final-fourThe Final Four are set! And in a stunning turn of events, Middle-earth has gone ‘Hot!’ In an unexpected twist of fate, the final four combatants are arguably the most swoon-worthy group of Middle-earth combatants ever.

First up, we have Thranduil facing off against Aragorn. Some staff are already dubbing this match-up as ‘Team Sparkle’ (Thranduil) vs. ‘Team Stubble’ (Aragorn).

And with Legolas dispatching Gandalf in the Elite Eight, we now have a Hobbit (film) showdown of epic proportions – Legolas vs. Thorin Oakenshield.

Will this be the first year we have an all Elven final? Can Aragorn finally put Team Sparkle out of the competition? Will the Richard Armitage Army dispatch Legolas? All is up in the air as the final four voting has begun!

Voting will last until 10pm ET on April 5th in this round. So let the Middle-earth March Madness continue! Happy Voting!
Continue reading “Vote in the Middle-earth March Madness Final Four! Some like it ‘Hot!’”

Hobbit Smaug Poster This piece by Simon J. Cook does happen to mirror some of my own thoughts on the place and benefit of any re-imagining of Tolkien’s vision of Middle-earth within the world.

Still, as much as Tolkien’s letter to Waldman (Letter #131) opens Middle-earth to new perspectives, and vivid reinterpretations, I believe it’s equally important to acknowledge the flipside: missives sent to Allen & Unwin (Letter #188) and Forest J Ackerman (Letter #210) show Tolkien also cared deeply about what others did with his works.

I think it’s a balancing act that will never be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction.

Continue reading “In praise of Peter Jackson’s Hobbit”

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.

LOTRProject Over at LOTRProject, Emil Johannson has developed a high-resolution interactive map of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth complete with key dates, events and character movements.

It’s pretty neat, and a very effective visual representation of where some of the key events of Middle-earth’s history occurred. Continue reading “A new, interactive historical map of Middle-earth from LOTRProject”

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.

Arwen and Elessar In our latest TORn library piece, Ringer Tedoras muses on the theme of love within Lord of the Rings, and how it’s more intricately– and subtly — woven into the text than we generally realise.

Continue reading “The theme of love in The Lord of the Rings”

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.

middleearthmarchmadness14-verticalWe’ve reached arguably the most exciting round of this year’s Middle-earth March Madness – The Elite Eight! Eight combatants have tested their gruff against some impressive opponents, and now face a battle for the ages! In the Lonely Mountain division we have the (16) Elrond taking on fan fav (6) Aragorn. In Erebor, (1) Thorin Oakenshield faces a much bigger challenge than gold fever when he faces (3) The One Ring. The Bag End match-up is a battle of the top seeds as (1) Bilbo takes on the trending (2) Thranduil (aka Sparkles). And last but not least, Mirkwood gives us a battle of two all-time Middle-earth juggernauts – (1) Gandalf vs. (14) Legolas. This is a round for the ages!

Voting in this round will end on April 1st (we promise to give you real results) so don’t delay – fight for your choices. Share! Tweet! Comment!

Continue reading “We’ve reached the Elite Eight! Vote Now in Middle-earth March Madness Round 4!”

Ringer Nelson's favourite Tolkien book -- a 75th anniversary limited edition copy of The Hobbit.
Ringer Nelson’s favourite Tolkien book — a 75th anniversary limited edition copy of The Hobbit.
Today is Tolkien Reading Day.

As part of our celebration, we asked Ringers to post a photo of the favourite Tolkien book that they own on our Facebook page, and the results were precious! Continue reading “Today is Tolkien Reading Day. Which Tolkien book did you pull open?”