Lord of the Rings London Tube Map

It can be hard to navigate public transit in Middle Earth, which is why t-shirt designer Reagan H. Lee made this handy guide resembling a London Tube map. (via Sci Fi Wire)

Amazingly Detailed Miniature Model of Bag End

Maddie Chambers of Chesterfield, UK, made this very detailed model of the home of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins:

There is a tiny one-inch version of the Baggins family tree framed on one of the walls, an even smaller, fully accurate map of Middle Earth and even notes in Frodo's 'Elvish' handwriting littering the hobbits lounge.

The kitchen is stocked with miniaturised food and utensils and a barrel bearing a longbottom leaf label the ale drunk by the hobbits in the record-breaking films.

Every scrap of furniture been created from scratch and duvets, rugs and towels mean any tiny hobbits could live in comfort.

There is also a shelf of microscopic books on offer and beautiful dresser drawers and wardrobes to help fashion-conscious elves look the part.

via Sci Fi Wire

10 Interesting Facts about J.R.R. Tolkein

At Mental Floss, Brian Gottesman compiled ten things about J.R.R. Tolkein that you may not have known:

2. He didn’t share your enthusiasm for Hobbits.
Tolkien saw himself as a scholar first and a writer second. It always irked him that his scholarly works went largely unknown by the general public, who flocked to his fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were largely Tolkien’s attempt to construct a body of myth, and their success caught him largely unaware. In fact, he spent years rejecting, criticizing and shredding adaptations of his work that he didn’t believe captured its epic scope and noble purpose! He was also utterly skeptical of most LOTR fans, who he thought incapable of really appreciating the work, and he probably would have probably been horrified by movie fandom dressing up like Legolas.

8. He invented languages for fun.
A philologist by trade, Tolkien kept his mind exercised by inventing new languages, many of which (like the Elvish languages Quenya and Sindarin) he used extensively in his writing. He even wrote songs and poems in his fictional languages. In addition, Tolkien worked to reconstruct and write in extinct languages like Medieval Welsh and Lombardic. His poem “Bagmē Blomā” (“Flower of the Trees”) might be the first original work written in the Gothic language in over a millennium.

10. He wasn’t nearly as fond of Nazis as they were of him.
Tolkien’s academic writings on Old Norse and Germanic history, language and culture were extremely popular among the Nazi elite, who were obsessed with recreating ancient Germanic civilization. But Tolkien was disgusted by Hitler and the Nazi party, and made no secret of the fact. He considered forbidding a German translation of The Hobbit after the German publisher, in accordance with Nazi law, asked him to certify that he was an “Aryan.” Instead, he wrote a scathing letter asserting, among other things, his regret that he had no Jewish ancestors. His feelings are also evidenced in a letter he wrote to his son: “I have in this War a burning private grudge—which would probably make me a better soldier at 49 than I was at 22: against that ruddy little ignoramus Adolf Hitler … Ruining, perverting, misapplying, and making for ever accursed, that noble northern spirit, a supreme contribution to Europe, which I have ever loved, and tried to present in its true light.”

via Ace

Gandalf After Retirement

One panel of a funny six-panel cartoon.

via Johnny Cat

Did Gollum have Schizophrenia or Multiple Personality Disorder?

A formal psychiatric diagnosis by N. Bashir et al. of the University College Medical School, London:

Sméagol (Gollum) is a single, 587 year old, hobbit-like male of no fixed abode. He has presented with antisocial behaviour, increasing aggression, and preoccupation with the “one ring.”… …His forensic history consists of Deagol’s murder and the attempted murder of Samwise Gamgee. He has no history of substance misuse, although like many young hobbits he smoked “pipe weed” in adolescence. Sméagol has forgotten many memories of his childhood, and we have limited collateral history on his premorbid personality. Before obtaining the ring he was an inquisitive child with odd interests, who enjoyed causing mischief and solitary activities such as burrowing under trees to look at roots. He dislikes himself, stale raw fish, and “hobbitses.”

Several differential diagnoses need to be considered, and we should exclude organic causes for his symptoms. A space occupying lesion such as a brain tumour is unlikely as his symptoms are long standing. Gollum’s diet is extremely limited, consisting only of raw fish. Vitamin B-12 deficiency may cause irritability, delusions, and paranoia. His reduced appetite and loss of hair and weight may be associated with iron deficiency anaemia. He is hypervigilant and does not seem to need much sleep. This, accompanied by his bulging eyes and weight loss, suggests hyperthyroidism. Gollum’s dislike of sunlight may be due to the photosensitivity of porphyria. Attacks may be induced by starvation and accompanied by paranoid psychosis.

Via Ilya Somin at the Volokh Conspiracy, who argues that Gollum was simply engaging in rational (in the economic sense), if unusual choices:

If we assume that Gollum valued long life, power, and wealth above companionship, socializing, and conventional morality, his actions seem perfectly rational. True, the Ring didn’t ultimately make him wealthy. But it was reasonable to assume that it might when he first stole it. And it did give him a much longer life and greater power than he would have had otherwise. As for his supposed multiple personality disorder, perhaps inventing a second personality was a good way to pass the time during his long years of living alone. When he met Sam and Frodo, the supposed second personality was a good excuse for evading responsibility for his deceptions and efforts to steal back the Ring. If not for the alternate personality, Frodo might have let Sam kill Gollum or drive him away. Finally, Gollum’s theft of the ring and his obsessive guarding of it afterwards was arguably a rational response to the extremely poor enforcement of property rights in Middle Earth.

Lord of the Rings Facebook Status Updates

Jason Michaels of College Humor presents six Facebook status updates from the characters of The Lord of the Rings.

Link via Geekologie

Geeky Tattoos

Geeky Tattoos is a photoblog of tattoos that any geek should be proud to bear, such as this transcription from the ring of power.

Link via Great White Snark

How The Lord of the Rings Should Have Ended

(YouTube Link)

How It Should Have Ended is a collection of parody videos in which popular movies are remixed according to more sensible plot lines. Among those available: Braveheart, The Matrix, Transformers, and It's A Wonderful Life.


Link via Nerd Bastards