The other day my drama teacher said to me whilst we were talking about LOTR, "I suppose its quite a cult following isn't it." Now are ringers part of a cult? We don't worship LOTR we're just fans, we don't have a defined set of rules and we don't manipulate our members. However there are some disconserting things on Wikapedia that suggest that we may be. What are your'e thoughts.

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Made by Lembas

I think that there are some people that are very... hmm... devoted to LotR, but I don't think that it's a cult following, per say. When I think of a cult following , I think of a certain group of people who all follow one thing obsessively. LotR is liked by a wide variety of people.

that's just me though. XD

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^all banners by me - CJ's Request Thread

A cult...

Can't say that.

Many "followers" are different sorts of people. Christians, Catholics, Jews, even punk. It's really quite a fun mix.

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hmm I do not think it as a cult either. I have to say that I could not stand to hear the voices when I had a bad mood. It is an excellent movie but not cult. I am just a fan

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Will be going to London on March of the 30th

Oh! Cult following doesn't necessarily mean worship or anything at all to do with religion. From Wikipedia:
"A cult following is a group of fans devoted to a specific thing, usually a media work, such as a book, film, television or radio program, though some comic books, video games, musicians, writers and others also gain cult followings. Some non-media items also have what could be considered cult folowings (such as Tab).

These dedicated followings are usually relatively small and pertain to items that don't have broad mainstream appeal, though there are exceptions. Cult followings are often dedicated enough that many people of similar interest are familiar with one another due to convention gatherings, concerts, Internet chat rooms, or shops featuring the item(s) in question."

See, that describes us. But it doesn't say we're worshipping Tolkien or Sauron or Illuvatar or anything.

Also-
"'Cult following' is also used to describe the more obsessive fans of established mainstream performers. For example, many persons have been interested in Michael Jackson's music or in Disney films, but some fans take their interest to extreme levels, hoarding vast amounts of collectables. Some such "cult fans" occasionally veer into obsessive-compulsive disorders or stalking; however, cult followings do not necessitate that individuals partake in cultish activities."

There you have it. The former is what people usually associate with the word, I think! And LotR fans are certainly that!

However, I did find this link a few years ago-
http://www.uib.no/people/hnohf/greven.htm
I found it disturbingly intriguing.

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I agree, and as of now, I'm the only one who said yes to the poll.

You see, Lotr IS what is called a "cult" movie and book.
The truth is that there really are obsessive fans out there. And when someone contradicts us obssessive Ringers, don't we go and say "Oh but LotR this, and LotR that,and it has so many great reasons why you should like it!"
Does it mean we're trying to manipulate them? Nay....but, I think LotR is a cult movie and a cult book, and that's a good thing. I'm actually quite proud of it!

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Hmm...yeah, I'd say LotR definitely has a cult following. Tolkien himself once described his fans as "my deplorable cultus."

There's a whole Wikipedia page about Tolkien fandom...Just noticed...

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hm...
a-u is not cult related when it comes to lotr, but some fans can be very very obsessive and do everything they can to be like the ultimate lotr fan

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Just rescuing this from misc randomness and moving to The Misty Mountains (aka Misc LotR)

I'm not convinced that LotR is a cult movie/ book. I definitly think that when the book came out it was a cult novel however it's become more and more popular especially with the movies so I'd say that it does count as mainstream now. However going by the second definition from wiki I'm sure there are some fans like that

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I agree with Nienor! *hugs your post*

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Aye so am I!

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I think there are so many different varieties in Tolkien fans, we cannot be placed under one banner. I'd prefer multi-cult if that was a word
Nonetheless I voted yes for cult, because if it was not, how do we explain the many fansites or the gatherings (RinCon for example). It's not like the Brothers Grimm have that many supporters (also book ánd movie). Compared to that, yes.. It's 'cultish'.

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