From Ladbrokes.com: Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit may be a year from release but the new trailer has caused such a stir that Ladbrokes are already offering odds on it being the most successful JRR Tolkien adaptation yet.

Odds of 1/2 are being offered on the first of the two Hobbit films to be released surpassing the world box office takings of third Lord of the Rings film, Return of the King.

That film – released in December 2003 – was the highest grossing of the Lord of the Rings trilogy which took progressively more at the box office. [Read More]

The Mythgard Institute will be continuing their look at the life and works of J.R.R. Tolkien – while delving into new territory – by offering the course “The Making of Myth: C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien” this spring.  The 15-week course can be taken for master’s level credit or audited and will focus on examining the work of Tolkien and Lewis hand-in-hand.  The class will engage in a careful comparison of Lewis’ and Tolkien’s fiction, paying close attention to those moments when they are both exploring similar ideas or undertaking comparable literary enterprises.  Not only will the course look at what they shared in common, but will also examine their primary differences.  Books and essays to be discussed include but are not limited to The HobbitThe Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, “Ainulindale,” The Magician’s Nephew, “Leaf by Niggle,” Till We have Faces, “The Lost Road,” The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and “Smith of Wootton Major.” [Spring 2012 Courses]

Continue reading “Spring Enrollment Open at Mythgard Institute for “The Making of Myth” and “Taking Harry Seriously” until January 13th”

The Arkenstone of Thrain was created and treasured by the Dwarven Longbeards clan of the Lonely Mountain.  The Arkenstone was described by Thorin Oakenshield as “a globe with a thousand facets; it shone like silver in the firelight, like water in the sun, like snow under the stars, like rain upon the Moon!”   When Bilbo Baggins discovered the Arkenstone on the top of Smaug’s treasure horde, “it was tinged with a flickering sparkle of many colours at the surface.”  The stone filled his tiny Hobbit hand, yet he was able to secret the Arkenstone away in his deepest pockets.

The Arkenstone replica is made from fine K9 Crystal which has been treated with an Aurora Borealis plating, giving the the orb a magical glow. The stone exhibits a variety of color depending on what type light its under. The Arkenstone replica comes nestled on a black velvet pillow inside a Dwarven crafted wooden treasure chest. The runes stamped on the name plate on top of the chest read Arkenstone, written in the same Dwarvish runes found on Thorin’s Map. The Arkenstone measures approximately 59 mm (2 5/16″) in diameter — big enough to fill a Hobbit hand, but small enough to hide in a deep pocket. The chest measures approximately 4 1/8″ long, 4 1/8″ wide by 4″ tall (104.3 mm x 106 mm x 100 mm). The Arkenstone replica and Dwarven treasure chest weigh approximately 3/4 pounds (12 oz.).

This item is kept in stock for immediate shipment.

Here’s the link to the description and purchase area:
http://www.badalijewelry.com/smaug.htm#arkenstone

And here’s the link to the slideshow of images of the box and stone:
http://www.badalijewelry.com/animated/ARK-01.gif

You may have noticed we’ve added a small widget to the right side of our page titled ‘Instant Updates.’ Enter your email into this widget and anytime we post a news story you will be automatically emailed within minutes! So next time their is ‘The Hobbit’ movie news or a big-time Tolkien event is happening near you, you can be instantly alerted. Pretty neat right? Your email will never be used for anything besides these instant updates from TheOneRing.net. We will never look at the list, let alone give it a third-party. So enter your email on the right side of this page and start getting your instant Tolkien fix today! Of course if you don’t want to get every news post in email, you can sign-up for our official TheOneRing.net newsletter as well! Or heck, do both! You can never get enough Tolkien news! [Official Newsletter]

The New Zealand Herald has written this nice piece on ‘The Hobbit’ actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Mikael Persbrandt:

They might be leading men in their respective countries but it’s not their famous faces which have got them heading to New Zealand to join the cast of The Hobbit.

English actor Benedict Cumberbatch – best known as the latest television incarnation of Sherlock Holmes – will be motion captured as dragon Smaug as well as delivering the voice of Necromancer (later known as Sauron in The Lord of the Rings trilogy). The other, Swedish star Mikael Persbrandt, is already in the South Island playing Beorn, a shapeshifting mountain man who is sometimes a bear. While The Lord of the Rings trilogy was a career launchpad for many actors, both Cumberbatch and Persbrandt come to The Hobbit with established profiles. Read More…

Gandalf the WhiteWelcome to our collection of TORn’s hottest topics for the past week. If you’ve fallen behind on what’s happening on the Message Boards, here’s a great way to catch the highlights. Or if you’re new to TORn and want to enjoy some great conversations, just follow the links to some of our most popular discussions. Watch this space as every week we will spotlight the most popular buzz on TORn’s Message Boards. Everyone is welcome, so come on in and join in the fun!

Continue reading “TORn Message Boards Weekly Roundup – November 29, 2011”