As a reminder: this year our divisions are made up of moments where magic occurs, in The Hobbit and in the three parts of The Lord of the Rings. What exactly constitutes magic in Middle-earth? And what are the best, most thrilling, or perhaps most intriguing moments when magic occurs? YOU decide!
Staffer Madeye Gamgee shared some thoughts on what we’ve seen in Round One:
Many of the Round One matchups are much tighter this year versus years past, an indicator that there’s a broader sense of passion and resonance across the fan base over these magical moments. We’re not seeing any of those ‘Galadriel versus an Elven Loremaster’ or ‘Elendil versus a Librarian’ matchups with 95%+ victory margins like last year.
Some of the #1 and #2 seeds have not had easy matchups:
Disappearing Bilbo, #1 in FotR, only won with 54% against #16 Bombadil’s rescue songs
Bruinen Water Horses at #2 took only 60% of the vote versus #15 reforging of Narsil
#2 in The Two Towers, the Palantir snaring Pippin, only defeated a very well-aged Aragorn, the #15 seed, with 57% of the vote
And in the RotK region the #2, #3, and #4 seeds all went down to their lower-seeded opponents
Sam’s Galadriel Gift (#15) overcame the #2 summoning of the Dead
#14 Rohan arriving in the nick of time took out #3 Galadriel’s Phial in Shelob’s lair
Athelas at #4 lost to #13, the Discovery of a New White Tree
Interestingly, many book-only references, including the restoration of the Shire, finding a new White Tree on the slopes surrounding Minas Tirith, the two Bombadil entries (songs and Ring tricks), disappearing Elvish feasts in Mirkwood, and Beorn’s hospitable animals have all been very competitive. Of course, there are some, like William’s talking purse and Miruvor on the slopes of Caradhras, that got fairly overwhelmed.
So here are the winners who are continuing on to Round Two (with their starting seeding number):
The Hobbit Division
Moon Runes Appear on Thrain’s Map (1)
Bilbo’s Ring Turns Him Invisible (2)
The Last Light of Durin’s Day Reveals the Keyhole (3)
The Trolls Turn to Stone at Sunrise (5)
The Black Arrow Strikes Home/Takes Down Smaug (6)
Beorn Shape Shifts (7)
The Arkenstone Shines with a Brilliant Inner Light (9)
Smaug is a Good Conversationalist (13)
The only surprise in this division was seed #13, Smaug’s conversation with Bilbo, defeating the ‘orc-warning’ blue glow of Sting and Orcrist, which TORn staffers had voted to the #4 seed position. Now Smaug will have to take on the sun-struck stone trolls; will he talk his way to victory? See how the rest of the moments pair up in the coming round, in the full bracket below.
The Fellowship of the Ring Division
Bilbo Vanishes at His Birthday Party (1)
Gandalf Adds Wild Water Horses at the Flood of the Bruinen (2)
Galadriel Has Psychic Mind-Probing Power (3)
Gandalf Puts On a Spectacular Fireworks Show (4)
Durin’s Doors Open at the Right Password (5)
Gandalf Confronts the Balrog with Glamdring and the Flame of Anor (6)
The Mirror of Galadriel Proves Perilous (7)
Mithril Mail Stops a Cave Troll Spear (9)
In this bracket, two of Gandalf’s magic moments came up against each other in Round One: his confrontation with the Balrog, and his moth-whispering ability. Perhaps not surprisingly, the mighty deed of a Balrog showdown won, and goes on to face a talent of Galadriel – her mind-probing powers. Tom Bombadil, arguably one of the most magical (and mysterious) characters in all of Tolkien’s legendarium, didn’t make it past this first round, alas; once again, Tom is conspicuous by his absence…
Bombadil responds to his rescue song (Illustration by Henry Neff)
The Two Towers Division
Gandalf the White Returns from the Dead (1)
The Palantir Snares Pippin (2)
Gandalf Heals Theoden from Saruman’s Curse (3)
Hithlain Rope Comes When It’s Called (5)
Lembas Sustain the Fellowship on Their Quest (6)
Growing Hobbits Drink Ent Draught (7)
Shadowfax Can Run Really Really Fast (8)
Enraged Ents in battle (13)
An upset here was the magical camouflage of Elven cloaks (seeded #4) failing to make it past the power of the Ents. How will the shepherds of the trees fare against Hithlain rope, in Round Two? Seed #9, a surprisingly-attractive-for-an-87-year-old Aragorn, gave Pippin and the Palantir a good run for their money; but in the end, the #2 seed was the victor.
Pretty good for his age…
The Return of the King Division
The Witch King Is Destroyed by “No Man” (1)
Turns Out You Can Destroy the One Ring (aka the power of Mount Doom!) (5)
Elven Ships Leave Middle-earth and the Spheres of the World (6)
Gandalf the White Repels the Nazgul During Faramir’s Retreat (7)
The Dark Tower Falls (8)
It Turns Out a New White Tree of Gondor Has Been Growing for Years (13)
Rohan Arrives on the Pelennor Fields as the Rooster Crows (14)
Galadriel’s Gift of Soil to Sam Sees the Shire Reborn (15)
The Return of the King bracket saw the most upsets of all in this opening melee. The healing power of Athelas (seeded #4) was not strong enough to see it past this first round, being defeated by another plant – the 13th seed, the new White Tree of Gondor. Perhaps the most surprising result of this entire opening round was more plant power – Sam and his soil regenerating the Shire kicked out the #2 seed, the Army of the Dead. New life conquers death! The defeat of the phial of Galadriel (seeded #3) by the epic arrival of Rohan at dawn was also an upset; but can the Riders of Rohan overcome the Elven ships sailing into the West, next round? YOU decide – place your votes now, in Round Two!
Galadriel’s Gift, by Matěj Čadil
How does it work, you ask? Simple! Click on one of the orange division buttons below. Then click the ‘Vote Now’ option that appears above the divisional bracket. This year, as with last year, you get to vote in each divisional match-up in one convenient and visual interface. Note – you need to click each division to vote in their respective brackets. So let’s get voting!
You have until the end of the day Monday March 25th to vote in Round One; on Tuesday 26th we’ll announce winners and open voting for Round Three! Join us that night for TORn Tuesday, where we’ll have further discussion and debate on March Madness 2024. Rally the troops!
Hear that sound of swords clashing, of cries from the battlefield? It can only mean one thing – March Madness is here! Time to decide where your allegiance lies… This year, TheOneRing.net brings you Middle-earth March Madness 2024: Magical Moments.
Our ‘Regions’ are made up of moments where magic occurs, in The Hobbit and in the three parts of The Lord of the Rings. From the reading of moon runes to the secrets of Galadriel’s mirror; from Gandalf’s return in white, to the resurgence of the White Tree – what exactly constitutes magic in Middle-earth? Which beings have magical abilities, and what are the most compelling moments when they use those powers? YOU decide!
TORn’s volunteer staffers have voted and come up with a ‘long list’ of 64 events (16 from each book), which have been seeded based on staff votes. These moments have abbreviated titles on our bracket graphic, due to space limitations; but here’s the complete list in full (listed in their seeding order):
The Hobbit Division
Moon Runes Appear on Thrain’s Map
Bilbo’s Ring Turns Him Invisible
The Last Light of Durin’s Day Reveals the Keyhole
Orcrist and Sting Glow Blue
The Trolls Turn to Stone at Sunrise
The Black Arrow Strikes Home/Takes Down Smaug
Beorn Shape Shifts
Mirkwood Elven Feasts Disappear and Leave Intruders Stunned
The Arkenstone Shines with a Brilliant Inner Light
Beorn Has Highly Hospitable Animals
Mirkwood’s Enchanted River Leads to Bombur’s Long Nap
The Eagles Arrive at the Battle of Five Armies
Smaug is a Good Conversationalist
The White Council Dislodges the Necromancer
Troll William’s Purse Talks
Sentient Spiders React Poorly to Name-Calling
The Fellowship of the Ring Division
Bilbo Vanishes at His Birthday Party
Gandalf Adds Wild Water Horses at the Flood of the Bruinen
Galadriel Has Psychic Mind-Probing Power
Gandalf Puts On a Spectacular Fireworks Show
Durin’s Doors Open at the Right Password
Gandalf Confronts the Balrog with Glamdring and the Flame of Anor
The Mirror of Galadriel Proves Perilous
Boromir’s Horn Echoes Throughout Gondor
Mithril Mail Stops a Cave Troll Spear
Lorien’s Time Flows Differently
Gandalf Is a Moth-Whisperer
The Elven Tonic Miruvor Cures the Cold
Frodo Can See All the Way to Mordor from Amon Hen
Tom Bombadil Does a Parlor Trick with the One Ring
Narsil Is Reforged to Become Anduril
Tom Bombadil Responds to His Rescue Song
Enjoying a glass of Miruvor…
The Two Towers Division
Gandalf the White Returns from the Dead
The Palantir Snares Pippin
Gandalf Heals Theoden from Saruman’s Curse
Elven Cloaks Hide Their Wearers Very Well
Hithlain Rope Comes When It’s Called
Lembas Sustain the Fellowship on Their Quest
Growing Hobbits Drink Ent Draught
Shadowfax Can Run Really Really Fast
Elven Boats Are Unsinkable Even After Rauros
Saruman Upgrades Regular Orcs to Uruk-Hai
Faramir Dreams of Boromir’s Death
The Tower of Orthanc Is Indestructible Even for Ents
Enraged Ents in battle
Don’t Mess with the Huorns
Aragorn Ages Well
The Dead Marshes Have Party Lights
The Return of the King Division
The Witch King Is Destroyed by “No Man”
The Army of the Dead Is Summoned at the Stone of Erech
The Phial of Galadriel Stops Shelob
Athelas Will Cure Whatever Ails You
Turns Out You Can Destroy the One Ring (aka the power of Mount Doom!)
Elven Ships Leave Middle-earth and the Spheres of the World
Gandalf the White Repels the Nazgul During Faramir’s Retreat
The Dark Tower Falls
The Smoke from Orodruin Covers Vast Territory for Days
Aragorn Wields the Palantir to Confront Sauron
The Watchers at Cirith Ungol Warn of Spies in Mordor
Shelob’s Webs Are No Match for Sting
It Turns Out a New White Tree of Gondor Has Been Growing for Years
Rohan Arrives on the Pelennor Fields as the Rooster Crows
Galadriel’s Gift of Soil to Sam Sees the Shire Reborn
The Witch King’s Sword Is on Fire!
How you decide, of course, is up to you. We expect there may be some debate, out of the moments we have chosen, about which are actually ‘magic’. How/what defines such power, and how does it operate in Middle-earth? And for the moments you believe ARE magical – how do you choose your favourite? Will your votes be based on how these moment are described in Tolkien’s writing? Perhaps you have preferences based on childhood memories of Rankin Bass cartoons… Or maybe you’ll just toss a coin! It’s up to you; but however you decide, now is the time to place your votes!
How does it work, you ask? Simple! Click on one of the orange division buttons below. Then click the ‘Vote Now’ option that appears above the divisional bracket. This year, as with last year, you get to vote in each divisional match-up in one convenient and visual interface. Note – you need to click each division to vote in their respective brackets. So let’s get voting!
You have until the end of the day Thursday March 21st to vote in Round One; on Friday 22nd we’ll announce winners and open voting for Round Two! Join us for TORn Tuesday, where we’ll discuss and debate March Madness 2024; let the games begin!
TheOneRing.net will kick off the 2024 Convention season at Wondercon in Anaheim, running from March 29-31, 2024. Our panel, ‘Dispatches from Middle-earth: The War of the Rohirrim’ will be on Easter Sunday at 12:15 pm in room North 200A. You can find our panel description at: https://sched.co/1aznT or if you don’t have tickets yet, you can find those at https://www.comic-con.org/wc/
We have much to talk about with the recent announcement of a new book of Tolkien’s poems and the interviews with the creators of The War of the Rohirrim. We will miss the actual ‘Tolkien Reading Day’ on March 25, but all is not lost, March is officially dubbed National Reading Month to commemorate the birthday of Dr. Seuss. All that is to say ‘expect a little bit of Tolkien’s literature to make an appearance’.
We also would like to invite any Middle-earth-themed cosplayers to attend our panel and the subsequent photo shoot out by the fountain in front of the convention center. If you are unable to attend the panel but think you can make the photo shoot afterwards, it will take place 45 minutes after the end of the panel, or approximately at 2pm.
