Questions tagged [tolkiens-legendarium]
For questions about any works in J.R.R. Tolkien's Legendarium - The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, and other works set in the same universe - or about that universe as a whole. Questions about movies, games, or other media set in the same universe should also use this tag. Questions about Tolkien himself or works by him which are not part of the Middle-earth universe should NOT use this tag use [j-r-r-tolkien] instead.
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Why didn't Sauron make his hand whole?
In The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Shadow of the Past", Gandalf tells Frodo:
Isildur Elendil’s son cut the Ring from Sauron’s hand and took it for his own. Then Sauron was vanquished and ...
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Why are there two completely different depictions of the Nazgûl and their flying mounts in the cartoon version of The Return of the King?
The Rankin-Bass cartoon versions of The Hobbit and The Return of the King have not generally enjoyed strong reputations among Tolkien's fans. However, comparing them to some of the live action films, ...
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Which species dance in Tolkien's works?
I know I at least saw the Hobbits dance, but I'm not sure about the others. And if they do dance, what kind of dances do they do (if known, if there isn't much description, ok)? I'm asking about all ...
user166867
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In Tolkien's own visual art, why is it that Bag End has no visible chimneys?
I asked this question of Wayne Hammond years ago, after going through J. R. R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator. He didn't know. I also asked about having to go and he speculatively joked about going ...
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Did elves shed hair?
Us mere mortals have hairs that fall out everyday. Lucky ones have new hair grow back. But what about elves? This could have led to Feanor like scraping a couch Galadriel sat on. Wouldn't be hard to ...
user166598
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What is the correct pronunciation of Eorl the Young's name?
In my mind I had always pronounced Eorl like a cognate of earl, but upon reflection I think that can't be right.
Many of the Rohan royalty have the letters E and O successively in their names, ...
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Were Bilbo, Frodo, or Samwise Tolkien's self-inserts?
Were Bilbo, Frodo, or Samwise Tolkien's self-inserts? Which one(s) and why?
I would accept an answer based either on Word of God or on a reasonable analysis by a third-party.
(The question arose out ...
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Who would have succeeded Eärnur if he had not been lost?
This excellent answer to the question of who would have been king in Gondor had Aragorn perished in battle raised this question in my mind.
After all, it is seen in Appendix A of Return of the King:
...
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What livestock did hobbits raise?
I know hobbits must have had pigs and chickens, because Bilbo Baggins served ham, bacon, eggs, and cold chicken to the dwarves when he first met them in An Unexpected Party.
But hobbits are little ...
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Why does Isildur claim to have defeated Sauron when Gil-galad and Elendil did it?
It is well-known that Isildur cut the Ring from Sauron, as in The Fellowship of the Ring, The Shadow of the Past Elrond says:
It was Gil-galad, Elven-king and Elendil of Westernesse who ...
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What is the palace on the floor of the great sea Haloisi Velike in Tolkien's early drawing "I vene kemen"
J.R.R. Tolkien's early (1916-1920) drawing I Vene Kemen is a depiction of Arda (not called that yet) in the form of a ship:
Christopher Tolkien included this drawing in The Book of Lost Tales, Part I,...
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What happened to the other three wizards after Sauron's defeat? [duplicate]
Concerning the wizards, The Silmarilion states:
it was said
among the Elves that they were messengers sent by the Lords of the West to
contest the power of Sauron
We know from The Return of the King ...
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To whom did Frodo bequeth his Elven-cloak and Brooch before he departed for Tol Eressëa?
To whom, as he headed overseas to the West, did Frodo bequeath his Elven-cloak and Brooch, unless for sentimental reasons he took them with him to Tol Eressëa, where their powers to do precisely what ...
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Why didn't Gandalf identify the troll's swords?
Elrond identified the swords by their runes in The Hobbit:
Elrond knew all about runes of every kind. That day he looked at the swords they had brought from the trolls’ lair, and he said: ‘These are ...
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Did Tolkien see all texts in his legendarium as all being found texts that he translated?
The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit were described by Tolkien as being historical documents that he found and then translated into the final published texts.
Did Tolkien see all of the following ...
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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 ...
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Did Tolkien base the beacons of Minas Tirith on a real world communication system?
In The Return of the King, a series of large wooden pyres—beacons—are lit, each in once the previous one in order appears to burn, and so in this way lead to a beacon visible from Meduseld. This ...
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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 ...
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How to Pronounce Elanor?
A different question than one might normally find here, but I could think of no better place! How is Elanor- the flower from Lorien and Sam Gamgee's daughter- pronounced? Like the name Eleanor (EL-ah-...
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What are all the times Gandalf was either late or early?
Gandalf, who is ever-quotable is well known for saying:
A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to.
I often cite this to re-assure my friends who're being harsh ...
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In Return of the King has there been any explanation for the role of the third eagle?
The below image is a screenshot of an Instagram Reel that uses a clip of Pedro Pascal to react to a clip of the eagles arriving at Mount Doom at the end of the Return of the King.
The image has a ...
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Why couldn't the dwarves beat/kill the Balrog? #2 [duplicate]
Follow-up question to Why couldn't the dwarves beat/kill the Balrog?
From the answers to that question, the dwarves apparently couldn't kill the Balrog because the Balrog is very powerful, so powerful ...
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Did Gollum eat an orc child?
While looking for answers to another question about orcs on Quora, I read an answer that referred to Gollum killing and eating an orc child in the Hobbit, but I don't recall coming across that when I ...
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Why couldn't the dwarves beat/kill the Balrog?
We read that the dwarves fled Moria after the Balrog killed Durin, their king.
My question is: was it beyond the power of the dwarves to kill the Balrog? If so, how come elves were able to kill them? ...
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Did Tolkien ever address Gandalf's propensity to take risks? [closed]
Gandalf wanted to get rid of Smaug, fearing that Smaug could eventually become an ally and tool of Sauron. But at the time of The Hobbit, Smaug was slumbering in Erebor. Gandalf explicitly discouraged ...
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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 ...
user143126
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Is Lúthien by far the greatest child of Iluvatar who ever lived? [closed]
In the chapter Of the Flight of the Noldor in The Silmarillion, when Fëanor is leading his host from Aman for to recover the Silmarils from Morgoth, a messenger arrives from Manwë and says, in part:
...
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Why does Gandalf say that "help shall oft come from the hands of the weak when the Wise falter"?
In Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age, Elrond and Gandalf have a conversation:
Therefore naught was done at that time, though Elrond's heart misgave him, and he said to Mithrandir: 'Nonetheless ...
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Did Frodo, Bilbo, Sam, and Gimli "wither and grow weary the sooner" in the Undying Lands?
In the Akallabêth, Elvish emissaries speak to the King of Númenor and others about what would happen if they came to Aman:
'The Doom of the World,' they said, 'One alone can change who made it. And ...
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Were the Valar aware of the surviving Balrogs? And if they weren´t but was made aware would they have removed it themselves? [closed]
In the council of Elrond it is debated whether or not to send the ring across the ocean and transport it to Valinor.
That idea is however quickly rejected as it is mentioned that they would not ...
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Tolkien's art - Lake Mithrim
Scratching my head here trying to work out what object or event is represented by the bright golden triangle in the background.
Any ideas? Please don't tell me it is Thangorodrim! Perhaps it is the ...
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Are the fires of Mt Doom lava, magma, or something else?
My son is learning about geology while reading LoTR. He wants to know if the fires of Mt Doom where the One Ring was forged were lava, magma, or something else. Are the fires described anywhere in the ...
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Are the Silmarils and the Rings of Power the same basic thing? [closed]
To my understanding, this question roughly translates as: Are fëa (souls) compositionally the same as "holy light" (e.g. from the Two Lamps, Two Trees, Silmarils, etc.)?
In the same way that ...
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First Age "of the Sun" terminology
I saw a statement a couple weeks ago that the terminology of ages "of the Sun" in Middle-earth appeared nowhere in Tolkien's actual works and that it was invented by fans. This seems ...
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If Sauron wins eventually without the Ring, why weren't Elrond/Gandalf in panic mode before Frodo showed up?
Sort of a follow-up question to Why did the Council of Elrond debate hiding or sending the Ring away, if Sauron wins eventually in that scenario?
If Sauron wins eventually even without finding the ...
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About orcs, elves, ents and trolls
I was discussing The Lord of the Rings with my son tonight, and we were puzzled by something—Treebeard tells Pippin and Merry that trolls are "mighty strong" but are merely weaker imitations ...
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When were Frodo and Sam first conceptualized as gay?
In my journey through the internet I came across this Reddit post which links a Cameo from Sean Astin (Sam in the LotR movies). If I understand correctly, he is responding to a question or paid for ...
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What events, characters, or settings are shown on this album cover?
I picked this up at a thrift shop over the weekend. I found it very neat to see what a reader may have imagined the characters and world of LOTR to look like. I read the book in a Post-Jackson world, ...
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In what ways does the One Ring affect the wearer?
The key quote from Tolkien that answers this is contained in Letter 246, with my added emphasis:
It was part of the essential deceit of the Ring to fill minds with imaginations of supreme power.
...
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Did Gollum want possession of the Ring but not want to wear it?
Is this accurate? While the Ring is definitely something he desired and wore to become invisible occasionally, he did not particularly want to wear it.
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Orc calls elves "filth?"
The orcs insult and disparage elves but they use terms that seem too human -- is something being filth that big a deal to an orc? So are we getting only an imprecise translation of what orcs say often,...
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At what point in the writing of The Lord of the Rings did Bilbo's "Translations from the Elvish" appear?
The original framing story for Tolkien's Book of Lost Tales, which later developed into The Silmarillion, was a sailor named Eriol/Ælfwine who chanced upon Tol Eressëa and was told the stories by his ...
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What happened to Frodo's house at Crickhollow?
In The Lord of the Rings, Frodo buys a house at Crickhollow after selling Bag End to Lobelia Sackville-Baggins. He goes there on the way to Rivendell, where it is revealed that Merry and Pippin both ...
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Why did Sauron's spirit reform in Mirkwood? [duplicate]
When Sauron was defeated in the War of the Last Alliance at the end of the Second Age, why did his spirit reform in Mirkwood and not elsewhere? Did Sauron have some sort of connection with Mirkwood ...
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Compass/magnetic directions in Middle-earth
Maps in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit have North/South/East/West marked on them, and I am wondering if anyone can tell me what these directions mean and how they are determined in-universe.
The ...
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What Old English works did Tolkien write?
In addition to being a fantasy author, Tolkien worked professionally as a linguist. His background in Old English found its way into many different aspects of the main books in the Lord of the Rings, ...
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Marriage and kinship among the Ainur: symbolic or literal? [duplicate]
Tolkien previously intended the Valar to be just like polytheistic gods, who had children, sex and familial connections among each other, but he later scrapped this idea, to an extent at least: some ...
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The height of the levels of Minas Tirith
In LOTR, Minas Tirith in Gondor is described as having seven levels. What was the average difference in height between levels?
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Why did the Council of Elrond debate hiding or sending the Ring away, if Sauron wins eventually in that scenario?
From Did Sauron have the military power to control all Middle-earth? it's evident that Sauron would eventually win even if he never reacquired the One Ring.
Given that, why did the Council of Elrond ...
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Is the Notion Club set in the same universe of the Legendarium?
"Imaginatively" Middle-earth "is the actual Old World of this planet".
I wonder whether the Notion Club members lived on the same planet, Ages after the Elves vanished, and the ...
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