For this recap, I selected three more sessions I found of interest although they mostly landed in my ‘why not?’ category.
The Mirror of Gimli by Kate Neville arose from a prior talk she gave. It resulted in her considering the role of Galadriel, her conflicting tales various texts and versions and how love and hope played out between her and Celeborn.
A Passport to Faierie, Taliesin, Smith, and Tolkien’s ‘Starbrow ‘ Motif, by Erik Jampa Andersson. Beginning with Earendil, the earliest character through to Aragorn, Andersson addressed the starbrow and bard motif and how it was a core element of myth and fantasy.
He also included Smith of Wooten Major, while not of the Legendarium is predicated on the concept.
Unfortunately, I missed a bit of this one or remained groggy (it was 4am ET) and tagged to rewatch, because like the Courtly Love and Third Son it delved into the story telling structure, which has greatly interested me lately.
Gondor and the Afterlife of Rome: Imperial Decline and Restoration in Tolkien’s Legendarium was presented by Jo Messore a Ph.D. candidate at Exeter.
An interesting point she made that stuck with me was how in remembering Rome we remember how we think it was and not how it was in actuality.
She discussed how Aragorn handled inheritance and unifying cities and histories as a new place, not a reproduction or restoration. It is not a demonstration of historical power, but of moral idealism.
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