Lord of the Ring

Who is Tom Bombadil?

Within the Tolkien household Tom Bombadil was originally a Dutch doll belonging to one of Tolkien’s children (Carpenter, Tolkien, p. 162; Grotta-Rurska, Tolkien, p. 101). Tolkien later wrote a poem about him called “The Adventures of Tom Bombadil,” published in Oxford Magazine in 1934, long before the writing of the Lord of the Rings began. [...]

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Reflections of “Real” Languages in Tolkien’s Tongues

Many character and place names in The Lord of the Rings are related to words from old and modern languages. In his book Hobbits, Elves, and Wizards, Michael N. Stanton provides examples of the historical links for some of Tolkien’s characters and settings. A few examples follow: Saruman’s name derives from the Anglo-Saxon, or Old [...]

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Paying to Play

What convinces you to pay for an online game? Not long ago I found myself thoroughly addicted to Lord of the Rings Online. It’s a good-looking game with a nice array of character classes, and it offers lengthy, satisfying quests. But the kicker for me was getting to take part in the story. Having read [...]

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History Channel Episode on LOTR; J.R.R. Tolkien

As part of its “Clash of the Gods” series, the History Channel is airing an episode on what it calls “The greatest myth of modern times:” J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Similar to the other episodes in the series, this episode features an impressive array of experts on Tolkien and mythology, including Michael Drout [...]

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