Lord of the Rings: A Sacred Easter Journey

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This Easter, fans of The Lord of the Rings trilogy gathered to celebrate the fall of the dark lord, Sauron, with a pint of specially brewed Shadowfax IPA, some Lembas bread, and perhaps more nerd power than the city of Vancouver, Washington has seen in a great while.

For once, nearby Portland met its match in delightful oddity, as elves and dwarves, hobbits and men, wizards and ents all came back to the big screen for a weekend of Tolkien-fandom bliss. From March 25^th through the 27^th, The Kiggins Theater played the extended versions of the films.

Theater folk engaged in trivia each intermission, with questions ranging from laughably easy (What did the elves call Gandalf? Answer: Mithrandir — and that’s Sindarin, by the way) to thought-provoking (Who said “Not all those who wander are lost?” Answer: Tolkien, but…in a poem referencing Aragorn…so is this really a quote, or just part of the book?) to maddeningly obscure — Which Led Zeppelin song references ringwraiths? Answer: “The Battle of Evermore.”

Besides the trivia and hours of watching fantasy creatures hike across New Zealand, a weekend pass ($55) purchased a poster, collector’s lanyard, 25 percent off of all concessions, a free piece of Lembas bread every day, waffles with either lemon curd and fruit or nutella & bananas on Sunday’s “second breakfast,” a free pint of beer in a collectors’ glass, and $1 off every pint following in a replica of The Prancing Pony.

According to the advertisements, there was a costume party as well, but the only person I saw other than a few theater crew was one noble woman dressed as a different minor or major character every day. That, and a few young men appeared to be trying that whole “stuck in the wilderness, so I can’t be bothered to shave” trend.

In any case, every fan appreciated Peter Jackson’s epic in his or her own way. Sunday, the final film viewing proved to be the best quasi-religious gathering one could attend on a brisk, Pacific Northwestern, Easter afternoon. It may be fantasy, but there’s a good bit of truth therein.

Megan Wallin

Megan Wallin is a young writer with a background in the social sciences and an interest in seeking the extraordinary in the mundane. A Seattle native, she finds complaining about the constant drizzle and overabundance of Starbucks coffee therapeutic. With varied work experiences as a residential counselor, preprimary educator, musician, writing tutor and college newspaper reporter/editor, Megan is thrilled to offer a unique perspective through writing, research and open dialogue.