Next Tuesday, May 4th, we will be interviewing The Tolkien Professor a.k.a. Dr. Corey Olsen of Washington College.
If you’re not familiar with Dr. Corey Olsen, he is a tenure-track professor who has not only started a podcast discussing all of Tolkien’s literary works, but who has also been publishing the course he is teaching this semester which discusses the Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He can also be found on Facebook and Twitter where he makes announcements and answers questions.
We are very honored that Dr. Olsen is taking the time out of his busy schedule to speak to us and wanted to open up any questions that you all might have for him. If you have any questions that you’d like to ask, please let us know! You can post your questions in the comments, email us, or send them via twitter.
Please note: Dr. Olsen admittedly does not play Lord of the Rings Online, although he has expressed his interest in experiencing the game at some time in the future when his schedule allows him to do so. So we ask that all questions be lore specific.
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April 30, 2010 at 9:35 am
Does any of the lore specify the requirements for Wizards to for-full before they get “promoted” to Brown, Grey and White status?
We meet Radagast The Brown and we know Gandalf The Grey becomes Gandalf the White after defeats the Balrog. Gwaihir carries him to Lórien to recover and then he rejoins the fight.
Does the increase in status get bestowed purely on Merit or after the wizard in question meets certain requirements?
April 30, 2010 at 10:47 am
Since we know that Gimli forged new gates made of mithril and steel for Minas TIrith after the War of the Ring, and also that according to Gandalf mithril was found only in Moria, is it probable then that the dwarves re-settled Khazad-dum? Also, is there any evidence (notes, essays, etc) that Tolkien entertained writing a story set in the Fourth Age?
April 30, 2010 at 11:13 am
When will the lectures on The Hobbit resume?
Bravsirrobin, for a IVAge story see The New Shadow.
April 30, 2010 at 11:15 am
1. As a race in Tolkien’s secondary world, do you prefer Dwarves or Elves?
2. What is your stance on the Dwarf vs Dwarve and Elf vs Elve spelling debate?
3. If there was a product that had Tom Bombadil on the packaging (say in Walmart) what would that product be?
4. Have you ever heard of Fathom and what do you think of their LotR themed songs?
5. Did you ever try to write any LotR fan fiction or something of that nature?
-Ugmog, asker of inflammatory and divisive questions
April 30, 2010 at 3:01 pm
Love the podcast. Just got to the breaking of the fellowship. Really like concept of repeating patterns you bring up throughout the books (e.g. disaster striking during a celebration).
One nitpick: you say that the balrogs have no wings because they seem to die when tossed off the sides of mountains. I don’t think penguins, chickens, or dodo birds would fair much better. Wings != capable of flight.
April 30, 2010 at 5:34 pm
What are the differences between Tolkien’s Werewolves and Vampire vs. modern day conceptions?
Gimli and Sam do make it to Valinor?
Will the Tolkien Estate or children of Tolkien ever release licensing rights to the Silmarillion?
When did Tom Bombadil first appear in ME? How did he get there?
How did the Numenorians build Orthanc and Minas Anor? IOW, how did the invicible, smooth stone come to be? Any outside help?
What are your thoughts about the Cottage of Lost Play? Outdated lore or important tie-in to modern myth?
May 1, 2010 at 10:41 am
As the leader of the Kinship Mar Vanwa Tyalieva (aka The Cottage of Lost Play) I second the last question in the above post.
April 30, 2010 at 11:30 pm
While sometime Tolkien letters indicated that Middle Earth was our Earth from between 8000-30000 years ago with our time being not the 4th age but more likely 6th or 7th. But other times he seemed to move away from that idea.
Hobbits (if they came out of hiding) might be leaders in the ‘green’ movement. Though most would not be working in modern bio chem labs…some might.
Lets consider the possibility that ME’s is not ‘our’ past, but that of a closely related ‘other earth’ and the ‘current day’ of the fictional translator of the Red Book, lived in a ‘modern times’ that was slightly different than our own…
If we take some of the hints from the Hobbit that Hobbits and Dwarfs are ‘still around’ I wonder what modern differences there might be?
For example I would think Dwarfs would demand a seat at the UN and some would go to, or teach, at engineering universities. (Dwarfs at NASA? In Space?
There might still be some diminished Elves around, probably working in Hollywood, or on stage. (Elvish heavy metal band? Angy rock music about the losses of the good old days?)
May 1, 2010 at 9:35 am
Glad you guys are getting the chance to do this with Dr. Olsen! I’ve traded a few emails with him and he mentioned this was planned
I’ve asked him a few of my questions already, but will post if I have any more.
May 2, 2010 at 11:28 am
What is the relationship between Dol Amroth and the surrounding region? Not much is really said of Imrahil’s younger years, do you have any information on his story or what his deeds were after the War of the Ring?
May 3, 2010 at 8:57 am
Sweet!
I would just ask him if he is familiar with the game or has ever tried it. If so, how does he feel about the adaptation?
Thanks! This will be a great interview; I could listen to that guy talk all day.
May 3, 2010 at 3:52 pm
1.) Gandalf mentioned to Frodo that there were lesser rings forged by the elves as essays in the craft of ring making. Do these rings have any power similar to the Rings of Power? How many of these were made?
2.) Are orcs related to elves?
3.) Do elves have beards?
4.) Glorfindel was defeated by a Balrog during the Fall of Gondolin in the First Age he was then re-embodied sometime during the Second Age and sent back to Middle-earth. Who re-embodied him? Why was he sent back?
5.) Who are the Maiar?
May 3, 2010 at 5:25 pm
I’ll ask a couple of silly questions, and hope he forgives me:
1) Do elves sleep? From bits said about Legolas in Two Towers, it seems as if they’re able to get all the rest they need by “meditating (for lack of a better word), even while on the march. On the other hand, the elves in Thranduil’s hall in The Hobbit seem to sleep.
2) Dwarf women. We know they’re there somewhere… don’t we? Gimli’s father is Gloin, but who’s his mother? Where are all the other dwarf women? Always just to the left of the proverbial camera?
Unrelated: have you read “Tolkien and the Great War” by John Garth, and if so, would you recommend it?
May 3, 2010 at 7:04 pm
Do any of the History of Middle Earth series books stand out in particular as ones that really showcase how a character or plot point evolved from Tolkien’s original concept to what was finally published? Or, do you have a favorite book from this series and why?
May 4, 2010 at 3:11 am
If elves live forever, shouldn’t there be a overpopulation issue?
Why are dwarfs not going to last long? What caused this?
Has there been a mention of earthquakes in Middle Earth? I would think if there were the hobbits would be rebuilding there homes every time there was one