Mythcon, day 2

Paper showing that Tolkien shows more respect for animals in LotR than in The Hobbit, and not just the favored ones. It's just as true of the wargs. All except the Eagles, whom he treats as a taxi service.

Paper proposing that Bilbo is able to keep the extent of his wealth secret from his neighbors because he lives in the hills. No, I don't get that line of reasoning any more than you do.

Paper declaring that Lewis holds a simplistic caricatured view of Biblical-inerrancy fundamentalists. Post-paper questioning of presenter revealed that no, some of them really are like that.

Paper finding Tolkienian eucatastrophe in several classic mainstream literary works by presenter reading out plot summaries of them (e.g. Pride and Prejudice, King Lear) at tongue-twisting top speed. Good post-paper discussion finally devolves into dispute over whether Wrath of Khan (the first version, of course) is eucatastrophic. Me= no. Everyone else (Trekfen, it turns out) = yes.

Collaborative readimg of selected sections of Beowulf. Volunteers come up from the audience and read a chunk, in Anglo Saxon or Tolkien's translation, their choice. A magical hour. I get part of Beowulf's announcement of his arrival, my favorite section. Afterwards, GoH Ursula Vernon compliments me on my reading. A kind remark, but others were better still. Only at Mythcon.

Late evening chatting with the pipe-smokers outside about Ardmore and Rutgers and Colorado Springs. Warm, balmy evening in the dark.