Reading materials? (and a request)

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Udwin
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Reading materials? (and a request)

Post by Udwin »

I'd be interested to hear if any of you folks carry things to read in your ranging gear.

I know a couple of 18th c. longhunter types who carry a pocket-sized christian bible or new testament, but obviously such would not be appropriate for an inhabitant of a mythic protoEurope. While the Red Book was written and passed down through hobbits, we also know other groups (I'm thinking specifically of the Eorlingas) were 'unlettered' and relied more on song and oral stories.

On past woodland outings, I've found that nothing makes one feel like a participant in an Middle-earth-y adventure like reciting poetry or song around a fire at night. Unfortunately, my memory isn't what it used to be, so I like to have a hard copy/cheat sheet to glance off.
While I previously carried a little handmade booklet of Tolkien's poems (printed from computer on aged paper), I'm upgrading to a very handsome red leatherbound blank book my mother gave me (for Tolkien's birthday!). Since then I've been diligently using waterproof pen and my best handwriting to fill it in with pretty much every bit of song or poetry from both LotR and the Hobbit (plus the apocryphal stuff like Adventures of Tom Bombadil &c), with a bit of heraldry here and there in the margins for decoration. (I'll try to get some pictures up here when it's all done!)

At the moment, I have all of the Professor's stuff wrapped up, and I'm thinking about starting a second section along the lines of 'songs and poems from Later Ages' (Fourth onwards through our current Seventh). Currently, I don't have enough on the docket to fill up what's left of the book, which is where you all can hopefully help me out!
I need some suggestions for some 'modern' pieces that you feel are in the vein of woodland adventuring, rustic agriculture, nature-worship, general old-timey-ness, &c. While I'd like as many of these as possible to be 'traditional', there's nothing wrong with something with a known author. I already have some good Shakespear, Tennyson, and Yeats.
What else??
Personae: Aistan son of Ansteig, common Beorning of Wilderland; Tungo Brandybuck, Eastfarthing Bounder, 3018 TA; a native Man of the Greyflood, c.850 SA
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Ringulf
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Re: Reading materials? (and a request)

Post by Ringulf »

Perhaps some stories retold from the Silmarilion or other Tolkien books in your own words as though recounting ancient legends. many of the Sagas or Eddas could be fit in if not given real world referencees. I would love to start a book of stories of the Dwarven heroes and ancestors, Writing the stories in my own voice as though I was just recounting that which was told to me orally.
Sketching is great, a feild book of plants, animals, weatherlog. Diary or travelog. even a collection of recepies for camp cooking, game getting and preparation or folksy recepies.

I love making journals. I have at least a dozen of them floating about all the time. I recently started to learn how to make them in period fashion sewing the leafs and doing the leather covers and decorative work. it is a fascinating craft!

I just made a book box that was made to house a three ring loose leaf mechanacal binder (just the apperatus not the binder itself) and it was covered with 5-8 oz leather plates and covered with hide glue and a thin layer of pig skin. It was then stained and guilded. when all done it looked like an old family bible or sorcerers tome. Lots of fun to make, but was huge! I think I am going to make some smaller ones for a while! :mrgreen:
I am Ringulf the Dwarven Woodsman, I craft leather, wood, metal, and clay,
I throw axes, seaxes, and pointy sticks, And I fire my bow through the day.
Come be my ally, lift up your mead! We'll search out our foes and the Eagles we'll feed! :mrgreen:
Fuindir
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Re: Reading materials? (and a request)

Post by Fuindir »

You mentioned singing songs along with the poetry. Did Tolkien ever write out any set melodies to his songs? If he did, I've been unable or find any documentation of it. It's always irked me that I couldn't actually sing the songs in the way Tolkien probably heard them in his head.

Also, the book making sounds fascinating. Maybe you should post a tutorial about that somewhere.
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Elleth
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Re: Reading materials? (and a request)

Post by Elleth »

Virgil's Georgics perhaps, if you want older stuff as well?
"Summer is a comin in" perhaps - the medieval song.
For a guardian warrior type, it's hard to beat Kipling.

re Music.. there a book / cd that is I want to say contemporary to the professor, but it sounds very much of its era - disappointingly 1950s. The Border Collies did a cd in a more folkish style c. 2001 that was quite well done I thought - "the road goes ever on" I recall even preferring to the film version. That last might be hard to come by these days though.. my memory is that it was never officially released for sale due to copyright issues.
Persona: Aerlinneth, Dúnedain of Amon Lendel c. TA 3010.
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Peter Remling
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Re: Reading materials? (and a request)

Post by Peter Remling »

Try some Robert Frost.
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Udwin
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Re: Reading materials? (and a request)

Post by Udwin »

Frost! and Kipling! of course! Good stuff.
Elleth wrote:re Music.. there a book / cd that is I want to say contemporary to the professor, but it sounds very much of its era - disappointingly 1950s.
I think that would be Poems and Songs of Middle Earth, from 1967. I'm halfway curious to track a copy down and give it a listen now.

Re: setting Tolkien's verses to music, I've found that 'Troll Sat Alone on a seat of stone' syncs up perfectly with the trad tune 'The Fox went out on a chilly night'; as does 'In Western Lands' with 'Star of the County Down'. (I wish I could take credit for these discoveries, but I just listened to too much public radio growing up, specifically this WGBH program on music and Tolkien.)
Personae: Aistan son of Ansteig, common Beorning of Wilderland; Tungo Brandybuck, Eastfarthing Bounder, 3018 TA; a native Man of the Greyflood, c.850 SA
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Peter Remling
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Re: Reading materials? (and a request)

Post by Peter Remling »

Udwin wrote: I think that would be Poems and Songs of Middle Earth, from 1967. I'm halfway curious to track a copy down and give it a listen now.

[/url].)
I sold my copy 10 years ago.

It might have been good if they'd hired professional singers. Unfortunetly Christian Tolkien's singing is reminiscent of Leonard Nimoy's singing. Love the actor but lacking as a singer.
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Ringulf
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Re: Reading materials? (and a request)

Post by Ringulf »

Peter Remling wrote:
Udwin wrote: I think that would be Poems and Songs of Middle Earth, from 1967. I'm halfway curious to track a copy down and give it a listen now.

[/url].)
I sold my copy 10 years ago.

It might have been good if they'd hired professional singers. Unfortunetly Christian Tolkien's singing is reminiscent of Leonard Nimoy's singing. Love the actor but lacking as a singer.
I still have my original album and would be happy to send it to anyone who has the technology to put it on a cd and/or make it available digitaly on the site. :mrgreen:
I am Ringulf the Dwarven Woodsman, I craft leather, wood, metal, and clay,
I throw axes, seaxes, and pointy sticks, And I fire my bow through the day.
Come be my ally, lift up your mead! We'll search out our foes and the Eagles we'll feed! :mrgreen:
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Ringulf
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Re: Reading materials? (and a request)

Post by Ringulf »

I also have four coppies of the Tolkien song cycle "The road goes ever on and on" By Donald Swan. The book of sheet music contains a song cycle of 7 songs with notes and tranlations.I performed these for my junior recital in CCNY at the Davis Center of Performing Arts. I had the four copies because one of the songs has a four part arrangement.

The contents are as follows:

Forward by Donald Swann

The Road Goes Ever On

Upon the Hearth the Fire Is Red

In the Willow-meads of Tasarinan (treebeards song, my favorite of the cycle)

In Western Lands

Namarie (farewell) chanted in Elvish

I Sit Beside the Fire

Errantry (a tongue twister in the same vein as a Gilbert and Sullivan aria, about Tom Bombadil)

Bilbo's Last Song

Notes and Translations

This is the same cycle that is on my album along with readings by the proffesor himself.
I am Ringulf the Dwarven Woodsman, I craft leather, wood, metal, and clay,
I throw axes, seaxes, and pointy sticks, And I fire my bow through the day.
Come be my ally, lift up your mead! We'll search out our foes and the Eagles we'll feed! :mrgreen:
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Re: Reading materials? (and a request)

Post by Eärendur »

Didn't see it mentioned specifically, but there's a long bit of poetry in the Lays of Beleriand....

Talking about tunes to Tolkien poems, I immediately thought of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGMFHvxAn4g
where Tolkien himself sings the troll song.

The Tolkien Ensemble has made a point of trying to put every bit of the professor's poetry to music. Some of their stuff I like, but most of it doesn't "feel" Middle-earth to me. I did make a Youtube playlist of songs from them (and some other groups) that I did like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFZbzKN4 ... fF&index=2
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Re: Reading materials? (and a request)

Post by Stormraven »

One idea might be to take your favorite Tolkien book or books and rebind them in old leather to give them the look that they are actually from Middle Earth itself. That way, you could have your research materials close at hand without modern printed covers ruining your atmosphere.
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Re: Reading materials? (and a request)

Post by Rifter »

I just carry a journal with me. I love Tolkien's items of course but why keep reading about others quests if I can write my own by fire light after trekking all day
'Just because I don't like to fight...doesn't mean I can't'
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Re: Reading materials? (and a request)

Post by RikJohnson »

Udwin wrote:I'd be interested to hear if any of you folks carry things to read in your ranging gear.
I know a couple of 18th c. longhunter types who carry a pocket-sized christian bible or new testament, but obviously such would not be appropriate for an inhabitant of a mythic protoEurope.
If the Air Force taught me anything, it is these rules:
1- take care of your feet (horse, jeep). you cannot run away from a Russian Tank (orcs, dragon) with blisters.
2- fill your stomach whenever you can and don't be too choosy about what you place within said organ. You don't know when you'll eat again.
3- sleep when you can. Yopu may be fighting/workignm for days without a rest.
4- never be too proud to run away! You can always return and try again.
5- always carry a good book. It wiles away the lonely times when you are stuck under a poncho in the rain or in a bunker during an attack and the pages can start a fire and wipe your ass.

The base chaplain knew I was Wiccan and we'd have theological arguments all the time.
One time, as i was passing through the Mobility line, checking insurance, shots, etc, I stopped at the Chaplain's desk, was in a bad mood (my catholic wife was sleeping around again and was already planning to move her new bf into our house as soon as I got on that aircraft... but god forgave her so I guess that's ok) I stopped and asked for a bible.
The Chaplain was happy that he'd finally made a convert until i replied, "I forgot my toilet paper and this book has softer paper than the Sears catalogue!"
ok, I was in a very bad mood that day.

I NEVER go anywhere without a good book!
The E-reader is a life-saver as I can load it with maps, survival books, literature, everything I'll possibly need.
Those who give up a little freedom in place of a little security will soon discover that they possess neither.
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