User:Glorfindel Mk. II

From Tolkien Gateway
lore-3 This user has an advanced understanding of J.R.R. Tolkien's works.




Hello fellow Tolkien scholars and fans. I've been a huge fan of JRRT since I was given a copy of the 'Hobbit' by a friend in high school in 1978. I 'ditched' classes to read 'The Lord of the Rings' immediately after I finished reading the Hobbit. I have no idea how many times I've read the books: many. It has been a joy and revelation as each of Christopher Tolkien's books has come out-- we now have both the completed work and an incredibly detailed view of the creation of it.

Back in the 1980s I was a game-master in a group that played the MERP role-playing game. I invented a fourth age world which was fun to create for my friends. Of course this was over 20 years ago now so I don't remember all the details! It had to do with the Return of the Shadow and the continued existence of one of the nine rings.

Also in the 1980s I was involved in a loosely knit group of Tolkien 'fanatics' who held a yearly 'Tolkien Fare' at various locations in central California. We dressed up and acted out as Tolkien characters and had a great time. Some of these folks were VERY knowledgeable about Tolkien's writings, including a few who knew one or more of JRRT's invented languages. I stopped involvement in this group in the early 90s and I understand it is now defunct; possibly due to excessive 'pipe-weed' use by some of its members (!).

I took my step-daughter to each of Peter Jackson's films on opening night when they were released. It was fun to watch her meet and become interested in the characters as they were revealed in the film. I, like many others, was highly disappointed by the lack of Glorfindel and Tom Bombadil, not to mention some of the more egregious changes in character and plot. But overall it was a great effort at bringing the books to life. I actually had tears in my eyes during several scenes that faithfully recreated a portion of the books. Most of us older Tolkien readers never imagined seeing anything like this.

I have worked in publishing, editing, teaching, and law. I will be 45 in November 2007. I have a BA in political science, an MA in US history, and a JD degree.

I enjoy editing the articles on this site for accuracy and readability, not to mention concision. I have studied JRRT's works and have analyzed his writing style; all of which I find fascinating. I think a 'Tolkien Only' encyclopedia is a good idea, although the Wikipedia articles on these same subjects are generally very good. 320