…the most loathly shape that he had ever beheld…Most like a spider she was, but huger than the great hunting beasts…Great horns she had, and behind her short stalk-like neck was her huge swollen body, a vast bloated bag, swaying and sagging between her legs; its great bulk was black, blotched with livid marks, but the belly underneath was pale and luminous and gave forth a stench. Her legs were bent, with great knobbed joints high above her back, and hairs that stuck out like steel spines, and at each leg’s end there was a claw…
Shelob.
For every Tolkien fan, the name leaps from the pages (and screen) of Middle-earth to invade a commonly held fear in our everyday life – the fear of an impossibly large, eight-legged, creepy-crawly finding us in the dark. *shiver* According to Wikipedia, it is estimated that 55% of women and 18% of men are Arachnophobic. You can count me among those with a mild fear of spiders, which basically means I have to ‘act’ the role of father/husband when it comes disposing of them. I can’t very well unleash a high-pitched scream and run away now can I…
So when I first saw the ‘Shelob Attacks’ LEGO® Set at the 2012 Toy Fare, I have to admit…I was a bit creeped out. Yes, its LEGO® blocks, but the piece is still surprisingly life-like. In fact, one of the reporters getting the sneak peek at this set could not go within 5 feet of the display. Yes, he was that Arachnophobic!
Before we get to the meat of this review, I will warn you ahead of time, that I am in no way a LEGO® Set expert. To be honest, I haven’t touched the popular construction toys for possibly 10 years, so I’m a bit behind the times when it comes to the licensed themed sets. However, I can tell you, within 1 minute of opening the box, the wonderful memories of LEGO® set building came swooping back.
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.)
In preparation for a product review, I found myself last night eagerly unboxing one of two upcoming The Lord of the Rings LEGO® Sets. I was pleasantly surprised to find this mini-teaser in the back of the instruction pack for the ‘Shelob Attacks’ Set and thought I should share it quickly…so I posted it on our official TheOneRing.net Facebook. Well, it has gotten quite a stir over there, so I figured I should share it with you this morning. The ad confirms the long assumed notion that we would see a The Lord of the Rings LEGO® Video Game from long-time LEGO game producers Traveler’s Tales. So let this been 100% confirmation of the games existence, and I’d be willing to bet we’ll see a The Hobbit game in the future as well. As for my quickie review of the ‘Shelob Attacks’ LEGO Set: Building a gigantic realistic LEGO spider, complete with shooting string and eight extremely posable legs, was one of the most fun activities I’ve had in years! (Full review with pics will be coming soon!)
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]
Welcome 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 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 – May 6, 2012”
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. Continue reading “Don’t forget to share your thoughts about ‘The One Expected Party’ 2013”
For every Tolkien fan, the name leaps from the pages (and screen) of Middle-earth to invade a commonly held fear in our everyday life – the fear of an impossibly large, eight-legged, creepy-crawly finding us in the dark. *shiver* According to Wikipedia, it is estimated that 55% of women and 18% of men are Arachnophobic. You can count me among those with a mild fear of spiders, which basically means I have to ‘act’ the role of father/husband when it comes disposing of them. I can’t very well unleash a high-pitched scream and run away now can I…
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. [
