The hero and the heroic in Lord of the Rings
It’s an intriguing question. Who is the hero in the Lord of the Rings? Who did Tolkien see as the hero? Is there more than one? What is it that characters such as Frodo, Aragorn, Sam and even Gollum do that make us regard them as heroes (or antiheroes)?
Is Gollum actually an antihero? What is it that makes many regard him as a heroic figure in LoTR? Is it rebellion against authority … or an element of redemption, or is antihero simply another word for exciting villain?
And what are the traits and acts which make a man or woman a hero? Is it military conquest? Sheer physical strength and courage such as Boromir exhibited? The ability to inspire and guide that Arathorn and Gandalf show? Are quieter, less flashy traits the most important ingredients in heroism? Traits such as steadfastness and loyalty to a seemingly impossible cause or task?
Join us this weekend for what is sure to be yet another lively debate.
Upcoming Topics:
Sep 28 & 29 – TTT Book 4, Chap 3 – The Black Gate is closed
Place:
#thehalloffire on theonering.net server; come to theonering.net’s chat room Barliman’s and then type /join #thehalloffire .
Saturday Chat: 5:30 pm ET (17:30) [also 11:30 pm (23:30) CET and 7:30 am Sunday (07:30) AET]
Sunday Chat: 7:00 pm (19:00) CET [also 1:00 pm (13:00) ET and 4:00 am (04:00) Monday morning AET]
ET = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
Do you have a topic you think would be worth discussing in hall of fire? E-mail us at halloffire@theonering.net
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