News Archive

March 25 is Tolkien Reading Day
March 25, 2018 at 3:53 pm -In 2003, The Tolkien Society established an annual tradition, designating one day of the year for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien worldwide to celebrate their love of Tolkien’s writings by, well, reading them! March 25 was chosen for the celebration as it is the date in The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King,…

Today in Middle-earth, March 25
March 25, 2018 at 1:00 am -The following event(s) took place in Middle-earth on March 25th: The Captains of the West come to the Black Gate (3019) The Host is surrounded on the Slag-hills (3019) Downfall of Barad-dûr and the passing of Sauron (3019) Frodo and Samwise reach the Sammath Naur (3019) Gollum seizes the Ring and falls in the Cracks…

Middle-earth March Madness – Round 2 begins!
March 23, 2018 at 1:16 pm -Who has made it through to the second round of Middle-earth March Madness 2018? There were some tough battles in the first round – and difficult choices for voters to make! Frodo vs Pippin; Gandalf vs Bilbo; Kili vs Nori… Whilst we may have a pretty shrewd idea who might win in such contests, it’s…

Middle-earth March Madness, round 1 play by play
March 22, 2018 at 12:52 am -We are now about halfway through the first Round of our Middle-earth March Madness, and some of the match ups are really close, while others have one contestant running away with the race. Because this year’s bracket has the newly added twist of featuring characters portrayed by the actors who brought our most beloved Middle-earth…

Collecting The Precious – Vanderstelt Studio News
March 21, 2018 at 9:43 pm -We have some great news from out friend and Middle-earth artist Jerry Vanderstelt. If you’re going to WonderCon you will have a chance to visit with Jerry at booth 2101. Jerry is sure to have many of his amazing pieces of art there as well as I’m sure to be live painting something for fans…

Middle-earth March Madness 2018 is here!
March 19, 2018 at 8:00 am -Welcome all, to the annual showdown in the realms of Eriador and beyond! Yes, it’s that time of year when hobbit must fight wizard, dwarf must battle elf, and man must face … erm … well, maybe himself. Because this year we’ve thrown something new into the mix for March Madness. We thought it would…

Save the date: TORn panel at Wondercon in Anaheim next Sunday morning
March 19, 2018 at 4:54 am -Spring is about to roll in, bringing with it longer days, milder temperatures, trees in blossom and flowers bursting out in a riot of color, and the ensuing allergies. Spring also brings Tolkien Reading Day on March 25th, and in Anaheim, California it brings Wondercon, the little sister to San Diego International Comic-con. This year,…

Collecting The Precious – The Poppies 2017 Results
March 18, 2018 at 10:12 am -Good news is never late; it arrives precisely when it means to! As we mentioned a little while back, our friends at Weta Workshop were nominated for several categories in Michael Crawford’s The Poppies yearly collectibles award show. Not only were some Middle-earth themed items nominated, but they came home with the hardware in both…

Collecting The Precious – Weta Workshop’s Gandalf on Gwaihir Mini-Statue
March 17, 2018 at 10:10 am -This week our friends at Weta Workshop released a fantastic looking new statue from their awesome mini-statue line. This time fans can add Gandalf the Grey on Gwaihir as he escapes being trapped by former friend Saruman the White. This beautiful statue does a very good job of capturing the tiniest of details between Gandalf…

Today in Middle-earth, March 15
March 15, 2018 at 1:00 am -The following event(s) took place in Middle-earth on March 15th: Thorin and Gandalf’s chance meeting at the Prancing Pony (2941) In the early hours the Witch-king breaks the Gates of the City (3019) The horns of the Rohirrim are heard at cockcrow (3019) Denethor burns himself on a pyre (3019) Battle of the Pelennor (3019)…

March Madness is coming…
March 14, 2018 at 1:01 pm -It’s that time of year – when hobbit is pitted against elf, man against wizard, curious fox against talking wallet…. Yes, March Madness is just around the corner! It’s almost time once more to vote for your favourites, and see who will be victorious over all. Wondering what on earth we’re on about? Check out…

Today in Middle-earth, March 13
March 13, 2018 at 1:00 am -The following event(s) took place in Middle-earth on March 13th: Frodo captured by the Orcs of Cirith Ungol (3019) The Pelennor is overrun (3019) Faramir is wounded (3019) Aragorn reaches Pelargir and captures the fleet (3019) Théoden in Druadan Forest (3019) Frodo is taken ill (3020)

Today in Middle-earth, March 4
March 4, 2018 at 1:00 am -The following event(s) took place in Middle-earth on March 4th: Aragorn faces the enemy as the new day dawn (1419) The charge of the Riders (1419) Gandalf returns (1419) Théoden and Gandalf set out from Helm’s Deep for Isengard (1419) Frodo reaches the slag-mounds on the edge of the Desolation of the Morannon (1419) Merry…

The Great Hall of Poets
February 28, 2018 at 6:42 am -Welcome to The Great Hall of Poets, our regular monthly feature showcasing the talent of Middle-earth fans. Each month we will feature a small selection of the poems submitted, but we hope you will read all of the poems that we have received here in our Great Hall of Poets. So come and join us by…

Today in Middle-earth, February 26
February 26, 2018 at 1:00 am -The following event(s) took place in Middle-earth on February 26th: Death of Boromir; his horn is heard in Minas Tirith. (3019) Meriadoc and Peregrin captured. (3019) Frodo and Samwise enter the eastern Emyn Muil. (3019) Aragorn sets out in pursuit of the Orcs at evening. (3019) Éomer hears of the descent of the Orc-band from…

Collecting The Precious – Weta Workshop’s Eomer on Firefoot Pre-Order
February 15, 2018 at 2:57 am -Our friends at Weta Workshop have helped show us why once again being patient can pay off in a very big way. After 15 years of waiting and always being at the top of anything we want to see, this statue made the list, and Eomer on Firefoot has come to be. This amazing statue captures…

Howard Shore’s FOTR Complete Recordings gets new release on Vinyl, re-release on CD & BluRay
February 14, 2018 at 11:07 pm -After a little more than a decade, fans of Howard Shore’s score for The Lord of the Rings films will finally be able to purchase the complete score for the first movie in the trilogy on vinyl. To be released on March 30, 2018, the vinyl release of the Complete Recordings of The Fellowship of the Ring will comprise…

Today in Middle-earth, February 14
February 14, 2018 at 1:00 am -The following event(s) took place in Middle-earth on February 14th: The Mirror of Galadriel (1419) Gandalf returns to life, and lies in a trance (1419)

EXCLUSIVE: tickets available TUESDAY 13 FEBRUARY for Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth
February 12, 2018 at 9:07 am -The Bodleian Library in Oxford has an exceptional exhibition coming up later this year, which fans will no doubt travel far and wide to see. Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth (June 1 – October 28) will display an extraordinary collection of illustrations, manuscripts, letters, personal belongings and more, giving a unique insight into J.R.R. Tolkien and his works….

The Hall of Fire chat this weekend: Strange as news from Bree?
February 10, 2018 at 4:46 am -This weekend in Hall of Fire we’re taking a quick diversion from our Fellowship of the Ring read-through to talk about a humble yet oddly important part of Middle-earth (and its peculiar inhabitants) — the village of Bree. “Strange as News from Bree was still a saying in the Eastfarthing, descending from those days, when…