BG Image

News Archive

Elvish: The Depth of a Culture Hidden in Langauge

There are many things to love about The Lord of the Rings; it is filled with imagery, history and depth to a degree found in few other books. With such a rich amount of material, it can take several readings to absorb it all, and even then, different people will be affected by its elements in different ways.

To some Tolkien’s invented languages are merely nice touches while to others they are one the highlights. Indeed, some of those who had wondered if Peter Jackson would do the books justice were won over by hearing Elvish spoken so beautifully on screen. From the Sindarin of Rivendell to the Dwarvish chants of Moria, the diverse and often subtle use of Elvish helped capture, at least in part, the depth found in the original.

This is because these languages were the foundation of the mythology itself. In his foreword to the second edition of Lord of the Rings, Professor Tolkien states that his mythos “was primarily linguistic in inspiration and was begun in order to provide the background of ‘history’ for Elvish tongues”. Though the idea may seem strange at first glance, a closer look will reveal why this unconventional beginning makes Tolkien’s works unlike any other.

Language is one of the cornerstones of culture whether real or imagined. Across the planet, languages differ as much as the cultures they stem from. But such differences are not limited only from one language to another, for example, British English is quite different from American English and even then there are differences from region to region, which reflect the values of the places in question. By creating the languages first, Tolkien helped solidify in his own mind, the basis and nature of his cultures before building the history around them. This is an essential reason why they feel so real. It gives them a depth they would not otherwise have had and adds richness to one of the greatest literary masterpieces of our time.

There is also a strong chance, given Professor Tolkien’s reason for delving deeper into the story, that without Elvish Middle-Earth as we know it would not exist. Its history and languages are forever intertwined. Although you do not need to study Elvish to appreciate the significance it lends to the story, the next time you come to an Elvish portion of the text and start to skip to the translation, I hope you will take just a moment to see the depth of a culture hidden in language.

by ~Mirimë~

US residents – win a trip to Middle-earth!

For a chance to win a trip to New Zealand, a copy of the RotK DVD and a Samsung portable DVD player enter the sweepstake at samsungusa.com.

You have to be 18 years or older to enter, and the closing date is 30th June.

Award for the RotK trailer

The Return of the King has won a Golden Trailer award in the Best Drama category. For a full list of all the winners go to goldentrailer.com.

Interview with Howard Shore

In an interview at smh.com, Howard Shore talks about his music for the LotR films and his hopes that Peter Jackson will make a film of The Hobbit. According to the article Howard Shore, “thinks the rights dispute over The Hobbit will be resolved”.

UK residents – win a RotK DVD and game

For a chance to win a copy of the RotK DVD and the RotK game for PS2 enter the prize competition at CBBC.

The closing date is 21st June.

The Battle for Middle-Earth

Keep up to date with the development of The Battle for Middle-Earth with the latest “designer diary” at gamespot.com. This includes a video in which Mark Skaggs describes the “living world” system used in the game.

LoTR Symphony at the Sydney Opera House, Australia

Howard Shore will conduct the Sydney Symphony for the Australian Premiere of The Lord Of The Rings Symphony on 17, 18 & 19 June, at the Sydney Opera House. More Information is available at: Sydney Opera House.

Happy birthday Christopher Lee!

Christopher Lee was born in London, England on the 27th May 1922, so today is his 82nd birthday. This horror movie veteran has had a long acting career and you can read about him and check his filmography at Imdb.com.

Also check out a few good pictures of Christopher as himself in the CoE gallery here, and pictures of Christopher as Saruman here.

Happy birthday Christopher Lee!

Official site update – photo gallery of Sam

Happy birthday Sir Ian McKellen

Today, 25th May is Sir Ian’s 65th birthday. He was born in Burnley, Lancashire, UK on 25th May 1929. Happy Birthday Sir Ian