The elves in Tolkien's mythos are a pretty complex group. There are a large variety of different kinds; some of them live in cavernous fortresses, some of them live in shining cities on islands or hills, some of them live in tree-cities like Lorien in LOTR. If you really want to get into all the elv...

I saw recently that Tolkien based the part of the story looking for the Last Homely House in Rivendell upon a book he had read about Iceland. That would certainly explain why the landscape he describes in that portion of the story is so bleak and rugged! Seeing the fact that the Bilbo of The Hobbit ...

I love Dumas as well, and would gladly re-read the Count of Monte Cristo or THe Three Musketeers, as they're better first-introduction books (since the first stands alone and the latter is the first book in the series).

Is War and Peace freely available? That was a great book as well.

I've always liked how Tolkien builds suspense in the Hobbit, even in scenes that wouldn't normally be that exciting. Drawing the introductions of the dwarves out is a great example, or breaking away from the start of the tale to give piecemeal descriptions of the hobbit hole, or what a hobbit is, or...

When it comes to politics I don't normally get emotional. However, today just listening and watching the coverage of the Obama Inaugration, I find myself getting very misty. I see only good things coming out of this administration. We need fresh ideas, a new direction, a new purpose in the world, a...

I haven't read War and Peace in a few years. It's a good book, if there were enough people willing to go through it, I'd read it again.

I think you misunderstand evolution here. A mutation is adaptive (ie it survives) only when it is as suited to its niche as the non-mutant. The niche has specific non-random features to which the mutant must attune. This would be a good time to remember John 8:7. Mutations are selected for only whe...

You're reading far too much into geo's post (as always). You really do have a bit of an issue with reading comprehension leading you to set up straw man arguments and red herrings. Paganism of all different mythologies was filled with gods (and if you'll note, I was rather specific in indicating Nor...

I say we go back to Yule, and focus on the family.

Screw this Jesus guy; his followers misappropriated his message and stole perfectly good festivals. We'd be better off without all of it.

Does anyone know when Christ was actually supposed to have been born, or has that been lost to the mists of time from association with the Germanic pagan holidays?