The following event(s) took place in Middle-earth on April 8^th:

• The Ring-bearers are honoured on the Field of Cormallen (3019)
• The Ring-bearers revisit fair Ithilien (3019)
• [Join us on the Discussion Boards here]

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Here at TheOneRing.net we have a tradition of enjoying April Fools Day with some merriment. We hope you enjoyed our jokes today.

You’ll be glad to know that AI will not be creating more “Tolkien” works, nor updating the Professor’s language; at least, TORn is not aware of any such plan – yet…

Alas, the more pleasant news of a Silmarillion stage show was also a joke. The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale IS a fabulous show (and is touring in Australia; it returns to the UK later this year). We heartily recommend seeing it if you can! AND composer Paul Corfield Godfrey HAS released recordings of his operas based on The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion; check them out here.

We should also note that TORn’s good friends are in fact producer Kevin Wallace (not Walrus) and Middle-earth Enterprises’ Fredrica Drotos (not Doritos); thanks to them for being great sports. And we still think the wonderful Donato Giancola could create amazing sets. Maybe we’ll get a Silmarillion stage show one day. (Staffer greendragon would like to volunteer to direct it…)

We now resume our regular programming. Don’t forget to vote in Middle-earth March Madness; Final Four launches TONIGHT!

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Breaking news: rights to bring The Silmarillion to life have finally been released, but it’s not to any of the media giants you might have expected.

Ever since Prime Video started work on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, there has been much speculation and anticipation as to whether the Tolkien Estate would finally sell the rights to bring The Silmarillion stories to life. In an exclusive reveal, our friends at Middle-earth Enterprises have told us that it looks like that will happen now; but it is the folks behind The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale who have gained the long sought-after permission.

The recent revival of the musical, which features music by A.R. Rahman, Värttinä, and Christopher Nightingale, with book and lyrics by Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus, has proved such a hit that it seems to have persuaded the Tolkien Estate that more live Middle-earth on stage could only be a good thing. The latest musical production began at The Watermill Theatre in the UK, in 2023; it has since played in Chicago, Auckland, and is currently touring in Australia, to great acclaim.

In addition, composer Paul Corfield Godfrey has in recent years been given permission by the Estate to release recordings of his operas based on The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. This indicated to some that there was a move towards allowing more performance work based on the Professor’s writings; but this most recent announcement will nonetheless no doubt take folks by surprise.

What we’ve been told

The same composition and libretto team who brought us The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale will now be creating The Silmarillion – An Adventure Three Ages in the Making (working title). It is as yet unconfirmed who the stage director and design team will be for this epic show, but we do know that producer Kevin Walrus is on board. He expressed his excitement to us, and hinted at the possibility for a series of shows:

We are thrilled to build on the global momentum that we’ve already seen in our world tour of The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale production, with this expanded opportunity to play in the realms that Professor Tolkien created. Our first task will be to decide how many shows these new landscapes allow us to produce!

Rumour is that the production will open in New Zealand, sometime in late 2027. Middle-earth Enterprises’ Fredrica Doritos told us:

We know that the epic stories of the early ages of Middle-earth, found in The Silmarillion, are beloved by fans. The great drama, romance, peril and poetry of these tales makes them perfect for the stage; and the track record of the team who created The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale means that we know these sagas are in safe hands. We can’t wait to see Eru Ilúvatar and Manwë brought to life on stage. What song of Lúthien Tinúviel was powerful enough to lull Morgoth to sleep? Perhaps we’ll hear such a song in this stage show. We hope the fans will be as excited as we are, to see Fëanor forge his gems on stage.

We’ve also heard that artists already known for their Tolkien-inspired paintings may be brought in to be part of the design team. Could some of the folks whose masterpieces we’ve been enjoying in Middle-earth March Madness be part of these future shows? Certainly TORn friend Donato Giancola would make epic scenery designs; and Kip Rasmussen’s ‘Eru and the Gods singing the First Song of Creation’ would make a wonderful show poster.

We here at TheOneRing.net are very excited by the news of this forthcoming stage production (or productions!), and staffers have started speculating as to exactly which stories will appear on ‘the boards’. Look for more content to explore our thoughts; and of course we’ll bring you updates as we receive them.

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In an ambitious endeavor combining classic literature with modern technology, Middle-earth Enterprises today unveiled Bridging the Ages, an innovative initiative that employs a cutting-edge AI system—codenamed Silmadur—to compose new narratives and expand upon the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Drawing on decades of fan curiosity and meticulously sourced Tolkien archives, Silmadur’s mission is to fill the long-surmised gaps in Middle-earth lore, while offering subtle, modernized readings of the original texts.

To create Silmadur, a specialized team of Tolkien scholars, archivists—including staff from TheOneRing.net—and AI experts spent two years assembling a comprehensive digital library of source materials. The dataset encompasses The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion, as well as early drafts, marginalia, personal letters, lecture notes, and lesser-known writings. Previously unreleased texts, once locked away in private collections, were added alongside appendices, genealogical charts, and decades’ worth of fan analyses. By drawing on this extensive treasury, the developers aimed to ensure that Silmadur faithfully mirrors the depth and tone of Tolkien’s original vision when crafting new passages.

EXCERPT 1: “At sunrise, a solitary figure stood at the borders of Fangorn, holding a single bloom of yellow niphredil. Some say it was Quickbeam himself, tending a secret garden of the Entwives—at last discovered across the river.” – Silmadur’s ‘lost chapter’ on the fate of the Entwives

“Our hope is to illuminate corners of the legendarium that Tolkien left tantalizingly unexplored,” says Thomas Cressman, a representative for Middle-earth Enterprises. “From the lost lineages of Elven lords to passing mentions of vanished cities, there are countless threads, begging to be woven into a fuller tapestry.”

The Bridging the Ages initiative also involves creating “light-touch” revisions to Tolkien’s original texts—expanding genealogies, clarifying linguistic nuances, and elaborating on references left intentionally vague. The team insists that all of this respects Tolkien’s style while carefully modernizing certain language choices.

EXCERPT 2: “In a letter addressed to Aragorn, just days after the coronation, Éowyn recounted how dreams of the Witch-king’s final shriek still haunted her… until Faramir reminded her that courage can live on beyond fear, lighting a path through any darkness.” – Silmadur’s exploration of Éowyn and Faramir’s early marriage

“Far too often, fans get locked into gatekeeping over what can and can’t be done with these stories,” reflects Calisuri, co-owner and co-founder of TheOneRing.net. “We live in an age of creativity and technology—why not use an advanced AI trained on the entire Tolkien corpus to bring hidden narratives to light? It’s not about replacing the original texts – nothing will ever do that – but about enriching them for a new generation of readers.”

While Bridging the Ages and Silmadur remain in early development, those involved hinted that future plans include an AI-generated supplement to The Silmarillion—complete with newly “unearthed” letters between legendary Elven figures—and additional chapters that reach beyond the conclusion of The Lord of the Rings. Middle-earth Enterprises will share select previews of these expansions exclusively on TheOneRing.net in the months ahead.

For more details on this evolving project, and for a first look at Silmadur’s creations, stay tuned to TheOneRing.net. Additional updates, including genealogical diagrams and in-depth explorations of minor characters, are expected soon.

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Welcome to The Great Hall of Poets, our poetry feature showcasing the talent of Middle-earth fans. So come and join us by the hearth, and enjoy!

If you have a Tolkien/Middle-earth inspired poem you’d like to share, then send it to poetry@theonering.net  One poem per person may be submitted each month. Please make sure to proofread your work before sending it in. TheOneRing.net is not responsible for poems posting with spelling or grammatical errors.

The Ride of Dernhelm

by: J Houdart

Across the sea of golden-grassed plain
Sails Windfola, swift, bearing two without name
In day yet darkened by menace unspoken
Gentler lies are soon to be broken
As on with the company, racing toward doom
At the walls of yon city, be-circled with gloom
Dernhelm the Silent keeps hidden his face
But hides not his passion, his strength and fell grace.

To War! beats his heart, to Death! sings his sword
But rides he in silence, without leave of his lord.
Cloak-hidden, shadow-ridden he takes all care to be
For the secret he keeps, his brothers must not see
That secret he holds and another he bears
Before him on Windfola: a small hobbit shares
His duty and destiny, to great deeds they are called
Upon Pelennor’s vast field before the prize thus high-walled.

For there in that doom a dark Power lay,
waiting and coiled, whom no man can slay.
How then can this man, fierce and strong though he be
Strike true? End the terror? Make the walled city free?But that deed will soon come. Two wounds will be wrought
One by hobbit, brave and true, a man and yet not
And Dernhelm the Silent will give voice at last
Striking true, Death banished back into the Past.

At great cost, that blow giv’n, yet hope will remain
For the hero to sing and ride out free again
But proud, hair unbound, laughter ringing and strong
For the secret is done, surprise mingled with song
As his helm is then moved, and his kinsmen find there
True hero yet no brother: Eowyn the Fair.

~~ * ~~

Untitled

by: A Plume Cox

Your shields break beneath our blade 
We invade your sacred home 
Prepare to be crushed by our one crusade 
As we move along and roam. 
You call this land the southlands 
Now hear our volcano roar 
In the end you will not stand 
In the new land Mordor. 
Here the orcs roam all free 
In the fiery dark land 
Any human, elf or dwarf who enters will have to flea 
Or be scorched by Sauron’s hand. 

~~ * ~~

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