Medieval Russian Tolkien Illustrations

These illustrations popped up on my feed from theonering.net
As an Orthodox Christian I find them kind of fascinating- some look more iconographic than others,
which I'm not sure how I feel about.
Some of them are a bit confusing- I'm not sure, for example, which scene this image is supposed to depict.
Any guesses?

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I thought perhaps it had something to do with King Theoden,
But if so, why is there an eagle around?

Music Monday

Seeing as this is a sorta kinda Tolkien blog,
and seeing as The Desolation of Smaug hits theaters Friday,
This music monday is going to the genius that is Howard Shore.
This guy really nails it every time,
even if Peter Jackson doesn't {and I really, really, really hope he does!}
From the very first opening sequence of the Fellowship, all the way through to the Grey Havens,
Each piece of the Lord of the Rings (and Hobbit) soundtrack
are perfectly welded to character, plot and mood.

There are so many great ones
The King of the Golden Hall,
The Fellowship's theme {most grandly heard as the intro to Moria}
But I have to say,
This one is probably my favorite.

Have a Great Week, everyone! 

Hope you get to enjoy the second installment of the Hobbit with your friends and loved ones :)

Escape

Ever had one of those weeks you just wanted to run away from?

I have too many of them.

It's my fault, really. I'm too sensitive. Little things don't roll off my shoulder like they ought to. I'm working on that; I'm working on myself in general. And big personality changes take time. 

In the meantime, there's always escape.

Escape from the harsh criticism, the flippant, subtle scorn, the silent rejection of others.

Escape to a warm home, in my childhood bed. 

To loving parents who don't mind if I'm a little soft at the center and rough at the edges.

Escape into the worlds of stories and books. 

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After all, if a soldier is imprisoned by the enemy, do we not consider it his duty to escape? ;-)

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I wasn't sure for a while there why I was writing a blog.

My life is dull as dirt right now,

And no one I know in real life follow it or even knows it exists. 

But it's weeks like this that I realize I kind of need it every now and again. 

Writing publicly can be painful,

but it is also incredibly cathartic. 

So please, bear with my emo moments. 

I promise they'll blow over shortly :)

Sunday Thoughts

{from our cousin, the Catholic church.}

"We should forgive and show mercy.

If we live according to the rule an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,

we will never overcome the spiral of evil."

-Pope Francis-

(I love this fellow)

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feelin' for the baddies today for some reason.

but really.

That is a great quote.

And these are the two characters in The Lord of the Rings

who really exemplify this.

{full disclosure: you find really weird fan art when you search grima wormtongue on tumblr.}

Those who wander

So, I've noticed a trend of people on blog posts, graphic designs 

and even iphone cases

misquoting Tolkien's most popular line (at least at the moment) 

"Not all those who wander are lost." 

It annoys my little nerd heart to NO end, 

even more than it annoys me when I see people improperly using the words "their" and "there." 

HOWEVER,

I am working a little bit on self-improvement, 

part of which is not being so judge-y. 

SO, rather than go on about my so-called "problems" 

(which, let's be honest, are kind of pitiful even on the first-world scale,) 

I'd like to share an AWESOME playlist I discovered on 8tracks and have been using to keep myself pumped through the long hours of studying

and has even introduced me to a few new artists or two ;-) 

without further ado, 

I give you "Not all those who wander are lost"

not all who wander are lost. from chlopoppy on 8tracks Radio.