[Aenigmatic]

Hellos all,

I know I risk sounding like an airhead by asking this question, but maybe someone can tell me what the Gondorians, the Rohirrim of the 4th Age would do during their free time?

Hunting? Ale and wenching...? More Orc-slaying...? Agricultural pursuits? Garden planting and weaving for the women? Forging more weapons? I just wonder how right it is for me to assume that Tolkien modelled these societies after the European Middle-Ages to a large extent.

[Vilwarin]

I think in the beginning of the 4th age, the Gondorians were quite buisy in rebuilding Minas Tirith (with a lot of help from elves and dwarves), the other cties recultivating the Pelennor.

The Rohirrim had problems with raiding orcs and Uruk-Hais. I can imagine that many of their settlements were burned down.

Then there was Eriador - ahem...Arnor. They had a lot of work to do in rebuilding the city of Annuminas. I think many of the Gondorians would have gone to Arnor since Eriador had amlost no pupulation. There were only the Dúnedain in the Angle, the three villages around Bree hill and the Shire (not counting the leaving elves).

There were still minor wars with the Haradrim and the people inm the east. So they had not instantly peace.

After that I think they did pretty much that what they did before the shadow fell over their lands. The numenorian kingdoms had a high culture. So I imagine they would concentrate on that again.
Weopens were of course still necessary, as was agriculture.

I think Gondor and Arnor (with the help of the elves) got wonderful gardens theyhad to luck after.

Hunting of course, they need a lot of meat after all and ale? You know men, don't you?

But I don't know if there had been guilds like e.g. in Germany.

I think there were still Rangers patroling Arnor, but now in the open and not in secrecy.

Don't know if that was helpfull


Vilwa

[inglor]

On a more basic level,
Read boz's Panic stories. She seems to have done her homework about pre-industrial life. Not much spare time between growing/capturing food, mending/making clothes, basic needs we take for granted. Just take a spoon for example: someone had to either carve it out of wood, hammer it out in a forge, or cast it in a mold. Either way, each one had to be hand made, there were no machines to mass produce anything.

[NancyBrooke]

Sorry to be persnicketty, but, I'm not sure "free" time is the right way to think about this. It's likely only a small stratum of society had free time.

Many pursuits that we think as leisure activities would mean food and shelter in ME: weaving, for cloths etc., hunting for food, cooking, cleaning, sharpening weapons, mending the house if needed, taking care of animals, farming etc..

I think your question is, what might they do for relaxation? And socializing is probably the universal answer, either down the pub, across the back fence, in the town square or at court. Of course, that's also synonymous with getting the news, in a way. Art, too, has always been a luxurious pursuit, only a culture that is well fed and safe can turn its thoughts to painting, poetry, embroidery, whittling, sculpture etc.

I hope that helps.

N

PS: Oh, yeah, and Do read Boz's Panic Stories, if not for info then just for great reading (even though one likely will remain unfinished )

[Moralanqua]

You could also research up on medieval pursuits like gambling, dancing, falconry and gaming!

I have Thranduil spending lotsa time with his falcons when hes not fighting off orc crap!

[Aenigmatic]

Hmm..Thanks guys will go check it out.