Riddles In The Dark

 Riddles In The Dark

                Everyone remembers the 600 year old hobbit Gollum.  He is the deceiving yet (in some parts) a very friendly creature.  Gollum or Sméagol has the raspy voice and is always being tempted by his evil self.  What drove him into being this horrid yet lovable creature was the ring.  The ring used Gollum and kept him alive for 600 years!  During those 600 years one of the most important events happened that later shaped all three of the L.O.T.R books. 

                When Gollum was 540 (60 years earlier) the ring abandoned Gollum.  The ring did not expect for a hobbit to pick it up, it expected some dark master of evil.  In my opinion Gollum (at the time) was evil enough.  When Bilbo Baggins found the ring he hid it from Gollum ,but since Gollum had lost the ring he was angry and confused, not to mention hungry.  Gollum made a deal with Bilbo that he would not swallow Bilbo whole if he could answer his riddles.  Bilbo answered all the riddles correctly and then asked Gollum one question.  "What is in my pocket?”  That, to me is an unfair question but it all plays out in the end.  Gollum figures it out and starts to chase Bilbo.  That is the last we will see of him…. for now.

                The Person who is the movements of Gollum is Andy Serkis.   He was also the original Gollum in the Lord of the Rings.  Andy has done lots of animated movements and one of his recent movies was ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ in which he played as Caesar.  Andy has lots of experience and I am glad that he can do more of for all of our entertainment.

What is Gollum in this world?  In the ‘Hobbit’ and the L.O.T.R. series he is a nasty creature who lives in a dark, dark cave.  Gollum is a pink and white flower that grows in South Africa.  It can go a long time without water and is poisonous.  That almost reminds you of Gollum in the ‘Hobbit’.  He can be a pretty white and pink flower on the inside but the ring makes him poisonous. –Smaug

     Gollum
(Right and Left)

Wolves Or Wargs?

Wolves Or Wargs?

                Just like in the L.O.T.R series (The Lord of the Rings series) 'The Hobbit'  has wargs.  The first mention/showing of them was when Saruman commanded the orc to release the wargs.  These wolf-like creatures have super sharp teeth and are ridden by orc riders.  The wargs are later revealed when princess Éowyn’s father is leading the people of Rohan to Helms Deep.  The men of Rohan mounted their horses and fought/killed the wargs and their riders.  Many people were killed during the fight and the Strider was dragged off a cliff. 

                The second most popular time the wargs have appeared is in ‘The Hobbit.’  The wargs and their riders surrounded the dwarves, a hobbit and a wizard in a tree.  The tree was lite on fire but the wargs still tried to get to the trapped companions.  That is when you get a good look at the wargs.  Some have blue eyes and a slick tongue while others you can see their veins popping out.  Peter Jackson (the producer/director of the L.O.T.R series and ‘The Hobbit) had some of his own creative ideas of what the wargs might look like.  He thought they should have bright blue eyes, dark black fur, messy hair going down the sides of his ears till it gets to the chin, straight hair starting at his head that would travel all the way down its back, a wrinkly face with barred teeth, and pointy ears.  He also had another warg with the same look but white fur and red blood on different spots on its body. -- Smaug

www.images.wikia.com  Wargs (Above)

Down, Down To Goblin Town

Down, Down To Goblin Town

 

                “Clap! Snap!  The black crack!

 Grip, grab!  Pinch, nab!

 And down, down to Goblin-town

                           You go, my lad!

                Clash, crash!  Crush, smash!

                  Hammer and Tongs!  Knocker and gongs!

                   Pound, pound, far underground!

                             Ho, ho!  My lad!

                    Swish, smack!  Whip crack!

                    Batter and beat!  Yammer and bleat!

                    Work, work!  Nor dare to shrink,

                    While Goblins quaff, and Goblins laugh,

                    Round and round far underground

                    Below, my lad!”

 

                That is the song that the Goblins sing while they are taking the Dwarves to their king and while they are walking along the rickety bridges you get a good look at Goblin-town.  The Goblins take everything off their prisoners from little trinkets to their bones.  They then use those trinkets for decorations and building their shacks.  They want to make the town look as home looking as possible.

                The Goblin king is huge compared to his “minions” and he is disgusting.  His chin almost sags all the way down to his belly and it is covered with pimples/warts.  He has sharp teeth and he drools.  His belly sags and I believe it would drag on the ground if he would get out of his throne more often. 

                Peter Jackson (the producer/director) and his artist crew, Christopher White, Andrew Baker, and Jamie Beswarick had many different ideas on what the Goblins might look like.  A few might have had a twisted face or clear eyes.  While some would almost have no chin!  Some are tall some are short and some of them had no legs at all and would get around by a swing.  My personal favorites are the ones that look like aliens or the ones that have super pointy ears like the Elves of Rivendell.  Although Rivendell is a whole new/different story about Bilbo’s journey. –Smaug    

 

 

www.wired.com  Goblin King (Above)

Dwarves And Their Culture

Dwarves And Their Culture

 

                Dwarves are a very interesting people.  They are all very short and the men are miners/smiths.  The men do all the hard work like mining and traveling.  When they travel, their cart is pulled either by a big horned sheep, a boar, or a weird mountain goat thing that is absolutely huge.  The men also have long beards, if they don’t cut it, and they wear long robes.

                The women are almost like the men except that they are girls.  The women also have long beards and they also wear long robes.  In one of the Lord of the Rings movies, I can’t remember the exact one, Gimli (a dwarf) while on a trip was talking to the Princess Éowyn about how similar men dwarfs are to women dwarfs.  Some people even believed that there are no women dwarfs (because of the beards) and dwarves just pop out of holes in the ground.

                The children don’t have any beards (thank goodness) but they do wear elaborate jewelry.  Most dwarf children are very hipper and very enthusiastic. --Smaug

 

 

    www.msmagazine.com  Dwarf Men (Left)

Wizards, Wizards, And Even More WIZARDS!

Wizards, Wizards, And Even More WIZARDS!

 

As we all know there are many wizards in the ‘Hobbit’ but only three actually act in the movie.  The three that do are known by the names Gandalf, Saruman, and, a personal favorite, Radagast.

                Gandalf the Grey is the most well-known wizard and the best wizard ever. (Sit down Harry Potter fans!)  He is wise and very daring.  Gandalf, Ian McKellen, has been in all 3 L.O.T.R.s and is also in the ‘Hobbit.’  Even though he has been around and not everything can be the same so Gandalf’s outfit has been changed a little bit. His costume is a lot lighter and his wooden staff has changed also.  In the L.O.T.R. series he also rode a beautiful white horse named Shadowfax (the king of all horses).

                Saruman’s outfit and character has stayed the same although his robe is a little bit lighter.  His character is all over the place and, as almost everyone knows, he turns to “The dark side” in the second movie.  Other than that he is still the same Saruman.

                My favorite wizard of all time… Radagast the Brown.  He is completely all over the place and has no sense of organization.  He has bird poo in his hair and a bird nest underneath his hat.  He loves animals as much as they love him.  He can sprint and at first Peter Jackson, the producer/director, wanted to give him a giant Chinese robe.  His sled, pulled by a bunch or rabbits, later outruns a bunch of wargs and that is the last we see of him for now.        

 

                              

www.ign.com  Gandalf (Left) Radagast (Right)

Bilbo Begins A Brand New Adventure!

Bilbo Begins A Brand New Adventure!

 

                Before Bilbo had begun on his journey he had to sign a very long contract.  They called Bilbo in the contract ‘The Burglar’ because that is what Gandalf called him.  In the contract, which freaks Bilbo out the most, it talks about his funeral preparations.  He asked why it would ever talk about such a thing and they replied “Well, because of the dragon of course.”  At the word dragon Bilbo then does a quite dramatic faint which makes everyone laugh. 

                When he awakes later he listens to them sing and makes up his mind that he is not going.  The next morning he wakes up with a change of heart.  He runs out the door with the signed contract to catch up with the small party of dwarves and a wizard.  When he finally does catch up with them and the contract is confirmed Mr. Baggins gets his own pony. 

                Interesting fact about that pony though… it is (just like the books says) supposed to have long hair because that is the kind of ponies they had then.  The only problem was that ponies only get their long hair in the winter time and they filmed ‘The Hobbit’ in mid-summer.  So the makeup artists took in the pony, put a wig on it, and got it a whole long haired pony outfit. – Smaug

 

 

  www.25.media.tumblr.com  Bilbo Riding A Pony (Above)

Bilbo's Life In A Hole

Bilbo’s Life In A Hole

 

                Bilbo Baggins is a well to do hobbit that lives in a nice little hole in the ground.  The hole is located at Bag End and that is how the children’s night time story started.  Bilbo has never had any adventure of any sort and always tries to be proper.  He has some trouble when a wizard, named Gandalf, and 12 very hungry dwarves practically raid his home.  When they are at his home Bilbo has no idea who they are or why this unknown wizard has brought them here.  Bilbo gets hysterical later on about the mess that the dwarves are making and they sing a song that almost pushes him over the edge. 

Chip the glasses and crack the plates!                                                                                                                                                                  Blunt the knives and bend the forks!                                                                                                                                                                                                         That's what Bilbo Baggins hates—
Smash the bottles and burn the corks!

Cut the cloth and tread on the fat!
Pour the milk on the pantry floor!
Leave the bones on the bedroom mat!
Splash the wine on every door!

Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl;
Pound them up with a thumping pole;
And when you’ve finished if any are whole,
Send them down the hall to roll!

That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!
So, carefully! carefully with the plates!

And that is exactly what Bilbo hates. -- Smaug

 

www.spot.com   1^st Dwarf- Dori  2^nd Dwarf- Dwalin  3^rd Dwarf- Bofur  4^th Dwarf- Oin  and Bilbo in the middle.

The Misty Mountain Pass

The Misty Mountain Pass

 

                When the 12 dwarves and a hobbit were walking through the Misty Mountain Pass it was pouring down rain and very dark.  At first you did not notice the body of the stone giants in the cliffs until they came to life.  They only come to life after many years and then rip themselves from the cliff to fight in the, it seems like, everlasting battle.  The way that they fight is after many, many years of growing into the mountain side and once they have enough rocks attached to their body they wait for a bad storm to begin their fighting.  They take their actual body parts off themselves and fling it at another stone giant.  They keep doing that until they have thrown most of their limbs at each other and then sink back into the mountain side to wait for another storm.  That would be a bad predicament for a few travelers on a long journey. -- Smaug

 

 

  Stone Giants (Left)   www.jaows.blogspot.com

How The Bible And The Lord Of The Rings Are The Same (Part Three)

How The Bible And The Lord Of The Rings Are The Same  (Part Three)

 

                As Frodo, Sam, and Gollum are getting closer to the Great Eye (A.K.A Satan) the ring gets heavier.  Hebrews 12:1 Says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,  fixing our eyes on Jesus.”  See, sin puts you down and destroys you.  You can try so hard to get rid of it but only with Christ’s help can you.  In my opinion there really is no Christ in the L.O.T.R series, but others might think differently.  When it says “The sin that so easily entangles,”  it reminds me of when Frodo in the third movie, The Return Of The King, ditches Sam for Gollum (who is out to kill Frodo and take the ring) and Gollum later takes him down the wrong path.  Frodo tried to “Keep his eye on Jesus” but the ring and Gollum deceived him and lead him through the Spider’s Tunnel.  When Frodo went through the tunnel he got tangled in a web; almost like a web of lies, hatred, and sin.  He used his sword to cut through those webs just like us Christians use our sword or our Bible to defeat sin. –Smaug

 

www.thehobbithole.com  Frodo stuck in Shelia’s web (Above)

How The Bible And The Lord Of The Rings Are The Same. (Part Two)

How The Bible And The Lord Of The Rings Are The Same. (Part Two)

 

             As we have been “digging deeper” into the Christian meaning of the L.O.T.R series the deeper the evil gets.  In the second movie, The Two Towers, it starts off with Gollum/Sméagol and his life story.  He really does not show up in the first movie and he keeps to the shadows.  When Gollum has the ring (for 600 years) he is changed and turns into something horrible, yet you still pity him even though his thirst for the ring is unquenchable.  When Frodo does not kill him and, as I said earlier, he pities him and Gollum changes.  Sam (Frodo’s companion) only sees a monster that cannot be changed unlike Frodo who offers a helping hand.  Proverbs 15:1 says, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”  When Frodo talked to Gollum kindly Gollum respected that and felt wanted, but when Sam called Gollum names he tried not to show it or react to them.  Later it is part of what turns him away from the good.  With Sam being the name caller,  and all the pain that has gone on in Gollum’s life, and the “weight” of the ring you wonder how Frodo can do all this by himself.—Smaug

 

 

The Three Travelers  (Above)         www.fantasybooksandmovies.com