All Questions
36
questions
9
votes
2
answers
2k
views
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, ...
- 91
13
votes
3
answers
980
views
Did Tolkien actually use asterisms in the Lord of the Rings?
I own a version of The Fellowship of the Ring that I'm enjoying a lot, and now that I'm nearing the end I thought I might as well buy an ebook on Amazon containing all three books so I can go on with ...
- 231
19
votes
8
answers
14k
views
Why is the number of orcs thousands instead of millions in "The Lord of the Rings"?
I know that Tolkien served in World War I, in which more than 20 million died. And he also witnessed World War II, in which more than 70 million people died.
So why did Tolkien limit the number on ...
- 413
22
votes
1
answer
6k
views
Are Hobbits related (distant or no) to Elves?
I have read the LOTR trilogy more than once. I feel (from many nuances and some plain text of Tolkien's) that halflings are distantly related to Elves, perhaps descending from common lineage. Whether ...
- 347
6
votes
1
answer
937
views
Did Tolkien ever discuss why rings were chosen? [duplicate]
With years of reading the books and watching movies, especially with the success of the Peter Jackson movies, the fact the main magical items of The Lord of the Rings are the rings seems ...
- 14.5k
36
votes
2
answers
12k
views
Why are Hobbits so fond of mushrooms?
In both the book and the movie it would seem that Hobbits are especially fond of mushrooms, sometimes braving dangers to harvest them.
I have seen somewhere an interview in which Tolkien claimed he ...
15
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Where does Tolkien discuss his bafflement at fans wearing One Ring replicas?
I'm certain that I read a passage from Tolkien somewhere expressing how disturbed/confused he was that anyone would want to make or possess a replica of the One Ring, being as it is a symbol of evil. ...
- 329
8
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Are there any specific examples in Lord of the Rings that are influenced by WWII?
I know that Tolkien is greatly influenced by folklore of many cultures and WWI directly. However, I wonder if there are any specific examples that show influence from WWII?
The best conjecture so far ...
user65648
-5
votes
1
answer
526
views
Why does Tolkien not give Aragorn a duel? [closed]
This is kinda more fan service than what makes sense from a literary perspective. Aragorn's position is confirmed as a leader and not necessarily a hero or a slayer, that is true. Yet that doesn't ...
- 13
16
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What did Faramir and Tolkien have in common?
It was mentioned in Faramir's wiki that (emphasis mine):
Long after completing The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien would write that of all characters Faramir resembles the author most, and that he had ...
- 11.3k
20
votes
1
answer
5k
views
Tolkien's reaction and knowledge of Led Zeppelin using references to LOTR
The songs "The Battle Of Evermore" and "Ramble On" by Led Zeppelin have references to Lord Of the Rings.
The Battle Of Evermore
The pain of war cannot exceed the woe of aftermath,
The drums will ...
- 17.2k
9
votes
1
answer
453
views
Did Tolkien ever change the meanings of his words? [closed]
Inventing a language is no easy undertaking. I can't imagine Tolkien just plucking words from the air and going with them, so I opine that he must have meticulously chosen and changed his made-up ...
- 3,611
3
votes
1
answer
588
views
Has Tolkien ever commented on the relative leadership skills of prominent Middle-earth figures?
If we look at some of the prominent figures in Middle-earth at the time of the War of the Ring:
Théoden
Denethor
Aragorn
Elrond
Gandalf
All of these are 'leaders' of one form or another, but some ...
- 135k
39
votes
1
answer
12k
views
Did Tolkien have Pippin die originally?
According to the movie mistakes website for Return of the King, it is mentioned that Tolkien had Pippin originally killed off at the Battle of the Black Gates. He was persuaded by his dear friend C.S. ...
- 11.3k
31
votes
2
answers
7k
views
Did Tolkien create Gandalf the White out of regret for killing off Gandalf the Grey?
Are there any notes from Tolkien hinting at the possibility that Gandalf the Grey being killed was in fact the end of Gandalf, but was brought back out of regret (or even necessity)? I'm particularly ...
- 1,575
17
votes
2
answers
13k
views
What do Orcs and Trolls actually look like, or rather how did Tolkien imagine them?
Bear with me, while the question seems sort of ridiculous because the movie of Jackson and fantasy-role playing games presented them in detail, in fact the original Tolkien does not describe their ...
- 4,636
6
votes
1
answer
618
views
Does a transcription of Tolkien's handwriting in this image exist? (Part 3)
I wasn't going to do this, but the first two questions were so popular that I think we can go for the hat trick.
The full size image is available here.
Note: Once again, I can't ask you to ...
- 70.1k
30
votes
2
answers
6k
views
Does a transcription of Tolkien's handwriting in this image exist? (Part 2)
Following on the success we had transcribing the text in the image on this question, I am hoping that lightning will strike twice. This image contains far more text, and is even less legible. It ...
- 70.1k
19
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Does a transcription of Tolkien's handwriting in this image exist?
In his answer to another question I asked here, Jason Baker included the following image, taken from a page of Tolkien's "Synoptic Time Scheme for The Lord of the Rings". We had some difficulty ...
- 70.1k
22
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Did Tolkien ever write that Sauron killed Shagrat?
Many wiki entries, as well as many other sources about Shagrat (one of the Orc captains who captured Frodo outside Shelob's lair) say he was killed by Sauron shortly after Frodo's escape.
In the ...
- 70.1k
9
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Did Tolkien ever discuss his views of heroism?
Reading The Lord of the Rings, and reading about it (especially here), I get the impression that Tolkien perceived heroism to be inextricably intertwined with several other virtues, including mercy, ...
- 70.1k
6
votes
1
answer
773
views
Did Tolkien deliberately place the Battle of the Pelennor Fields on the Ides of March?
I just realized that the Battle of the Pelennor Fields (aka the Battle of Minas Tirith) occurs on March 15th, or the infamous "Ides of March". The Ides of March was originally nothing more than a day ...
- 70.1k
19
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Do we know what Tolkien meant when he used the word "weapontake"?
In the book The Return of the King, Tolkien uses a word that is obscure and archaic, even for a philologist who reveled in obscure and archaic words. The context is that King Theoden and his Rohirrim ...
- 70.1k
20
votes
5
answers
7k
views
Did Tolkien originally intend to write a very different Lord of the Rings?
Lord of the Rings is a big story with a dramatic buildup. At first it seems like the quest would unfold in a The Hobbit-like manner, with an eclectic band on a journey of adventure, but the story gets ...
- 5,151
27
votes
3
answers
8k
views
Why did Tolkien reverse the more common traditional genders assigned to the sun and moon?
In most cultures throughout history, from ancient Rome to China, from the Americas to Africa, there has been a general trend (although there have been plenty of exceptions) in assigning a gender to ...
- 70.1k
23
votes
2
answers
6k
views
How much did Tolkien write about the connection between WWI and his work?
I know Tolkien often downplayed the influence his experiences as a messenger in World War I had on his writing, but he wasn't being entirely truthful- perhaps the memories were too horrific to think ...
- 70.1k
33
votes
2
answers
8k
views
Did J.R.R. Tolkien plan for the ring to be Sauron's?
I know that The Hobbit was published first before the The Lord of the Rings trilogy. And since that was the first appearance of The One Ring, I was wondering if Tolkien had planned it to be so.
So, ...
- 3,433
11
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Did Tolkien change LOTR when the publisher made it a trilogy?
It's well known that Tolkien intended for Lord of the Rings to be a single volume, but the publisher insisted on making it a trilogy because of the practical factors involved in publishing such a ...
- 38.6k
44
votes
4
answers
21k
views
Did Tolkien have experience with addiction?
One of the most powerful characterizations in The Lord of the Rings is the addictive nature of the Ring. The way it slowly but powerfully makes you prioritize it above everything else, never exerting ...
- 38.6k
58
votes
3
answers
28k
views
Is "Lord of the Rings" a trilogy of books in Tolkien's opinion?
Is "Lord of the Rings" a trilogy of books?
It was published as 3 separate books, but can it be called a trilogy? Was it intended to be a trilogy by Tolkien himself?
The question arose in comment ...
- 343k
5
votes
3
answers
5k
views
What meaning(s) or message(s), if any, was Tolkien trying to convey with his books?
What overall meaning or message, if any, was Tolkien trying to convey with each of his books (The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, LOTR)?
- 93
29
votes
3
answers
4k
views
Did Tolkien acknowledge that Silmarillion is harder to read than LOTR?
Personally, I found Silmarillion to be very difficult to read (I admit to having never been able to finish it) compared to LOTR books. I know plenty of people who share that opinion (even native ...
- 343k
26
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Where did J.R.R. Tolkien state that Arwen suggested that Frodo be allowed to sail West?
In The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien by Humphrey Carpenter (assisted by Christopher Tolkien), footnote 94 states:
What is meant is that it was Arwen who first thought of sending Frodo into the West, ...
user56
52
votes
6
answers
10k
views
Did JRR Tolkien ever write any music for the many songs in The Lord of the Rings?
Due to the number of songs in The Lord of the Rings, I have recently been wondering if Tolkien had any musical training and if any "official" music was written (by him or anyone else on his behalf) to ...
- 14.4k
31
votes
9
answers
13k
views
Is Tolkien prejudiced against the East?
In Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings series, there are generally two groups of Men. The good ones are coming from the West (Dúnedain, Men of the West), and the bad ones, the Easterlings, mostly fight ...
- 2,766
214
votes
5
answers
252k
views
Did Tolkien really explicitly consider Sam the true hero of The Lord of the Rings?
Quoting from Crouching Moron Hidden Badass: Literature on TVTropes (TVTropes link alert!!! Don't tell me I didn't warn you!):
Perhaps even more aptly: Samwise Gamgee. His name roughly translates to ...
- 343k