Ring Day!

Today is Ring Day! Hurrah! All hail the destruction of the ring! The One True Ring!

What do you mean you don’t know what I’m taking about? You know – the Ring! And today we celebrate its destruction!! Yippee!

OK, OK, for those of you still sat there in the dark I shall explain further.

Today, March 25th 2010 is the anniversary of the destruction of The Ring - that is the fictional ring as read about in the books by Tolkien and thrown into the deep lava pits of Mount Doom by one Frodo Baggins and his mate Sam. Today, we should celebrate, apparently because Tolkien believed Middle-earth to be our ancient past. Without the destruction of the Ring, we might very well all be in darkness.

Thank goodness for little hobbits and their quests.

It’s OK I haven’t gone completely geek-nuts there is a reason for me to tell you this and that would be……cake! Every year (as sadly enough I have been here for over a year now and so experiencing Ring Day for the 2nd time around) Andre brings out the cakes on Ring Day. She spends hours the night before baking them and making up little marzipan rings to go on top and then prepares them on plates with napkins and wheels them around the office on a trolley handing them out. There are several things that I love about Ring Day:

1) Cake. Anything involving cake is always a winner with me and Andre knows how to make a good cake.
2) The trolley. It’s like something out of a Victoria Wood sketch and the wheels even squeak as she pushes it so you can hear her coming.
3) The get up. I was wondering why Andre was dressed as an Elf this morning. She’s in her medieval archery style top (that she designed herself) with a big old cape avec pointy hood and a clasp (I may have mentioned before) bearing a leaf. I do wish I could get a snap shot but I would clearly be taking the piss and the woman has fed me cake today.
4) The explanations. As Andre hands out cakes people are of course asking what the occasion is and she joyfully replies “It’s Ring Day!” like they should of course know what the flipperty gibbet she is going on about. After recognising the look of complete bafflement she goes on to explain further “It’s the day the one true ring was destroyed at Mount Doom”……still baffled, what ring? “You know THE ring, the one ring to rule them all!” And so this goes on.

The cakes themselves are very good. Last year we had massive cakes with marzipan rings on them, this year she did slightly smaller cakes but you had a choice of chocolate or marzipan. I went for chocolate. Yes, as one of my friends pointed out to me I went for one of Andre’s chocolate rings…… Anyway! Apparently the year before last she actually spent hour inscripting all the marzipan rings with the wording on the one in the book/film but decided that was going a bit too far (y’ think?) and held back a bit. Still tasty as fuck though. She is going to a meal this weekend and taking some with her and on each of those she put 7 tiny stars with tweezers. The woman is a perfectionist when it comes to Tolkien what can I say?

In my research for this particular subject and out of pure fascination I have come across a couple of interesting websites to say the least. One has given me my Elvin name of Iltitithnel Kevalynntinu, although when I put it through again it came out with Falyaima Maltanthor and Ithminawen Galonlinde so I’m not convinced of its accuracy. Personally I like the sound of Falyaima. Another gave me a song about Ring Day which can also be downloaded as a ring tone (I’m tempted…), you want to hear it? You know you do!

Into the fires of Orodruin
The One must be cast;
This the price, that must be paid,
Only thus its power will be undone,
Only thus, a great evil, unmade.

There is no other choice
There is no other way.
One of you must take it,
One of you must pay.

The rest is in Elfish so I shant bore you with that. Finally, and this is one of my faves, I have found the Tolkien Wiki page. A whole Wikipedia of everything devoted to Tolkien. There is of course a fairly large entry for The Ring (snigger) which has been broken down into History, a list of Ring Bearers, Powers, Continuity Errors and Trivia amongst other sub titles. If you don’t believe me then see http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/One_Ring it’s a scintillating read.

I’m sure Andre is very aware of this website and a keen follower, heck she probably set it up.

So remember to celebrate, even if it's only a few moments reflection on why The Lord of the Rings has impacted you, but remember Frodo and the Quest of the Fellowship and remember when Middle-earth was freed.

Or just have a cake.