"The Great Halls of Speculation" - What are they?

[Ent]

The Great Halls of Speculation serve as many things.

They are the place where any and every subject or topic of discussion is relegated, which cannot be resolved from any or all available evidence at hand, and we are reduced to naught but "opinion".

First and foremost, they serve as the Repository for all subjects and topics for which there is no truly definitive answer, but over which a great deal of ink - literal, electronic, vocal and otherwise - is spilled nonetheless. In fact, real blood has been and continues to be let over some of them at times.

- In this category the good news is, one can 'check out' a subject or topic logged into The Great Halls, while leaving behind all that which has been discussed with regard to it before, and trot out all the same arguments, passages, citations, references, speculations, opinions and verbiage previously covered - possibly even adding a new twist here and there - and yet come to the same non-conclusion once again, returning it to its designated location once done.
- The bad news is that those who have been over it all numerous times before have a tendency to ignore it all if wise, or futilely engage in it yet again with the same results.
- The worse news is it's questionable whether anyone has ever changed their perspective or viewpoint with regard to something held in The Great Halls.

Second and equally important the Halls of Haze stand as a testament to an unfortunate but certain inability to learn. Both about ourselves, and about others. About facts as opposed to speculations. About justifications and opinions as opposed to perspectives, evidences, and truths. The Halls of Haze occupy the very center of The Great Halls of Speculation.

Lastly The Great Halls of Speculation serve as a place to "thwack" things into when one at last concludes there is no final, right (or possibly wrong) answer. They can dump the issue from the mind and free themselves to move on about their business unencumbered by further concern, even though the war may still be raging around them among others who still insist on a particular solution in spite of the (lack of) facts.

The Great Halls is a massive place, containing numerous floors with countless topics and subjects cataloged.
We have now opened Aisle C on the 10th floor, and begun our entries into its shelves.

Once something is entered into the Great Halls, only one thing can ever remove it. New and undeniable evidence. Facts that incontrovertibly clarify, to everyone's satisfaction.

Fortunately, the future for the Halls is bright as the possibilities for entry are still endless, new evidence - "the facts" - is hard to come by - and it is unlikely the circumstances that generate the entries arriving at The Halls' doors for consideration and acceptance to begin with, will ever change - nor will the desire to check them back out and rehash them once again and ever without end.

I for one really like The Great Halls of Speculation.

 

[Ent]

As some may recall, The Great Halls of Speculation (description above) were burned down some time ago in a most unfortunate accident. Subsequent announcements revealed the decision they would be rebuilt. It has taken some time, as during construction, many new petitions for entry into the Halls' repositories have been received, deserve merit, and will now be catalogued and entered on their appropriate shelves including floor, aisle way, and shelf number for location and check-out purposes. Thus the original plans needed revision - the building's square footage enlarged.

Here is a picture of the now newly completed Great Halls, which it is hoped given the volume of subjects, topics, and items J.R.R. Tolkien left open to interpretation, will continue to serve his Fandom well for at least the next 10 years. (Plans for the new structure projected to be needed afterward are already underway.)

Note: The picture taken below of the building spires rising skyward, was taken from atop the rather large central building structure holding them up, which itself consists of some 30 stories.

Addendum: The original Steward of The Great Halls, one Squint-eyed-Southerner, relinquished his post to a Tolkien enthusiast called "Ent" at some point in 2022.

The post is once again open. The position's job description includes receiving, reviewing, and presenting all new speculative subjects in the full realm of Tolkienology, as well as cataloguing, positioning, retrieving, and protecting all subjects accepted for inclusion in the Halls.

Please submit all applications for Steward of The Great Halls of Speculation to Ent. who will present them to The Board of Administration and Administrators for review and consideration.

Once a new Steward is determined, the Halls will be opened to the Fandom once again for use.

 

[Erestor Arcamen]

I nominate @Squint-eyed Southerner to retain the position until a permanent replacement can be filled. I speculate that singing will be found someday

 

[Vardarianna]

🤔 I have to admit that I am quite confused by all this.

 

[Ent]

I have to admit that I am quite confused by all this.

This is good, because Tolkien is quite confusing.

Perhaps a few examples of the many things available for checkout from The Great Halls will help.
They're there because they have no clear answer, but are brought forth with regularity for review, re-speculation, rehashing, and 'yet another trip down memory lane."

On the first floor, first shelf, 3rd cubicle we find: "Do Balrogs Have Wings."
On the same floor we find 'Why Didn't The Eagles Just Fly The Ring to Mordor.'
We see the register shows us where to find the information on "Where Does Ungoliant Come From," "What Does Ungoliant Represent", and the like.
"Who Is The Greatest Swordsman" is another entry available for checkout and re-hash. (I mean - review.)
"Who Is the Most Important Character in all Tolkien's Middle-earth" is another.
And we must not fail to mention "Where did the Watcher In The Water" come from, and "What Was The Watcher In The Water."

The speculations on Tolkien Lore are endless, numerous, and never die.
Thus, The Great Halls of Speculation were developed to catalog and contain them, so anyone wanting to check them out for another go could have them readily at hand.

Each speculative topic is kept in its own special box. Once checked out, the lid is opened, the topic spills forth, and all the information flows once again into the world for review. Yet at the end of the day, in most cases, the result is the same, the information (unchanged) flows back into the box, and the box is restored to its place in The Great Halls until the next time it is called forth.

To date, none of the entries in the Great Halls has been resolved, and so eliminated from Speculation.
But more have been added. And continue to be added.
Long ago it was determined to develop a Repository Of Speculations to contain the unknown, but never out of sight of Middle-earth. It ultimately grew to become The Great Halls of Speculation, and continues to increase in size until this day.

I trust this helps. (Or not.)

 

[Klaatu]

I see the Halls have been rebuilt! Last time I passed through, the roof was missing and several arguments about Glorfindel had escaped into the upper atmosphere. The air up there still smells faintly of burnt citations.

I walked Aisle C today — a fine new corridor, echoing pleasantly with unresolved debates about Balrog wings and Númenórean longevity. The custodians have done excellent work cataloguing uncertainty; I even found a misplaced scroll labeled “Canon, Possibly.” It glowed faintly when I touched it, then politely refused to explain itself.

The architecture, as ever, is magnificent: marble foundations of conjecture supporting endless mezzanines of “perhaps.” Somewhere near the ceiling, I’m told, truth itself hangs like a chandelier — visible, dazzling, but unreachable without a very tall ladder and a strong disregard for gravity.

The acoustics here are truly remarkable. Every argument circles back upon itself in perfect harmony — one voice declaring “wings,” another countering “metaphor,” and both returning moments later to where they began, slightly louder and much more certain of having won. Even the echoes seem to have opinions.

May the Halls stand eternal, or at least until new evidence shows up with proper paperwork and a torch.
—
Klaatu the Wandering Archivist
Keeper of Shelf 42-B, Temporary Custodian of Lost Footnotes
Speaker of the Hypothetical Tongue
Occasional Co-Conspirator with a Quiet Librarian Whose Initials Have Faded with Time
Resident of the Third Spiral Beyond the Moon of Maps

 

[Ent]

“Canon, Possibly.”

Indeed, there are many and varied entries in The Halls on the "Canon or not" issues. I trust the misplaced scroll was properly advised to an attendant for handling?!

We do have 'fact checkers' wandering the Halls looking for such things - but re-establishing the many entries is difficult even at the current volume, much less keeping up with the incoming. So no doubt there are still things a bit amiss here and there.

Thus the need for a new Steward and Curator of the Halls.
No applications have as yet come forth, though we do have one nomination by @Erestor Arcamen of @Squint-eyed Southerner.

In absence of any actual applications, we may need to consider nominations most strongly.

 

[Klaatu]

Indeed, there are many and varied entries in The Halls on the "Canon or not" issues. I trust the misplaced scroll was properly advised to an attendant for handling?!

We do have 'fact checkers' wandering the Halls looking for such things - but re-establishing the many entries is difficult even at the current volume, much less keeping up with the incoming. So no doubt there are still things a bit amiss here and there.

Thus the need for a new Steward and Curator of the Halls.
No applications have as yet come forth, though we do have one nomination by @Erestor Arcamen of @Squint-eyed Southerner.

In absence of any actual applications, we may need to consider nominations most strongly.

Ah, excellent! I did hand the scroll to an attendant — though it promptly handed me a clipboard, asked me to initial a rumor, and vanished into a paragraph about the mating habits of Maiar. I followed the sound of shuffling papers and found myself three floors down in the Wing of Redacted Sources, where all things are cited but never found. There I met a fact-checker arguing with its own reflection about whether mirrors constitute secondary canon. A beautiful debate, truly, until one of them invoked The History of Middle-earth, and both were escorted out.

If the Stewardship of the Halls remains vacant, I could possibly volunteer as a temporary assistant to the acting Curator — unpaid, of course, save for occasional biscuits and one (1) glimpse of the Master Index, which I hear glows faintly when someone misquotes Tolkien. I’ve kept my gloves clean, my citations alphabetized, and my sanity… provisionally.
—
Klaatu the Wandering Archivist
Assistant Sub-Steward of Speculative Architecture
Keeper of Shelf 42-B and Its Perpetually Missing Ladder
Correspondent to an Unnamed Editor in the West (whose initials, curiously, are never quite legible)
Resident of the Third Spiral Beyond the Moon of Maps

 

[Ent]

Indeed, your offer has been entered as a "self-nomination" in absence of an actual application and resume, @Klaatu.
Such a position (unpaid of course, as you note..!) could well be most useful.

I've passed your comments about the Halls themselves to the Administrators and Administration. They were most appreciative of your input.

One was even overheard saying "...spared no expense."

Conclusions will be reached soon, announcements made accordingly.

The acting Curator is being sought, but seems to have literally evaporated into a debate about whether the speaking fox was indeed one of the 'spirits from afar' called by the thought of Yavanna to inhabit the flora and fauna of M-e - that event also said by some to be the source of the abilities of the Ents toward sentience and speech, though others deny it, with some resting at 'maybe.'

 

[Klaatu]

Splendid news! I wasn’t certain my nomination had survived the vetting process after I accidentally attached a recommendation letter written in Quenya and three pages of doodles of hypothetical Entish punctuation. Still, I’m delighted to hear the Administrators were “most appreciative” — that phrase always precedes either commendation or combustion.

As for the acting Curator’s possible evaporation, I assure you I’ve reviewed the vapor trail personally. The sample contained equal parts starlight, spilled ink, and one rather indignant fox pawprint. Whether this points to Yavanna’s involvement or simple poor ventilation remains, as the scholars say, “under vigorous discussion.”

Should the position require the oversight of someone trained in both metaphysics and shelving systems, I stand ready with a broom, a quill, and a healthy suspicion of reality.
—
Klaatu the Wandering Archivist
Deputy Curator of Unresolved Matters and Evaporated Staff
Liaison to the Department of Possibly Canonical Entities
Occasional Correspondent to a Very Quiet Editor (whose initials never sit still long enough to be read)
Resident of the Third Spiral Beyond the Moon of Maps

 

[Ent]

Given nominations are open in absence of Applications, and the acting Curator has seemingly whisped away, the Committee for Administration and Administrators has already agreed:

@Klaatu is hereby appointed to the position of Assistant To The Steward and Curator Of The Great Halls Of Speculation.
Duties - (free of charge) - of the Position are hereby dumped - i mean assigned - to @Klaatu accordingly.

Meanwhile, the Committee has also agreed to accept further nominations for the Steward and Curator Position if/as presented.

Ent therefore nominates @Elthir, renowned for extensive knowledge, wit, and resources at beck and call, and willingness to evaluate all things from a level-pawed perspective without either personal attachment, or detachment.

So two nominations are at hand: @Squint-eyed Southerner, who other than presenting his exploded head upon the matter has remained silent, and @Elthir, the coated one - who is as yet unfamiliar with his/her nomination for the post, so has not mewed upon the matter..

Thus things stand for the time being. As Gandalf would say: "All we have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given us."

For now, we wait to see what unfolds, and - oh - 'speculate.'

 

[Klaatu]

Proclamation the First, by Klaatu (Assistant to the Steward of the Great Halls of Speculation)

Henceforth, by the semi-sacred authority vested in me by virtue of Ent’s questionable judgment and a committee composed entirely of echoes, it is hereby decreed:

1. All official communications conducted on Tuesdays and recognized Dwarvish Holidays shall employ vowels only.
   Consonants are to be left outside the Hall, where they shall wait patiently in the snow until reclaimed.
2. Any dwarf found attempting to smuggle in a consonant disguised as a runestone shall be required to sing the entire Lay of Durin backward in Khuzdul as penance.
3. Exceptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis by the Acting Curator (whoever that is today), provided the appeal is submitted in triplicate, notarized by a passing thrush, and accompanied by a small portion of second breakfast.

Failure to comply will result in mild confusion, followed by stern giggling.

So decreed, this day in the Hall of Unsubstantiated Assertions.

And yes—someone once said something about power going to the head. Fortunately, mine was already spinning when I arrived, so no further harm can be done.

Signed,
Klaatu the Assistant Steward
Defender of Vowels
Keeper of the Unpronounceable Edicts
One Whose Title Is Longer Than His Tenure
Whisperer to an Absent Archivist, wherever he wanders

 

[Deimos]

Tolkien would ha

🤔 I have to admit that I am quite confused by all this.

You are not the only one.

And . . . AND . . . Tolkien would have intensely disliked and most strenuously objected to having the buildings in that pic associated with any discussion of his works, unless the pic had the buildings situated in Mordor. They are hideous.... abominable.
And Treebeard would have been aghast.
Please come up with something a little more like a place in ME.


Below is a pic of the buildings around an artificial lake about 5 miles West of me.
Whenever I drive through there (and I do once a week, nor can it be avoided) I always say to myself, "Well here I am again driving through Mordor."

 

[Ent]

Tolkien would have intensely disliked and most strenuously objected to having the buildings in that pic

Ah, sir Deimos - I could not agree with you more, regarding Tolkien's potential response to the buildings.

And yet... And Yet... the buildings being used must reflect the nature of the swarms of speculations spread in sprawling sweeps from the studied students of today's M-e spectators.

And those speculations have themselves evolved - to include very modernistic and (to some) unfathomable extents, representing concepts, directions, delusions, and downright disrespects for the author, his intents, and his times,

So the buildings, in many respects, amply and agreeably represent the evolution of the speculations themselves as well.

Yes, Treebeard himself would have creaked and groaned in the gales of change. But as Tolkien weathered (with distaste) the changes of his times, so did Treebeard - and so would they both - to this day, seeing its inevitability.

An old-style building suitable to a Middle-earth setting would have taken far longer to build, would have required much more horizontal space as the brick-and-mortar or rock-and-plaster heights needed would have been unattainable.

Indeed, few remain who even have the skills to handle such construction.

Therefore... therefore... what we see is what we get Ent fears.

(And has this on the input and advice of the Committee For Reconstruction Of Middle-earthen Halls, which was consulted in the design phase.)

 

[Deimos]

Sorry, but No, just NO.

 

[Glorfindel Goldtress]

the roof was missing and several arguments about Glorfindel had escaped into the upper atmosphere. The air up there still smells faintly of burnt citations.

Ah yes, you must have discovered the roof is constructed from ages-old cliff-residue where my duel occurred. It's incredible to what lengths recycling can extend.

 

[Klaatu]

Ah yes, you must have discovered the roof is constructed from ages-old cliff-residue where my duel occurred. It's incredible to what lengths recycling can extend.

That explains the faint shimmer when the sun hits it just right—your cliff-residue still hums faintly in the key of “heroic.” I tried sweeping up a fragment once, but it began reciting The Lay of Leithian and refused to be quieted without a footnote.

Recycling, yes. The elves call it art; the dwarves call it structural integrity; I call it a safety hazard with personality.

- Klaatu
Assistant Steward, Amateur Roof Inspector,
Licensed in Minor Atmospheric Repairs (provisional),
and Once a Witness to the Great Elven Echo of 7th Resonance

 

[Ricardo]

Ok, I am very confused, where are the great halls?

 

[Erestor Arcamen]

They're in all of us, right here --> ❤️

 

[Ent]

They're also where all Speculations are contained, maintained, sustained, explained, and retained. Right here --> 🧠