Questions tagged [the-lord-of-the-rings]
For questions about the trilogy of movies or books, 'The Fellowship of the Ring', 'The Two Towers' and 'The Return of the King'. Always use in conjunction with the [tolkiens-legendarium] tag and, for movie questions, the relevant movie tag, e.g. [fellowship-of-the-ring].
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Did Tolkien ever write about his elves being hairless on certain parts of their bodies in any of his works, or if elves grew pubic hair
Any information from Tolkien's works that showed this would be acceptable.
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Why didn't Gandalf have spies just like Saruman?
In The Fellowship of the Ring we see the Gap of Rohan being constantly watched by Dunland's Crebains (crows) which Saruman used as spies. So, when Gandalf was reborn as Gandalf the White, or even ...
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How did the Witch-king take and hold Minas Ithil so easily?
One of the longer conflicts in the Legendarium is the Fall of Arnor, where the Witch-king spends a century building up Angmar to rival the diminished and disunited petty kingdoms of the Dúnedain, ...
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Why can't Merry drink the Ent-draught?
In the extended edition, after Merry and Pippin wake up deep in the forest and Merry realizes it's the drink making Pippin taller, he goes to get some for himself and you can hear Pippin plainly say:
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Did a dragon ever attack the lands of Rohan or Gondor?
I would like to know if there is anything mentioned in LOTR canon that mentions that a dragon had once attacked the lands of Rohan and/or Gondor, either during the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd Age.
Did a dragon ...
user143126
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Can Gandalf magically manipulate smoke rings?
In the Lord of the Rings movie, Gandalf is shown manipulating smoke rings in a clearly magical way.
Is there any evidence in the books that he can do this?
I recall he blew smoke rings in LOTR but don’...
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Why does Éowyn shieldmaiden of Rohan "not desire the speech of living men"?
Faramir smiled, though his heart was filled with pity. ‘Your window does not look eastward?’ he said. ‘That can be amended.
In this I will command the Warden. If you will stay in this house in our ...
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"Regions where pain and delight flow together and tears are the very wine of blessedness"?
From The Return of the King, either in the middle or toward the end:
And all the host laughed and wept, and in the midst of their merriment and tears the clear voice of the minstrel rose like silver ...
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Why would Sam NOT note the date when his own daughter was born?
In the end of The Return of the King:
Time went on, and 1421 came in. Frodo was ill again in March, but with a great effort he concealed it, for Sam had other things to think about. The first of Sam ...
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Are there meaningful anagrams in Lord of the Rings character names?
Motivation
I just observed that "Denethor", the human steward who thought himself king has all the same letters as the word "dethrone" which is what he intended to do to Aragorn, ...
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Was it not inexcusably foolish of Sauron to not guard the Ring-destroying lava pit? [duplicate]
I know that he did not think that anyone would want to destroy it, but rather that somebody would instead claim it and try to fight Him with it, but if there is only one place on the planet where the ...
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How did Frodo's and Sam's non-Orc clothes get back from Mount Doom?
When Frodo and Sam wake up after being rescued by the Eagles, Gandalf mentions that the clothes that they wore to Mordor have been "rescued", and that they shall wear them in a ceremony.
He ...
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Why does Frodo act as if the world is coming to an end when they have fulfilled the Quest?
At the moment when they should be overflowing with joy, when they have just saved Middle-earth by finally managing to drop The One into the uniquely Ring-destroying lava pit, Frodo is talking about ...
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Are there any battle speeches given by Elven commanders in Tolkien's legendarium?
I am looking for battle speeches like the one Théoden gave prior to the Battle of the Pelennor Fields in The Return of the King:
Arise! Arise, riders of Théoden! Spears shall be shaken, shields shall ...
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What is the Tengwar transliteration of this Gandalf quote fom the Lord of the Rings
I searched the web for someone to trust to make a transliteration in Tengwar and no one that I have asked has gotten back to me, so here I am.
I want to make a tattoo in Tengwar (preferably the italic/...
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Is Sam exclusively Frodo's gardener, or his general servant?
Sam felt that he could sit like that in endless happiness; but it was not allowed. It was not enough for him to find his master, he had still to try and save him. He kissed Frodo’s forehead. ‘Come! ...
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What happened to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings as the text that existed in Middle-Earth? [duplicate]
Excuse me for not having read the books, I just rewatched the movies while beginning The Silmarillion, with The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings to follow.
At the end of Return of the King as he ...
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Why did the gate before Minas Tirith break so very easily?
Unless I got something wrong, it took only three (3) bashes with the huge door-breaker for the "mighty" gate before Minas Tirith to burst open.
Isn't it strange? Is that really how a real ...
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Did Sauron suspect that the Ring would be destroyed?
In The Lord of the Rings, the strategy is to infiltrate the One Ring into Mordor undetected and destroy it in Mount Doom.
However in "The Choices of Master Samwise", Shagrat and Gorbag have ...
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Why is Pippin thinking "mostly" of Frodo, ignoring poor Sam?
It seems that even in thoughts and prayers, poor Sam is thought of as "lesser than" Frodo, if even included whatsoever:
All now took leave of the Lord of the City and went to rest while ...
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Did the "Wild Men" actually help in the great battle in The Return of the King?
It's quite possible that I've just managed to miss this, even though I read so slowly, but there seemed to be a big build-up when the "Wild Men" were talking to Théoden king and it seemed ...
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Is there “destiny” in "The Lord of the Rings"?
I’m confused about the existence of destiny in the world of The Lord of the Rings and, subject to it, free will.
Clearly the characters seems to think there is, indeed, free will and the choices to ...
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Why did Pippin insist on joining Denethor's army?
Never mind the fact that it makes for a good (and nerve-wracking, in my case) plot point, but why did the hobbit feel the need to take this drastic step?
Yes, I know that he has some sort of honour ...
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Evil Things Older than Sauron? [duplicate]
I was reminded by its quotation in Why did Caradhras not want the Fellowship to pass? of the following quote from The Lord of the Rings ("The Ring Goes South" from Book 2"):
We cannot ...
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Does everyone always eat, drink and sleep for free everywhere in Middle-earth?
Maybe it has to do with the specific and unique circumstances in which the characters we follow in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings find themselves, but it seems to me that everyone always assumes ...
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Who was the person in a white cape standing behind dying Boromir in the LoTR movie?
Was it a personification of death? Or someone else?
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Would the 3rd Age of Middle-earth have been dominated by men if Isildur had destroyed the One Ring in Mount Doom?
I am wondering if Isildur had destroyed the One Ring by throwing it down into the lava of Mount Doom, would doing this have resulted in the 3rd Age of Middle-earth being dominated by men?
user143126
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Did Sam really plan to attack the orcs in Shelob's lair in the very end of The Two Towers?
‘He’s going out of harm’s way, I tell you,’ answered Shagrat. ‘See? He’s precious. I don’t trust all my lads, and none of yours; nor you neither, when you’re mad for fun. He’s going where I want him, ...
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Was Saruman a landlord, a robber baron or something?
In The Return of the King (extended edition) there is a line where Gandalf? explains that Saruman claimed Rohan as his own. It sounded like a robber barons who used force and violence to claim ...
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Would Gandalf know Sauron personally?
The thought just occurred to me that the two had co-existed for eons. Even not taking the music of the Ainur into account, wouldn't they have had ample opportunity to interact with each other on Arda ...
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Why were the keepers of the three Elf-rings not aware that the One Ring had been used?
All twenty Rings of Power are linked, as we know. Further, we know from the text of the Lord of the Rings that the One Ring can confer the power to "know the thoughts" of the keepers of the ...
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Was it Gollum who untied Sam's Elf-rope?
When Frodo and Sam are safely down on the ground after having climbed down using the Elf-rope, Sam pulls it and, to the surprise of both Hobbits, it comes back down.
Frodo assumes that Sam had been ...
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Why is Sam unsure about whether or not he has taken out the Elf-rope before in chapter 12 of Two Towers?
(It may be considered chapter 1 of "book two" of The Two Towers. I'm calling it chapter 12 based on my EPUB file names.)
‘It’s good to be able to see again,’ said Frodo, breathing deep. ‘Do ...
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Does Sauron not have a physical, tangible presence anywhere?
Please note: I am talking only about the books!
In a way, I find the story of the Lord of the Rings to be a bit of a letdown in the end.
I expected there to be some sort of final confrontation between ...
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By what name are the Pelennor Fields known to the commonfolk of Gondor?
I've recently discovered that "Pelennor" is not Westron, but Sindarin.
Taken from tolkiengateway.net:
The name Pelennor translates to "fenced, encircled land" in Sindarin. ...
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Did Sauron ever consider that the Valar and/or Eru Ilúvatar may not allow him to conquer Middle-earth?
I am wondering if there is anything mentioned in LOTR canon that Sauron had once given thought to the possibility that the Valar and/or Eru Ilúvatar may not allow him to conquer Middle-earth, and due ...
user143126
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What does Gandalf the White mean by his strange speech about Boromir?
In The Two Towers, chapter five, soon after Gandalf has returned as Gandalf the White, he says something very peculiar to Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas in Fangorn:
‘You have not said all that you know ...
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How to translate "The Eye of Sauron is always watching" to Black Speech? [duplicate]
How would the following sentence be translated to Black Speech: "The Eye of Sauron is always watching"? Or, more simply, "Sauron is always watching", or, even more simply, "...
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Where were the Three during the Last Alliance?
During the War of the Last Alliance — or basically as soon as Sauron's spirit limbed back to Middle-earth after his body got lost alongside Númenor and he got the One back from its hiding place where ...
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Translation for a LOTR tattoo
I want to get a LOTR tattoo with the quote “Until the stars are all alight” in Tengwar. If anyone can help me translate it I would be so grateful.
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Where did the Elves go when they said they were leaving Middle-earth? [duplicate]
When the Elves said they were leaving Middle-earth where were they going? For some reason I thought they were going underground. If it was another continent couldn't Sauron just build ships?
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Why did both Frodo and Aragorn keep Gollum a secret for seemingly no reason?
After the Fellowship had left Elf Paradise and was boating down the long river, Sam notices what turns out to be Gollum following them.
Sam tells this to Frodo in the camp, which has no guard, and ...
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What counts as being "given" the One Ring?
Inspired by this question. What counts as being given the one ring?
As I recall, when Bilbo is leaving for Rivendell, Gandalf refuses to take the Ring for safe keeping, instead he tells Bilbo to leave ...
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Why could Melkor's forces not detect Gondolin by flying around?
If I understand correctly, Gondolin was not protected by any magical or godly means hiding it from Melkor and his forces.
Now, the Echoriad mountains were pretty far up North, and also not that far (...
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What is the criteria of inclusion in the Big Jubilee Read that caused the Lord of the Rings book not to be included?
The Times reported that a panel of Commonwealth experts, academics, booksellers and librarians, assembled by the Reading Agency has decided not to include The Lord of the Rings (as well as Harry ...
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Why do they keep talking about important things with open windows in Lord of the Rings?
In Bag End, Gandalf and Frodo are talking about extremely sensitive topics with the window wide open. Anyone could have listened in to their conversation and ran off to gossip about it all over ...
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Why did Frodo not bring a lot of money with him on his very possibly one-way escape out into the unknown?
When they first meet Strider in the Pony Inn, and he starts talking about wanting a "reward", Frodo, believing that he's referring to a monetary such, thinks about the fact that he only ...
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What is the significance of Denethor eating the tomato?
The scene in which Faramir is leading a battle and Denethor is eating the tomato while Pippin sings. What is the significance of that? Ostensibly it's to show that Denethor isn't interested or has ...
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Was it confirmed by anybody that an orc was modeled after Harvey Weinstein?
I just stumbled upon the story from 2021 that one orc in The Lord of the Rings from director Peter Jackson was modeled after Harvey Weinstein:
One orc among many in the Lord of the Rings movies was ...
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Why does Frodo keep referring to the party as if he were alone? (In the first book.)
Frodo keeps saying that he ("I") am going to take this or that way, even though they are four Hobbits and as many ponies. They are a whole little party/fellowship already before Rivendell.
I ...
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