The Tolkien Joke and Meme thread

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

I wouldn't recommend hiding an engagement ring in the pizza, either, in that case!

 

[Erestor Arcamen]

 

[Erestor Arcamen]

 

[Licky Linguist]

Doesn't happen at my school. We have a plasma board in every classroom, and anybody except teachers have to pay 2 rupees if they even touch it. That started when some kid climbed up on a chair and started goofing around, and ultimately the board went crashing to the ground. He had a broken wrist and the board cost a lot, so...

 

[Erestor Arcamen]

 

[Erestor Arcamen]

 

[Erestor Arcamen]

 

[Erestor Arcamen]

 

[Olorgando]

I have a nice little anecdote from my freshman year in college (1973-74), regarding music.
Now I only started getting interested in music, say the top-40 charts on radio then hosted by Casey Kasem, in senior year in high school, graduating 1973.
So people with more experience had to patiently "bring me up to speed" in college.
Before this was nearly completed, I found and bought two compilation double vinyl LPs.
The 1972 Cream compilation "Heavy Cream", and the one entitled "Eric Clapton at his best", no date to be found, but from about the same time, logically.
I then announced (I forget the occasion) a momentous discovery, as I thought:
"Did you know that Clapton did a cover version of Cream's "Sunshine Of Your Love"?"
Memory certainly exaggerates here, but everyone seemed to come to a full stop.
Heads then slowly turned my way, universally displaying a "wtf???" facial expression.
The first to recover then clarified things for me: "Clapton was Cream's guitarist!"

Me: "oh"

 

[grendel]

Oh wow, Olorgando, that is pretty funny. It reminds me of my friend's daughter, in her mid-20s and a devoted Beatles fan - something unusual for that generation. I'd like to think that her dad and I had something to do with it; but anyway, when I went to visit there last year she was so eager to show me her new tattoo: the word "Imagine" across one shoulder blade.
I debated with myself for a full minute before I said, "Um, you know that's a Lennon song... it's not the Beatles."
The look on her face was priceless.
I mean, it's still a great tune, but...

 

[Erestor Arcamen]

https://www.reddit.com/r/lotrmemes/comments/kw874l

 

[Erestor Arcamen]

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

My contribution to the Funny Music Anecdotes list comes from a 70's episode of the old "My Music" BBC show. One of the panelists overheard a middle-aged lady telling a record store employee she was looking for a new record her son wanted. "I believe it's by someone and Garfunkel; I'm not sure of the title, but it's about some trouble over in Bridgewater".

 

[Ealdwyn]

 

[Olorgando]

View attachment 8869

You're taking your cue from PJ's natural fertilizer? 💩

 

[Ealdwyn]

You're taking your cue from PJ's natural fertilizer? 💩

Yes. But not entirely.
In canon, when Aragorn looks into the Palantir of Orthanc for the first time, he say that his "strength was enough - barely" - and this guy is supposed to be king material??? Compare that to Denethor, who's been using the Palantir of MT for 30 years.

I'm a big fan of Denethor II. He's much maligned and underrated, even by book fans.

 

[Olorgando]

Yes. But not entirely.
In canon, when Aragorn looks into the Palantir of Orthanc for the first time, he say that his "strength was enough - barely" - and this guy is supposed to be king material??? Compare that to Denethor, who's been using the Palantir of MT for 30 years.

I'm a big fan of Denethor II. He's much maligned and underrated, even by book fans.

Barely - yes. But Aragorn in one session kicked Sauron in the teeth and tore the Orthanc Palantir from Sauron's control, something that Denethor was unable to do in 30 years (and Sauron basically was able to fool him for the entire time), and would never been able to do, even if he had not been deluded.

 

[Ealdwyn]

Barely - yes. But Aragorn in one session kicked Sauron in the teeth and tore the Orthanc Palantir from Sauron's control, something that Denethor was unable to do in 30 years (and Sauron basically was able to fool him for the entire time), and would never been able to do, even if he had not been deluded.

He only became deluded at the end, when Sauron used his despair against him. He resisted Sauron's attacks for the greater part of those 30 years.

 

[Olorgando]

He only became deluded at the end, when Sauron used his despair against him. He resisted Sauron's attacks for the greater part of those 30 years.

I became curious where you arrived at the 30 years that Denethor had been using the Palantir (of Minas Tirith). Appendix B states that Denethor's wife Finduilas die young in 2988, and Appendix A basically confirms this precipitated his use (though in the words "It was afterwards believed ...").
He resisted perhaps the greater part of those 30 years, when Sauron only sporadically had dealings with him. But when Sauron focused (almost) his full attention on him, he was able to break Denethor with despair.
When Aragorn challenged Sauron for control of the Orthanc Palantir, perhaps showing him Andúril (the re-forged Narsil that Sauron would certainly NEVER forget - this may be a PJ addition, that he immediately ruined by one of his most serious attacks of being brain-dead) ...

.. Aragorn certainly has Sauron's absolute, full attention in a way that Denethor could not even remotely have achieved.
If you wish for a visualization of what happened to Sauron, go to PJ's nutcase rendition of Gandalf (the White) exorcising Saruman from Denethor In TT.

Maybe I need to put this in Marvel Comics terms. The Hulk has occasionally tried his hand at a boxing match with Spider-man, getting slightly frustrated at the latter's speed at avoiding punches. Then he suddenly is hit by the sledgehammer of a hard right cross by the Fantastic Four's The Thing.

Denethor might have been defensively able to keep some control of the Minas Tirith Palantir away from Sauron while the latter was not focusing on him.
When Aragorn challenged Sauron for the Orthanc Palantir, getting the latter's full attention, Aragorn knocked Sauron on his butt.

 

[Ealdwyn]

He resisted perhaps the greater part of those 30 years, when Sauron only sporadically had dealings with him. But when Sauron focused (almost) his full attention on him, he was able to break Denethor with despair.

Denethor has been using the Palantir ever since he became Steward, and he has still managed to wring vital information out of it and discern falsehood from fact for all those years - and do that in despite of Sauron. The fact that it took so long for Denethor to even waver is a testament to the man's strength and integrity.

There's a very specific moment in RotK when Denethor actually breaks, and it not entirely down to Sauron but to a combination of factors.
Denethor is already grieving the loss of Boromir. Faramir is brought to him, wounded and dying (or so he thinks). At that moment he is a father, plain and simple, struggling to deal with the death of both of his sons. It's a unique moment of vulnerability for him.

Then after Faramir is brought back to MT, he uses the Palantir for the last time. This time he doesn't only see the armies of Mordor: he also sees Frodo captured and, by that, he thinks that Sauron has regained the Ring. Seeing that - in his vulnerability - is what drives him to despair, not just the siege of MT.

Faramir is brought back to Minas Tirith gravely injured on the same date (March 13) that Frodo is captured by the orcs of Cirith Ungol:
"[Denethor] himself went up alone into the secret room under the summit of the Tower; and many who looked up thither at that time saw a pale light that gleamed and flickered from the narrow windows for a while, and then flashed and went out. And when Denethor descended again he went to Faramir and sat beside him without speaking, but the face of the Lord was grey, more deathlike than his son’s."

Denethor has already referred to sending the Ring into Mordor as “a fool’s hope". He later says to Pippin "The fool’s hope has failed. The enemy has found it, and now his power waxes; he sees our very thoughts, and all we do is ruinous." He is very specifically referring to his belief that the war is hopeless due to Frodo’s capture and Sauron once again possessing the Ring.

He didn't break because he couldn't withstand Sauron. He broke because, in a moment of extreme grief and vulnerability, he knew something that nobody else would know until their encounter with the Mouth of Sauron. If the others had known the same, how many of them would have broken too?

Denethor is gravely misunderstood when he's percieved as 'weak'. And don't get me started on PJ's version of him as a crazy old man.