contest winners

Muse, Apr 2004

I have many favorite characters from LOTR, but two of my favorite-favorites are the Lady Eowyn of Rohan and Captain Faramir of Condor. (Which is odd, since they turn out to be a couple.) Here follow my reasonings, from the characters'points of view.

Eowyn: Not only do I become appointed the leader of the people of Rohan in the King's absence, leave said people secretly along with another misfit soldier to go to battle, and slay the Lord of the Nazgul in said battle, but I also have the largest female role in LOTR. I'm fierce and fiesty and I can slice off your head if I want to-so watch your mouth. A tip: don't do anything to my uncle unless you want an angry shieldmaiden hacking your Fell Beast's neck in two and then obliterating your undead soul. Oh, and I'm cage-o-phobic, so please keep me away from zoos at all costs.

Faramir: I'm Faramir, son of Denethor, brother of Boromir, and generally unappreciated. Just because Peter Jackson decided to turn my movie character into a raging slimeball, now the entire non-book-reading fanbase thinks I'm evil! What's with that? To quote myself: "I would not take this thing if it lay by the highway" (LOTR:TTT, p. 656). I'm the more sensitive, wiser version of Boromir, but my father tends to think I am a weakling, which does wonders for my self-esteem, I'll have you know. I love my dad-great guy-but you know, he always told me not to play with matches.

Julia R., age 13

Pennsylvania

LOTR FAN ART

In our November/December issue we asked you to draw a flattering picture of your favorite LOTR character and send it to us, along with a letter declaring why he, she, or it was Tolkien's best creation, bar none. Boy, were you up to the challenge.We got piles and piles of detailed drawings and eloquent pleas, but here are a few we especially liked. (There are more on our Web site, www.cricketmag.com). Notice a hint of anime around the eyes? Some well-argued letters protesting our anime ban caused us to repeal that rule.

Legolas the Elf: bilingual, 40/20 vision, ears like a dog, and excellent hearing to top it all off. This one actually looks a bit like Haldir, but that's O.K.; I don't mind. Now I'm not so sure what a "plea on his behalf"is supposed to mean, but I'll try anyway.

Why did I pick Legolas? Let us examine certain qualities he possesses. First and foremost, the average rate of fire for an Agincourt longbowman, the ones that trounced the French once again at Agincourt, is about 15 rounds per minute. That's about one arrow every four seconds. What I admire about Legolas is his ability to multiply that rate of fire fourfold. That's one round per second, which makes 60 rounds per minute. This is truly an impressive barrage.

I suppose the second admirable trait is more of a general one among Elves than a personal skill. When Saruman rains the mountaintop down upon them, Legolas is able to walk on the flakes through which all the others must tunnel. It is as though he weighs nothing at all.

Finally, Legolas has the ability to maintain a constant rate of speed for longer periods of time than is normal for humans. That, coupled with his skills in tracking that rival Aragorn's, is what allows them and Gimli to find that Merry and Pippin are not dead.

That said, I hope it is seen why Legolas is such a noteworthy character in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and why I have chosen to render him on paper for this contest.

Joseph L., age 15

Rhode Island

Boromir?!

Ah, I can already see your reaction! *those reading topple over from shock* Why on Earth would anyone in their right mind choose Boromir as their favorite Lord of the Rings character? Honestly? I don't know.

But in all seriousness, Boromir is quite an interesting character. He has a lot more depth than most of the other characters. He also is the first character to truly experience the pull of the ring. Through him, the fans get their first glance at the true power of the one ring. Even though his father is a bit obsessive, Boromir was a great leader who cared deeply for his people's well-being and would have made a great steward if he had not died so prematurely. Many people assume him to be "evil," yet they forget that he redeemed himself so nobly by protecting those little Hobbits. *giggles* Sorry, I'm getting sappy! On a lighter note, the actor who portrays Boromir, Sean Bean, isn't so hard on the eyes. He definitely did my favorite character justice!

Dara J., age 17

Michigan

It had become a Christmas Day tradition for my family to see Lord of the Rings at the theater on Christmas morning. Last Christmas was no exception. Joyfully, I bubbled over to the grandstand stadium seating. I wiggled my rocking (not to mention cushioned for a king) chair and rotted my mind on the eye candy that was the commercials. Ah! but what was that filtering onto the fabric screen? It was Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers! I ooh-ed at Legolas' swoony hair, I aah-ed at the glorious special effects, I ha-ha-ed at Gimli's short jokes. All was well in my little world. But wait! It had become time for Shadowfax, the King of All the Horses, to arrive. A shimmering white light moved across the plains, I inched forward in my (still horribly comfortable) chair, and there was he, Shadowfax. Disappointment filled me. They had cast him as a lowly gray Arabian! He was too small, too delicate, too cute to be a Master of all that was Equine. And I languished; until I saw your contest, Muse magazine! For now I have been given the chance to create Shadowfax in the glory that is rightly his. Weep in his beauty and be consoled by his warm flank!