Actually I'm quite nice when given free beer.

Hey all, I'm a longhaired Norwegian from, well, Norway =P. I stumbled upon this forum, which seemed quite nice, so I decided to sign up. I've been collecting various stuff for some 10 years now, more or less.

It began when I was a kid and my father used to read me lotr on my bed, and I started dreaming myself away to a far away fantasy world, and I have remained in that world ever since. I began collecting and painting warhammer miniatures at the age of eight, wich amplified my love for fantasy further, and I ended up becoming a dragon loving swordo-sexual nerd.

As mentioned above, I'm a complete sword maniac, and I began collecting swords when I snuck behind my foster parents' back and bought a cheap ass katana, at the age of 11, and then it went from that to a collection of 30+ weapons and armour pieces, if not even more. I also have a bunch of statuettes, busts, and various other curiosoties, and it seems I'll never finish my collection. But then again, that wouldn't make me a collector, would it? =P

I've always been a huge LOTR fan, since my dad read me lotr late at night, and needless to say, I couldn't remember much at the point when the movies came out. The movies fixed that up pretty well though, and I was awed at the awesome fellowship movie when it came out. I remember paying my brother to come with me to the theaters, as I was too young to go without adults. The other films where at least as good, and I now find myself unpatiently waiting for the hobbit. I've always had alot of LOTR collectibles, including the coin set and a 18k gold ring. However I never bought a sword until recently. I always wanted one, and I can remember me and a friend surfing the net looking at all the lotr replicas for sale, yet knowing that we couldn't get any of them. A horrible feeling indeed. And as I began collecting swords, I got better and better quality swords, and in the end, I frowned upon anything made out of Low quality metals, and I eventually forgot all about lotr sword replicas. However, some two months ago, I came upon some lotr replicas on a sword site. Of course, I had seen them countless times before, while looking for other swords, but this time I actually noticed them. And I remember how much I loved that witchking sword, so I ended up buying it. And the morgul knife. Along with a ringwraith sword and glamdring. Christ, so much cash gone in one day... And now, seeing the quality and authenticy of the swords, I've decided to eventually get the whole line.

Music means the world to me, and it has since I first discovered Metallica, also at the age of eight. Since then, I've been on a constant hunt for new good music, (Not in the understanding of new bands, but bands I haven't heard much or anything from before) Yet Metallica remains my biggest heroes, along with Dylan, Quorthon, and Bowie. When it comes to my taste in music, I enjoy anything from the aforementioned to brutal norwegian black metal, wich my looks would suggest, long hair, black clothes and army boots... *Cough*

Other than that, I'm a somewhat normal guy, who enjoys a beer once in a while, or everyday if possible. I'm also in the process of getting myself an actual education, after working as a welder for three years. (Yeah, I dropped out of school...) I'm planning to continue working as a welder, having an education means more cash, wich equals more swords. I'm currently in the process of saving for the kropserkel witch king replica armor, conceptual nazgul armor, as well as the death dealer helm and axe. I know, those are giant abitions, but hell, I'm gonna get those blasted pieces. Of course, eventually, witch king suit comes first.

Anyways, happy to meet you all.

Oh, and by the way, I'm 18 years old.

Hello Darlak,
Welcome fellow Metal-head, and collector, to the greatest forum in the Middle Earth, and this world as we know it! I'm a huge Metallica fan as well, and I play in an 80's metal tribute band, so we should get along just fine. Post some pics of your collection when you have time.

Welcome Darlak. Nice introduction, and congratulations on the recent purchases and beginnings of your LOTR sword collection. I can't say I myself am a fan of Metallica or metal, but I do to share a love for music as well, more and more lately. Good luck with school and your career in welding, and I look forward to reading your thoughts on the forum.

Thanks for the welcomes!

I'll post some pics of my collection as soon as I get ahold of a camera, I'll see if I can borrow one. I play in a band myself as well, if you could call it that. It's nothing serious though, more like a bunch of friends having fun. Nothing grand, and most likely never will be, lol.

When it comes to music grima, it's impossible not to like the old 70's stuff, and of course darkwave =P

oh ,i think i mised your intuduktion darlek,sorry.my bad.

i alrady now about your sword pasion,but you also like musik as well.

metallica has become legends thise days,always liked them,seens the 80 s .when they stated out as an underground metal band.

but it was ac/dc sound trak to the b movie maximum overdrive.that realy caled my interrest in metal musik when i was younger.first time i ever thoght ,hey man this is musik.(im not old yet).

we can start a tread of .what hard rock/metal musik do you like ,and find new good metal/rock bands.some of us never herd before.
actuly i like some cristian hard rock bands to.(still as difrece betwean hard rock and metal ).i now.

Heh, cool, another metal lover =D

I don't like ac/dc too much, but they have a few cool songs, like hell's bells, and so on.

And yeah, making a metal/music thread would be cool, I am always on the hunt for more and better music, and I suppose others are too, so why not help eachother out? =P

Ok... what is going on here?!? Two vikings talking to each other and they are using english?!?

I want to see some norse here guys... I know dansk and norge can understand each other, so don't be shy!

no vally ,we are not shy,
.talking dansk and norsk ,will be like speaking canadian vs. texas i think. ?

we can talk like dansk,norsk ,svensk no one in this forum undersands ,but do you have time and a spellbok,to tranfer ouer saying into englich words.if we write in north europearn ?val.

Make that three! I may not live there but I'm totally Scandinavian. 50% Swedish, 50% Norwegian.
Welcome Darlak.
No metal music for me but lots of steel!
Good luck with your education, it will be worth it in $$.
Enjoy yourself here, lots of know how here. Learned more about Tolkien in the last 10 months than rest of my life and now I'm like way too hooked not to want as much knowledge as Valkrist or Olorin have on that subject (and yes, ed209 as well).

And remember all- Tolkien's elven culture was inspired by us Norsk.

Heh, awesome, another brutal viking =D

And yeah, it's kind of satisfying that most of tolkien's work were inspired by saxon/norse stuff. And of course his own wonderful imagination.

Haha! Another one. Now all we need is an Icelandic guy and all the Viking clans will be represented (though I hear they are particularly hard to understand.)

Heh, yeah!

I don't really understand icelandic, they make everything so complicated!
Or, rather, it's we who've made it simpler. Icelandic is basically the same language they spoke in and around Norway a thousand years ago.

I can't trace it, but I am 100% sure that I have Viking blood in me. Given that much of Northumbria was populated by the Danes...

Anyways, welcome to the forums! Enjoy your stay! Please do not pillage & plunder other peoples collections (though that does sound like a good idea, now that I think of it. I've always wanted a Glamdring).

[quote=""Thorin""]I can't trace it, but I am 100% sure that I have Viking blood in me. Given that much of Northumbria was populated by the Danes...

Anyways, welcome to the forums! Enjoy your stay! Please do not pillage & plunder other peoples collections (though that does sound like a good idea, now that I think of it. I've always wanted a Glamdring). [/quote]
Make it a MC Glamdring if you go that route! I'll team up with you if you want to go plunder Sir Tristen's collection.

Now there's a HAUL! For a HALL.

Wow do I feel out of place. I'm German/Czech/Irish/Scottish, I don't like metal much other than Blind Guardian, but hey we all love blade collecting so there's a start.

And for the record, elves aren't supposed to be Scandinavian. Rohirrim are.

Tolkien's elves are, in fact, inspired by the elves of norse mythology, as is most of his other stuff.

One word
Kalevala.

Well yes, elves of Norse mythology, I was thinking of the Norse themselves. I'm almost 100% positive that Rohirrim culture and the Rohirrim themselves are Norse and Anglo-Saxon in origin.

[quote=""Fingolfin""]Well yes, elves of Norse mythology, I was thinking of the Norse themselves. I'm almost 100% positive that Rohirrim culture and the Rohirrim themselves are Norse and Anglo-Saxon in origin.[/quote]
And I'd say you're right. But I'm an elf, so I was thinking along those lines.

well my first impresion of the rohirrim.was there outfits and ofcause there swords.
i am no lotr e xp ert ,but just fasinated by the story and detailes that comes whitin vs. history .personely im more into history.

now how do i define the ecual betveen ,the rohirrim and the old viking cultuer.
look at how there buildings they live in ,simulaer to the old so caled viking longhouse.whit some of the same art struktuers.
there otufit and armor is more heavy ,and build for cold weather .then you have the swords ofcause,if you look at herugrim sword it has a vikingnich blade.but,by looking at the crosgouard its more like a spartan .
hmm a werd combine.

but yet again its middelearth.

, I don't like metal much other than Blind Guardian

well fingolfin,blind guardian is more like a hard rock band not metal,but a god band thoug.you should try to e xp loere some more musik in this category,and a hole new world may open up.

Well, almost all of Tolkiens works are based on norse mythology. Look at the name of middle earth for example, the godly realm in norse mythology is called midgard, wich transelates into, well middle earth. And then you have vestfold, and ostfold of rohan, both of wich are names used for lands that lie to either the east or the west. And then the names of Tolkien's characters, this goes not only for the inhabitants of rohan, but almost all of middleearth. Most names not elvish, have a "harsh" norse tone to them (Sauron, Sarumann, Boromir, Aragorn, and so on)

I could continue all night, but middle earth is no doubt based on norse mythology. Seeing as Tolkien was a professor of anglo saxon stuff, and had great interest for the norse. Most of the creatures from Tolkien's work are also in fact taken from norse mythology. Goblins, or orcs, are no doubt based on "tusser" or "vetter". While elves and dwarves are, well, elves and dwarves. Same goes for trolls. (No, the finnish didn't come up with the trolls. Bloody troll hijackers...) And I have a feeling orcs, being the tougher equalent of goblins, may also be based on jotuns of norse mythology. And then you have dragons, wargs, the list goes on and on and on.

While rohan may be the only guys that shows ties to norse viking culture of the real world, most of his other stuff are taken from norse mythology. In fact, I believe Rohan is more based on anglo saxon stuff than vikings, as their swords and armor are more like that of anglo saxon culture. The woodcarvings are no doubt made with vikings in mind though. Also, most Rohan names doesn't seem norse, so it may be that they're based on anglo saxon stuff.

i have no doubt about your nolige,betwean tolkien vc. nordic mytology.darlek

i do now,but the interesting thing is here,if you still collect swords,whits is foukused on lotr design.take a close look at herurim sword then.

as i said viking blade,spartan croseguard..look at history swords.werd combination.

middelearth is still a combination of fantasy,history and real life.

I really think all the rohan blades look like anglo saxon swords with a fantasy twist. That's how I view them though =P

I did an essay a year ago about the Viking invasion/settlement in England and I was pretty broad in my research. If you compare all of the Germanic groups and tribes, you'll discover pretty quickly that they are all very closely linked, which is why you'll have 3 or 4 words for the same thing. While styles may have varied, a lot of them derived from similar styles. Regardless of what Tolkien might have studied, they are all so very similar in nature that they might as well be the same.

Yeah, they definitely look more like Anglo-Saxon mixed with some fantasy. I don't really see anything Spartan like.

I don't really see anything Spartan like

yes you mayby right there thorin.think i got confused somewere betwean achilles and spartans.hmm

i may just stik to the vinking swords then so i wont get steesed