Last two standing – here we are at the Middle-earth March Madness FINAL for 2018. Two – well, not men… – enter, one leaves; who will be Champion this year?
In the Final Four, we saw Samwise Gamgee take on Gollum, and Gandalf face Elrond Half-elven. Both Sam and Gandalf have been Middle-earth March Madness Champions before – twice, in the wizard’s case – but for the other two, the heady heights for the Final Four are new.
The contests were tight; Sam took an early lead in his duel, but by the second day, old Stinker had pulled ahead. Gollum finally went on to win that battle convincingly, claiming over 60% of the vote.
In the second pairing, it was neck and neck right down to the wire, with less than 1% in it at times. In the end, however, elvish power triumphed over Maiar magic, and Half-elven came home with 54.35% of the vote, to Gandalf’s 45.65%.
So this year will definitely see a NEW Champion crowned! Gollum faces Elrond in a fight to the finish. Can tricksssy deviousness overcome the power of a high elf? Will Smeagol help out, making it two against one? You decide!
The Final voting is open NOW. Polls close at 10pm EST on Thursday 5th April; only two days to vote for the Champion, so don’t delay! Last chance to play along with Middle-earth March Madness this year; and don’t forget to check out the ‘exit polls’ on Facebook. Whom do you want to see crowned…? VOTE NOW! [The Final] [Final Four] [Elite Eight] [Round 3 Bracket] [Round 2 Bracket] [Round 1 Bracket]
Continue reading “Middle-earth March Madness – FINAL! Vote now to decide this year’s Champion!”
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Just two rounds remain in this year’s Middle-earth March Madness – we’re down to the final four, facing off against each other in the Semi-Finals! Who has the strength to rule over all?
Let’s take a look back at the Quarter Finals – where none of the battles was as tight as might have been predicted. In a pairing which presented voters with a tough choice, the stout-hearted hobbit overcame his long-shanked foe; Aragorn was defeated by Samwise, with the Ranger unable to claim much more than a third of the vote. This result may surprise some, but then, Master Gamgee has always proved to have hidden strengths and depths.
Division II saw Galadriel going nuclear on Gollum, but still losing to the tricksssy one! Who would have thought that one of the River-folk could overcome a high elf, and a margin of two thirds to one third?
The mighty Maiar match was also not the closely fought duel one might have expected; it must indeed have been Gandalf the White who entered the lists, as he thrashed Saruman, taking over 85% of the vote!
Finally, in Division IV two elves faced off; a high (but half) elf against a woodland dweller. Thranduil may have ridden in on his war moose, but in the end, it was Elrond who came out victorious, claiming about three quarters of the vote.
And now we are down to just FOUR. Samwise vs Gollum – there’s no love lost between these two! Will the faithful gardener be able to overcome ‘Stinker’, or if he lets his guard down, will Gollum defeat the ‘stupid, fat hobbit’? Will it just devolve into a contest of name calling?! You decide!
Gandalf vs Elrond – will the wizard finally teach Half-elven a lesson, for failing to throw Isildur and the Ring in the fires of Mount Doom at the end of the Second Age? Or does Rivendell’s ruler have a trick or two up his voluminous sleeves? It’s up to you – VOTE NOW!
The Semi-Final voting is open NOW, and will close at 10pm EST on Tuesday 3rd April. The FINAL will then run April 4th -5th. Only a few more days to play along with Middle-earth March Madness, before it’s over for another year. VOTE NOW![Final Four] [Elite Eight] [Round 3 Bracket] [Round 2 Bracket] [Round 1 Bracket]
Continue reading “Middle-earth March Madness – The Final Four are Chosen!”
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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.
Ambarussa
by: Laurelindorenan
I had a dream, little brother
A terror of the night
That when Father burned the swan-ships
In that fire dread and bright
You had crept aboard
To sleep over the waves
And that the flame-lit ocean
Was your grave.
I woke, by icy panic
Robbed of breath
But found you lay beside me, still
In sleep, not death.
Your face, a mask of quiet
That mine lacked
More peaceful than I’d seen
Since fire-words sealed our pact.
I was quick to Father’s oath
You took it slow
Slow to farewell our mother
Or to go.
And when the others left
We swore an oath
That death would take us
Neither one, or both.
Gone is the hope
I clung to when we came
I guess not what downfall
Our breath will claim
Though death will have its due
For our rash curse
We’ll breathe our last
Together, as our first.
~~ * ~~
Thèoden’s passing
by David McG.
As I lay here, body broken, bones shattered
I feel no pain.
I feel calm and strangely satisfied and at peace.
The soft grass comforts me as I feel the the presence of an old friend. Death.
Snowmane.
My most trusted of friends!
How far we have come to reach this, our moment of glory.
Will they remember how you smashed through spear and shield wall ?
Will they see how you never faltered or failed to rise to my demands?
Snowmane.
Broken now as am I and yet, in death, still my shield.
Tirelessly you rode through feared wood and plain to bear me here.
We broke the Haridrim ranks and took their Black Serpent banner.
My friend, my companion, my protector.
Èomer
Sister-son and blood of my blood.
I have led you to this place of death and destruction.
You have not faltered or strayed to the whispers of false allies as did I!
True and fearless you are, as befits a Lord of the Riddermark.
Èomer
Tall in the saddle you ride to lead the First Èored.
Fierce and proud you have honoured our Kin and fulfilled our pledges and oaths.
Kingly you are and King you will be, my beloved Sister-son.
Aragorn
Arisen we are, we riders of Théoden!
Fell deeds have been awoken to fire and slaughter.
Spear shaken and shield splintered,
A sword-day and a red day and the sun has risen!
Now at Gondor’s gate I lay here.
Aragorn
My eyes grow dim and Death stands over me.
I believe in you and kept faith with you, though you have yet to come.
But come you will, though we parted in doubt at the Dwimorberg were you sought the Dark Door.
Théodred
I see you there my son. Tall and proud and unscathed by the White Hand.
Yes I will willingly walk with you to the Golden Hall of Meduseld to join our fore fathers.
For I have killed the Black Serpent and regained my honour.
Thèodred
We go now in glory to join Bèma and Nahar in the everlasting hunt .
There we shall ride in the warm sun and oceans of green grass and forever watch over our people and lands.
I am ready now.
Èowyn
………………………Èowyn?
~~ * ~~
The Lay of King Brian
from the heart and hand of
Veracity O’M.
As Bilbo, so Brian
A man of comfort, conversation, and culinary interests
He would of frequent occasion gather to himself
those who were of like mind and likes
And on such times he told tales vere and feign
Tales of heroes, of maidens, of imps and animals
He sang oft of the fairy realm whence he journeyed
Many miles, many days, hardships and heartwarmings
Filled his time and his travel—of those he sang
To brothers, sisters, their children and his
And upon a magic fiddle he put forth his music
Music to conjour dreams, images fair and fantastic
Music to move the heart, well the eye, enchant the mind
Music, it is said, to coax animals of skills fantastic
To come close for conversation and company
Dragons, unicorns, pegacorns, and pegapigs
Hazirim that would dance and swoop in the heavens
And on the right note, would light close at hand
And listen, and look, and laugh
At his friends and at his tales
It (the fiddle!) has come to this humble brother of his
And from his hand it was set among the most valuable things
Found on earth or in heaven
Come if you would, and try your hand
And see if from the sky you could coax to your side
Dragons, unicorns, pegacorns and pegapigs
But, if you can, make sure you have tales fantastic to tell
As King Brian, whom we all miss so well.
~~ * ~~
A Legend from Times Forgotten
by: Quimey DA
Neither sword nor bow
Could tell the fate
Of those lands that
Where under moon, and under spell.
The brightest steel, of mighty spears
Could not undone, what had been made.
The kingdoms there, they felt the doom
And fear then, filled all their souls.
For It was made with malice great
The heart so dark, in turmoil burned.
The other one deceived and slain
His name preserved, beyond the times of mortal lands.
He looked for it, no rest no sleep
His army bound to the oath they took
To fear the One and to serve Him
Behind the walls, and towers dim.
It called him loud, He could not hear
But swift as wind, nine horses sped
To lands unknown, in quest for it
To look for him who stole the fire
And wields the wicked, almighty power.
~~ * ~~
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.
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And then there were eight… It’s Quarter Finals time in this year’s Middle-earth March Madness – and Round 3 was a decisive round indeed. The people have spoken, and made it clear that alter-ego interlopers shall go no further; every duel in the last round was won easily by the Professor’s creations.
Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock) put up the best fight, taking a third of the vote against Elrond. Only two other non-Tolkien characters managed to climb over 20%: Karl Urban’s Leonard McCoy (Star Trek) fought hard but was no real competition for Galadriel, with the high elf in the end claiming more than three quarters of the vote. Alas, another Sean Bean character bites the dust prematurely; Eddard Stark (Game of Thrones) clawed his way to almost 29%, but could not hope to defeat the valiant Samwise Gamgee.
Martin Freeman’s John Watson (Sherlock) was thrashed by Gandalf, and David Wenham’s Carl (Van Helsing) received a similar humiliation at the hands of Gollum. At least, however, they made it into double figures; poor Rudy (Sean Astin) could only manage 7.13% against Gondor’s king. Aragorn’s triumph in that pairing will come as no surprise to anyone.
It was perhaps the ‘schizophrenic’ contests which were most interesting in this round; Christopher Lee faced himself as both Saruman and Count Dooku (Revenge of the Sith), and we wondered which way Lee Pace fans would vote, when having to choose between Thranduil and Ronan (Guardians of the Galaxy). Once again, the Middle-earth characters reigned supreme; Count Dooku couldn’t even manage to wrestle 9% of the votes away from Saruman.
So here we are at Round 4 – denizens of Tolkien’s realm all the way! The choices are tougher now; does Sam stand a chance against Strider? Will Gandalf and Saruman throw some break-dance moves in their fight, and will Saruman come out victorious? (Is he facing Gandalf the Grey or Gandalf the White? – you decide!) In the mighty battle of the elves, can Thranduil of the woodland realm possibly pose a threat to Elrond Half-elven? And is there anything the tricksssy Gollum can do, to give him a chance against Galadriel?
Quarter Final voting is open NOW, and runs until 10pm EST on Saturday 31st March. The Semi Finals will then start on Sunday 1st April. You can also take part in the ‘exit polls’ on Facebook, if you want a second chance to voice your opinion! Who looks set to take the ultimate crown this year…? VOTE NOW![Elite Eight] [Round 3 Bracket] [Round 2 Bracket] [Round 1 Bracket]
Continue reading “The Elite Eight – Middle-earth March Madness 2018!”
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Sweet Sixteen – the lucky few who have made it through Round 2, to fight again in this year’s Middle-earth March Madness. Let’s take a look at how things stand, as you get ready to vote in Round 3…
Division I has had more than its share of tough choices, with beloved characters facing each other. Round 2 saw Samwise defeat Gimli, Aragorn thrash Frodo with over three quarters of the vote, and Sean Astin’s Rudy beat Dominic Monaghan’s Charlie Pace (from Lost). The big news is that a Sean Bean character still lives! Eddard Stark (Game of Thrones) beat Viggo Mortensen’s Frank Hopkins (Hidalgo), and now faces none other than Master Samwise in Round 3. How to choose?! Do you want to see Eddard Stark make it all the way to the final? Or are you hoping to see Sam face Rudy in Round 4 (assuming that Rudy can get past Aragorn, that is)? Tough decisions to be made…
In Division II, Galadriel soundly defeated Faramir, but Cate Blanchett’s Hela (Thor: Ragnarok) is out! Karl Urban’s Dr McCoy must have had the backing of USS Enterprise to help him come through, in a narrow victory (51.67% to 48.33%). (Hmm, I wonder what would have happened if Hela had been facing Karl Urban as Skurge – also Thor: Ragnarok – instead?) Gollum didn’t have too much trouble against King Theodon; David Wenham’s Carl (Van Helsing) vanquished Miranda Otto’s Mary Ann (War of the Worlds), and now needs to be on his guard against the tricksssy Gollum in Round 3.
The most overwhelming victory came in Division III, with poor Dwalin no match for Mithrandir – Gandalf took over 90% of the vote in that duel! But perhaps shockingly, Martin Freeman’s John Watson (Sherlock) was able to outwit the mighty Magneto, winning by a margin of less than 1%; and this, in spite of our Facebook ‘exit poll’ suggesting that Magneto would win 60-40! No chance, then, of Sir Ian’s two characters meeting in a later round; Christopher Lee, on the other hand, is throwing down against himself in Round 3, with both his Saruman and his Count Dooku (Revenge of the Sith) having been victorious in Round 2. Does a Sith Lord stand a chance against one of the Maiar? They’re both pretty treacherous, having both turned against their original allies and beliefs; but is a lightsaber a match for a wizard’s staff? You decide – vote now!
Finally, Division IV – where Hobbit elves and villains reside with their alter-egos. As expected, Tauriel was no match for Elrond, and was defeated by almost 64%. Hugo Weaving’s other character Agent Smith (The Matrix), however, was unable to stand up to the brainpower of Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Holmes. Will Sherlock take over Rivendell in Round 3, to make it the Last Holmely House? (Sorry – couldn’t resist…)
Lee Pace has to fight himself in Round 3, with his Thranduil and his Ronan (Guardians of the Galaxy) both winning their Round 2 battles with ease. Pace fans (is there a name for the Pace Army?), whom will you choose??
Round 3 voting is open NOW, and goes until 10pm EST on Wednesday 28th March. Round 4 will then be launched on Thursday 29th. Don’t forget to check out the ‘exit polls’ on Facebook, to see how the duels might play out. And let us know who you’re hoping will become ultimate champion this year, in the comments below! VOTE NOW! [Round 3 Bracket] [Round 2 Bracket] [Round 1 Bracket]
Continue reading “Middle-earth March Madness – onwards to Round 3!”
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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, when the ring of power was destroyed and the dark lord Sauron was defeated.
Each year the Society selects a theme for the day, with this year’s theme being Home and Hearth: the many ways of being a Hobbit. This opens up a wide array of things that could be read to explore the ‘inner Hobbit’ in all of us. You might join Bilbo in The Hobbit, as he opens his home to Gandalf and the dwarves, feeding them most of the goodies in his pantry! Another option would be to settle around the dinner table with Frodo, Merry, Sam and Pippin, as they eat the delicious mushrooms offered to them by Farmer Maggot during their journey through The Shire. What favorite Hobbity thing will you pull off of your bookshelves to read today?
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In the Final Four, we saw Samwise Gamgee take on Gollum, and Gandalf face Elrond Half-elven. Both Sam and Gandalf have been Middle-earth March Madness Champions before – twice, in the wizard’s case – but for the other two, the heady heights for the Final Four are new.
