Members of The Tolkien Society at the backyard of Eagle and Child during Oxonmoot 1979

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

Vera Chapman, founder of the Tolkien Society and Jessica Yates, one of the Oxonmoot founders, at Eagle and Child, Oxonmoot 1979

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 Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth.[10]

Activities

Fan gathering at Tolkien's gravesite during the 2008 Oxonmoot.

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

References

  1. ↑ Ffrench, Andrew (14 September 2012). "Hobbit fans gather to celebrate anniversary". Oxford Mail. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  2. 1 2 "The Origins of Oxonmoot". The Tolkien Society. 19 December 2019. Archived from the original on 6 November 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  3. ↑ "The Mythopoeic Society - Mythopoeic Press, Proceedings of the J.R.R. Tolkien Centenary Conference 1992". Mythopoeic Society. Archived from the original on 11 July 2020. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  4. ↑ Little, Reg (12 August 2009). "The most dramatic battle yet?". Oxford Mail. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  5. ↑ Barbini, Francesca T. (29 July 2015). "The Tolkien Society's Oxonmoot - A Word with Elena Krysova". Sci-fi and Fantasy Network. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  6. ↑ "Hobbit fans in four-day Oxonmoot". Oxford Mail. 12 September 2015. Archived from the original on 10 November 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  7. ↑ "Oxonmoot 2017: Tolkien Society Annual Gathering, St Antony's College, Oxford, UK, Sept. 21-24 2017 | American Name Society". American Name Society. 22 April 2017. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  8. ↑ Hall, Daniel (21 September 2018). "Tolkien fans visit Oxford to celebrate author". Cherwell. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  9. ↑ "Tolkien fans hold annual Oxonmoot in Oxford". BBC News. 24 September 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  10. ↑ "Tolkien festival this weekend ties in with most-popular ever Bodleian summer show". Oxford Mail. 21 September 2018. Archived from the original on 6 November 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  11. ↑ Newton, Russell (2 October 2012). "Tolkien fans gather for the 38th Oxonmoot festival". Cherwell. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  12. ↑ Gale, Casey (31 October 2018). "Meeting in Middle-earth at the Tolkien Society Event". PCMA. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  13. ↑ Gordinier, Jeff (14 December 2001). "'The Lord of the Rings': Elvish Lives!". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  14. ↑ Gunner, Shaun (11 August 2015). "10 reasons why you should attend Oxonmoot". The Tolkien Society. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  15. ↑ Goldhill, Olivia (12 December 2014). "The Hobbit: Welcome to the world of Tolkien mania". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  16. ↑ Aubron-Bülles, Marcel (4 October 2014). "History of Tolkien's life at Exeter College published". thetolkienist.com. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  17. ↑ "Talks and courses". John Garth. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  18. ↑ Zama, Sarah (26 September 2020). "Tolkien, Oxonmoot and Living the Change Without Fear". Medium. Archived from the original on 10 November 2020. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  19. ↑ Gwath, Inia (29 September 2020). "Oxonmoot 2020: A Review and a Fellowship". Books From Fangorn. Archived from the original on 10 November 2020. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
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