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Thursday, August 29
 

11:30am BST

Sched App Help
Thursday August 29, 2024 11:30am - 1:00pm BST
If you or someone you know need help with the Sched app on your phone, find us in the Ops room (tucked away behind the stairs), and we will try to help you! Ask at Registration for more info
Speakers
avatar for Elena Davison

Elena Davison

Oxonmoot Co-chair
Elena joined the Tolkien Society in 2012 at The Return of the Ring in Loughborough. They seemed like a good bunch and many a friendship blossomed that week. Over the next few years, she picked up running the art show at Oxonmoot, followed by chairing the event itself in 2015-2017... Read More →
avatar for Asli Johnston

Asli Johnston

Oxonmoot Co-Chair, The Tolkien Society
Asli (she/her) is a Chief Officer aboard the merchant ships.For those familiar with how a cargo ship's command line works ; a Chief Officer is first in command after the Captain, in charge of anything you can imagine including the Captain. For the ones not familiar; she is Riker to... Read More →
Thursday August 29, 2024 11:30am - 1:00pm BST
6 - Ruth Deech Building Foyer

12:00pm BST

In-person Walking Tour of Oxford
Thursday August 29, 2024 12:00pm - 2:00pm BST
Tolkien Society Trustee and Technology Officer Daniel Helen leads a walking tour of some of the chief locations associated with Tolkien in Oxford.

We will be publishing further leaving times of this walk to accommodate all those who want to come

N.B. The walk is roughly 3.5 miles in total and will take about 2 hours.
Thursday August 29, 2024 12:00pm - 2:00pm BST
8 - Meet at Porters' Lodge

12:00pm BST

Craft Room Challenge
Thursday August 29, 2024 12:00pm - 6:00pm BST
Join me in the Cottage of Lost Play to take on one of a number of challenges. Whether you're creative or not, there'll be something for you, from Lego to Sculpture and all things in between.

For online delegates, we will be issuing the challenges on the day so you can send us photos or videos of your creations - so look out for an email on 1st September.
Speakers
avatar for Anne Gooding

Anne Gooding

Anne joined the Tolkien Society in 2012 for the Return of the Ring and attended her first Oxonmoot that year. The Cottage of Lost Play (or the Art and Craft Room) started in 2013 as a space for fun. She first picked up LoTR as a teenager. She can’t remember when she first read The... Read More →
Thursday August 29, 2024 12:00pm - 6:00pm BST
2 - The Cottage of Lost Play (Craft)

12:00pm BST

Registration
Thursday August 29, 2024 12:00pm - 6:00pm BST
Collect your badge which gives you access to all the in person activities from the registration desk in the Ruth Deech Foyer.

Also a chance to meet the organisers and ask any questions about Oxonmoot.
Speakers
avatar for Megan Miller

Megan Miller

Oxonmoot Social Programme Lead, The Tolkien Society
Thursday August 29, 2024 12:00pm - 6:00pm BST
6 - Ruth Deech Building Foyer

12:30pm BST

In-person Walking Tour of Oxford
Thursday August 29, 2024 12:30pm - 2:30pm BST
Tolkien Society Trustee and Technology Officer Daniel Helen leads a walking tour of some of the chief locations associated with Tolkien in Oxford.

We will be publishing further leaving times of this walk to accommodate all those who want to come

N.B. The walk is roughly 3.5 miles in total and will take about 2 hours.
Speakers
avatar for Daniel Helen

Daniel Helen

Trustee, The Tolkien Society
Daniel is the Technology Officer and a Trustee of The Tolkien Society. Elected in 2014, he is mainly responsible for the Society's digital operations.
Thursday August 29, 2024 12:30pm - 2:30pm BST
8 - Meet at Porters' Lodge

2:00pm BST

Sched App Help
Thursday August 29, 2024 2:00pm - 4:00pm BST
If you or someone you know need help with the Sched app on your phone, find us in the Ops room (tucked away behind the stairs), and we will try to help you! Ask at Registration for more info
Speakers
avatar for Elena Davison

Elena Davison

Oxonmoot Co-chair
Elena joined the Tolkien Society in 2012 at The Return of the Ring in Loughborough. They seemed like a good bunch and many a friendship blossomed that week. Over the next few years, she picked up running the art show at Oxonmoot, followed by chairing the event itself in 2015-2017... Read More →
avatar for Asli Johnston

Asli Johnston

Oxonmoot Co-Chair, The Tolkien Society
Asli (she/her) is a Chief Officer aboard the merchant ships.For those familiar with how a cargo ship's command line works ; a Chief Officer is first in command after the Captain, in charge of anything you can imagine including the Captain. For the ones not familiar; she is Riker to... Read More →
Thursday August 29, 2024 2:00pm - 4:00pm BST
6 - Ruth Deech Building Foyer

3:00pm BST

In-person Walking Tour of Oxford
Thursday August 29, 2024 3:00pm - 5:00pm BST
Tolkien Society Trustee and Technology Officer Daniel Helen leads a walking tour of some of the chief locations associated with Tolkien in Oxford.

We will be publishing further leaving times of this walk to accommodate all those who want to come

N.B. The walk is roughly 3.5 miles in total and will take about 2 hours.
Thursday August 29, 2024 3:00pm - 5:00pm BST
8 - Meet at Porters' Lodge

3:30pm BST

In-person Walking Tour of Oxford
Thursday August 29, 2024 3:30pm - 5:30pm BST
Tolkien Society Trustee and Technology Officer Daniel Helen leads a walking tour of some of the chief locations associated with Tolkien in Oxford.

We will be publishing further leaving times of this walk to accommodate all those who want to come

N.B. The walk is roughly 3.5 miles in total and will take about 2 hours.
Speakers
avatar for Daniel Helen

Daniel Helen

Trustee, The Tolkien Society
Daniel is the Technology Officer and a Trustee of The Tolkien Society. Elected in 2014, he is mainly responsible for the Society's digital operations.
Thursday August 29, 2024 3:30pm - 5:30pm BST
8 - Meet at Porters' Lodge

6:00pm BST

Stewards Meeting (for in person Stewards in Oxford)
Thursday August 29, 2024 6:00pm - 6:30pm BST
Meet in the Mary Ogilvie lecture theatre foyer for the stewards' meeting. We will have the chance to try out the setup in the lecture theatre.
Speakers
avatar for Stuart Whitehouse (they/them)

Stuart Whitehouse (they/them)

High Steward (Oxford)
avatar for Elena Davison

Elena Davison

Oxonmoot Co-chair
Elena joined the Tolkien Society in 2012 at The Return of the Ring in Loughborough. They seemed like a good bunch and many a friendship blossomed that week. Over the next few years, she picked up running the art show at Oxonmoot, followed by chairing the event itself in 2015-2017... Read More →
Thursday August 29, 2024 6:00pm - 6:30pm BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre

6:30pm BST

In-person First Timers' Reception
Thursday August 29, 2024 6:30pm - 7:30pm BST
An opportunity for those new to an in-person Oxonmoot to meet new friends, and find out a bit more about the Oxonmoot community and experience from the organisers and other "old hands".
Speakers
avatar for Elena Davison

Elena Davison

Oxonmoot Co-chair
Elena joined the Tolkien Society in 2012 at The Return of the Ring in Loughborough. They seemed like a good bunch and many a friendship blossomed that week. Over the next few years, she picked up running the art show at Oxonmoot, followed by chairing the event itself in 2015-2017... Read More →
avatar for Shaun Gunner

Shaun Gunner

Chair, The Tolkien Society
Shaun Gunner is the Chair of the Tolkien Society. Shaun has served as the chair since 2013, and has worked to reshape the Society to be a more modern, more open and more international organisation. During Shaun’s tenure as chair, the Society’s membership has quintupled and now... Read More →
avatar for Asli Johnston

Asli Johnston

Oxonmoot Co-Chair, The Tolkien Society
Asli (she/her) is a Chief Officer aboard the merchant ships.For those familiar with how a cargo ship's command line works ; a Chief Officer is first in command after the Captain, in charge of anything you can imagine including the Captain. For the ones not familiar; she is Riker to... Read More →
LL

Lizzie Lock

First Timers Contact, Tolkien society
Any enquires about Oxonmoot.
Thursday August 29, 2024 6:30pm - 7:30pm BST
7.1 - The Marquee in the Quad

7:30pm BST

Welcome Dinner (Bookable)
Thursday August 29, 2024 7:30pm - 8:45pm BST
Booked via the In Person booking form.

All bookings for meals needed to be received by 8:00 am UK time on Saturday 13th August 2022.
Thursday August 29, 2024 7:30pm - 8:45pm BST
7 - Dining Hall

8:00pm BST

The Hunt For Gollum
Thursday August 29, 2024 8:00pm - 8:45pm BST

· INSPIRED BY THE WRITING OF J.R.R. TOLKIEN ·

"A light from the shadows shall spring..."

The script is adapted from elements of the appendices of The Lord of the Rings. The story follows the Heir of Isildur; the "greatest huntsman and traveller in Middle Earth" as he sets out to find the creature Gollum. The creature must be found to discover the truth about the Ring, and to protect the future Ringbearer.
Hosted by Paul Osborne a longtime friend of Director Chris Bouchard. The Hunt for Gollum was made available for free to download in 2009 reaching an audience exceeding 15Million so far!.

Inspired by the quality of this fan film Paul went on the make a very successful full feature based on the professor’s early inspirations in Welsh mythology based around the dark ages. Inspired by LOTR, the film was a great success and has lead to several successful film careers for both crew and actors.
Speakers
avatar for Paul Osborne

Paul Osborne

Exec. Producer, Movieworks
Exec producer for a successful Sheffield based independent feature film exploring the Celtic links for Tolkien's LOTR. The film was loosely based on the Welsh story of Culhwch and Olwen, the associated root 6th century links to Arthur & Merlin and other Welsh/Irish underworld mythologies... Read More →
Thursday August 29, 2024 8:00pm - 8:45pm BST
4.2 - Tsuzuki Lecture Theatre

9:00pm BST

Opening Ceremony
Thursday August 29, 2024 9:00pm - 9:15pm BST
Including an overview of the event, welcome from Tolkien Society Chair Shaun Gunner, and essential information to help you get the best out of Oxonmoot.
Speakers
avatar for Elena Davison

Elena Davison

Oxonmoot Co-chair
Elena joined the Tolkien Society in 2012 at The Return of the Ring in Loughborough. They seemed like a good bunch and many a friendship blossomed that week. Over the next few years, she picked up running the art show at Oxonmoot, followed by chairing the event itself in 2015-2017... Read More →
avatar for Shaun Gunner

Shaun Gunner

Chair, The Tolkien Society
Shaun Gunner is the Chair of the Tolkien Society. Shaun has served as the chair since 2013, and has worked to reshape the Society to be a more modern, more open and more international organisation. During Shaun’s tenure as chair, the Society’s membership has quintupled and now... Read More →
avatar for Asli Johnston

Asli Johnston

Oxonmoot Co-Chair, The Tolkien Society
Asli (she/her) is a Chief Officer aboard the merchant ships.For those familiar with how a cargo ship's command line works ; a Chief Officer is first in command after the Captain, in charge of anything you can imagine including the Captain. For the ones not familiar; she is Riker to... Read More →
Thursday August 29, 2024 9:00pm - 9:15pm BST
7.1 - The Marquee in the Quad & Online (Webinar Strand 1)

9:15pm BST

Pub Quiz
Thursday August 29, 2024 9:15pm - 10:45pm BST
Introduced in 2012 as an opening night icebreaker, Maggie and Mike Percival’s Oxonmoot Pub Quiz has become something of an institution.
To celebrate this 10th anniversary, this year we are trying something different - for the first time, we will combine the in-person and online quizzes into one. If you are in Oxford we'll help you find a group to form a team and meet friends both old and new. If you are joining us online, why not form a team with your smial, family, or friends - or play along by yourself. Full instructions for how to play will be provided on the day.
However you chose to join us, the quiz will test a wide range of Tolkien knowledge, but the emphasis is on fun!
Speakers
avatar for Mike Percival

Mike Percival

Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities (Head Dragon)
Mike Percival joined the Tolkien Society in 1983. A year later at his first Oxonmoot he thought to himself "the ambience of this party would be improved by using some stage lighting for the Ents". And the rest is history. Apart from doing tech at Oxonmoot almost ever since, Mike has... Read More →
avatar for Maggie Percival

Maggie Percival

Maggie Percival joined the Tolkien Society in 1979, and has been known to say that doing so changed her life. She is best known in Tolkien circles as a costumer, notably for Elwing the White and Aratalindalë, the latter being her second Best in Show set at the World Science Fiction... Read More →
Thursday August 29, 2024 9:15pm - 10:45pm BST
7.1 - The Marquee in the Quad & Online (Webinar Strand 1)

10:45pm BST

Online First Timers' Gathering
Thursday August 29, 2024 10:45pm - 11:30pm BST
An opportunity for those new to an Online Oxonmoot to meet new friends, and find out a bit more about the Oxonmoot community and experience from the organisers and other "old hands".
Speakers
avatar for Elena Davison

Elena Davison

Oxonmoot Co-chair
Elena joined the Tolkien Society in 2012 at The Return of the Ring in Loughborough. They seemed like a good bunch and many a friendship blossomed that week. Over the next few years, she picked up running the art show at Oxonmoot, followed by chairing the event itself in 2015-2017... Read More →
avatar for Shaun Gunner

Shaun Gunner

Chair, The Tolkien Society
Shaun Gunner is the Chair of the Tolkien Society. Shaun has served as the chair since 2013, and has worked to reshape the Society to be a more modern, more open and more international organisation. During Shaun’s tenure as chair, the Society’s membership has quintupled and now... Read More →
avatar for Asli Johnston

Asli Johnston

Oxonmoot Co-Chair, The Tolkien Society
Asli (she/her) is a Chief Officer aboard the merchant ships.For those familiar with how a cargo ship's command line works ; a Chief Officer is first in command after the Captain, in charge of anything you can imagine including the Captain. For the ones not familiar; she is Riker to... Read More →
Thursday August 29, 2024 10:45pm - 11:30pm BST
0.1 Online Only (Meeting Strand)
  Online

11:00pm BST

Telerin Circle (Drop In)
Thursday August 29, 2024 11:00pm - Friday August 30, 2024 1:00am BST
The Telerin Circle is one of the longest running recurring events at Oxonmoot. Hosted by Denis Bridoux, it provides an opportunity for members to read aloud their favourite passages from Tolkien’s works – or just to listen to others’ readings, and perhaps to discover something they had never encountered before.
Since the Circle is a reflective event, you will be expected not to comment on people’s choice of reading, as this can be done somewhere else, such as the bar. Advance registration is not necessary. Just bring your favourite passage ready to read. Out of courtesy, please aim for an approximate maximum 5 minutes reading time, in order to allow time for other readers. In the early days of the Circle, someone decided to read The Ride of the Rohirrim, and it left no time for anyone else! As most of Tolkien’s books will be available to read from, courtesy of Denis Bridoux, you may also decide what to read on the spot, or even to change your choice of reading, depending on what has been read before. Just make sure you return your book to the book pool at the end.
As this is a mixed live/online event, readers will alternate between live and online. When it’s your turn to read, begin by giving your name and where you are from before briefly explaining your choice of reading. Each reading will be followed by a short silence to allow for reflection before the next one begins.
Speakers
avatar for Denis Bridoux

Denis Bridoux

Originally from Northern France, Denis Bridoux discovered Tolkien in 1973 by reading The Hobbit in French, which transformed his life and chose to study English at University to read Tolkien in the original language. A member of the Tolkien Society since 1976, he attended his first... Read More →
Thursday August 29, 2024 11:00pm - Friday August 30, 2024 1:00am BST
3 - Edoras (Discussions & Activites) & Online (Meeting Strand)
 
Friday, August 30
 

12:00am BST

Jackbox Games: Middle-earth Edition
Friday August 30, 2024 12:00am - 1:30am BST
It's party time! Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Oxonmoot by playing Jackbox Games! Easy to learn, hard to stop playing, and all you need is a computer or other device.  You can actively join the game or judge others in the audience, just like Mandos would.
Speakers
avatar for Zhie

Zhie

Tears Unnumbered Pub
Zhie (librarian, professor, and writing coach) is the leader of Gondolin, the Milwaukee Wisconsin Smial of the Tolkien Society living in the greater Milwaukee area with husband Mark (aka Smaug), a fellow Tolkien aficionado, plus two cats, a tiny parrot, and a floofy terrier who thinks... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 12:00am - 1:30am BST
0.1 Online Only (Meeting Strand)

7:30am BST

Breakfast
Friday August 30, 2024 7:30am - 9:00am BST
Friday August 30, 2024 7:30am - 9:00am BST
7 - Dining Hall

8:30am BST

Yoga: Rise and shine in Middle-earth
Friday August 30, 2024 8:30am - 9:30am BST
The purpose of this session is to start the day refreshed and ready for all Oxonmoot has to offer. Each morning we will celebrate a different people, elves, dwarves, hobbits of course, and maybe orcs, or maybe wizards. We’ll start with gentle limbering movements, then stretching, and finally a brief guided meditation all to music relevant to our morning’s theme. Mind you, this is meant for all levels, so come as you are!
Speakers
avatar for Maureen Layden

Maureen Layden

Maureen began her love of all things Tolkien as a child, retaining a sense of wonder for nature, language, culture, myth, and the commitment to kindness and goodwill. She employs the professor’s values as physician for the US Veterans Health Administration and as a leader in quality... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 8:30am - 9:30am BST
3 - Edoras (Discussions & Activites) & Online (Meeting Strand)
  Hybrid, Drop-in

8:45am BST

A Cult Figure in his own Lifetime - The social responses to the Tolkien phenomenon.
Friday August 30, 2024 8:45am - 9:15am BST
In 1971, Sir Patrick Browne, a friend of Tolkien, wrote to him asking what it was like to be ‘a cult figure in his own lifetime’. Tolkien replied, 'Being a cult figure in one's own lifetime I am afraid is not at all pleasant.'

The word ‘cult’ has multiple connotations, particularly in the context of the era in which the question was asked. Was Tolkien a ‘cult figure’? Is he still a cult figure today, or do we need new words to describe his unique relationship with his vast fan base?

Chris Trwoga deconstructs Tolkien’s written response to Sir Patrick’s comments, and contrasts his fame and fandom then and now. He will further discuss how the letter reveals the contrast between Tolkien’s public personae in later years and the peculiar problems his unique status brought him.

There will be an exhibition of the actual letter, an association set of the Lord of the Rings and related ephemera following the talk.
Speakers
avatar for Chris Trwoga

Chris Trwoga

Chris Trwoga is a Tolkien collector and general bibliophile. As well as collecting, he is interested in the role of history and myth in giving meaning to landscapes and those who act in them. He has written a number of books on the theme and is currently working on a project to promote... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 8:45am - 9:15am BST
4 - Tsuzuki Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand 2)

8:50am BST

A Tolkien Onomasticon: The Need, and a Possible Approach
Friday August 30, 2024 8:50am - 9:10am BST
The creation of a complete onomasticon of Tolkien's works, compiling and exploring the names of his characters, would be of great use to the community. For the student of literature, the interplay between the etymology of names and the narrative role of characters is crucial. For the student of medievalism, the adoption and evolution of name forms and naming patters from early medieval texts into modern literature, and the diffusal of these trends from Tolkien's work into broader fiction, is of interest.

In attempting to construct such an onomasticon, we are led by von Feilitzen's musings on the construction of an Old English onomasticon, given at a working conference at Erlangen in 1975. This draws us back to a number of important questions that we must bear in mind when trying to construct an onomasticon of Tolkien's works. Which texts are we to use? How are we to present the data? How are we to deal with the complex questions of translation?
Speakers
avatar for Tristan Alphey

Tristan Alphey

University of Oxford
Tristan Alphey is a PhD student at St Cross College, Oxford, researching the social role of nicknaming in early medieval England.
Friday August 30, 2024 8:50am - 9:10am BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

9:00am BST

Art Show
Friday August 30, 2024 9:00am - 5:00pm BST
Friday August 30, 2024 9:00am - 5:00pm BST
6 - Ruth Deech Building Foyer

9:00am BST

Bake-Off Submissions
Friday August 30, 2024 9:00am - Saturday August 31, 2024 10:00am BST
Bring your cakes and bakes along to the judging table in the Ruth Deech table.

Awards will be announced later in the day.
Friday August 30, 2024 9:00am - Saturday August 31, 2024 10:00am BST
6 - Ruth Deech Building Foyer

9:10am BST

An Illusion of Historicity: Word-form and Word-sense in Quenya
Friday August 30, 2024 9:10am - 9:30am BST
Tolkien spent his life inventing and elaborating his own languages, exploring the aesthetic potential for relating the sounds of words with their meanings.  He used these invented associations to build an imaginary world where they would be real.  Looking back at the words that he invented we can discover the associations of sound and meaning that inspired them.  In the imaginary historical connections that they evoke, we can see how Tolkien viewed the aesthetic associations of the real-world languages that inspired his own inventions.  Quenya is a rich source for exploring Tolkien’s view of the aesthetics of the languages he knew.
Speakers
avatar for Christopher Gilson

Christopher Gilson

I'm the editor of Parma Eldalamberon, in which we publish J. R. R. Tolkien's writings about his invented languages and scripts.  I'm especially interested in Quenya and its entire history over Tolkien's lifetime.  I write poetry in and translate popular lyrics into Quenya.  
Friday August 30, 2024 9:10am - 9:30am BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

9:15am BST

Registration
Friday August 30, 2024 9:15am - 12:00pm BST
Collect your badge which gives you access to all the in person activities from the registration desk in the Ruth Deech Foyer.

Also a chance to meet the organisers and ask any questions about Oxonmoot.
Speakers
avatar for Megan Miller

Megan Miller

Oxonmoot Social Programme Lead, The Tolkien Society
Friday August 30, 2024 9:15am - 12:00pm BST
6 - Ruth Deech Building Foyer

9:20am BST

Student Heroes in the Writing Classroom
Friday August 30, 2024 9:20am - 9:50am BST
One of the most important aspects of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit is how easy it is to in-troduce to high school and college writing students. Tolkien’s work is relevant to their world and helps them process their own experiences in positive ways.

While J.R.R. Tolkien was writing The Lord of the Rings, an American contemporary, Jo-seph Campbell, was writing The Power of Myth and The Hero’s Journey. Campbell dis-covered that many cultures around the world wrote similar hero narratives. Typically the hero sets off on a journey, learns lessons with a mentor, overcomes obstacles, and gains wisdom to be shared back home.

In this talk I will trace Bilbo’s journey as it relates to Campbell’s theories and offer multi-ple ways to use the writers’ works to construct useful writing prompts for students. By understanding their own experiences as a hero’s journey, students recognize their strengths, embrace challenges, and appreciate their own worlds.
Speakers
avatar for D.R. Ransdell

D.R. Ransdell

Mystery Writer, University of Arizona
I'm a mystery writer living in Tucson, Arizona, where I get good swimming weather year-round. I have five mysteries featuring mariachi violinist Andy Veracruz, three featuring the adventures of the Campanello sisters, and a standalone, Party Wine, where the mayor of Monteleone turns... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 9:20am - 9:50am BST
4 - Tsuzuki Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand 2)

9:30am BST

Q&A for T.Alphey and C.Gilson
Friday August 30, 2024 9:30am - 9:40am BST
Q&A session for
  • A Tolkien Onomasticon: The Need, and a Possible Approach - Tristan Alphey 
  • An Illusion of Historicity: Word-form and Word-sense in Quenya - Christopher Gilson
Speakers
avatar for Tristan Alphey

Tristan Alphey

University of Oxford
Tristan Alphey is a PhD student at St Cross College, Oxford, researching the social role of nicknaming in early medieval England.
avatar for Christopher Gilson

Christopher Gilson

I'm the editor of Parma Eldalamberon, in which we publish J. R. R. Tolkien's writings about his invented languages and scripts.  I'm especially interested in Quenya and its entire history over Tolkien's lifetime.  I write poetry in and translate popular lyrics into Quenya.  
Friday August 30, 2024 9:30am - 9:40am BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

9:30am BST

Art Workshop: Watercolour on the iPad
Friday August 30, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am BST
I will demonstrate how the Procreate app on the iPad can emulate traditional media (and be a life-saver for artists with bad eyes). I will answer questions and demonstrate how to use brushes, blenders and layers. Participants bringing an iPad will get a little sampler set of the watercolour brushes I made, so they can try it out for themselves.
Speakers
Friday August 30, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am BST
2 - The Cottage of Lost Play (Craft) & Online (Meeting Strand)

9:30am BST

Online First Timers' Gathering
Friday August 30, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am BST
An opportunity for those new to an Online Oxonmoot to meet new friends, and find out a bit more about the Oxonmoot community and experience from the organisers and other "old hands".

In person First Timers who weren't able to make the gathering on Thursday evening are also most welcome to join us in the Edoras room.
Speakers
avatar for Elena Davison

Elena Davison

Oxonmoot Co-chair
Elena joined the Tolkien Society in 2012 at The Return of the Ring in Loughborough. They seemed like a good bunch and many a friendship blossomed that week. Over the next few years, she picked up running the art show at Oxonmoot, followed by chairing the event itself in 2015-2017... Read More →
avatar for Asli Johnston

Asli Johnston

Oxonmoot Co-Chair, The Tolkien Society
Asli (she/her) is a Chief Officer aboard the merchant ships.For those familiar with how a cargo ship's command line works ; a Chief Officer is first in command after the Captain, in charge of anything you can imagine including the Captain. For the ones not familiar; she is Riker to... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am BST
0.1 Online Only (Meeting Strand)

9:30am BST

Bake-off judging
Friday August 30, 2024 9:30am - 11:00am BST
Speakers
avatar for Shaun Gunner

Shaun Gunner

Chair, The Tolkien Society
Shaun Gunner is the Chair of the Tolkien Society. Shaun has served as the chair since 2013, and has worked to reshape the Society to be a more modern, more open and more international organisation. During Shaun’s tenure as chair, the Society’s membership has quintupled and now... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 9:30am - 11:00am BST
6 - Ruth Deech Building Foyer

9:30am BST

Craft Room
Friday August 30, 2024 9:30am - 12:15pm BST
Drop in to the Craft Room in person or online to join Anne for chat and sharing of activities.

Lots of ideas will be available for you to try, or just enjoy the company.
Speakers
avatar for Anne Gooding

Anne Gooding

Anne joined the Tolkien Society in 2012 for the Return of the Ring and attended her first Oxonmoot that year. The Cottage of Lost Play (or the Art and Craft Room) started in 2013 as a space for fun. She first picked up LoTR as a teenager. She can’t remember when she first read The... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 9:30am - 12:15pm BST
2 - The Cottage of Lost Play (Craft) & Online (Meeting Strand)

9:30am BST

Dealers Room
Friday August 30, 2024 9:30am - 5:00pm BST
Friday August 30, 2024 9:30am - 5:00pm BST
5 - Danson Room (Dealers)

9:40am BST

Break
Friday August 30, 2024 9:40am - 9:50am BST
Technical break - 10 mins
Friday August 30, 2024 9:40am - 9:50am BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

9:50am BST

Book Launch: The Romantic Spirit in the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien
Friday August 30, 2024 9:50am - 10:10am BST
Autumn marks the publication of the new Walking Tree Publishers edited volume by Will Sherwood and Dr Julian Eilmann: 'The Romantic Spirit in the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien'. To celebrate this new step in Tolkien scholarship, this 'paper' will address the questions 'Why was Romanticism central to Tolkien's creativity?', 'What does this volume add to Tolkien research?', and 'How does Tolkien’s Romanticism speak to present-day audiences?' It will be a brief overview but cultivates a new avenue of Tolkien scholarship. It will achieve this by providing insights into several groundbreaking chapters from the book, situating Tolkien's Romanticism within the Romanticist criticism of the early twentieth century, and considering how Romanticism and Tolkien's legacies are inextricably interlaced. The latter generating a secondary world that is imbued with Romantic aesthetics and ideals that speaks to modern audiences during political, national, and ecological crises.
Speakers
avatar for Will Sherwood

Will Sherwood

PhD in English Literature, University of Glasgow
Will Sherwood is currently writing his PhD ‘"I sit beside the fire and think": J.R.R. Tolkien’s Romanticism and its Cultural Legacies' at the University of Glasgow under the supervision of Professors Dimitra Fimi and Matthew Sangster. He has co-edited 'The Romantic Spirit in the... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 9:50am - 10:10am BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

9:55am BST

“‘Let Ghan-buri-Ghan finish!’: J.R.R. Tolkien, Climate Activism, and the Amplification of the Indigenous Voice”
Friday August 30, 2024 9:55am - 10:25am BST
This essay explores the voices Tolkien recognizes in the indigenous population of his Middle-earth. It contextualizes a reading of The Lord of the Rings through ideas presented by climate activist Amitav Ghosh and author bell hooks. Ghan-buri-Ghan and his Wild Men provide invaluable assistance to the Riders of Rohan. In exchange the leader asks only that the Woses of the Druadan Forest no longer be hunted. Tolkien does something different than use his fiction to attempt to give voice to the Woses. Instead he attempts to amplify the voices that they already possess. Their voices will resonate with a message given by creatures of nature as well. Ultimately, the essay points to Tolkien’s resistance (religious and secular) to a cultural reflex that distorts, mutes, or otherwise ignores the voices of subaltern populations (and species). Today, we could stand to recognize that other species and other communities of humans do indeed have voices, if we only let them.
Speakers
CV

Christopher Vaccaro

Senior Lecturer, University of Vermont
Friday August 30, 2024 9:55am - 10:25am BST
4 - Tsuzuki Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand 2)

10:00am BST

Hobbit Hike
Friday August 30, 2024 10:00am - 12:15pm BST
Ever thought that a bit of fresh air and exercise would be a good thing at Oxonmoot?

Join Maggie on a gentle hike (approximately 2 miles each way) across the University Parks and along the banks of the Cherwell. A short delay may happen at The Victoria Arms, but we need to be back in time for the early evening programme items, so it won't be a long one!

Please wear sensible shoes. Note that in the event of inclement weather this may be cancelled or re-arranged at short notice.
Speakers
avatar for Maggie Percival

Maggie Percival

Maggie Percival joined the Tolkien Society in 1979, and has been known to say that doing so changed her life. She is best known in Tolkien circles as a costumer, notably for Elwing the White and Aratalindalë, the latter being her second Best in Show set at the World Science Fiction... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 10:00am - 12:15pm BST
8 - Meet at Porters' Lodge
  In Person Only

10:10am BST

Romantic Tendencies in Visual Art: J.R.R. Tolkien's gate of ‘Faërie’ and William Blake’s ‘doors of perception’.
Friday August 30, 2024 10:10am - 10:30am BST
The visual art of J.R.R. Tolkien which, has until recently, been overshadowed by his literary texts, ‘deserves to be as well known as his writings’ (Hammond and Scull), appears to have started an emergence of the acknowledgment of Tolkien's art with the publications of LotR and Sil, both with the author’s illustrations. Through research of ‘indirect artistic’ links between the art of William Blake and Tolkien, it is clear that much of Tolkien's art has Romantic tendencies. ‘The Book of Thel’ and ‘Mirkwood’ appear to be very different but closer examination suggests that each is a piece of Romantic art. Tolkien's ‘definition of the Imagination…foregrounds the visual’ (MacLeod and Smol) suggests that the gate of ‘Faërie’ has much in common with Blake’s ‘doors of perception’. By comparing Blake’s and Tolkien's artwork we can explore this Romantic tendency in their art, and perhaps it is time that we perceived their artwork differently so that we may (re)enter Faërie in our own reality.
Speakers
Friday August 30, 2024 10:10am - 10:30am BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

10:30am BST

Q&A for W.Sherwood and A.Rogers
Friday August 30, 2024 10:30am - 10:40am BST
Q&A session for:
  • Book Launch: The Romantic Spirit in the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien - W.Sherwood
  • Romantic Tendencies in Visual Art: J.R.R. Tolkien's gate of ‘Faërie’ and William Blake’s ‘doors of perception’. - A.Rogers
Speakers
avatar for Will Sherwood

Will Sherwood

PhD in English Literature, University of Glasgow
Will Sherwood is currently writing his PhD ‘"I sit beside the fire and think": J.R.R. Tolkien’s Romanticism and its Cultural Legacies' at the University of Glasgow under the supervision of Professors Dimitra Fimi and Matthew Sangster. He has co-edited 'The Romantic Spirit in the... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 10:30am - 10:40am BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

10:30am BST

LoTR Movie Horses, Viggo...and Me!
Friday August 30, 2024 10:30am - 11:00am BST
This one is for the fans, its purpose being to 'fill up the corners'! I hope the slides and talk will offer a little light relief and fun. I plan to take you on parts of my journeys in New Zealand, where I met owners and equine movie stars. The first, Jane Leneghan (nee Abbott), Lyv Tyler's stunt riding-double, gave a home to Aragorn's horse Brego (aka Ureaus). Jane's main movie horse 'Asfaloth' (aka Florian) was gifted to her at the end of filming by Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn). She also homed several Black Rider horses (Chico being one), Rohan horses, and (one of) Gandalf's cart ponies, Clydee. I had the privilege of riding both Florian and Chico, and scratching that 'hard-to-reach' itch on Uraeus' rump when he was an old fellow! This latter action was indirectly involved when I met Viggo in 2016!  Finally, I met Linda Boulton, who loaned several of her 'Gypsy Vanner' cobs for Thorin (aka Richard Armitage)and Co. to ride in TH movie; and I rode one, Savannah (Thorin's mount).
Speakers
avatar for Maggie Bailey

Maggie Bailey

Long time fan of all books and movies, especially horse related! I have had the privilege of riding several of the LoTR Movie Horses (in New Zealand) and have visited almost all of the NZ film locations used for LoTR and The Hobbit. I have watched the new Rings of Power series 1... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 10:30am - 11:00am BST
4 - Tsuzuki Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand 2)

10:30am BST

Sched App Help
Friday August 30, 2024 10:30am - 11:45am BST
If you or someone you know need help with the Sched app on your phone, find us in the Ops room (tucked away behind the stairs), and we will try to help you! Ask at Registration for more info
Speakers
avatar for Elena Davison

Elena Davison

Oxonmoot Co-chair
Elena joined the Tolkien Society in 2012 at The Return of the Ring in Loughborough. They seemed like a good bunch and many a friendship blossomed that week. Over the next few years, she picked up running the art show at Oxonmoot, followed by chairing the event itself in 2015-2017... Read More →
avatar for Asli Johnston

Asli Johnston

Oxonmoot Co-Chair, The Tolkien Society
Asli (she/her) is a Chief Officer aboard the merchant ships.For those familiar with how a cargo ship's command line works ; a Chief Officer is first in command after the Captain, in charge of anything you can imagine including the Captain. For the ones not familiar; she is Riker to... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 10:30am - 11:45am BST
6 - Ruth Deech Building Foyer

10:30am BST

Musical Ring
Friday August 30, 2024 10:30am - 12:00pm BST
This is an opportunity to perform music or sing in an informal and supportive setting. We'll form a ring (if the room format and numbers allow) and go round with those who wish to do so performing a song or piece of music - whether that's a song from the movies, your own setting or composition, a filk (parody) song or another piece of music. There will also be some songs for everyone who wishes to join in and sing / play along. (If you want to look at these singalongs in advance, there are words/chords attached on Sched plus mp3 demos for a couple where the tunes may be unfamiliar). The session will be hybrid and online performances will also be welcome. Performances should be short however (song length) so we can get round as many as possible. If there is spare time we can try and go round again for additional contributions. There's no minimum (or maximum) musical standard, all performances will be positively received, and if you want to come along and just listen, that is fine too. If you're travelling and can't bring your instrument we may be able to lend you one on the day.
Speakers
avatar for Pete Clark

Pete Clark

Pete has been involved in filking (parody singing) for three decades and was a founder member of the Oxford Tolkien Society filk band, the Taruithorn Singers. He does occasionally write and sing non parody songs!
Friday August 30, 2024 10:30am - 12:00pm BST
3 - Edoras (Discussions & Activites) & Online (Meeting Strand)

10:40am BST

Break
Friday August 30, 2024 10:40am - 10:50am BST
Technical break - 10 mins
Friday August 30, 2024 10:40am - 10:50am BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

10:50am BST

"And its Folks are Queerer": Queer Marginality and the Chosen Family Dynamics of the Bagginses of Bag-End
Friday August 30, 2024 10:50am - 11:10am BST
Though language has evolved, to be “Queer” folk has always been a process of being forced into the margins of society by cultural heteronormativity. It is in this forced marginality that the concept of “Chosen Family” has become intrinsic to the Queer community. It is through “Chosen Family” that people who have become alienated from their biological families, and society at large, find joy, love, acceptance and companionship in a hostile and difficult world. Though Tolkien may not have been intending so, the Bagginses of Bag-End exemplify this dynamic. It is in Bag-End that Bilbo and Frodo created a safe space for the queer folk of hobbit society. This paper will explore the features of both Bilbo and Frodo that mark them as marginal in their community and which contribute to their home being considered “a queer place, and its folk are queerer”. We can, through comparison to real-life “Chosen Family” dynamics, understand why the Bagginses of Bag-End resonate with queer readers.
Speakers
avatar for Mercury Natis

Mercury Natis

Mercury Natis (they/them) is currently pursuing their second Masters with Signum University in Imaginative Literature, and hopes to pursue a Tolkien Studies PhD in the future. They earned their first MA in Museum Education, with a background in Art History. Their primary focus is... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 10:50am - 11:10am BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

11:05am BST

Introducing the German Tolkien Society
Friday August 30, 2024 11:05am - 11:35am BST
Why choose just one Tolkien Society when there are many to explore? We are proud to present the German Tolkien Society. For us, borders were never a constraint. Since our foundation in 1997/98, we've been determined to connect with other Tolkien Societies and enthusiasts who share our passion. With over 1500 dedicated members, we bring together diverse personalities and lifestyles, united in our love for Tolkien and his works — whether it's through one of our six engaging podcasts or in-person at one of our 25 lively smials.

Each year at Tolkien Thing, our annual gathering, we not only invite a distinguished Guest of Honour from the international Tolkien community, but also a Guest Society to share their unique experiences. Our Tolkien Seminar, an annual international conference, welcomes scholars from all around the world. And Tolkien Days has grown into the largest Tolkien-themed event on the global stage. We are truly excited to meet you at the much-anticipated Oxonmoot!
Speakers
avatar for Tobias M. Eckrich

Tobias M. Eckrich

Chairman, German Tolkien Society
Friday August 30, 2024 11:05am - 11:35am BST
4 - Tsuzuki Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand 2)

11:10am BST

“Éowyn it was, and Dernhelm also”: Reading the ‘Wild Shieldmaiden’ Through a Queer Lens.
Friday August 30, 2024 11:10am - 11:30am BST
The Éowyn we first meet in 'The Two Towers' is a woman who has been traumatised by the loss of her parents at a young age, the recent loss of her cousin Théodred, the apparent weakening of her uncle Théoden, and her inability to escape the lascivious gaze of Wormtongue. Marginalised by her gender and by social expectation, her desire to find purpose in her life as a shieldmaiden is repeatedly thwarted. Seeking to reclaim control over her life and to make her own choices, she rides out with the Rohirrim not as Éowyn, but as Dernhelm.
Past scholars have usually read this as Éowyn taking on the guise of a man to achieve her desire to fight; viewed through a queer lens, however, something different is revealed. Reading her character through scholars such as Judith Butler and Jack Halberstam, I propose that Dernhelm is not a disguise at all but an intrinsic part of Éowyn: an outward projection of her masculine femininity in a non-normative expression of gender.
Speakers
avatar for Sara Brown

Sara Brown

Chair of Faculty for Language and Literature, Signum University
Dr Sara Brown lives in North Wales, UK. She is Chair of the Language and Literature Faculty at Signum University, USA, where she has taught on courses with Corey Olsen, Verlyn Flieger, Dimitra Fimi, Robin Reid, Doug Anderson, Amy Sturgis, and John Garth. Sara currently serves on the... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 11:10am - 11:30am BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

11:30am BST

Q&A for M.Natis and S.Brown
Friday August 30, 2024 11:30am - 11:40am BST
Q&A session for:
  • "And its Folks are Queerer": Queer Marginality and the Chosen Family Dynamics of the Bagginses of Bag-End - Mercury Natis
  • “Éowyn it was, and Dernhelm also”: Reading the ‘Wild Shieldmaiden’ Through a Queer Lens. - Dr Sarah Brown
Speakers
avatar for Sara Brown

Sara Brown

Chair of Faculty for Language and Literature, Signum University
Dr Sara Brown lives in North Wales, UK. She is Chair of the Language and Literature Faculty at Signum University, USA, where she has taught on courses with Corey Olsen, Verlyn Flieger, Dimitra Fimi, Robin Reid, Doug Anderson, Amy Sturgis, and John Garth. Sara currently serves on the... Read More →
avatar for Mercury Natis

Mercury Natis

Mercury Natis (they/them) is currently pursuing their second Masters with Signum University in Imaginative Literature, and hopes to pursue a Tolkien Studies PhD in the future. They earned their first MA in Museum Education, with a background in Art History. Their primary focus is... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 11:30am - 11:40am BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

11:40am BST

Break
Friday August 30, 2024 11:40am - 11:50am BST
Technical break - 10 mins
Friday August 30, 2024 11:40am - 11:50am BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

11:40am BST

Oxonmoot - are we Prisoners or Deserters?
Friday August 30, 2024 11:40am - 12:10pm BST
Oxonmoot offers us an opportunity to step out of the mundane and join like minded people for a few days in another time.  Like Lothlorien time flows differently there, but are we hiding from reality, or equipping ourselves to return to our other lives refreshed?
Speakers
avatar for Lyn Wilshire

Lyn Wilshire

Lyn is a long-standing member of the Tolkien Society, and was a Trustee up to the 2021 AGM. She has participated in the Masquerade and Ents in the past, contributing skits, sketches and musical moments, although the latter are within a group and she is not allowed a microphone. At... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 11:40am - 12:10pm BST
4 - Tsuzuki Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand 2)

11:50am BST

Is the Barrel Scraped Empty Yet? Tolkien and "She" Once Again
Friday August 30, 2024 11:50am - 12:20pm BST
In the unending quest for “Tolkien’s sources”, many have commented on the obvious influences on his writings from H. Rider Haggard’s 1886 adventure novel "She". Some treatments have been quite detailed, such as Holly Ordway’s in "Tolkien’s Modern Reading". Has this particular barrel now been scraped empty?
It is the contention of this paper that it has not, and that the effects of Rider Haggard’s text may be found not only in parallels between Queen Ayesha in "She" and Tolkien’s Galadriel, or between the Sherd of Amenartas and the Book of Mazarbul, but are pervasive and to be discovered even in small details of style and attitudes, and in "The Hobbit" and "The Silmarillion" as well as in "The Lord of the Rings".
Speakers
avatar for Nils Ivar Agøy

Nils Ivar Agøy

NILS IVAR AGØY is Professor of Modern History at the University of South-Eastern Norway. He is a founding member of Arthedain – The Tolkien Society of Norway (1981) and has written and spoken extensively on Tolkienian subjects. He has also translated several of Tolkien's books... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 11:50am - 12:20pm BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

12:00pm BST

STACs Coffee Shop Open for Lunch
Friday August 30, 2024 12:00pm - 2:00pm BST
In addition to drinks, cakes, paninis, toasties, etc. STACs Coffee Shop offers a selection of handmade pizzas using sustainably sourced sourdough bases and a small selection of bottled beers, wines and soft drinks. The ideal way to grab a quick meal without leaving site.
Friday August 30, 2024 12:00pm - 2:00pm BST
7 - STACs Coffee Shop

12:15pm BST

Break
Friday August 30, 2024 12:15pm - 12:45pm BST
Technical break and setup
Speakers
avatar for Mike Percival

Mike Percival

Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities (Head Dragon)
Mike Percival joined the Tolkien Society in 1983. A year later at his first Oxonmoot he thought to himself "the ambience of this party would be improved by using some stage lighting for the Ents". And the rest is history. Apart from doing tech at Oxonmoot almost ever since, Mike has... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 12:15pm - 12:45pm BST
4 - Tsuzuki Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand 2)

12:15pm BST

The Crafting Challenge (2)
Friday August 30, 2024 12:15pm - 1:15pm BST
This is a challenge with a difference, aiming to appeal to everyone. We hope the result we be used at the party on Friday night no skills are required - just an ability to be, well, creative!

Join us, and have fun!
Speakers
avatar for Anne Gooding

Anne Gooding

Anne joined the Tolkien Society in 2012 for the Return of the Ring and attended her first Oxonmoot that year. The Cottage of Lost Play (or the Art and Craft Room) started in 2013 as a space for fun. She first picked up LoTR as a teenager. She can’t remember when she first read The... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 12:15pm - 1:15pm BST
2 - The Cottage of Lost Play (Craft) & Online (Meeting Strand)

12:45pm BST

Pointless Middle-earth
Friday August 30, 2024 12:45pm - 1:30pm BST
Middle-earth is Pointless!

In this Tolkien version of the gameshow "Pointless", four teams will be tested as they seek to come up with a pointless answer to a simple question - that is one which none of our sample of Tolkien fans at previous events came up with when asked the same question.

You can play along in the audience, or just enjoy their struggles!
Speakers
avatar for Mike Percival

Mike Percival

Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities (Head Dragon)
Mike Percival joined the Tolkien Society in 1983. A year later at his first Oxonmoot he thought to himself "the ambience of this party would be improved by using some stage lighting for the Ents". And the rest is history. Apart from doing tech at Oxonmoot almost ever since, Mike has... Read More →
avatar for Maggie Percival

Maggie Percival

Maggie Percival joined the Tolkien Society in 1979, and has been known to say that doing so changed her life. She is best known in Tolkien circles as a costumer, notably for Elwing the White and Aratalindalë, the latter being her second Best in Show set at the World Science Fiction... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 12:45pm - 1:30pm BST
4 - Tsuzuki Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand 2)

1:00pm BST

A Tale of Two Laments: Boromir and the Four Airts
Friday August 30, 2024 1:00pm - 1:30pm BST
When seeking influences that may have inspired the "Lament for Boromir", researchers have turned to a variety of cultures, time periods, ritual practices, and literary styles.  Beowulf, Icelandic sagas, and medieval lays have all been held up for consideration, but few authors have mentioned the distinctive structure of the lament, reminiscent of "the four airts", or the Four Winds, a Celtic ritual concept which made its way into poetry and other writings in the 19th and early 20th centuries.  While Rudyard Kipling's "The English Flag" (1891) (a Saxon paean to empire which makes use of the Celtic concept for its structure) may have been familiar to Tolkien, an Irish lament by a popular young poet and champion of the Celtic Revival and Irish Nationalism seems to be a much closer match.  Come listen to her poem and see what you think!
Speakers
avatar for Marilyn R. Pukkila

Marilyn R. Pukkila

Librarian Emerita, Colby College
Marilyn (she/her) is Research Librarian Emerita at Colby College, where she taught courses on Tolkien’s Sources, Women in Myth and Fairy Tale, Religious Responses to Harry Potter, and the Religion of Contemporary Witchcraft. She discovered podcasts a few years ago and is now on... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 1:00pm - 1:30pm BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

1:00pm BST

ATHRABETH FINROD AH ANDRETH, A PLAY
Friday August 30, 2024 1:00pm - 2:30pm BST
Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth is the fourth part of the book Morgoth's Ring. It consists of a discussion between two characters, Finrod Felagund, an Elven King, and Andreth, a mortal woman that took place during the Siege of Angband. Their discussion deals with the metaphysical differences between Elves and Men and the imbalances between their fates. The conclusions they come to concern the role of Men beyond Arda and even the Second Music. Towards the end, it also brings in Andreth's love for Aegnor and his reasons for refusing to return it, explained tenderly by Finrod.
Speakers
avatar for Denis Bridoux

Denis Bridoux

Originally from Northern France, Denis Bridoux discovered Tolkien in 1973 by reading The Hobbit in French, which transformed his life and chose to study English at University to read Tolkien in the original language. A member of the Tolkien Society since 1976, he attended his first... Read More →
avatar for Pauline Fleck

Pauline Fleck

Lifelong Tolkien lover. I live in Leeds in West Yorkshire. Writer of bad poetry and worse stories. Please talk to me about anything!
Friday August 30, 2024 1:00pm - 2:30pm BST
3 - Edoras (Discussions & Activites) & Online (Meeting Strand)

1:30pm BST

Break
Friday August 30, 2024 1:30pm - 1:40pm BST
Technical break - 10 mins
Friday August 30, 2024 1:30pm - 1:40pm BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

1:30pm BST

Break
Friday August 30, 2024 1:30pm - 2:00pm BST
Technical break and setup
Speakers
avatar for Mike Percival

Mike Percival

Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities (Head Dragon)
Mike Percival joined the Tolkien Society in 1983. A year later at his first Oxonmoot he thought to himself "the ambience of this party would be improved by using some stage lighting for the Ents". And the rest is history. Apart from doing tech at Oxonmoot almost ever since, Mike has... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 1:30pm - 2:00pm BST
4 - Tsuzuki Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand 2)

1:40pm BST

A canny view from Gondor
Friday August 30, 2024 1:40pm - 2:40pm BST
Follow the directions and whatever happens don't wander off the path......
Speakers
avatar for Jay Johnstone

Jay Johnstone

Owner, Jaystolkien
Taking inspiration from Byzantine iconography to the great works of Gustav Klimt, Jay works with traditional methods and techniques exploring the relationship of peoples of Middle-earth, from the motivations of core characters to the defining inspiration of their creation. The results... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 1:40pm - 2:40pm BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

1:45pm BST

Craft Room
Friday August 30, 2024 1:45pm - 5:00pm BST
Drop in to the Craft Room in person or online to join Anne for chat and sharing of activities.

Lots of ideas will be available for you to try, or just enjoy the company.
Speakers
avatar for Anne Gooding

Anne Gooding

Anne joined the Tolkien Society in 2012 for the Return of the Ring and attended her first Oxonmoot that year. The Cottage of Lost Play (or the Art and Craft Room) started in 2013 as a space for fun. She first picked up LoTR as a teenager. She can’t remember when she first read The... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 1:45pm - 5:00pm BST
2 - The Cottage of Lost Play (Craft) & Online (Meeting Strand)

2:00pm BST

The Reduced Silmarillion
Friday August 30, 2024 2:00pm - 3:00pm BST
Shaun, Karl, Maggie, Lyn and a convocation of performing Eagles present: The Reduced Silmarillion. In just one hour our performers run through the entire Quenta Silmarillion from the awakening of the Elves to the Voyage of Eärendil and (nearly) everything in between. Expect to laugh to this satirical performance, and quite possibly cry at some of the "acting".
 
Shaun: Ulmo (job-share with Lyn), Yavanna, all the Elves beginning with F, Lúthien, Beleg, Niënor, Voronwë, Idril and Eärendil
 
Karl: Oromë, Melkor/Morgoth, Thingol, Ungoliant, the entire Teleri, Maedhros, an Orc horde, Barahir, Sauron, Carcharoth, Húrin, Morwen, Saeros, Mîm, Orodreth, Tuor and Elwing
 
Maggie: Manwë, Mandos, Ingwë, Gothmog, Maglor, a different Orc horde, Beren, Túrin and Turgon
 
Lyn: Thagorodrim, Glaurung and Ulmo (job-share with Shaun)
Speakers
avatar for Shaun Gunner

Shaun Gunner

Chair, The Tolkien Society
Shaun Gunner is the Chair of the Tolkien Society. Shaun has served as the chair since 2013, and has worked to reshape the Society to be a more modern, more open and more international organisation. During Shaun’s tenure as chair, the Society’s membership has quintupled and now... Read More →
avatar for Mike Percival

Mike Percival

Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities (Head Dragon)
Mike Percival joined the Tolkien Society in 1983. A year later at his first Oxonmoot he thought to himself "the ambience of this party would be improved by using some stage lighting for the Ents". And the rest is history. Apart from doing tech at Oxonmoot almost ever since, Mike has... Read More →
avatar for Maggie Percival

Maggie Percival

Maggie Percival joined the Tolkien Society in 1979, and has been known to say that doing so changed her life. She is best known in Tolkien circles as a costumer, notably for Elwing the White and Aratalindalë, the latter being her second Best in Show set at the World Science Fiction... Read More →
avatar for Karl Southern

Karl Southern

Durham Uni
My first Oxonmoot was in 2012, and I joined the Tolkien Society the following March. I'm a Computer Scientist at Durham who's interested in Cryptography, graph theory and Tolkien - so ask me for hot-takes on Palantir-Palantir security, how to find out if the fellowship is the largest... Read More →
avatar for Lyn Wilshire

Lyn Wilshire

Lyn is a long-standing member of the Tolkien Society, and was a Trustee up to the 2021 AGM. She has participated in the Masquerade and Ents in the past, contributing skits, sketches and musical moments, although the latter are within a group and she is not allowed a microphone. At... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 2:00pm - 3:00pm BST
4 - Tsuzuki Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand 2)

2:30pm BST

Collecting Drop-in
Friday August 30, 2024 2:30pm - 3:30pm BST
With the release of the Revised Edition of Christopher Tolkien and Humphrey Carpenter's "Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien" in November. We will discuss our hopes and expectations for the new release and the Guide to Tolkien's Letters on the TolkienGuide.com. For those attending in person at Oxonmoot, I plan to bring two J.R.R. Tolkien Letters and a letter from Humphrey Carpenter, which you will be able to see only at this Drop-in.

The Collecting Drop-in is a place for anyone interested in collecting anything related to Tolkien to meet and chat. Show off your favourite items, tell your stories of research and the joy of getting an object you were after, or pick up tips from others who have been there before. A must for all Tolkien collectors.
Speakers
avatar for Andrew Ferguson

Andrew Ferguson

Trotter (TolkienGuide.com)
I first joined the Tolkien Society in 2005. UK Tolkien and Hobbit book collecting expert, moderator (Trotter) on TolkienGuide.com, The Tolkien Society Website of the Year 2019. You can see more about my collection at http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/collecting/collectors/Trotter.htm... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 2:30pm - 3:30pm BST
3 - Edoras (Discussions & Activites) & Online (Meeting Strand)

2:40pm BST

Break
Friday August 30, 2024 2:40pm - 2:50pm BST
Technical break - 10 mins
Friday August 30, 2024 2:40pm - 2:50pm BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

2:50pm BST

Making the invisible visible: presences of Evil and disappearing characters in illustrations for J.R.R. Tolkien
Friday August 30, 2024 2:50pm - 3:20pm BST
A faceless Rider, a Ring that makes its wearer invisible, Hobbits gifted with the art of disappearing, … Hidden things teem in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth stories. Some elements are even described by what they are not rather than what they are, beginning with Bag-End being “Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole”. What does this mean for illustrators tasked with making them visible? How do they picture the unseen terror of the Nazgûl or the conversation between a very visible Smaug and an invisible Bilbo? In English illustrated editions of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, artists come up with several different techniques to represent what is not present, from a choice of point of view to a play on negative versus positive images. Thus they tackle one of the biggest challenges J.R.R. Tolkien faced his illustrators with.
Speakers
avatar for Marie Bretagnolle

Marie Bretagnolle

Marie Bretagnolle (she / her) is a French doctoral student whose work focuses on the illustrations created for British and American editions of J.R.R. and Christopher Tolkien’s Middle-earth texts. She is preparing her PhD under the joint supervision of Vincent Ferré, a renowned... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 2:50pm - 3:20pm BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

3:00pm BST

Break
Friday August 30, 2024 3:00pm - 3:30pm BST
Technical break and setup
Speakers
avatar for Mike Percival

Mike Percival

Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities (Head Dragon)
Mike Percival joined the Tolkien Society in 1983. A year later at his first Oxonmoot he thought to himself "the ambience of this party would be improved by using some stage lighting for the Ents". And the rest is history. Apart from doing tech at Oxonmoot almost ever since, Mike has... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 3:00pm - 3:30pm BST
4 - Tsuzuki Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand 2)

3:20pm BST

Break
Friday August 30, 2024 3:20pm - 3:30pm BST
Technical break - 10 mins
Friday August 30, 2024 3:20pm - 3:30pm BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

3:30pm BST

Spelling Bee
Friday August 30, 2024 3:30pm - 4:00pm BST
Love spelling? Love the Professor's word play? Remember playing in the sand as a child? This piece of errant nonsense might prompt you to get your bucket and spade out faster than you can say Roverandom.
Speakers
Friday August 30, 2024 3:30pm - 4:00pm BST
3 - Edoras (Discussions & Activites) & Online (Meeting Strand)

3:30pm BST

A Different Gaze: Hidden features in Tolkien’s drawings
Friday August 30, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm BST
Over the past few years, developments in printing technology have made possible to study Tolkien’s artwork in finer detail than would have been hitherto impossible. Similarly the reproduction of some pieces in monumental format as part of the Aubusson Tisse Tolkien project has made visible in them some minute features which might otherwise have remained unnoticed. These were initially drawn to my attention by the weavers of Halls of Manwe (Taniquetil), who told me “We see faces everywhere!” I thought at the beginning that they were only mere coincidental visual illusion (or pareidolia) but, as I gradually discovered more of them in a wide range of drawings, they soon became too numerous to be mere coincidences. Moreover, some entire drawings seemed to have been drawn around such features.

Hiding features in his drawings may have appealed to his interest in riddles, including crosswords. The recent deciphering of his 1904 Rebus Letter to Father Francis Morgan shows that, already by the age of 12, Tolkien was able to make very elaborate visual puns. They shed light on a different facet of his personality, revealing another aspect of his personality, namely the joker, trickster and prankster..

This presentation will recapitulate the hidden features in Tolkien’s drawings which have been identified so far. Prepare to look at his drawings as you may never have before and to see them restored in their original glorious colours, cleaned up inasmuch as is possible from the aging of the paper which they were drawn on. It will also endeavour to explain why Tolkien inserted hidden features in his drawings throughout his life.

Speakers
avatar for Denis Bridoux

Denis Bridoux

Originally from Northern France, Denis Bridoux discovered Tolkien in 1973 by reading The Hobbit in French, which transformed his life and chose to study English at University to read Tolkien in the original language. A member of the Tolkien Society since 1976, he attended his first... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

3:30pm BST

The Reduced Silmarillion
Friday August 30, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm BST
A SECOND RUN!

Shaun, Karl, Maggie, Lyn and a convocation of performing Eagles present: The Reduced Silmarillion. In just one hour our performers run through the entire Quenta Silmarillion from the awakening of the Elves to the Voyage of Eärendil and (nearly) everything in between. Expect to laugh to this satirical performance, and quite possibly cry at some of the "acting".
 
Shaun: Ulmo (job-share with Lyn), Yavanna, all the Elves beginning with F, Lúthien, Beleg, Niënor, Voronwë, Idril and Eärendil
 
Karl: Oromë, Melkor/Morgoth, Thingol, Ungoliant, the entire Teleri, Maedhros, an Orc horde, Barahir, Sauron, Carcharoth, Húrin, Morwen, Saeros, Mîm, Orodreth, Tuor and Elwing
 
Maggie: Manwë, Mandos, Ingwë, Gothmog, Maglor, a different Orc horde, Beren, Túrin and Turgon
 
Lyn: Thagorodrim, Glaurung and Ulmo (job-share with Shaun)
Speakers
avatar for Shaun Gunner

Shaun Gunner

Chair, The Tolkien Society
Shaun Gunner is the Chair of the Tolkien Society. Shaun has served as the chair since 2013, and has worked to reshape the Society to be a more modern, more open and more international organisation. During Shaun’s tenure as chair, the Society’s membership has quintupled and now... Read More →
avatar for Mike Percival

Mike Percival

Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities (Head Dragon)
Mike Percival joined the Tolkien Society in 1983. A year later at his first Oxonmoot he thought to himself "the ambience of this party would be improved by using some stage lighting for the Ents". And the rest is history. Apart from doing tech at Oxonmoot almost ever since, Mike has... Read More →
avatar for Maggie Percival

Maggie Percival

Maggie Percival joined the Tolkien Society in 1979, and has been known to say that doing so changed her life. She is best known in Tolkien circles as a costumer, notably for Elwing the White and Aratalindalë, the latter being her second Best in Show set at the World Science Fiction... Read More →
avatar for Karl Southern

Karl Southern

Durham Uni
My first Oxonmoot was in 2012, and I joined the Tolkien Society the following March. I'm a Computer Scientist at Durham who's interested in Cryptography, graph theory and Tolkien - so ask me for hot-takes on Palantir-Palantir security, how to find out if the fellowship is the largest... Read More →
avatar for Lyn Wilshire

Lyn Wilshire

Lyn is a long-standing member of the Tolkien Society, and was a Trustee up to the 2021 AGM. She has participated in the Masquerade and Ents in the past, contributing skits, sketches and musical moments, although the latter are within a group and she is not allowed a microphone. At... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm BST
4.2 - Tsuzuki Lecture Theatre

4:30pm BST

Break
Friday August 30, 2024 4:30pm - 4:40pm BST
Technical break - 10 mins
Friday August 30, 2024 4:30pm - 4:40pm BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

4:40pm BST

A Q&A With Bear McCreary
Friday August 30, 2024 4:40pm - 5:40pm BST
The Tolkien Society are delighted to announce that Emmy and BAFTA Award-winning composer Bear McCreary the composer of the score to Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, will be joining us for Oxonmoot this year.

Bear McCreary is a lifelong Tolkien fan – having first read The Hobbit at the age of 10 – and described working on The Rings of Power as “a dream come true”. The soundtrack to the television series received widespread acclaim from critics, viewers and Tolkien aficionados alike, who praised McCreary for creating new and stunning themes that complement the series whilst maintaining a similar feel to Howard Shore’s scores of The Lord of the Rings films.

Before working on The Rings of Power, McCreary worked on well-received projects including the video game God of War, television series Battlestar Galactica, The Walking Dead, and Outlander, and films 10 Cloverfield Lane and Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
Friday August 30, 2024 4:40pm - 5:40pm BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

6:00pm BST

The Prancing Pony Podcast Live
Friday August 30, 2024 6:00pm - 7:00pm BST
TBC
Speakers
avatar for Shawn Marchese

Shawn Marchese

Co-author, The Prancing Pony Podcast / Why We Love Middle-earth
avatar for Alan Sisto

Alan Sisto

Host, The Prancing Pony Podcast
I've hosted The Prancing Pony Podcast for over seven years - most of those with my co-host Shawn Marchese. Shawn and I also recently co-authored a book called Why We Love Middle-earth, and we hope to have copies available for purchase (and for us to sign for you!) at Oxonmoot. I recently... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 6:00pm - 7:00pm BST
4.1 - Tsuzuki Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand 1)

7:00pm BST

BBQ Dinner (Bookable)
Friday August 30, 2024 7:00pm - 8:00pm BST
BBQ Dinner served in the Marquee to those who booked in advance. If you missed the booking, feel free to bring your own and join in!

The food will be laid out in the middle of the Marquee and guests are welcome to help themselves. Standing Silence and Toasts to open.
Friday August 30, 2024 7:00pm - 8:00pm BST
7.1 - The Marquee in the Quad

7:30pm BST

Birthday Party in the Quad
Friday August 30, 2024 7:30pm - 10:30pm BST
It's the 50th Oxonmoot! Let's celebrate with a party of songs, magic, games and Fellowship.

If it's your birthday too (and even if it's not!), join in the revelry.

Rough order:
1. Party opening with speech, lights and a special effect creature
2. The Michel Delving Choral Society - songs
3. Wizard Magic by David Weeks
4. The Lord of the Rings readings with Soundscapes
5. Breakout rooms open for online attendees
6. Lawn Games in Oxford
7. Cake
Speakers
avatar for Shaun Gunner

Shaun Gunner

Chair, The Tolkien Society
Shaun Gunner is the Chair of the Tolkien Society. Shaun has served as the chair since 2013, and has worked to reshape the Society to be a more modern, more open and more international organisation. During Shaun’s tenure as chair, the Society’s membership has quintupled and now... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 7:30pm - 10:30pm BST
7 - Dining Hall & Online (Webinar Strand)

8:30pm BST

SpeedMoot
Friday August 30, 2024 8:30pm - 9:30pm BST
SpeedMoot: speed networking for all!

Is this your first Oxonmoot? Have you been a few times but wish you could know a few more people? Are you an old-timer with the 'I know your face but not your name' problem?

Come to SpeedMoot, meet new and old people and find out things you never knew about others!

Format: sit at college dining tables across from another person and talk to them for 5 minutes, when the bell goes, move down to the next person. We will provide prompts for starting the conversation!
Speakers
avatar for Shaun Gunner

Shaun Gunner

Chair, The Tolkien Society
Shaun Gunner is the Chair of the Tolkien Society. Shaun has served as the chair since 2013, and has worked to reshape the Society to be a more modern, more open and more international organisation. During Shaun’s tenure as chair, the Society’s membership has quintupled and now... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 8:30pm - 9:30pm BST
7 - Dining Hall

11:00pm BST

Alan Lee’s Voyage through Numenor
Friday August 30, 2024 11:00pm - 11:45pm BST
After travelling (almost as extensively as Strider) in the landscapes of Middle-earth in the Third Age, Alan Lee made forays in the First Age too, exploring the worlds of Children of Hurin, Beren and Luthien, and Fall of Gondolin. Finally, Alan Lee has visited the Second Age, making Numenor come alive with his agile brush-strokes in the Fall of Numenor
This paper will explore the architectural elements of Numenor, and how they relate to the First and Third Ages (as well as to ancient Egypt, if at all). Certain facets will be compared or contrasted to his works in other books too, establishing his experience and dexterity in world-building, and myth-making.
 
It’s interesting to see how Alan Lee revisits certain places such as the mines of Moria or Barad-dûr from a different angle in the Second Age, after having created it for the Third Age (including for the LOTR trilogy in the early 2000s). The cover reveals a critical and poignant moment in the fall of Numenor, with nature and the seascape playing an integral role in the visual story. For those unfamiliar with the story, the first question that arises is: why did this destruction take place? Also, did all the Numenorians deserve destruction on such a massive scale? This painting shows the power of the Valar and of nature, which seems to be alive in his paintings. Alan Lee’s settings are also mood-scapes, reflecting back the inner landscapes of the humans inhabiting these sites.

Speakers
avatar for Sultana Raza

Sultana Raza

Sultana Raza has an MA in English Literature. An independent scholar, she's presented numerous papers related to Keats and Tolkien in international conferences in the USA, Ireland, the UK, France, Greece, Norway, and CoNZealand. Her creative non-fiction has appeared in Vector & Focus... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 11:00pm - 11:45pm BST
0 - Online only (Webinar Strand)

11:00pm BST

Online Spaces in Tolkien Fandom: LOTRO, Discord, Fan Creations and More
Friday August 30, 2024 11:00pm - Saturday August 31, 2024 12:30am BST
There are many spaces in the Tolkien fandom whose utility, validity, and significance as " which are occasionally overlooked:

1) kinships and role playing activities found within and fostered by the video gaming platform Lord of the Rings Online
2) the multitude of Tolkien based Discord servers, each promoting interest in Tolkien's works in ways ranging from extremely specific to broadly inclusive
3) the proliferation of fandom community spaces dedicated to the support or creation of fanart, fanfiction or other forms of fanworks.

All of the above serve to funnel newly interested persons to the core literature of the Legendarium, if we let them--and if we are willing to examine what makes a commuity "good,",  and 
In this session, we will elaborate upon what is listed above (20-30 minutes) and then open the room for discussion.

Speakers
avatar for AnnEllspethRaven

AnnEllspethRaven

Elves and Ainur, Supervisor, At the Edge of Lasg'len
Co-author of the longest Tolkien fanfiction along with friend SonaBeanSidhe (Sown a banshee) At the Edge of Lasg'len. Most of my time disappears into intricate storytelling about deeply traumatized persons (like most Elves that ever walked Tolkien's pages...) but really it's all... Read More →
avatar for Silwë

Silwë

Artist & LotRO RP Community Leader
Many thousands of miles beyond the Sea in the uttermost West lies San Francisco, California, and it is from there Silwë once again has come. Silwë is many things but is most known for being an artist/designer, finding everything hilarious, having remarkable hair, being a chaotic... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 11:00pm - Saturday August 31, 2024 12:30am BST
3 - Edoras (Discussions & Activites) & Online (Meeting Strand)

11:50pm BST

Panel: ‘Multi-racial Threads in Rings of Power’
Friday August 30, 2024 11:50pm - Saturday August 31, 2024 1:00am BST
A Series of Many Colours
Rings of Power has been both appreciated and criticized for introducing a multi-racial cast. This Panel will explore different facets of multi-racialism in this TV series from a non-European perspective. Some questions will include:
-To what extent have the emerging economies of the BRIC countries affected the inclusion of a diverse cast, as the production studios seek to expand their audience?
-How believable is the ethnicity of different races or characters?
-Who is your favourite character and why?
-Which is your favourite race or group of peoples and why?
-Are there are any characters or races that you find particular annoying in terms of how their ethnicity is portrayed? If so, why?
-Can you comment on the way the arcs of various characters, races, or peoples were treated in the first season? Are you (dis)satisfied with this treatment? Please feel free to give your reasons for it.
-What would you like to see in Season 2 of Rings of Power with regards to its diverse cast members?

Speakers
avatar for Ali Ghaderi

Ali Ghaderi

Ali Ghaderi’s research interests include high fantasy, continental and analytical philosophy, films/TV, contemporary American and British literature, and popular culture. He is working on his graduate research on fantasy adaptations and media productions through a feminist theoretical... Read More →
LM

Lola Martinez

Emeritus Reader, SOAS
I’m an anthropologist with an interest in fantasy and science fiction, I have taught and written about film as well.
avatar for Martha Celis Mendoza

Martha Celis Mendoza

Universidad Iberoamericana
Martha Celis-Mendoza (Mexico, Universidad Iberoamericana) is a lecturer and translator; she holds a PhD. in Hispanic Literatures and an MA in Translation, both from El Colegio de México, and a BA in English from National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) with a dissertation... Read More →
avatar for Sultana Raza

Sultana Raza

Sultana Raza has an MA in English Literature. An independent scholar, she's presented numerous papers related to Keats and Tolkien in international conferences in the USA, Ireland, the UK, France, Greece, Norway, and CoNZealand. Her creative non-fiction has appeared in Vector & Focus... Read More →
Friday August 30, 2024 11:50pm - Saturday August 31, 2024 1:00am BST
0 - Online only (Webinar Strand)
 
Saturday, August 31
 

1:00am BST

The Riddle of Authority - Exploring Tolkien’s intent
Saturday August 31, 2024 1:00am - 1:30am BST
In The Hobbit’s “Riddles in the Dark”, we are told "the riddle-game was sacred and of immense antiquity", and "that last question had not been a genuine riddle according to the ancient laws". Further, in the Prologue of The Fellowship of the Ring, we also learn that “[t]he Authorities, it is true, differ whether this last question was a mere ‘question’ and not a ‘riddle’ according to the strict rules of the Game”.  An attempt to answer who these Authorities are leads to a fun, in-depth exploration of decades of inferences and connections between secondary reference works and multiple unpublished letters from Tolkien himself.
Speakers
avatar for Jeremy Edmonds

Jeremy Edmonds

TolkienGuide.com
Jeremy Edmonds is a longtime Tolkien Society member from the United States. He started the Tolkien Collector's Guide website in 2006, which won the 2019 Tolkien Society award for best website. Someday he hopes to attend Oxonmoot in person.
Saturday August 31, 2024 1:00am - 1:30am BST
0 - Online only (Webinar Strand)

1:30am BST

Surveying Tolkien’s Hobbit Illustrations: On Hugh Lofting and Creative Topography
Saturday August 31, 2024 1:30am - 2:00am BST
This paper explores Tolkien’s illustrations for the first edition of The Hobbit, arguing that their graphic language derives significantly from author-illustrator Hugh Lofting (creator of the Doctor Dolittle series) and, by extension, from early twentieth-century topographical and geological representation. Lofting’s training as a civil engineer manifests in his illustrations through a highly rigid, systematic approach to line as a means of creating both contours and textures. These conventions also appear in the army training manuals that both Lofting and Tolkien encountered in the First World War. Neither Lofting nor Tolkien mobilized topographical rendering as a means of signifying their associated materials; for instance, both use the pattern for schist when depicting water. Nonetheless, the economical, structured use of line in both artists’ work demonstrates a creative appropriation of these conventions, which are used in distinct ways by each artist.
Speakers
avatar for Sarah Schaefer

Sarah Schaefer

Associate Professor, Art History, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
I'm an art historian with interests in the histories of prints and illustration, religious material culture, and the emergence of modern 'fantasy' imagery. I co-curated 'J. R. R. Tolkien: The Art of the Manuscript' (Haggerty Museum of Art, 2022) with William Fliss (Tolkien archivist... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 1:30am - 2:00am BST
0 - Online only (Webinar Strand)

1:30am BST

Crafts Drop-in
Saturday August 31, 2024 1:30am - 2:30am BST
The physical Craft Room may be in Oxford, but this drop-in offers the opportunity for those with an interest in any form of craft to meet up online.

Whether it's knitting, needlecraft, papercraft, modelling, or any other type of craft, join the session to discuss hints and tips, or share completed, current or future projects.
Speakers
avatar for Zhie

Zhie

Tears Unnumbered Pub
Zhie (librarian, professor, and writing coach) is the leader of Gondolin, the Milwaukee Wisconsin Smial of the Tolkien Society living in the greater Milwaukee area with husband Mark (aka Smaug), a fellow Tolkien aficionado, plus two cats, a tiny parrot, and a floofy terrier who thinks... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 1:30am - 2:30am BST
0.1 Online Only (Meeting Strand)
  Online, Drop-in

2:00am BST

Remembering and Forgetting in "The Hobbit"
Saturday August 31, 2024 2:00am - 2:30am BST
"The Hobbit" provides a straightforward plot of an unexpected hero going on an unexpected adventure and returning home. At the heart of the quest to reclaim Erebor are the concepts of remembering and forgetting. The mission is driven by those who remember Erebor and are motivated by memory, and at the same time, forgetting shapes the conflict of the overall journey. This paper looks at both the original novel and the 2012-2014 movie adaptations by Peter Jackson and focuses on how remembering and forgetting affect the quest for Erebor and influence Middle Earth history as it is being made at that point in time. Using scholarly sources in the field of memory studies and narratology, this paper aims to show that remembering and forgetting, as dictated by Western paradigms of memory studies, form not only a part of "The Hobbit", but also provide more context to Tolkien's narrative style and vision.
Speakers
AF

Angela Fantone

MA English candidate, Weber State University
I am an international student from the Philippines currently working towards an MA English degree at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah.
Saturday August 31, 2024 2:00am - 2:30am BST
0 - Online only (Webinar Strand)

2:30am BST

Two Sagas of Dark Histories: The Fall of Numenor and Genesis 1-11
Saturday August 31, 2024 2:30am - 3:00am BST
This presentation will compare and contrast the parallels (both strong and weak) between Tolkien’s history of the fall of Numenor in the Second Age of Middle-earth with the primeval history of earth in Genesis 1-11. Tolkien mentions a parallel between Noah’s flood and the drowning of Numenor in his Letters. This presentation will build on Tolkien’s comparison.
Speakers
avatar for G. Steve Kinnard

G. Steve Kinnard

Editor, Teleios, a Journal of Holistic Christian Spirituality
I first read The Hobbit in high school back in 1973. Afterwards, I immediately read TLOR. I bought a first edition of The Silmarillion the day it landed in my hometown bookstore. Since a kid, I have been a devoted fan of all things Tolkien. I am Dean of Bible at Rocky Mountain School... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 2:30am - 3:00am BST
0 - Online only (Webinar Strand)

3:30am BST

So You Want To Write Fanfiction:Writing Dialogue
Saturday August 31, 2024 3:30am - 5:00am BST
Join this workshop to learn about ways to write dialogue, including exercises and games that can be helpful when your characters (or muses, blorbos, whatever you like to call them) won't cooperate when it comes to conversations.

The worksheets for the workshop portion can be printed or saved as your own Google Doc here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vIfyzNU7eHkz0o4qx2gTeRaw5XinrPyYj9lWnNSRnb0/edit?usp=sharing
Speakers
avatar for Zhie

Zhie

Tears Unnumbered Pub
Zhie (librarian, professor, and writing coach) is the leader of Gondolin, the Milwaukee Wisconsin Smial of the Tolkien Society living in the greater Milwaukee area with husband Mark (aka Smaug), a fellow Tolkien aficionado, plus two cats, a tiny parrot, and a floofy terrier who thinks... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 3:30am - 5:00am BST
0.1 Online Only (Meeting Strand)

8:00am BST

Breakfast
Saturday August 31, 2024 8:00am - 9:30am BST
Saturday August 31, 2024 8:00am - 9:30am BST
7 - Dining Hall

8:30am BST

#OxonRun
Saturday August 31, 2024 8:30am - 10:00am BST
Following the success of our inaugural #OxonRun last year, this year we'll be doing it again - only this time we will be joining the official University Parks parkrun for a 5k run in the beautiful surroundings of Oxford University parks, just a few minutes warm-up jog from St Anne's. This has the advantage that runners and walkers can all go at their own pace within the context of the event.

Join Mike (the running elf from the 2020 costume masquerade...), shake out the cobwebs, and set yourself up for the second half of Oxonmoot.

Meet at the Porters Lodge at 8:30am so we can get across to the event in good time - the run itself starts at 9:00am.

Please ensure you have registered with parkrun before the event, and don't forget to bring your parkrun barcode with you. Details of the route can be found here.
Speakers
avatar for Mike Percival

Mike Percival

Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities (Head Dragon)
Mike Percival joined the Tolkien Society in 1983. A year later at his first Oxonmoot he thought to himself "the ambience of this party would be improved by using some stage lighting for the Ents". And the rest is history. Apart from doing tech at Oxonmoot almost ever since, Mike has... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 8:30am - 10:00am BST
8 - Meet at Porters' Lodge
  In Person Only

8:50am BST

“They clothed him then in elven-white”: Identity, Faërie, and Dress in The Lord of the Rings
Saturday August 31, 2024 8:50am - 9:10am BST
This paper uses the lens of dress to analyze the relationship between identity and Faërie in The Lord of the Rings. Clothing performs many linguistic and symbolic functions in Tolkien’s works; in The Lord of the Rings it is tied to a character’s relationship to Faërie, Tolkien’s term for the realm of magic accessed by mortals in fantasy. This is especially true of the hobbits, who are reclothed during key encounters with Faërie and undergo some of the most significant transformations in the text. From the elven cloaks of Lórien to the preservation of Frodo and Sam’s clothing as artefacts of honour, Tolkien infuses garments with significance. Drawing from works including The Silmarillion and Smith of Wootton Major, this paper explores the ways in which Tolkien uses dress to depict and probe shifts in identity wrought by contact with Faërie. Such shifts are worn as material markers of ennoblement, estrangement, and enchantment.
Speakers
avatar for Katie Lund

Katie Lund

Independent Scholar
I recently finished my MA in English at McGill University in Montreal, where I wrote my thesis on the role of clothing in Jane Austen's Persuasion. My research interests lie in the novels of the 18th and 19th centuries, women's writing, adaptation studies, and fantasy literature... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 8:50am - 9:10am BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

8:55am BST

Who much desired to speak with him? Lothlórien’s Power Couple Ruling Individually and Together in The Lord of the Rings
Saturday August 31, 2024 8:55am - 9:25am BST
Galadriel is one of only a few strong female characters in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Legendarium. In The Lord of the Rings, she is the only female ruler, governing her realm of Lothlórien together with her husband. Their roles as rulers are nuanced and finely balanced, as revealed by a close reading of the Fellowship’s arrival to Caras Galadhon: Galadriel and Celeborn both profess a number of “me”-topics and “we”-topics, with one more concerned with Foreign, the other with Domestic Politics. Their respective roles in this do not conform to but transcend gender stereotypes. This paper argues that the distinction is no mistake but the result of Tolkien’s careful revision of the original draft, and is almost entirely lost in Peter Jackson’s adaptation to the detriment of Galadriel’s distinct agency.
Speakers
avatar for Christian S. Trenk

Christian S. Trenk

Christian S. Trenk is a Tolkien enthusiast from Germany who was first introduced to Middle-earth by the first Jackson movie and came to love the books immediately afterwards. He has a background in Political Sciences, Philosophy and Theology and is currently working as a Research... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 8:55am - 9:25am BST
4 - Tsuzuki Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand 2)

9:00am BST

Choral Workshop
Saturday August 31, 2024 9:00am - 10:30am BST
A singing workshop using arrangements based on The Road Goes Ever On song cycle by Donald Swann. If you love singing, come and join me as I teach some beautiful arrangements of Tolkein's poetry, set for multiple voice parts. Everything will be taught by ear so there's no requirement for you to be able to read music, and no prior experience of choral singing needed. All singing abilities and all ages welcome. If you want to look at the music in advance, full scores are available in the presentation files section on here (underneath my profile). There's no need to do any preparation unless you want to.

If everything goes well, we can sing some of what we learn as an Entertainment! Please be aware that, if you wish to join us in performing an Entertainment in the evening, you will also need to be able to attend the soundcheck. Soundcheck time TBC.
Speakers
avatar for Bethany Hannigan

Bethany Hannigan

Bethany is a mum of two who has been singing all her life. She had multiple scholarships for singing when at university, and has since led a church choir and a community choir for mums, with a focus on improving mental health through singing. She also teaches Sing and Sign baby classes... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 9:00am - 10:30am BST
3 - Edoras (Discussions & Activities)

9:00am BST

Art Show
Saturday August 31, 2024 9:00am - 5:00pm BST
Saturday August 31, 2024 9:00am - 5:00pm BST
6 - Ruth Deech Building Foyer

9:10am BST

"When will you wear wigs?": The intersection of storytelling and style in the hair design of live-action Tolkien adaptations
Saturday August 31, 2024 9:10am - 9:30am BST
Hair. Most of us have it, and many of us style it, whether purely for personal grooming or as acts of self-expression. In artistic performance, hairstyling bears as much implicit meaning as costume or set design, revealing insights into a character’s personality, state of mind, occupation, and more. Expanding on a light-hearted viral Twitter thread by the author (discussing how hair design helped characterise the mental health of Elendil in 2022’s THE RINGS OF POWER Season 1), this paper dives deeper into hair design in adaptations of Tolkien's work, including THE LORD OF THE RINGS (2001-03) and THE RINGS OF POWER (2022-). Drawing on fields as diverse as theatre studies, trauma studies, and historical coiffure, this comparative work will situate design choices within the storytelling aims of each adaptation and evaluate their impact on audiences. It will also briefly touch on how these choices compare alongside Tolkien’s own treatment of hair as a descriptive tool in his own works.
Speakers
avatar for S.R. Westvik

S.R. Westvik

SR Westvik is finishing an MA in International War Studies from University College Dublin and the University of Potsdam. They're an International Trustee of the Tolkien Society and Co-host of the Tolkien Experience Podcast. A lifelong Tolkien fan, they regularly participate in conferences... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 9:10am - 9:30am BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

9:30am BST

Q&A for K. Lund and S.R. Westvik
Saturday August 31, 2024 9:30am - 9:40am BST
Q&A session for
  • “They clothed him then in elven-white”: Identity, Faërie, and Dress in The Lord of the Rings - K. Lund
  • "When will you wear wigs?": The intersection of storytelling and style in the hair design of live-action Tolkien adaptations - S.R. Westvik
Speakers
avatar for Katie Lund

Katie Lund

Independent Scholar
I recently finished my MA in English at McGill University in Montreal, where I wrote my thesis on the role of clothing in Jane Austen's Persuasion. My research interests lie in the novels of the 18th and 19th centuries, women's writing, adaptation studies, and fantasy literature... Read More →
avatar for S.R. Westvik

S.R. Westvik

SR Westvik is finishing an MA in International War Studies from University College Dublin and the University of Potsdam. They're an International Trustee of the Tolkien Society and Co-host of the Tolkien Experience Podcast. A lifelong Tolkien fan, they regularly participate in conferences... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 9:30am - 9:40am BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

9:30am BST

Shadows of Tolkien in the 'Apt' stories of Adrian Tchaikovsky
Saturday August 31, 2024 9:30am - 10:00am BST
I only recently discovered this author's work, though it has been popular with others for many years.

The stories mix steampunk technology with a weakened but powerful substratum of magic.

I saw aspects of 'small hands doing the work of the world, while the eyes of the great are elsewhere'.

And in the 6th tale, set among humans living under the sea, I was reminded of Tolkien's Ents - powerful people without formal politics or leaders.
Speakers
avatar for Gwydion Williams

Gwydion Williams

Retired
Long-standing member.  A former Computer Analyst, now 71 and retired.  I've done studies of Tolkien, including a chapter-by-chapter analysis of LOTR. https://gwydionmadawc.com/57-about-tolkien/And not interested in electronic 'friendship' with someone who I have never met in real... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 9:30am - 10:00am BST
4 - Tsuzuki Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand 2)

9:30am BST

Craft Room
Saturday August 31, 2024 9:30am - 12:45pm BST
Drop in to the Craft Room in person or online to join Anne for chat and sharing of activities.

Lots of ideas will be available for you to try, or just enjoy the company.
Speakers
avatar for Anne Gooding

Anne Gooding

Anne joined the Tolkien Society in 2012 for the Return of the Ring and attended her first Oxonmoot that year. The Cottage of Lost Play (or the Art and Craft Room) started in 2013 as a space for fun. She first picked up LoTR as a teenager. She can’t remember when she first read The... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 9:30am - 12:45pm BST
2 - The Cottage of Lost Play (Craft) & Online (Meeting Strand)

9:30am BST

Dealers Room
Saturday August 31, 2024 9:30am - 5:00pm BST
Saturday August 31, 2024 9:30am - 5:00pm BST
5 - Danson Room (Dealers)

9:40am BST

Break
Saturday August 31, 2024 9:40am - 9:50am BST
Technical break - 10 mins
Saturday August 31, 2024 9:40am - 9:50am BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

9:50am BST

The animals that are not there (and the trees that are)
Saturday August 31, 2024 9:50am - 10:10am BST
Why, in fact, among all of Tolkien's descriptions of nature, are there almost no descriptions of animals?
How come Bilbo doesn't have a dog that goes on walks with him, and why aren't there any cats in the Prancing Pony Inn even though it would make sense?
While some readers may skip over Tolkien's descriptions of nature (at worst) or make fun of them (at best), the lecture will offer ways to use them to better understand the story, encouraging the attentive reader to engage in a more sophisticated reading.
Speakers
Saturday August 31, 2024 9:50am - 10:10am BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

10:00am BST

Book signing: Alan Sisto and Shawn Marchese
Saturday August 31, 2024 10:00am - 11:00am BST
Speakers
avatar for Shawn Marchese

Shawn Marchese

Co-author, The Prancing Pony Podcast / Why We Love Middle-earth
avatar for Alan Sisto

Alan Sisto

Host, The Prancing Pony Podcast
I've hosted The Prancing Pony Podcast for over seven years - most of those with my co-host Shawn Marchese. Shawn and I also recently co-authored a book called Why We Love Middle-earth, and we hope to have copies available for purchase (and for us to sign for you!) at Oxonmoot. I recently... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 10:00am - 11:00am BST
6 - Ruth Deech Building Foyer

10:05am BST

A Tale of Ears
Saturday August 31, 2024 10:05am - 10:35am BST
A quick dip in the wide waters of Tolkien audio recordings - concentrating in this paper on the various recordings made by JRR Tolkien himself, his son Christopher and some works which he collaborated in the making of.
Speakers
avatar for David Walker

David Walker

Owner, WalkThis.Land
Avid collector of audio interpretations of Tolkien - radio, readings, dramatizations etc. Based in North Wales and a keen hill walker, climber and professional Mountain Leader and guide.
Saturday August 31, 2024 10:05am - 10:35am BST
4 - Tsuzuki Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand 2)

10:10am BST

Dyeing in Middle-earth
Saturday August 31, 2024 10:10am - 10:30am BST
This paper continues my interest in Tolkien's deployment of botanical detail in his work. The paper explores the links between Tolkien's use of distinctive colours to define the races of Middle-earth, and the flora he names in The Lord of the Rings. It sets these in the context of known Elvish textile skills, and other textiles described, as well as the heraldry of Gondolin, to link colours and textiles with the processes required to create them and so add depth and definition to the appearance of each culture.
Speakers
avatar for Lynn Forest-Hill

Lynn Forest-Hill

My Tolkien research has recently included exploring the relationship between his works and the English medieval romance Sir Bevis of Hampton as part of wider topics. One essay on Tolkien and Cultural Memory has already been published and one on The Romantic Spirit in Tolkien is forthcoming... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 10:10am - 10:30am BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

10:30am BST

Q&A for S.Krakover and L.Forest-Hill
Saturday August 31, 2024 10:30am - 10:40am BST
Q&A session for:
  • The animals that are not there (and the trees that are) - Shirly Krakover
  • Dyeing in Middle-earth - Lynn Forest-HIll
Speakers
avatar for Lynn Forest-Hill

Lynn Forest-Hill

My Tolkien research has recently included exploring the relationship between his works and the English medieval romance Sir Bevis of Hampton as part of wider topics. One essay on Tolkien and Cultural Memory has already been published and one on The Romantic Spirit in Tolkien is forthcoming... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 10:30am - 10:40am BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

10:30am BST

Figure drawing workshop
Saturday August 31, 2024 10:30am - 11:00am BST
I'll give an overview of figure construction, proportions and how not to let them bog you down, and will answer questions. Participants should bring pencil and paper, or a tablet they can draw on.
Speakers
Saturday August 31, 2024 10:30am - 11:00am BST
2 - The Cottage of Lost Play (Craft)

10:30am BST

Magic the Gathering
Saturday August 31, 2024 10:30am - 12:00pm BST
We could enjoy looking at the new MTG cards, the artwork and flavor, and introduce people to the game.  I was planning on taking several “starter decks” so people can pick up a deck and playing with them, I’ll teach how to those who haven’t played before.
    From the cards that have been “released” so far, I think Wizards of the Coast has done a great job of blending their MTG game to the spirit of LOTR.  Come and look at them, perhaps we can play for a few minutes and awake your Planeswalker Spark again!
Speakers
Saturday August 31, 2024 10:30am - 12:00pm BST
3 - Edoras (Discussions & Activites) & Online (Meeting Strand)

10:40am BST

Break
Saturday August 31, 2024 10:40am - 10:50am BST
Technical break - 10 mins
Saturday August 31, 2024 10:40am - 10:50am BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

10:40am BST

"War must be, while we defend our lives"? Tolkien's views on war, heroism and the enemy
Saturday August 31, 2024 10:40am - 11:10am BST
J.R.R. Tolkien served in the British Army during the Great War and witnessed his sons serving in the Second World War. The impact of both wars is threaded through his literary work. Yet, Tolkien's view on war, heroism and the enemy are far from the military propaganda he was confronted with. He detested the allegory comparing Orcs and Germans: "I’ve never had those sort of feelings about the Germans. I’m very anti that kind of thing", Tolkien stated in an interview with the Sunday Times Magazine in 1967.

Looking at Tolkiens's letters, interviews and his literary work, this talk tries to trace Tolkien's views on war in general and on the soldiers in particular. Historic photographs and collectible cigarette cards from the German side of the Great War could give further insights.
Speakers
avatar for Annika Röttinger

Annika Röttinger

German Tolkien Society
Annika Röttinger completed her Master's degree in Military History with a thesis that examined the Great War experiences of J.R.R. Tolkien and their impact on "The Lord of the Rings". She is the co-editor, alongside Janet Brennan Croft, of "Something has gone crack. New Perspectives... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 10:40am - 11:10am BST
4 - Tsuzuki Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand 2)

11:00am BST

Shire Stroll
Saturday August 31, 2024 11:00am - 12:30pm BST
Ever thought that a bit of fresh air and exercise would be a good thing at Oxonmoot? But not feeling able to do the full Hobbit Hike?

Join Maggie on a gentle stroll (approximately 2 miles) across the University Parks and along the banks of the Cherwell.

Please wear sensible shoes and bring water. Note that in the event of inclement weather this may be cancelled or re-arranged at short notice.
Speakers
avatar for Maggie Percival

Maggie Percival

Maggie Percival joined the Tolkien Society in 1979, and has been known to say that doing so changed her life. She is best known in Tolkien circles as a costumer, notably for Elwing the White and Aratalindalë, the latter being her second Best in Show set at the World Science Fiction... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 11:00am - 12:30pm BST
8 - Meet at Porters' Lodge
  In Person Only

11:15am BST

The Tolkien Art Show
Saturday August 31, 2024 11:15am - 12:00pm BST
An Oxonmoot Institution. Former Archivist and editor of Mallorn Len Sanford shares a sample of the 3,000 pieces of Tolkien artwork he has collected over the years – some serious, some less so. Audience participation is essential!
Speakers
avatar for Len Sanford

Len Sanford

Len has been a TS member since 1990, and was the editor of Mallorn for eight years. For some years he was the Society’s archivist, following Christina Scull who had made a collection of over 1,000 slides showing examples of Tolkien related art and illustration. Before she left for... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 11:15am - 12:00pm BST
4.2 - Tsuzuki Lecture Theatre

11:20am BST

Break
Saturday August 31, 2024 11:20am - 11:30am BST
Technical break - 10 mins
Saturday August 31, 2024 11:20am - 11:30am BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

11:30am BST

“... while deep in dim Broceliande”: Searching for Tolkien’s Aotrou & Itroun in the 'The Fall of Arthur'
Saturday August 31, 2024 11:30am - 12:00pm BST
In 'On Fairy Stories' (1947), Tolkien uses the analogy of a bowl of soup to argue against excessive analyses of stories, their origins, sources, and intricacies of how they came to be written, and focus on the story for what it is – an enjoyable read. Yet, Tolkien’s skilful writing and deep understanding of the English language has enabled readers – interested in looking beyond the surface – to find patterns and connections within his works. This paper aims to correlate two poetic works from the early 1930s, and supposes that the locations, events, and characters populating The Lay of Aotrou & Itroun and those in The Fall of Arthur, if not from the same timeframe, share the same Arthurian universe crafted by Tolkien. It is an exploration of the possible connections between the Breton lai of the lord and lady in Brittany, and the treacheries and tumults of King Arthur’s Britain, while delving further into Tolkien’s views and approaches to literary investigation.
Speakers
avatar for James Moffett

James Moffett

With a potent combination of tea, reading, beer, and writing, James Moffett has published a collection of short stories and a stand-alone novel on the character of Sherlock Holmes; together with a long epic poem on the Battle of Hastings and a poetry collection about Time and Space... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 11:30am - 12:00pm BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

12:00pm BST

Lunch (provided)
Saturday August 31, 2024 12:00pm - 1:30pm BST
Saturday lunch is the time when all our in person Oxonmooters can come together to enjoy the fellowship of a shared meal.

This lunch will be served to all in the Dining Hall and in the Marquee. If you told us about a dietary requirement, please collect your lunch from the Dining Hall.
Saturday August 31, 2024 12:00pm - 1:30pm BST
7 - Dining Hall

1:00pm BST

Athrabeth Podcast
Saturday August 31, 2024 1:00pm - 3:00pm BST
Athrabeth presents: Tolkien and New Media

From social networking to blogs, podcasts, YouTube, and even fan fiction, New Media connects us all. This panel explores how New Media has changed the way in which people engage with the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Drawing on their experience as Tolkien scholars and content creators, our distinguished panelists will share their experiences creating Tolkien content, discuss trends in the field, and explore where Tolkien engagement may be headed in the future and what that means for Tolkien scholarship.

Please join us for a lively chat and Q & A!

This session is presented by Athrabeth, a podcast exploring Tolkien’s lesser-trod paths in thematic monthly episodes.

Panelists include:
Marcel R. Bülles, a.k.a. The Tolkienist: Tolkien scholar and founder of the German Tolkien Society.
Mercury Natis, Queer historian and Tolkien scholar.
Jude Vais, Tolkien scholar and co-host of the Athrabeth podcast.
S.R. Westvik, Tolkien scholar, writer and researcher.
Moderator is Stef Midlock, co-host of the Athrabeth podcast.
Speakers
avatar for Marcel R. Bülles

Marcel R. Bülles

Middle-earth Traveller, The Tolkienist
Marcel R. Bülles is the author of thetolkienist.com, a specialist blog centering on worldwide Tolkien fandom, geekdom and research as well as the  Roving Ranger bi-weekly newsletter. He works as a freelance translator, journalist and writer and is the founder of the German Tolkien Society as well as a co-founder to RingCon, Euro... Read More →
avatar for Stef Midlock

Stef Midlock

Co-Host of the Athrabeth Podcast, Athrabeth podcast
Co-host of the Athrabeth podcast, a monthly podcast exploring the lesser trod paths of Tolkien's Legendarium. Find us on Twitter and Instagram at athrabeth_cast
avatar for Mercury Natis

Mercury Natis

Mercury Natis (they/them) is currently pursuing their second Masters with Signum University in Imaginative Literature, and hopes to pursue a Tolkien Studies PhD in the future. They earned their first MA in Museum Education, with a background in Art History. Their primary focus is... Read More →
avatar for Jude Vais

Jude Vais

Cohost of the Athrabeth Podcast
avatar for S.R. Westvik

S.R. Westvik

SR Westvik is finishing an MA in International War Studies from University College Dublin and the University of Potsdam. They're an International Trustee of the Tolkien Society and Co-host of the Tolkien Experience Podcast. A lifelong Tolkien fan, they regularly participate in conferences... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 1:00pm - 3:00pm BST
3 - Edoras (Discussions & Activites) & Online (Meeting Strand)

1:30pm BST

Linguistic Variation in Tolkien's Writing Styles
Saturday August 31, 2024 1:30pm - 2:00pm BST
The various Middle-earth works of J. R. R. Tolkien are recognizably different in style, from the conversational narrative of The Hobbit to the high archaic style of The Book of Lost Tales. While these differences have been acknowledged by scholars, they have not previously been studied quantitatively.

What linguistic features characterize the variation in narrative style between Tolkien’s Book of Lost Tales, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion? To what extent is that variation also seen in the direct speech of characters of different races? For example, is the elevated style of The Silmarillion unique to that work or is it also the way the Elves speak in The Lord of the Rings? How did Tolkien’s writing style change from The Book of Lost Tales to the Quenta Silmarillion?

This talk will present the results of a study using corpus linguistic techniques such as Multidimensional Register Analysis to shed light on the shifts in Tolkien’s style across works and time.
Speakers
avatar for James Tauber

James Tauber

Digital Tolkien Project
I'm a philologist, linguist, and software developer who works with scholars around the world using computers to better understand languages and texts.
Saturday August 31, 2024 1:30pm - 2:00pm BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

1:40pm BST

Tolkien the Post-Christian
Saturday August 31, 2024 1:40pm - 2:10pm BST
This paper reads The Lord of the Rings through Charles Taylor’s genealogy of disenchanted modernity A Secular Age (2007) to offer one explanation for the novel's continued resonance in an era of declining religiosity. In its treatment of time (Flieger 1997), space (Curry 2004), and narrativity (Bowman 2006), LOTR transgresses the boundaries of Taylor’s imminent frame and re-enchants the world. However, by scrubbing all explicit religious reference from the text, Tolkien presents not so much a pre-Christian as a post-Christian world: one still deeply influenced by its Christian and pagan roots but in which God is experienced as absent, moral decisions must be made without reference to theology, and eschatological hope is not guaranteed (cf. Madsen 2011). Thus LOTR speaks to our own post-Christian spiritual landscape, moving readers of many faiths and no faith in ways perhaps best described as spiritual without requiring us to share Tolkien’s ontic commitments (Taylor 2007).
Speakers
avatar for Tom Emanuel

Tom Emanuel

PhD Researcher, University of Glasgow
Born and raised in the sacred Black Hills of South Dakota, the Rev. Tom Emanuel (he/him/his) has been visiting Middle-earth for as long as he can remember. He is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Glasgow where... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 1:40pm - 2:10pm BST
4 - Tsuzuki Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand 2)

1:45pm BST

Craft Room
Saturday August 31, 2024 1:45pm - 3:00pm BST
Drop in to the Craft Room in person or online to join Anne for chat and sharing of activities.

Lots of ideas will be available for you to try, or just enjoy the company.
Speakers
avatar for Anne Gooding

Anne Gooding

Anne joined the Tolkien Society in 2012 for the Return of the Ring and attended her first Oxonmoot that year. The Cottage of Lost Play (or the Art and Craft Room) started in 2013 as a space for fun. She first picked up LoTR as a teenager. She can’t remember when she first read The... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 1:45pm - 3:00pm BST
2 - The Cottage of Lost Play (Craft) & Online (Meeting Strand)

2:00pm BST

Break
Saturday August 31, 2024 2:00pm - 2:10pm BST
Technical break - 10 mins
Saturday August 31, 2024 2:00pm - 2:10pm BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

2:00pm BST

Masquerade Rehearsal
Saturday August 31, 2024 2:00pm - 5:00pm BST
Technical rehearsal for those taking part in the Masquerade during the evening.

Please contact Mike at masquerade@oxonmoot.org to discuss details
Speakers
avatar for Mike Percival

Mike Percival

Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities (Head Dragon)
Mike Percival joined the Tolkien Society in 1983. A year later at his first Oxonmoot he thought to himself "the ambience of this party would be improved by using some stage lighting for the Ents". And the rest is history. Apart from doing tech at Oxonmoot almost ever since, Mike has... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 2:00pm - 5:00pm BST
7 - Dining Hall

2:00pm BST

Sound Check for Entertainers
Saturday August 31, 2024 2:00pm - 5:00pm BST
Sound Check for those performing live "Entertainments" during the evening.

Please contact Helen at ents@oxonmoot.org to discuss details
Speakers
avatar for Helen Armstrong

Helen Armstrong

Volunteer, Tolkien Society
Helen Armstrong joined the Tolkien Society around 1974 from UCL London Hobbit Soc and gradually got involved with things like being Secretary, contributing occasionally to Amon Hen and Mallorn (editing one edition in 2014), and, chiefly, Oxonmoot.In the early 1980s at Oxford Town... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 2:00pm - 5:00pm BST
7 - Dining Hall

2:10pm BST

Our Hands Write Them Because We Must: Corpus linguistics and the depiction of women in Tolkien fanfiction
Saturday August 31, 2024 2:10pm - 2:40pm BST
The apparent lack of female characters in Tolkien’s Middle-earth Legendarium is a decades old criticism; certainly the imbalance in character development between Tolkien’s male and female characters is hard to miss. Fanfiction has provided Tolkien fans with a way of addressing this, but the lack of canonical characterization for many of Tolkien’s female characters presents fanfiction writers with Tolkien characters who are essentially blank slates. This paper proposes a methodological approach using corpus linguistics and digital texts to study how these characters are depicted in Tolkien fanfiction. I use the character of Lothiriel as a case study to examine how corpus linguistics can be used to find trends in fanfiction depictions that can then be applied to the study of Tolkien fanfiction as a whole and provide a deeper understanding of how Tolkien fans connect with the Professor’s work through this medium.
Speakers
Saturday August 31, 2024 2:10pm - 2:40pm BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

2:15pm BST

Water-Lillies Bringing: a Horrific Monster Hidden in Plain Sight
Saturday August 31, 2024 2:15pm - 2:45pm BST
Hey, come, Merry dol, ring a don-diló!
We all feel safe when we hear old Bombadil singing and jumping with his yellow boots and a trembling (swan's? kingfisher's?) feather in his hat. However... What is Tom Bombadil really doing the day he rescues the hobbits? Is there anything mischievous and horrific hidden in the Old Forest, apart from the Old Man Willow? Will we find ourselves face to face with the dark side of Iarwain Ben-Adar?
Come with me to the darkest side of the fairy tales Tolkien read as a boy, and let's discover a terrible monster posing as a kind and innocent figure together.
Speakers
avatar for Mónica Sanz-Rodríguez

Mónica Sanz-Rodríguez

Independent Scholar
MA in English Philology, specialised in Literature from the British Isles. Tolkien is my main field of study as independent scholar.I have been a member of Sociedad Tolkien Española (The Tolkien Society of Spain) for more than 20 years now, and I am also a proud member of The Tolkien... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 2:15pm - 2:45pm BST
4 - Tsuzuki Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand 2)

2:40pm BST

Break
Saturday August 31, 2024 2:40pm - 2:50pm BST
Technical break - 10 mins
Saturday August 31, 2024 2:40pm - 2:50pm BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

2:50pm BST

Changeable Corpus: Bodily Transformations in Tolkien's Legendarium
Saturday August 31, 2024 2:50pm - 3:20pm BST
This paper considers relationships between the body’s autonomy and the intervention in bodies through the lens of environmental bioethics. The Legendarium considers bodily transformations of characters from humans to animals, humans to mythical animals, humans to monsters, each involving a suggestion of linking between the physical transformation or physical appearance as reflective of their internal morality. Often the bodily transformation ignores the being’s autonomy and is done without their consent and as a punishment. These tropes of corporeality are embedded with ideologies pertaining to genetically related ideas. For example, the transformed body of Sméagol into Gollum is reflective of the trope of morality being reflected in the body of the being. Frequently physical transformation, violence, or change is tied back to the land or environment; for example, when Saruman engineers Uruk-Hai, Isengard’s landscape and ecosystem are degraded.
Speakers
avatar for Journee Cotton

Journee Cotton

PhD Candidate
Journee Cotton is a second year PhD student at the University of Exeter studying English. She obtained bachelor degrees from Lubbock Christian University in English and Pre-law and a master’s degree in English Literature specialising in the Victorian and Romantic periods at the... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 2:50pm - 3:20pm BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

2:50pm BST

Elven Sexuality and Mixed-Race Pairings in the Silmarillion
Saturday August 31, 2024 2:50pm - 3:20pm BST
Though sexuality is never an explicit topic in Tolkien's legendarium, there are several patterns that may be traced, particularly in The Silmarillion.  Monogamy, for instance, seems to be the norm amongst both elves and humans, though multiple 'marriages' are not considered improper.  However, promiscuity and adultery seem to be out of the range of elven sexual behavior.  Judging by the family trees of the elves alone, there are further observations to be made about fertility and thus--perhaps--typical levels of elven sexual passion.
This paper will also discuss exogamous couplings of maiar and elf and elf and humans, which represent potential forms of sexual union that are nonetheless rare in Tolkien's Middle Earth. Indeed, these rare, cross-racial unions may indicate that, in its envisioning of an elf-dwarf pairing, Peter Jackson's The Hobbit movies may not be quite as serious an offense to canon as some fans find them to be.
Speakers
avatar for Steven Gores

Steven Gores

professor, northern kentucky university
Dr. Steven Gores is a professor of English at Northern Kentucky University in metropolitan Cincinnati, where he has for time immemorial taught Ohioans, Kentuckians, and Hoosiers. A refugee from 18th-century studies, he now features classes on fantasy literature and film in his repertoire... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 2:50pm - 3:20pm BST
4 - Tsuzuki Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand 2)

3:00pm BST

Workshop: Road to publication
Saturday August 31, 2024 3:00pm - 4:00pm BST
Submitting your MS for the first time, may feel like sending a Hobbit to Isengard: much trepidation and uncertainty!
A walkthrough for new authors who are beginning their journey into publishing in the UK, with plenty time for Q&A.
Speakers
avatar for Francesca Barbini

Francesca Barbini

Founder of Luna Press Publishing.
Saturday August 31, 2024 3:00pm - 4:00pm BST
3 - Edoras (Discussions & Activites) & Online (Meeting Strand)

3:00pm BST

Workshop: Learn to write Sarati (the Tengwar of Rúmil)
Saturday August 31, 2024 3:00pm - 4:00pm BST
This workshop is held in the building behind and to the side of the Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre, building A on the map, same as the Quiet Room.

Learn to write the Tengwar of Rúmil (Sarati) – Tolkien's underrated Elvish script

The Tengwar of Rúmil are mentioned once in Appendix E of The Lord of the Rings as "the oldest Eldarin letters" on which Fëanor based his Tengwar (the Elvish script we all know). Thanks to material published in The History of Middle-earth and Parma Eldalamberon we know that this script is called Sarati, was fully developed by Tolkien and is actually a real world predecessor of the more famous Tengwar. Sarati can be written from right to left and from top to bottom. The first picture on this website will give you a first impression: https://www.tolkienestate.com/painting/calligraphy/
In this workshop we will learn how to write Sarati. We will also trace the history of Tolkien's invented writing systems from the frist attempts in the 1910s to the Tengwar, and discuss possible real world inspirations.
You don't need to know how to write Tengwar to follow the workshop. This is not a calligraphy course (feel free to come if your handwriting looks ugly like mine).

https://halmahera.hypotheses.org/587
Speakers
avatar for Maria Zielenbach

Maria Zielenbach

Maria Zielenbach is currently working on her PhD thesis about the history of the North Halmahera languages at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. She studied linguistics at the Unviersity of Cologne and is also an active member of the German Tolkien Society, hosting the podcast "Silmaria... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 3:00pm - 4:00pm BST
10 - Seminar Room 1 - Building A

3:20pm BST

Break
Saturday August 31, 2024 3:20pm - 3:30pm BST
Technical break - 10 mins
Saturday August 31, 2024 3:20pm - 3:30pm BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

3:30pm BST

'The Fall of Númenor': An Editor's Journey
Saturday August 31, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm BST
An account of the pleasures and pitfalls encountered and endured in the process of editing the 2022 volume 'J R R Tolkien - The Fall of Númenor'. The talk ('paper' is too grandiose description for a Sibley event) will explore the reasoning behind the commission, the challenges of a daunting task and a perilous deadline and the struggle to select, compile, structure (and restructure) the book. Brian will also speak about the joy of working with Alan Lee on choosing subjects for the colour plates and the presentation will include examples of Alan's preliminary sketches for those illustrations and the additional pictures he created for the 2024 Tolkien Calendar.
Speakers
avatar for Brian Sibley

Brian Sibley

Writer and broadcaster with a passion for fantasy, science fiction and children's literature. Dramatist of the 1981 BBC Radio serialisation of 'The Lord of the Rings' (also 'Tales from the Perilous Realm'); collaborated with John Howe on 'Tolkien's Maps of Middle-earth'; author of... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

4:30pm BST

Break
Saturday August 31, 2024 4:30pm - 4:40pm BST
Technical break - 10 mins
Saturday August 31, 2024 4:30pm - 4:40pm BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

4:50pm BST

Everything I Ever Needed to Know about the North Pole I Learned from Father Christmas (and Karhu the Polar Bear)
Saturday August 31, 2024 4:50pm - 5:50pm BST
Tolkien’s whimsical Father Christmas Letters contain a fascinating amalgam of astronomical references (comets, eclipses, constellations, and aurora, among others), nods to real world events (the most important being World War II), descriptions of childhood diseases (whooping cough and mumps) and even cave art (noted by Scull and Hammond to have derived from books Tolkien had read). We also gain revealing glimpses of life in the Tolkien household, as the children grow older and Tolkien himself becomes more involved in worldbuilding Middle-earth through the writing of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. More work needs to be done on analyzing real-world connections to events in the Letters, comparing the Letters to others of Tolkien’s works (such as The Hobbit) and finding parallels with his talent for language-invention in his legendarium, as well as appreciating one of the most fascinating overarching aspects of the work, its own inherent worldbuilding. This talk highlights aspects of the world of Father Christmas and Karhu the Polar Bear (and friends) as an example of a Secondary World, although not nearly as detailed as Middle-earth, fascinating in its own right.
Speakers
avatar for Kristine Larsen

Kristine Larsen

Professor of Astronomy, Central Connecticut State University
Dr. Kristine Larsen has been an astronomy professor at Central Connecticut State University since 1989. In addition to her scholarly work on Tolkien's use of astronomy in crafting Middle-earth (published in Mallorn, Tolkien Studies, Journal of Tolkien Research, Amon Hen, and beyond... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 4:50pm - 5:50pm BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

5:50pm BST

Break
Saturday August 31, 2024 5:50pm - 6:00pm BST
Technical break - 10 mins
Saturday August 31, 2024 5:50pm - 6:00pm BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

6:00pm BST

Writing to Inklings
Saturday August 31, 2024 6:00pm - 7:00pm BST
In my early days of Tolkien scholarship, I was fortunate enough to meet several of the surviving Inklings and corresponded with others, asking them questions about the group, particularly its origins. Today I’ll be sharing excerpts from some of the letters I received in reply from Owen Barfield, Dr. Humphrey Havard, and Lord David Cecil, as well as others whom we might call ‘Inklings adjacent’—figures such as Mrs. Tanyge Lean and Christopher Wiseman.
Speakers
avatar for John D. Rateliff

John D. Rateliff

Tolkien Scholar, Editor
John D. Rateliff began studying Tolkien in the fall of 1973. Tolkien studies opened up unexpected travels and opportunities. He met three Inklings and corresponded with others. He began working with Tolkien manuscripts in 1981, and his work continues to this day. During the years... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 6:00pm - 7:00pm BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

6:30pm BST

STACs Coffee Shop open for Dinner
Saturday August 31, 2024 6:30pm - 8:30pm BST
In addition to drinks, cakes, paninis, toasties, etc. STACs Coffee Shop offers a selection of handmade pizzas using sustainably sourced sourdough bases and a small selection of bottled beers, wines and soft drinks. The ideal way to grab a quick meal without leaving site.
Saturday August 31, 2024 6:30pm - 8:30pm BST
7 - STACs Coffee Shop

7:30pm BST

Book signing: Alan Sisto and Shawn Marchese
Saturday August 31, 2024 7:30pm - 8:30pm BST
Speakers
avatar for Shawn Marchese

Shawn Marchese

Co-author, The Prancing Pony Podcast / Why We Love Middle-earth
avatar for Alan Sisto

Alan Sisto

Host, The Prancing Pony Podcast
I've hosted The Prancing Pony Podcast for over seven years - most of those with my co-host Shawn Marchese. Shawn and I also recently co-authored a book called Why We Love Middle-earth, and we hope to have copies available for purchase (and for us to sign for you!) at Oxonmoot. I recently... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 7:30pm - 8:30pm BST
6 - Ruth Deech Building Foyer

7:30pm BST

A Long-Expected Soundscape
Saturday August 31, 2024 7:30pm - 8:30pm BST
Explore and experience the audio adventure of “A Long-Expected Soundscape”. Enjoy a guided tour through this immersive audio experience with composer and sound engineer, Jordan Rannells. Be sure to bring headphones!
Speakers
avatar for Jordan Rannells

Jordan Rannells

Composer, Sound Engineer of "A Long-Expected Soundscape" and Audio Editor of The Prancing Pony Podcast.
Saturday August 31, 2024 7:30pm - 8:30pm BST
0.1 Online Only (Meeting Strand)

8:30pm BST

Entertainments & Masquerade
Saturday August 31, 2024 8:30pm - 11:30pm BST
Since the earliest days of Oxonmoot, members have provided entertainment for each other in the form of Songs, Dances and Sketches.

Once again in 2023, we will combine physical performances in Oxford with online presentations from performers across the globe, all of them waiting to share their talents with you all!

At some point during the evening we will run our Costume Masquerade, providing an opportunity for the costumers amongst us to showcase their talents.

And the evening will conclude with our traditional "filking", led by Pete Clark - when everyone is encouraged to join in with singing of filk (parody) songs new and old. Words will be provided, just bring your voice!

Sit back and enjoy (unless, of course, you are performing)!
Speakers
avatar for Helen Armstrong

Helen Armstrong

Volunteer, Tolkien Society
Helen Armstrong joined the Tolkien Society around 1974 from UCL London Hobbit Soc and gradually got involved with things like being Secretary, contributing occasionally to Amon Hen and Mallorn (editing one edition in 2014), and, chiefly, Oxonmoot.In the early 1980s at Oxford Town... Read More →
avatar for Pete Clark

Pete Clark

Pete has been involved in filking (parody singing) for three decades and was a founder member of the Oxford Tolkien Society filk band, the Taruithorn Singers. He does occasionally write and sing non parody songs!
Saturday August 31, 2024 8:30pm - 11:30pm BST
7 - Dining Hall & Online (Webinar Strand)
  Hybrid

11:30pm BST

Brotherhood: The Weary Man's Comfort
Saturday August 31, 2024 11:30pm - Sunday September 1, 2024 12:00am BST
One only need look at the first volume of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings to understand that his epic-fantasy novel does not shy away from the tenderness of friendship. In The Fellowship of the Ring, Strider says to the Hobbits upon meeting them, “A hunted man sometimes wearies of distrust and longs for friendship.” The sentiment of this statement remains true throughout all three volumes as the growing presence of evil in Middle Earth leads to acts of solidarity between the characters. However, it is most apparent in the final installment, The Return of the King, as the members of the fellowship and others seek solace in one another’s friendship. This paper examines the vitality of numerous moments of brotherhood throughout the work’s final volume as a solution to defeating the increasing power of evil.
Speakers
avatar for Elizabeth Turello

Elizabeth Turello

The same week as the 50th Oxonmoot, Elizabeth continued her academic journey, beginning graduate school at Seton Hall University; she will be earning her M.A. in English with a concentration in Literature, specifically Tolkien. Through her research, Elizabeth hopes to bring new interpretive... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 11:30pm - Sunday September 1, 2024 12:00am BST
0 - Online only (Webinar Strand)

11:30pm BST

Poetry Reading
Saturday August 31, 2024 11:30pm - Sunday September 1, 2024 1:00am BST
Back by popular demand following the inaugural poetry reading at Oxonmoot 2020 and first hybrid session in 2021.
Join us to hear works by the poets amongst our delegates, while others will read their favourite poems by Tolkien and his associates.

Follow the poems in the Oxonmoot 2023 Anthology of Poetry, which you can find below.

Speakers
avatar for María Fernanda Chávez Guiñez

María Fernanda Chávez Guiñez

María Fernanda Chávez Guiñez studied English Literature and Linguistics and a minor in Art History in Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile. She promotes the love for literature, art and nature in her blog, formerly known as Books from Fangorn, and currently renamed Books from... Read More →
Saturday August 31, 2024 11:30pm - Sunday September 1, 2024 1:00am BST
3 - Edoras (Discussions & Activites) & Online (Meeting Strand)

11:45pm BST

Adaptations Drop-in
Saturday August 31, 2024 11:45pm - Sunday September 1, 2024 12:45am BST
Whether it be "The Rings of Power" on Amazon Prime, the Peter Jackson movies, the BBC Radio Dramatisation, the Lord of the Ring Musical, or many other examples, Tolkien's works have been adapted for stage, screen and radio on many occasions.

Join this drop-in to meet others who love to see Tolkien's stories through the lens of adaptations.
Saturday August 31, 2024 11:45pm - Sunday September 1, 2024 12:45am BST
0.1 Online Only (Meeting Strand)
 
Sunday, September 1
 

12:00am BST

Hobbits, The Eucatastrophic People
Sunday September 1, 2024 12:00am - 12:30am BST
When Iluvatar allows Melkor's theme to remain so that it would prove his instrument, he sets the stage for eucatastrophe through the Middle Earth saga. Many of the ways that eucatastrophe is played is through the existence of the Hobbits, the unlooked for race of men who end up perfectly suited, or end up in the right place, to turn around the hopeless situation. This paper will look at the ways the Hobbits prove Iluvatar's instrument of hope.
Speakers
avatar for Ian Barnstead

Ian Barnstead

Ian is a high school religion teacher in Western Kentucky. After reading The Hobbit in high school, he began a lifelong journey in Tolkien's works. An amateur scholar, he often uses Tolkien in philosophy lessons.
Sunday September 1, 2024 12:00am - 12:30am BST
0 - Online only (Webinar Strand)

12:30am BST

Wizard, Demon, Cat; Reformer, Satanist, Bureaucrat: a Diachronic Analysis of Multiple “Saurons” in the Legendarium in Light of “The Book of Lost Tales”
Sunday September 1, 2024 12:30am - 1:00am BST
While Sauron’s most famous First Age appearance in the tale of Beren and Lúthien remained relatively unchanged from Sauron’s introduction in the 1920s until Tolkien’s death, his role in the Legendarium expanded significantly across Tolkien’s lifetime as Sauron became the primary antagonist of two additional Ages of Middle-earth. Utilizing the work of Christopher Tolkien, John D. Rateliff, Douglas Charles Kane, and Joe Abbott, I will examine how this expansion ultimately lead to developments in Sauron’s backstory, characterization, and presentation such that we can, I believe, identify at least two major “Saurons” at work in the wider corpus of Tolkien’s Legendarium—“Saurons” who remained in some ways unsynthesized at the time of Tolkien’s death. I will also explore how competing and unsynthesized aspects of each of these “Saurons” can be identified in otherwise abandoned characters (above and beyond the well-recognized Tevildo) introduced as early as “The Book of Lost Tales.”
Speakers
avatar for Cameron Bourquein

Cameron Bourquein

Scholar, Designer, Artist, Manifest Reality Design | Independent Scholar
Cameron Bourquein is an independent scholar who received her BA from Anderson University in 2006 (Theatre Studies, Graphic Design, Information Systems). Her undergraduate thesis integrated her love of sculpture, set design, acting, and the photography of Josef Sudek into a one-woman... Read More →
Sunday September 1, 2024 12:30am - 1:00am BST
0 - Online only (Webinar Strand)

12:45am BST

Languages Drop-in
Sunday September 1, 2024 12:45am - 1:45am BST
Tolkien's invented languages lie at the heart of his creation of Middle-earth.

Join this drop-in to meet others with a shared interest in languages. Share knowledge, or seek answers to the questions you have always wanted to ask.
Sunday September 1, 2024 12:45am - 1:45am BST
0.2 - Online Only (Meeting Strand)

12:45am BST

Writing Drop-in
Sunday September 1, 2024 12:45am - 1:45am BST
Ever since Tolkien's works were first published, people have been inspired to write their own fiction - both original, and "fan-fiction" set in his worlds.

Join this drop-in to meet others who share a passion for writing. Compare notes, share ideas, exchange hints and tips, or maybe even come up with a plan to collaborate!
Sunday September 1, 2024 12:45am - 1:45am BST
0.1 Online Only (Meeting Strand)

1:00am BST

Tolkien Reconstructed? A Discussion on the Making of “THE FALL OF NÚMENOR”
Sunday September 1, 2024 1:00am - 1:30am BST
The publication of The Fall of Númenor (2022) raises an issue often-overlooked, i.e., the matter of the canonicity of the posthumous works that constitute the legendarium considering the editing practices and literary products resulted from the use of Tolkien's manuscripts. The book is composed of a bricolage of pieces from different sources: some published while Tolkien was alive, some later edited by Cristopher Tolkien through on a series of choices of his own, being some of them conflicting, extracts from Tolkien's personal letters, along with parts of The Nature of Middle-earth (2021), also conceived in a similar fashion. However, as Genette (1997) states, manuscripts, correspondence, interviews, etc. may all be considered unofficial sources since they lack a final agreement between authors and editors. Thus, inspired by works such as Kane's Arda Reconstructed (2009), oner proposes a discussion on authorial and editorial boundaries regarding Tolkien's works.
Speakers
avatar for Cláudio A.C. Moura

Cláudio A.C. Moura

Associate Professor, Literary Theory, Federal University of Piaui (UFPI/Brazil)
Still the same seven-year-old who found out his uncle's Portuguese pirate version of The Hobbit amongst the dusty old books in his grandma's shelter and loved watching stop-motion animated movies on mythology and all things magical. Faculty member of the Coordination of Foreign Letters... Read More →
Sunday September 1, 2024 1:00am - 1:30am BST
0 - Online only (Webinar Strand)

1:30am BST

Women in the Children of Hurin
Sunday September 1, 2024 1:30am - 2:00am BST
There are many criticisms of Tolkien related to women's roles in his work. In the stories of the Children of Hurin there are many female characters representing many different roles in the story. These include: Aerin, Finduilas, Lalaith, Melian, Morwen, Nellas, Nienor/Niniel, and Rian.

The purpose of this presentation is to address the different roles they play and impact on the story.
Speakers
avatar for Ross Nunamaker

Ross Nunamaker

Ross Nunamaker is a graduate of the University of Arizona, with a degree in interdisciplinary studies in political science, history, and philosophy. He later received a certification in project management at the University of California, Berkeley.He joined the Tolkien Society on 1... Read More →
Sunday September 1, 2024 1:30am - 2:00am BST
0 - Online only (Webinar Strand)

1:45am BST

Art Drop-in
Sunday September 1, 2024 1:45am - 2:45am BST
Tolkien's stories have provided inspiration for illustrators and artists for many years.

Join this drop-in to meet other with an interest in Tolkien art. Share your projects, exchange hints and tips, or discuss your favourite artists and illustrations - the choice is yours.
Sunday September 1, 2024 1:45am - 2:45am BST
0.1 Online Only (Meeting Strand)
  Online, Drop-in
  • Interests Art

2:00am BST

Mythopoeia, the Shadow, and the Numinous: Tolkien and the Process of Co-Creation
Sunday September 1, 2024 2:00am - 2:30am BST
In JRR Tolkien’s legendarium, there are evident connections and allusions and allegories to other works of particular importance to the Western canon. These include the Bible, Joseph Campbell’s writings on the Hero’s Journey, and Carl Jung’s psychological theories. This paper suggests that these different strands of thought circle around each other, addressing in their own ways the fundamental relationship between the Self and the Other dressed up in different guises. Adopting Jung’s concept of the Shadow, this paper will argue that the confrontation with and assimilation of the Shadow, the profound eucatastrophe, lead to the experience of the numinous, which is reflected across these different works and particularly in Tolkien’s writings. Using a reader-response lens, the power of this experience will elucidate the enduring power of Tolkien’s oeuvre, both for the author and the readers.
Speakers
avatar for Liam Butchart

Liam Butchart

Clinical Instructor, Stony Brook University
Medical doctor and humanities researcher, with a particular interest in psychoanalysis and literature. Liam.butchart@stonybrookmedicine.edu
Sunday September 1, 2024 2:00am - 2:30am BST
0 - Online only (Webinar Strand)

2:30am BST

Creative ‘Borrowings’: An Overview of Heimskringla’s Influence on J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis
Sunday September 1, 2024 2:30am - 3:00am BST
Before they were Inklings, Lewis, and Tolkien were both members of the Coalbiters. Tolkien founded this group to increase the readership of Icelandic texts among Oxford dons. Their participation in the Coalbiters highlights their deep interest in Norse mythology and culture. However, each author assimilated Nordic materials in distinctive and characteristic ways in their fiction. Tolkien was primarily interested in Scandinavian culture and customs. In contrast, Lewis focused on divine and mortal figures in Scandinavian mythology. Also, Tolkien’s imagination seemed to be ignited by words or names, while Lewis seems to have had more of a pictorial imagination. Some of these differences can be clearly seen in the two authors’ different responses to the classic Norse text Heimskringla, written by the twelfth-century scholar Snorri Snurluson.
Speakers
avatar for Emily Brabec

Emily Brabec

Howdy, all! I am a recent graduate from Wheaton College. I earned my Bachelor of Arts in English Literature with a minor in psychology. I currently live with my parents and younger brother (one of four siblings!) in Michigan as I prepare for graduate school in 2024! In true hobbit... Read More →
Sunday September 1, 2024 2:30am - 3:00am BST
0 - Online only (Webinar Strand)

2:45am BST

Collecting Drop-in
Sunday September 1, 2024 2:45am - 3:45am BST
The Collecting Drop-in is a place for anyone interested in collecting anything related to Tolkien to meet and chat. Show off your favourite items, tell your stories of research and the joy of getting an object you were after, or pick up tips from others who have been there before. A must for all Tolkien collectors.
Speakers
avatar for Jeremy Edmonds

Jeremy Edmonds

TolkienGuide.com
Jeremy Edmonds is a longtime Tolkien Society member from the United States. He started the Tolkien Collector's Guide website in 2006, which won the 2019 Tolkien Society award for best website. Someday he hopes to attend Oxonmoot in person.
Sunday September 1, 2024 2:45am - 3:45am BST
0.2 - Online Only (Meeting Strand)

3:00am BST

To Mordor and Back Again: The Anthropocene in Tolkien's Middle-earth
Sunday September 1, 2024 3:00am - 3:30am BST
Tolkien’s environmental commentary is well discussed, but the analysis and application of Arda as a dynamic, ecological planet is less clearly defined. In considering Arda as an Anthropocene, specifically as a world geologically altered by its inhabitants, Arda can act as a means of revisioning and rethinking the planet we inhabit, the damages wrecked upon it, and the ways we may cope with and grow from them. This analysis will present two formulations of Arda as Anthropocene.The first, the Orcopocene, investigates the implications of power and ownership in Middle-earth, and poses Sauron, Sauraman, and by forced association the Orcs as fundamental drivers of global change in Middle-earth. The second, the Elfopocene, inverts the former thinking and examines the influence of the Elves and affiliated magical beings for their environmental impact on Middle-earth, examining in the process environmental grief and the optimism of “The Scouring of the Shire”.
Speakers
avatar for Hannah Emilius

Hannah Emilius

Hannah Emilius is a writer and scholar hailing from the postindustrial sprawl of greater Philadelphia. Her research focuses include environmental humanities, ecocriticism, narrative theory, fantasy studies, and the Anthropocene. She earned her B.A. in Literature and Environmental... Read More →
Sunday September 1, 2024 3:00am - 3:30am BST
0 - Online only (Webinar Strand)

8:00am BST

Breakfast
Sunday September 1, 2024 8:00am - 9:30am BST
Sunday September 1, 2024 8:00am - 9:30am BST
7 - Dining Hall

9:30am BST

The Accessibility of Arda: An Analysis of the Staturization of Middle-earth
Sunday September 1, 2024 9:30am - 10:00am BST
Pritchard (2020) has shown how the staturization of urban spaces makes them inaccessible to people of short stature and encourages their social exclusion. I use the cultural model of disability to explore how Tolkien’s Hobbits and Dwarves can subvert real-world ableist attitudes towards the built environment. While fantasy dwarves have often contributed to ableist metanarratives about people with dwarfism (Reay, 2022), Secondary Worlds can also be used to critique the status quo. As Tolkien stated in ‘On Fairy-Stories’ (1947), fantasy worlds are an opportunity for recovery and resistance, allowing us to question the supposedly natural power imbalances in our world. The Hobbits of the Shire and the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm and Erebor have an opportunity that real-world people of short stature rarely get: to create an environment that is suitable to them. An examination of these environments is an opportunity to re-examine our world’s assumptions and expectations around urban accessibility.
Speakers
avatar for Kit Richards

Kit Richards

PhD student, University of Birmingham
Sunday September 1, 2024 9:30am - 10:00am BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

9:30am BST

Craft Room Challenge
Sunday September 1, 2024 9:30am - 12:30pm BST
Speakers
avatar for Anne Gooding

Anne Gooding

Anne joined the Tolkien Society in 2012 for the Return of the Ring and attended her first Oxonmoot that year. The Cottage of Lost Play (or the Art and Craft Room) started in 2013 as a space for fun. She first picked up LoTR as a teenager. She can’t remember when she first read The... Read More →
Sunday September 1, 2024 9:30am - 12:30pm BST
2 - The Cottage of Lost Play (Craft)

10:00am BST

Fallen Kingdoms and Ancient Monoliths: The Influence of Atlantis and Egypt in Tolkien’s Númenor
Sunday September 1, 2024 10:00am - 10:30am BST
In light of the recent publication of The Fall of Númenor, my essay aims to focus on Tolkien’s, somewhat underappreciated, influences on Gondor; particularly Ancient Egypt. This essay looks at Plato's Timaeus and Critias, Ignatius Donnelly's theories, and examines the Atlantean and Egyptian motifs in Tolkien’s version of Westernesse, in particular, the remnants of Atlantean civilization survived by Egyptian colonists which mirror the Realms of Exile (Gondor and Arnor).
Speakers
avatar for Charlotte Brockway

Charlotte Brockway

Bookseller | MFA Emerson College | Medievalist | Writer, Barnes & Noble
Charlotte Brockway graduated from Drew University with a B.A. in English, Writing, and Medieval Studies, and an M.F.A. in Popular Fiction from Emerson College. She is the author of Growth Through Loss—a collection of short stories and poems and "My Name is..."—a short story about... Read More →
Sunday September 1, 2024 10:00am - 10:30am BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

10:30am BST

Towards an international edition of The Lord of the Rings
Sunday September 1, 2024 10:30am - 11:00am BST
Literary criticism of Tolkien’s life and works ever seeks for fresh angles. Back in the early 1980s I reread The Lord of the Rings for examples of political and moral thinking, and wrote two articles which I then published, both now on the T.S.  website.  I also noticed two sentences in The Return of the King which struck me very forcibly, given my training as a school librarian in a multicultural school and local authority, when I had to examine books of the past as well as the present which might upset students of colour or minority ethnic groups, and then to advocate for and accept removal or re-editing of the books. I wondered if, when the Second Edition was being prepared in 1966, these sentences and some other words and phrases had been called to Tolkien’s attention, he might have agreed to their removal. There are blogs, articles and books which concentrate on racial issues; and I sympathise with readers of colour; an edited International Edition might partly answer complaints.
Speakers
avatar for Jessica Yates

Jessica Yates

Jessica Yates read English at LMH, Oxford, qualified as a librarian in London, and joined the, Tolkien Society in 1972; she is thus one of its longest-serving members. She has served as Secretary and Amon Hen editor in the 1970s, was a founder member of Oxonmoot, and has published... Read More →
Sunday September 1, 2024 10:30am - 11:00am BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

10:30am BST

Costume Masquerade Show-and-Tell
Sunday September 1, 2024 10:30am - 11:30am BST
Costumers love learning from one another - and just because some of our Masqueraders are online doesn't mean we shouldn't provide an opportunity for people to share at Oxonmoot too. Masquerade participants and anyone interested in costume are invited to come together with the Masquerade team to discuss their experiences in making their costumes, and share the tricks and tips they used.
Speakers
avatar for Mike Percival

Mike Percival

Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities (Head Dragon)
Mike Percival joined the Tolkien Society in 1983. A year later at his first Oxonmoot he thought to himself "the ambience of this party would be improved by using some stage lighting for the Ents". And the rest is history. Apart from doing tech at Oxonmoot almost ever since, Mike has... Read More →
avatar for Maggie Percival

Maggie Percival

Maggie Percival joined the Tolkien Society in 1979, and has been known to say that doing so changed her life. She is best known in Tolkien circles as a costumer, notably for Elwing the White and Aratalindalë, the latter being her second Best in Show set at the World Science Fiction... Read More →
Sunday September 1, 2024 10:30am - 11:30am BST
3 - Edoras (Discussions & Activites) & Online (Meeting Strand)

11:00am BST

Reading Tolkien in the 1950s
Sunday September 1, 2024 11:00am - 11:30am BST
Reading first edition LotR in the context of the 1950s was a very different experience from the context of present-day publications and adaptations. It is worthwhile examining the development of our knowledge of the Legendarium in this light.
Speakers
avatar for David Doughan

David Doughan

Member since 1981. I have edited the Society's journal Mallorn as well as its linguistic bulletin Quettar, as well as making contributions to both, and other publications over the years. I have made presentations at the seminar, Oxonmoot, etc.
Sunday September 1, 2024 11:00am - 11:30am BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

11:30am BST

Outlawed by whom? J.R.R.Tolkien’s use of outlawry in Beleriand
Sunday September 1, 2024 11:30am - 12:00pm BST
In English law, an outlaw was someone literally placed outside the law’s protection, who could be killed without any penalty. Outlawry usually happened due to the failure of an individual to appear in court, or ignoring a summons to so do.

In J.R.R.Tolkien’s Middle-earth, in Beleriand in the First Age, there were many references to individual outlaws and groups of outlaws, involving prominent people, in 'The Silmarillion' and other works. This raises the issue of what authority declared certain people outlaws. Morgoth regarded those who rejected his claim to be King of Arda as outlaws. However, while most those referred to as outlaws were those from Morgoth’s point of view, there were others outlawed by other authorities.

The talk explores Tolkien’s use of outlawry, particularly in Beleriand at this time, and the associated and important matter of legitimacy, in terms of who was seen by whom as having the right to declare people outlaws, and the potency of the term.
Speakers
avatar for Murray Smith

Murray Smith

Murray Smith was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland. A fan of Tolkien and his works since the age of twelve − when he began reading a copy of The Hobbit, found when moving house with his family − he joined the Tolkien Society in 2002. A member of the Bar of Ireland since 1999... Read More →
Sunday September 1, 2024 11:30am - 12:00pm BST
1 - Mary Ogilvie Lecture Theatre & Online (Webinar Strand)

1:00pm BST

Coaches to Wolvercote
Sunday September 1, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm BST
Sunday September 1, 2024 1:00pm - 2:00pm BST
8 - Meet at Porters' Lodge

2:00pm BST

Enyalië
Sunday September 1, 2024 2:00pm - 2:30pm BST
The traditional end of Oxonmoot, and the one event which has featured every year, Enyalië is our time for reflection on the man who has brought us all together – Professor J.R.R. Tolkien.
Speakers
avatar for Denis Bridoux

Denis Bridoux

Originally from Northern France, Denis Bridoux discovered Tolkien in 1973 by reading The Hobbit in French, which transformed his life and chose to study English at University to read Tolkien in the original language. A member of the Tolkien Society since 1976, he attended his first... Read More →
avatar for Elena Davison

Elena Davison

Oxonmoot Co-chair
Elena joined the Tolkien Society in 2012 at The Return of the Ring in Loughborough. They seemed like a good bunch and many a friendship blossomed that week. Over the next few years, she picked up running the art show at Oxonmoot, followed by chairing the event itself in 2015-2017... Read More →
avatar for Shaun Gunner

Shaun Gunner

Chair, The Tolkien Society
Shaun Gunner is the Chair of the Tolkien Society. Shaun has served as the chair since 2013, and has worked to reshape the Society to be a more modern, more open and more international organisation. During Shaun’s tenure as chair, the Society’s membership has quintupled and now... Read More →
avatar for Asli Johnston

Asli Johnston

Oxonmoot Co-Chair, The Tolkien Society
Asli (she/her) is a Chief Officer aboard the merchant ships.For those familiar with how a cargo ship's command line works ; a Chief Officer is first in command after the Captain, in charge of anything you can imagine including the Captain. For the ones not familiar; she is Riker to... Read More →
Sunday September 1, 2024 2:00pm - 2:30pm BST
9 - Wolvercote Cemetery & Online (Webinar Strand)

2:30pm BST

"Dead Orcs" Breakout Rooms
Sunday September 1, 2024 2:30pm - 4:00pm BST
After the formal end of Oxonmoot, "Dead Orcs" refers to the informal gatherings of exhausted mooters who reflect on what they've done, look forward to next year, and wish each other a fond farewell.

For our online delegates, we will re-create this experience using Breakout Rooms which will remain available for as long as anyone wants to use them.
Sunday September 1, 2024 2:30pm - 4:00pm BST
0.1 Online Only (Meeting Strand)
 
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