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(Top) The Lord of the Rings
Peter Jackson's Landmark Film Adaptation

New Zealand director Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy released between 2001 and 2003 will most likely remain the definitive film adaptation of Tolkien’s work in most people’s minds for years to come. His meticulous attention to detail, his inclusion of authentic dialogue in Tolkien's imaginary languages, and his obvious love of the source material all combine to make the three films unforgettable. Nominated for a total of thirty Academy Awards and winning seventeen of them, the film trilogy was a success with both the popular and critical audiences. Recent news has been released that Peter Jackson will be producing a film version of Tolkien's The Hobbit as well as one other Tolkien-related film. The fans eagerly await them...

(Middle) Published originally in 1969, Bored of the Rings was a parody from the Harvard Lampoon of Tolkien’s work, although one which showed a keen knowledge of its subject matter. Tolkien’s languages were even given the Lampoon treatment. As an example, here is the Bored of the Rings version of “Namarie” or "Galadriel's Lament" found in The Fellowship of the Ring:

"Dago, Dago, Lassi Lima rintintin
Yanqui unicycle ramar rotoroot
Telstar aloha saarinen cloret
Stassen camaro impala desoto?
Gardol oleo telephon lumumbal
Chappaqua havatampa muriel
U canleada horsta wata, bwana,
Butyu canna makit drinque!

Comsat melba rubaiyat nirvana
Garcia y vega hiawatha aloo.
O mithra, mithra, I fain wud lie doon!
Valdaree valdera, que sera, sirrah,
Honi soit la vache qui rit.
Honi soit la vache qui rit."

("Oh the leaves are falling, the flowers are wilting, and the rivers are all going Republican. O Ramar, Ramar, ride quickly on your golden unicycle and warn the nymphs and drag queens! Ah, now who shall gather lichee nuts and make hoopla under the topiaries? Who will trim my unicorns? See, even now the cows laugh, Alas, alas." Chorus: "We are the chorus and we agree. We agree, we agree, we agree.")

(To bottom left of poster) Veggie Tales provided a take-off on The Lord of the Rings with its production of The Lord of the Beans: A Lesson in Using Your Gifts. This Veggie Tales episode relates the adventures of a flobbit [hobbit] named Toto Baggypants [Frodo Baggins] and his companions Randalf [Gandalf], Ear-A-Corn [Aragorn], Leg-O-Lamb [Legolas], and Grumpy [Gimli]. Along the road they are confronted by evil Sporks [Orcs] and other hazards. The conlang connection comes with a segment entitled "Silly Songs with Elves" wherein a fake Elvish singer (who looks suspiciously like Elvis) is berated by a real female cucumber-elf in “Elvish” (with subtitles).

(Bottom left) In addition to his complex languages connected with Middle-earth, Tolkien also created a language and writing system for his Christmas letters to his children written under the name of "Father Christmas." These annual correspondences from the North Pole were a Tolkien family tradition for years and are collected in The Father Christmas Letters. In one letter, Karhu the Polar Bear sent the children a letter in the "Goblin alphabet" and also revealed that the language spoken at the North Pole was Arctic. An example of Arctic was the sentence "Mara mesta an ni vela tye ento, ya rato nea" which meant "Goodbye till I see you next, and I hope it will be soon." Some will see a similarity between Arctic and Quenya. Here you see the Goblin alphabet and the letter that Karhu sent written in it.

(Bottom center) “A Secret Vice”
by J.R.R. Tolkien
One of the Founding Documents of Conlanging

Written in the early 1930s, “A Secret Vice” was J.R.R. Tolkien's apologia for language creation and was given as an address at a linguistics conference. Tolkien begins with praise for Esperanto and then goes on to relate his lifelong fascination with languages, his first attempts at language creation when a young boy, and his finding out that he was not the only “devotee” of the art during a boring camp lecture in World War I: “The man next to me said suddenly in a dreamy voice: ‘Yes, I think I shall express the accusative case by a prefix!’” Tolkien surmises that the man is only one of many “hidden craftsmen.”

“A Secret Vice” provides a succinct but important definition of “linguistic invention”:

“...the fitting of notion to oral symbol, and pleasure in contemplating the new relation established...”

Presaging the ideas in David J. Peterson’s "Conlang Manifesto" (see Exhibit Case #2), Tolkien goes on to say:

“In these invented languages the pleasure is more keen than it can be even in learning a new language...because more personal and fresh, more open to experiment of trial and error. And it is capable of developing into an art...”

Tolkien calls this new art “language-construction” or “the construction of imaginary languages.” The essay continues to define so

“In open fields of wild flowers she breathes the air and flies away. She thanks her Jesus for the daises and the roses, in no simple language someday she'll understand the meaning of it all”
Love Song For A Savior: Jars Of Clay, Jars of Clay

This album for Jars Of Clay did wonders for them to break out and break into the secular world. Jars of Clay is a Christian rock band, and yet many people loved their song “Flood” before they really realized that this was about God. The sad and funny thing is that I saw both sides to this. A lot of people in my church banned this band because the “Delved into the world and were now tainted…” Wow, seriously?

For me, I think this song is simply beautiful. We all worship in our own ways. Even not worshiping is one’s own way. I remember sitting back and hearing the leaders talk about this band and even this song specifically- judging it to pieces. I remember realizing that I had such better moments of worship listening, singing and playing this song that I had in many of the services they were so proud of….

I am just glad I escaped such legalism- but this song still hold such a strong chord in me for touching the divine. When I hear this I think of such a simple thing as love: when all we want to do is Love. This song is just that, an expression of love.

*** Artist Notes ***
An open field with wild flowers…

Lyrics:
in open fields of wild flowers
she breathes the air and flies away
she thanks her Jesus for the daises and the roses
in no simple language
someday she'll understand the meaning of it all
He's more than the laughter or the stars in the heavens
as close a heartbeat or a song on her lips
someday she'll trust Him and learn how to see Him
someday He'll call her and she will come running
and fall in His arms and the tears will fall down and she'll pray

I want to fall in love with You

sitting silent wearing Sunday best
the sermon echoes through the walls
a great salvation through it calls to the people
who stare into nowhere, and can't feel the chains on their souls

He's more than the laughter or the stars in the heavens
as close a heartbeat or a song on our lips
someday we'll trust Him and learn how to see Him
someday He'll call us and we will come running
and fall in his arms and the tears will fall down and we'll pray

I want to fall in love with You

it seems too easy to call You "Savior"
not close enough to call You "God"
so as I sit and think of words I can mention
to show my devotion

I want to fall in love with You

my heart beats for You