* “J.R.R. Tolkien and the Ethnography of the Elves”…
A key publication that Tolkien would have had access to is Jon Arnason’s Islenzkar þjodsogur og aefintyri (Icelandic folklore and fairy-tales), printed in Leipzig in 1862. The book contains a large collection of elf stories collected in the 19th century (pages 5–130), but of no less interest is the introductory material which reviews Icelandic information on elves and their characteristics, using 18th and 17th century sources as well as contemporary tales.
* Mythmoot X from Signum University, on the theme of “Homeward Bound”. 22nd-25th June 2023 at the U.S. National Conference Center. The theme allows a variety of interpretations, and for The Lord of the Rings (my guesses) might encompass: the rarely discussed homeward journey from Gondor to Bree; Frodo’s changed sense of home after his quest; the dwarvish conception of Moria as ancient home; or Aragorn’s return home to Gondor and his long-anticipated kingship. Note online attendance at Mythmoot is possible… “our remote [access] team creates an excellent experience for our distance attenders with broadcasts”.
* A call for papers from Germany, for their Tolkien Seminar 2023 on the theme of “The Visualisation of Tolkien’s Work”. The organisers seem most interested in visual depictions of landscapes and places, rather than characters.
* The next Annual Tolkien Lecture will be at the University of Birmingham, with John Garth presenting. Although Tolkien never attended the university in his home city, a wartime military hospital had been set up there in the central Great Hall. This hospital was where Tolkien was first brought from France. 12th May 2023 is the date of the Garth lecture and (if last year was anything to go by) the YouTube release should then be January 2024.
* And finally, a review of The Fellowship of the Ring in Concert at Radio City Music Hall…
Howard Shore’s exemplary [movie trilogy] score was performed by the Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine, with choir vocals provided by MasterVoices and Brooklyn Youth Chorus, featuring soloist Kaitlyn Lusk and conducted by Ludwig Wicki.