Stories of dragons are as old as the written word and probably a lot older. To keep things inside the J.R.R. Tolkien realm, “Beowulf”, one of the oldest written stories of Europe features not only the monstrous Grendel but his serpentine Mother. Ancient biblical writings allude to the great serpent or dragon while global mythology has oversized lizard creatures popping up so consistently that some have suggested there must be some common shared memory or primitive survival instinct built into humanity to cause us to tell our tribal stories about such a monstrosity. Read the rest of this entry »
Shire Productions alerts us to their upcoming ‘Middle Earth Weekend’ event taking place May 17th-18th 2008 at Sarehole Recreation Ground, Cole Bank Road, Hall Green, Birmingham, England.:
This popular event, formerly known as the Tolkien Weekend, takes place at Sarehole, the hamlet where J.R.R. Tolkien spent a very happy childhood. It will include all the usual attractions for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien (including Elvish speaking lessons and writing) plus new events and interests for all people of any age from the world of mortals, who appreciate a festival with an ‘old-fashioned’ air about it. The theme this year is ‘Myths and Monsters’ and there will be dragons patrolling the field and no doubt as targets with the Bowmen of Swanshurst. Visitors in costume will be very welcome and using giant puppets and live performances Shire Productions will be performing extracts from Beowulf in the atmospheric Moseley Bog. Tolkien made his own translation of Beowulf from the Anglo-Saxon, but this has, regrettably, not been published.
Sounds like a great event! For more information visit their website. [Read More]
April 6th, 2008 by Calisuri
| Source: SKY Magazine
In the March 2008 edition of Delta Airlines ‘SKY’ Magazine, the ‘Star Books’ area featured an excerpt from ‘The Two Towers.’ The entire edition of the magazine featured a ‘green’ theme and The Two Towers we chosen because of Professor Tolkien’s love for the environment. Ringer Michelf send along some great scans, but you can also visit the official Sky Magazine website to see the article for yourself. [Scans] [Delta Sky Magazine]
Jessica Weglein, Public Relations & Promotions Coordinator for The Walters Art Museum, writes: TheOneRing.net might be interested in the maps show that recently opened at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, which features maps made by Tolkien. Three original J.R.R. Tolkien maps created for The Hobbit and The Return of the King will be on view at the Walters Art Museum from March 16–June 8th! The special exhibition Maps: Finding Our Place in the World will feature such Tolkien maps as Thror’s Map, from The Hobbit, and Topographical View of Minas Tirith, from The Return of the King. Don’t miss the chance to see these original maps, drawn by the hand of J.R.R. Tolkien himself! Read the rest of this entry »