The Lord of the Rings

Re-watching movies or re-reading books always bring fresh realizations and inspirations. I re-watched the Lord of the Rings (extended edition) recently. All three of them, starting with "The Return of the King", then "The Fellowship of the Ring" and ended with "The Two Towers".

And I discovered something out of each one.

I fell in love with Eowyn. Her character was  expanded and developed very much more in the extended edition of The Return of the King. Such admirable qualities she has, Eowyn. Two that stood out, without a doubt, was her courage and love. It struck me, as I watched her bracing herself and Merry as they stood at the edge of the battle on the Pelennor Fields. She took a deep breath, and said to Merry, but also partly to herself, "Courage, Merry. Courage for our friends." I was amazed. And of course, who can ever forget the love for her uncle, for her king, that gave her the courage and strength to fight and kill the lord of the Nazgul - the Witch-king of Angmar (one they said no man can kill, but Eowyn of course, is no man). So I think I've just found my new favourite character. I still love Aragorn to pieces though.

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In the Fellowship of the Ring, my favourite line always has been and always will be Boromir's last words as he lay on the ground, three arrows in his body, as pale as death. He was giving up hope, but Aragorn still spoke of hope. Boromir replied between gasps of breath, "I would have followed you, my brother; my captain; my king." And he falls into a deep slumber, never to awaken again. This line wasn't in the book, but I'm glad the writers put it in. It's where Boromir dies with honour, and acknowledges his king whom he shunned in the beginning. It always fills my eyes with tears.

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And one the best scenes in the Two Towers has to be where Smeagol fights with himself and commands Gollum to go away and never come back. Sadly, it didn't last. But it was a moment of triumph for the little good that was buried deep in Smeagol. That is something worthwhile to see because it reminds one to look beyond what lies on the surface; that there can be good in places you don't expect.

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Okay, I sound like some LOTR fanatic. But I'm not. Really.

I'm just really passionate about it. To an extent. You just gotta love the ingenuity of authors like Tolkien.

Anyhoos, I'm going a-travelling soon. And I reckon I'll be seeing some of the gorgeous scenery from LOTR in person. Wait for the photos!