What would you want to research the most?

[Thorin]

As an educator, I always tell my students that if they want to know more about a topic, research the heck out of it. I have done this for many topics, including those of Tolkien (For instance, the measure of time in Valinor years, years of the Trees etc, always confused me so I dedicated myself to learning more about it. Forgot most of it, but oh well. ha ha). Out of the HoME, what topic would you like to take time to research the most that you've always been either confused about or know a bit about but would like to become an expert on?

For me, it is the substrata of the Teleri and the Avari. I mean you have the Nandor and Sindar and their multiple branches of sub categories, as well as the different names for both Nan and Sin and those sub categories. Some made the journey to the coast, some part way, some never went at all. Some that went to Beleriand, some that stayed in Middle Earth, some that stayed far east of the misty mountains, some that crashed in Mirkwood. Some that came back from Beleriand and so on and so on. Sheesh. It's enough to make your head spin trying to keep track of it all.

Out of all the races of elves, this has always been the most complicated and convoluted for me. At some point, I'm going to make a spread sheet and do a research paper on them.

 

[1stvermont]

In all honesty, I have researched almost everything I really wanted to know. Perhaps population numbers and the size of armies. Others have done this already, however. I would like to know more about life in the Shire even though much is given to us. Really I just wish Tolkien had written even more.

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

There's a bit more in Volume XII of HOME, but I guess you have that.

Speaking of which, I was struck by this statement by Christopher, in his Foreword:

. . .Thus, for example, I should have returned at the end of my account of the writing of The Lord of the Rings to give some description, at least, of the later developments in the chapters The Shadow of the Past and The Council of Elrond . . .

As my own main interest is in LOTR itself, I regret the omissions. I'd particularly like to know if Tolkien made any notes about a possible connection between his "On Fairy Stories" and the conversation in the Green Dragon, which, as I've mentioned elsewhere, has always seemed to me to cast some of the arguments in that essay into fictional form -- in this case, a short Menippean satire.

One can only hope that some enterprising scholar will publish more of the remaining material. At this point, I can't imagine it won't happen. I only hope I live to see it. 😥