Questions tagged [the-two-towers]
The Two Towers is the second volume of J. R. R. Tolkien's high fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. It is preceded by The Fellowship of the Ring and followed by The Return of the King. Please use together with the tag [tolkiens-legendarium], and possibly [the-lord-of-the-rings].
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How did Uglúk escape Éomer's assault?
After Lurtz's death, Uglúk became the leader of the Uruk-hai who captured Merry and Pippin. Later on, Grishnákh's troops joined them.
When Éomer's riders attacked the troops, Grishnákh escaped ...
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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 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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Why did Gollum not take the Ring when both Hobbits were fast asleep and extremely vulnerable?
It is easy to understand why he did not escape, as it would just bring him further away from the Precious, and the Hobbits would never trust him again after that.
It is also pretty easy to understand ...
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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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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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Why didn't Helm's Deep have a trebuchet? [duplicate]
I am wondering if there is a reason why Helm's Deep did not have a trebuchet(s).
There were trebuchets mounted at numerous locations throughout the city of Minas Tirith in Gondor, so the Gondorians ...
user143126
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What did the Valar think of Eru Ilúvatar sending Gandalf back to Middle-earth?
I would like to know if there is anything written in LOTR canon about what the Valar had thought about Eru Ilúvatar sending Gandalf back to Middle-earth as Gandalf the White.
For example, did all of ...
user143126
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How fast did the Three Hunters go?
In LOTR book 3, Éomer comments on the Three Hunters' speed:
'It is now the fourth day since he was slain,' answered Aragorn, 'and since the
evening of that day we have journeyed from the shadow of ...
user128845
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Why did Gandalf's soul leave his body after defeating the Balrog?
After defeating the Balrog on Zirakzigil, the summit of Celebdil above Moria, Gandalf's soul left his body as if he died, and went to Valinor. Why did Gandalf do that? Did he actually die? If so, what ...
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What does Faramir mean by "divers characters"?
When Faramir is describing the archives of Gondor he states:
We in the house of Denethor know much ancient lore by long tradition, and there are moreover in our treasuries many things preserved: ...
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Is it common to find the first part of The Fellowship of the Ring by far the most enjoyable of the entire three-part epic saga? [closed]
Let's be clear: I do love the entire series. It is without a doubt an epic masterpiece, and it would probably make little sense to write ~1,500 pages about just Hobbiton and The Shire, with them never ...
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What did Gandalf mean by "first light of the fifth day"?
I don't know how this one goes in the books, but in the movie Gandalf says:
Look to my coming on the first light of the fifth day, at dawn look to the east.
Does that imply that the battle of ...
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Why did Theoden allow the Uruk-Hai to approach Helm's Deep without harassing them?
In the movie version of the Battle of Helm’s Deep, we see that both Theoden and the Elves under Haldir allowed the Uruk-Hai to get close to the castle without attacking them. Considering the shot ...
user65648
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Aren't there too many Uruks in Helm's Deep?
This is just something that always bothered me. Aren't the Uruks portrayed before and during the battle too many to really be only 10k? 10k people aren't really that many, is the capacity of a very ...
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Was King Théoden completely possessed by Saruman or did he retain at least a portion of his free will?
In the movie, King Théoden is apparently possessed by Saruman. However, to what degree he was possessed isn't obvious. Was he completely possessed or did he retain some of his free will?
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Why does Gandalf sound like Saruman in The Two Towers?
In the movie adaptation of The Two Towers, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli meet the newly-resurrected Gandalf the White in Fangorn Forest.
For the first few words of his conversation he sounds like Saruman,...
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How did King Theoden suddenly lose his beard?
In The Two Towers, when Gandalf goes to see Theoden the king has a massive beard that rivals that of Gandalf.
When he is free from Saruman's enchantment, he nearly falls down and is caught and ...
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How did Sam know what happened to Boromir?
Near the end of LOTR: Two Towers when Faramir is close to taking the ring back to Gondor, Sam pleads with Faramir not to take the ring by saying something like this:
"Do you want to know what ...
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How did Gandalf chase the Balrog to Zirakzigil?
In The Two Towers movie adaptation, when Gandalf the White reunites with members of the Fellowship, he explains that he fell "through fire and water, from the lowest dungeon to the highest peak".
It'...
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What is the significance of towers in Lord of the Rings?
Leaving aside Minas Tirith and Minas Morgul which have towers as part of their overall structure, there are two very important towers, sometimes called the titular towers of the second book of the ...
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How did Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli know what Uruk-hai were?
In Peter Jackson's film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, we see Saruman as he takes the initial steps towards creating a new army. The orcs under his command proceed surprisingly quickly, and ...
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Where were Frodo and Sam captured by Faramir?
Frodo, Sam, and Gollum are on their way to Mordor when they are captured by Faramir's company. Before releasing them, Faramir takes them to Osgiliath.
In "movie time", the journey to Osgiliath seems ...
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Why did Gandalf conceal his identity in Fangorn Forest?
Note: This question mostly pertains to the film, not the book.
In The Two Towers when Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli are tracking Merry and Pippin, they discover that the trail leads into Fangorn Forest. ...
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In this scene of LOTR: The Two Towers, what business did these Elves have at the Black Gate?
Here is the video:
It depicts Sam falling off a cliff and Frodo following after. We notice two elves approaching them. What business did these elves have at the ...
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Why did Aragorn call this stranger father?
At the edge of Fangorn, Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas noticed a man robed in white. After seeing him, Aragorn leapt up and said:
Well, father, what can we do for you? Come be warm, if you are cold!
...
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Who is this person at the edge of Fangorn? [duplicate]
In Lord of the Rings The Two Towers Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas rests at night beside the forest of Fangorn. There they sees an old man in white. Afterwards their horses also left them. Gimli then ...
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Who's standing behind Theoden in the "So it begins" meme?
Who are the characters shown here, standing behind Theoden?
I don't know, and can't figure out who they are from the character list on The Two Towers (film) nor after a bunch of googling. This ...
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What was Aragorn talking about when he said "Helms Deep helped them survive in the past"?
In the Lord of the Rings movie The Two Towers, during the preparation of people's movement from Edoras to Helm's Deep, Aragorn says something like:
Helm’s Deep helped them survive in the past
...
user96155
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How and why does Sam know to say that Sindarin phrase when he uses the Phial?
Following on from my question What does Sam shout when he uses the Phial?, I was curious to know why those words came to him, and why they were in Sindarin specifically.
It would be more plausible ...
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What does Sam shout when he uses the Phial?
In the Two Towers, near the beginning of chapter "The Choices of Master Samwise", Sam uses the Phial and shouts in (I assume) elvish:
A Elbereth Gilthoniel
o menel palan-diriel,
le nallon ...
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Where is the deep underground place where Galdalf and the Balrog ended up during their battle? [duplicate]
In "The Two Towers", in the chapter "The White Rider", Gandalf describes his battle with the Balrog. He mentions being underground, deeper than even where the dwarves went.
'We fought far under the ...
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Treebeard: "I always like going South, somehow it feels like going downhill." - Is it really?
In The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002 movie), Treebeard says:
I always like going South, somehow it feels like going downhill.
Is there a difference in elevation or something that can ...
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What's the meaning of "your life will be forfeit?"
In The Two Towers film, Faramir is told that if he releases Frodo and Sam, he will "forfeit" his life.
Gondorian Ranger: You know the laws of our country, the laws of your father. If you ...
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Why didn't Elrond use the army of the undead at the end of The Two Towers?
Why didn't Elrond mention the undead army (the one seen at the end of Return of the King) much earlier?
In 'The Two Towers' they almost lose the fight at Helm's Deep except that at the last second ...
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Are Shagrat and Gorbag really talking about "the old days" from personal experience?
In the last chapter of The Two Towers, the two orc captains, Shagrat and Gorbag discuss the current status of war and politics in Mordor. They discuss how the Nazgul are the master's preferred ...
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What happened between Frodo and Gollum in the Dead Marshes?
In the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, when Frodo falls in the Dead Marshes on the way to the Black Gate and gets rescued by Gollum, they have the following conversation:
Frodo: "Gollum?"
...
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Why was the breaking of the wall of Helm's Deep so important in "The Two Towers" movie?
I have not read the book, and I am referring here to the movie only.
I saw in the movie that the way that lead to the inside of Helm's Deep was through a gate, from a somewhat steeply inclined ramp; ...
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How long was Shelob's pass?
In the chapter Shelob's Lair, Tolkien describes Frodo and Sam's journey through the pass of Cirith Ungol. He tells us they don't know if 1, 2 or 3 hours have passed while travelling through the dark ...
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What was the purpose of the quote "Meat is back on the menu boys" in Lord of the Rings?
I watched the extended cut of the movie and can’t seem to figure out why the director put that quote in there. Is this a hidden joke or a slip up that made it into the movie?
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Did Denethor really hate his sons; Boromir and Faramir?
In this video, Denethor orders his son, Boromir, to go to Rivendell. Denethor guessed that the purpose of this meeting was to decide what to do with the Weapon of the Dark Lord that has been found. ...
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What does Shagrat mean by "Hola"?
In the chapter "The Choices of Master Samwise", Shagrat yells
Hola! Gorbag! What are you doing up here? Had enough of war already?
It seems bizarre that orcs would be using Spanish words. What ...
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Why doesn't Sam have to say "Aiya Eärendil Elenion Ancalima"?
Inspired in part by this question.
In the Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, Frodo uses the light of Eärendil against Shelob, saying the phrase "Aiya Eärendil Elenion Ancalima" to light it. At ...
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What are the advantages of breeding Uruk-hai for Saruman?
What advantage did Saruman gain by breeding the new species, Uruk-hai? How exactly are they superior? Wikipedia says they are
"larger and stronger than other breeds of orc and consequently looked down ...
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Why would orcs and humans fight on the same side in Lord of the Rings?
Orcs hated humans except when it was dinner time.
Humans hated orcs especially around dinner time.
Saruman, the creator of the Uruk-Hai, promises them they will taste manflesh.
...
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Was it reckless to allow Wormtongue to go free?
When Grima Wormtongue is evicted from Theoden's court in The Two Towers he is given free leave to go wherever he wants. Gandalf, Theoden and the whole company are in no doubt that he is a plant of ...
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Why did Orcs use siege towers and ladders?
In Moria, we see the orcs climb/crawl the walls and ceilings with ease.
Yet during the battle at Helm's Deep and the attack on Minas Tirith, they use ladders and mobile towers in an effort scale the ...
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How is Shelob's name known?
In Tolkien's world, there are quite a few "magical" beasts that have proper names: dragons for example, like Smaug. One can assume that their names are known either because their creator was ...
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How long can elves go without sleeping?
Elves sleep, not just in The Hobbit, but also in LoTR and in The Silmarillion, but it seems they can go without much longer than, for example, dwarves. When Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli were pursuing ...
user68762