Putri Prihatini Profile picture
Jun 20, 2023 8 tweets 4 min read Read on X
For #Tolkien, Faerie is the land of endless beauty and peril, where humility is required. The concept is present in many of his works, but it's also something I'm familiar with from what's known as Hutan Larangan ("sacred forest").

A 🧵for #TolkienTrewsday #TolkienTuesday 1/8 A photograph of tropical fo...
In Tolkien's early writing, an explorer, Eriol, was about to enter a tiny magical house called the Cottage of Lost Play. The house asked him to will himself to be as tiny as the "little folk" to enter. We can read it as a test of humility. 2/8
🎨: Amani Warrington An illustration of a tiny w...
One of Tolkien's "fairy poems" showed the consequence of acting with arrogance when you got a chance to enter the Faerie: the unnamed narrator was reduced to a rambling wreck, suffering an indescribable feeling of loss. 3/8
In many areas in Indonesia, Hutan Larangan are present as forests that must not be disturbed due to cultural/religious importance for local communities. The name's literal translation is "forbidden forest", and they are often surrounded by folklore, legend, and horror tales. 4/8 A photograph taken from the...
Entering the forests often require no spitting, littering, cursing, wearing jewelry/ranked uniforms, etc. They are believed to invite ill lucks. Words like pamali (Sundanese) or kualat (Javanese) are thrown around, referring to ancient taboo and misfortunes due to disrespect. 5/8 A photograph of two local S...
Many of these forests have local guardians. For example, Hutan Larangan Kampung Kuta in Ciamis, West Java, has a "kuncen", Maman, whose tasks include reminding people to follow the rules and respect the forests and local customs. 6/8

📷: Donny Iqbal for Mongabay Indonesia A photograph of Maman, a lo...
The show of humility in Tolkien's Faerie and Hutan Larangan reflect plea to respect the indescribable and unpredictable yet powerful things around us. Enter at you own peril, but humility may reward you with something beautiful. 7/8

📷: Donny Iqbal for Mongabay Indonesia A photograph of Maman, a lo...
I turned this thread into a blog post for Tolkien Reading Day 2023. Since the theme is "travel and adventure", I argued that humility is an important part in a journey, including into the Faerie; basically the essence of Tolkien's many writings. 8/8
putri2wotan.wordpress.com/2023/03/26/in-…

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More from @BlogTolkien

Oct 13
Chocolate was once associated with witchcraft in colonial Latin America. Women traditionally prepared chocolate for drink and folk medicine, so there was fear that they practiced witchcraft through chocolate, making them subjects of Inquisition's crackdown. 1/8 #FolkloreSunday A photograph of two cups of spiced hot chocolate drink taken from above. The chocolate drink has frothy surface.
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Letters from Father Christmas originates from Tolkien's tradition of writing illustrated letters to his children every Christmas, from 1920 to 1943, making them look like they come from a figure called "Father Christmas". 1/8

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A thread of birthday appreciation for #TolkienTrewsday #TolkienTuesday 1/13

📷: Josh Dolgin A photograph of Christopher Tolkien, sitting in front of a fireplace and a wall shelf full of decorative ceramic plates and candles. He wore a coat over a green vest and checkered shirt, gazing wistfully with folded arms.
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Oct 8, 2023
Chocolate was once associated with witchcraft in colonial Latin America. Women traditionally prepared chocolate for drink and folk medicine, so there was fear that they practiced witchcraft through chocolate, making them subjects of Inquisition's crackdown.
#FolkloreSunday 1/8 A photograph of two cups of spiced hot chocolate drink taken from above. The chocolate drink has frothy surface.
Chocolate was known as the "food of gods" and currency in ancient times. According to legend, Aztec emperor Montezuma II drank gallons of it daily for vitality. Chocolate was also consumed for strength in giving birth and menopause, or staying awake for rituals and revelries. 2/8 A photograph of round, short clay jar from ancient Mayan era, used to make chocolate drink. The jar has a single hieroglyph that depicts the word "chocolate."
Women traditionally prepared chocolate drink and the association carried as the Inquisition purged "heretical practices", including folk medicine. Historian Martha Few said that many testimonies featured chocolate, like those who feared women put potion in their morning cup. 3/8 A detail of a manuscript showing a dark-haired woman with long-sleeved striped dress. She poured chocolate from a jar in her hand, which was held high above a larger jar on the floor, to make the drink frothy.
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Sep 17, 2023
In Tolkien's works, Faerie is seen as the land of endless beauty and peril. Humility is required here, or disasters strike. The concept is also present in Hutan Larangan ("forbidden forest"), prevalent in various cultures in Indonesia. 1/8

A 🧵for #Tolkien and #FolkloreSunday A photograph of tropical forest surrounded by fog.
In Tolkien's early writing, an explorer, Eriol, was about to enter a tiny magical house called the Cottage of Lost Play. The house asked him to will himself to be as tiny as the "little folk" to enter. We can read it as a test of Eriol's humility. 2/8

🎨: Amani Warrington An illustration of a tiny white house with thatched roof and red door, built on a green hill next to a shore.
One of Tolkien's "fairy poems" showed the consequence of acting with arrogance when you got a chance to enter the Faerie: the unnamed narrator was reduced to a rambling wreck, suffering an indescribable feeling of loss. 3/8
Read 8 tweets

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