Oxonmoot Explained

Oxonmoot is a conference and fan convention organized by The Tolkien Society devoted to celebrate and study the life and works of J. R. R. Tolkien. It takes place every year in Oxford, England, around 22 September, the date of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins's birthdays, also known as Hobbit Day.[1]

History

The idea of a Tolkien-related gathering in Oxford came from the multiple connections of the writer with the city, and was initially suggested by John Abbot in the fanzine Nazgul. The first Oxonmoot took place over 13 to 15 September 1974, and was based in the former Welsh Pony pub in George Street. Among other activities such as visiting the Bodleian Library and lunching in The Eagle and Child pub, attendants of this first meeting laid a wreath on Tolkien's grave, and recited A Elbereth Gilthoniel.[2] During this first Oxonmoot an American student and member of the Mythopoeic Society joined the original group.[2] The 1992 Oxonmoot, at the centenary of Tolkien's birth, was held together with the 23rd Mythopoeic Conference.[3] From 1991 Oxonmoot has been hosted in different colleges of the University of Oxford, for example, Lady Margaret Hall from 2009 to 2014,[4] [5] and St Antony's College from 2015 to 2019.[6] [7] [8]

Oxonmoot has become the largest of the Tolkien Society's calendar of events, typically bringing about 200 fans from the UK and abroad.[9] The 2018 Oxonmoot was the largest with more than 300 attendees, coinciding with the popular Bodleian exhibition .[10]

Activities

Oxonmoot takes place over a weekend and includes talks, art shows, reading circles, theatre performances,[11] workshops, and social events such as quizzes, a banquet and a masquerade.[12] The event closes with a remembrance ceremony called Enyalië at Tolkien's grave in Wolvercote cemetery.[13] The Enyalië continues the tradition established during the first Oxonmoot of laying a wreath on the grave of Tolkien and his wife Edith, and includes words by the Chairman of the Tolkien Society, a selected reading from Tolkien, and a recital of the poem Namárië.[14]

Oxonmoot is a forum for presenting Tolkien research[15] in the form of seminar papers and books,[16] from academics such as John Garth, Tom Shippey, Verlyn Flieger, Michael D. C. Drout, and Elizabeth Solopova.[17]

Due to the COVID pandemic, the 2020 Oxonmoot was held online,[18] and it included keynote talks by Dimitra Fimi, about the Unfinished Tales, Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull, about Tolkien as an illustrator, among others.[19]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ffrench . Andrew . 14 September 2012 . Hobbit fans gather to celebrate anniversary . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201111220944/https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/9928543.hobbit-fans-gather-celebrate-anniversary/ . 11 November 2020 . 11 November 2020 . Oxford Mail.
  2. Web site: 19 December 2019. The Origins of Oxonmoot . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201106142044/https://www.tolkiensociety.org/society/events/oxonmoot/origins-of-oxonmoot/ . 6 November 2020 . 6 November 2020 . The Tolkien Society.
  3. Web site: The Mythopoeic Society - Mythopoeic Press, Proceedings of the J.R.R. Tolkien Centenary Conference 1992 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200711111427/http://www.mythsoc.org/press/proceedings-tolkien-centenary.htm . 11 July 2020 . 10 November 2020 . Mythopoeic Society.
  4. Web site: Little . Reg . 12 August 2009 . The most dramatic battle yet? . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201111150613/https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/4535647.dramatic-battle-yet/ . 11 November 2020 . 11 November 2020 . Oxford Mail.
  5. Web site: Barbini . Francesca T. . 29 July 2015 . The Tolkien Society's Oxonmoot - A Word with Elena Krysova . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201111151630/http://www.scififantasynetwork.com/the-tolkien-societys-oxonmoot-a-word-with-elena-krysova/ . 11 November 2020 . 11 November 2020 . Sci-fi and Fantasy Network.
  6. News: 12 September 2015 . Hobbit fans in four-day Oxonmoot . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201110142532/https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/13715761.hobbit-fans-four-day-oxonmoot/ . 10 November 2020 . 11 November 2020 . Oxford Mail.
  7. Web site: 22 April 2017 . Oxonmoot 2017: Tolkien Society Annual Gathering, St Antony's College, Oxford, UK, Sept. 21-24 2017 American Name Society . live . https://archive.today/20201111145249/https://www.americannamesociety.org/oxonmoot-2017-tolkien-society-annual-gathering-st-antonys-college-oxford-uk-sept-21-24-2017/ . 11 November 2020 . 11 November 2020 . American Name Society .
  8. Web site: Hall . Daniel . 2018-09-21 . Tolkien fans visit Oxford to celebrate author . live . https://archive.today/20201111220059/https://cherwell.org/2018/09/21/tolkien-fans-visit-oxford-to-celebrate-author/ . 11 November 2020 . 11 November 2020 . Cherwell .
  9. News: 24 September 2011 . Tolkien fans hold annual Oxonmoot in Oxford . BBC News . live . 9 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201106132321/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-15038836 . 6 November 2020.
  10. News: 21 September 2018 . Tolkien festival this weekend ties in with most-popular ever Bodleian summer show . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201106140305/https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/16896259.tolkien-fans-oxonmoot-will-visit-popular-bodleian-show/ . 6 November 2020 . 6 November 2020 . Oxford Mail.
  11. Web site: Newton . Russell . 2 October 2012 . Tolkien fans gather for the 38th Oxonmoot festival . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201111215229/https://cherwell.org/2012/10/02/tolkien-fans-gather-for-the-38th-oxonmoot-festival/ . 11 November 2020 . 11 November 2020 . Cherwell.
  12. Web site: Gale . Casey . 31 October 2018 . Meeting in Middle-earth at the Tolkien Society Event . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201111151020/https://www.pcma.org/meeting-in-middle-earth/ . 11 November 2020 . 11 November 2020 . PCMA.
  13. Web site: Gordinier . Jeff . 14 December 2001 . 'The Lord of the Rings': Elvish Lives! . live . https://archive.today/20201112135115/https://ew.com/books/serpentine-connects-to-philip-pullman-book-of-dust/ . 12 November 2020 . 12 November 2020 . Entertainment Weekly .
  14. Web site: Gunner . Shaun . 2015-08-11 . 10 reasons why you should attend Oxonmoot . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201112133609/https://www.tolkiensociety.org/blog/2015/08/10-reasons-why-you-should-attend-oxonmoot/ . 12 November 2020 . 12 November 2020 . The Tolkien Society.
  15. Web site: Goldhill . Olivia . 12 December 2014 . The Hobbit: Welcome to the world of Tolkien mania . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201111152403/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/11290467/The-Hobbit-Welcome-to-the-world-of-Tolkien-mania.html . 2020-11-11 . 2020-11-11 . The Telegraph.
  16. Web site: Aubron-Bülles . Marcel . 2014-10-04 . History of Tolkien's life at Exeter College published . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201111222659/https://thetolkienist.com/2014/10/05/history-tolkiens-life-exeter-college-published/ . 11 November 2020 . 11 November 2020 . thetolkienist.com.
  17. Web site: Talks and courses . live . https://archive.today/20201111224230/http://www.johngarth.co.uk/php/talks_and_presentations.php . 11 November 2020 . 11 November 2020 . John Garth .
  18. Web site: Zama . Sarah . 26 September 2020 . Tolkien, Oxonmoot and Living the Change Without Fear . live . https://archive.today/20201110143037/https://medium.com/middle-earth-literary-gazette/tolkien-oxonmoot-and-living-the-change-without-fear-ac30e8c265bf . 10 November 2020 . 10 November 2020 . Medium .
  19. Web site: Gwath . Inia . 2020-09-29 . Oxonmoot 2020: A Review and a Fellowship . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201110134809/https://booksfromfangorn.com/2020/09/29/oxonmoot-2020-a-review-and-a-fellowship/ . 10 November 2020 . 10 November 2020 . Books From Fangorn.

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