For the next few weeks, Lily has entrusted the care of her Eagles to staff reporter Amanda, who promises to take excellent care of them and continue to aid them on their quest to bring you all the best things currently happening in Middle-earth!
An adorable Hobbit terrarium by Kiwi blogger, Elmtree
The Hobbit served as an inspiration for this adorable little terrarium! Kiwi blogger, Elmtree, has created a tutorial so that everyone can enjoy a portable version of Middle-earth. Elmtree stated, “I am rather enamoured with tiny worlds, especially enclosed in a jar.” We have to say that we are in agreement, particularly when it comes to ones reflecting Middle-earth. (spotted by Middle-earth News fan Jack Machiela, who sent us this link in proud support of his sister!)
Huffington Post blogger and Lord of the Rings fan, Maria Senise, wrote this thought-provoking article asking the question, is The Lord of the Rings a metaphor for depression? She begins by stating, “While watching The Lord of the Rings movies for the millionth time, I discovered something: Frodo’s struggle with carrying the ring of power is a metaphor for life dealing with depression. The ring is heavy, burdensome, & drives people to act in ways they normally wouldn’t. The ring acts as depression does.” (shared by the article’s author/Middle-earth News fan @MariaCMeow on Twitter)
Check out this amazing animation video that Middle-earth News fan, Kai Akira, made for the 2014 Senior Art Exhibition: Wonderment at Pepperdine University. Her artist statement reveals a little more about her video, “Venturing into animation has been the most frightening and wonderful decision I have made so far as an artist. I chose to employ this medium by using some of my muses: characters from J.R.R. Tolkien’s the Hobbit and its film adaptations, in the prevalent style of Alex Hirsch’s cartoon, Gravity Falls. I loved working on this project as a direct response of being inspired by a fantastic world or character. Tolkien’s work – and by extension Peter Jackson’s films – have given me the basis for reinterpreting characters visually, and perhaps behaviorally as well. I chose these subjects in order to explore expression and visual storytelling, as well as to bring some of my favorite characters to life. This is also an invitation for viewers to discover on their own what Tolkien’s world is all about, or look into the artistic style of Gravity Falls.” (sent to us by Middle-earth News fan @AkiraTeku on Twitter)
Cosplayer extraordinaire, Josh Duart, recently had his Thranduil Cosplay Music Video successfully funded on Kickstarter. You can keep up with the video’s progress by following Josh (the great Thranduil himself) on Twitter, Facebook, and/or Tumblr. We wish Josh and his entire crew the best of luck with filming and cannot wait to see the end result! (spotted by Middle-earth News reporter Amanda)
