A long-standing Spring tradition was repeated this weekend in the Czech Republic. Hundreds of fans recreated a battle from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth literature. This year it was The Battle of the Five Armies from The Hobbit. Fans choose sides, join together, then march until they meet the enemy. Armed with plastic and/or foam-tipped weapons, the worst of the injuries from the battle that ensues are bumps and bruises. However, where costumes are concerned, the competition gets serious, producing some very impressive and intimating-looking warriors on both sides. Check out this story, and great video footage, from the U.K. Telegraph, and let us know in our comment section, or on our Forums, which side you’d be on if you could join the battle. Would your choice be based on which side you’d like to fight on, which would be the best cosplay opportunity, or both? Read more…
Hobbits for Kids in Care is an initiative of The Brisbane Tolkien Fellowship in Queensland Australia.
Their aim is to donate Hobbit Books to present as gifts to children who are in Foster and Statutory Care. They aim to achieve a target of 1500 Hobbit Books before October 15, 2016. The books will be presented at their Annual Dinner Dance to The Pyjama Foundation.
Our friends at La Sociedad Tolkien Española (STE) have informed us that they are now taking submissions for their 12 annual Ælfwine Awards contest. Held every year to further the study of the works and life of J.R.R. Tolkien, the contest is open to anyone who has an interest in writing about Tolkien and/or his writings, from amateurs to professionals. Essays may be submitted in either Spanish or English and are due no later than October 1, 2016 to the following email address: premiosaelfwine@sociedadtolkien.org
The winning essays will be published on their website in November, 2016. First prize includes 120 Euros and a year’s free membership in the Spanish Tolkien Society. Second prize is a year’s free membership in their Tolkien Society. Keep reading for the complete rules.
While Tolkien was a British writer, his readership and influence extend far beyond the English language. Middle-earth transcends both time and culture as we have seen again and again when having the pleasure to meet fellow fans from around the globe through both TheOneRing and Happy Hobbit. That said, sometimes it takes a little longer for Tolkien events and/or specials in other languages and countries to reach our ears. Fortunately for you, dear reader, famed Tolkien artist and scholar John Howe sent a message our way via thrush to let us know about a delightful Franco-English documentary he narrated in 2015 about the source material for Tolkien’s The Hobbit titled A la Recherche du Hobbit (Looking for the Hobbit).
You can watch the first episode of five in English below:
If you’re confident enough to navigate the French website (all you have to do is click on the shopping cart icon!) you can purchase a region-free English version here, and the series is available in French on DVD and streaming here (along with a preview). You can also peruse several delightful behind the scenes photos on their Facebook page.
John Howe at Hobbiton in Matamata, NZ.
What’s more, John Howe has taken the time to provide us with his thoughts on why, even after all this time, he was excited to contribute to yet another exploration of Tolkien.
Glaurung the dragon, one of the chief weapons Morogth used to defeat the Eldar in Beleriand. Artwork: John Howe.
Welcome to our latest Library feature, in which Andrew B shares his theories about the “Were-worms” from The Hobbit. Personally I’d always envisaged them as lesser flightless dragons of the line of Glaurung and not the escapees from Arrakis that we saw in The Battle of the Five Armies, so I found Andrew’s ideas very interesting 🙂
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.
Hobbits for Kids in Care is an initiative of The Brisbane Tolkien Fellowship in Queensland Australia.
