The Shire, Bombadil, and the Old Forest

[@mcolville]

The History of Middle-earth and the History of the Lord of the Rings are all incredibly dry, they are not easy to read, they are exhaustive, archival books written by someone who felt they had a responsibility to posterity to present his father's work. But, if you can get through it, there is a ton of dope shit in there, including cut scenes that never made it into the final work.

[@Mormon_Prince]

The Silmarillion is basically the PHB for world building to me, but that might not be a great thing for originality or creativity. Excellent video! I also loved the recent Twitch stream. Great all around and I can't wait for the stream.

[@kennethfender3518]

The stinger at the end made me tear up

[@dew5190]

Go see the J R R Tolkien exhibit in New York! Saw it in Oxford, UK and it was awesome to see all the original artwork, notes, maps and a bit more about the man

[@Corvus-fw2hr]

Thank you for adding the last cut scene. It brought the gravity of those characters home.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Matthew Colville you have to did deep

[@MonarchsFactory]

This might be among my favourite discussions you've ever done. "A far green country under a swift sunrise" hits me like Lewis described being hit by the title of 'Siegried and the Twilight of the Gods' for the first time. "There arose at once, almost like heartbreak, the memory of Joy itself". It's this sudden, intense, affective response he calls "northernness", all tied up in memory and loss and desire and the unattainable, even in connection with something you're encountering for the very first time; "it eluded me at the very moment when I could first say /It is/". It could be my mother's influence but I feel like I'm always chasing that northernness in fantasy. Doesn't feel like real magic if the magic doesn't break my heart a little.

[@Corvus-fw2hr]

I read this comment and thought "That was an amazingly soulful and well written comment for KZbin." And then I read who it was from. Yep, that makes sense.

[@Tectonix26]

The moment I finished the video I scrolled into the comments, expecting you would have made your presence known. I wasn't disappointed in expectation or quality :)

[@chevronred]

That's beautiful. I've always loved that the triumph of LOTR is at the very climax of a world's death, that on every scale from the individual to the universe, things are lost and broken. I think it's something that David Tennant's Doctor Who run did very well, and I hope that more storytellers become less afraid to tinge their victory with a little sadness. Not disaster, not killing everybody at the end because "sacrifices have to be made in war," but a deep and subtle sadness that even though the net gain was positive, something special has been lost while the heroes won.

[@Istari68]

Who is this jedi ?

[@owenedwards3626]

For Lewis, of course, the "thing lost" that the northern myths evoke in him/us is the same as the thing lost by the Noldor exiles, the far green country under a swift sunrise.

[@gus554]

Stick around until the end. Enjoyed the insight at the end about Tolkien and his friends being the hobbits and what he was doing with that.

[@Ryan_Winter]

There are quite a "few" alteregos of Tolkien in his body of work and mostly it's not concealed either.

[@rubenmunoz2912]

i love that kind of anecdotes, but always bring me a cold feeling on the spine

[@BillWiltfong]

That was heart-wrenching

[@alanpennie8013]

@@BillWiltfong I do think the idea of Frodo as an author - avatar could be a fruitful one

[@brookejon3695]

Oh my god. I'm glad I saw your comment before closing the video at the 20 minute mark. That stuff about Tolkien trying to give his dead friends the adventure they wanted had my eyes watering.

[@TheNerdLounge]

This could also be a big reason why The Scouring Of The Shire happens in the book. It steals away from this idealistic world that the books start in and shows that no matter how much you can hide or pretend the “real world” doesn’t exist it always catches up to you.

[@gifs_for_the_peasantry]

"Eldest, that's what I am. Mark my words my friends: Tom was here before the rivers and the trees" Absolutely love this part. I don't get why so many dislike Tom Bombadil. He is the probably the most powerful living Entity, but doesn't rule over kingdoms. He just chills at home with goldberry and sings alot of songs

[@forestshepherd253]

And stomps about in his sweet yellow boots.

[@rmsgrey]

"most powerful" is definitely debatable - the belief of the Council of Elrond is that, should Sauron conquer Middle Earth, then Bombadil himself would be defeated, last as he was first - unless strength to resist Sauron should be found within the earth itself.

[@jessatlife]

I didn’t know so many people disliked Tom Bombadil. It was always one of my favorite parts from the first book.

[@Istari68]

This is a thoughtful, well-researched reflection on Tolkien's legendarium. I'm an academic who publishes about and teaches Tolkien, and I will use this video (with appropriate citation) in my next course. Tolkien uses his painterly text (craft) as an essential element of his enchantment, which is a portal to his secondary world (he was also a competent artist who wrote through the eyes of a painter). Again, this video is inspiring! I'm already a backer of Strongholds & Followers and I'll buy any book Matt publishes just in the hope of keeping this channel going (I also value his contribution to D&D).

[@mhopwood1]

Have you considered the comparison with Chesterton? GKC was an artist turned writer (maybe not "painterly" but certainly an accomplished sketcher). Tolkien explicitly states he's read GKC at one point (on types of fantasy). GKC's "Ballad of the White Horse" has a significant amount of thematic overlap (major epochal battles; creation versus imitation/destruction; fate; the nature of heroism; hidden identities; etc., etc.) with LotR, as well as sharing most of a chapter title ("The Scouring of the...") near the climax of the work. Are you aware of anyone who's covered this parallel?

[@alanpennie8013]

@@mhopwood1 I think a much more obvious influence is another orphan Kenneth Grahame. Tolkien expressly repudiated Grahame as an influence, which makes me even more convinced that he was, given what notorious liars writers of fiction are.

[@irmese06]

I love your view of the Old Forest as a liminal (transitional) space between an Edenic Shire and the fallen world of men! I have often thought, the farther East the hobbits travel, the further into the past they go. They leave the Shire with its clocks and buttons -- a place very similar to a familiar, and comfortably modern-ish 1800 England --and proceed back in time, in a way, to regions of "Once upon a time". Into a mythic history of Europe they go, into lands like Rohan, where the epic Anglo-Saxon poetry of Tolkien's life work is the common mode, appropriate to the larger-than-life personalities and situations they encounter in that region -- thus enabling him to write in the style he researched so passionately. (until Aragorn eventually ends up in the Necropolis that is the halls of the dead ancestors themselves, in a paleolithic sort of land populated by the Neanderthal-like Pukel-men. And as Aragorn is empowered to command the army of the dead -- *history itself* -- he is proven capable of the rule of the nation ...) BUT I had never considered how much like an Eden the Shire is. That is so interesting, because Tolkien's stories so often warn against attempts to arrest the passage of time, as the Elves do. Either way, though, that does make the Old Forest the first big step out of a familiar and comfy but knowledge-less mode, and into the mythic territory of Story, as you suggest. ----- Now, if you don't mind me sharing a small dissent, I don't perceive Tom as a representation of Knowledge, exactly. There are a few clues -- Gandalf says if they gave the Ring to Tom he would just forget where he put it! So to me, it's not lore and knowledge that Tom embodies -- it's something more like Wisdom. And Wisdom of a particular joyful kind: (I know everyone has their own ideas about of this wonderfully ambiguous figure, and in my opinion -- ) ... Tom is protective, cheerful, carefree, he enables adventure. I can only see Tom as the embodiment of a mood of beautiful nostalgia that was very personal for JRRT. Tom is Tolkien's happy place: *specifically* I see Tom as the personification of the character of the beautiful countryside around Birmingham itself, as explored by JRRT as an adventurous boy -- the happiest time in the man's life. I think, to JRRT, Tom is something like the actual spirit of rural England, so beloved by Tolkien and so inspirational to him that he couldn't resist bringing it to life so his proxy characters could have a chat with it. -- Not to mention making Tom larger and more eternal than the oldest powers of his own imaginary Middle-Earth! Tom is older and greater than the land of Middle Earth because he is the fount of inspiration from which Middle Earth springs. Tom is the nature spirit of the earth and breath and freedom of England's countryside, and Goldberry, the water nymph, another nature spirit, is the river -- his beautiful eternal companion. Thanks so much for sharing this video, Mr. Colville. I am a big fan of yours.

[@AgencyNighthawk]

This. The little bit of information we have concerning Bombadil comes mostly from Gandalf and Elrond, two of the oldest beings in ME, and they agree that they don't really understand him, that he's not a Maia, and that his power is unique (and limited). Very much a "spirit of the countryside".

[@grahamward7]

Love this.

[@TheKa89]

@@AgencyNighthawk Yep! It's said in the books that when the Valar came to Arda, Bombadil was just 'there', in his own little corner and completely content with it. They more or less rolled with it. I always loved that little bit, like a subtle nod of these neigh-omnipotent manifestations of creation stumbling across some author insertion of a random creature.

[@rmsgrey]

@@TheKa89 My recollection is that Bombadil traveled widely in earlier ages - and then retired to his little corner within his own boundaries, and may, at some unknown future date, once again expand his scope. Bombadil himself says (paraphrased) that he remembers the dark when it was fearless, before the coming of evil from outside - in other words, that he was there before Melkor/Morgoth who is elsewhere stated to have been the first of the Valar to enter the world. Tolkien in one of his letters said something about Bombadil representing those who utterly reject power and dominion, whether used for good or ill, and in that rejection, the One Ring has no power over him, nor vice versa. Tom and Goldberry both say that (within his borders) Tom is the Master.

[@irmese06]

rmsgrey How curious, to be Master with no power. It's as contradictory and thought-provoking as a zen koan.

[@davewilson13]

Never expected so many Bombadil fans ... wow this comment section is so consistently non-toxic

[@Ryan_Winter]

Yea, dissent and critique are the hateful prime evils that need to be eradicated.

[@Okanehira]

People not agreeing with you are toxic huh? I think your thought process might be the only toxic thing here

[@harbinger3197]

There is no evidence whatsoever to support that and in fact, Tolkien’s letters suggest the opposite.

[@ZiddersRooFurry]

@zio420 No he wasn't. In fact when the Nazi's called him up to try and recruit him he roundly refused and even went so far as to say how much his basing Dwarves on the Jewish people was not meant to stereotype them but was meant to pay homage. He much admired Jews. Note that throughout the books while dwarves are stereotyped by other races Tolkien gives them a depth and profound meaning. Gimli befriends Legolas and admires Galadriel. Thorin eventually comes to trust Bilbo and repents his greed and apologizes to Bilbo before he dies. These characters are given deeply profound, meaningful roles in his stories. How anyone could call him an anti-Semite is ridiculous and comes from a profound misunderstanding of his work and his person or a great deal of ignorance.

[@theo6525]

@@Okanehira Having an opinion is not toxic, constantly forcing that same opinion down the unwanting throats of strangers is.

[@Vlorisz]

The ending of the video hit me right in the feels. Merry christmas everybody.

[@ArkriteTheMad]

I remember almost none of the Lord of the Ring books. But I remember loving Tom Bombadil because things actually happened, there was magic and fun and excitement that had been missing up to that point in the books for me. Always felt bad he got dropped by the adaptations, though I suspect he's the easiest part to cut out without losing from the primary story. Always loved that he was the only person who picked up the ring to not be tempted by it's powers, and Gandelf's assertions that should the rest of the world fall to Sarumon's powers the forest would be the last free place standing.

[@kevinsullivan3448]

But by dropping Tom Bombadil you lose where the daggers come from and their importance. Every adaptation just hand waves the "Lord of the Nazgul cannot be killed by any MAN' concept. Those daggers had a place and only by not following the Tom's explicit instructions did they come across it. I wonder if Tom meant for them to encounter the barrow wight so that they could get what they needed. Seems a little harsh to come in like a deus ex machina to defeat the wight and give them the daggers, though.

[@kevinsullivan3448]

@@trequor And then you have to hand wave a major plot point in the lore. But that's OK, only non-hollywood people can figure out that you make 9 movies instead of 3 and make 3 times as much money.

[@Welverin]

@@trequor Not just that, but it would undermine the sense of urgency being built up, which is the major reason Jackson left it out. This is also why they glossed over (or changed) the fact that there's something like ten years between Bilbo's party and Frodo leaving the Shire. If people take issue with it in the novel, there's no way it would have flown in a movie.

[@valritz1489]

That after-peaceout scene affected me a lot more than I thought it would.

[@ADeadlierSnake]

I always loved Tom Bombadil. Never understood the hate that section of the book got.

[@HnZ88.]

What? Who? Why? Who hates that section? I've always seen people talking about old Tom in a positive matter

[@ArvelDreth]

I think some people don't like it because the pacing comes to a screeching halt for seemingly no reason and nothing of particular plot importance happens at all. The book makes the first objective as Frodo is getting out of The Shire: "get to Brie". Aaaand Tom Bombadil feels like just a pointless distraction in many ways. I did like that part of the book myself, just because I thought the descriptions were fun and I liked the mystery of Tom Bombadil as a character, but I see exactly why people find that section annoying.

[@davewilson13]

My problem was that I read the poems and had a totally different image of Tom bombadill, he was a childhood character of Christopher Tolkien.

[@kevinsullivan3448]

@@ArvelDreth In the House of Tom Bombadil makes it feel like time stops for the Hobbits. They are on this important journey, but something happens shortly after their rescue from Old Man Willow and the Hobbits find themselves distracted by Goldberry, Tom, their relationship with each other and the stories they hear from Tom. It's almost like a dream sequence.

[@pianotm]

It's one of my favorite parts of the book! I sing the song sometimes! Hey dol! Derry dol! Ring a dong dillo! Ring a dong! Hop along! Fah lal the willow! Tom Bom, jolly Tom, Tom Bombadillo!

[@GraysonOhnstad]

Videos like these--and your community's responses to them--make my heart ache for people in my own life with whom I can have conversations like the ones you have with your community. I joined the Navy a little under 5 years ago now, and took an oath to sacrifice for my country. I had no idea at the time that the biggest sacrifice I would make was human connection. Everyone always talks about the sense of camaraderie that you get from being a part of an organization like mine, but all I've ever felt is increasing isolation and withdrawal into myself. All that is to say that someday I hope to have the opportunity to have these discussions with somebody--discussions about life, loss, and yearnings like the ones which compelled Tolkien to write. Thanks for your content, and giving me a glimpse into a future I might have.

[@nicholasjames1220]

Oh wow I'm early. Looking forwards to this. Sidenote: My Mage's tower is almost a third of the way to complete in my current campaign and I can't wait to have an Abjuration Tower ready to go

[@DavidHooverJr]

If you liked the BBC Radio of LOTR, try out the BBC Radio Days on the first three Star Wars. There is more than 45 minutes added before the opening scene in the original Star Wars that include Leia's reasons for joining the rebel alliance, Luke listening to imperial recruitment videos and hanging out with his buddies, there is also an extension of the training of Luke by Obi-Wan as they journey to Alderaan, and a lot more. Love the video. My 9 yr old just finished the Hobbit and Fellowship, and from talking to him about the books, I have also started reading them again.

[@caerdwyn7467]

As a fellow Tolkien fanatic I applaud this analysis. While I’ve always had a sense of what Tolkien intended with the Old Forest and Tom Bombadil, your mapping of the Shire, the Old Forest and Bree as Eden, a borderland and reality crystallizes what I had been subconsciously felt. I understand the “borderland” trope and tool as a writer, and now that you’ve called it to the forefront it all makes sense. Thank you for this.

[@elspoko]

When I first got into Lord of the Rings, I was in college and had a tumultuous house life. My parents were going through a nasty divorce, a few friends had died because of drug deals gone bad and my cousin (who was like a brother to me) was dying of cancer. My cousin died and subsequently my parents divorced right before Return of the King came out. I always have to choke back tears at the end, especially during the song. Even tho Tolkein and I had radically different upbringings, the last bit you said makes sense to me and I understand him better. I believe you are right.

[@ZiddersRooFurry]

My sincerest condolences. I hope you have a lot of love and compassion in your life now.

[@dotink]

I personally love Tolkien's overwriting and extensive detail. It was shat drew me in as a child, and it really just paints the picture in your imagination. I think many modern writers lack the ability to really set the scene and make you feel like you are there with the characters.

[@drewforchic9083]

I love Tom Bombadil's song so much: "Hey dol, merry dol, ring a dong dillo! Ring a dong, hop along, fal lal the willow! Tom Bom, jolly Tom, Tom Bombadillo! Hey, come merry dol, derry dol, my darling! Light goes the weather-wind and the feathered starling! Down along under Hill, shining in the sunlight, Waiting on the doorstep for the cold starlight! There my pretty lady is, River-woman's daughter. Slender as the willow-wand, clearer than the water. Old Tom Bombadil, water-lilies bringing, Comes hopping home again, can you hear him singing? Hey, come merry dol, derry dol and merry-o! Goldberry, Goldberry, merry yellow berry-o! Poor old Willow-man, you tuck your roots away! Tom's in a hurry now. Evening will follow day. Tom's going home again water-lilies bringing. Hey, come derry dol, can you hear me singing?"

[@ZyndtheLucky]

Old Tom Bombadil, Tom Bombadillo, His jacket is blue, and his boots are yellow, None have caught him yet, for Tom he is the master, His songs are stronger songs, and his feet are faster! ~I'm not sure what part of the book that's from or if it's completely correct, I just have that line bouncing around my memory. Thought it might give someone a smile like this comment gave me :)

[@PartridgeQuill]

I love this book review style of video, and your analysis is so articulate! Well done, sir.

[@BelugaSandwich]

Hey Matt, great video. I just want you to know I appreciate you and all you do. Cheers!

[@morganverge]

BelugaSandwich Seconded! This was a wonderful video. I’d gladly watch more LOTR themed content from you!!

[@marcuspepperell251]

The moment I finish watching an old Matthew Colville video, another is released. It's a good day.

[@commanderschedules2046]

Marky P Quickly! Finish another one!

[@IshanDeston]

I always understood Tom Bombadil as Father Time and his wife Mother Nature. With the Shire being this place out of time, this perfect island untouched by the dangers of the world. Like a Fairy Realm full of innocence. Surrounded by the Twilight in which Father Time and Mother Nature reside, where darkness is slowly creeping in... It represents the Threshold.

[@danielcrafter9349]

This The Old Forest and Bombadil & Goldberry's place is the proverbial "hedge" as in "over the hedge" The rest of the books is a dream, an idea When the Hobbits return to the Shire, they see it polluted and enslaved But the Four Hobbits have seen the dream - and how that dream can defeat the nightmare ideas. So they use this to make the Shire beautiful again - not the same, perhaps an echo, but thriving and beautiful again

[@xuetheviewer3897]

Yay! Bombadil, one of my favorite characters for no good reason.

[@irmese06]

With Tom Bombadil, that's the very best reason. Hey dol merry dol!

[@purtyboi4901]

I just realized that Gandalf's speech to Pippin at Minas Tirith (in the movies) was Frodo's dream, slightly paraphrased. I love Lord of the Rings

[@newsystembad]

Same here! It wasn't until I heard Matt reading them aloud that I felt that familiar feeling in me, and I just had to see the scene with Gandalf and Pippin again.

[@UlfMTG]

That's how you know that Peter Jackson was a true fan of the books, he just had to put that line in. It's too good!

[@AngelaLewis-h7d]

😍

[@jimmurphy1591]

I thought when I read it he & Goldberry were some of the most powerful in the story.

[@kevinsullivan3448]

Tom is a Maiar (demigod) who gave up his place to be with Goldberry. Sauron, Saruman, and Gandalf are also Maiar, but you don't get that if you don't read the Silmarillion and some other books.

[@grahamward7]

Kevin Sullivan Somewhat disputed. We’ve never gotten definitive word about who or what Bombadil actually is.

[@kevinsullivan3448]

@@grahamward7 Sure we do. There are two official books on lore, The Tolkien Companion and The Complete Guide to Middle Earth. One published for the US market and one for the British market.

[@grahamward7]

Kevin Sullivan Yes, I’ve read them. But they’re neither definitive nor primary sources. Would love to see a reference for Tolkien making a concrete statement about Bombadil’s origin, but I don’t believe such a thing exists.

[@MrTrilbe]

@@kevinsullivan3448 You missed out Radagast, the two blue wizards and the Balrogs

[@therogueblade915]

11:30pm and there's a Colville video? Well, I can put off a half hour of sleep.

[@theDMLair]

And now, as I pack up my basement full of D&D things and fantasy novels to move to my new home, guess what movies I shall be watching... LOL Great video, Matt! Looking forward to getting my physical copy of Strongholds & Followers in the spring! 😃

[@jackmclaughlan8299]

30 minutes ago, I had the sudden urge to re-watch LotR and turned on Fellowship. 7 minutes ago, Colville releases this video.... Stop watching me Matt

[@notlocolton]

Jack McLaughlan And I had just finished watching it with my family! Seems like Matt has an ever-watchful eye of his own! :D I hope he uses it for good

[@JoePerkins666]

Re-watch? I hope you mean re-read.

[@JoePerkins666]

@Agent Smith Very funny.

[@JoePerkins666]

@Agent Smith Nice trolling attempt.

[@jeroenimus7528]

One thing you said is really important I think from a storytellers point of view: 18.15 "he used it, he doubled down on it". For me this exemplifies a lot how my campaigns come to be. I tend to sow all kinds of plot-hooks throughout the game. Some the players pick up on, most are forgotten. In most cases I haven't got a clue where each hook leads. When I prepare my later sessions I mine the plot-hooks my players picked up on and one or two I figured might be nice to elaborate on and start weaving them into a story intro. Some stories are followed by the players others are discarded and new plot-hooks are found. I keep going this way until after a whole number of sessions we actually have a whole story. The fun thing is that the players can trace down what happened to some of the earliest plot-hooks which were dropped. They feel I'm awesome for planning this far in advance while all I've done is simply double down on some of the things they've encountered without even knowing what exactly it was at the time I put it there. The story grown was reaped from the hooks sowed at the very start without any of us entirely knowing where things would lead.

[@aquestunending7210]

I loved Tom when I finally read the book after loving the movies for years. I also played the MMORPG and loved Tom there too. I was so upset after watching the movie again and they didn't have him. It even explains why the Witch King dies when he was stabbed by the magic knife from the Barrow Downs

[@Jarnagua]

I'm a skimmer. I too used to think LOTR was overlong; but then I began sounding every syllabus of every word in my head, and realized the enormous beauty of his prose. The meter and rhythm flow like beautiful music from outside of time. JRR is not only the greatest world-builder, but he is the greatest master of English language to have ever put pen to paper. Everytime you re-read LOTR you discover a new world of meaning you never saw before, and I've read it 8 times. It's completely new every time. Like magic.

[@VillainousVillainessViridi]

"Peace. Out." *Three minutes left in the video* Yep, this is Matt alright.

[@bcostell69]

I agree with your end statement, the descriptions of the travel through Mordor is definitely a memory of the battlefield, and also that love for his friends that he fought through appalling struggles with, is mirrored in the relationship between Sam and Frodo. Also there is very definite changes in tone throughout the book that almost seem like remembering something rather than creating something, hard to describe

[@ellysium4629]

I came here to have a good, nerdy time with the Lord of the Rings and instead you end it with FEELINGS! Who do you think you are, Colville!? All of this was a very interesting analysis, and I do like the points you make, although I personally like how overwritten the books are, but seriously I was not expecting that punch in the gut at the end.... how dare you... :P

[@JimmyCee123]

Almost 500 thumbs up and none down. No trolls in this shire as it should be!

[@barrymcballs]

3. There are 3 trolls. 0.3% ain't bad tbh

[@jeffheun5258]

Comments like this are bound to make people pile on the dislikes.

[@NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself]

Disliking is not the same as trolling.

[@Ryan_Winter]

@@NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself Sadly a lot of people don't seem to understand how crucial a statement this is. Thank you for making the observation. I actually think it's quite telling, when a group of people considers any form of dissent anathema. Nothing totalitarian about that.

[@samsampier7147]

Sunlight kills trolls in Middle Earth. Just wait for sundown ;)

[@jacobvardy]

Ursula le Guin wrote a really interesting essay on Tom Bombadil. How that segment is vital to the pacing of 'Fellowship'. How an ever longer pendulum swings between feast and famine. Pleasure and pain. Silly and serious. Happy, jolly feasts and deathly, damning danger. It is the transition from 'the Hobbit' to 'the Lord of the Rings. From escaping annoying relatives to escaping undying evil.

[@AngelaLewis-h7d]

Cool!

[@psevdhome]

As an adult I love all the Hobbit stuff in the beginning. How comfortable and easy Frodo's life is until he finds out about the ring. Even then he does not run off immediately like in the books. He wanders around the Shire because he loves it. He is understanding that he must leave and for that reason he is delaying his departure. He LOVES this land and through his love we sort of learn to love it too. The food and the gifts are great too, and how Frodo did not offer Lobelia any tea because she was so impolite. This is the gesture of a high society with strict social etiquette and Frodo goes out of his way to do this minor deliberate thing to be extra rude to a very rude person. The people who complain about Tom Bombadil don't seem to mention the Old Forest, but I think it is VERY important. The forest is this wild part that this ordered Hobbit society has been unable to tame in centuries. It's dangerous and mischievous, it's hostile to those who wander in. It leads the Hobbits into a trap and tries to kill them, this forest is a monster all on its own. And then in that forest is this happy-go-lucky guy who sings at it and makes it calm. It speaks of his immense power, that his mere song calms this murderous forest with such ease. The Hobbits spend days in Tom's house recovering from the Black Riders' horror and from their fright when Old Man Willow tried to murder them. Then they go near the Barrowdowns and are almost IMMEADIETLY assaulted by the evil spirits in the barrows. It is like telling the audience that this world is full of dangers that the Hobbits have no idea about because they lived in their comfortable Shire. The Barrows also have history, that we are told much later (in the appendixes if I recall correctly) but their ruins tell us enough: there was a civilization of people here that built these tombs and gathered this treasure and now they are gone. It gives us an idea of the scope of Middle Earth as a world, that this backwater that nobody knows about had this ancient civilization there. It's all just so great.

[@FriendlyNeighborhoodDM]

Fascinating and great insight into Tolkien's writing. I especially love your attention to the words as Tolkien was huge philophile and had such a love for language. I like your interpretation of Bombadil and think it fits very much to an ideology and concept Tolkien weaves throughout his book. My own interpretation is that unlike your thought on Goldberry being representation of the land, Bombadil himself is the physical embodiment of the land, alive and animated, and that Goldberry is the embodiment/representations of the seasons giving us the physical relationship between changing seasons and nature. This interpretation also fills in a lot of things for me as well, such as why he could just speak and have old man tree open back up its roots to release the hobbits as well as explaining why the ring had no effect or power over him as the ring allows one to rule over the land...but if Tom is the embodiment of the land already, then there's nothing for him to want or lord over, the ring cannot affect him. A great video and wonderful discussion. Thank you, Matt!

[@colinsmith1495]

I'm not convinced that LoTR is an intentional reflection of his experience in WW I. I definitely think Tolkien's experiences *heavily* influenced his writings. The Siege of Gondor always made me think of the Trenches of WW I. I think LoTR was, in part at least, and maybe very unconsciously, Tolkien working through his own trauma and experiences.

[@arkensteinxii9685]

This was one of the most insightful analyses of a fantasy story I've had the pleasure of watching. Please do more, Matt. :)

[@livinginlux]

I really like your framing of the Old Forest as a liminal space, a boundary or threshold between the childlike Eden of the Shire and the wider adult world, where evil and death are ubiquitous and everyone is preoccupied with them. You suggested that Tom Bombadil sort of represents Knowledge, that his knowledge is needed to navigate the hobbits through that space. I'd be more specific: Tom Bombadil has knowledge of Songs. He knows the song that puts Old Willow to sleep, he knows the song that shrivels the Barrow-wight in his lair, and he teaches the hobbits the song they need to call for aid. It's really due to Music that the hobbits survive the steep learning curve of reaching maturity, of departing Eden and entering reality. Also, when we read the very first chapter of the Silmarillion, we learn that Eru, the One, communicated his vision of the world with the Ainur, his first holy offspring, through music. In fact, the whole world was created by song. Music is the means or the conduit by which the very power of creation is expressed. Since Tom's power lies in his song, it is logical that he would have Mastery over the natural world around him which is originally the product of music. As an aside, I'd be interested in an analysis of the importance of music and songs in the various Middle-Earth cultures: hobbit-lore, elven epics, the beautiful war and grief songs of the Rohirrim, dwarf marching songs, even the songs of orcs. It is no coincidence that Tokien pays a great deal of attention to songs in a world itself created by music.

[@AngelaLewis-h7d]

Great comment!

[@FriendlyNeighborhoodDM]

OMG! As much as I love Tolkien and have read and researched, I never made the connection between the possible deeper metaphor of the hobbits and his companionship with his friends when they separated. Think about it...At the end of the first book, the hobbits are split apart into two groups. After which, they have completely separate adventures (not to mention that Merry and Pippin are kidnapped/stolen and carried away while Frodo and Sam march on their own, alone). Frodo and Sam taking the road quite literally through hell, while Merry and Peregrin go on more fantastical/fantasy adventure (not without their own perils and hardships)...and at the end, how Frodo and Sam, both being ring bearers, carry something that will stay with them forever and won't find true rest and healing until they make it to Tol Eressea, while Pippin and Merry return to Gondor and upon their passing are laid to rest in Rath Dinen (tomb of the Kings of Gondor and their Stewards) and then later re-interred alongside with Argorn upon his passing.

[@PhileasLiebmann]

While I understand why you would say that the whole Shire section of the book is overwritten, I disagree. For once because I kind of like slightly overindulgent descriptions, but also because it perfectly sets the tone for the Shire and the Old Forest. These locations are larger than life if you will, literally fantastical, perfect landscapes, so idyllic that it's almost annoying. The same goes for the people there It's not so much that the writing is indulgent, but life and nature is in these places. Everything is so god damned scenic I could probably not stand it for longer than a few minutes at a time without screaming. (The same goes for Aman at the end of the series.) And I think Tolkien intentionally really hammers that home with these descriptions.

[@MoragTong_]

Tom Bombadil is my favorite character...was extremely disappointed when I saw Fellowship in the theater at release and they completely skipped over that entire part of the story.

[@SuperDPL]

Matt, I really love you, man. After every video you do, you make me a better writer, dungeon master and story teller. Happy holidays, I hope you will continue making videos in the future. I already brought your books, your Stronghold rules are next :)

[@lm5848]

I'd love to hear further analyses of Tolkien and other fantasy writing.

[@ollylin9338]

Then this is the channel for you: kzbin.info/door/UxTFUltO4uXhEfqgI6GtIg

[@fishiest3539]

oh my gosh, my little English major heart is singing. The language in Frodo's dream and crossing over into the West is so telling, to me, of Tolkien's perspective. He's evoking something medieval and epic in his flowery (over-written) language that echoes a time long past, before the Ring and the world of men. As much as Tolkien despised allegory, I can see where the sadness for nature and innocence destroyed by war is present in Frodo's dream, and by extension his passage into heaven. Man, I need to reread LOTR.

[@nothingmajestic]

Bombadil is one of my favorites from tokiens work. So mysterious and powerful. Matt since you like the LOTR CCG have you checked out fantasy flight games LOTR living card game? Its a lot of fun!!

[@dunderhill]

The BBC radio production of LotR is something I had as a set of audio tapes as a kid and I literally wore them out. It's incredibly well done and also a great way to experience the story.

[@sethsybrandy3218]

Liking the video before I watch because unlike many things in life, I can be certain about Colville Content. And what I'm sure of, is that it is good.

[@dingod4993]

Great video that I am just now finding. I bought all those Christopher Tolkien books when I was younger ... back when they came out mostly because the name "Tolkien" was on them and I wanted more. I never read them and soured on the idea as I got older because I thought that surely, CT was just cashing in on his dad's name. Thankfully I stuck them all in a box and still have them today. This video has inspired me to pull them out and finally read them.

[@hielispace]

Christmas came two days early!

[@jacobgrimm9475]

I too am currently in process of a re-read of The Hobbit and the LotR. I am part way through TTT at the moment. I have not done the extensive research that Matt has done. But for the first time I did actually read the Forward of TFotR, something I normally skip. In it is where Tolkien talks about his experience in WW1 and dismisses claims of his work being allegory, and how he dislikes allegory. (Which Matt talks about at the end of the video)In that Forward Tolkien mentions that the tale was originally written in serial form to his son who was away in Africa during WW2. He also mentioned that there was a pause due to the War as well as rewrites. Because of this my personal theory is that just as The Hobbit was a fairy tale that was born from the stories he told his children when they were young, so too the LotR was an epic born from the series of short stories he was mailing to his adult son, away in war. In the begin he was trying to build upon what he had established with his son as a child. And so it started out light hearted and whimsical. But as he received letters back from his son, who was now going through what JRR had gone through in WW1 his tales took a more serious direction. Perhaps his son's experiences were recalling JRR's own memories of 'great' wars. As for allegory, as a younger man I used to think that LotR was allegory for WW2 or even Biblical themes. But after The Hobbit and reading the Forward to TFotR I think Tolkien was telling the truth when he said he wasn't putting allegory in his writing, allegory being a direct symbolism. Rather Tolkien's writings have remained classics and relevant because he infused it with universal symbolisms and themes. Friendship, Hope, Nature vs Machine, Courage, Mercy, Life and Death, ect. That IS the purpose of Fairy Stories.

[@grantdixson1442]

I just love anytime Matt takes the time to share something with us that strikes an emotional chord with him, because it usually rings true with us (or at least me). Genuine emotion is hard to find in a many mediums these days and even then doesn't always land. Keep it up, sir. You have my ears, mind, and heart.

[@swbaxter13]

I re-read the trilogy once every ten or fifteen years, and generally discover something new every time I do. Like you, I used to skip over the "boring bits," but now they're some of my favourites. Back when Peter Jackson was working on the movies and word first came out that Tom Bombadil wasn't going to make the cut, I remember thinking that was a good idea because he struck me as a trickster figure entirely tangential to the main plot. But on my next re-read a couple of years later, I ended up liking him a whole lot more, and coming around to a view similar to the one you present - he's a figure of knowledge and wisdom with his own place in the narrative that now seems much more important to me. Loved your video essay, hope to see more.

[@JakalTalk]

"No hobbit women in the Shire" seems to ignore Farmer Maggot's wife 🤭

[@michaelzmyers]

I'm so happy you make videos on whatever you want to make videos about. reviews, histories, game mechanics... it's all awesome. Thank you!

[@bcostell69]

I reread both LOTR and Dune most years , really enjoyable to go back to them

[@RunHarjar]

Your summary at the end there with Tolkien and his friends... Had to wipe a tear. Great video Matt

[@Olorin486]

I’ve said this many times before, but it’s worth repeating. The Lord of the Rings bounces off so many people today because it lacks direct relevance in the world and its problems now. Its beauty consists of perfectly illustrating the human condition, not a social problem. Lord of the Rings doesn’t laugh, or cry, or shout angrily. It aches and yearns, and ultimately resigns quietly into the West- the sunset.

[@DasKatze500]

Oro beautifully put!

[@gsylass]

It's also due to the poorer education of recent generations - the ADHD kid or one that is used to TV/movies will find it difficult to get into the book. We had no TV as a kid & I read it through twice & loved it, with the Silmarillion before I was 16.

[@forestshepherd253]

Is that really the case? Perhaps it's just that some people have always been book-lovers, and others not.

[@EnduringFrost]

I think the last bit hit me the hardest. As someone that had great expectations earlier on with his best friends, several of which are now dead even before the age of 20, I also wish we had the opportunity to experience this grand adventure we all imagined playing a part in.

[@CrowMacnas]

Love this kind of content. More Middle Earth will be greatly appreciated.

[@mcampbell7144]

Matt, this was amazing. I was enthralled by what you were describing and has really inspired me to reread the books. Thank you so much!!

[@no_nameyouknow]

Oh boy, this title has me already. Love lotr, LOVE bombadil Edit. Wow, interesting. I always liked the early part of the fellowship. It has drama, just the scale of the drama is much smaller. Is Bilbo leaving, what is up with the ring, are his relatives going to steal his silverware. Anyways, drama or not I enjoy it.

[@wisemoon40]

I’m always glad to see another video but this one is special. I’ve been a Tolkien fan since I first read The Lird of the Rings in junior high (back in the early 80s). Unlike many fans I didn’t read The Hobbit first. But I admit I haven’t yet collected any of the “History of Middle Earth” volumes. Thanks for your description and analysis of the meaning for the early events in Fellowship of the Ring. I already loved those parts, but your theory brings even more nuance and depth to it. I’ve read Shipley’s work as well as several other authors who have studied Tolkien and his work. Now I’ll have to track down the radio play and buy some of the History volumes too. Merry Christmas, or happy holidays if you don’t celebrate Christmas.

[@VosperCDN]

Nope, didn't really need to go to bed yet ... there's a video to watch!

[@stanklepoot]

I absolutely love Tolkien's use of language. Reading his work at such an early age dramatically expanded my vocabulary. His glossary of archaic words was a special treat, and influences the way I write (and in some cases speak) to this very day. As for the overwriting critique, I'm more than willing to accept that not everyone shares my appreciation for the way that Tolkien wrote. The man had a love of poetry, and there is a very noticeable poetic feel to much of his prose. Having said that, let me throw out this thought. How much of that belief comes from the fact that we've read so many books and stories that were inspired by Tolkien's work? It's less of an issue for me, as I first read The Hobbit in 2nd grade, and immediately followed it up with The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. In fact, it was Tolkien's work that got me interested in the fantasy genre. For many, however, that's not the case. Many people (probably most) have read works by authors inspired by Tolkien before they read Tolkien's works. So, even if those authors aren't straight out copying Tolkien, Tolkien's world will still feel somewhat familiar, even on the first read. Tolkien's hyper descriptive style could very well seem excessive in that case. When Tolkien was writing these stories, however, that simply wasn't the case. Tolkien was creating a completely new world, and wanted to bring it to life in his readers' minds. Tolkien couldn't count on his readers having a general understanding of his world, so he described things so vividly and so in depth that they couldn't help but create images of his world and its inhabitants in their minds. One could argue that all of the work that Tolkien put into world building made it possible for future authors to take some short cuts in their own work. Any holes in their worlds would just be filled in with the readers' understanding of similar literary worlds. Just a thought.

[@leomnidusofsparta]

Should I go to sleep or stay up and play a little bit more Skyrim while listening to Matt...

[@MrKarma-dp8ud]

skyrim, obviously!

[@warrenokuma7264]

And go punch things!

[@stanwolford9743]

Matt, I think that may be the best close you have had to any video you have put up thus far. I was genuinely moved to tears. I think that was a beautiful theory as to the motivation for Tolkien's writing. Thank you for sharing this with us.

[@Dorian_sapiens]

"Overwritten" is totally subjective, so I'm not going to say Matt is wrong to characterize the early _Fellowship,_ and the Goldberry passage in particular, as overwritten. I'm just going to say I love Tolkien's rich, lilting prose. I love content like this, too!

[@kevinsullivan3448]

He could have done a little less in some of the traveling bits of the books.

[@forestshepherd253]

Where, the description of Hollin? That stuff is great!

[@colinsmith1495]

I agree completely, Dorian. I love it. It's rich scene setting. If you read through it not as reading a book, but reading a story, visualizing it as you go, that's incredibly rich fodder. I felt like I could draw out the whole room, Goldberry included, the moment I read through there.

[@disguisery]

@@colinsmith1495 Seconded. If anyone is going to describe anything well, it's Tolkien.

[@BTsMusicChannel]

Kevin Sullivan My advice to you is experience art and literature and music not to judge it, but to understand it. Understanding art requires contemplation. Next time you think something is a bit too long (or has some other problem), don't complain about it like some you-kids-turn-that-rock-and-roll-down curmudgeon. Try to figure out why the artist or author or musician did it that way, By doing so, what could the artist be trying to express?

[@Corvus-fw2hr]

There are a few books that I've read with about 10 years between readings, and they usually hit me in much different ways. The Hobbit is definitely one, as are the Chronicles of Narnia. Lewis and Tolkien shared so much gravitas in what they could invoke. They did love to describe and overwrite, but I forgive them (I'm sure they would be relieved...) because of the feeling that they were so desperately trying to get to the reader. They were describing the indescribable beauty of their childhood memories. A new and bright world that is a golden chain wrapped around your heart. As your heart grows, the chain bites not in spite of its beauty, but because of it.

[@tylerharris7081]

Hmm. I tried to read tlotr years ago but I quit after the Barrow wight. After being bored to death by Tolkien's extensive history of the Hobbit and confused by Tom Bombadil I just lost the will to continue. Now I want to give it another shot

[@davewilson13]

Andulin Ardenson i think the fellowship is the toughest to get through, but it’s worth it.

[@Dorian_sapiens]

Do give it another shot. The excitement picks up pretty much right after the place where you stopped last time. Like David Wilson says, it's really worth it.

[@nelsonhoyle3204]

It can be a dry read honestly, but it's a world rich with lore if you're the kind to appreciate that sort of thing. Also, I find it MUCH easier to read after I have the film adaptations fresh in my mind to help with imagery.

[@kevinsullivan3448]

Well there are certainly parts you CAN skip over, The trick is not skipping to far...

[@kabobawsome]

Really LoTR is best read completely blind. I'm legitimately glad I read it as a child, because I constantly had this sense of wonder from it. With even a little knowledge of the story or world, a lot of that wonder disappears. So it's kinda hard to get it at it's best these days, seeing as it's one of the most famous stories of all time and all.

[@murgel2006]

When you read the scene from the book at about 14:00 it strongly reminded me of some different writing, Thomas Mann, Karl May and even other much more "modern" authors like Sybille Berg. My point is that, on one hand, we who grew up with the adventurous, fantastical books that were written from the mid-70s up to today are used to a very different writing style. A shorter form of descriptions, primarily utilizing far fewer adjectives, taking far less care to be precise in the description because we have seen so many things via TV or travel. It is not necessary for an author today to describe something as much, because it is likely that the reader already has a solid knowledge of what an item might look like. i.e. Think about needing to describe St. Peter's in Rome to someone who has never seen it or something fairly similar. All the authors "of old" had to describe so full of words to bring a picture to the readers' mind. Today we do not need that to the same extend. And that is it what makes such literature feel overwritten to us. On the other hand, people who are studying Literature are considering exactly such fanciful descriptions and those "older" forms of writing to be worthy, sophisticated and good while the stuff that seems more readable to the modern generations is often considered not worthy of being called Literature at all.

[@thehouseof-l4066]

Colville's alive!!!!

[@afternoonmaps]

This really is a fantastic video. I actually loved those sections on my first reading as a teenager but always felt I never quite understood the significance of them. The part in the video were you talk about Tolkien's friends was quite moving and made me love the books even more. Thank you!

[@JaeLim1121]

Tom Bombadil is my favorite character.

[@grahamward7]

Great insight, Matt. Bombadil also serves as an important device by which Tolkien establishes what sort of person is impervious to the Ring’s corrupting influence: someone who lives in utter simplicity and harmony with nature, whose desires have little to do with accumulation or coercion (Tolkien’s cardinal vices).

[@donaldhenderson5041]

I like all your videos, Matt, they are fantastic. Just to be different (antagonistic?) though, I don't agree that the writing in the chapter of the House of Tom Bombadil was over-written. It made me feel like I was there. There's lots of styles of candles, haha. Tolkien wanted us to have a detailed idea of what he had in mind. My two cents. Have a wonderful, white, snowy, merry, cheerful Christmas.

[@kevinsullivan3448]

As I mentioned in another comment, the time spent with Tom seems like a dream sequence. The descriptions are really over the top in such a way that it seems like a part of a movie where things get brighter and fuzzier and the action almost stops. Then, suddenly, everything picks back up again.

[@aduboo29]

Exactly what I thought when Matt said the party about the candles; there are many, many kinds of candle. I don't think two adjectives specifying what these particular candles look like is "overwritten." But then me and Matt have very different writing preferences.

[@sircyrus00]

Loved the video. I wrote my MA thesis on the subject; I titled it "The Roles of the Writing Process and Editing in Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings". Matt went into the writing process a bit, but it was also fun to find out about the editing and editions of the books. For instance: Tolkien seemed intent on having the reader's imagination match with his own: when "inaccurate" illustrations were released of Gollum in The Hobbit (mainly foreign editions), Tolkien changed his description of our favourite antagonist in subsequent editions of the Hobbit. He also actually integrated new editions into the lore: the reader is, after all, reading from the Red Book of Westmarch, which was partly written by Bilbo, who turned out to be an unreliable narrator! Good stuff all around.

[@teepennzz]

In the movies, doesn't Gandalf use almost the exact same words to describe his 'death' after the fight with with Balrog?

[@Istari68]

Yes.

[@Istari68]

On second thought, I think he used those lines at Minas Tirith to describe life after death to Pippin.

[@willsave5416]

And Annie Lennox uses them in “Into the West.” Such an amazing song-so true to the world Tolkien gave us.

[@forestshepherd253]

Basically in reference to his experience with the Balrog.

[@oblivioncubed]

I've read this series from cover to cover at least 7 times, and I don't think I ever once picked up on the dream sequence in the House of Tom Bombadil being the same language as used in the ending! This has been a fantastic video, thank you so much!

[@GrandPaladinTyrux]

it begins

[@HomeBrewCrew]

Great video as always sir! It always amazes me how in depth you get about writing and history in general, always informing your viewers. I actually learned a lot from this video about Tolkien that I never knew. Your enthusiasm for writing inspires me so much when it comes to my campaign building, and once again I can't thank you enough for what you do. I went from a guy wanting to play D&D to, in 2 years time after watching your videos, running not only 2 weekly home brew campaigns, but hosting a home brew KZbin channel, and co-hosting an adventurer's league every Thursday night. Strongholds and Followers is great by the way, we're reviewing it this week and we love it! Keep up the good work Matt!

[@raphaelperry8159]

Did anyone else notice how Ian McKellen was doing a blatant Michael Hordern impersonation for the role of Gandalf for the entire film trilogy? I hope it wasn't just me who noticed. It's okay because sir Michael Hordern was perfect for the role.

[@mikloslipcsey7923]

My understanding was that MacKellen was imitating Tolkien’s voice from interviews he was watching and/or listening to. He was trying to get the somewhat irregular and gravely tones of Tolkien’s voice. Micheal Hordern, on the other hand, was... Michael Hordern. He didn’t have the most flexible voice - but, my goodness, he had stage and film presence - especially in his final years.

[@raphaelperry8159]

While that is possible it's much more possible that someone played him a lot of excerpts from the BBC adaptation and told him that it was professor Tolkien himself because the two performances are uncannily similar. I'm not sure that I'd agree with your claim of Michael Hordern's voice being particularly inflexible. It was rather musical in a lot of his radio work (The Chronicles of Narnia, Paddington Bear etc). Of course it's possible that he had based his performance on some recordings of Tolkien's but, if so, then it did sound an awful lot like many of his other performances. His Gandalf was very kind and friendly feeling but powerful and that is something Ian McKellen also managed to bring to the role (with a little more focus on the kindly side).

[@sammunn5177]

There was an offhand mention of the ring wraiths and that brought back a lot of childhood memories of reading this. Though quite tangential, the idea of a real danger was very uncomfortable and frightening (see Neil Gaiman's "The Graveyard Book" and Nancy Farmer's works for more), but looking back it was important, not just for me but probably for many others reading this. Thank you for making this video.

[@richardmarriott-smith9517]

I really enjoyed this video. It was an interesting look into The Lord of the Rings and the author. I got quite emotional with the final thoughts on Tolkien and his three friends who fought in WWI. It reminded me of my grandfather whose older brother, who was just 18, went off to fight in the Great War and was killed very soon after arriving in France. My Grandfather never set foot in a church again. Not even for the weddings of his children. He would dress up, take photos in front of his house with them but he would not go to the church. An entire generation was affected like this and many who had served, much more badly. I have always felt that the Lord of the Rings was a tome that amongst other things, expressed Tolkien's regret of the Industrial revolution, mechanization and the horrors that brought into the world. Killing on an industrial scale where individual heroism counted for nothing and killing became both easy and random. There was nothing heroic about mowing down soldiers with a machine gun. Glory and heroism, if they ever existed, were gone forever. Individuality was being destroyed.

[@dr00ness]

oh man, so i'm a long-time listener but first-time poster. basically i love your DnD videos but don't have a current playgroup, but i'm so inspired to write about this video, and it's eventually turned into a massive TL;DR haha. i remember reading some letter that Tolkien wrote about Bombadil where he said that he never would have included anything that didn't have a particular purpose and said something to the effect of having a really strong character who was capable of snapping his fingers and solving the problems in the story, but was a devout pacifist. i really liked this video and how it really fleshed out my understanding of that letter. i agree with you that The Shire was intended to be his idealic utopia/heaven/garden of edenish place, and Bombadil is just someone who helps to preserve that idealic place. also, the bit at the end just speaks to me so much. i've had SO many conversations where i say something like 'hmm, melkor/morgoth seems like an allusion to lucifer/satan,' and some tolkien fanatic goes on a huge rant how 'NO, THERE WAS NO ALLEGORY' there is a (quite subtle at times, but very distinct) difference between allegory and allusion, but also i agree with you that he was probably annoyed at the wrong conclusions people came to, trying to relate his story to all of these things when they were actually influenced by something else in his life. as a writer, i think it's absolutely impossible to not be inspired by things of your own experiences. given more modern terminology, i'm sure he'd admit to things were references or homages to things, easter eggs if you will also, on the topic of lord of the rings card games. have you played the co-operative one by Fantasy Flight? it's been going for close to 7 years now and still going. it has some flaws but can be quite immersive.

[@tyrionstrongjaw7729]

Please in the name of Bombadil and everything good in this world, continue diving into threads like this. Loved the video, thanks!

[@andernimbus]

This was my favorite video you've done so far. I love Tolkien and look forward to meeting him in that far green country someday. Maranatha!

[@TimClarePoet]

Thanks so much for making this Matt. Absolutely fantastic, thought-provoking stuff. You're such an incredible, articulate commentator on stories and narrative. I learn so much from listening to you.

[@eddybhere]

Really loved your breakdown of this section of the Fellowship. I find the parallels between the shire and Eden fascinating. On the topic of the over-writing and hyper detail on people's garments, I think Tolkien pulled that from the epic poems from the Anglo-Saxon period. He was a lecturer that focused on ancient literature, and these "old english" works had a habit of including pages and pages of incredibly detailed descriptions of armour, with very heavy metaphors linked to them. Your analysis of the garments linking Goldberry to nature is probably very spot on.

[@AmoniPanala]

I'm so glad I didn't click away or close my KZbin app after you signed off. The post-video talk on the significance of the four hobbits going on an adventure contrasting Tolkien and his friends' experience in WWI got me all teary-eyed. Well done, Matt.

[@adamkelley6619]

To Matthew colville I just wanted to say thank you for the Strongholds and Followers guide! I love the book and have already started to use it in my game!

[@BlueFlash215]

Space Alert! NEver found friends that have enough patience for this setting. Even though they play 4 hours D&D straight. I wish there was an online version of this. Great game that could easily be translated to online play with enough communication along the players. Thank you for your uploads even so you and your whole team/friends have tons of work to do. Listening to you is really soothing! Merry Christmas

[@MonkeyJedi99]

Lord of the Rings Online. I have played for 6 years, 5 off (life stuff) and now another year so far. My friends play, and there are a LOT of truly decent people who play as well. - The makers of the game did and do a great job with lore and filling out the world of the books with the guidance of peripheral works and rational; extrapolation to make a very rich and detailed game.

[@johnhodges2760]

The first time I picked up The Fellowship of the Ring at age 11, I wasn't able to get through to the point where the hobbits even reached the Old Forest. I tried again the next year, and found it similarly wearying, but I did manage to continue on, and once I had reached that point, the story picked up momentum, and I was enthralled ever after. It occurred to me years later that this was actually a good representation of the hobbits' point of view, as they were not widely traveled, and simply reaching the edge of the Shire itself was a journey that must have seemed monumental from their perspective. After reaching Bree, the dangers they faced, the wonders they experienced, and the significance of their task were so engaging that the contrast of the seemingly interminable trek out of the Shire actually made more sense.

[@jobobminer8843]

Oh boy! Another video!! Edit - just finished and WOW that was great! Thanks for making it.

[@DanJMW]

Excellent analysis. I always understood this part of the book as distinctly Jungian, with it's psychopomp, crossing of the threshold, confronting of the shadow and so on. It is a fairy-tale microcosm of the larger work.

[@pharrigan-hikes]

Great video! I'm currently re-reading the Lord of the Rings right now for the first time in about five years and I am finding different aspects of the story and writing I didn't catch the other times. It's amazing that the same lines can affect readers through different stages of their lives.

[@jean-pierrejoubert6140]

Thank you for this. I really appreciate hearing your thought process on what is, to me, an exhaustingly difficult series of books to work through, precisely due to the same overwriting you mention. It’s important for me to see the reasons for those portions I actively skip, and I was excited to call my daughter, herself an aspiring writer and a big fan of your videos, to hear about the resources available to her to better understand world-building and the writing process.