"The least [Maiar] could have been primitive (and much more powerful and perilous) Orcs; but by practising when embodied procreation they would (cf. Melian) [become] more and more earthbound, unable to return to spirit-state (even demon-form), until released by death (killing), and they would dwindle in force. When released they would, of course, like Sauron, be ‘damned’: i.e. reduced to impotence, infinitely recessive: still hating but unable more and more to make it effective physically (or would not a very dwindled dead Orc-state be a poltergeist?)." --JRR Tolkien, from "Morgoth's Ring" Music: "Gollum's Song" by pianomusiclovr https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPYjw426Eto ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJN1MG0mecA

Don Frye vs Yoshihiro Takayama in Pride FC ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8RH5fzansg

Update: I have made an animated version of this story, with better audio: https://youtu.be/0s3S-2RhR3s This old version might still be worth watching, though, as it is annotated. Excerpt from pages 107-109 of "The Doctrine of Awakening" which tells the tale of "The Visit to Brahma" in which Buddha faces Brahma, the Lord of Creation, and prevails in an unexpected way. Buy "The Doctrine of Awakening" from this link to support my channel: https://amzn.to/38QjTRG ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4rlE1KhNHs

While researching a video I'm making about Berserkers, I keep seeing people referencing a Lindybeige video called "Berserkers! The Facts and the Fictions" Unfortunately, this silly video has inspired a horde of half-wits to disseminate pseudo-history on every video related in any way to berserkers--even music videos. It's one of the top results for the search term 'berserker' and it has over a million views, and it makes claims like "berserkers didn't go berserk" and that instead they were champions who fought duels and wore bearskin shirts; he calls the notion that "berserkers went berserk" something that a 13-year-old boy would believe. The problem is that if you read an actual book written by an expert in the field--someone who actually knows old Norse-- you will read that *berserkers did go berserk*. Lindybeige's vid: https://youtu.be/PBUGQkpk3RE Skallagrim's vid: https://youtu.be/OpudQ8vg4qs The thesis: https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/28819/ Hjardar's article: https://www.historyextra.com/period/viking/the-truth-about-viking-berserkers/ ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_0YPEBH4uo