Holidays in Middle-earth are based on the turning of the seasons, as they are in our own world. Yule, as Tolkien named the winter celebration in his novels, is led off by the Winter Solstice. The history of Yule can be traced back thousands of years to the Norse peoples, whom we know J.R.R had an affinity for. During this holiday, the Yule log (an entire tree fed gradually into the fireplace), decorated trees, wassailing (caroling), and roasting of wild boar were the centerpieces, from which current traditions are derived.
As we relax beside the crackling fire,
And the wind tosses branches in the pine,
Into a snow globe of Middle-earth, let us peer
Upon the festive winter holidays in the Shire,
Icicles on the Golden Hall that sparkle and shine,
The sound of sleigh bells in Ithilien drawing near,
The frost-glint upon holly and fields of briar,
The sumptuous fare on which the Elven-folk dine.
'Tis a time of joy in Middle-earth, for Yuletide is here.
– Mithril
We saw Thranduil on Throne during our friends at Weta Workshop’s Comic-Con at home. It’s the next superb piece in their Masters Collection series, and it goes live for pre-orders on Tuesday, September 15th.
These Masters Collection pieces do not last long, and with only 400 of these being made, that streak is going to continue. Collectors should log into their accounts before it goes live (times listed below) and be ready to be quick with the order button.
J.R.R. Tolkien (Photo by Haywood Magee/Picture Post/Getty Images)
Here are 3 questions to be answered in 3 minutes or less as part of The Tolkien Fandom Oral History Project; an inspired quest spearheaded by William Fliss, Archivist in the Department of Special Collections and University Archives of the Raynor Memorial Library at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
If you’re fond of the Mini Epic line of collectibles from our friends at Weta Workshop then today is your day. Fans can expect to see three new Mini Epics, which will be available to order in the next few months.
The second character from The Hobbit Trilogy will be Radagast the Brown with his friend Sebastian.
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy will be getting two new amazing epics characters today. Collectors can expect to add Eowyn and Arwen who, as you can see, both look awesome. As soon as we have firm pre-order dates we will let you know.
Our friends at Weta Workshop have stated that they wanted to go big or go home with this years Master Collection statue. They did that and then some. This year The Hobbit Trilogy gets to join the other Master Collection pieces with Thranduil: The Woodland King. You’re literally not going to find a bigger piece ever made by Weta, and as you will see in one of the videos below it gives you multiple display options. Fans that get this when it goes up for pre-order are, I think, in for a treat when it arrives. It is simply a stunning piece.
Back in 2017 I shared my collection with all of you fellow Ringers. Over the course of the last three years I have had many of you asking, “how’s my collection?” or “will you show an update of how things are looking?” So I decided that I would start this summer off with a video that shows how my collection is going. I hope you all enjoy a look at where my collection is right now, and I appreciate the time you take to watch it.
