Whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not, it’s always a good practice to take a pause in life and ponder on the things you’re thankful for. Here at Middle-earth News we’re thankful for an awful lot, such as each and every one of you who follow us. And since you all are the reason we do what we do, we’d like to share the things we’re thankful for this year with you.
Myla – When it comes to J.R.R. Tolkien and the world he created there are so many things I am thankful for–it’s hard to choose just one! I suppose what I’m most thankful for is the escape Middle-earth gives me. I can go off on an adventure in the most beautiful world through the music, books, films and artwork. All of my favorite locations and characters like Bag End, Meduseld, Imladris, Bilbo, Aragorn, Gandalf, and Sam (the list goes on and on) are there in my mind whenever I need them. The characters are my friends, and I’m not afraid at how corny that may sound because I know I’m not alone in thinking this! Whenever I need a pick-me-up I can just think about relaxing and drinking tea with Sam, or lounging in a field while Bilbo tells me stories or even going on a journey to Rivendell with Gandalf. While it is painful to realize that I can’t do these things, the happiness outweighs the grief. I’m able to drown out all of my problems with the soundtracks to the films (especially the happy hobbit tracks), my favorite parts from the books (like Eowyn and Faramir’s kiss in ROTK) or just by looking at my Tolkien books. It’s hard to stay down when there’s all of Middle-earth waiting for you.
Alice – I’m thankful to the professor for creating Middle-earth and its stories so accurately. I’ve never been able to perceive, in their complexity, the other fantasy worlds of which I have read about. Although there is still so much to discover about Middle-earth, Tolkien’s dedication, attention to detail and detailed maps, make us readers feel really part of his own world.
When I need comfort or just want to have fun, I take the map of Middle-earth and I start to daydream about Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits and the several amazing places I’d like to visit (Hobbiton, Rivendell, Rohan and so on).
Maria – There are so many things I’m thankful for, it’s difficult to chose where to begin. To me, apart from Middle-earth itself, the Tolkien community is something I’m the most thankful for. I’ve encountered no other community with so many passionate, talented, and kind people. I cannot imagine how life would be without having like-minded people around you to share and exchange your enthusiasm and insider-jokes.
I also enjoy to day-dream about Middle-earth. Whenever I feel sad or stressed, I take The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit, go somewhere far away from urban life and pretend to be in Middle-earth. Most of the time I pretend to be a Hobbit since it is a lifestyle I want to achieve.
Evie – I guess I’m most thankful for J.R.R. Tolkien popping up in my life now and then. When I first met my husband, he took me to the Eagle and Child pub in Oxford and we spent the evening talking about Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. I hadn’t read any Tolkien, so he gave me his books and I read them and fell in love. Years later, with my children grown up and leaving home, I somehow found my way into Middle-earth News with it’s wonderful team of reporters, and my interest in Tolkien has been renewed. I’ve visited places like Sarehole Mill and the two towers in Edgbaston, gazed at The One Ring and the Book of Mazarbul, met Luke Evans and Aidan Turner and seen Ian McKellen a couple of times. I even got to go to the London premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Yes. I’m certainly thankful.
Anastasia – I think that all Tolkien fans are very special people–people who not only have this imminent urge to create and be a part of something beautiful, but also the ones who had it in them in the first place to open up and absorb this spark that Tolkien continues to light up within us. That is probably why it is so easy for us to relate. There is nothing more wonderful then when one inspiration meets another and ignites into a fire of passionate discussion. I would like to think that every time that happens, something wonderful begins again somewhere in the world of Fiction. So I guess what I’m trying to say is… I am grateful for this fire we manage to start so many times, because I was hoping to find at least a single fellow madman with the same spark, and instead, I got into the entire fellowship. A fellowship of good friends, great writers and… just wonderful people really.
Tolkien believed that a good writer should always leave some space in the head of one to set his mind a go into the wonder. And that the road goes ever on. I am beyond happy to have learned that. To know that this cycle of passion keeps rolling and what we do is not in vain.
Oloriel – What Tolkien’s works have done for me… oh, it is difficult to understate it. What am I thankful for, besides, of course, Legolas by Laura?
To say that Tolkien’s works have grounded me is no small claim. When I discovered them in college, it felt like a forgotten door inside me had been unlocked, and out flooded music, and emotion, and most of all, an imagination that had been stifled for a long, long time. Middle-earth awakened in me an awareness of the magic of ordinary things, just I read much later in On Fairy-Stories: “It was in fairy-stories that I first divined the potency of the words, and the wonder of things, such as stone, and wood, and iron; tree and grass; house and fire; bread and wine.” This is what inspires me. This is what I bring with me to everyday life. Thank you, Professor Tolkien, for helping me see the magic in the everyday.
Britta – First and foremost, I am very appreciative of my mother for endlessly encouraging me to read The Hobbit; also my uncle, who loaned me his copy (along with The Lord of the Rings) before I could purchase my own.Without them, I may never have ventured to Middle-earth in the first place. There are not enough words in the world to express my gratitude for all that Professor Tolkien has bestowed upon us. The denizens of Middle-earth and their heroic feats have been nothing less than inspirational; and when I needed comfort, Middle-earth became for me that light in dark places when all other lights had gone out.
Consequently, I am incredibly grateful to have met and befriended so many wonderful and like-minded individuals, both within the greater Tolkien community and right here on the Middle-earth News team. This common passion we all share, combined with the convenience of technology (particularly social networking), has led to many lasting friendships which may not have otherwise been discovered.
Lily – The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion are filled with songs that help create the sense of authenticity in the world. I’m thankful for Tolkien fans who use their musical talents to transport us to Middle-earth by setting Tolkien’s words to song or covering the music from the recent films. One of my favorites is Adele McCalister, who is working (and singing) her way through Tolkien’s vast repertoire, setting his lyrics to her beautiful music. Just have a quick look at YouTube and you’ll find guitarists, harpists, pianists, violinists, vocalists, and some awesome remixes. I’m discovering new favorites all the time! Hopefully, you’ll find something that inspires you, and maybe you’ll try your own hand at some Middle-earth music!
Rachel – Growing up, I never felt that I fit into my group of friends. It wasn’t until I reached middle school did I realize what the problem was: I was, in fact, different from the rest. I spent a long while feeling out of place and ashamed of what I looked like. The definition of beauty in my mind was very narrow indeed. I would spend hours trying to straighten the curls in my hair and wonder why it was I didn’t have the long legs and elegant bodies that the other girls around me had. It wasn’t until I watched The Fellowship of the Ring for the first time when I was fourteen and I saw Sarah McLeod as Rosie Cotton were my eyes opened! Rosie Cotton was beautiful: she had curls in her hair, rosy cheeks, and a smile upon her face as she danced. I realized that while my friends possessed graceful more Elven beauty, I was just as lovely in my own hobbit way. To this day, I am grateful to Professor Tolkien for creating the marvelous race of hobbits. I would not be the person I am today without them. They have helped me learn the importance of laughter, friends, family, and food in ways I never would have learned without them.
On the subject of friends and family, I am grateful that Tolkien’s works opened the doors for me to meet the amazing ladies on the Middle-earth News team. I count them among my dearest friends and I am thankful that Tolkien gave us something to love and cherish together. Since I met them, my life has been changed for the better. I am so incredibly thankful that a passion for Tolkien brought us together.
Arwen – I’m thankful someone took the time to come up with a Lembas recipe, for freakin’ awesome cosplay ideas, for LOTRO gamers and their obsession with Hobbit house decorations, for the artists who’s Tolkien-inspired art inspires me every time I study their work, for “Concerning Hobbits” which plays in my head each time I see green hills, for all the funny things Elijah, Billy, Dom, and Sean said in the LOTR Extended Edition behind the scenes moments, and also for bacon.
On a more serious note, I’m incredibly thankful for the Middle-earth News staff. It’s their hard work that makes Middle-earth News what it is, and I couldn’t have asked for a better group of friends. Ladies, thank you! Fellow fans, I’m thankful for your crazy awesome fandom moments, your hysterically funny memes, and the camaraderie between us all. Last but not least, I’m thankful for the Professor, who without, there would be no Middle-earth to unite us all. Mr. Tolkien, sir, you rock Middle-earth.
We would love to hear from you all! Tell us what you’re thankful for this year in our comment section below.
4 Comments