Pretty funny...

The Hobbit... the game?!

When we last spoke, I asked everyone how they would like to see The Hobbit as a board game!? You shared with me some AWESOME ideas, and I want to hear even more! I've done some research about what game-makers have already created, inspired by Tolkien's work. After you read, I want you to post your thoughts on how to create the coolest game for The Hobbit.



The Hobbit in Games & Entertainment

The Hobbit has been developed into various entertainment media.

In board games, the strategy game "Battle of the Five Armies" was released as a Risk-style board game where players took on one of the five armies in an attempt to conquer the other four. The game was released in the 1970s and proved unpopular for its unclear rules.

Next was "The Lonely Mountain" in 1985 which was unique in its use of a hex grid for spaces to move on (as opposed to a traditional "trail" or "grid" layout), its use of both a dice and card game (similar to Monopoly) and a guessing game (players searched for the treasure card among the other cards that included Smaug as an outcome).

The "Middle Earth Role-Playing Game" is a dice & chart combination game based on both The Hobbit and the trilogy Lord of the Rings. This started in 1984 and has seen various incarnations since.

In video games, The Hobbit was first published on PC by Beam Software in 1982.

Then again, in 2003, it was released on PC, Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft XBox, and the Nintendo GameCube. It was unique once again in that it was a combination of a Platformer and an Action RPG.

Don't forget to post your ideas!

Upon Request... Here are some facts about Thorin!

Information on...
Thorin Oakenshield

• Thorin is referred to several times in the novel as "King Under the Mountain."
• The "King in the Mountain" is a motif of various fairy tales. This variation with "Under" is most often found in Celtic tradition.
• Tolkien uses "King Under the Mountain" to refer to the Dwarven king throned in the Lonely Mountain of the region of Erebor.
  
• Thorin is of the bloodline of Durin I, also known as Deathless Durin, because he grew to be the oldest recorded person of the Dwarfs. Durin's tribe is known as the Longbeards and they are royal bloodline who have always taken the title "King Under the Mountain." They are also sometimes referred to as Durin's folk because he was their first king.
  
• Thorin is most often introduced as "Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain, son of Thror." This line of ancestry directly relates him all the way back to Durin.
• Thorin enjoys both singing and playing the harp. One of his songs is about the treasure of the Lonely Mountain.
• Thorin is a "warrior king." He is a brave warrior and a strong combatant. He proves to be very smart in battle, cunning and capable. However, he not a charismatic, eloquently inspiring, or very strategic when it comes to actual leadership. In The Hobbit, he more often refers to Gandalf or even Bilbo for some sort of leadership. His decision to hole up in the Lonely Mountain against Bard and the people of Lake-Town soon proves not only stubborn, but fatal.
  
• Thorin's strong military sense but lack of leadership skill has been likened to president Andrew Jackson, a great military general.
  
• Thorin's last words: "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. But, sad or meery, I must leave it now. Farewell." Important as he was addressing Bilbo, who exhibited these characteristics and Thorin did not realize this importance until the very end of his life.
• Thorin was born in 2746 and was driven from Erebor by Smaug the Dragon in 2770.
• In 2799, Thorin was 53 and was in the ranks of the Dwarf army during the War of Dwarves and Orcs. In a battle at Dimrill Dale (or, more often, called Nanduhirion), Thorin charged into battle and his shield was destroyed. With his ax, he hacked off a huge branch of an oak tree and used it as his protection. This is how he gained the name "Oakenshield."
  

Popular Images

Hey everyone! I thought it would a be cool idea to find various artistic interpretations of all the different characters and locations Tolkien describes in The Hobbit. Here's a list!

Bilbo Baggins

Gandalf the Gray

Thorin Oakenshield and the Dwarves

Smaug the Dragon

Bard
http://anke.edoras-art.de/images/shop/originale/hobbit_bard_ori.jpg

The Goblins


Wargs


Eagles


Beorn


Elrond (the Elf)


And Gollum (or Smeagol)




The Giant Spiders (Shelob)



Other Places to check out images for as well:
The Shire (Hobbiton)


Rivendell


Lake-Town
http://www.cedmagic.com/featured/tolkien/h-2-1412-lake-town.jpg

Erebor (The Lonely Mountain)
http://www.geocities.com/pictolkien/HOBx11.jpg

Mirkwood Forest


The Misty Mountains

And, the ring!

Here's a fun site, too:
http://community.imaginefx.com/forums/thread/107301.aspx

My first visit to the cast of The Hobbit!

Today we discussed some very exciting ideas!

Not only did we discuss the story of the novel and the plot of the production we are working on, but we also talked about J.R.R. Tolkien himself and how The Hobbit came to be! It was very exciting to see how enthusiastic everyone was in helping tell the story of little Bilbo Baggins. Especially so early on in the rehearsal process, I know that such positive energy will be a major key in telling this exciting tale... eventually for an audience!

Near the end of our discussion, we talked about some major themes in The Hobbit. We decided that a theme is an idea or message that we find in the text of the book and/or play; the theme can be a lesson that the author wants to teach, or perhaps just something for a spectator (reader or audience member) to walk away thinking about. There can be many themes in a story -- we certainly found a few! -- and we can assume Tolkien thought about these themes as he wrote The Hobbit.

What were some themes we discussed? Can you remember!?

Well...

1. Size doesn't matter! It doesn't matter how small Bilbo Baggins is compared to his friends, he achieves such amazing things! Often times, he is a hero in our story, and his friends (and maybe even enemies) learn to eventually respect him for his heroicism and huge heart! To directly apply this theme to theatre, we recalled a famous saying, "There are no small parts, only small actors!" This quote accurately reminds us that each and every role in theatre is very important! Each character is integral (very important!) to the plot. Just like Bilbo, no matter how small you feel... you are capable of enormous things!
2. You can't put a price on friendship. We know that Bilbo sometimes has a difficult time earning respect from other characters, particularly the Dwarfs at first. Nevertheless, Bilbo stays true to himself (brave, courageous, kind) and treats other with the respect he feels he deserves. Eventually, Bilbo receives respect and gains valuable friends throughout his journey. At the very end of our story, Tolkien describes how important and valuable friendship is, as Bilbo and Thorin become friends. Bilbo even rejects treasure because it is no compensation for the loss of his friend.

These are the main themes we talked about! Am I missing anything else? You should definitely discuss the exciting happenings of Middle Earth with your families, cast mates, director, and me!

Hopefully I'll see you all soon! Your read through sounded great! I can't wait to see even more when I visit next time!

The (Novel) Plot

Gandalf tricks Bilbo into hosting a party for Thorin's band of dwarfs, who sing of reclaiming the Lonely Mountain and its vast treasure from the Dragon Smaug. When the music ends, Gandalf unveils a map showing a secret door into the Mountain and proposes that the dumbfounded Bilbo serve as the expedition's "burglar." The dwarfs ridicule the idea, but Bilbo, indignant, joins despite himself.

The group travel into the wild, where Gandalf saves the company from trolls and leads them to Rivendell. While there, Elrond reveals more secrets from the map. Passing over the Misty Mountains, they are caught by goblins and driven deep underground. Although Gandalf rescues them, Bilbo gets separated from the others as they flee the goblin tunnels. Lost and disoriented, he stumbles across a mysterious ring and then encounters Gollum, who engages him in a game of riddles with deadly stakes. With the help of the ring, which confers invisibility, Bilbo escapes and rejoins the dwarfs, raising his reputation with them. The goblins and Wargs give chase and the company are saved by eagles before resting in the house of Beorn, the skin-changer.

The company enter the black forest of Mirkwood without Gandalf. In Mirkwood, Bilbo first saves the dwarfs from Giant Spiders and then from the dungeons of the Wood-elves. Nearing the Lonely Mountain, the travelers are welcomed by the human inhabitants of Lake-town, who hope the dwarfs will fulfill prophecies of Smaug's demise. The expedition travel to the Mountain and find the secret door; Bilbo scouts the dragon's lair, stealing a great cup and learning of a weakness in Smaug's armor. The enraged dragon, deducing that Lake-town has aided the intruder, sets out to destroy the town. A noble thrush who overheard Bilbo's report of Smaug's vulnerability reports it to Bard the Bowman, who slays the Dragon.

When the dwarfs take possession of the mountain, Bilbo finds the Arkenstone, an heirloom of Thorin's dynasty, and steals it. The Wood-elves and Lake-men besiege the Mountain and request compensation for their aid, reparations for Lake-town's destruction, and settlement of old claims on the treasure. Thorin refuses and, having summoned his kin from the north, reinforces his position. Bilbo tries to ransom the Arkenstone to head off a war, but Thorin is intransigent. He banishes Bilbo, and battle seems inevitable.

Gandalf reappears to warn all of an approaching army of goblins and Wargs. The dwarfs, men, and elves band together, but only with the timely arrival of the eagles and Beorn do they win the climactic Battle of Five Armies. Thorin, mortally wounded, lives long enough to part from Bilbo as a friend. The treasure is divided fairly, but, having no need or desire for it, Bilbo refuses most of his contracted share. Nevertheless, he returns home wealthy.

The History of the Hobbit

The History of The Hobbit is broken into two volumes:

• Mr. Baggins
• Return to Bag-End

Mr. Baggins covers approximately the first half of the published novel and Return to Bag-End covers the second half.

Despite the complicated history of these volumes, the text itself is surprisingly readable (far more so, I believe, than Christopher Tolkien’s History of ‘The Lord of the Rings’) mainly because of its overall organization.

The History of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ is very fragmentary and disorganized. This is not a slight against Christopher Tolkien’s editorial abilities, but a reference to the complication of the early Lord of the Rings manuscripts.

The History of The Hobbit is much more linear in structure, meaning that it can be read, even in its early drafts, as a “story”. The early Lord of the Rings manuscripts often stop mid-sentence, backtrack, and create a general tangle.

In spite of later changes to the narrative, The History of The Hobbit holds together as a piece, and the editorial commentary occurs at the end of chapters, rather than breaking in amongst the text. This gives the piece an excellent flow and makes for far less difficult reading.

The editorial detail is highly detailed and fascinating. Rateliff’s knowledge of Tolkien’s other writings is impeccable, as is his research on the various references and sources for the book.

The books feature a very detailed step-by-step examination of Tolkien’s sources and the many scholarly and mythological texts that inspired parts of the storyline.

This is a readable and highly-suggested book for anyone interested in the history of The Hobbit, the creative process Tolkien used to write the story, and particularly how The Hobbit ties in with the rest of Tolkien’s “Legendarium”.

Click on either of the links below to read a more detailed review of each volume of The History of The Hobbit or an exclusive interview with the author.

• Mr. Baggins
• Return to Bag-End
• Interview with John D. Rateliff
• The History of the Hobbit: A Review by Mike Foster

Credit: http://www.tolkien-online.com/history-of-the-hobbit.html

All About The Hobbit

The Hobbit was first published in 1937. It was Tolkien’s first published piece of fiction, and remains not only one of the best-selling books of the 20th century, but a minor masterpiece in its own right.

The Hobbit first introduces us to Bilbo Baggins and some of Tolkien’s other most loved characters. It also introduces us to hobbits in general. The word “hobbit” is Tolkien’s own creation, and he admitted later that he had no idea how the name had come about.

As the story goes, he was grading papers during the “summer session” of 1928 when he came across a page which had been left blank. Tolkien was an inveterate doodler on any paper or margin that was available. Many of the earlier stories in his Middle-earth “mythologies” were first recorded this way, and The Hobbit was no exception.

On that blank page, Tolkien wrote the sentence, “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” This has since become one of the most recognizable sentences in all of English literature.

Tolkien, of course, had no idea what the sentence meant. He had never heard of “hobbits” and hadn’t the foggiest idea what a hobbit was. But as with most of Tolkien’s stories, the idea begins with a word...usually a name.

The Hobbit was written during the early 1930’s, but was not offered to a publisher until 1936. Tolkien wrote the manuscript, apparently read it to his children and a few close acquaintances, and put it on a shelf.

Those of Tolkien’s close friends who were aware of the manuscript, including C.S. Lewis, encouraged Tolkien to submit it to a publisher, but Tolkien refused.

Why? Conjecture based on later comments of Tolkien’s was that he feared it would not be taken seriously. Tolkien understood his standing as a scholar, and perhaps believed that The Hobbit would not be seen as a useful application of his scholarly talents.

Serious scholars, after all, did not write “children’s” tales.

The Hobbit, of course, is both a “children’s tale” and something more. Tolkien drew deeply on his knowledge of ancient mythology, primarily northern (Norse) mythology, to flesh out the characters and plot.

As history has shown, Tolkien was indeed eventually persuaded to submit the manuscript for publication, through the influence of Susan Dagnell, a “friend-of-a-friend” who worked for the small publishing house of George Allen & Unwin.

Sir Stanley Unwin, the chairman of the publishing house, considered himself unable to properly critique a children’s book, and gave it to his 10-year-old son Raynor, who wrote the following review for his father:

Bilbo Baggins was a hobbit who lived in his hobbit-hole and never went for adventures, at last Gandalf the wizard and his dwarves persuaded him to go. He had a very exciting time fighting goblins and wargs. At last they got to the lonely mountain: Smaug, the dragon who guards it is killed and after a terrific battle with the goblins he returned home – rich!

This book, with the help of maps, does not need any illustrations. It is good and should appeal to all children between the ages of 5 and 9.

As it happened, the book appealed to a much wider audience than the younger Mr. Unwin believed and has since become a classic, selling more than 40 million copies. It also launched the writing career of one of the 20th century’s greatest and most beloved authors.

Credit: http://www.tolkien-online.com/hobbit.html

Who was J.R.R. Tolkien?

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (January 3, 1892 - September 1, 1973) was a British author, best known for writing The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

Here are a bunch of interesting facts about the man behind The Hobbit!

• Tolkien was decorated as a CBE – Commander of the British Empire, a prestigious honor, just short of full knighthood (KBE or GBE).
• The Tolkien family has its roots in the German Kingdom of Saxony, but inhabited England starting in the 18th century.
• Tolkien's maternal ancestry, was Baptists who lived in Birmingham and owned a shop in the city center.
• Tolkien himself was a devout Roman Catholic.
• Tolkien was educated at King Edward’s School in Birmingham.
• Tolkien met Edith Mary Blatt at age 16. At 21, he asked her to marry him. She was three years older than him.
• Tolkien served in the British Army as a Second Lieutenant during the First World War. He was invalided in 1916, no longer able to serve. By 1918 all but one of his close friends was dead. Critics and analysts have found many parallels of Tolkien’s frustrations and embitterment with the war in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
• Following the war, Tolkien worked at the Oxford English Dictionary, studying words mostly Germanic in origin.
• In 1925 he began teaching at Pembroke College (a constituent of Oxford University) where he taught English. He wrote The Hobbit during his years teaching at Pembroke and the first sentence of the book was written in the margin of a student’s essay he was grading.
• Tolkien did not expect to ever publish his stories, having only written academic essays and other serious intellectual examinations, but The Hobbit was brought to the attention of Susan Dagnall, an employee of the publishing company Allen and Unwin. She persuaded him to submit it for publication. It attracted a huge reading audience and the publishers soon asked him to write a sequel.
• Tolkien was not excited by this prospect but nevertheless it led to his greatest work: The Lord of the Rings.
• Tolkien's devout religious beliefs led to good friend C.S. Lewis' eventual conversion to Christianity.

Where are hobbits from?

Here are a series of maps where the characters in The Hobbit live and travel.
Click to enlarge an image.

What does a hobbit's home look like?

I thought this was a really cool look at what the inside of a hobbit's house might look like! Natural resources are necessary to create a stable, safe environment - and the branches look so cool as a ceiling and railing.



This is the front of a stone hobbit-like house.



There are houses that very closely resemble the hobbit homes located in New Zealand!



This image shows Frodo's front door at the base of a large tree.



This is a real tree that resembles the one above!



This black and white picture shows the front door of what could be a hobbit's home; I particularly liked the stone detailing and circular door and window.

What is a hobbit?