*~*~~ Australian Parents ~~*~* :: Television, Movies and Books :: Tolkien fans camp out in Norwegian hobbit village

November 4, 2002. - The ABC

About 800 fans of the fantasy trilogy Lord of The Rings have camped out overnight in a Norwegian hobbit village in freezing weather, in an unorthodox queue for tickets for the second film The Two Towers.

Dressed as hobbits, elves or wizards, the fans of J.R.R. Tolkien's films huddled in hobbit houses or tents in an Oslo park to secure tickets for the follow-up to the blockbuster The Fellowship of the Ring, which go on sale on today.

The most eager have slept in the village for two weeks in sub-zero temperatures without the protection of the thick hairy feet of the quirky dwarf-life hobbit characters.

Tom Bentsen, a 23-year-old student and Tolkien fan, said: "It's freezing, but it's definitely worth it."

He and his 25-year-old student friend Emil Benoni C. Johansen were the first to settle in the hobbit camp.

Dressed in long grey coats with big hoods and short trousers like hobbits, the two will lead a parade from the park across the street to the cinema early to pick up one of about 550 tickets going on sale for the December 18 movie release.

"We will stay up all night to make the best of it. It will be sad to leave," said Mr Johansen, who was among the few sleeping in one of two small wooden hobbit houses with tiny round doors and windows reserved for those first in line.

The rest of the campers were staying in tents covered in leaves to resemble a hobbit cave.

Others had small hand-made huts of pine trees, giving a modest shield against temperatures down to minus 7.0 Celsius.

Sverre Munderheim, a postman aged 25, arrived last Friday in a homemade jacket made of 26,000 steel rings and carrying a weapon of two steel balls with spikes chained to a piece of wood.

However, he is 264th in line and probably will not be able to get a ticket to the premiere, since everyone in front of him can buy up to four tickets each.

"It doesn't matter," he said, sitting by a bonfire to warm up.

"The experience of being here makes up for it."

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