Weathertop Nazgul attacks FrodoThe following event(s) took place in Middle-earth on October 6:

  • Thorin requests supplies (1341)
  • Gandalf heads for Rivendell after escaping Weathertop (1418)
  • The camp under Weathertop attacked at night. Frodo is wounded (1418)
  • They cross the Ford of Bruinen; Frodo feels the first return of pain (1419)
  • Frodo is again ill (1420)
  • Samwise returns to Bag End (1421)
  • [join us on the Discussion Boards here]

Continue reading “Today in Middle-earth, October 6”

September 29 The following event(s) took place in Middle-earth on September 29:

  • The company of Thorin recovers in Lake-town (1341)
  • Frodo reaches Bree at night (1418)
  • Gandalf visits the Gaffer (1418)
  • They come to the Grey Havens (1421)
  • Frodo and Bilbo depart over the Sea with the Three Keeper (1421)
  • The end of the Third age (1421)

[join the conversation on the Message Boards here]

Continue reading “Today in Middle-earth, September 29”

Baggins BirthdayThe following event(s) took place in Middle-earth on September 22:

  • Birth of Bilbo in the Shire (1290)
  • Bilbo and the barrels reach Lake-town just after sunset (S.R. 1341)
  • Birth of Frodo in the Shire (1368)
  • A long expected party!! (S.R. 1401)
  • Bilbo and Frodo’s birthdays (S.R. 1418)
  • The Black Riders reach Sarn Ford at evening (S.R. 1418)
  • Gandalf overtakes Shadowfax (S.R. 1418)
  • The hundred and twenty-ninth birthday of Bilbo and Frodo’s fifty-first birthday (S.R. 1419)
  • Sharkey in the Shire (S.R. 1419)
  • Bilbo’s hundred and thirtieth birthday. Frodo’s fifty-second birthday (S.R. 1420)
  • They meet the Last Riding of the Keepers of the Rings in Woody End (S.R. 1421)
  • Master Samwise rides out from Bag End (S.R. 1482) 

[Join the conversation on the Message Boards here]

Continue reading “Today in Middle-earth, September 22”

Join the LA area staff from TheOneRing.net on Sunday, September 21 at the Mineral Wells section of Griffith Park from 11:30am until about 6pm (gotta beat the sunset out of the park). There will be fun and games, maybe a few prizes and some very agreeable fellow Hobbits, Dwarves, Elves and all manner of MIddle-earth denizens enjoying the end of Summer and the start of Autumn.

The Baggins Birthday Bash is a potluck sort of event, and people have already mentioned what they plan on TORn’s FB Event page, linked here: https://www.facebook.com/events/2493122097722441

If you know what you plan to bring, and how many folks are joining you, please mention it all on that FB Event page. Or, you can email me at Garfeimao@TheOneRing.net to RSVP and I’ll include your items on the Description section of the ABOUT page, itemizing all the things needed for the party and those that are coming. And remember, we do host a Middle-earth themed Cake/Cupcake/Cookie decorated desserts contest, and if enough come, that will be a prize.

Some of the games and contests may be Trivia, Costume Contest, Middle-earth themed desserts, Golfimbul, Dwarf Tossing, and Pin the Black Arrow on the Dragon. Not all are guaranteed to be played, as time, game supplies, and participants play a part in that. Also, if we have time, we like to give people a chance to either recite a poem or snippet from Tolkien’s works or act out a scene from the movies, so be prepared to take the stage. We have a microphone and speaker this year due to your generous donations last year. We do usually give people about 90 minutes to 2 hours to arrive before the games begin, mostly so people can eat and be social.

And finally, do remember that it is almost always sunny and warm, so hats, pop ups or a parasol, sunscreen and sunglasses will help you immensely. Also, bring some beach chairs or a picnic blanket and get ready for a delightful afternoon with fellow Tolkien fans.

Please do read the full Description found in the About tab for what is needed and what is coming, and also directions to the picnic area for people coming from any and all directions once you enter Griffith Park. We can’t wait to see you all in two weeks time.

Did you know that you can “bee” a helpful hobbit and help the bees? Pollinators get thirsty just like we do, but it is often risky for them to drink from large bodies of water. Hobbits know a thing or two about the dangers of the “big” world, so why not lend a helping hand by making a safe place for them to rest and hydrate? Bee baths are simple to make and so rewarding once they (finally) start bee-ing used! (Okay, I’ll stop with the puns now!)

This effort is not entirely altruistic. Without pollinators, our food security collapses, and that is a thought that should terrify everyone, not just hobbits! So click on the video below to join Kili as she shows you how easy it is to make an insect-friendly watering hole.

Happy Hobbit has brought Middle-earth to its viewers’ daily lives since joining TheOneRing.net in 2012! Learn hobbity recipes, crafts, and more by watching new episodes and/or perusing the 10+ years worth of videos on their YouTube channel. 🌻 Be sure you are subscribed to Happy Hobbit on YouTube and check back here at TheOneRing.net so that you don’t miss out!

Get even more slow-living hobbit content by following Happy Hobbit on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok! If watching the show has left you with an appetite for more, know that Kili (Kellie) has a podcast where Tolkien is often mentioned called Forests, Folklore & Fantasy.

It’s Thursday, and already the Marriott hotel in downtown Atlanta is pulsing with music, crowds and excitement. DragonCon is upon us! And staffers from TORn are looking forward to connecting with our fellow fans.

We’ll be at our ‘fan table’ in our usual spot (Hyatt Exhibition Level, opposite the entrance to the Art Show). We have some awesome new buttons for sale, as well as this year’s shirt designs – the Prancing Pony Club:

And Bilbo from the Rankin/Bass The Hobbit:

Please come by the table and say hi. As an added bonus – if you come and tell us something Boromir would have done (in the style of Denethor, a la ‘Boromir would have remembered his father’s need…’), we have a special secret prize for you!

Join us in Bree!

Friday night is of course the annual ‘Evening at Bree‘, starting at 8.30pm. We’re in the Grand Ballroom in the Courtland Grand (same venue as last year), and we’ll have the Brobdingnagian Bards and Beth Patterson playing again, as well as a new (to Bree) band this year, the duo Kinnfolk. The Elf Choir will sing for us, and of course we’ll have the costume contest. (If you’d like to enter, please sign up before the event, either at the High Fantasy Track room: Marriott L401, or at our table.)

Panels

There is lots to enjoy for Tolkien fans this year. TORn’s own panel, ‘An Hour with TheOneRing.net’, when staffers deej, Madeye Gamgee and greendragon will be joined by TORn’s good friend Knewbettadobetta, is Saturday 5.30pm in the Hyatt International South. You can also find greendragon on The Rings of Power Season 2 panel (Friday 1pm, Marriott A601), and join many excellent Tolkien scholars and friends of TORn for ‘Harmony and Dissonance: Creation in Tolkien’s Mythos’ (Sunday 1pm, Marriott L401). For those who stay right through the end of the con, come and Scour the Shire with us at 11.30am on Monday, Marriott L401.

Dance Party

The High Fantasy Track’s ‘Goblin Ball’ goes 90s this year – and our own deej will be DJing once again! Put on your plaid shirt and DMs, apply some frosty lipstick, and come and party 1990s style. We’ll be dancing in the Marriott A601 from 10pm on Sunday night.

As if that weren’t enough…

Tolkien lovers abound at DragonCon this year! Artist Donato Giancola is well-known to fans of Middle-earth, and he’s this year’s Guest of Honour in the Art Show – so be sure to stop by and visit him there. Another featured guest is singer, songwriter, actor and well-known Tolkien fan Jason Charles Miller, who will be performing and appearing in a couple of panels.

So much to do and to enjoy – let the games begin!