Let us join the Throng!

When Kili and Fili rock up on Bilbo’s doorstep, they joyfully exclaim, “Let us join the throng!” Bilbo can only whimper at their use of the word “throng,” as he has no idea yet how many more dwarves are about to show up. But for the young dwarves, there is an almost festive, celebratory spirit about the moment.

So it feels for me as I launch this blog, about which I have talked for some time with a few friends.

Why another blog about Tolkien? What can I bring that is different?

Well, why shouldn’t we talk and share about those things that we love? I regularly spend an hour or two on a Sunday talking with a few folk in my parish about Tolkien. I teach from these stories regularly. If nothing else, this place will serve as repository for myself as I continue to read through and think about Tolkien’s stories. I make no claim to originality but desire only another place to engage in these discussions.

At the outset, I propose two main types of posts on this blog: shorter and more regular Reading Reflections and longer-form and occasional Essays.

The Reading Reflections will be a kind of public reading journal as I continue my way through these stories. Currently, I am teaching through The Hobbit and I am reading Two Towers to my wife and daughter, so that is where I will start that.

The Essays will be longer and more on a theme, often related to the cycle of the Christian year experienced liturgically, though not always. These are entires that coalesce a lot of what I have read or listened to and are more pre-meditated than reactions to what I’ve read in the moment.