đ 2026 Middle-earth March Madness Round 3 â The Fellowship of the 8
The field has narrowed again. Who continues on?
Characters from all across Middle-earth have faced off in the first two rounds of Middle-earth March Madness. And what was once a group of 32 contestants has narrowed to the Company of 16 and then again to the Fellowship of the 8!
Each character who still stands can almost taste victory! This is the championship round of each region and the winners of these matchups will proceed to the Four of Power and then, just maybe, to the championship matchup.
Before the recap and matchups, hereâs a reminder of our schedule for this tournament:
The Round of 32 began on 3/17
The Company of 16 was 3/20
On Tolkien Reading Day, Tuesday 3/25, I announced another giveaway!
The Fellowship of the of 8 is today, 3/26
The Four of Power will take place on Thursday, 4/2
The Championship matchup will occur on Monday, 4/6
The WINNER will be officially announced Thursday, 4/9
Before we go on, special shout-out and thank you to Paul F, Michael B, Cathy, Mary Lynn R, and Alison M who upgraded to a paid subscription to the Jokien with Tolkien: Extended Edition this week! (Also thank you to Erica B, Ronald J, and Dexter H for becoming patrons on Patreon!) This newsletter is possible because of supporters like you: thank you!
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âMiddle-earth March Madnessâ â Round 3: The Fellowship of the 8
Here is our updated bracket for the third round:
A quick survey of the duos that have advanced shows that eight of our sixteen remaining contestants (nine if you count Aragorn twice) are members of the Fellowship of the Ring!
Who is the one member who has fallen before the rest?
Boromir.
Life, as they say, imitates art. Be at peace, Son of Gondor.
But Iâm getting ahead of myself! Letâs talk about what happened this past round region by region and the matchups we have as a result this week!
Partners
No upsets still in the âPartnersâ region! Frodo and Sam continue their strong performance and send Bilbo and Thorin home with a final score of 93% to 7%. Bilboâs not all that upset about it, though, as heâs also partnered with Gandalf in our tournament and advances past Gollum and SmĂ©agol with a solid 71% to 29%.
Now the number 1 and 2 seeds are matched up as Frodo and Sam face Bilbo and Gandalf.
Unlikely Friendships
Our âUnlikely Friendshipsâ bracket had the closest outcome this round with our first upset as eighth-seeded Elrond and Durin continue their Cinderella run by defeating Beren and Finrod, 58% to 42%! (Beren is feeling fine about it, as he gets a second life later in our bracket. No such luck for Finrod, though.) In one of the more heartbreaking results, Bill the Pony can continue no further on this journey: Legolas and Gimli prevailed over Sam and Bill 78% to 22%.
Now itâs down to just two Unlikely Friendships between an Elf and a Dwarf: will the Second Age pair or the Third Age duo prevail?
Brothers (or Brothers-in-arms)
Both bouts in the Brothers Bracket (say that three times fast) were upsets, with Merry and Pippin bringing down Boromir and Faramir 69% to 31% and Aragorn and Ăomer triumphing over Elrond and Elros 80% to 20%. Now the kings of Gondor and Rohan take on the Hobbit duo!
Destined Duos
Two of Tolkienâs great love stories come head to head in our final bracket, as the first and the third unions of the Eldar and the Edain advance to this round.
Beren and LĂșthien defeated Tom and Goldberry 58% to 42%, and Aragorn and Arwen dominated against Galadriel and Celeborn 85% to 15%. Which love story will conquer all?
This week the Fellowship of the 8 will break and only four pairs will move on to the next round. Who will it be? See you next Thursday with the results and the final two matchups!
Also: my Tolkien Reading Day giveaway is open through March 31st, as is my sale on paid subscriptions! Enter to win the giveaway and donât miss your chance to snag an Extended Edition membership for 25% off FOREVER! More details here:
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The next two weeks are going to be impossible.
Glad the majority of people vote the right way