Have you ever wanted to listen to the sounds of Mirkwood? Hear the flow of the Brandywine River? Or perhaps stand in the midst of whistling winds on Caradhras? Soon, you will be able to – thanks to the extraordinary concept and creativity of Jordan Rannells.
Jordan is a composer and sound engineer, with many years experience in the business. His work will be familiar to some Middle-earth fans: he’s an editor for the Prancing Pony podcast. He also has his own podcast – Music of Middle-earth – and, as if that wasn’t enough, he worked with renowned Tolkien artist John Howe on his audiobook Ultimate Fantasy Art Academy.
But Jordan has a dream and a vision – or perhaps one should say, a ‘hearing’! He has long felt that audio books are lacking something. In computer gaming, the artificial realm is brought to life with music, sound effects and ambient sound; the same has long been true of radio plays. And yet, when we listen to books record by brilliant readers such as Stephen Fry and – most recently in Middle-earth – Andy Serkis, we generally only hear their voices delivering the text.
Jordan has a plan to change that. He’s creating (to quote his own words) ‘an audio soundscape to accompany your journey through Middle-earth while you read J.R.R Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings’. He tells us:
This is something that has never been done before. It is on a scale far above any of our wildest Tolkien fan dreams. I will have CHAPTER SPECIFIC audio.
I will be writing an entire score. Each piece will run alongside the length of an entire chapter of the book.
I will be using advanced 3D immersive audio equipment to record the natural world. These recordings will be inserted into the Soundscape to make you feel like you are walking alongside the Fellowship.
I will be designing and mixing sound FX for creatures like the Balrog, Ringwraiths, and many more to appear along your journey through the story.
All of these layers will be presented separately and together to have a multitude of listening experiences for your adventures in this world. They will be composed and mixed for the purpose of listening while you read, but these files will also be excellent for relaxing, D&D nights, immersing into other fantasy worlds, and more!
Composer and Sound Engineer Jordan Rannells
Jordan recently shared with TORn some insight into HOW exactly he will create this incredible soundscape. Thanks to the latest technology (such as 3D microphones), he can capture locational sound, which will surround the listener. He intends to record specific, different sound environments for all the realms of Middle-earth (no two forests will be the same!); and to have continuous, through-composed audio, with no looping. He also plans to create different speed versions of the soundscape – with one timed perfectly to be played as background whilst you listen along to Andy Serkis’ recording of The Lord of the Rings!
All of this is a huge undertaking, of course! We’re looking forward to hearing how Jordan’s journey to create this audio feast progresses; we hope to connect with him in the coming months, as he conjures and explores his soundscape for Tolkien’s world. Meanwhile, if you’re as excited by this project as we are, you’ll definitely want to know more – and see how you can get involved, and perhaps even lend your voice to the work! Click here to read all the details about this amazing undertaking. We wish Jordan the best of luck – can’t wait to hear the finished product!
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 the hearth, and enjoy!
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.
Art of Fate
by: Milan
How can so much darkness exist, while there is light?
How can the Black Eye of Mordor stare, while hobbit children skip through the grass?
Do all the troubles wash away down the River Anduin, great and wide, mysteriously,
Or do they pop up like hobbit children in a game of hide and seek, ready to come out for Elevenses?
How does life move on, to the beauty of the Lorien,
To come into the songs of old,
To relinquish the art of fate,
To come back stronger than you came,
What will the minstrels sing?
What will they say in their songs when you’re gone,
When you look into Galadriel’s Mirror, what will you see?
A sad reflection of yourself, of everything you are,
The destruction of your home, a black eye of fowl menace,
Who are you? Can you face yourself for me?
Weren’t we all just hobbits, letting our days unwind, in a safe haven for a time,
When the Carrion fowl take your body,
What will you think?
Will you watch from your ship at sea,
Or paddle forward, to find what awaits you in lands of bliss,
What will be your regrets, your wishes, your lies to yourself?
-Milan
~~ * ~~
Middle Earth haiku
by: H Herz
Strider's valiant, but...
Not all who wander can cook.
Where's second breakfast?
www.henryherz.com
~~ * ~~
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.
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 the hearth, and enjoy!
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.
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.
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 the hearth, and enjoy!
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.
The Mirror
by: Cassie Hughes
i)
Oh dearest love how can I bear
the mirror’s tale to me this night,
a family torn and ripped apart
as darkness claims and covers light.
Celebrian! Celebrian!
I called but could not keep her safe
for claws and fangs bore her away
to torment she could not escape.
The mirror fogged then cleared again
as vengeance showed to me their face,
twin perils twisted, hearts enslaved
by lustful wrath they could not sate.
Come back to us! Come back to us!
I shouted but they did not hear
above the clash of heavy blades,
the screams and sobs of death and fear.
Another scene unfolded then,
a ranger, tall and dark he stood
beside our precious Evenstar,
and oh! their faces shone with love.
Undomiel! Undomiel!
I wept then as she turned away
to follow where I could not go,
that mortal path of slow decay.
Is this my doing and my doom?
In reparation for past deeds
when thirst for knowledge ruled my head
and power cancelled other needs.
Oh Celeborn, my Celeborn
Have I brought darkness on us all?
Our daughter held beyond despair.
Her children lost beyond recall.
ii)
Your mirror tells what yet may be
but set in stone those tales are not.
Beloved, things are still in flux
our family safe, so ease your heart.
Galadriel! Galadriel!
Read nothing yet in what you saw.
They may be passing shadows just
like pipeweed smoke and not endure.
Yet if in truth they come to pass,
our strength combined will see us through.
As over ages proud and strong
together we have learned to do.
Do not despair! Do not despair!
Though tragedy may take our kin
live for today, let go these fears,
and do not let the darkness win.
iii)
The silvered surface briefly holds
An unseen fleeting image then
a halfling holding out his palm
upon which lies a glowing ring.
Ash nazg begiles! Ash nazg deceives!
What comes to pass will surely be
as told within those crystal depths,
and writ in legend endlessly.
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.
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 the hearth, and enjoy!
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.
In a time where the world is burdened with chaos and full of darkness,
even the slightest shine from the Star of Eärendil wouldn't stop it.
Creatures roam unmindful of the evil around them,
focused only on temporary love, possessions and never on HIM.
Rejection can feel cold but murderous to one's mind,
inner thoughts are like battling Balrog
Hoping one day the world will go eastward of Gondor,
to be with JESUS, my precious!
Although many already bear this ring,
it is our job as its bearer to plant its seed.
~ * ~
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.
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 the hearth, and enjoy!
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.
Ode to Elanor
By D.McGlinchey
Elanor, my star flower, my beautiful golden sun.
From lonely isles did your namesake travel to bring beauty and joy from afar.
Elf Child, though of Halfling kin, fair beauty of the Shire.
Your grace and wisdom outshines them all and your laughter a Dragon would halt.
Blessed with the grace of the Valar you glow.
Though hard was the road that led to your being,I never faltered nor forsook the dreams I made.
I traveled there and back again to make true those distant dreams.
And I did.
With you Elanor.
My star flower.
My beautiful golden sun.
~ * ~
A poem of “Riddles in the Dark”
by MA Corkery
Riddles in darkness, hobbit and ring
What object is this? Have I found some new bling?
It’s shiny, and gold and I think very old
But there is something more to it that can’t quite be told
Will it bring power, joy, or wealth?
Can it save me from this dark goblin house?
These questions, they run in my mind as I ask,
“What have I got in my pocket?”
Riddles in darkness, hobbit and ring
What is this creature, this non-goblin thing?
Is it tasty, will it be a good snack?
My precious let’s see and then swiftly attack
Now it is riddles: teeth, daisies, and time
We’ll answer his questions and then he’ll be mine
But wait, where have you gone? Did I lose you somehow?
My precious where are you, I cry out aloud
I look at this morsel, this non-goblin thing
Just maybe, perhaps, he has taken my ring
Riddles in darkness, hobbit, and ring
I am one step closer to my dark lord and king
The darkness is coming, he’ll find me I know
And in the darkness binding he’ll grow and he’ll grow
Riddles in darkness, hobbit and ring
Remember with winter there is always a spring
No matter the darkness, no matter the might
There will always be hope and good fighting the fight
~ * ~
Keep The Faith
by Michael Amos
Though bird in shire and toad in hollow share their daily cries
Dark forces incessantly wallow chanting so he flies
It’s never good to lose your sight of things that truly matter
For there’s a fight tween wrong and right the falling swords a-clatter.
The day is new and offers all the chance to make a choice
The very things that fill us up and cause us to rejoice!
So why are we so very willing at the least resistance
To tattle, harp and creak our spilling complaints every instant?
It’s ours to mourn the loss of power swelling loves true ranks
When all our whinging melancholy has us walking planks.
The remedy is simple dear, and never once you doubt it
You’re the one who moves your eyes and never should you floutt it.
Here the birds and all the frogs who’s siren song declares
The sun is coming! Build your life and share with us your wares
The evil waits for you to fake your focus on a whim
So, always know it’s on your watch you give a chance to him.
Remember love, and luck and joy and fight with all you’ve got
To grow, and know, and pluck your vision from the twisted knot
Of everything that blocks your way and dance aside so lightly
You’re a living song of ever loving will so mighty
The shire is true, The sky is blue
The stakes are oh, so high
Let’s herald one more chance
To make the best of life, it’s nigh.
~ * ~
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.
