Here’s a thought-provoking article from Slate.com. We couldn’t help but notice the correction at the bottom of the story: “The caption for this story originally stated that Arwen and Aragorn are half-elf and half-human. Their lineage is apparently much more complicated than that.” Knowing fellow Tolkien fans, we imagine they received a comment or two (or twenty) to set them straight!
Are hobbits human and just really short? Or are they some entirely other species, like a gold-hoarding dragon? In high-school biology class they teach you to define species in terms of interbreeding. A horse is something that can make nonsterile babies with other horses; it may mate with a donkey, but since their offspring are sterile mules, horses and donkeys count as separate species. By that standard, the most relevant J.R.R. Tolkien passage comes from Appendix A of the Return of the King:
There were three unions of the Eldar and the Edain: Lúthien and Beren; Idril and Tuor; Arwen and Aragorn. By the last the long-sundered branches of the Half-elven were reunited and their line was restored.
It helps to recall here that Eldar is another word for elf and Edain is another word for human. Tolkien is saying here that there were two human-elf pairings in the backstory to the Lord of the Rings. One between Lúthien and Beren and another between Idril and Tuor. Both Arwen and Aragorn are descendants of one of these pairings. So when they get together in the course of the series, they reunite the half-elven lines. [Read More]
In expanding on Professor Tolkien’s text in his film adaptation, director Peter Jackson allows us to follow Gandalf the Grey into areas that remain secret to us within the text of The Hobbit. As we look forward seeing these events unfold before our eyes next month, this essay by Tedoras examines Gandalf’s journey into the dark fortress of Dol Guldur, what he found there, and the impact that this event had on the fate of Middle-earth. Continue reading “On the Finding of Thror’s Map and the Key to the Lonely Mountain”
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.
What’s a Tolkien fan to do when the extended cut of There and Back Again has come and gone after the holiday season of 2014? With the rights for his other books held by the Tolkien Estate,
it’s unlikely we’ll be seeing further adaptations anytime soon. But over the past couple of days, we’ve been hearing rumblings of a new project in the works that will take a look at the Professor’s life – focusing on his time in college and in the Great War, as well as how his works were influenced by those experiences. Continue reading “J.R.R. Tolkien biopic in the works!”
Sideshow Collectibles has created one of the best Middle-earth collectibles you will ever find. As you’ll discover in our full review, this piece is simply amazing.
“Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them,
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
— J.R.R Tolkien
Comic-Con 2012 brought us without a doubt one of Sideshow Collectibles best pieces ever. After months of teasing and getting fans ready for something big, we finally got the chance to see Sideshow’s Sauron Premium Format. For this amazing piece, Sideshow teamed up with artist Jerry Vanderstelt to bring to life his awesome print of Sauron looking over Mordor. This piece blew me away as I stood there looking at it among all the other pieces as Sideshow’s booth. Sauron is huge, detailed, and it felt like I was looking at the real thing. It was the perfect balance of both the beautiful image Jerry Vanderstelt painted and Sideshow’s ability bring a 2D image to life. Continue reading “Collecting The Precious – Sideshow Collectibles Sauron Premium Format Review”
We’re happy to say that our Founder’s Day 2011 celebration has been a resounding success (see Founder’s Day story below)! Of the many wonderful contributions of the day, one stood out as especially representative of the camaraderie that many of us share as fans of J.R.R. Tolkien, Peter Jackson’s movies, and fantasy in general. Discussion board member One Ringer put together a wonderful retrospective of fan gatherings to mark the special day. In One Ringer’s own words:
“After twelves years of constant coverage of everything Tolkien, TheOneRing.net stands as the top site for a social gathering for fans of the late Professor and his work. In honor of Founders Day comes the One Slideshow to (hopefully) show many of the great memories that the members of TORn have had in the past years. Click on the link below and watch at your desired video quality. I hope you enjoy.” — One Ringer
We definitely *will* enjoy, One Ringer! Click on the link below to see this wonderful video.
Sideshow Collectibles has created one of the best Middle-earth collectibles you will ever find. As you’ll discover 