Unquendor

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Tolkien Genootschap Unquendor (Tolkien Society Unquendor) is the Tolkien society in the Netherlands.

History

Unquendor was founded in 1981, on the birthday of Frodo and Bilbo, September 22th, after the example of the British Tolkien Society. It steadily grew up to its current member count of about 210 people[1] from all over the Dutch-speaking world, though Flanders has its own Society, Elanor, and South Africa, which had its now defunct Haradrim, was usually considered under the influence of the English Tolkien Society.

Members of Note

Gatherings

Unquendor organises a number of big events throughout the Netherlands, like:

  • The "Joelfeest" (Yule party, December)
  • Tolkien day (with annual general meeting, close to September 22th)
  • "Slotfeest" (Castle/End Feast, June),
  • "3-januari-diner" (Tolkien Birthday Dinner, January 3rd)
  • "Tolkien Leesdag" (Tolkien Reading Day, close to March 25th)
    • [Has not been held in the most recent years.]

Unquendor also offers more regular meetings organised by its members throughout the Netherlands, called Herbergen ("Inns").

Lustrum

Every 5 years, the most recent being 2011, Unquendor organizes a weekend event to celebrate an additional 5 years of the society being in existence. These events are more international in nature and usually include lectures by known Tolkien scholars and artists: Thomas Honegger / Paul Smith (2016), Cor Blok (2006), Tom Shippey (2011), Rayner Unwin (1997), Arne Zettersten (2006).

Publications

Unquendor also publishes the five-a-year magazine Lembas, in which the accounts of meetings and announcements for them are made known, but it includes Ardalogical and Tolkienistical essays as well, all of which are written by members of Unquendor. Unquendor also publishes an extra book approximately every two years, called the Lembas Extra, in which all kinds of Tolkienological and Ardalogical articles, all in English, are published.

Etymology

Unquendor is neo-Quenya for "Hollow Land", and is a translation of the often perceived etymology of Holland, "Hollow land". The correct etymology is of Holland, however, "Wooded land". "Hollow land" does apply to Holland in Lincolnshire, UK.

External links

References

  1. http://www.unquendor.nl/node/22 (accessed 05-12-2011)