Public Research: Age Groups - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

HerenIstarion · 01-24-2006, 06:12 AM

This is also part of wider Public Research Project. Not much to discuss in this particular thread (this is more like a survey than anything else so far), unless you wish to share with us what was your age when you became acquainted with Tolkien. The poll is supposed to collect information scattered through three 'Age Clubs' and other related threads of the forum

[edit]In case intro was somewhat unclear (it seems it indeed was), let me stress that the poll itself concerns your actual age. [end of edit]

Again, the poll is private, so no one will learn your age unless you wish to make it public in the post. Ages can be learned from viewing member public details, true, but I suppose it will be more suitable to have these in one place. Besides, according to 'member details' information, some of the Downers are couple of hundred years old, so informaiton there must be, er... inaccurate.

PS. Again - there is an option 'over 100' up there, but please, please - humour is all very well in proper places, but do not mess up the poll out of sheer playfulness. Thanks

Mithalwen · 01-24-2006, 11:27 AM

But which of those categories is " a certain age"?

the guy who be short · 01-24-2006, 11:36 AM

Nice polling work, but I suspect that a wider range between the ages of 13-40 and a smaller range at the upper end would perhaps have been better.

As for myself, I was probably very small when I discovered Tolkien.

Formendacil · 01-24-2006, 02:43 PM

Erm... I'm a bit confused.

Is this a poll concerning our current age, or the age at which we discovered Tolkien?

I thought it was the first, but now I'm thinking the second...

Please elucidate.

Anguirel · 01-24-2006, 02:50 PM

I too was confused, but I think I've solved the mystery...

Quote:

Originally Posted by HerenIstarion

Not much to discuss in this particular thread (this is more like a survey than anything else so far), unless you wish to share with us what was your age when you became acquainted with Tolkien.

I read the Hobbit at five, and Lord of the Rings at six, though I was seven by the time I finished...I didn't become truly obsessed, though, till I read the Silmarillion, at, I hazard, about twelve.

Formendacil · 01-24-2006, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anguirel

I too was confused, but I think I've solved the mystery...

I read the Hobbit at five, and Lord of the Rings at six, though I was seven by the time I finished...I didn't become truly obsessed, though, till I read the Silmarillion, at, I hazard, about twelve.

Ah...

How did I miss that?

Anyway, to vote.

Amanaduial the archer · 01-24-2006, 03:47 PM

Woops. I may have answered slightly incorrectly then, having filled in the 13-20 bracket; I read LotR when I was about 11 or 12 (year 7 anyway), and the Hobbit when I was in year 3 or 4 (so somewhere between age 7 and 9). Sorry...

Estelyn Telcontar · 01-24-2006, 03:52 PM

The poll question concerns our actual age at this time. Additional information on the age at which we read LotR etc. is optional for those who wish to post about it.

Formendacil · 01-24-2006, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Estelyn Telcontar

The poll question concerns our actual age at this time. Additional information on the age at which we read LotR etc. is optional for those who wish to post about it.

NOW you tell me!!

Too late... I've posted into the wrong category then, for I am assuredly not under the age of 13 at this time.

Cailín · 01-24-2006, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anguirel

I read the Hobbit at five, and Lord of the Rings at six, though I was seven by the time I finished...I didn't become truly obsessed, though, till I read the Silmarillion, at, I hazard, about twelve.

Wow. I couldn't even read when I was five, let alone finish any more intelligent books than "Mary and her Little Basket" when I was six. Are you quite sure you're human?

At least there was no confusion for me - I am still the exact same age as I was when I first read the Lord of the Rings and the Silmarillion. Miraculous, no?

Elu Ancalime · 01-24-2006, 04:35 PM

Ahh...I just realized it is what age of Tolkien aquaintance, but since I've really have only been interested in Tolkien for a few years (the first Tolkien thing was seeing Two Towers with a friend), I guess that would be....Seventh Grade for me? So....my age and Tolkieness are in the same bracket. What a lucky break!
________
MICHIGAN DISPENSARIES

Aiwendil · 01-24-2006, 04:45 PM

Repeat of Clarification

Quote:

Ahh...I just realized it is what age of Tolkien aquaintance

No - it's actual, current age. Additional information on the age of first acquaintance with Tolkien is optional.

Feanor of the Peredhil · 01-24-2006, 04:53 PM

First acquaintance with That Guy's Work: I turned twelve a few weeks before.

Lalaith · 01-24-2006, 05:18 PM

Garn, can't beat Anguirel (inevitably). I read the Hobbit just after my seventh birthday and LotR before I turned eight.
I have divulged my age bracket on the poll, and I am sure Heren will in his usual gentlemanly fashion draw a discreet veil over such confidences.

Aiwendil · 01-24-2006, 06:07 PM

Like Anguirel, I first encountered Tolkien at about the age of five, when my mother read The Hobbit and then The Lord of the Rings to me. I read The Silmarillion when I was in third grade and The History of Middle-earth when I was about 17 or 18.

Lhunardawen · 01-25-2006, 12:56 AM

I first heard of Tolkien when I was a high school freshman of nearly thirteen years of age, just before the FotR movie was released. I started reading and finished LotR just before TTT was shown in theaters (obviously almost fourteen by then), and joined the Downs a few months after. I read The Hobbit after I'm already two years dead.

ohtatyaro · 01-25-2006, 04:10 AM

I'm 16 now, read LotR when I was 14 (or just going to be), the Hobbit later and Silm even later. Haven't read Homes and things yet

, but hope to soon

Hilde Bracegirdle · 01-25-2006, 06:01 AM

I believe I read the Hobbit (and Lord of the Rings right after it) at about 10 or 11. It is hard for me to nail down since the summers back then tend to run together in my memory. I read Silmarillion when it first came out here. I was high school age I think. In between I read what other of Tolkien's works I could get my hand on, but I still haven't finished them all.

Thinlómien · 01-25-2006, 10:16 AM

My father read both The Hobbit and LotR aloud to me and my sister when I was six, or something like that. Then we continued with Sil and UT. I read LotR by myself when I was eight (and it took me half a year, I think...).

Amanaduial the archer · 01-26-2006, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cailin

Are you quite sure you're human?

Anguirel? He's a southerner; of course not.

Anguirel · 01-26-2006, 02:50 PM

Actually I'm half-Scottish!

Thinlómien · 01-27-2006, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anguirel

Actually I'm half-Scottish!

That explains even more...

the guy who be short · 01-27-2006, 12:21 PM

It would be interesting speculating who amongst us has passed the prestigious age of 100.

Thinlómien · 01-27-2006, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the guy who be short

It would be interesting speculating who amongst us has passed the prestigious age of 100.

That must be someone who didn't take this

Quote:

PS. Again - there is an option 'over 100' up there, but please, please - humour is all very well in proper places, but do not mess up the poll out of sheer playfulness. Thanks

seriously...

HerenIstarion · 01-27-2006, 01:28 PM

I prefer to think that somebody is indeed more than hundred years old - I've included option at all because it was possible to have someone that old, even if improbable. Next time I feast, I drink his/her health (even more so if s/he is unscrupulous cheat

)

edit: Just thought how wondeful it must have been to read the Hobbit as it first was published, and probably be in correspondence, or even meet with JRRT himself!

Thinlómien · 01-27-2006, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HerenIstarion

edit: Just thought how wondeful it must have been to read the Hobbit as it first was published, and probably be in correspondence, or even meet with JRRT himself!

If there's such a person I really envy him/her and request that she/he starts a thread on his/her experiences...

JennyHallu · 01-30-2006, 01:06 PM

You should compare your results against a general survey of internet users.

Lush · 02-12-2006, 10:32 PM

The kids are alright, eh?

Holbytlass · 02-13-2006, 10:19 AM

I'm 32 now, will "come-of-age" in The Shire reckoning in a couple of months. Discovered the books in Aug/Sep of 2001 because of the movies.

Guinevere · 02-17-2006, 05:14 PM

I read the Hobbit and LotR for the first time at the age of 50! ( 5 years ago) Discovering Tolkien was quite a revelation ! It was just what I needed at this point of my life - it opened up a whole new world and made my life so much richer . Not only did I set out to explore Middle-earth and learn more and more about Tolkien, but thanks to this I also discovered the internet (and therein the Barrowdowns) Before becoming engrossed with Tolkien I had never even used a computer!

Eönwë · 02-10-2008, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amanaduial the archer

Woops. I may have answered slightly incorrectly then, having filled in the 13-20 bracket; I read LotR when I was about 11 or 12 (year 7 anyway), and the Hobbit when I was in year 3 or 4 (so somewhere between age 7 and 9). Sorry...

Me too, except move everything 1/2 years earlier

Rikae · 02-11-2008, 07:14 AM

Hmm... well, didn't answer the optional part of this yet...
I read The Hobbit when I was 7, if I recall correctly - LOTR when I was 8. I started the Silm when I was 8, lost the book, and finished it when I was 28.

View Poll Results: I'm so old I forgot my own name... or, precisely:
Under 13	3	3.00%
13 to 20	55	55.00%
21 to 32	24	24.00%
33 to 45	11	11.00%
46 to 59	6	6.00%
60 to 75	0	0%
76 to 84	0	0%
85 to 91	0	0%
92 to 99	0	0%
100 and older	1	1.00%
Voters: 100. You may not vote on this poll

01-24-2006, 06:12 AM	#1
HerenIstarion Deadnight Chanter Join Date: Sep 2000 Posts: 4,301	Public Research: Age Groups This is also part of wider Public Research Project. Not much to discuss in this particular thread (this is more like a survey than anything else so far), unless you wish to share with us what was your age when you became acquainted with Tolkien. The poll is supposed to collect information scattered through three 'Age Clubs' and other related threads of the forum [edit]In case intro was somewhat unclear (it seems it indeed was), let me stress that the poll itself concerns your actual age. [end of edit] Again, the poll is private, so no one will learn your age unless you wish to make it public in the post. Ages can be learned from viewing member public details, true, but I suppose it will be more suitable to have these in one place. Besides, according to 'member details' information, some of the Downers are couple of hundred years old, so informaiton there must be, er... inaccurate. PS. Again - there is an option 'over 100' up there, but please, please - humour is all very well in proper places, but do not mess up the poll out of sheer playfulness. Thanks __________________ Egroeg Ihkhsal - Would you believe in the love at first sight? - Yes I'm certain that it happens all the time! Last edited by HerenIstarion; 01-25-2006 at 12:36 AM.

01-24-2006, 11:27 AM	#2
Mithalwen Pilgrim Soul Join Date: May 2004 Location: watching the wonga-wonga birds circle... Posts: 9,916	But which of those categories is " a certain age"? __________________ “But Finrod walks with Finarfin his father beneath the trees in Eldamar.” Christopher Tolkien, Requiescat in pace

01-24-2006, 02:43 PM	#4
Formendacil Dead Serious Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Perched on Thangorodrim's towers. Posts: 3,347	Erm... I'm a bit confused. Is this a poll concerning our current age, or the age at which we discovered Tolkien? I thought it was the first, but now I'm thinking the second... Please elucidate. __________________ I prefer history, true or feigned.

01-24-2006, 03:47 PM	#7
Amanaduial the archer Shadow of Starlight Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: dancing among the ledgerlines... Posts: 2,397	Woops. I may have answered slightly incorrectly then, having filled in the 13-20 bracket; I read LotR when I was about 11 or 12 (year 7 anyway), and the Hobbit when I was in year 3 or 4 (so somewhere between age 7 and 9). Sorry... __________________ I am what I was, a harmless little devil

01-24-2006, 11:36 AM	#3
the guy who be short Shadowed Prince Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Thulcandra Posts: 2,496	Nice polling work, but I suspect that a wider range between the ages of 13-40 and a smaller range at the upper end would perhaps have been better. As for myself, I was probably very small when I discovered Tolkien.

01-24-2006, 03:52 PM	#8
Estelyn Telcontar Princess of Skwerlz Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles) Posts: 7,645	Clarification The poll question concerns our actual age at this time. Additional information on the age at which we read LotR etc. is optional for those who wish to post about it. __________________ 'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...'

01-24-2006, 04:35 PM	#11
Elu Ancalime Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Anador Posts: 479	Ahh...I just realized it is what age of Tolkien aquaintance, but since I've really have only been interested in Tolkien for a few years (the first Tolkien thing was seeing Two Towers with a friend), I guess that would be....Seventh Grade for me? So....my age and Tolkieness are in the same bracket. What a lucky break! ________ MICHIGAN DISPENSARIES Last edited by Elu Ancalime; 03-03-2011 at 10:46 PM.

01-24-2006, 04:53 PM	#13
Feanor of the Peredhil La Belle Dame sans Merci Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: perpetual uncertainty Posts: 5,956	First acquaintance with That Guy's Work: I turned twelve a few weeks before. __________________ peace

01-24-2006, 05:18 PM	#14
Lalaith Blithe Spirit Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 2,876	Garn, can't beat Anguirel (inevitably). I read the Hobbit just after my seventh birthday and LotR before I turned eight. I have divulged my age bracket on the poll, and I am sure Heren will in his usual gentlemanly fashion draw a discreet veil over such confidences. __________________ Out went the candle, and we were left darkling

01-24-2006, 06:07 PM	#15
Aiwendil Late Istar Join Date: Mar 2001 Posts: 2,224	Like Anguirel, I first encountered Tolkien at about the age of five, when my mother read The Hobbit and then The Lord of the Rings to me. I read The Silmarillion when I was in third grade and The History of Middle-earth when I was about 17 or 18.

01-25-2006, 12:56 AM	#16
Lhunardawen Hauntress of the Havens Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: IN it, but not OF it Posts: 2,724	Not that anyone's interested... I first heard of Tolkien when I was a high school freshman of nearly thirteen years of age, just before the FotR movie was released. I started reading and finished LotR just before TTT was shown in theaters (obviously almost fourteen by then), and joined the Downs a few months after. I read The Hobbit after I'm already two years dead. Last edited by Lhunardawen; 01-25-2006 at 01:00 AM.

01-25-2006, 04:10 AM	#17
ohtatyaro Wight Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: here, there, everywhere... Posts: 124	I'm 16 now, read LotR when I was 14 (or just going to be), the Hobbit later and Silm even later. Haven't read Homes and things yet , but hope to soon __________________ Reading this sig costs three Galleons, nine Sickles, and a Knut. Pay up!

01-25-2006, 06:01 AM	#18
Hilde Bracegirdle Relic of Wandering Days Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: You'll See Perpetual Change. Posts: 1,488	I believe I read the Hobbit (and Lord of the Rings right after it) at about 10 or 11. It is hard for me to nail down since the summers back then tend to run together in my memory. I read Silmarillion when it first came out here. I was high school age I think. In between I read what other of Tolkien's works I could get my hand on, but I still haven't finished them all.

01-25-2006, 10:16 AM	#19
Thinlómien Shady She-Penguin Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: In a far land beyond the Sea Posts: 8,385	My father read both The Hobbit and LotR aloud to me and my sister when I was six, or something like that. Then we continued with Sil and UT. I read LotR by myself when I was eight (and it took me half a year, I think...). __________________ Like the stars chase the sun, over the glowing hill I will conquer Blood is running deep, some things never sleep Double Fenris

01-26-2006, 02:50 PM	#21
Anguirel Byronic Brand Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: The 1590s Posts: 2,825	Actually I'm half-Scottish! __________________ Among the friendly dead, being bad at games did not seem to matter -Il Lupo Fenriso

01-27-2006, 12:21 PM	#23
the guy who be short Shadowed Prince Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Thulcandra Posts: 2,496	It would be interesting speculating who amongst us has passed the prestigious age of 100.

01-27-2006, 01:28 PM	#25
HerenIstarion Deadnight Chanter Join Date: Sep 2000 Posts: 4,301	I prefer to think that somebody is indeed more than hundred years old - I've included option at all because it was possible to have someone that old, even if improbable. Next time I feast, I drink his/her health (even more so if s/he is unscrupulous cheat ) edit: Just thought how wondeful it must have been to read the Hobbit as it first was published, and probably be in correspondence, or even meet with JRRT himself! __________________ Egroeg Ihkhsal - Would you believe in the love at first sight? - Yes I'm certain that it happens all the time! Last edited by HerenIstarion; 01-27-2006 at 01:31 PM.

01-30-2006, 01:06 PM	#27
JennyHallu The Pearl, The Lily Maid Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: In my luxury Barrow, snuggled up in a pile of satin pillows, eating fresh fruit. Posts: 1,686	You should compare your results against a general survey of internet users.

02-12-2006, 10:32 PM	#28
Lush Fair and Cold Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: the big onion Posts: 1,803	The kids are alright, eh? __________________ ~The beginning is the word and the end is silence. And in between are all the stories. This is one of mine~

02-13-2006, 10:19 AM	#29
Holbytlass Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: May 2003 Location: The Party Tree Posts: 1,096	I'm 32 now, will "come-of-age" in The Shire reckoning in a couple of months. Discovered the books in Aug/Sep of 2001 because of the movies. __________________ Holby is an actual flesh-and-blood person, right? Not, say a sock-puppet of Nilp’s, by any chance? ~Nerwen, WWCIII

02-17-2006, 05:14 PM	#30
Guinevere Banshee of Camelot Join Date: May 2002 Location: Switzerland Posts: 5,833	I read the Hobbit and LotR for the first time at the age of 50! ( 5 years ago) Discovering Tolkien was quite a revelation ! It was just what I needed at this point of my life - it opened up a whole new world and made my life so much richer . Not only did I set out to explore Middle-earth and learn more and more about Tolkien, but thanks to this I also discovered the internet (and therein the Barrowdowns) Before becoming engrossed with Tolkien I had never even used a computer! __________________ Yes! "wish-fulfilment dreams" we spin to cheat our timid hearts, and ugly Fact defeat!

02-11-2008, 07:14 AM	#32
Rikae Mellifluous Maia Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: A glade open to the stars, deep in Nan Elmoth Posts: 3,533	Hmm... well, didn't answer the optional part of this yet... I read The Hobbit when I was 7, if I recall correctly - LOTR when I was 8. I started the Silm when I was 8, lost the book, and finished it when I was 28.