
Christmas brings to mind the timeless, poignant image of a mother cradling her newborn child.
At this rather apt time of year then, TORn’s music geeks are pleased to bring you an exclusive interview with Hilary Summers.
An alto hailing from Wales, UK, Hilary recorded “Gilraen’s Song” that plays over the scene where Aragorn kneels in reverence before his mother Gilraen’s memorial in Rivendell, and whose lyrics hark back to the words once spoken by Gilraen herself.
Little boy, little one, night is falling, come into my arms, let me hold you safe.
But still you run through the twilight, lost in your play, slaying demons in the shadows.
Little boy, little one, full of grace, full of joy, oh, my heart will break,
For I see it in your eyes… you are your father’s son, not your mother’s child.
Join us in this exclusive interview as we talk to Hilary about her experience recording the song for The Lord of the Rings.
Continue reading “TORn Christmas Exclusive: Interview With Hilary Summers”
Posted in:
Share:
Today marks the final contest in the ‘contest extravaganza’ brought to us by our friends at The Noble Collection. The final collectible giveaway is a sterling silver version of The One Ring from The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. The ring has been laser inscribed with the elvish writing that only fire can tell. The ring comes in a beautiful wooden box and sports a 20″ chain that will allow you to show it off as a proud fan of Middle-earth. You can grab this ring now from The Noble Collection for a stellar price of only $129, or you can enter the contest and try your luck. This final contest starts today and will run through December 28th at midnight PST.
To enter, simply fill out this FORM.
NB: One entry per person per email for this contest. Alas entry is for US residents only. Good luck!
Posted in:
Share:
It is widely known that the novel called The Hobbit is supposed to be the journal, or autobiography of Bilbo Baggins, and his recollections of his adventures with Gandalf and the Company of Dwarves. In the beginning of both The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, Bilbo is seen writing his story. That book is then passed along to Frodo to include his grand adventure, The Lord of the Rings, and then finally given to Sam to finish. But where does this love of storytelling come from?
Again, in the FOTR in the chapter called “Concerning Hobbits” not only does Bilbo describe every little detail of just what is a Hobbit, but he mentions their love of genealogy, biographies, nature studies and maps. And while it is made clear Hobbits do not like going on Adventures, they are not opposed to listening to stories of adventure. Later on in FOTR, in Rivendell, there is a Hall of Fire, where songs are sung and stories told and thus, it becomes clear that Elves love storytelling as well. And finally, in The Hobbit during the Unexpected Party, the Dwarves sing their own songs tell some tales of their own history. It is clear that while Professor Tolkien is telling us a tale, to make each culture richer and seem more real, he is giving them individualized stories of their own within his greater story.
Continue reading “Telling Tall Tales in the Hobbit: Just how was Golf invented anyhow?”
Posted in:
Share:
The question of Tom Bombadil is one of the longest-running debates in Tolkien’s Middle-earth. Of all the possible answers that have been thrown around, the suggestion that he could be Aule the smith — and Goldberry therefore Yavanna — seems to have unusual tenacity. Steuard Jensen, maintainer of the The Tolkien Newsgroups FAQ, explains in this detailed essay why it is a flawed theory.
This essay is an extension of his original essay What is Tom Bombadil? that specifically addresses the flaws in the Aule theory.
As Jensen himself writes:
In my full essay “What is Tom Bombadil”, I categorize the idea that he is the Vala Aule as a “theory with fatal flaws”. Although I believe my arguments there to be more than sufficient, many readers have considered them too brief and dismissive and claim instead that Gene Hargrove’s detailed and well written essay “Who is Tom Bombadil?” makes a compelling case that I have not refuted.
I have a great deal of respect for Hargrove’s writing; indeed, the desire to improve on his conclusions while doing justice to the quality of his article was one of my own motives in exploring the topic. I intentionally did not frame any portion of my essay explicitly as a refutation of his article because that felt far more negative and adversarial than I wanted to be. But as his flawed theory has continued to be very popular in the ten years since my essay appeared, it seems to be worth confronting the claim that Bombadil is Aule in detail. I will begin by collecting all of my arguments against it in one place (many taken directly from my full essay), and then I will address Hargrove’s arguments in its favor.
Essay: Why Bombadil cannot be Aule
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.
Posted in:
Share:
Ringer Owain alerted us to a great deal at the Warner Bros. Shop site: they’re now offering the Lord of the Rings Trilogy Extended Edition at 40% off the regular price. The deluxe 15-disc set includes 9 special features DVDs with over 26 hours of behind-the-moviemaking material including the rare Costa Botes documentaries. The sale price of $65.85 compared to the original price of $119.98 is a great deal. If you don’t own the extended edition blu-ray set yet, this would be a great time to buy, or throw out a few hints for your holiday wish list!
Posted in:
Share:
Ringer Karen wanted to share the news that lucky Aussies who live in or near Perth can now purchase tickets to screenings of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring with live music and chorus being presented by the Western Australian Symphony Orchestar (WASO) on June 21 and 22, 2013. From the WASO website: “Peter Jackson’s epic vision of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is supported by some of the greatest film music of all time. Howard Shore’s Academy Award®-winning score captures the film’s sweeping emotion, thrilling vistas and grand journeys through the power of a full symphony orchestra and massed voices.”
Visit the WASO website for more information and to purchase tickets. Read more…
Posted in:
Share: