Due to some technical issues, there has been some realignment to the programming schedule at LACC and TheOneRing.net has a slight change in our programming slot.
Our ‘Dispatches from Middle-earth: The return to Middle-earth’ panel is still in room 303 AB on Saturday, December 3, but now our start time is at 5:30 PM and ending at 7:00 PM, giving us nearly a full 90-minute panel. Join us as we talk about all things Tolkien, past, present, and future. And remember, we love seeing Middle-earth themed cosplay, and this is the weekend to really bring it.
But wait, there’s more Middle-earth goodness to be had. Elijah Wood and Sean Astin will be on the Main Stage on Saturday, December 3 from 3:00 PM to 3:50 PM. Both will be doing autographs and photo ops on Saturday as well, check the L.A. ComicCon App for details.
Elijah Wood and Sean Astin
There is one more surprise coming tomorrow for cool, geeky Middle-earth-themed fun happening at LACC, so check back tomorrow morning.
In the summer of 2012, sisters Kellie and Alex Rice visited San Diego Comic Con for the first time. As they marveled at the large buildings and the splendor of the city, new friends asked again and again where they came from to find such wonder and novelty in an urban landscape. The answer was the mountains of northern California. It was at that moment that the elder of the two sisters, Kellie (or “Kili”) realized that by comparison to many, they lived a rural lifestyle akin to hobbits, Elves, and rangers. A few short months later, they began brainstorming a webseries designed to bring Middle-earth to their viewers’ daily lives through sharing aspects of their country life including crafts, recipes, and animal husbandry. After filtering out several potential names (including “The Green Door” and “Not TORn Tuesday”), the two came up with one that fit perfectly: Happy Hobbit.
They debuted their first proper episode about chickens on October 17th, 2012, sharing how to raise hens and collect eggs like a hobbit.
Happy Hobbit: Chickens – Episode 1
At the time, they never could have imagined the marvelous adventure that starting a hobbity little show would take them on. From their small mountain town to the world premieres of The Hobbit films and now special events for Amazon’s The Rings of Power, it has been a wild ride!
In 2013, the two filmed a reaction video to the trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug that went viral when Peter Jackson saw it and shared it on his Facebook page. He later filmed the Elven cast (Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lily, and Lee Pace) reacting to the girls’ reaction… which the girls then reacted to again, creating a viral trilogy that was dubbed “Hobbitception” after the film Inception: a reaction within a reaction within a reaction!
You can watch the hilarious magic unfold in the playlist below:
The “Hobbitcception” playlist
Peter Jackson’s nudge not only increased Happy Hobbit’s viewership, but led to more visibility. While the sisters enjoyed connecting with all of their fellow fans, it was extra special meeting the many hundreds of young women and girls who were not only Tolkien fans, but so excited to see young women like them having their geekniess not only validated, but celebrated.
Kellie and Alex Rice on the red carpet for the premiere of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Though there was a dearth of Middle-earth content between the Hobbit films and the recent Rings of Power TV show, the sisters continued to make their webseries and don’t have any plans to stop! A chronic joint issue called Ehlers-Danlos has made it more difficult for Alex (or Fili) to participate as much as she used to, so these days her sister Kellie (or Kili) sometimes produces solo episodes. Kellie is also a published Fantasy author under her pen name, K.M. Rice (she chose initials in part because of Tolkien’s pen name) and is the co-author of Middle-earth from Script to Screen: Building The World of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
On October 17th, they celebrated their 10 year anniversary of Happy Hobbit by airing their 100th episode! Viewers sent in clips, photos and letters sharing what the show has meant to them and their love of their fans to help make the episode an occasion to remember. Below, you can join Fili and Kili and friends as they share some of the many things that make them happy hobbits!
Happy Hobbit: Being A Happy Hobbit – Episode 100
Many viewers describe the Happy Hobbit series and community as being wholesome and comforting, like snuggling up with a cozy blanket. It is a positive corner of the Shire that many turn to in times of darkness or hardship. With over 100 episodes (including lots of holiday specials and side adventures), there truly is something for everyone in Kili and Fili’s interpretation of Tolkien’s world. Above all, hearing from so many fans and viewers affirmed to the sisters that they had achieved their goal of leaving their audience happy hobbits!
Robert Aramayo as Elrond, The Rings of Power, Amazon Prime
Examining the minutiae of Tolkien adaptations has long been a tradition at TheOneRing.net. Staff, message boarders and chatters on our site have regularly picked over scenes and images from the films and this tradition continues with The Rings of Power. Today, however, the discussions take place in multiple arenas all over the internet. Recently, on Twitter, MGCoco* shared an interesting theory about Elrond’s cloak.
Twitter post by MGCoco*. Used with permission.
Other Tolkien fans loved this theory, with some noting how the cloak is “way more worn than the rest of the clothes” he wears and speculating that we may learn more at a future date.
Others took this theory even further, speculating that Elros may have been buried in his cloak and how Elrond still wears his as a “silent vigil over his brother’s legacy”. They go on to raise an interesting point that the lore never touches on Elrond’s feelings over his twin having chosen mortality and there being no chance of them ever being reunited, not even in the Halls of Mandos.
Tweet reply to MGCoco*. Used with permission.
MGCoco* also noted how Elrond then goes on to watch over the remaining heirs of Elros in Middle-earth, helping to hide the line of Isildur. Other fans stated that:
“It paints a beautiful, if somewhat bittersweet, mental image. Really gives one a sense of the sheer depth of his character too.”
Claiomh Dubh via Twitter
Delving into a closer look of a characters costume, can lead to far more than just an appreciation of a piece of clothing.
Join us on our Discord channel to discuss this and other topics with fellow Tolkien fans.
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 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.
Forth rode Earnil, last king of Gondor
Upon the Witch-King of Angmar to make war.
There ensued a terrible fight,
In which the Witch-King appeared and showed forth his might.
None could withstand the terror of his onslaught,
But Earnil, undeterred, would have stood and fought
Had not his horse fled, being crazed with fear
When the Witch-King with a horrible cry drew near.
The Witch-King laughed, at what he saw as fright,
But then his eyes were stung by a blinding light.
Turning his horse, away he sped,
Even as he mocked, into the darkness he fled.
He who had subjected lands and realms to his rule
And of Sauron’s servants was the most feared and cruel,
Could not withstand one who had beheld the Two Trees
And walked in lands beyond the Sundering Seas.
For Glorfindel had come up from Rivendell;
Bright was his sword, his eyes fey and fell.
He who of old had grappled with Shadow and Flame,
Unveiled his power, and with renewed might he came.
As Earnil rode back, chafing with anger and hate,
Glorfindel, gazing into the dusk, foresaw the Enemy’s fate,
Stretching far into the long years ahead.
Turning to the captain, he withheld him and said:
“Do not pursue him – far off yet is his doom!
And much more must be accomplished before the gathering of that gloom.
Not by the hand of man will he be slain:
Rather, the unlooked-for will arise and be his bane.”
And so it was, that the prophecy was spoken,
Though many years passed before it was awoken,
During the great battles fought for the One Ring,
And the Nazgul were sent forth, led by the Witch-King.
Despair and darkness he spread, wherever he went,
And the body of Theoden King apart he rent.
But then with an opponent he stood face to face,
Who was unafraid of the unseen eyes and deadly mace.
“Begone foul lord of carrion!” the clear voice spoke. “Let him lie in peace!”
“Stand not between me and my prey,” came the cold reply, “else you will go to where there is no release.”
There was sharp ring as was drawn a sword.
“No living man may hinder me!” laughed the lord.
Thus was spoken the prophecy of long ago,
The selfsame one spoken by his deadly foe.
Doubt entered the Nazgul’s mind as sun gleamed on golden hair,
And he was reminded of Glorfindel the fair.
“No man am I!” a woman’s voice returned,
And in Eowyn of Rohan’s eyes a fearless light burned.
The fell beast of the Witch-King reared up and rose,
Its rider furious that anyone should dare him oppose.
But Eowyn leapt aside, and clove off the beast’s head,
And from the ruin rose the dark and deadly Dread.
With a mighty stroke he broke her arm and clove her shield,
And it looked as though he would triumph upon Pelennor Field.
But in that hour Eowyn stood not alone,
And in the darkness another desperate courage shone.
From behind a sword pierced the sinews of the Witch-King’s knee,
And with a despairing cry, from his terror the world was set free.
Neither swordsman tall nor warrior strong
Had done this deed so worthy of song.
Only Merry the Hobbit, from the humble Shire
Out of love had helped the maiden in her need so dire.
And so it was: not by the hand of man did the Witch-King fall
But at the hand of a woman of the Golden Hall
And by a dagger taken from the tomb of a barrow-wight,
Wound with spells for his demise, in that long-ago fight.
~~ * ~~
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.
TheOneRing.net has a slight change in our programming slot. 
