2021 Tolkien Blog Party: 9 Fellowship Members Tag

Hello, all you Tolkien fans!

"A very merry unbirthday" to both Bilbo and Frodo Baggins! Yesterday was "Hobbit Day" as it was both of their birthdays. What nicely lines up with that is that Hamlette is well into the swing of her 9th Tolkien Blog Party! Check out all of the goodies of the giveaway HERE and all of the precious party entries HERE.

Nine years, folks. That is unbelievable. And I love that I can claim to have been a part of five of them, as this is my sixth year! Each year I have so many plans on how to participate fully...and every year I end up just answering the tag. Which is very cool and very different every year.

Any guesses of what I'm doing this year?

You got it, solely the tag answers. I had another fantastic post idea, but I highly doubt I will get it out before the week ends, so you'll have to wait for another whole year. Maybe not. Who knows? I guess as I had so much fun last year reviewing the movie Tolkien (2019) that this is a good break.

(If you're curious, here are what I said in all the other tags: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, & 2020.)

As this is Hamlette's 9th year doing this, the tag questions are around the Nine members of the Fellowship. (I totally made up the title "9 Fellowship Members Tag" for the title of this post but I thought it was cute)  Nine is a big number in the Lord of the Rings! 

"Nine rings for the elven kings..."

For those of you who are not familiar with Tolkien (don't worry, I was like that for many years), you don't have to worry about spoilers from this post of mine. It's your decision if you want to read this anyway if you have no idea what I'm talking about.

I'm answering these question through the lens of having read:

The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King)

And having seen:

The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies (2014), The Lord of the Rings (The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002), The Return of the King (2003)), and Tolkien (2019).

1. Aragorn: Favorite Tolkien hero/heroine

Hands down, Bilbo Baggins. He is what kept The Hobbit as my fifth favorite book of all time for so long (I recently bumped it down to number 10 just because it has been a really long time since I read it. Once I read it again, though, it will probably go higher). He is so relatable in his fear of leaving his home and security, but having that desire kindled within him to go somewhere new. I really have felt that so much this last year. And am still feeling it.

Or Faramir. Faramir deserves all the love.

Source

2. Boromir: Favorite Tolkien character arc

I have to say Boromir, because he arguably has the best arc. I hated it in the books but absolutely loved it in the movies. I have no idea why. Frodo also has a great character arc, one that is well worth following, but there is so much pain. And I don't really want to go through that.

Maybe Pippin? He makes me want to pull my hair out and lock him in a dark room in the beginning, but by the end he has mellowed out.

3. Frodo: Favorite song or poem by Tolkien

"Far over the misty mountains cold,

To dungeons deep and caverns old,

We must away, ere break of day,

To find our long-forgotten gold.” 

I have to go back to my Dwarven roots. I think of that almost every single time that someone mentions Tolkien. It's easy to memorize, which is another reason I have it here. Some things that Sam says are hauntingly gorgeous in their simplicity, but I don't have a good (i. e. Accurate) example to think of at the moment.

Source

4. Gandalf: Favorite wise Tolkien quotation

I feel it is cliche to answer this question with the one I'm going to use, but well, I'm going to use it. It has helped me a lot in the last few years.

'“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. 

“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”'

-The Fellowship of the Ring

It has been a long time since I read the books, but I don't think it is exactly the same phrasing? Or is it not the same phrasing in the movie? If I had my book copies I would check, but we're stuck with not knowing for now. Can anyone help me out here?

5. Gimli: A Middle-earth location you'd like to visit

Right now I'm not in the mood for any specific place. If I were to visit a Middle-earth location I would want to wander everywhere. In the forests of Mirkwood (trying to stay away from spiders), in the glades of Lothlorien, in Hobbiton, and even on the Barrow downs. I'd be fine with anywhere in the fresh air, so just not the mines of Moria. I don't usually consider Gondor or Rohan as I think of them as windy plains that seem too flat and dry, but they could be nice. Anywhere I can see the stars.

Source

6. Legolas: Favorite Middle-earth Weapon

This is often a question, and it is another thing that I never ponder. There are only two answers to this question: Legolas's bow and arrows or Sting. I guess The Ring could be considered a weapon, so if it is my favorite as in the one I am most impressed about its destructive abilities but wouldn't it used or to be anywhere near it, then that one. It is darker and deeper than terrifying.

Sorry, that's very confusing and I don't even know what I'm talking about at this time.

Yes. And you should be, too.

7. Merry: Favorite way to celebrate Tolkien's stories

With friends! To be completely honest, I don't usually think about Tolkien when I'm on my own. What I love is how there is so much fellowship surrounding these works. They are well known and well loved for so many around the world. I've had so many great conversations started because of The Lord of the Rings and I'm so grateful for that. That's why I love this party!

8. Pippin: Favorite funny Tolkien quotation

Books:

"Bilbo Baggins, a bur--a hobbit," said poor Bilbo, shaking all over, and wondering how to make owl-noises before they throttled him.

   "A burrahobbit?" said they a bit startled. Trolls are slow in the uptake, and mighty suspicious about anything new to them.

   "What's a burrahobbit got to do in my pocket anyway?" said William.

-The Hobbit

(I say it every year and never get tired of it.)

Movies:

-The Two Towers (2002)

9. Samwise: A Middle-earth food you'd like to try

I know people are always talking about the food, but I actually didn't notice them from reading the books at all. I'll say the only things I remember at the moment, which is Ent Draught and Lembas bread.

There you have it! Of the nine listed there, my favorite is definitely Sam, followed by Legolas. If you ask me about Frodo I'll pretend I'm not looking into a mirror.

A ginormous thank you to Hamlette for keeping this up for NINE WHOLE YEARS! It was one of the first blog parties I participated in, so I always look forward to it, especially when I have read more of Tolkien's works each year. Make sure to check out what everyone else says about Tolkien, HERE!

Thanks to all of you for reading, friends! How would you answer these questions? Does anyone else have a hard time paying attention to the food and weapons used? Can you rank these nine characters for your favorites?

Chloe the MovieCritic