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Green Dragon Live

A new podcast for Middle-earth. Made for your first and eleventy-first time to J.R.R. Tolkien's high fantasy world. Served up from The Green Dragon in Bywater of the Shire.
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Now displaying: January, 2017
Jan 29, 2017

In this episode, The Nicks rip apart Buzzfeed's attempt at knowing things about LoTR, discuss Chapter 9 - A Conspiracy Unmasked, and decide if they would rather be in Frodo's shoes or Fatty's.

Maps

Map of Middle-earth 

LoTRproject.com interactive map - Caution: spoilers for new readers!

Notes for this episode

This is the quiz we worked from for the beginning of the episode, though we don't highly recommend it. There are spoilers, mistakes, and a lot of partial answers.

What Happened Last Time?

Frodo, Pippin, and Sam took a shortcut through the forest and across the field from Woodhall toward the ferry. Though it was harder than the road and took them off course, it seems to have been a good idea because they missed the black riders the whole day, and the end up on Farmer Maggot’s farm. While there Farmer Maggot feeds them and offers to take them by cart to the ferry, where they happen to meet their friend - Merry.

Where Are We in the Narrative?:

Frodo, Sam, and Pippin are on the border of the Shire, in Buckland, where Crickhollow resides. Danger has come upon them sooner than anyone, including Gandalf, could have imagined. Frodo must leave for Rivendell immediately, in spite of Gandalf’s continued absence. But, Frodo is miserable because he doesn’t know how to tell his friends that he is leaving.

The Story in this Chapter:

  • Over the ferry
  • Buckland (Bucklebury is almost a suburb of Buckland… it's its own small country!)
  • Crickhollow
    • Very hobbit-hole like, despite being a house. Creature comforts -even arranged similarly to Bag End
  • Conspirators revealed DUN DUN DUNNNNN!!!!!
  • Making plans
    • Preparations already made - because Merry is a boss.
    • Fatty stays behind - who has the more dangerous role?
  • Resting up for the first leg of the journey through the Old Wood and Eastward to Rivendell
  • Frodo has a weird dream -- on a tower, near the seeaaaaaa [turtles]

Notable Difference(s) from Films:

  • All of this is missing from the movie

Locations/Distance Traveled/Distance apart:

  • Bucklebury Ferry
  • Buck Hill & Brandy Hall
  • Bucklebury
  • Crickhollow
  • Probably a total of around 5 miles

New Characters (but not really):

  • Fredegar Fatty Bolger

What to Watch for in the Next Chapter:

The Journey out of the Shire begins with the next chapter as Frodo and company enter into the potentially dangerous Old Forest on the borders of Buckland.

Links

greendragonlive.com

Twitter

Facebook

Special thanks to our friend Harry Murrell for the use of his music. Listen to more and subscribe to his channel here.

 

 

Jan 18, 2017

The Nicks discuss Chapter Four of Fellowship - Getting caught in the bogs and thickets, Black Riders, Bamfurlong, Farmer Maggot's dogs, whether Frodo's story mirrors Bilbo's, narrow misses, social status, and traveling in the fog without lanterns.


Nicholas Jon sounds like he's hiding from the black riders in a tin can, and tries a looser editing style. Nick Andrew lives in the loudest place possible and tries to imagine Sam's fangirling over the Elves with a real-world example... from his own experience? We'll never know.

 

Maps

Map of Middle-earth 

LoTRproject.com interactive map - Caution: spoilers for new readers! 

 

Last time in The Lord of The Rings

Frodo inherited the Ring from Bilbo and learned that it is the One Ring and must be destroyed. He sells his house and takes his friends on an adventure through the Shire only to be dogged by a black rider. Some elves take them in for the night and give them the advice to not wait for Gandalf.

 

Where are we in the narrative?

Frodo, Sam, and Pippin are still in the Shire making their way to Buckleberry Ferry and then on to Crickhollow, Frodo’s new house. The Elves showed concern for Frodo especially when they heard that the travelers have seen a black rider and Gandalf hasn’t come as promised. Unwillingly the Elves give the advice to move ahead with their plan and not to wait for Gandalf.

 

Notes for this episode

The Story in this Chapter:

  • A chance to get to know Hobbits better
  • Thinking at breakfast? Hobbits are supposed to EAT!! Food is their THING.
  • Frodo speaking aloud - sign of the Ring?
  • The change coming over Sam
  • Oracle-esque? Something in his heart/gut tells him that he “has to see it through.”
  • Shortcuts
    • Golden Perch, Ivy Bush, Green Dragon (Most of the buildings mentioned in the Shire are Inns)
    • If you look at the map - the road (trail?) to Woodhall dead-ends. Was Frodo planning to go over the country from the beginning?
  • Pippin - and Hobbit jesting/poking/digging “First check.”
  • Sam saves the company - “You’ve got sharp ears, Sam”
    • Is this a recognition of having spotted the rider
    • Or a request to listen and keep an ear out?
  • Golden Drink (possibly Miruvor as we later learn) - alcohol? stimulant? some other nourishing thing? REDBULL!
  • The first Nazgul cry - “There are words in the cry,” and that was no hobbit voice.
  • The ease at which the Hobbits forget their fear when the Shire does its thing.
  • Bamfurlong is a great bit of LoTR trivia - good to have in your back pocket to show your knowledge - also useful as a substitute curse word when around children.
  • Farmer Maggot
  • How near the miss - Nazgul / Frodo at Farmer Maggot’s
  • Sam’s suspicious nature
  • Dogs response to the Nazgul (movie-book)
  • Maggot tells off a Nazgul - “Back where you belong” - funny because he doesn’t really know what that might mean
  • 14 to dinner - some mirroring to Bilbo? Bilbo had 15 - symbolically could show the incompleteness of the party (Gandalf? Merry? The rest?)
  • Sam’s position showing? - “You & Pippin and all” - “You & Merry (Maggot’s closer friend) and all”
  • Sundown - and they only got to the farm from Woodhall
    • 5+ more miles to the ferry
  • Frodo is anxious - Pippin is drowsy - Sam is watchful “I want Mr. Baggins, have you seen him?” - not as effective in the audio book - frighteningly ambiguous in writing.

Other comments or observations:

  • Book pacing
    • Natural divide between character based narrative and descriptive narrative?
    • Fast = action and character?
    • Or Fast = a lack of world description?
    • Slow = A lot of everything? - For Tolkien the physical world is hugely important - character-like - but the characters are not described in much detail.
      • We can see the world, and the people in it, but we can’t see their faces except as we imagine them to be.
  • Some books with different pacing
    • Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan - slow (though starts okay)
    • Belgariad - David Eddings - Quick pace - every chapter moves the story ahead
    • Angels and Demons - Dan Brown - Very fast pace (movie like cuts)
    • Lord of the Rings - Slower very descriptive - minimal character description - not a lot of politic-ing

Notable Difference(s) from Films: All of this is missing from the movie

Locations/Distance Traveled/Distance apart: The actual distance traveled is probably 20 miles maximum including 5+ by cart.

New Characters: Farmer Maggot and his family/household

Info/History from Other Titles/Sources: Letter 206 - Funny incident where Tolkien went to a Hobbit Dinner and spoke, and on the menu was “Maggot Soup” which was, of course, mushroom soup named for Farmer Maggot.

What to Watch for in the Next Chapter: Next chapter Frodo and all finally make it to Crickhollow - but Frodo needs to leave right away. He will have to tell his friends that he is going, but he doesn’t know how to break it to them.

 

Links

greendragonlive.com

Twitter

Facebook

Special thanks to our friend Harry Murrell for the use of his music. Listen to more and subscribe to his channel here.

Jan 10, 2017

The Nick's go live on Facebook and answer questions collected from our listeners.

The questions and answers in today's episode may contain spoilers and are not limited to the chapters already covered in the read along.

 

Maps

Map of Middle-earth 

LoTRproject.com interactive map - Caution: spoilers for new readers!

 

Links

greendragonlive.com

Twitter

Facebook

Special thanks to our friend Harry Murrell for the use of his music. Listen to more and subscribe to his channel here.

 

Jan 2, 2017

 

The Nicks discuss Frodo's departure from Bag End, dealing with the Sackville-Bagginses, Gaffer Gamgee (a ninja?), Black Riders, High Elves, and walking through the Shire - which should have been the safest part of the journey.

 

Maps

Map of Middle-earth 

LoTRproject.com interactive map - Caution: spoilers for new readers!

 

How far is 20 miles around you? If you were Sam, how far would your geographic knowledge take you?

 

Last time in The Lord of The Rings

Last episode we spoke about Gandalf, and how he chased all over Middle-earth to learn everything he could about the ring Bilbo found in Gollum's cave nearly 80 years ago. With Bilbo gone, and Frodo the new owner of the Ring (and Bag End), danger is growing and coming ever closer to the Shire. Frodo, under the guidance of Gandalf, and with the companionship of his gardener, Sam Gamgee, must get the Ring OUT of the Shire to save his home from danger!

 

Where are we in the narrative?

Bilbo Baggins, who found a “Magic” Ring nearly 80 years ago, wills the Ring to his heir Frodo. Gandalf the wizard has discovered the true identity of Frodo’s ring. The Ring is the One Ring that the Dark Lord Sauron made, to dominate the whole world. Frodo learns that the only way to defeat the Dark Lord is to destroy the Ring, but that can only be done in the fires of Mt. Doom where it was made. Frodo then decides that he must take the Ring away from the Shire to protect his homeland, and also help the free people of Middle-earth to defeat the Dark Lord.

 

Notes for this episode

Cheese fest is a thing in Wisconsin - there are several held around the state

Gaffer Gamgee - The Ninja - Nick Andrew promises a prize for a fanfic about the Gaffer being or becoming a ninja.

  • Frodo plans to leave the Shire at around the time of his Birthday
  • Gandalf suggests that he travel to Rivendell, the home of Elrond
    • Gandalf leaves after 2 months in the Shire (around June)
  • Frodo sells Bag End to the Sackville-Bagginses
    • Hints that he may be running out of money
  • Merry helps to find a home in Buckland called Crickhollow
  • We see how the Hobbits are when they’re not as polite as they might seem
    • Lobelia walking into Bag End and declaring “Ours at last!”
    • Leaving the dishes for Lobelia - tid for tat - little jabs at each other.
  • Strange voices and conversations down the hill
  • The first Black Rider
    • Another song “Upon the hearth...” - 3rd stanza becomes Pippin’s song in the movie
  • Second Black Rider
    • The High Elves
    • Gildor Inglorion
      • Worried about the news of Black Riders
      • Unwilling to give advice
      • Sam feels safe enough to fall asleep, but not willing to leave Frodo
      • VERY unwilling to give advice
      • Gandalf is missing - DANGER - RED FLAG!

 

Notable Difference(s) from Films:

Frodo and Sam leave together -- IMMEDIATELY, with no “alternate residence” misdirect.

Accidentally meet up with Merry and Pippin who are running away with some carrots.

The Black Rider is not in Hobbiton in the movie, instead is somewhere further away.

 

Locations/Distance Traveled/Distance apart:

The Shire (we don’t get very far this episode)

New Characters:

  • Peregrin “Pippin” Took
  • Meriadoc “Merry” Brandybuck
  • Fredegar “Fatty” Bolger
  • Folco Boffin
  • Gildor Inglorion et al

 

Links

greendragonlive.com

Twitter

Facebook

Special thanks to our friend Harry Murrell for the use of his music. Listen to more and subscribe to his channel here.

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