Christopher Gilson
@cgilson75.bsky.social
710 followers 96 following 57 posts
Eldarin scholar
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cgilson75.bsky.social
I will delve into what Tolkien meant by: “Nobody believes me when I say that my long book is an attempt to create a world in which a form of language agreeable to my personal aesthetic might seem real.”

I hope you will join me for a weekend of exploring Tolkien's worlds from many points of view.
cgilson75.bsky.social
I am going to bea keynote speaker at the Prancing Pony Podcast Moot 2025 this December 18-21. The theme of the moot is “Creating Historical Depth within Fantastical Worlds.”

theprancingponypodcast.com/moot/

My working title is:
“From Words to Worlds: Elvish Roots of Tolkien’s Mythology.”
The Prancing Pony Podcast Moot 2025 – The Prancing Pony Podcast
theprancingponypodcast.com
cgilson75.bsky.social
"Parma Eldalamberon 18: Tengwesta Qenderinwa and Pre-Fëanorian Alphabets, Part 2" is available again on demand at:

The Great British Bookshop:
www.thegreatbritishbookshop.co.uk/products/par...

and at Barnes and Noble:
www.barnesandnoble.com/s/parma%20el...
cgilson75.bsky.social
It's not complex -- just explicit.
cgilson75.bsky.social
"Parma Eldalamberon 12: Qenyaqetsa: The Qenya Phonology and Lexicon" is available again on demand at:

The Great British Bookshop:
www.thegreatbritishbookshop.co.uk/products/par...

and at Barnes and Noble:
www.barnesandnoble.com/s/parma%20el...
cgilson75.bsky.social
"Parma Eldalamberon 17: Words, Phrases & Passages in _The Lord of the Rings_" is available again on demand at:
The Great British Bookshop:
www.thegreatbritishbookshop.co.uk/products/par...
and at:
Barnes and Noble:
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/parma-elda...
cgilson75.bsky.social
“Parma Eldalamberon 19 : Quenya Phonology” is available again on demand at
Barnes and Noble:
www.barnesandnoble.com/s/parma%20el...
The Great British Bookshop:
www.thegreatbritishbookshop.co.uk/search?type=...
cgilson75.bsky.social
“Parma Eldalamberon 20 : The Qenya Alphabet” is available again on demand at
Barnes and Noble:
www.barnesandnoble.com/s/parma%20el...
The Great British Bookshop:
www.thegreatbritishbookshop.co.uk/search?type=...
cgilson75.bsky.social
“Parma Eldalamberon 21 : Qenya Noun Structure” is available again on demand at
Barnes and Noble:
www.barnesandnoble.com/s/parma%20el...
The Great British Bookshop:
www.thegreatbritishbookshop.co.uk/search?type=...
cgilson75.bsky.social
I'm trying to decide whether to propose a presentation on "Qenya and Phonetic Fitness" or "Qenya and Glottochronology." The former could focus more on Tolkien's linguistic thoughts during World War I, but the latter could more likely arrive at a cogent point in 20 minutes.
Ve si, ve sa ...
westmoot.org
Our Call for Proposals closes one month from today - Feb 7th, 2025!

If you are excited to join us in Kansas City, we would love for you to present a paper or host an activity. Just follow the links on our event main page to send in your proposal now!

www.tolkiensociety.org/events/westm...
Westmoot 2025
For the first time, fans can experience a Tolkien Society conference in person in the US! Westmoot will take place May 9th-11th in Kansas City, Missouri, at the National WWI Museum and Memorial. This ...
www.tolkiensociety.org
cgilson75.bsky.social
Hopefully I can keep this going. I'm working now on making volume 21 available. Support from the community of Tolkien's readers helps 💙🦋
cgilson75.bsky.social
They've turned the page on and off a couple of times now, so it may be a stop-gap measure because of receiving a lot of orders all at one. That they seem to be shipping the orders they receive in due course is a hopeful sign :)
cgilson75.bsky.social
What Tolkien alluded to was the "inner consistency of reality" and as we know "real" legends and languages are not consistent in the ways that most people seem to demand from invented legends and languages.
cgilson75.bsky.social
Since Tolkien is talking about the LotR being the culmination of what he started in 1914, I don't think this contradicts your point about his drawing on non-Germanic sources.
cgilson75.bsky.social
>> "… trembled at: …"
"… to be told that I have succeeded, at least with those who have still the undarkened heart and mind."
cgilson75.bsky.social
There is also this:
"Having set myself a task, the arrogance of which I fully recognized and tremble at: being precisely to restore to the English an epic tradition and present them with a mythology of their own: it is a wonderful thing to be told that I have succeeded, ..." Letter 180 (1956).
cgilson75.bsky.social
If you try the link I gave above, it should work now.
cgilson75.bsky.social
Tolkien did say the hair part, if anecdotally. See some quotes here: scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/33...
But a premise of the LotR is that Elves became more culturally static as an effect of the Rings, allowing for a prior lack of historical uniformity, even for individual Elves.
Do male elves have long or short hair?
I've noticed that almost every fan drawing of elves (as well as their portrayals in the movies) show them with long hair, both the men and the women. But did Tolkien ever write anything that proved...
scifi.stackexchange.com
cgilson75.bsky.social
I heard from my on-demand printer, and they are holding up further publication of PE until I provide a legal form showing I have permission to reproduce works by Tolkien. This was unexpected but is a legitimate request. I apologize for the inconvenience to anyone who already ordered a copy of PE 23