Thirty-nine years ago today, our beloved professor, J.R.R. Tolkien, passed away at the age of 81. Among his many legacies are the books, “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings,” that have brought so much joy to so many people, including us.  This morning, the variety news show “Sunday Morning” which airs weekly on CBS in the U.S., did a small segment in tribute to Tolkien. Message board member Magpie caught it and alerted us to it, and we wanted to share it with you:


Rest in peace, dear professor. Read more…

Imogen Reed from The Tolkien Library has compiled a list of Fifteen Places Tolkien Fans should Visit before they Die. As Reed explains, these places, where he grew up, lived and worked, were important sources of inspiration for Tolkien’s works.

The list includes the The Eagle and Child, the pub where he regularly met with C.S Lewis and other writers as well as Sarehole Mill on the outskirts of Birmingham. Tolkien spent much of his childhood at Sarehole, and which many believe its rolling fields, pastures and woods and with the Mill itself was Tolkien’s inspiration for Bag End, and the woods and fields the Shire.

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Now that we have three films to think about, one of the questions a lot of people are wondering is: “How will this affect the screenplay for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey?”. Just where will the first film end? In this Greenbooks guest post, Thomas Monteath outlines his thoughts on just how the first Hobbit film could work. These views are his own, and do not necessarily represent those of TheOneRing.net or its staff.

WARNING: Spoilers and speculation! Continue reading “Greenbooks guest post: unexpected journey; predictable break”

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.

Publishers Houghton Mifflin Harcourt are running a competition where they’re giving away a nice little Hobbit and Lord of the Ring swag. It’s only open to US citizens and residents (which excludes me, too!) but the prizes are pretty nice. Competition closes very soon, so best enter now!

The winner receives:

  • A Hobbit tote bag
  • A ‘Second Breakfast is the Best Breakfast’ mug
  • A ‘Gandalf For President’ pin
  • A The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings boxed set

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Patrick Acton's Matchstick Minas Tirith
Patrick Acton’s Matchstick Minas Tirith

TheOneRing.net is continuing on our journey, quest, thing and we’re on the hunt for super fans. Think you have what it takes to be called an “Ultimate Fan?” Maybe you know someone who can be give that title? If so, we want to hear from you.

Do you have an awesome Tolkien tattoo. Maybe you’ve turned your home into Middle Earth! Maybe you named your children after Tolkien characters?  Artist, costumer, musician, baker, you name it — if you, or an acquaintance, have a large body of work or an ultimate super project, we want to know about it.

To tell us what makes you, or someone you know, the biggest and best of Lord of the Rings fans, use one of the links below to send us as much information as possible. We’ll need to see what your submission is all about, so please submit a URL to an image or site. Or you can upload a small photo version. (Don’t worry, right now we don’t need super-big images and we will follow up if we need more information.)

We can’t wait to see what our fellow fans are up to as we continue our quest! [Submit Yourself] [Submit a Friend]

Turin by Liga-Marta

TheOneRing.net has a bit of a secret – and well, we need to keep it safe, but we are looking for your help. No, no, no… we are not asking you for a donation, just your voluntary help seeking out information on some interesting Tolkien related topics. Today’s topic is Fan Art. We are looking to compile the World’s Best Tolkien Fan Art pieces of all time. Here’s how we define fan art: Artwork that is based on a character, costume, item, or story that was created by someone other than the original artist/creator. It can be physical or digital. If you have you see some amazing examples of Tolkien fan art in your lifetime, we want to know about it. Use the form at the bottom of this post to send us a much information about the artwork as possible. At this point, we do need to ‘see’ the artwork, so hopefully it is represented by an photo or image online somewhere. There is also an option to upload a small  version of it. Thanks for your help in advance and we look forward to seeing the best Tolkien fan art of all time! [Submission Form] (On the right is ‘Turin’ by Liga-Marta)

Continue reading “We’re looking for the world’s best Tolkien Fan Art!”