A Tolkien Tribute

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 “All that is gold does not glitter,
                  Not all who wander are lost.”


John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on January 3rd in 1892 (Happy Birthday!) He was a writer, poet, and philologist from England. He was also a college professor, and the genius author who wrote the classic fantasy books; The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion (and many others.) I have not read The Silmarillion yet, but the others are among my favorites (both in book and film.)

Here are quotes from some of the his most beloved works:
MSNydnp(Click Pictures and Titles for more info.)

“The Hobbit“
“Where there’s life there’s hope.”
“It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.”

 
“The Fellowship of The Ring“
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”


“The Two Towers“
“There is some good in this world,
and it’s worth fighting for.”


“The Return of The King”
“What do you fear, lady?” [Aragorn] asked.

“A cage,” [Éowyn] said. “To stay behind bars,
until use and old age accept them, and all chance
of doing great deeds is gone beyond recall or desire.”


“The Silmarillion“
“All have their worth and each
contributes to the worth of the others.”


Book Bean: Hot Mulled Cider
Nothing says Shire or Middle Earth to me like a steamy
cup of spiced apple goodness. 

I am a proud fan of Tolkien, I think he was absolutely brilliant. The worlds, characters, and stories he created were intricately deep and beautiful. Thank you J.R.R. Tolkien, for sharing your fantastic and wondrous imagination.

What is your favorite Tolkien work?

Fun Fact: If you didn’t already love Tolkien enough, know he was a lovely romantic.
At age 16, Tolkien fell in love with Edith Bratt, three years his senior. His guardian, a Catholic priest, was horrified that his ward was seeing a Protestant and ordered the boy to have no contact with Edith until he turned 21. Tolkien obeyed, pining after Edith for years until that fateful birthday, when he met with her under a railroad viaduct. She broke off her engagement to another man, converted to Catholicism, and the two were married for the rest of their lives. At Tolkien’s instructions, their shared gravestone has the names “Beren” and “Luthien” engraved on it, a reference to a famous pair of star-crossed lovers from the fictional world he created. Via mental floss

tolkien-grave
“May the wind under your wings bear you where the sun sails and the moon walks.” ~The Hobbit

93 thoughts on “A Tolkien Tribute”

  1. I didn’t know that fun fact! That’s absolutely beautiful. I am currently reading LotR trilogy for the first time (I know, it took me a while to get there) and I can absolutely agree that he was brilliant. I also watched a documentary about his writing and life, and it was absolutely astonishing. He was incredible, and I believe that nobody has or will be able to match up to his works. He spent 12 years creating his masterpieces. Great post! 🙂

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  4. That’s a cute fact about him!
    While there’s no denying the amazing impact that Tolkien had on the fantasy genre, I have to admit that his books didn’t really excite me. I read the LOTR books and The Hobbit and I found them dry and long and not easy to read. The movies are a lot better but are still rather drawn out. Like I said, I’m in awe of what he’s done and respect the series, but I’ve had my fill of his work for a while!

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    • That’s understandable, everyone has books that speak to them more than others. I know there are a few books people rave about (in a genre I usually love) that left me less than impressed. You can see the greatness in his accomplishment though, that makes me happy.

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  6. I grew up on Tolkien, so Middle-Earth has a special place in my heart even if I don’t visit often as an adult. I think I probably still love the Silmarillion best – getting to see all the raw world-building. I had an audio of part of the tale of Beren and Luthien (where Beren and Finrod are trapped by Sauron) and it really helped me hear the marvellous rhythms in the prose.

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  11. Ah, the Silmarillion…I’d be very interested to hear what you think. I am an avid reader but this one I almost gave up on. The descriptive pages were doing my head in – I like to imagine things for myself. Loved it by the time I got to the end but the start was hard work.
    Good luck!

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  12. Wonderful post about a brilliant man. Tolkien is my example in all things writing. I aspire to be like him…a heavy task though it is. You simply must read Silmarillion! Its my favorite of the bunch!

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  14. I’ve been a reader all my life but somehow didn’t pick up LoTR until I was 28. I got the Fellowship on a whim at a used book store but the next day began a frantic search of every bookstore I could find for the Towers and the King. I was so happy to find a good matching set because I knew even before Bilbo’s party these were books I would own for the rest of my life.

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  16. Somehow I managed to miss that one about Sam. I have so many favorites, too. And even though I’ve never been able to get through the Sil., my favorite quote is from there. I hear that at the ocean.

    “And it is said by the Eldar that in water there lives yet the echo of the Music of the Ainur…and many of the Children of Iluvatar hearken still unsated to the voices of the Sea, and yet know not for what they listen.”

    ~

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  19. Reblogged this on Alice White Author and commented:
    I love the books, but, like Café Book Bean, I have not read the Silmarillion… I have heard it’s pretty tough going, though.
    I read The Lord Of The Rings after the first movie came out, although I believe we read the Hobbit in school. I had intended to see the movies and then read the books, because I didn’t want to end up picking the movies apart, as I always do with movies made of books I have read. Although it took me a while to get into his style of writing in LOTR, I soon could not put the book down, and oops! I read The Return Of The King BEFORE seeing the movie, but I couldn’t help it.
    Of course, yes I sure did pick that movie apart. What they should have put in, what they should have left out! Nevertheless, I do love the movies and the books.
    Thanks to Café Book Bean for this timely post, and a very Happy Birthday to J.R.R. Tolkien!

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  21. Pingback: ReBlogged: A Tolkien Tribute | This is Me

  25. As a child my mom read me chapters out of the Hobbit every night before I’d go to sleep. This started me on my journey in the world of CSI-Fi and fantasy. I briefly wrote about this in my blog titled Books as Memories if you want to take a look.

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  28. I love this post ESPECIALLY as I was swooning over Tolkien on my drive home today. In particular, I love The Lord of the Rings, but I have a special connection with Leaf by Niggle. It makes me emotional to think of it.

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  32. Great post! I admire him, and his ability to create languages as well. It is a credit to his genius that he based it on solid linguistic principles. He paved the way for other imaginary languages on Star Trek, Game of Thrones. Fun fact, I’ve tried to read his books so many times. I just can’t. (I’ll blame it on my ADD). One of my 8 yr old triplet sons finished the Hobbit in November. I felt both impressed and completely inadequate. I read your post aloud at the dinner table. One son said, “I think that was really good except for the romantic part, because romance is gross.” Gotta love 8 year old boy logic.

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  33. I love the quotes you’ve chosen, and the story of Tolkien’s love. It’s so easy to get deliciously lost in the Lord of the Rings. I imagine heaven to be a lot like Rivendell. Yet, Tolkien has important messages for our world, messages of courage and hope, and perseverance, and of course teamwork. Thanks for following my blogs so I could find you!

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  36. I have to say, I liked movies more, and I could never get through the books, but I’m definitely in awe with his mythos. There is this book, called Tolkien’s Ring, that takes the reader through the creation of Tolkien’s legendarium and the parallels that it has with actual mythologies of the ancient times. I could not keep my hands of it. I would recommend it, because it shows the side of Tolkien that I as a linguist appreciate, him as a philologist, building artificial languages and mythologies and worlds that feel real. 🙂

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  37. I’m a huge Tolkien fan, Abbie Lu. Tolkien is single-handedly responsible for my love of reading and my vocation as a fantasy writer. I love the quote regarding Sam – so beautiful. And the romantic detail about his relationship with Edith. How “story book” is that? Thanks.

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  38. You have a very creative site. Thanks for following mine. I’ll be exploring yours with interest! Currently into Sharon Kay Penman’s Welsh Princes Trilogy, having just finished Here Be Dragons.

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      • Penman has a great style, uses earthy quotes that make me laugh and the Welsh aspect provides an uncommon and fascinating tension and cultural contrast between the Brits/Normans and the Welsh. I was totally involved in the story and look forward to the next two books, already finished by my wife, who has continued to read more Penman stuff after the trilogy. Let me know if you go ahead with it. I got it from our local library, but we bought the next two as cheap, ePub books.

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  39. I am a great fan of C.S. Lewis and write about him often, but Tolkien came first for me. His books had a profound influence. They were, of course, good friends. By the way, you should check out the Grey Havens, a husband/wife musical duo insisted by Tolkien.

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  42. I love Middle Earth and all things Tolkien! I also love the story of him and his wife, Edith. 🙂
    You should definitely read the Silmarillion, if you haven’t done so already. It is very good, and there are some beautiful stories in it. 😀

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  43. I first read the Lord of the Rings when I was twelve, then once more a few years later. They’ve always been some of my favorite books, and he’s always been one of my favorite authors. The fact about his romance with his wife is moving. Thanks for sharing.

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