Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Happy Birthday JRR Tolkien

While reading about the  life of one of my favorite authors, fantasy genius, JRR Tolkien
http://www.nndb.com/people/511/000022445/jrrtolkien.jpg

 I was distressed to discover he in fact never owned a dog ( I pictured him with an Irish Wolfhound).

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m97aiyVbIY1qcb074.jpg
Wouldn't a dog like this have been perfect for Tolkien?
There are rather Irish Wolf Hound esque sort of dogs that appear briefly in The Hobbit, the shape shifter Beorn, has some large dogs that are sorts of servants and can walk on their hind legs.   In the Lord of the Rings the only dogs that appear, are the well trained, but rather scary, ones belonging to Farmer Maggot that used to chase Frodo when he was a vegetable stealing youngster.

There is an important canine character in the The Silmarillion, Huan, a great hound (which sounds rather like an Irish Wolf Hound).  Like most of Tolkien's animal characters, Huan has some very human traits.   He participates in quests and understands the complex situations around him, and he is given the power to speak on three occasions.  

  In 1998, twenty five years after his death, Tolkien obsessives published an unpublished manuscript of story, Roverandom, inspired by a lost toy dog that the author wrote for his son.  
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51-VG23zpQL._SS500_.jpg
The book also features Tolkien's own original illustations of Rover and the other characters.

http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs14/f/2007/067/1/1/Roverandom___illustration_by_Mellindor.jpg

I haven't read it yet but definitely need to add it to my reading list.




If you want something warm to wear on your feet while reading  Tolkien the perfect pattern is Hobbit Feet Slippers from Knits for Nerds.   


They are comfy and quick, you can make a pair in about 2 hours (I think I need to add some more fun fur too mine)




12 comments:

  1. I am surprised about the lack of dog. Perhaps he wasn't home enough to care for one.

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  2. Love the socks!
    Happy Birthday to J R, our brothers loved the Hobbit film and book.
    Dip Bridge and Elliot x

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  3. Ditto Bailey. Love the sockies. Have a terrific Thursday.
    Best wishes Molly

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  4. Our Kiki would love to eat the fun fur off those sockies!!!

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  5. Sorry wez all behind, had some time off. Love the slippers ( not) lol.. I want to see the new Hobbit though :) Happy New Year to you all xxx00xx

    Mollie and Alfie

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  6. Loved this post. Must go look into Roverandum...that Irish Wolf Hound would be pawfect!! Gandalf, the white

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  7. Ok, the Hobbit slippers are pretty silly....But I am a HUGE Tolkien fan. Can't even count how many times I read the Hobbit as a teenager.

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  8. Love your slippers! Daddy doesn't need any of those, he has hairy feet like a hobbit:-)

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  9. Those slippers are so funny! Yes, hard to think that Tolkien did not have a dog. He just seems the sort who would have a dog by his feet as he wrote. I'll have to see if I can find the book Roverandom.

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  10. Those hobbit slippers made me laugh! Did you see the Hobbit movie? We really enjoyed it!
    Love,
    Christy

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  11. haha, those slippers are so funny!
    and you are right, i could totally see him with a wolfhound.

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  12. OMG first I LOVE the slippers. I think I might attempt to make some. :-)

    Is it just me or does JRR Tolkien look like Bilbo Baggins? (From the ring series, not the Hobbit.)

    I did try and read another book by Tolkien, but just couldn't get into it. Have you read many of them?

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