Working In Middle Earth
 

Since seeing Lord Of The Rings, a lot of us have come to really appreciate Middle Earth and a lot of us just wish we could actually live there. Obviously thats rather impossible, but has Lotr influenced anyone's real life? As in their jobs or how they live?

For example, I am now looking into the possibility of becoming a weaponsmith and forging my very own Narsil, due to my love of Lotr.

Do you already know a bit about working metal or are you taking up an entirely new craft?

I know nothing of the art in particular, but this is where school's design technology lessons comes in handy, as well as the countless nights spent crouching over a fire hammering at bits of wood into daggers which is how I discovered my love for blacksmiths, armoursmiths, weaponsmiths, etc. Actually, I've wanted to be a blacksmith for years. I might try and take up an apprenticeship. Is that possible?

Well, I don't know if this counts or not, but I have had a desire to be Marine Biologist for some time now. I was thinking maybe after college I could move to New Zealand and get a job over there. I'm sure I could find something. And the way my comment realtes to this topic is I now want to live in New Zealand to be around a Middle Earth atmosphere. I am sick of big city. I want countryside.

Yeh, I would love to move away. I've been thinking about setting up an elven commune in NZ. A campful of 30 elven wannabes making their own living, growing their own food, in total solitude in the middle of the wood where they filmed Lothlorien. (Im presuming they used a real wood, although Im rather dubious as the majority of sets now appear to in fact be fake, ie. a metre or two of set against a blue screen in a studio.)

I for one would join you if I could! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Besides finding and joining the Barrow Downs, I have begun to quote any and all of it even more, and I have started reading fan fiction. (I was already carrying the books around, wearing elven clothes, and daydreaming about living in Lothlorien or Rivendell before the movies [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] )

Although I have seriously considered speaking quenya all the time instead of english, but no one here speaks it so I forsook that idea.

Sounds good, Meela, how bout I join you in this Elven community. I bet half the members of the Downs would end up there. Why hasn't someone thought of this before? They could make some major money setting up a thing like that.

Yeh, I have got a couple of people interested. But I don't want it to be a commercial thing, nor a large and widely spread idea. I just want a small community of people to live in an elven commune. So if you're desperate to live exactly like an elf from ME, making your own rope, weapons and lembas, and wearing home-made elven outfits, and you can afford to pay your share towards the £60,000 needed [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] then come and join me!

Oh if I only I had that kind of money! Then I assure you, I would drop everything (including school) and join the elven commune.

But seriously, I am already doing all of the standard things (dropping book quotes into normal conversation, spouting random elven phrases, obsessively carrying the books around etc.) and it has also affected major choices in life as well. So I think I'm covered, and happy. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

I always thought it would be cool to be a ranger, just wondering the lands helping ppl when you could. Also the forging of weapons would be great fun, if i could actually manage it.
I think the closest i could ever get to living ME is the new MMORPG called Middle Earth Online, sounds very cool.
Middle Earth webbyThats the link if anyones interested in taking a peak.

I just recently started teaching medieval history and western civilization after working for years as a freelance researcher and content editor. My degrees in Medieval Studies come from an interest sparked from reading LotR for the first time in 7th grade. There’s thousands of things that Tolkien can inspire.

Meela, while I’m no weaponsmith or armorer by any stretch of the imagination, in the past I’ve worked with many smiths that do historical metalwork. For the most part, what they know can’t be learned in school or from a book (though both can help), but only by first hand instruction. About the only way to get into the field today is to set up an apprenticeship with a master. The best thing to do is start looking around for someone pounding metal. There are a lot of people out there with backyard forges doing this for a hobby, and usually they are part of a network of other enthusiasts. You might enjoy this website, especially the discussion forum.

Just between us, I think the desire to join an elven commune is kind of scary. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] Who would lead it, Elrond Koresh?

It's more realistic than what I wanted to do- buy an island, which would be totally ME related, for Hobbit, Human, Elves etc alike.
That's my problem, thinking too big. But if one was started, I'm there.

Only thing that has changed in my life since LotR and BotR (Bored of the Rings) is that my family has found some resemblences between me and hobbits and bogys (but I'm even not short and my hair is straight although they are starting to curl ... damn!) so now I am anounced bogy . And so thats who I am now thanks to LotR and BotR . Just pleace do not start to call me that , I just had enough at home already [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img] .

Not much except I really LOVE JRRT,
I'm reading the Narnia Chronicles, (spelling?)
(I heard JRRT and C.S. Lewis were like best friends in a club called the Inklings)
and I've got into archery.
I use a longbow! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

A couple of suggestions:
Get plastic surgery for everybody's ears.
Make the national language Sindarin.

Getting ack to the original topic, I would like to be a Rider of Rohan.

...and my mom recently turned down my proposal of studying in NZ [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img]

A thousand and more! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

Aside from dreaming of being a literature professor, I also dream of teaching history as well.

Going back to the topic, I'd love to be a teacher to the Hobbits in the day, and a gem cutter at night [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

Legolas wannabee!! *just jokes* [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img] [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

That's really great, Sea Tiger! Have you ever scored a bulls-eye? [img]smilies/cool.gif[/img]

I would be the interior decorator for the elves. JK I am horrible at that but I would be the resident artist. I could paint all those mirels on the walls like the one of Isildur and Sauron. I would also help with the hunting because I am not a bad shot with a bow. Not good but not awful either. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

I've gotten much more into archery and whatnot because of LotR; not to mention my newfound wish to learn how to ride a horse... (silly, really; I live in the western United States and I don't know how to ride a horse....).

Also, LotR has really helped my writing career. It just gives you so many brilliant ideas, not even to do with Middle-earth. LotR has been the jumping off point (I have one fanfic in the works and another on the way) for me, really.

Abedithon le,

~*~Aranel~*~

Funny when I went out West to SD and WY everyone had a horse. Though when I asked I learned that most of them were unrideable and just kept as pets. I had a horse for most of my childhood but sadly she died a few years ago when I was just starting to get really good. I like the Rohirim but the Elvish horses are more to my liking because they remind me of my old Misty. That is another job I could have taking care of the horses of Rivendel. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Ah finally someone shares my desire to live like a person in middle earth but my hope was to move to new zealand which i might do any way and build a hobbit hole for myself, those round doors are quite ingenious and i'd love to garden and all that greenery would be lovely. But I would not mind being an elf and living in a forest, but what craft would i take i've thoguth very long about getting into archery even bfore LOR but now my passion has grown even more my brother thinks that i'm obsessed which bugs me a little, i'm constantly talking about it, but not trying to quote so much to hide from the critism but what should I care i should be fearless in the face of my brother. Anyway back to what craft I would take up?? I think i would deal in magic and healing but i would also be a warrior if need ever called for it, those nasty orcs I'll send you back to the pits that you came from!! [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img] Or perhaps I would be a Lady of my own wood but of course we would all live in unison, the elves do not wage war upon themselves but alas that brings up the kinslaying so long ago, that Feanor I would have force fed him so much lembas he wouldn't be able to swing a sword let alone move. A fat elf
I could never imagine besides the fire within him would was far too hot he would not have lingered about while the enemy had his silmarils.

Forget bulls-eyes! Have you ever made a shaft shot?

I want to do so many things, archery, riding, fencing (sort of, I want to learn to use a broadsword), learn more tengwar...but I have no time! I have to make do with what I can write instead. [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img]