The Hidden Kings/Queens of TTF! [Archive]

Ancalagon

09-30-2003, 01:07 AM

As is my wont every so often I trawl through the forum looking at the posts of certain members, those who stand out above the rest in delivering snipets of knowledge about Professor Tolkiens work that seem to dwarf the efforts of us mere mortals:)

I think it is wonderful that we have such gems (I was going to say 'pearls among swine', but that would seem somewhat derogatory:p) within the forum and as such I would like to celebrate them and the quiet contributions they make. However, it would be easy for me to identify those who I imagine to be greatest among our great assets (all contributing members) but that would spoil the fun of the hunt! This is not so far removed from a thread Lhun started once before, however the difference being that each member who decides to enter the name of a contributor whom they feel should take their seat among the Kings and Queens of the forum, must write a short summary (with quotes:)) as to why they made the nomination.

The idea is not to demean the contributions of any member who does not make the list, for every member is valuable, but simply to celebrate those who truly excel in their knowledge of Tolkiens life and works.

So, without further ado, go search the forum and submit a SINGLE entry to the list!

Nóm

09-30-2003, 08:13 AM

I'll submit one for jallan

Nevermind that probably has more knowledge as it relates to Tolkien than any other posters at TTF, but when I see him (I'm pretty sure this is a 'him'?) at TTF he does a lot of posting. He answers questions in an informative and friendly way as to welcome people to ask them. This is a perfect example of what good can come of forums like this, not only an exchange of ideas and opinions but information being passed along to others. But in addition to being informative, he offers great insight in some situations... I personally have been pretty floored by his posts.

jallan is a wonderful mixture... not too many people pass along more obscure knowledge in addition to amazing insight and ideas.

People would do well in going out of their way to read any posts by this person.

Originally posted by jallan
But Hamlet doesn’t believe the ghost.

That is the point of having the players present that play. Hamlet wants independant natural evidence.

Fëanor is a very different person in any case, his flaw is partly that he is so superior in so many ways that he can’t conceive that he might be wrong.

He created the Silmarils, something which even the Valar, it seems, could not have done.

He amost single-handedly invented linguistics and what became the standard writing system of the Elves.

He created the palantír’s.

Fëanor had a cunning and piercing and passionate intelligence that achieved so much that he could not understand that he might be blind to some things, might be misled on occasion, that he could badly err.

(I wonder if Tolkien might have known some brilliant and proud scholar or other who got caught up in academic feuding.)

But that is pretty much a randon sample... really just go look through his posts and you will find a gang of information and links to sources with further information.

But I'm at TTF so often and read so many threads that I don't really have to hunt (this probably goes for a lot of people) any outstanding posters down. But jallan was the first to come to my mind, and I'll bet he came to others' minds first as well.

Inderjit S

09-30-2003, 12:13 PM

Tar-Elenion anyone who has seen his informative posts can see he is one of the best scholars on the forum.

Beleg

09-30-2003, 08:28 PM

aragil--One of the best debators and researchers I have seen here IMO. He posts logically, informatively and his speculation makes sense.

Niniel

10-01-2003, 01:55 PM

I would like to put in a vot for Cian. He knows a lot about languages, not only Tolkien's, but also any other language that you might want to know somnething about. He also has an enormous amount of history knowledge, and is always willing to share what he knows with people who ask.

baragund

10-02-2003, 06:21 PM

I think Nom needs to be way up there in the ranks of royalty of the forum. The depth of her understanding of the legendarium is second to none and the conversational and witty tone of her writing make her posts a pleasure to read.

She is an outstanding teacher of Tolkien's works to members at all levels, new or old, beginner or advanced. She gives thoughtful and considerate answers to even the most basic questions that makes the 'student' wanting to find out more. Yet she can turn on a dime and pose questions would leave the most advanced Tolkienologist scratching their head and thinking "I never considered that before".

Rhiannon

10-09-2003, 09:52 PM

I'd like to put in another vote for Nom. It's been a pleasure watching you debate, Nom! I always learn something from your posts.

Gothmog

10-10-2003, 12:09 AM

I would like to point out someone who does not post very often but when he does it is always worth reading.

JeffF

One thread to check (http://www.thetolkienforum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11264)

And another (http://www.thetolkienforum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11172)

Look at his work in the above threads. :) If you like them search out the rest. ;)

Maedhros

10-13-2003, 07:08 PM

Aiwendil2 is a person that I wish would post more. He really has a great understanding of the legendarium and his scholarly work on Tolkien is highly appreciated.

Lindil is also a great Tolkien lover, and I would wish that he had more time to post in the forum.

Ancalagon

10-14-2003, 11:02 PM

I am surprised no-one has yet nominated Gothmog, Maedhros or Walter...to name but a few. However, for my part, and I know I said only one, I would like to nominate those three.

Maedhros: Maedhros has long been deeply fascinated by Tolkiens more obscure, least understood works. His passion for meticulously ploughing through HOME and bringing to light jewels of information that would otherwise lay unnoticed by the average fanatic never ceases to amaze me. The very fact he now regularly contributes to The Revised Silmarillion Project is a testament to his determination and knowledge of Tolkiens works.

Gothmog: For a Balrog it must be said that Gothmog is one of the most enlightening and clever debators on The Tolkien Forum. It has been my pleasure to watch him post over and over again, such well-reasoned and carefully crafted ideas and theories that few among feel inclined to contradict or question his proposals. Of course, he would be last to admit his posts were of value or beneficial, suffice to say he is one of the greatest assets the forum has.

Walter: I have long been a fan of Walters, not the least because he openly questions authority:D but rather more that he admits himself that his relationship with the works of Tolkien is very much in its infancy. Yet, in the short space of time Walter 'claims' to have begun to familiarise himself with the authors work, he has proven to be one of the forums most insightful and knowledgeable proponents of the author. I say 'author', for Walter, although keenly observant of his works, is more interested in understanding the author himself: what drove him, inspired him and shaped what became his lifes work. One can of course see the fruits of Walters labour (and special mention to Lhun, Chymaera and Elfamari among others) at The Tolkien Wiki (http://www.thetolkienwiki.org/wiki.cgi?browse=RecentChanges). Such dedication to compiling Tolkien Lore is truly a magnificent and inspiring feat.

Of course, I do have many more that I would consider Kings and Queens among the forums membership but I will allow others the opportunity to sing their praises;)

Sarah

10-14-2003, 11:55 PM

No one has mentioned YayGollum! What an asset! Very active in just about every forum. Not to mention saving GOO's butt in most of our debates! Yay's wonderful personality and crazyness can cheer anyone up. Thank you, Yay, for being here!

BlackCaptain

10-15-2003, 12:03 AM

Inderjit and Cian come to mind... They're just so learned in the lore it amazes me sometimes. Almost like it's a subject they mastered in school...

A notable queen would be Nom for me...
She's very smart (whether she'll admit it or not) in Tolkien's lore, and is sincerely sorry (I believe anyways) for whatever offenses she's commited. That takes guts to make that kind of formal apology.

Ancalagon

10-15-2003, 01:08 AM

Originally posted by Sarah
No one has mentioned YayGollum! What an asset! Very active in just about every forum. Not to mention saving GOO's butt in most of our debates! Yay's wonderful personality and crazyness can cheer anyone up. Thank you, Yay, for being here!
I am sure that one day Yay will come out from his hole in the ground and utterly confound us with his grasp of Tolkiens finest work;) I know he has only revealed a little of his knowledge in some of the debates, but I feel the best has yet to come!

Ithrynluin

10-15-2003, 03:07 AM

I'll put in another vote for jallan. I don't think I need to show an example of one of his posts, because his brilliance shines through in all of them. :)

Maedhros

10-15-2003, 11:29 PM

Anc, when are you going to to become a super mod again, so that TTF could be the place that it was once before.
Anc should be mentioned because he is fascinated by the Evil by will, evil by nature thing.;)

aragil

10-16-2003, 08:52 AM

Originally posted by Maedhros
Anc, when are you going to to become a super mod again, so that TTF could be the place that it was once before.
Anc should be mentioned because he is fascinated by the Evil by will, evil by nature thing.;) Hmm- Maedhros, I don't know if you're mention counts as a full-blown nomination. In case it doesn't, I'll nominate Anc as a member dedicated to critically analyzing the work of the Good Professor. We are (IMO) especially indebted to him for starting many thought-provoking, Tolkien-related threads, a task which I believe to be the most difficult thing to do here. And, while I greatly admire the ethics of stepping down for something you believe in, I can't help but echo Maedhros' thoughts in wishing a return for the mighty wing-ed supermoderator.
Also, since Anc broke precedent by nominating multiple members, I'd like to give a nod to Grond. Grond was able to overcome the fact that he was consistently wrong in his opinions about the LotR movies, and contributed mightily to the forum. He was one of the very early pioneers in bringing thoughts from the HoME series to light in the book forums for LotR and the Sil, as well as being a very even-handed moderator during those dificult Purist vs. FAD days.
Finally, I'd like to nominate an apparently lost member, Bjarki, for his/her ability to boil down the Theme of LotR to a single post, located here (http://www.thetolkienforum.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=202797#post202797). For anyone who has ever questioned themselves regarding the major Theme of LotR, I believe this to be the single most important post on these boards.

ps. If jallan, Tar-Elenion, Cian, JeffF, and myself are all going to be nominated as hidden Kings, then shouldn't Uruks vs Uruk-hai (http://www.thetolkienforum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2146) be considered the crown jewel of the forum, at least for quantity (or was that quality?) of posts by 'kingly' members?

pps. When is someone going to nominate Turgon as the true Hidden King?

Arvedui

10-16-2003, 06:09 PM

You are being rather unfair with us, Anc, when limiting the nominations to one member only. We could nominate 20, and I would still have problems deciding. Just take a look at some of the candidates that have posted in this thread: Anc, Nóm, Inderjit, Maedhros, Gothmog, ithrynluin, aragil. That's seven already!

But if I am limited to only one I will also vote for Cian. There are a lot of posters on TTF that show knowledge and insight, but IMO Cian is one split hair in front of the others.

ps. If jallan, Tar-Elenion, Cian, JeffF, and myself are all going to be nominated as hidden Kings, then shouldn't Uruks vs Uruk-hai (http://www.thetolkienforum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2146) be considered the crown jewel of the forum, at least for quantity (or was that quality?) of posts by 'kingly' members?
It should!
It is one of the greatest threads of TTF, and should be stickied on the Main Page.

Inderjit S

10-17-2003, 12:04 PM

Where have a lot of these members gone? If any are still here then they barely post anymore. I'd also like to nominate Eriol and Beleg (despite that far-fetched idea about Arwen and Aragorn) who I have had some good debates with, which I have enjoyed. I wish I was here back in the best days of TTF rather then in it's days of dearth.:(

And for the sake of equality more Queens should be mentioned.

Nóm

10-17-2003, 02:20 PM

For Queens I would think someone like Lhunithiel who does a lot of activities in TTF over at GoT or Niniel who posts in the book forums a lot, or Ravenna whose posts I think are excellent... I was so glad to see her come back recently.

But the fact is TTF has no (that I know of... but mind you I do not know everyone's sex) ladies who are Tolkien experts or even 'scholarly' like Maedhros and Inderjit are. So when you look for Queens don't go by knowledge... I would suggest.

And Inderjit, you got some examples of excellent classic threads but look through some random back threads in the HoME or Silmarillion forum and you will find the discussions in general were no better than they are now... even if some people would have you (probably due to 'good ol days' complex ;)) think it.

But now which lady would be honoured to be picked and not think "Oh they only pick me because they stoop to picking women"

It's too bad someone like Ancalagon and Inderjit who saw fit to pick three Kings did not pick any Queen. Inder... why didn't you pick a queen when you tossed out the names of Beleg and Eriol? Though I suspect I know who you have in mind... but she never posts in the book forums anymore I think. I guess women just aren't into Tolkien as much as men,don't post as well, or some people are too sexist in this thread.

Lhunithiliel

10-17-2003, 03:58 PM

Originally posted by Nóm
For Queens I would think someone like Lhunithiel who does a lot of activities in TTF over at GoT or Niniel who posts in the book forums a lot, or Ravenna whose posts I think are excellent... I was so glad to see her come back recently.
No, Nomy!
A "Tolkein-whatever" should not be nominated for such a high position! Right, Anc? ;)

Inderjit S

10-17-2003, 05:55 PM

Though I suspect I know who you have in mind... but she never posts in the book forums anymore I

heh, Nom you have fulfilled your niche at confusing me with your posts. ;) :D Anyway, forget it.

I would have nominated you but you have already received two nominations, and it would seem unfair nominating somebody three or four times.

Lhun would get my vote too.

I guess women just aren't into Tolkien as much as men

Maybe. There are quite a few brilliant female scholars on other forums, more then here. *wishes the knowledgable lady who wrote those sleazy Tolkien fanfics would join* ;)

why didn't you pick a queen when you tossed out the names of Beleg and Eriol?

Beneath that macho loner, huntsman of the woods, lover of Turin facade that Beleg puts on he is deep down a caring, sensitive person who I have mistake for a woman on one or four occasions. ;)

Nóm

10-17-2003, 06:11 PM

There are quite a few brilliant female scholars on other forums, more then here.
Yes, and maybe this sounds hypocritical since I picked jallan, but not all of them Kings who have been picked are scholars... so TTF having no females scholars (that we know of?) doesn't seem quite reason enough for there not having been more Queens picked.

Anyhow, since others have picked more than one why can't I? And I pick Lhunithiel who was the first lady to come to my mind for Queen when I saw this thread.

Lhunithiel dedicates a lot of time and effort to Tolkien at TTF and her contributions have much of high quality and more quantity than most. She runs that GoT which hosts variety of activies such as the 'what if' and the never asked question games, gallery of characters, essays, lectures, and it is obvious she loves these tales very much.

*wishes the knowledgable lady who wrote those sleazy Tolkien fanfics would join* ;)
I didn't think she was your type Inderjit... she had Telvido and that is NOT 'canon' hehe. Just kidding! Who says there couldn't have been some Maia named Telvido around later? :eek:

PS: Inder, it is you who confuses me :rolleyes:

Beleg

10-17-2003, 06:14 PM

Posted by Inderjit S
Beneath that macho loner, huntsman of the woods, lover of Turin facade that Beleg puts on he is deep down a caring, sensitive person who I have mistake for a woman on one or four occasions.

Dies:eek:

Which occasions?

Inderjit S

10-17-2003, 06:27 PM

I didn't think she was your type Inderjit... she had Telvido and that is NOT 'canon' hehe. Just kidding! Who says there couldn't have been some Maia named Telvido around later

Exactly. ;) Shows she has read a lot of HoME too. ;)

PS: Inder, it is you who confuses me

Yes, well, I'm a confused person. I confuse myself sometimes. *wonders what he is talking about*

Which occasions?

T'was a joke dear. ;) Not that I'm saying you haven't got a sensitive side, I'm not saying you have got one either. *confuses himself again* ;)

Ancalagon

10-17-2003, 06:59 PM

Originally posted by Lhunithiliel
No, Nomy!
A "Tolkein-whatever" should not be nominated for such a high position! Right, Anc? ;)
Not so, young Lhun:) Anyhoo, I don't imagine anyone would criticise me for the choices I made and the fact they were male is totally irrelevant, except by those who must feel they have been done a great disservice by not being selected by me, whatever that would mean. However, in truth I have a great many others whom I would nominate (as I said in my post) not the least of these would be two already selected and Elfamari.

Ancalagon

10-17-2003, 07:05 PM

...and of course Lhun, least I forget you;) YOur work within the forum and on the Wiki has been immense and is highly regarded by all who read it, especially me.

Then again, there is also Mrs M, a Queen among farmers wives, who is another obvious choice. Although she posts infrequently in the books fora, she has proven herself to be a scholar above all others.

Lhunithiliel

10-17-2003, 07:32 PM

Ah... Lots of Kings, people...LOTS of them!
Shall we be able to find their matching "Queens "? :p

And...THANKS SO MUCH for the kind words !

Nomy, how about a schedule? One day you'll wear the crown and one day - I will :p .... Unless of course they find each of us a matching King who will prove generous enough as to order an exquisite crown for his respective Queen! ;) :D

Seriously speaking... I am highly impressed by the know ledge of quite a number of people around and it is a real pleasure to just read their posts !

Grond (I miss him!)
Ancalagon
Walter
Inder
jallan
Maedhros
Gothmog
Eriol
Ithy

my deepest bows !!!!

But you might have not noticed Maerbenn! And you should have!

As for Queens .... I'd most probably echo Nom in saying that on TTF there are not too many Tolkien-she-schollars.

But I see how much knowledge has Nom gained recently and I am ready to share my crown with her! :p

Mrs .Maggot would be however a splendid choice!

I am also very pleasantly impressed by Rhi and Starflower ....
Say, Nomy, shall we take them in the Court? ;) :p

Nóm

10-17-2003, 07:55 PM

I think people have noticed Maerbenn though. I guess we just can't name everyone. One poster I like a great deal that hasn't been named, for example, is HelplessModAddi. (Maybe someone will pick him/her now;)).

But Lhun I think Anc picked Elfarmari and Mrs Maggott too now? So there is four Queens? But hopefully there will be a lot more people to post and name more people... people who hadn't already been picked.

If you match us to the Kings, I saw Maedhros first! He likes the Noldor, First Age and Lost Tales... and the rebellion of Feanor... he knows how awesome it was. And I suggest matching you with Walter ;).

PS: Nomy? :eek:

Thol just contacted me on MSN with this message: "HAHAHAHAHAHA Nommy" And a couple minutes ago Beleg did with this: "Hello 'Nomy' ;)".

Lhunithiliel

10-17-2003, 08:03 PM

Originally posted by Nóm
If you match us to the Kings, I saw Maedhros first! He likes the Noldor, First Age and Lost Tales... and the rebellion of Feanor... he knows how awesome it was. And I suggest matching you with Walter ;).
LOL :D :D :D
What a match!!!
Let's see now what those Kings will say! ;)

And "Nomy"..... Comon! I'm trying to be kind and sweet .... unlike a "soul-hunting wraith" ! :p

Bethelarien

10-17-2003, 08:19 PM

Lhun was also the first one who popped into my head, interestingly enough. She definitely would be Queen in my mind. Her or Elbereth.

As King, I would also have picked jallan, as he is incredibly knowledgeable, and I'm greatly impressed whenever I happen to stumble upon one of his posts.

I have to disagree about Nom's comment about there not being any female scholars. I think Lhun and Elbe would both qualify as such.

But, anyway, there's my opinion. :D

HLGStrider

10-18-2003, 04:57 AM

I'm going to go with Grond, due to old posts, though I've currently been fond of Jallan for the sake of studiousness.

aragil

10-18-2003, 11:09 AM

Bjarki might be a queen, although I'd hate to insult anybody if I was wrong. Another strong candidate for Queen (who has, alas, fallen into darkness) is Bill the Pony (http://www.thetolkienforum.com/member.php?s=&action=getinfo&userid=639). Sorry if my entries are a bit dated- I haven't been around as much to see the 'young' talent. Now that I've nominated four, do I get to keep nominating (or was that Nóminating?) more?

Ithrynluin

10-18-2003, 03:25 PM

Another great member is gate7ole. He has only been a Tolkien fan for a couple of years, but his knowledge and understanding grew almost at the speed of light.

I can't believe none of us thought of him! Shame on us. ;)

As for the Queens, Nóm is treading the path towards becoming a scholar, in the true meaning of the word. But that path is almost endless... (which I believe is a good thing! ;) )

Other Queens that I would nominate are Niniel, Lhun and - three that haven't been mentioned yet - Eledhwen, Thuringwethil, and Starflower.

Beleg

10-18-2003, 06:31 PM

We seem to be forgetting VofK and Greenwood, and The Upper class twit.

Ancalagon

10-18-2003, 07:06 PM

We seem to be forgetting VofK and Greenwood, and The Upper class twit.
I would wholeheartedly agree with you Beleg, sadly they do not post on the forum any longer, which is truly a shame. At this juncture, I must not forget Tyrann...tyranaummen...tyranasaur..you know who I mean and of course, Pale King!

I am stunned no-one has yet mentioned Harad, who was and is still one of the forums greatest debators, not least because he was always focused on his version of events come what may. Another of the forums greatest missing members!

Nóm

10-18-2003, 08:54 PM

Originally posted by Beleg
We seem to be forgetting VofK and Greenwood, and The Upper class twit.

Are we supposed to pick a King or Queen who haven't been around in over a year.

Beleg, this is before our time, and maybe you have already found it but:

Of the Beginning of Days (http://www.thetolkienforum.com/showthread.php?threadid=2046)

One of my favourite threads.

PS: Beth... I think I was using 'scholar' in a different way than some might. Though I haven't seen anything by Elbereth, perhaps you could give a link?

chrysophalax

10-19-2003, 02:55 AM

My thanks to the esteemed YayGollum for pointing out this thread to me.

What of Chymaera and Turgon? Chymaera has never ceased to be the the ideal of a gentlemen in my eyes. In every debate and in every thread, his presence has always been calm, reasoned and outrageously witty. Ya gotta love him!

As to the aptly named Hidden King...what can one say? In RPG's, his writing was never less than superb. In debates many times he and I adopted the Baffle-Them-With BS tactic and frequently, to our surprise, it worked! ;) Ahhhhhhhhhh, those were the days!:D *toothy Dragon grin*

HLGStrider

10-19-2003, 05:57 AM

Oooh Harad. . .he was fun. . .for a Vulcan. . .though he made me nervous. He once asked for my address. . .I shudder to think why.

BlackCaptain

10-19-2003, 06:09 AM

We all seem to be forgetting the 3 most important Kings of TTF:

-Feanorian
-Celebthol
-BlackCaptain!!!

Mostly Feanorian and Thol though...

Lhunithiliel

10-19-2003, 08:12 AM

Originally posted by ithrynluin
Another great member is gate7ole. He has only been a Tolkien fan for a couple of years, but his knowledge and understanding grew almost at the speed of light.

I can't believe none of us thought of him! Shame on us. ;)
Shame on me! !!! :o :o :o

Of course!!!!!
**********
And thank you Chris for reminding us about Chymaera and Turgon!
No!
These three must not be omitted!!!!

aragil

10-22-2003, 10:14 AM

Originally posted by Ancalagon
I am stunned no-one has yet mentioned Harad, who was and is still one of the forums greatest debators, not least because he was always focused on his version of events come what may. Another of the forums greatest missing members! It's difficult to describe Harad as a member in the present tense. Membership implies certain benefits, and in Harad's case those benefits have been revoked. Of course, if you want to talk about someone who could start an interesting thread, Harad was most eggcelent, as any stroll through the Smials will show.

HLGStrider

10-23-2003, 04:25 AM

And as your siggy shows. . .

Elbereth

11-24-2003, 05:05 AM

Originally posted by Nóm

PS: Beth... I think I was using 'scholar' in a different way than some might. Though I haven't seen anything by Elbereth, perhaps you could give a link?

Nom, I haven't been a scholar in TTF for awhile now simply because I haven't had the time. And I don't want to post in those threads unless I can commit to it fully.

But as for my scholarly pursuits...those threads have been deleted after I forfeited my position as leader of the Guild of Scholars. I am please that Maedhros has been able to reform that guild into something really great. But since I gave up that position, my desire to post in the serious book threads have diminished. I thank Beth for nominating me...but I guess according to your definition of a "great Tolkien scholar", I don't qualify.

Úlairi

12-14-2003, 10:32 AM

I believe that there are no other people that I can vote for save Grond and Ancalagon, and seeing as Anc has received so many I will give my vote to Grond.

Grond is perhaps the foremost in Tolkien knowledge on this board IMHO, and he deserves this title above all others. I do not believe that a post of his needs to be mentioned, just go to your nearest thread! :)

Maeglin

12-17-2003, 11:31 PM

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Anamatar. He really knows his stuff, and contributes regularly in just about every forum. Speaking of Anamatar...where is he? I haven't seen him or any of his posts around here lately. Mind you, I haven't been on as much lately, but I have been getting on once a week or so...and even then I don't recall seeing many posts from him. Anyway...yeah you have my reason for nominating him...sorry I got off topic.;)