There are many writers in the world of literature. Many more who have left their marks in the literary world. But none have come closer to Godhood the way J.R.R. Tolkien has. The magnitude of his works and the vastness of his followers could make up an entire nation. We are pretty sure in an alternate Earth where Tolkien did not write his Middle Earth stories, that world would have been a much worse place to love in. Tolkien is write up there with Shakespeare, Dickens, and Tolstoy. His words were literal magic, painting a universe far and wide where your wildest imaginations came true.
Peter Jackson’s three blockbuster LOTR movies were released in the 2000’s. Middle Earth became a household phenomenon. You can still go to the still erect LOTR filming locations in New Zealand like the Shire and Bag End. But there is one location you may not be able to visit anymore. It’s Tolkien’s very home, where he wrote the entirety of Lord Of The Rings, The Hobbit, and most of the Silmarillion. Many actors, including Gandalf actor Sir Ian McKellen and Gimli actor John Rhys-Davies, want to change that.
Unlike other writers of his stature, there is no centre devoted to J.R.R. Tolkien anywhere in the world. Yet. @ProjNorthmoor https://t.co/pzMg8Yk2t2 pic.twitter.com/jx2r5MVbcw
— Ian McKellen (@IanMcKellen) December 2, 2020
Tolkien’s home in Oxford, England at 20 Northmoor Road is up for sale. And the onus is on the fans to save what remains of the birthing place of the greatest fantasy epic the world has ever seen.
What Can We Do?
Project Northmoor is a fan funded campaign that was launched earlier this month. The objective is simple – raise enough money to buy J.R.R. Tolkien‘s house and renovate it. The goal is to recreate everything it was like when Tolkien wrote his Middle Earth tales. Everything from his study to the living hall would be returned back to pristine early 1940’s conditions. If the campaign is successful, fans could visit the house and relive the glory days of Tolkien when he was in his mental prime. There would be “retreats, writing seminars and cultural events” as mentioned in the campaign’s official website.
Enter John Rhys-Davies
John Rhys-Davies, who played the Dwarf Warrior Gimli in Peter Jackson’s Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, has joined in on the bandwagon. He endorsed Project Northmoor in an interview with EW:
“There is no focal point for Tolkien fans throughout the world. Right at the moment, the object is to secure one,” Rhys-Davies says. “If people had the chance of buying Jane Austen’s house 20 years after she died, or John Milton’s house, and missed the chance, today we would all be saying, didn’t anyone realize at the time what was happening? This is an extraordinary opportunity. If you are a Tolkien fan, it would be awful nice to be able to go and see where he sat down. I’m sure we can recreate his study.”
He goes on to add:
He was trying to recreate a history, a pre-Arthurian history,” said the actor. “There are still some silly people who say ‘oh, he’ll be forgotten in 200 years anyway.’ Yeah, I’m sure they said that about Giraldus Cambrensis too, and the myth of Arthur. I will lay money that Tolkien, of all the contemporary writers we’ve had, will be remembered in 1,000 years. Although we will know it’s not history, those pre-Arthurian myths will be part of our mythology in the way that the myth of Arthur is part of our history. Strong societies depend on the legends and the mythology that they have.”
We couldn’t agree more John Rhys-Davies. Let’s save our legends!!!
