1. Emanate understanding and compassion  2. Make her feel like everyone abandoned her 3. Make her believe you are the only one who can make her feel all better Needed to be said Gríma: “Oh he must’ve died sometime in the night. What a tragedy for the King to lose his only son and heir. I understand his passing is hard to accept especially now that your brother has deserted you.”  Éowyn: “Leave me alone, snake.”  Gríma: “Oh, but you are alone. Who knows what you have spoken to the darkness, alone, in the bitter watches of the night, when all your life seems to shrink, the walls o ..read more

The featured image you see above this text is a beautifully portrayed depiction of Gollum in his cave. You might already have an inkling of whose hand this image was drawn by. If not, I will reveal it to you.  Up close and personal You may have noticed some of her other work in my other blog posts for the Fellowship of the Ring and the Two Towers. She has taken to drawing like a fish to water, striving to better her skill with every new drawing. I think that her portrayals of Gollum are masterfully done. There is a deep well of feeling in the character’s eyes. The feeling of empathy it co ..read more

I am an escapist. I have always been one. In order to cope with reality or just to simply maintain a healthy balance between the real world and my own, I sought the comfort of fantasy. When I was younger I immersed myself daily into Disney animated films, especially Lion King. I had, and still possess, a VHS tape of that particular film somewhere in my parent’s house. I used to watch it every day after school.  In my pre-teen years, the attention shifted to impossible plot twists of the classic Mexican telenovelas. As I grew up, my interests broadened into the world of sci-fi, namely that ..read more

It is difficult to describe or indeed specify the feelings that emerge when listening to music. It is an uncontrollable part of ourselves that lets the music touch every little piece of us. Whether they are old wounds in need of healing or simply a sense of joy, the overall encompassment into the life of a composition is inevitable. The music does not even need to touch upon some painful memory and unlock the feelings we have been suppressing. It can open our hearts to new dynamics, new perceptions, new thoughts about ourselves. It moves through us almost like wildfire, spreading rapidly witho ..read more

Erebor has been reclaimed. The leader of the Dwarf company along with the last two members of his line have lost their lives. The Dwarves of Erebor are now led by King Dáin Ironfoot of the Iron Hills. The lone Hobbit accompanied by the Wizard responsible for his quest, walks back home to the woods and little rivers of the Shire.  The borders of the Shire Gandalf: “Ah, the borders of the Shire. It is here I must leave you.”  Bilbo: “That’s a shame. I quite liked having a Wizard around. Seems they bring good luck.”  Gandalf’s knowledge of the Ring is revealed. Though Bilbo tried t ..read more

There are no more Orcs left to fight, no more Azog to lead them. Those that have witnessed the three armies of Dwares, Elves and Men prevail, have fled to the holes dug for them by the Were-worms. The battlefield is silent, what remains is to come to terms with the losses that have occurred.  Legolas leaves Legolas watches as Tauriel places Kili’s “return to me” runestone into his hand. She has fulfilled her promise and reunited with him, if only to see him die. Nevertheless, the love that they shared, no matter how fleeting, has left grief and sorrow on Tauriel. Legolas, seeing her emoti ..read more

The Dwarves have entered the fray with all their might and skill. They move and fight in a way typical for their race, as a unit, a team. The dexterity they have shown in Bag End while cleaning up after themselves, can also be seen in their fighting style.  First words of Bifur and Bombur Bofur: “Push! By Durin, you’ve lost your ax.”  Bombur: “No, he’s not. There you go, cousin.”  Bifur: “You know where you can stick that.”  The ax in Bifur’s head has been embedded by an Orc in a battle that is not specifically mentioned. However, we can hypothesize that it may have happene ..read more

The battle has taken a much more positive turn for our heroes. As the Men of Lake-town struggle against the Orcs in Dale, so does Thorin, Fili, Kili and Dwalin ride their goats to Ravenhill to face their leader.  Rejecting the Master’s mantle Bard: “Get up!” Alfrid: “Get away from me. I don’t take orders from you. People trusted you. They listened to you. The Master’s mantle was there for the taking and you threw it all away. For what?”  Bard: “Alfrid, your slip is showing.” Alfrid, not really holding his own in the fight against the Orcs, dressed in women’s clothing with gold coins ..read more

The tide of the battle has turned. Not because the Dwarves’, Elves’ or Men’s forces have somehow doubled, but because the Dwarves of Erebor have joined the fight. The atmosphere and the moral of the troops already on the battlefield has gained in determination and will. The Dwarves have rallied to the king, thereby pushing the Orc frontlines back. Reunion Thorin: “Dáin!”  Dáin: “Thorin! Hold on! I’m coming! Hey, cousin! What took you so long? There’s too many of these buggers, Thorin. I hope you’ve got a plan.”  The two cousins meet for the first time on the battlefield after a long ..read more

The way Thorin’s acute mental state plays out is that these voices snap him out of the reality he has been living in. In a moment of relief and sudden emergence from his diseased state of mind, Thorin throws the hard-won crown from his head onto the golden covered floor of the Gallery of Kings. He can breathe the free air again, air that has escaped his lungs that have filled with the smell and influence of the dragon and its sickness.  The end is near Dáin: “Fall back! Fall back to the Mountain! Fall back!” Azog: “Now comes their end. Prepare for the final assault.” Meanwhile on the batt ..read more