The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit (1937), but eventually developed into a much larger work. Although known to most readers as a trilogy, the work was initially intended by Tolkien to be one volume of a two-volume set, with the other ...
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192 views
Did Richard A. Knaak get the idea for Warcraft from J. R. R. Tolkien?
I read on the Persian Wikipedia page for Warcraft that Richard Knaak got the idea for the Warcraft series from the Lord of the Rings books and had to get permission from Tolkien's son to use the idea.
...
8
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2answers
183 views
Did the Cave Trolls turn to stone when the shadows lifted from Mordor?
Did Saurons Cave Trolls that roamed about under the shadows in and around Mordor turn to stone when shadows were lifted? Are all Trolls affected like Bert, Tom, and William in The Hobbit?
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2answers
712 views
Why Didn't Treebeard Know What a Hobbit Was?
Perhaps this is only in the movie The Two Towers, but when Treebeard picks up Merry and Pippin and begins transporting them around, at first Treebeard is suspcious of the Hobbits and calls them ...
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2answers
181 views
Is the fictional etymology of Uruk-Hai a reference to the Uriankhai?
By the early 17th century the term Uriankhai was a general Mongolian term for all the dispersed bands to the north-west, whether Samoyed, Turkic, or Mongolian in origin.
I was wondering if there ...
9
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2answers
223 views
Why is it that in The Lord of The Rings movies the Uruk'Hai don't bleed when you cut off their limbs?
I have been having a Lord of the Rings 'marathon' and I noticed that when the Uruk'Hai have their limbs cut off they do not bleed. Was this just like a production error or is there an actual reason?
6
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4answers
167 views
Are the Nazgûl Blind?
They were once Men. Great kings of Men. Then Sauron the Deceiver gave to them Nine Rings of Power. Blinded by their greed, they took them without question. One by one, falling into darkness. They ...
9
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1answer
116 views
Is there any canonical reference to the fate of the Blue Wizards, Alatar and Pallando?
All I've ever been able to find is that they arrived in Middle Earth and left to go do something outside of the scope of the story. Has anyone ever found any additional information?
11
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2answers
477 views
Why Did Gimli Want Galadriel's Hair?
In Peter Jackson's Fellowship of the Ring, as the fellowship is leaving Lothlorien, Galadriel gives gifts to every member -- the Elven cloaks; the Elven bow; the knives; the Elven rope; etc -- except ...
7
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1answer
190 views
Why Did Grima Wormtongue Cry at Orthanc?
In Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, after Théoden exiles him, Grima Wormtongue takes refuge with Saruman. Saruman is shown creating a large explosive device, and then Saruman and ...
7
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3answers
266 views
Why Did Boromir Succumb to the One Ring?
Why was Boromir corrupted by the One Ring when the other members of the Fellowship of the Ring were not?
What was it about Boromir that he was so susceptible to the evil powers of the One Ring and ...
5
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1answer
156 views
How Big Is the Eye of Sauron?
I've read up to chapter ten, Strider, in The Fellowship of the Ring, on a quest to re-read LOTR. I haven't read the trilogy and The Hobbit since I was a kid, so I haven't gotten to any parts featuring ...
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2answers
167 views
Why do some Uruk-hai speak while others just growl and roar?
In Peter Jackson's movies there seem to be different kinds of Orcs and I get that. It's the Uruk-hai I'm a little unclear on. In Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, the Uruk-hai who are taking ...
8
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1answer
456 views
Why didn't the elves take the Ring after the Council of Elrond?
The elves of Lorien certainly had military strength to fight at Mordor and also would not have been corrupted by the Ring as men would. Wouldn't the destruction of the Ring have gone more smoothly if ...
5
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4answers
155 views
Is there any evidence pointing to the planned future development of Arda?
Is there any evidence in Tolkien's writing, notes or letters pointing to the planned future development of Arda?
More specifically, did he envision the Age of Man to usher in the industrial progress ...
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1answer
151 views
What exactly was Radagast's role among Maiar?
Radagast seemed to be an "animal whisperer", so what exactly was his point among the Maiar who were sent to guide the sentient races of Middle Earth to fight Sauron?
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1answer
142 views
Why didn't the eagles help out during the siege of Minas Tirith? (in the movies)
The eagles show up to attack the Nazgûl in the final battle and looked like they were pretty effective. Had they helped during the siege they could have neutralized the Nazgûl flying in and destroying ...
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3answers
285 views
Why didn't Gollum ever become a wraith?
Inspired by this answer regarding the long-term effects of The One Ring: Sméagol possessed the ring for close to 500 years, and although he clearly didn't wear it constantly, it had some terrible ...
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1answer
150 views
What Element of the One Ring Could the Nazgûl Smell?
In The Fellowship of the Ring Frodo's first experience with the Nazgûl is described.
When [the Nazgûl] reached the tree and was level with Frodo the horse stopped. The riding figure sat quite ...
6
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1answer
263 views
Why Was the One Ring Always Worn On the Forefinger?
Is there any significance to the ring-bearers, who actually put the One Ring on, wearing the One Ring on their forefingers rather than on their ring fingers in the LOTR movies? Is this a stylistic ...
7
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4answers
654 views
Why Didn't Théoden Let Merry Fight In the Battle At Minas Tirith?
In the Peter Jackson version of The Return of the King, Merry offers Théoden his sword and service, which Théoden accepts. Théoden gives Merry the title of "Meriadoc -- Esquire of Rohan."
When the ...
11
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2answers
212 views
What Happened to Mordor's Human Army?
In the movie The Two Towers, Gollum leads Frodo and Sam to the Black Gate of Mordor, where they watch an army of humans marching past the Black Gate, and then inside into Mordor. I can't recall seeing ...
11
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3answers
371 views
Why didn't Gollum die after he lost the One Ring to Bilbo?
Gollum had his life largely extended because he possessed the one ring. He appeared to be an old, deformed, and twisted creature.
According to this list, he had the ring for 478 years. His loss of ...
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2answers
560 views
Why did all the Ringbearers leave Middle Earth in the end?
At the end of The Return of the King, Frodo, Bilbo, Gandalf, Elrond, and Galadriel left Middle Earth on a ship, along with other elves. I named those five because they were all ringbearers and it ...
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2answers
504 views
How could Aragorn be 87 years old while he looks relatively young?
In the extended version of The Two Towers, Aragorn says to Eowyn that he is 87 years old. He said it was due to his royal lineage or something like that.
I did not remember that fact from the books, ...
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2answers
319 views
What is the Evenstar necklace?
In Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings, Arwen gives a jewel to Aragorn: the Evenstar necklace:
Where did this jewel come from? Does it have any special powers or meaning?
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2answers
253 views
Is Gandalf the Gray's power actually limited or did he merely promise to not use it?
We know that Maiar sent to Arda as Istari are not using their full Maiar power. Gandalf the Gray is more than a human power wise, but not nearly equal to his full real power.
Is it known (from canon) ...
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1answer
262 views
How much of Gandalf's power is tied to his staff?
Before Gandalf freed Théoden form Saruman/Grima's hold, he refused to give away his staff.
H.ma: I cannot allow you before Theoden King so armed, Gandalf Greyhame... by order of Grima Wormtongue.
...
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2answers
173 views
Did Saruman or Wormtongue cast a spell on Theoden?
Did Wormtongue cast a spell on Theoden, or administer potions from Saruman, or was it just his (deliberately) bad counsel that caused Theoden to sink into dotage before Gandalf healed him?
In the ...
19
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1answer
500 views
How is Gandalf the White a “significantly more powerful figure” than Gandalf the Gray?
After his fight with the Balrog of Moria, Gandalf changed:
Gandalf was sent back as a significantly more powerful figure; Gandalf the White.
- ...
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1answer
135 views
Could Gollum still reproduce?
It has been pointed out that Gollum wouldn't win a beauty-contest. But after all these years of being poisoned by The Ring, would he still be physically able to reproduce? And if so, would his ...
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1answer
258 views
Was Andúril a Stronger or Weaker Sword Than Narsil?
Andúril was forged from the two pieces of Narsil -- would it be a stronger or weaker sword than Narsil, being forged into one from two broken halves?
In terms of pure mechanics, I can't imagine the ...
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2answers
513 views
Can a Balrog Be Killed By Water Immersion? Is It Oxygen Dependent?
As a Balrog is composed of both flame and shadow, would water immersion kill a Balrog, or would the shadow aspect of its make-up keep it alive no matter how long it was immersed in water? Is the ...
7
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2answers
199 views
Do Balrogs Have Wings?
Apparently there is controversy over whether a Balrog has wings, either literal or figurative.
Do Balrogs have working, usable wings?
NOTE: I prefer an answer based on LOTR canon, meaning the books ...
6
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1answer
123 views
Mentions of Ent history?
I know that the Ents were created by Yavanna, to protect the forests from the dwarves, but also it was the Elves that taught them to speak.
Is there any mention of Ent history in any of Tolkein's ...
12
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2answers
407 views
Does time move slower inside Lothlorien?
I know I have read this somewhere and I wonder if it is correct. When the fellowship comes out of Lothlorien it is implied that, during the time it has taken for them to be in Lothlorien, a lot more ...
8
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1answer
221 views
How Was the Sound of the Nazgûl Composed?
Yes, yes, I am a complete freak. I think the screech/scream of the Nazgûl is both AWESOME and terrifying at the same time. I love it even though it makes me shiver!
How was the sound of the Nazgûl ...
8
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1answer
155 views
What were the other Rings of Power in LOTR made of?
"One Ring to rule them all"...
Is there any detail in Tolkien's work indicating what those "all" rings - for Men, Elves and Dwarves - were made of?
Mithril?
Platinum?
Gold?
Some other magical ...
9
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1answer
286 views
What material was the One Ring made of?
Is there any detail in Tolkien's work indicating what the One Ring was made of?
Mithril?
Platinum?
Gold?
Some other magical material?
8
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2answers
207 views
Cross breeding of men and orcs in Lord of the Rings
A question was asked: Why is breeding men and orcs considered evil? Specifically it's described as Saruman's greatest evil, and since Saruman committed many appalling acts the questioner wondered why ...
20
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3answers
726 views
How did Gandalf get his staff back after being captured by Saruman in Orthanc?
In the books, it doesn't explicitly describe Gandalf's staff being taken or broken during his imprisonment in/on Orthanc, but in the film, Saruman is shown with Gandalf's staff, and Gandalf is shown ...
5
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3answers
215 views
Why is breeding men and orcs considered evil?
There is a quote from the History of Middle-Earth (Morgoth's Ring) - supplied in dlanod's answer - that states:
There is no doubt that long afterwards, in the Third Age, Saruman rediscovered this, ...
8
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1answer
127 views
Were Uruks (as a breed) created by Sauron or Saruman in LOTR books?
In the LOTR movie it's implied that Saruman bred and created Uruk-hai.
But the Wiki is a bit ambigous on the books - the impression I got was that it was a Saruman stealing the idea from Sauron who ...
4
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1answer
148 views
Were the Green Lantern rings in DC comics somehow influenced by Sauron's ring?
Reading all the recent Qs on The One Ring, I realized that I know of a similar item - the Green Lantern Ring. It also gives the wearer magical powers and more or less an identity.
Is there any ...
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6answers
770 views
Is it advisable to read The Hobbit before reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy?
I'm mildly shocked I can't find this question on this site through my many searches...
Simply put, if I'm interested in reading the LotR trilogy, should I read the Hobbit before reading the trilogy? ...
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3answers
303 views
Why Were the Weapons in Middle Earth So Rudimentary?
Again, I'm re-reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy and am still on book one, so my question is going to refer to the movies.
During the time The Lord of the Rings stories take place, Middle Earth is ...
8
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2answers
173 views
Were there any differences between the Rings of power given to the Dwarves and the Men?
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
Were the Seven Dwarf-destined rings actually different (aside from possibly physical fit due to finger size ...
3
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1answer
126 views
Why were the Elvish Rings of Power not made by Sauron?
Among all the rings of power, the 3 rings possessed by Elves are special in that they (unlike Men's and Dwarves' and The one) were made by Elves and not Sauron.
Why?
As in,
Were they made before ...
7
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2answers
299 views
How Do the Catapults at Minas Tirith Work?
ETA: This question refers to the movie LoTR: The Return of the King.
I'm hoping someone can help me figure out how the Minas Tirith catapults work. I can see how the Uruk-hai catapults function -- ...
12
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2answers
324 views
Why did Saruman not take Narya from Gandalf?
We know that Gandalf was given Narya, the Ring of Fire (one of the Elven three) by Cirdan the shipwright. When Saruman imprisoned Gandalf, why did he not attempt to take the ring from him? It would ...
7
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2answers
598 views
How could the One Ring betray Isildur?
From Galadriel in Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
It betrayed Isildur to his death
Why does Galadriel say it's a betrayal by the One Ring? Wasn't it Isildur who let it fall?
How could ...
