So, the other day (or, more accurately, the other week, but I'm only just now getting around to blogging about it) I realized in the "Tolkien Trivia" interview with the Dwarf cast something very interesting happened. Granted, the whole interview is hilarious because the interviewer asks, "What is the most obscure piece of Tolkien trivia you know?" and the cast and crew members (including the director!) splutter.
One of them said, "He was born in South Africa?" (True. In Bloemfontein. You have just been educated.)
And then the clip cuts to Richard Armitage who calmly recites an incident in The Silmarillion where the Dwarves and the Elves fought over a pricless artifact, the Nauglamir, or Necklace of the Dwarves, which had been set with one of the three ultimate jewels, the Silmarils.
All very good. I instantly had strong feelings of hero worship for the man, since it is impossible for me not to hero worship someone like that who is dedicated enough to have read The Silmarillion. Because one does not simply read that book. It is about as bad as wading through the Old Testament! (I'm in Numbers right now, by the way. *tries to stay awake through the lists of clans*)
THEN I had my realization.
Richard Armitage did not use the word "Nauglamir". He said "Nauglafring". "Nauglafring" was the word for it in earlier editions of Tolkien's words, as published in The History of Middle-earth, particularly the first and second volumes, known as The Book of Lost Tales I and II.
HE'S READ THE BOOK OF LOST TALES.
Gah.
He is seriously amazing. In fact, that only other member of the cast who has more Tolkien geek qualifications than RA is probably Sir Christopher Lee, who actually met Tolkien. You can't beat that.
...Never mind me. I'll just be giggling in a fit of hero worship over here. Never mind me...
In Pace Christi,
Elyse
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