“All that is gold does not glitter,
                  Not all who wander are lost.”

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on January 3rd in 1892 (Happy Birthday!) He was a writer, poet, and philologist from England. He was also a college professor, and the genius author who wrote the classic fantasy books; The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion (and many others.) I have not read The Silmarillion yet, but the others are among my favorites (both in book and film.)

Here are quotes from some of the his most beloved works:
(Click Pictures and Titles for more info.)

“The Hobbit“
“Where there’s life there’s hope.”
“It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.”

 
“The Fellowship of The Ring“
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

“The Two Towers“
“There is some good in this world,
and it’s worth fighting for.”

“The Return of The King”
“What do you fear, lady?” [Aragorn] asked.

“A cage,” [Éowyn] said. “To stay behind bars,
until use and old age accept them, and all chance
of doing great deeds is gone beyond recall or desire.”

“The Silmarillion“
“All have their worth and each
contributes to the worth of the others.”

Book Bean: Hot Mulled Cider
Nothing says Shire or Middle Earth to me like a steamy
cup of spiced apple goodness. 

I am a proud fan of Tolkien, I think he was absolutely brilliant. The worlds, characters, and stories he created were intricately deep and beautiful. Thank you J.R.R. Tolkien, for sharing your fantastic and wondrous imagination.

What is your favorite Tolkien work?

Fun Fact: If you didn’t already love Tolkien enough, know he was a lovely romantic.
At age 16, Tolkien fell in love with Edith Bratt, three years his senior. His guardian, a Catholic priest, was horrified that his ward was seeing a Protestant and ordered the boy to have no contact with Edith until he turned 21. Tolkien obeyed, pining after Edith for years until that fateful birthday, when he met with her under a railroad viaduct. She broke off her engagement to another man, converted to Catholicism, and the two were married for the rest of their lives. At Tolkien’s instructions, their shared gravestone has the names “Beren” and “Luthien” engraved on it, a reference to a famous pair of star-crossed lovers from the fictional world he created. Via mental floss

“May the wind under your wings bear you where the sun sails and the moon walks.” ~The Hobbit