Frodo Dont Wear The Ring

The Fellowship of the Shootout

We're embarking on our longest-distance shootout in MotoUSA history with a handful of the latest Adventure Touring motorcycles. The more I think about our mishmash crew of testers, the more I see a striking resemblance to Frodo Baggins and his misfit band of brothers set out on their glorious, box-office-money-reaping journey. We're a few short of a full fellowship, but there're plenty of things we're a few short of... Here's how it breaks down, minus the matching capes. Bart Madson - Frodo Baggins - Our Managing Editor loves a good adventure. Touring is in his blood and he spent his childhood in a healthy portion of the region we're travelling through. This means he will often be in the lead. He does wear a ring, but not dangling around his neck by a chain that sears his wimpy hobbit skin. Nor does it make him invisible. In fact, his ring really has nothing to do with it. It's the GPS we've bequeathed upon him that is most symbolic. If successful, our Fellowship will bask in the glory of success, but he alone must bear the weight of failure. Justin Dawes - Gimli - Hard working and loyal, that's our cameraman Dawes. He's also the shortest, roundest and has the biggest beard. Sorry, J-Dawg, there's no other logical choice. He's definitely the last one we're going to toss across a yawning abyss of doom. Plus, if he holds his Nikon by its lens, it's almost like a battleaxe. Ron Maddox - Legolas - Ron is twice as old (minimum) and not nearly as fair-skinned or handsome, but he is skinny and sharp as a tack with his right hand. Like an elf prince shooting warts off smelly orcs, this adventurer is a surgeon with the throttle. He's nimble, lithe and loves technical riding. We'll be pushing him to grow silken locks of hair. JC Hilderbrand - Aragorn - I really have no reason for this other than I don't plan on shaving for the entire 10 days. That's mostly where the similarities stop.

Classics Corner: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien ...

, Which proved to be quite useful in helping Bilbo negotiate his way out nasty situations with giant spiders, orcs and a gold-hoarding dragon. However, the ring plays a different role in the Frodo’s life, because it turns out the that ring contains the power of Sauron, and now that he knows that it has not been destroyed or lost forever, he’s looking for it.

One Ring rule them all, One Ring to find them,   

So Frodo along with nine others, a number that matches the nine Dark Riders that are hunting him to get the ring, attempt to go to the land of Mordor to destroy the ring in the very fires that it was forged.  

When the film version was released years ago, I took an instant dislike to it because they omitted Tom Bombadil, who was one one of my favorite characters in the first volume. He does kind of play an important role in Frodo’s journey, at least in the initial stages. He saves the travelling hobbits twice from the dangers of The Old Forest. The other issue I had with the film was Elijah Wood’s wimpy rendition of Frodo. However it could just be that I’m a Elijah Wood hater…no it’s his sucky rendition. Other than that I enjoyed the movie, because ultimately I know what I was watching is just an interpretation.

If I had to choose the one thing that I absolutely loved about all three volumes, it would be the little songs and poems. I find the sprinklings of verse inside of the larger narrative very refreshing. I also think it is great that while on the surface it is an excellent fantasy it, like all good books do, addresses a few universal themes like the corrupting force of power, the significance myths and legends and the idea that all things at sometime must come to an end.

And now because I really don’t have much left to say, I leave you all with this ridiculous video.

It’s been so long since I’ve read Lord of the Rings, I probably am due for a re-read. To think, back then I was so shocked to learn Gollum had been a hobbit! I did miss Tom Bombadil in the movie, but I can understand why they left him out.