The Flint Solution

First, my apologies for the lateness in ending the 'quest'. Time has a way of getting away as they say.

Now, on to the answer to the Quest of the World's Greatest Flint:

At the end of Return of the King, Aragorn, Gandalf and company proceed on horseback to the Moranon - the Black Gate - in a feint to draw out Sauron's forces in the hope of making it easier for Frodo and Samwise to make it to Mount Doom.

Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Merry and Pipen ride out to parlay with the Mouth of Sauron, end negotiations, and as the gate opens ride back to the main body of troops. The camera then shows the "Men of West" charging forward to battle the hosts of Mordor. Only, now they are on foot. All the horses have magically disappeared.

Call me lightning, but I didn't notice this until last month. I told my daughter about the flint, and she later noted that the International Movie Data Base includes it in its list of 'mistakes'.

C'est la vie!

Reply to Question about Fasting and Abstinence

The below was written in response to a letter asking questions about Byzantine fasting practices. While I did not directly answer all of the questions put forth, I hope that my reply encompassed enough for prayerful consideration. At the end of my rejoinder I included (and reproduce here) Fr Athanasios Demos' How to Fast During Lent article - a most thorough and spiritually useful guide for all attempting to take the Holy Season seriously.

Dear N.;

May the All Holy Trinity bless you with peace, love and faith now and always!

Thank you for the note. Fasting in the Byzantine Tradition is a somewhat complex and diverse subject. First, a few basic notes. When one fasts, nothing passes the lips (water and medicines excluded) until Noon. Then one may have two meals that together do not equate with one regular non-fasting meal. It is true that different Churches have variations on the rules for abstinence. The main thing for the individual person would be to be consistent in whichever set of rules chosen for the particular fasting season.

The actual practice regarding abstinence is called Xerophagy – "dry eating". This implies that the foods consumed be natural with little fancy preparation. So, for example, spinach could be cooked, but with no additional condiments, etc..

Also the prohibition on meat includes most fish – a commonly misunderstood point. Only sea creatures that do not have scales, blood or a backbone may be eaten – i.e., creatures like shellfish or squid. Here we see the clear effect of location and culture in fasting practice as these creatures were very common and inexpensive in the Mediterranean world and considered peasants’ foods.