Today is Tolkien Reading Day! To give you some backstory let’s talk about what this day means.
The Tolkien Society has been organizing Tolkien Reading Day every year on March 25th, since 2003. Why March 25th you might ask, well, on this day in Middle-earth, the One Ring was destroyed, marking the end of Sauron and his reign of terror. In an effort to celebrate this moment and to honor Tolkien’s works, 3/25 became the perfect day for the Tolkien Society to begin this celebration.
Each year has a theme that relates to Tolkiens works, and this year’s theme is Nature and Industry.
What do we do with this theme? Well, the goal of Tolkien Reading Day is to celebrate J.R.R. Tolkien by reading a chapter or passage from one of his works. If you feel so inclined to read an entire story well then, everyone at Of Blades and Kings applauds you.
If you’re not sure what to read regarding Nature and Industry here’s some ideas from the Tolkien Society.
- The Lord of the Rings, such as the chapters “The Old Forest”, “Lothlórien”, “Treebeard”, “Helm’s Deep”, and “The Scouring of the Shire”.
- Tales from the Perilous Realm, particularly Leaf by Niggle.
- The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, such as letters 75, 78, 131, 155, 181.
- Beren and Lúthien.
We are going to continue reading The Hobbit as we’re on Chapter 8: Flies and Spiders. Conveniently for us, Bilbo and Thorin’s Company begin their trek through Mirkwood. It’s a chapter that includes plenty of nature, and perhaps, an example of how industry affects nature. Mirkwood used to be called Greenwood the Great, but since Sauron invaded Dol Guldor his ways of industry created a sickness in Greenwood, and thus it’s name was changed to Mirkwood.
Even though we’re reading The Hobbit, if you haven’t had the chance to read Leaf by Niggle we would highly encourage you to read it. It’s not a The Lord of the Rings story but it’s a great fantasy tale by Tolkien.
For more information regarding Tolkien Reading Day please visit, https://www.tolkiensociety.org/society/events/reading-day/
Thank you for your time and remember, the crownless again shall be king.
– The Wandering One
Of Blades and Kings 