Abby Epplett, Historian

While I previously discussed the appearances of upper class hobbit-lasses from the Shire at the beginning of the Fourth Age during my article about Elanor Gardner Fairbairn , I wanted to expand upon this explanation to include more Shire Hobbits from this time who would appear in the framing device . The opening scene of the hypothetical animated musical would occur during Shire Reckoning (S.R.) 1482 on the day after Mid-Summer and feature a diverse gathering of hobbits. Their clothing style would reflect real-world fashion from the 1890s in Western Europe and North America, while their physical appearances or phenotypes would follow the descriptions first presented in the “Prologue: 1 Concerning Hobbits” , and further explained below. As a leading scholar of medieval studies, Tolkien must have been well-acquainted with the variety of cultures living in Europe throughout its history, and I believe The Lord of the Rings paralleled his interpretation of real-world people and eve...

I recently finished watching Tracing Your Roots through Food with Michael W. Twitty , a video series hosted on the streaming service MasterClass. During this course, Twitty used his vast knowledge of international cuisine, genetics, lingustics, and history to describe the food culture of the American South. Based in part on his book, The Cooking Gene , published by Amistad and winner of a  James Beard award in 2018 , Twitty emphasized the importance of understanding the relationship of the transatlantic slave trade and Black Diaspora to modern American cooking, especially the soul food tradition. His style of delivery balanced his kind, generous demeanor with serious discussion on heavy topics. Twitty described how he grew up in a family that loved to cook, citing his parents and grandmother as influences on his culinary interests. He turned a family interest into an academic passion. In 2011, he started the blog Afroculinaria as a platform for examining African Amer...

On the same day I visited Coggeshall Farm at Colt State Park in Bristol, RI, I went downtown to tour Linden Place , a mansion owned by the family of Samuel Pomeroy Colt. An extensive audio tour told the story of how the family came into its wealth, and how this wealth influenced the town around them.

Universally disliked by the Free People of Middle-earth, Orcs seemed to exist only to kill and destroy, and yet these people presented a moral dilemma: if orcs were truly evil and not human, they deserved death; however, if they showed an understanding of good and evil, even if they repeatedly did wrong, then targeting them was a race-based genocide. Tolkien was uncomfortable with the concept of his heroes being racist towards their enemies, yet the heroes were frequently racist towards each other, so this was not what set apart their treatment of orcs. The key difference was that orcs could be killed without repercussions. While Elves participated in kinslayings, Dwarves and Elves fought each other, and Men joked about hunting Hobbits, these actions were eventually seen as reprehensible, while the mass killing of orcs was viewed as acceptable, even a game.

Back in July, I visited my friend Jenny who lived near Washington, DC. During our trips around the capital, we toured the National Museum of African American History and Culture located on the National Mall . I had previously talked about the creation of the museum during my book review of A Fool’s Errand by founder Lonnie G. Bunch III , and I had learned more about the collection during the first day of the Smithsonian Education Summit in 2023 . I was excited to visit in person and see what I had long heard about.

From November 2 through November 4, I attended the 2022 Annual NEMA ( New England Museum Association ) Conference as a General Scholarship Recipient , which I received thanks to “ Connecticut Humanities and the Connecticut Office of the Arts ; MassHumanities ; Mass Cultural Council ; Vermont Humanities ; and NEMA Annual Appeal donors. After two years of attending virtually, the 104 th edition of the conference was back in-person at the Sheraton Hotel in Springfield, Massachusetts . Reinventing Membership for a Hybrid Future During the first session of the day, speakers Brendan Ciecko of Cuseum and Kathleen Porter of the Trustees spoke about their efforts to promote online and virtual programming for cultural organizations during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how this shift changed the way museum will interact with members in the future. Ciecko emphasized the changes made by other cultural organizations, relating the findings of the Cuseum study to a...

Continuing with my close read and historical comparison of the Prologue in Lord of the Rings: Part One, The Fellowship of the Ring , I move on to “3 Of the Ordering of the Shire”. This section begins by listing the parts of the Shire: North, South, East and West Farthings; Tookland; the East and West Marches of semiautonomous Buckland; and “the Westmarch added to the Shire in S.R. 1462” ( Fellowship , 10), offering the first piece of foreshadowing for the section. The rest of the section describes the lack of government and laissez-faire attitude of the nobility, the economy and rudimentary police force, and the postal service. Through this information provided in the text, I compare the culture of the Shire to other cultures in Western Europe to determine what equivalent time in history is the 15 th century of Shire Reckoning (S.R.) when the main story is set. Let’s Talk About Feudalism The Took family with its Fallohide ancestry and connection to the high king of Fo...

The Lord of the Rings was originally written as an exercise in speculative linguistics, and Tolkien scholars enjoy discussing the invented languages, unique words, and antiquated concepts found in the text. Of the many words and phrases that may bring discomfort to the modern reader because of the evolution of language and changing social attitudes is one of Sam’s favorite words: master. While a thesaurus might list “boss” or “manager” as synonyms, “master” connotates feudalism in Europe and slavery in the Americas. Interestingly, the negative connotation seems to have arisen after these periods due to the Nazi Party declaring whites a “master race” during the Holocaust, changes in Western social structure after World War II, and the rise of social movements during the 1960s and 1970s. The word was part of daily language from the 16 th to early 20 th century, as a boy of an upper class family or a man of low social status were given the title “master” opposed to the higher ...

In mid September 2022, I took a day trip to the Newbury and Newburyport area in Massachusetts, part of the Essex National Heritage Area and North of Boston . My first stop was the Custom House Maritime Museum in Newburyport. The 1834 Neoclassical stone building was designed by architect Robert Mills , who also laid out the plans for the Custom House in New Bedford and multiple famous buildings in Washington, D.C. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1971 for its former use as a United States custom house, making it a crucial part of the transatlantic trade system in the mid 19 th and early 20 th century. The custom house ceased operation in 1911, and the building fell into disrepair until its restoration by the Newburyport Maritime Society from 1972 to 1975. In late 2018, the building was official sold to the Society by the now-dissolved Newburyport Redevelopment Authority .

Once more continuing my mini series within a series on the Appendixes at the back of The Lord of the Rings, Part Three: Return of the King , I move along to “Appendix A, I The Númenórean Kings, (iv) Gondor and the Heirs of Anárion”. While last week’s section focused on the northern kingdom on Anor after the empire of the Númenóreans divided, this week’s section focuses on the southern kingdom, Gondor. Much like last week, this section is mostly about the Númenórean descendants having a rough time, often because of their own bad choices. Peoples opposing Gondor included the Black Númenóreans, the Men of Harad and Khad, Corsairs, Sauron and his orcs, Wainriders, and themselves, with each group paralleling people in real-world history and mythology. Fortunately, after pages of violent fighting, the conclusion of this section was satisfying and directly connected to the dialogue portion of the books. Color Symbolism, Black Númenóreans, and Men of Harad Black Númenóreans was...