Epic Tolkien Bookclub: Week Four

[sigridhr]

  Epic Tolkien Bookclub: Week Four (The Hobbit)
Chapter VII: Queer Lodgings 
Chapter VIII: Flies and Spiders

Rules

I very much doubt we'll require much in the way of formal rules, but just for the sake of formality and clarity:

• Discussion is welcome and encouraged, as is disagreement. Name-calling and personal attacks will be punished by forced attendance at the Vogon-Orcish Poetry Recitation Competition in Minas Morgul.  
  
• There is no spoiler policy in place. Although we're reading the Hobbit, please feel free to bring in things from other Tolkien works, any of the films, the History of Middle Earth, the Letters of JRR Tolkien, and, if you should like, other literary sources. 
• There is no such thing as too much geekery. Or taking the text too seriously.  
• If you have any concerns at any point, I'm the closest thing this gong show has to a mod, so feel free to get in touch. I can be reached either by PM through this site, or directly by email at sigridhr.lokidottir@gmail.com. 

Discussion on this post will officially run from Friday 1st February 2013 to Friday 8th February 2013. However, the post will remain open after that point, so you're more than welcome to continue discussions on. 

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I tried to find a source for why spiders are one of the go-to fantasy monsters, but there doesn't seem to be any. I came across just as many tales of spiders being good, but I guess they're easy to make into something scary since they're freaky looking up close and many are venomous. Plus there's a cleverness associated with them through the way they catch their prey.

[hibari-sensei.livejournal.com]

Ugh, I need to stop forgetting to log-in. >_

[halberdier]

It's gotta be the eyes and legs (and the sheer number of arachnophobic types in the world) that can scare the bejesus out of people. I guess I'll just have to live with it ;)

I definitely think the cunning of the webs is definitely part and parcel - many animals with a reputation for cunning can be considered amoral in lore (weasels and foxes come to mind, too, as well as magpies in Western myths/lore)