iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

First signs of the season around here:

Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

No. 2, as is, isn't a great idea, but it would be useful *not* to have videos and their audio starting just as you scroll past them. This leads me to just turning off my sound while scrolling, and then if I decide to watch and listen to a video I have to manually go back to the beginning.

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

"Parma Eldalamberon 16: Early Elvish Poetry and Pre-Fëanorian Alphabets, Part 1" is available again on demand at: The Great British Bookshop: www.thegreatbritishbookshop.co.uk/search?type=... and at Barnes and Noble: www.barnesandnoble.com/s/parma%20el...

Photo of the front and back of the newly reprinted "Parma Eldalamberon 16: Early Elvish Poetry and Pre-Fëanorian Alphabets"

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

It means the theory and methodology of interpretation, especially of scriptural text. It took me less time to "search" for this definition than to type this message :)

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

Omentielva Minquëa will be held at Marquette University, Milwaukee, from July 30 to August 2, 2026 omentielva.com/next.htm

omentielva.com

Omentielva : Omentielva Minquea

The International Conference on J.R.R. Tolkien's Invented Languages.

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

Star of wonder in darkness, Star in very beautiful brilliance, You proceed for us westward With starlight in perfection.

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

#TolkienTrewsday #TolkienTuesday #Tolkien Él elmendo mornies, Él mimírim’ alkares, Elye lenna men númenna Silmenen ilvanies.

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

I never knew what BASIC stood for (or even that it was an acronym), though I see that is the first thing Wikipedia tells one about it. On the other hand, interestingly enough, the home page of basiconline.com does not mention this :)

basiconline.com

Home | BASIC

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

Do you mean that "we will have cried out to you" seems awkward in English or that *clamaverimus ad te* seems awkward in Latin?

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 04/10/2025

I will delve into what Tolkien meant by: “Nobody believes me when I say that my long book is an attempt to create a world in which a form of language agreeable to my personal aesthetic might seem real.” I hope you will join me for a weekend of exploring Tolkien's worlds from many points of view.

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 04/10/2025

I am going to bea keynote speaker at the Prancing Pony Podcast Moot 2025 this December 18-21. The theme of the moot is “Creating Historical Depth within Fantastical Worlds.” theprancingponypodcast.com/moot/ My working title is: “From Words to Worlds: Elvish Roots of Tolkien’s Mythology.”

theprancingponypodcast.com

The Prancing Pony Podcast Moot 2025 – The Prancing Pony Podcast

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

"Parma Eldalamberon 18: Tengwesta Qenderinwa and Pre-Fëanorian Alphabets, Part 2" is available again on demand at: The Great British Bookshop: www.thegreatbritishbookshop.co.uk/products/par... and at Barnes and Noble: www.barnesandnoble.com/s/parma%20el...

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 14/09/2025

It's not complex -- just explicit.

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

"Parma Eldalamberon 12: Qenyaqetsa: The Qenya Phonology and Lexicon" is available again on demand at: The Great British Bookshop: www.thegreatbritishbookshop.co.uk/products/par... and at Barnes and Noble: www.barnesandnoble.com/s/parma%20el...

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 21/06/2025

"Parma Eldalamberon 17: Words, Phrases & Passages in _The Lord of the Rings_" is available again on demand at: The Great British Bookshop: www.thegreatbritishbookshop.co.uk/products/par... and at: Barnes and Noble: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/parma-elda...

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

“Parma Eldalamberon 19 : Quenya Phonology” is available again on demand at Barnes and Noble: www.barnesandnoble.com/s/parma%20el... The Great British Bookshop: www.thegreatbritishbookshop.co.uk/search?type=...

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

“Parma Eldalamberon 20 : The Qenya Alphabet” is available again on demand at Barnes and Noble: www.barnesandnoble.com/s/parma%20el... The Great British Bookshop: www.thegreatbritishbookshop.co.uk/search?type=...

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

“Parma Eldalamberon 21 : Qenya Noun Structure” is available again on demand at Barnes and Noble: www.barnesandnoble.com/s/parma%20el... The Great British Bookshop: www.thegreatbritishbookshop.co.uk/search?type=...

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 24/01/2025

I'm trying to decide whether to propose a presentation on "Qenya and Phonetic Fitness" or "Qenya and Glottochronology." The former could focus more on Tolkien's linguistic thoughts during World War I, but the latter could more likely arrive at a cogent point in 20 minutes. Ve si, ve sa ...

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

I like this cover of "Golden Leaves" from _Rings of Power_ www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-TV...

youtube.com

LOTR | Rings of Power - Golden Leaves

YouTube video by FILhOrnmusic

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 07/11/2024

Hopefully I can keep this going. I'm working now on making volume 21 available. Support from the community of Tolkien's readers helps 💙🦋

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 11/10/2024

Parma Eldalamberon, No. 23, "The Feanorian Alphabet, Part 2" and "Eldarin Pronouns" by J. R. R. Tolkien, is now available from: Barnes and Noble: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/parma-elda... The Great British Bookshop: www.thegreatbritishbookshop.co.uk/products/par...

barnesandnoble.com

Parma Eldalamberon 23: The Feanorian Alphabet, Part 2 & Eldarin Pronouns:|Paperback

"The Feanorian Alphabet, Part 2" includes three descriptions of this writing system, dating from around 1948 to 1951. Four modes are explained detailing usage in Beleriand, Númenor, Arnor and G...

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 25/09/2024

They've turned the page on and off a couple of times now, so it may be a stop-gap measure because of receiving a lot of orders all at one. That they seem to be shipping the orders they receive in due course is a hopeful sign :)

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 22/09/2024

What Tolkien alluded to was the "inner consistency of reality" and as we know "real" legends and languages are not consistent in the ways that most people seem to demand from invented legends and languages.

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 22/09/2024

Since Tolkien is talking about the LotR being the culmination of what he started in 1914, I don't think this contradicts your point about his drawing on non-Germanic sources.

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 22/09/2024

>> "… trembled at: …" "… to be told that I have succeeded, at least with those who have still the undarkened heart and mind."

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 22/09/2024

There is also this: "Having set myself a task, the arrogance of which I fully recognized and tremble at: being precisely to restore to the English an epic tradition and present them with a mythology of their own: it is a wonderful thing to be told that I have succeeded, ..." Letter 180 (1956).

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 21/09/2024

If you try the link I gave above, it should work now.

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 20/09/2024

Tolkien did say the hair part, if anecdotally. See some quotes here: scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/33... But a premise of the LotR is that Elves became more culturally static as an effect of the Rings, allowing for a prior lack of historical uniformity, even for individual Elves.

scifi.stackexchange.com

Do male elves have long or short hair?

I've noticed that almost every fan drawing of elves (as well as their portrayals in the movies) show them with long hair, both the men and the women. But did Tolkien ever write anything that proved...

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 20/09/2024

I heard from my on-demand printer, and they are holding up further publication of PE until I provide a legal form showing I have permission to reproduce works by Tolkien. This was unexpected but is a legitimate request. I apologize for the inconvenience to anyone who already ordered a copy of PE 23

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 19/09/2024

Thanks for the heads-up! I've contacted them, but haven't heard back yet. Perhaps there was too much demand all at one for them to handle. But I'm sure they will fix this eventually.

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 19/09/2024

Parma Eldalamberon, No. 23, "The Feanorian Alphabet, Part 2" and "Eldarin Pronouns" by J. R. R. Tolkien, is now available on demand: app.thebookpatch.com/BookStore/pa...

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 28/06/2024

I couldn't swing that as well this year, but I'm hopeful for the future :)

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 28/06/2024

Haven't been able to play it yet -- my laptop is 10 years old. Probably just as well, since I need to finish up PE 23. Couldn't help noticing the new D'ni reveals being posted, though! I'll be at Mysterium in Montreal in two weeks, then Omentielva in Sweden two weeks after that -- busy summer ...

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 31/05/2024

I had always assumed that is what real places look like ... :--)

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 16/05/2024

No, Simon Tolkien reconciled with his father, and Amazon acquired the rights to make Rings of Power two years before Christopher Tolkien passed away. So both of them would have been involved in approving that project.

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 21/03/2024

That's an interesting perspective. I suppose, noticing the difference between Quenya and Sindarin in the books, I felt it was straight-forward, despite prominent exceptions -- e.g. not everyone can tell whether *Sauron* is Quenya or Sindarin; and *Tinúviel* was another example, back in the day.

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 21/03/2024

You might be right -- but I suspect you underestimate the aesthetic capability of most people to differentiate the phonotactics of different languages. There are gray areas of course, but Quenya and Sindarin sound very different from each other, by and large.

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 21/03/2024

Tolkien refers to both Quenya and Sindarin as "Elvish." What he never refers to is anything as "f**ked up." Obviously different generations refer to things differently, so give us older folks some slack.

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 03/02/2024

For the first day of Stirring you should listen to this song in Quenya about how one swallow brings Spring to where it is Winter now. It's translated from the Russian and sung beautifully by my friend Delle. Enjoy !!! www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK47...

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Christopher Gilson @cgilson75.bsky.social · 20/12/2023

Brother, let us swim out in the bay to the rocks beneath our Elven-home, where foamy merfolk used to play in the eastern starlight whence they come. Ah friend, I would have been here early under wave-washed Ilmarin with thee, but my arm with cold is weary; love, I pray thy hand stretch out to me.

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