I like the thought-process here! Especially "Hobbit-friend". My one hang-up (and it is totally a personal one) is that Mickel to my ears sounds a little too Eastern European to my ears. Russian almost. Perhaps a stereotype but that's my first thought. Very nice for a Man of Dale but I'm n...

I don't know how different pronunciation would be, but it's probably a safe bet that Maeron would sound fairly close to Mairon....which was the name (Quenya) of the Maia who would become....Sauron.
So that's probably out.
However, Mickel the Ranger works on pretty much every level, so go for it!

The only thing that might not fit in is my bedroll tarp, which is made from cotton oilcloth - but I have yet to find an oilcloth from a more period-correct material that meets my needs. Dude, no need to stress about your tarp! I recently bought 5 yards of gorgeous yellow ochre cotton oilcloth, made...

Thank you so much for sharing, that was the best article I've read in a long time! I've always associated 'forest gardening' with Eastern Woodland (American) cultures, but I'm not at all surprised to see this evidence for Mesolithic and later Old European groups doing something similar...makes total...

There isn't really a y support in the text for it, but given the mining associations with dwarves it could be a valid interpretation of the text. I recall reading a discussion on reddit Tolkienfans about this same topic a while back, and it was concluded that "blue" in this case could be b...

As you can see from my recent new impression thread , I’ve been working on a third kit and as a result have had to do some reevaluation of my existing ones – when your hobby is creating, clothing, and equipping historical persons from multiple ahistorical settings, the threat of ‘garb and gear bloat...

If one is interested in doing more than costuming and day trips in this hobby, there's only one way to take the leap, and unfortunately it usually involving miserable sleeping...so regardless of the outcome, well done on 'getting out there', especially solo! A 60 lb pack I have to admit is pretty he...

Non-English derivation yes, but known and used. Michael is* carved on the Coffin of St. Cuthbert. Also there Michel Delving, the town in the Shire. Michel being derived from the Saxon 'micel' --> big. * was? It's attested in 19th c. books, but not listed in current inscriptions on the coffin. Huh, ...

Our sample of named Bree-men is pretty small: Bill Ferny Harry Goatleaf Mat (with one T) Heathertoes Rowlie Appledore Tom Pickthorn Bob (or is he a hobbit??) Barliman Butterbur We know Barliman Butterbur is translated from the Westron 'Barabatta Zilbirâpha', so presumably the others are as well. We ...

III. ENVIRONMENT: To help our mental imagings, it is useful to be able to visualize the landscape defended by the Gwathuirim. When it comes to Enedwaith, Minhiriath, and the great forests of the Gwathló in the Second Age, a few fragments give us a view into the changes wrought by the Númenóreans. -...

II. SOCIETY: "Now the Haladin did not live under the rule of lords or many together, but each homestead was set apart and governed its own affairs, and they were slow to unite." ( Quenta Silmarillion , Chapter 17: Of the Coming of Men into the West) “The Folk of Haleth were strangers to t...

I. Economy: Our clearest view of the livelihoods of early Men comes from the First Age: "There [in the woodlands south of Teiglin] before the Nirnaeth many Men had dwelt in scattered homesteads; they were of Haleth’s folk for the most part, but owned no lord, and they lived both by hunting and...

As I said earlier , while we have some information on several pre-Númenórean and/or related or descended groups, we do not have a compete view of any one of these cultures. Furthermore, our datapoints are extremely distant (chronologically) from each other, spread across more than 7,000 years of th...

Now that the latest newletter is out and about—inspiring other folks to consider Second Age kits! —I figure I can finally start laying out what I’ve been thinking about since last January! Looking back on the last 8-9 years I’ve been at this hobby, I realized that all of my impressions were pointed ...

2nd Age Numenorean seems like a very interesting choice after reading the most recent newsletter. The Mediterranean influence isn’t something I’ve considered in the past, but I do like. I am not seven feet tall though, so this would have to be taken with a grain of salt I suppose. Maybe Numenoreans...