How did you begin to like LotR??

[shesabrandybuck]

I'm sorry if something like this has already been said, but I thought it would be cool to see how everyone began to like LotR.


Instead of being read bedtime stories before I fell asleep as a kid, my dad read me the Hobbit. I honestly don't remember how I felt about it, being so young, but it was a nice change. All my life my dad had LotR things around the house. My favorite was to play this LotR computer game he had, all I remember was being in Shelob's cave as Bilbo and thought it was the coolest thing ever. I am so happy that my dad got me into this whole "world of Tolkien" as you might say, and I am really proud of being a Tolkien for such a long time.


Also, my dad is the user Keith K if you remember him...

[Meriadoc Brandybuck]

Well, I first heard about LotR in 5th grade or so, when the first one came out in theaters. Some of the kids in my class had already seen it and thought it was great. I thought I would never see it because it's PG-13 and by the time I would be 13, it would no longer be "in". So... I did a book report on the Hobbit a year later or so, but for some reason I didn't connect it to LotR.
Skip ahead to when TTT came out. I saw it in theaters, and it confused the heck out of me (I hadn't seen FotR yet.) We bought FotR and TTT both extended and non-extended. Then I saw RotK in theaters (still confused) and bought it. I watched all three an insane amount of times. Then I read the book. I read it all (not including appendices) in 12 days. Then I joined Entmoot and all it's awesomeness.

[Curufin]

Well, I first heard about LotR in 5th grade or so, when the first one came out in theaters.

*feels very, very, very, very old, as she was 23 when the first one came out in theaters*

Well, I guess my very first introduction to Tolkien was when I was staying at my grandma's and found an illustrated book of the Hobbit that belonged to my uncle. I started to read it, but as I was only 6 or 7 the pictures of Gollum scared me to death, so I only read a very little.

Skip forward to 2001! I like Sci Fi at this point, but fantasy isn't really my thing. I guess I'm one of the group that sees D&D and all that stuff for nerds. Well, my brother and his friends are going to see FotR, and they insist that I go with them. Kicking and screaming (well, not literally, but I didn't have much desire to go, nonetheless), I went to the theater with them, and was blown away. I went and bought the books and read them as soon as possible, followed by The Sillmarillion, the UT, the Hobbit, and the HoME.

Unfortunately, having read all of this, I was sorely dissapointed (and disgusted) when TTT came out. My best friend had to hold me in my seat to keep me from storming out when we got to Window on the West...

It's kind of odd that I became a Tolkien fan because of the movies, and now can't stand the movies other than the fact that they introduced me to this incredible world!

[Valandil]

Originally Posted by shesabrandybuck

:
:
Also, my dad is the user Keith K if you remember him...

Well... WELCOME to Entmoot, shesabrandybuck, daughter of Keith K! Please tell your father that Valandil says 'Hello'! And that we'd love to see him around some more. He could teach riddling to a whole new generation!

[shesabrandybuck]

Originally Posted by Valandil

Well... WELCOME to Entmoot, shesabrandybuck, daughter of Keith K! Please tell your father that Valandil says 'Hello'! And that we'd love to see him around some more. He could teach riddling to a whole new generation!

I will be sure to tell him you said so! I will also try and convince him to come around more often. Glad to see some of you are familiar with him. He's a pretty cool guy

[Earniel]

My first brushes with Middle-earth were the David Day's Bestiarium and only years later the Hobbit, which I liked well enough but not overly. It took a long time, until after reading LoTR and the Silmarillion that I even connected the two books.

The moment I actually started to like Tolkien's writings was while reading LoTR, just after the birthday party, when Frodo, Sam and Pippin leave Bag's End at night. It connected with some half-magical childhood-memories of how we used to leave at early night on our yearly holiday (we left late because of the traffic) and bam, I was entranced in the story. It only got better as I read on.

Give my regards to your father, shesabrandybuck. He's well remembered here. And a warm welcome to you too.

[The Gaffer]

Originally Posted by Eärniel

The moment I actually started to like Tolkien's writings was while reading LoTR, just after the birthday party, when Frodo, Sam and Pippin leave Bag's End at night. It connected with some half-magical childhood-memories of how we used to leave at early night on our yearly holiday (we left late because of the traffic) and bam, I was entranced in the story. It only got better as I read on.

I know what you mean. Those bits are highly vivid and familiar, yet magical.

[shesabrandybuck]

Originally Posted by Eärniel

Give my regards to your father, shesabrandybuck. He's well remembered here. And a warm welcome to you too.

I shall, I'll call him tonight
And thank you for your welcome....
if that last sentence made sense..

[The Dread Pirate Roberts]

I'm a late bloomer. I had heard of Tolkien my whole life but never got around to reading his works. In the late 90s when rumors spread about a possible LotR movie I recalled that Tolkien was on my "to read" list and had been for years. Picked up the books and the rest is history.

[The Gaffer]

I remember Keith K. Does that make you our first "second generation" mooter?

I think the maps did it for me, especially the one of the Shire in the early chapters where you could follow where they were.

[katya]

I didn't know that! I always noticed Keith K because I had a teacher with the same name in high school. How fun! EDIT: I just realized I have another Keith K professor at college. How 'bout that.

I was forced to watch the Hobbit movie when I was little (scary!!) and my dad was always really into LotR when he was a kid too, but I didn't really like The Hobbit all that much.. The real trigger for me, I have to admit, was the FotR movie. I think I glimpsed a bit of Tokien's magic in it! I read the books the summer after that came out and that's when I joined the 'moot.

[Rían]

Originally Posted by The Gaffer

I remember Keith K. Does that make you our first "second generation" mooter?

My son was on for awhile as Meriadoc, but got too busy with football and wrestling, although he still loves LOTR, as do my other two kids and the dog.


(ok, just kidding about the dog! )


My husband tolerates our LOTR, but is not a fan himself. But as he is great in so many other important areas, I forgive him for that

[Curufin]

Yay, Katya! Glad to know I'm not alone...we had almost the same introduction to it. The book version of the Hobbit that I found at my grandma's was illustrated with pictures from the movie, and it was scary!!!

Too bad that after I read the books I started hating the very movies that introduced me to them.

[katya]

Originally Posted by Curufin

Yay, Katya! Glad to know I'm not alone...we had almost the same introduction to it. The book version of the Hobbit that I found at my grandma's was illustrated with pictures from the movie, and it was scary!!!

Too bad that after I read the books I started hating the very movies that introduced me to them.

Yay, I'm not alone too! I don't like the movies much anymore either.

[Mari]

My friend didn't believe that I could read fast in English. We made a bet, she pulled out the thickest book from her fathers shelve and let me read it. The book was LoTR and once I got into the story I read it within the time set for the bet. Must say that the English was quite difficult though.
I read it again in Dutch not long after and got much more out of the story

[The Sasquatch of Fangorn]

I grew up with LotR. My mum used to read it to me when I was 5 and I didn't realy like it. But than when FotR came to DVD on my birthday I wanted to read the books before I got the movie

[BeardofPants]

I read the Hobbit when I was 11, but didn't really enjoy it at the time (we had an awesome teacher - I wish I could go back and tell her how much I enjoy Tolkien now). I picked up LOTR when I was 14 after my boyfriend rec'd it. Powered through it, and have re-read both it & Hobbit several times now. I read the Silm more recently (post-movie, so aged 22-ish), and enjoyed it sufficiently enough to read through the bulk of the Histories of Middle-Earth & Unfinished Tales (and Letters).

[sisterandcousinandaunt]

In the 4th grade, I was kind of a problem, because I whipped through the lessons so fast. So my teacher gave me The Hobbit to keep me quiet, and I read the rest of them.

We had to wait for the Silmarillion to come out. Years later. It was a big deal.

[Keith K]

I was in eighth grade when a kid got up and gave a book report on The Hobbit. That was the first inkling I had that Middle Earth existed. I was able to read it for myself the following year, and a year after that I read LoTR for the first time.

I've been a fan ever since, and have even raised a few fans, as shesabrandybuck can testify. I'm very proud of her many accomplishments, but she will have to study long to comprehend the riddles of Keith K.

[sisterandcousinandaunt]

Originally Posted by Keith K

I was in eighth grade when a kid got up and gave a book report on The Hobbit. That was the first inkling I had that Middle Earth existed. I was able to read it for myself the following year, and a year after that I read LoTR for the first time.

I've been a fan ever since, and have even raised a few fans, as shesabrandybuck can testify. I'm very proud of her many accomplishments, but she will have to study long to comprehend the riddles of Keith K.

lol Thus speaks the proud pater.