Did not know where to Ask: Other Tolkien Forums

[Mithadan]

I just checked my Tolkien favorites folder. It includes six sites that had message boards. Two no longer have message boards. One has only a handful of posts made this year. This leaves three moderately active boards (including The Barrow-Downs). Somehow, this seems more "normal" that the way things were ten years ago, when there were dozens of message boards, most deluged with movie-based chatter, and all competing for membership.

Marwhini, I too suffer from the vice (you term it a bias) of seeking consistence in Tolkien's Middle Earth writings. If an inconsistency or a possible error is noticed, I tend to explain it within my views of the history (or more accurately mythos) of Arda. Thus, for me, Bombadil is not anomalous and undefined. Orcs are corrupted Elves, not Men or apes. I don't care whether or not Balrogs had wings, but if they did, that was explainable. The stone giants are either hyperbole on the part of Bilbo, or his misunderstanding of what he saw. I enjoy making things fit, rather than hunting for errors.

I chose The Barrow-Downs for the quality of its members and general lack of a fixation on the Movies. This is not to say that we didn't have several difficult years after the fist film came out. Nor will I say that our members lack biases. Rather, most are open minded, if sometimes argumentative. Considering that I am one of the few who were here at the start (or even the middle) that still remain, I am astonished and gratified at the quality of the members we have.