A student inquired: "A famous saying goes: 'Hic Rhodos, hic salta'. Did Tolkien ever jump on Rhodos?"

Not strictly on Rhodos. But the truth is, Tolkien once jumped completely over Rhodos. He started on Karpathos and landed on the Turkish coast (in a specially prepared basin filled with strawberry jam, to avoid injuries to his writing hand). It was a bet with the king of Greece. Tolkien used small metal springs under his shoes, but otherwise no mechanical help. Tolkien had very strong legs.