TORn has discovered a Tolkien-inspired children’s picture book called “Nimpentoad“ by Henry Herz and his young sons Josh and Harrison. Five years ago, Henry began drafting a story which he shared with his sons, and they would give their dad ideas on how to improve it. The boys began creating and naming the characters, including the main creature and title’s namesake… Nimpentoad. Being avid fans of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films and J.R.R. Tolkien’s books, their imagination was fueled by those works as their fantasy world took shape. Working together, they created a mysterious forest called Grunwald filled with mean Goblins, hungry Neebels, thundering Rhinotaurs, huge Orcs, a frustrated Giant, and the smallest of the inhabitants… Niblings. The most resourceful and brave of the Niblings is Nimpentoad.
Category: Miscellaneous
So, how is 2012 treating you so far? We’re just a few days into the year, but I bet more than a few of you are realizing while it may be ‘Hobbit year,’ we’re still a loooooooonnng way off from December. Sob.
Well, to help you mark the time between now and then, we asked TORn staffer magpie to design some desktop calendars for the TORn community. She rose to the challenge and created two wallpapers — one Bilbo, one Thorin — which we hope you all will love as much as we do. Please click through and choose the image best sized for your monitor. And enjoy!
Welcome to our collection of TORn’s hottest topics for the past YEAR. We’ve collected some of 2011’s most popular posts on 10 of our Discussion Boards. You’ll be surprised at what captured the attention and imagination of our posters. Come have a look back at what has kept us busy as we patiently [?] wait for news of the filming of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. We actually did manage to talk about many fascinating things. Just follow the links to some of our most popular discussions for 2011. Watch this space as every weekend 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 – Special New Years Edition!!”
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 Hobbit, The 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]
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
