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11 votes
2 answers
3k views

Why did Elrond choose Legolas as representative of the Elves and Gimli as representative of the dwarves?

Beside Frodo who volunteered to be the Ring bearer and his Hobbits friends who volunteered as well, the rest of the Fellowship members were named or chosen by Elrond: ‘And I will choose you ...
Triceratops's user avatar
  • 3,189
19 votes
2 answers
6k views

Why wasn't Aragorn more stealthy at Weathertop?

In the first book, Aragorn and the Hobbits set up camp and start a fire on the side of Weathertop. Why is stealth no longer necessary? Between setting off from the Shire and reaching Weathertop, the ...
Andrey Bienkowski's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
2k views

Why give gifts AFTER the cup of parting?

In The Fellowship of the Ring, Galadriel says: ‘We have drunk the cup of parting,’ she said, ‘and the shadows fall between us. But before you go, I have brought in my ship ...
Michael Foster's user avatar
15 votes
3 answers
12k views

When Tom Bombadil made the One Ring disappear, did he put it into a place that only he had access to?

I have often wondered when Tom Bombadil made the One Ring disappear after Frodo gave it to him, did Tom send it into a magical realm/another dimension that only he had access to? Let's say that in a ...
user avatar
20 votes
1 answer
5k views

How did Gollum follow the Fellowship through Lothlórien without being caught?

Lothlórien was guarded well. How did Gollum follow the Fellowship through Lórien without being caught by the Elves as the Fellowship was? The Dwarf breathes so loud, we could have shot him in the ...
Ikem Noren's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
691 views

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 ...
Maxymus's user avatar
  • 65
5 votes
1 answer
564 views

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 ...
Strider's user avatar
  • 59
14 votes
2 answers
7k views

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 ...
Samunwise's user avatar
  • 157
17 votes
1 answer
6k views

Why did Merry (apparently) not get to experience the first adventures with the other three hobbits?

I feel like an idiot for asking about this, since I'm currently and carefully (or so I thought) reading The Fellowship of the Ring. I'm at the chapter where they are just at the ferry with Merry ...
Merry Poppins's user avatar
14 votes
1 answer
1k views

If Frodo had put on the One Ring in Moria, would he have been invisible to the Balrog?

I am wondering if a Balrog would have been able to see someone who was wearing the One Ring. Smaug was unable to see Bilbo when he was wearing the One Ring, so it makes me think that if Frodo had put ...
user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
527 views

Since the Mirror of Galadriel could show what might happen in the future, could it have shown Frodo that he would succeed at destroying the One Ring?

I am wondering that if the Mirror of Galadriel could show Frodo what might take place in the future, could it have shown him that he would succeed in his quest to destroy the One Ring?
user avatar
9 votes
3 answers
4k views

Why didn't Frodo tell the others that Boromir would try to take the One Ring?

In the movie LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring, I am wondering why Frodo didn't tell Aragorn, or one of the others in the fellowship, that Galadriel had told him that Boromir would try to take the One ...
user avatar
17 votes
2 answers
7k views

Why was Gandalf unsure if Bilbo's ring was the One Ring if he had seen an image of Sauron's Eye when he was about to pick it up?

In the movie LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring, Bilbo drops the One Ring on the floor and then leaves his house. Gandalf then goes to pick it up but just before he touches it, he sees an image of ...
user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
2k views

How did the Fellowship walk through Moria from Balin's tomb?

I've always been puzzled on the route the Fellowship took following the skirmish in Balin's tomb. After the Fellowship entered the wide Hall with the pillars (Dwarf Delving, for easy understanding I'...
Aragorn Elessar's user avatar
15 votes
3 answers
6k views

Continuity error in Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring?

In the extended version of The Fellowship of the Ring (possibly in the theatrical release as well… I don't know), there's a moment after Sam and Frodo have departed where Sam makes a point about how ...
Lexible's user avatar
  • 22.2k
15 votes
2 answers
6k views

Does Lord of the Rings (or the Hobbit) mention how the Orcs were first created?

In the film The Fellowship of the Ring, Saruman says of Orcs: They were Elves once. Taken by the Dark Powers... tortured and mutilated... a ruined and terrible form of life. This origin of Orcs is ...
Wade's user avatar
  • 5,602
28 votes
3 answers
7k views

What did Sauron think the free peoples did with his ring following the events on Amon Hen?

Originally Sauron probably assumed the free peoples wanted to let the One Ring remain in Rivendell, as he didn't think they would try to bring it to Mordor to destroy it. But on Amon Hen (near the ...
Aragorn Elessar's user avatar
-2 votes
1 answer
264 views

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 ...
L. M.'s user avatar
  • 25
63 votes
1 answer
11k views

Why was the Balrog beneath Moria

From Lord of the Rings: Saruman: Moria... You fear to go into those mines. The dwarves delved too greedily and too deep. You know what they awoke in the darkness of Khazad-dum... shadow and flame. ...
Shade's user avatar
  • 16k
-6 votes
1 answer
539 views

Did Galadriel wake up a lot of people by her shouting at the One Ring?

In the movie The Fellowship of the Ring, after Frodo offers the One Ring to Galadriel, she puts on a display of power and shouts very loudly at the One Ring. I have always wondered if her loud ...
user avatar
12 votes
2 answers
6k views

In the movies why does Frodo try to give the One Ring to Aragorn?

In the movie, Frodo tries to give the One Ring to Aragorn in Parth Galen. Aragorn deftly refuses the offer. Why does Frodo do this? Hadn't the council told him not to offer it to anyone else? Boromir '...
TheMadHatter's user avatar
  • 3,960
17 votes
3 answers
5k views

Was there a time gap in the story Elrond tells about Isildur?

I have just started reading The Lord of The Rings. I have caught up a bit on Middle-earth's history. I recently read the story that Elrond tells during the meeting in Rivendell (Fellowship). Here's ...
PNS's user avatar
  • 1,097
13 votes
2 answers
2k views

What dragon(s) was Bilbo talking about during his 111th birthday?

In The Fellowship of the Ring film during Bilbo's 111th birthday when Merry and Pippin shot off the dragon firework, Bilbo exclaims, Nonsense! There hasn't been a dragon in these parts in ages! ...
Charles's user avatar
  • 3,361
15 votes
2 answers
9k views

Why did Saruman lie?

I was looking at this interactive map of Middle-earth, and noticed that when you click on the node at Isengard, one of the dates says: The Black Riders visit Saruman who lies that Gandalf has "...
Parrotmaster's user avatar
  • 2,619
56 votes
3 answers
26k views

How far did Gandalf and the Balrog drop from the bridge in Moria?

As best I can tell, in this dramatic scene from The Fellowship of the Ring, Gandalf falls for 71 seconds, mostly in free-fall while fighting a Balrog. True, the Balrog hits the walls of the abyss a ...
Invisible Trihedron's user avatar
45 votes
4 answers
15k views

Why did Gandalf use a sword against the Balrog?

Shortly after Gandalf first sees the balrog, he orders Aragorn to lead the fellowship to the bridge. Aragorn hesitates, fearing to leave Gandalf alone against such a fearsome enemy, until Gandalf ...
user avatar
12 votes
3 answers
6k views

How did Frodo know where the Bree village was?

How did Frodo know where the Bree village was? I've never read the books, but in the movie Gandalf just tells Frodo go to Bree expecting Frodo to know where that is. So if Frodo knows where Bree is, ...
Fantastic Beasts Three's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
7k views

What does Gandalf whisper to the Moth while on Orthanc?

After the duel between Saruman and Gandalf in which Gandalf is bested, he is sent to stay on the pinnacle of Orthanc. Gandalf then whispers a message to a moth that happens to appear. I know that ...
Viswa's user avatar
  • 153
5 votes
1 answer
4k views

Why did Gandalf seal the One Ring inside an envelope?

In this scene after Bilbo leaves, Gandalf seals the One Ring inside an envelope. He seems to fear touching it. He very briefly touched it when it lay on the floor ...
RichS's user avatar
  • 38.7k
61 votes
1 answer
11k views

What did Aragorn mean when he warned Gandalf about entering Moria?

In The Fellowship of the Ring after failed attempt to go through Caradhras the Company discusses the Moria way. Then Aragorn warns Gandalf of passing through the Moria. 'I will,' said Aragorn ...
Nikita Neganov's user avatar
12 votes
3 answers
4k views

Why is there so little concern for destroying the Ring?

In The Fellowship of the Ring, there does not seem to be a lot of concern for destroying the Ring, even though it is recognized as being of paramount importance to everyone. Especially, the Fellowship ...
Bob's user avatar
  • 231
23 votes
1 answer
6k views

How much dirt did Galadriel give Sam?

'For you little gardener and lover of trees,' she said to Sam, 'I have only a small gift.' She put into his hand a little box of plain grey wood, unadorned save for a single silver rune upon the ...
Mohammad Athar's user avatar
35 votes
1 answer
8k views

Why was Boromir sent alone to Rivendell?

Boromir was the first son of the Steward of Gondor and a captain of Gondor. Yet, he was sent without escort North-West with only his horse, shield, sword, and horn to investigate Faramir's dream. Why ...
just_happen_to_know's user avatar
40 votes
2 answers
9k views

Why did Nazgûl spare the other hobbits at Weathertop?

In the fight at Weathertop, the Nazgûl injured Frodo and left. They waited for him to pass to the shadow and become a wraith, but they did not kill the other hobbits on Weathertop: Sam, Merry, and ...
user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
3k views

In the Lord of the Rings movies, why didn't Aragorn just reforge Narsil at the beginning?

In the books, Aragorn reforges the sword Narsil in Rivendell. He named the remade sword "Anduril". He carries the sword throughout the Quest of the Ring, even in battles such as in Amon Hen, Helm's ...
The Witch King of Angmar's user avatar
38 votes
5 answers
19k views

Why did Peter Jackson replace Glorfindel's role with Arwen?

In the books, it was Glorfindel who saved Frodo from the Nazguls. Obviously, I'm talking about the movies, particularly the reason why Peter Jackson changed this scene from the book. Why did PJ ...
The Witch King of Angmar's user avatar
23 votes
2 answers
1k views

East Gate of Moria

Why did the Eastern Gate of Moria not have password protection, like the Western Gate with its “speak friend ‘riddle’”? Were the peoples on the east side considered more trustworthy?
Celestialgranturismo's user avatar
14 votes
2 answers
2k views

Was Gandalf astray, or had the land changed, on the road to Moria?

In the Fellowship of the Ring, Chapter 4. A Journey in the Dark, as the Fellowship has just been defeated by the freak blizzard on the Redhorn Gate, Gandalf is having difficulty in locating the stream ...
buck1112's user avatar
  • 827
8 votes
2 answers
1k views

Is there a timeline of the Witch King's visitation of the Barrow Downs in relation to the hobbits' visitation?

As the company of hobbits (Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin) continued their expedition from Tom Bombadil's house and came to the Barrow Downs, they encountered a Barrow Wight that may have been ...
buck1112's user avatar
  • 827
37 votes
1 answer
7k views

What were the two standing stones that Frodo sees?

In the Lord of the Rings (Fellowship of the Ring), in the chapter The Fog on the Barrow-downs, the hobbits fall asleep on a saucer-like topped hill and awaken as the sun is setting. Alarmed, they ...
buck1112's user avatar
  • 827
72 votes
3 answers
15k views

How did they have time to build Balin a tomb?

Who built the tomb for Balin, buried him in it, and inscribed "Here lies Balin, son of Fundin..." on it? Wasn't he, and every other dwarf with him, killed by orcs?
LCIII's user avatar
  • 10.9k
12 votes
4 answers
6k views

Why did it take less time to go from Rivendell to the Shire than it did to go from the Shire to Rivendell?

Although this question has already asked about the different times for traveling to Rivendell from the Shire, it did not address the duration of the return journey from Rivendell to the Shire that ...
David's user avatar
  • 1,885
30 votes
5 answers
14k views

Why wasn't there a representative from Rohan at the Council of Elrond?

During the Council of Elrond, those present at this council were people who were of the three largest races of good in Middle-earth. But these people have respective from their place such as Boromir; ...
The Witch King of Angmar's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
2k views

Did Gandalf know that Elrond didn't stop Isildur?

After the defeat of Sauron, Elrond, Cirdan and Isildur went to Mount Doom. Elrond encouraged Isildur to destroy the ring. Isildur, however rejected Elrond's bidding. Now did Gandalf know that Elrond ...
The Witch King of Angmar's user avatar
11 votes
2 answers
2k views

What happened to Merry after Tom Bombadil saved them from the Barrow-wights?

In the Fellowship of the Ring, chapter "Fog on the Barrow-Downs", the hobbits are captured by the barrow-wights and Tom Bombadil saves them. After Tom wakes them, Merry says something that implies he'...
NathanS's user avatar
  • 3,739
1 vote
3 answers
5k views

Why didn't Sauron kill Isildur?

I was watching the Fellowship of the Ring, during lunch time. In the Prologue scene, the armies of Men and Elves march against the armies of Mordor. When Sauron came to kill the armies of Men and ...
The Witch King of Angmar's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
7k views

How can Gandalf travel so fast?

At the start of The Fellowship of the Ring he seems to go from Shire to Minas Tirith to Saruman while the rest haven't traversed that much. How is this possible?
Spennet's user avatar
  • 73
-3 votes
2 answers
637 views

Was the mission of the Fellowship of the Ring a 'secret' mission?

And I will choose you companions to go with you, as far as they will or fortune allows. The number must be few, since your hope is in speed and secrecy. [emphasis mine] Does the use of the word ...
The Witch King of Angmar's user avatar
40 votes
4 answers
12k views

Why didn't the Fellowship use horses for transportation?

A kind of similarity to this question, Why didn't Gandalf or Frodo Fly to Mount Doom? The difference is that this question I'm asking is why didn't the fellowship use horses for transportation ...
The Witch King of Angmar's user avatar
11 votes
2 answers
1k views

Who had hung the ring about Frodo's neck on a new chain?

'Have you got it here?' Bilbo asked in a whisper. 'I can't help feeling curious, you know, after all I've heard. I should very much like just to peep at it again.' (...) When he had dressed, Frodo ...
SQB's user avatar
  • 38.8k

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