The folks over at Super Power Beat Down are obviously trying to tick off Tolkien fans. In the recent match-up of ‘Darth Vader vs. Gandalf,’ they’ve managed to make an amazing technical presentation of a battle between these two pop culture icons (well worth the watch!), but failed when it came down to making an educated decision on who could actually win a battle between the two. Ultimately if the competition comes down to a vote of the pop culture masses, we can always count on the slavish drones of Lucasites feverishly voting for anything that has the moniker of ‘Star Wars.’ Yea, I’m all kinds of sour grapes. Enjoy the video for the technical prowess and presentation. And, I may mention, the guy in the Darth Vader outfit is actually good TORn friend David Baxter (aka Treebeard)! He’s really tall, but next time I see him, I’ll try to send a collective slap for the Tolkien community. (P.S. – the views in this story of those of Calisuri, and not TheOneRing.net :P) [Super Power Beat Down] [Direct YouTube Link]
Category: Tolkien
I never considered myself a tattoo guy.
Until now.
It started innocently enough. I wanted to commemorate what I considered no small achievement: reading all 12 volumes of the History of Middle-earth in one year. I made the pledge and started the trek in January of 2011, and managed to turn the last page in mid-December of that year. (I wrote about the experience here and here)
So what could I do to mark this considerable milestone?
I’d had every opportunity in my younger days to become one of the Inked. Lived with several bands, traveled around with all sorts of characters in a circus-like caravan for years before pretending to settle down and got a “real job”.
But never once did I feel the urge to get a tattoo. Big, small, cool or silly, it never crossed my mind as anything I would ever want to do. “How permanent!” “Do I really want everyone to see and judge me?” “Wouldn’t it affect my job or the impression customers and co-workers would get?” All of that crossed my mind, but not in any sort of huge, conflicting way. I just never wanted one.
So why, when searching for an appropriately Big Sign statement to mark the conclusion of my most recent Tolkienian Journey, was that one of the first things that came to mind?
Mayhap, as some have speculated (myself included), it’s a sort of midlife crisis, only instead of a Porsche I got some ink. (By the way – if this truly is the midpoint of my life, 50% gone and 50% still to come, I’ll take it, say thankee-sai.)
Others have said, simply, “I think he’s lost his mind…”
Possibly so.
Today is Mother’s Day in the US – and here at TheOneRing.net we’d like to take a moment to reflect on the importance mothers and motherhood play in our everyday lives. We honor those maternal bonds that are everlasting – bonds that time and distance can never truly break. To this end, we thought it might be a bit geeky to list out the names of the highlighted Mother’s from the Silmarillion, Index of Names. If you have not read the Silmarillion, or are not familiar with Middle-earth history, there will be some spoilers ahead!
Elwing – Daughter of Dior, who escaping from Doriath with the Silmaril wedded Earendil at the Mouths of Sirion and went with him to Vali-nor; mother of Elrond and Elros. The name means ‘Star-spray’ ; see Lanthir Lamath. [Elwing by Moon-blossom]
Emeldir – Called the Man-hearted; wife of Barahir and mother of Beren; led the women and children of the House of Beor from Dorthonion after the Dagor Bragollach. (She was herself also a descendant of Beor the Old, and her father’s name was Beren; this is not stated in the text.)
TheOneRing.net is pleased to announce our very own Hobbit Movie app, available now in the Apple App Store and Google Marketplace! The app, created by our new staffer Fizzit, combines many of the great features you see on TheOneRing.net into one handy application, and accessible anywhere. Among the app highlights: Latest headlines from TORn; Our exclusive Today in Middle-earth Calendar; Complete Hobbit cast bios, Cast news; Barliman’s Chatroom; and more! We even included ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ trailer for quick reference. But the best feature may be the price…FREE! Stay tuned in the coming weeks for an exciting contest related to the app, and hope you enjoy it. [App Store] [Google Marketplace]
We thought readers might be interested in this:
“Tolkien’s literary masterpiece The Hobbit has been given a bit of a makeover and now it’s better than ever. Well…sort of? Anyway, brace yourselves, because The Hobbit is now available as Gaeilge. Yes, really.
The Cork Independent reports that the classic novel by JRR Tolkien has been successfully translated into Irish by Nicholas Williams and edited by Dr Alan Titley, the former Professor of Modern Irish at University College Cork.” You can read the full story right here.
We just wanted to take a brief moment to remind you to share your thoughts about our upcoming ‘The One Expected Party,’ taking place Feb 24th 2013 in Hollywood, CA. In the early 2000s, we were privileged enough to host three memorable events in Los Angeles: 2002’s ‘The One Party;’ 2003’s ‘Two Towers One Party;’ and 2004’s ‘The Return of the One Party.’ The last party, which corresponded with The Return of the King winning 11 Academy Awards, was such a success the LA Times called it ‘The hottest bash in town’ on Oscar Night. [LA Times] After the break, you can see a video of some highlights from that event. [Video] ‘The One Expected Party‘ is a fan-centered celebration of all things Middle-earth, so we are looking for your help and input. If you have any interest in the party, please take a couple of minutes and submit the form below. Thank you for your participation and we will be updating you along the way as prepare for Oscar night 2013.
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