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We are starting now!
18 Lithuanians and 18 Hungarians gathered
for a nine-day journey through the Mirkwood
of north-eastern Lithuania in July, 2013.
This adventure was organised by the
Lithuanian and Hungarian Tolkien societies
and funded by the European Union.
We travelled by feet and set up camp
on the banks of crystal clear lakes
under cloudy skies and amazing rainbows.
The dark forces of Dol Guldur attacked us
with endless rain and winter cold but
could not prevent our having a good time.
We listened to songs and tales, got to know
beautiful places and wonderful people
made friends... and now present you this.
I think I will bring home
most importantly
the wonderful sense of community that I felt here.
The sense that would usually
take me years to achieve with any
group of people I meet and am around with
but here I felt in a matter of days.
And even though
to echo Bilbo's words
I don't know half of you half as much as I would like
and the rest I haven't had a chance to like
probably only half as much as they deserve
if not less
I still feel like we are all part of a community.
Oi Tingolai Tingolai Oh, Thingol, Thingol
Graži tavo Lutijena. Beautiful is your Lúthien.
Jei tu nori Lutijenos If you want Lúthien
Atnešk tris silmarilius. Bring three silmarils.
O Lutijena Lutijena But Lúthien, Lúthien
Silmariliu neverta. Is not worth a silmaril.
Miruvoras ne vanduo Miruvor is not water
O Berenas – ne piemuo. Just like Beren is not a shepherd.
Miruvoras iš vandens Miruvor is made of water
O Berenas – iš piemens. And Beren is made of shepherd.
You shaved him!
After the second round we have a winner
and that is Deividas!
Guys on the left, girls on the right, and we line up!
Sirítsd meg, fordítsd meg, hátrafelé indítsd meg! Turn her, spin her, and turn around!
Elõre, elõre, lássuk mi lesz belõle! Forward, ho, forward, ho, let us see where this may go!
The next two will be quite similar
but we place the hook to the left side
and we can close the hook upwards
and then it is like this...
The rangers, as a part of the community
were the ones doing all the wandering.
When it comes to the word "ranger"
and, well, with Tolkien it is always good
to look in the meaning of the word
ranger can actually mean just that: a wanderer.
Ranger can also mean
a specific type of soldier
also, ranger can mean, well
a sworn officer of the forest
appointed by the king
to basically patrol in the forests
looking for trouble and solving it.
Now we can move on a little bit to Middle-Earth
and coats-of-arms in Middle-Earth.
There we mostly have
these coats-of-arms as personal emblems
and there are some rules
that we know of.
For example, that
males use rombuses
so, the rombus shape shield
for their emblems
as a sqaure turned fortyfive degrees sideways.
Females used circles for their emblems.
If you pack to your height
you not only gain this extra control
but also in some cases
you might get extra protection from backward.
So, if your bag stands out to here,
your head is also protected
from the wind blowing from the back
which might be important in some situations
especially the sort of survival situations
that for example rangers would have to live through.
If you are hiking through the plains of Eriador
where there are winds sweeping for tens of kilometres
before hitting you in the face or in the back
you want as much protection as possible
and if your backpack can provide you with some protection,
that's great.
This particular one is more or less
from Slavic land, they are the ones
that actually like to scare people.
But there is one point why it was so easy
for the Christians to assimilate us:
it didn't matter which cult it was
the Mother's or the Father's
we always had that one high god
from which came all the others.
He was like Ilúvatar.
And whenever I read Tolkien
I just cannot look at the name "Ilúvatar" properly
because I always see the name of the Baltic high god.
The procedure goes like this: let's stand up!
And let’s pass it in circle.
Usually pagans do it like spilling a little bit of it
looking to the other person in the eyes
saying something they want to tell them
something good, something bad, whatever
sipping a little, and giving it to the other person.
The lyrics is about a sycamore tree (jovaras)
standing by the road
bees humming from beneath its roots
zither sounds coming from its trunk
and the children of a falcon nesting
on the top of its branches.
Actually during the rites it's usual.
And sometimes two or three such vessels are being passed on.
That's more like it.
Now, we march.
We really don't want anyone getting poisoned.
Follow the basic safety rules.
We are just showing off, so it doesn't matter.
Yeah, we do have firewood still
so it doesn't need to be efficient!
It's recreational, come on!
We have a huge axe and we want to use it!
Recreational brutalizing!
That's how astrophysicists do with axe!
So what was it?
Be robbed of its most beautiful artifacts
being the Silmarillion, of my craft!
Yes, father!
We should leave!
Morgoth has fleed to the North
and we are here as cowards!
Everybody who has a heart,
a heart of courage, join me!
A heart of courage!
Good day to you, mortal!
I am Ulmo, Lord of Waters.
Yes, thank you very much for kneeling.
It is your duty to go to Gondolin
and save your people, and the Noldor
and the Sindarin from destruction.
So, if you would please take this cloak
it will protect you from enemies by making you invisible.
I'm much obliged.
Go to Gondolin
you will find a person who will guide you there, soon.
Bye-bye, and good luck!
Will the journey take long?
Oh, yes, quite long.
I need to get some sleep, I guess.
Who are you?
Why are you crying?
I am Voronwë son of Aranwë of Gondolin
and I am crying because of my lost ship.
What ship?
What ship? It doesn't matter anymore!
It's lost! It's gone!
My Lord Turgon! A dark elf came here.
We don't know how he could cross our walls
but I came with him.
Let him in, I want to speak with him.
Hi. She is my wife and he is my son.
I will take them both!
I'm sorry, you came to a wrong neigbourhood, actually.
They entered Gondolin, so they cannot leave.
They can stay here for as long as you like
but they cannot leave.
And for you, I think, I do not like you, death.
Father, you shouldn't hurt him.
Please, let him live.
He is my aunt’s husband.
I leave my wife there, but I take my son with me.
Sorry, no. Kill him, please, guard.
No, first I kill my son!
No!
Kill him!
But he is your father!
He did that!
But your mother did not want him to die!
Go away, you evil elf, I don't want to see you anymore!
Die! Die! Die!
Daughter! Who is this?
He is Beren, the son of the eldest Houses of Men
and he is to be my... my true and...
And why are you here? What are you looking for?
I am Beren, foe of Morgoth.
I'm cool.
Let's kill him!
No.
Why?
He is a good man.
Oh. Let's kill him!
No.
No, father, please!
I want this girl!
You. You mortal ***!
You can have my daughter, if you bring me a Silmaril!
Deal!
That's about it.
During our last hike we visited
the Museum of Ancient Beekeeping
called the House of Beorn
in our mirkwoodish terminology.
Even in the lives of the bees there is
hidden the spirit of us and our ancestors.
The honeybees have a very special place
in Lithuanian culture.
They are not only important
but also a symbol of friendship.
Myths about the origin of the bees
are illustrated by woodens sculptures
in the museum garden.
Supernatural knowledge is expressed in myths.
The humans are trained through
prophetic dreams of the soul.
Hello. Care to say a few words?
About the camp itself or ...?
Everything.
Well, it's great.
It's just like a Tolkien camp
and a scout camp all together.
Both of them are very good
and together they are even better.
Great. Thank you!
Care to say a few words about Mirkwood?
Mirkwood. Yes, it's a pretty nice place,
we have just learned that it has bees in it.
It's long, easy to get lost in.
Well, it has been so far generally
a very pleasant overall experience.
Thank you very much.
The participants were divided into four teams:
yellow, green, blue and red.
In general, each team had four Hungarian
and four Lithuanian members.
The teams had various duties
like designing their own flags.
Blue team?
Tired and...
You are not the whole blue team!
OK, I am also tired.
Rock'n'roll!
The sun concealed in sea of clouds
The water washing weary toes
The trunks of trees us trudging see
The fire flaming bright.
The rhymes are rising round and up
With smoke and songs of solemn folk
Eventually enlightening lands
Among the pines and oaks.
Yellow team!
How are you feeling about this game?
I'm a little bit nervous!
You know, this is my first time...
Hwaet!
The yellow team in troublesome years
On the shores of shady lakes
Did its duty with undanted minds.
'Twas no matter to mince meats
Clean cauldrons, or carry water.
In the smithing of swords they excelled
Foraging in the forest friends they fed.
Blazing glory on blades laid.
Foraging in the forest friends they fed.
Marching on the morrow they minded not
And lighting of fires light considered.
In battling with insects intrepid they were
Slaughtering gadflies in groups and swarms.
Gathering spiderwebs was sport and play
And dauntless they faced despair and losing.
With incisive wits they intelligently thought
Riddles and trivia they readily untangled.
Under their standard of steed charging
They felled their foes, foul enemies.
They held their fort heroically and fearless
Seized banners bravely and cunningly.
No one in the land of Lithuania bright
Has made such slaughter of soldiers of evil
As the army of sun-hue, arrayed in mail.
Torpedoes they tossed in torpid waters
Enemy longships egregiously boarded
Shoving the troops shivering into the lake.
Oft-times they took treasures great.
Bright ring-givers, roaming roads
They raided homesteads, harrying orcs.
Little rest they took, toiling for the rest.
For greater good gaily they fought
And never shunning work shall they conquer.
Glory they richly reap - they were good kings.
Red team!
How are you feeling about this?
The forest is foreign for all of the factions,
Fellowships formed between fellow fighters
In siege of Dol Guldur.
A shout to the shore, solders without swords
the flag is on fire, Red Dragon arose
in siege of Dol Guldur.
The flag is now flanked by fearless red forces
the battle was brewing, the blood has been spilled
in siege of Dol Guldur.
The dream of the Dragon has drifted away
the souls of the soldiers are speaking today
after the siege of Dol Guldur.
The shields are now shattered, the spears are scattered
the sounds stopped singing the tale we are bringing
of siege of Dol Guldur.
If we take our flag into Dol Guldur
or if we take our flag and another team's?
Yours and another team’s.
Tibor, are you actually alive?
Yes.
Doesn't really look that way.
Oh, no, I am not.
You cross that line, you die!
We kill the greens, we take their flag...
Only that one: until one of us,
either your team, or our team,
get the greens' flag, we don't kill each other.
OK? That's all.
Well, good.
If any member of our teams catches the greens' flag,
then the other leaves him.
Wait, wait, wait.
Why is this about the greens' flag?
Why not just kill all the greens?
And green team!
How are you feeling about...?
Rather excited...
Beware, he is coming!
Great danger dwelt, to Dol Guldur we marched
Through the marches mighty meadows met
Our standards strong, we are strong to strike
Seeking silently enemies surrounding
Foes we find forever hungry
For our blood, with fiery eyes
Long we fought our fearless fight
Enemy overcame alone and unnumbered
Perilous powers our people were felling
End of the ends our enemies appealed
Lost is the laughter, lost is the flag
Taken by forces, torn from our hands
Roar from the trees, our hope is renewed
Ready to rumble, reclaim our own
Risen is the forest, fighting with fury
Wrathfully stormed, so the walls fell
Dol Guldur diminished, danger has past
Glory we gained, greatness retained
Glittering green Dol Guldur has gained.