gone lots of stuff happened.
I think Sam had a vision of that when they were with the elves, which is kind of why he got box with the special seed (one of his gifts from Galadriel IIRC).

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