All Questions
36
questions
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
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
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
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
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
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 ...
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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