LOTR Box

Happy Tolkien Reading Day! The Tolkien Society, “an educational charity, literary society, and international fan club, devoted to promoting the life and works of J.R.R. Tolkien”, was founded in 1969 with J..R.R. Tolkien himself serving as its president, an honorary role which he still holds to this day, in absentia. Since 2003, the international society host an annual reading day, which falls on March 25 in 2026. I’ve taken the liberty of reading about a beautiful Tolkien inspired puzzle in celebration of the day this year, which I have been saving for just this occasion.

I’m a big fan of the Lord of the Rings (who in their right mind isn’t?), so share a natural affinity with Hungarian puzzle maker Tamas Vanyo, who once created a lovely set of LOTR fortress themed interlocking maze puzzles. I have a few other Ring themed boxes and corresponding cocktails which get celebrated on Tolkien reading day, or on his birthday, or on any of the many great days that exist just to enjoy the LOTRs! So many great days. Now I have another incredible puzzle to add to the hoard … I feel like a dragon!

Tamas has recently been expanding his considerable skills in puzzle making with novel boxes which feature AI inspired designs and evoke fanciful themes. His trick mechanisms have been getting more complicated with each new creation. His LOTR Box features one of the most complex maze sequences yet, requiring over 50 moves at least to complete the journey needed to unlock the box. There is an additional trick which locks certain pieces in place as well, and a hidden secret to be discovered that allows you to begin the quest. Clever clues along the way lead you to the final destination, as you navigate the gorgeous landscape Tamas has created in homage to the map of Middle Earth.

“Since I was a child, I have loved the Lord of the Rings trilogy and its prequel, The Hobbit. I love fantasy and the worlds created by writers. The work of Tolkien stands out, as he created complete maps, locations, languages, and alphabets for his books. I wanted to combine these experiences with my love of making tricky boxes when I created the LOTR box. I was also very inspired by the illustrations and films for the book. I thought that the typical locations, scenes, maps, and alphabets could decorate the box. All that was left was to come up with a tricky box opening mechanism. I made some sketches for the surface elements, which I then drew on the surface with a freehand milling machine. The drawings, inscriptions, and the map were made based on the following plans:

The top of the box is decorated with a map of Middle-earth, and the movable elements feature towers and mountains well known from the book. These movable elements provide the opening mechanism of the box. There is a labyrinth hidden in the lid, which determines the movement options, and after quite a few steps, the elements can be placed in such a position that the locks in them are released, allowing the box to be opened. Other elements also make it difficult to move parts of the map when starting out, but also during the journey. These are also parts of the tricky box.

The box is made entirely by hand. The stylized shapes of the towers (Barad-dur, Minas Tirith, Minas Morgul, Orthanc), the mountain ranges, the decorative circles, the drawings, the inscriptions, are all the results of my own work, meticulous milling, cutting, sanding, gluing. But I feel that this work was worth it, I loved every step of it and it gave me new inspiration for my next plans.”

Tamas is forging on into new puzzle box design ideas, and in particular is developing more involved sequential discovery style designs through his learning with Kelly Snache. “This isn't a real SD puzzle yet. It's more of a trick box that already has SD elements. I'm working on a real SD puzzle, but I'm still in the process of developing it. The puzzles I've published recently aren't either. I'm a student of Kelly Snache, and I found some really good ideas there for using cigar boxes. I've been doing things like this lately. It has an SD element too. You have to guess it because you need it to open the box!” I suspect we will see some really interesting creations from Tamas in the future, mixing AI and SD in his own innovative style. If you want a sneak peek, you’ll need a palantir ….

A toast to Tolkien and the LOTR, boxes and books and all, requires something bespoke. LOTR cocktails are popular – there are plenty of creative barkeeps like me who love books out there. But I don’t tend to like the styles of drinks that surface when searched. The one ring ... er, drink, I once found which I liked, the Bilbo Baggins, has been featured here already. I’ve created other Lord of the Rings cocktails, but it struck me that I hadn’t yet created an actual LOTR cocktail. It was time.

I’ve also said it before, that using letters, such as “LOTR”, to make a cocktail, is never a good idea. Unless it ends up working out as planned. I got this recipe from a hobbit, and hobbits are always full of surprises. I imagined a proper LOTR cocktail would need to have Scotch, and in particular something with a nice peat smoke to it. It would taste like a warm hobbit hole in the Shire, full of dwarves planning a mountain raid, or perhaps, like the smoky fires of Mount Doom at the end of an epic journey. It might have notes of bittersweet nostalgia for a time long past, from a dream almost forgotten. If you look closely, you might barely recognize the elements of a Negroni, but, you might not. If you need me, I’ll be at the Prancing Pony – cheers.

LOTR

1 ½ oz Talisker

¾ oz Ramazotti

¾ oz Lillet

dash orange bitters

dash of water

Stir ingredients together with ice and strain into an adventurous glass.

adventure awaits:

Good Lord

LOTR Box

Sister Act