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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How was Aragorn's legitimacy as king verified?
Similar to the question "How did Faramir know that Aragorn was the King in the Houses of Healing?". How was it verified that Aragorn was indeed the rightful king of Gondor and not an ...
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In the Return of The King movie, why does Gandalf cough while smoking?
So this is a minor nitpick, but it's been bugging me for a little while now.
In The Fellowship of the Ring, we can see that Gandalf is a casual pipe smoker; he seems quite adept at it, even able to ...
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How did Bill the Pony survive in "The Lord of the Rings?"
On the road to Moria, the Fellowship released Bill the Pony, who in my opinion is the true hero of The Fellowship of the Ring. At the end of the series, Sam is reunited with Bill who made his way back ...
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Had Bilbo with Thorin & Co. camped before the rainy night or hadn't they?
From The Hobbit, chapter 2, "Roast Mutton:"
In the Lone-lands they had to camp when they could, but at least it
had been dry.
Then in the sixth paragraph later:
They decided in the end ...
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Did Tolkien use Mont Saint-Michel as the inspiration for Minas Tirith
I am aware that Peter Jackson used Mont Saint-Michel as the inspiration of Minas Tirith, within the Return of the King movie.
If there any evidence that Tolkien used the same place as inspiration for ...
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What exactly was the plan that drove the bulk of the Southlands subplot?
By the end of the first season of The Rings of Power, we learn that
So...whose plan was this, and what exactly was the plan? For example...
Or,
And given that
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What is 'light' in Tolkien's lore, exactly?
'Light' as a concept seems confusing, since it can possibly encompass (or just be supplied in varying amounts by) Eru's Flame Imperishable, the Lamps of the Valar, the Two Trees, the Silmarils, the ...
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Was Gandalf on Middle-earth in the Second Age?
Amazon's Rings of Power shows someone who may be Gandalf operating in the second age. When does Gandalf first arrive to Middle-earth in Tolkien's writings?
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Do we ever see a hobbit use their natural ability to “disappear”?
The Fellowship of the Ring prologue contains the following information about hobbits:
They possessed from the first the art of disappearing swiftly and
silently, when large folk whom they do not wish ...
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Could the Witch-king be killed without a Barrow-blade?
It seems to be widely assumed (see, e.g., https://middle-earth.xenite.org/could-earnur-have-slain-the-lord-of-the-nazgul/) that the Witch-king would have been somehow invulnerable to Éowyn's sword had ...
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In "The Rings of Power," what is Halbrand referring to when he says "The One?"
In the last episode of the show The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, during the scene between Halbrand and Galadriel, Halbrand makes a reference to "The One", but I don't understand ...
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Was there a Baggins at Bag End after Frodo left for the Undying Lands? [duplicate]
In the beginning of the first LOTR movie, Bilbo narrates
"....There has always been a Baggins at Bag End and there always will
be."
But after Frodo leaves for the Undying Lands, who was ...
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What kind of beings are the three women that hunt down the istar [closed]
In the Amazon Prime Series, there are three magical beings clad in grey that hunt down one of the main characters and have several interactions with what are to become hobbits.
As shown in the last ...
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How did the Red Book of Westmarch survive?
Nothing else seems to have survived. Not cities, not even mountains. How did the Red Book survive to fall into the Translator's (Tolkien's) hands?
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How well known is the effect of death in Middle-earth?
Out of universe, it is well established that when Elves die, they don’t “really” die, instead they go to the Halls of Mandos where they will probably reincarnate after some time.
Men go to another ...
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Did Sauron, at one point, regret what he had done under the service of Morgoth?
In the Season 1 finale of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power episode 08 "Alloyed", Sauron* has revealed himself to Galadriel and says to her:
Sauron (speaking in the form of Finrod ...
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Who or what is "Nampat" in the chant of the Orcs in the Rings of Power?
In a recent episode of the Rings of Power, the Orcs are chanting the word "Nampat" during a march.
According to some websites it could mean either "Death" in Black speech, eg see ...
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How are Orcs so prolific in Tolkien?
The question as to how Orcs reproduce is one that has come up many times, and the answer is basically, as they are just corrupted Elves they do it in the traditional fashion.
For the Orcs had life ...
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Did Gandalf and Sméagol ever meet before Sméagol got the One Ring?
I am thinking that since Gandalf enjoyed being with Hobbits and liked to visit them, I am wondering if there is anything in LotR canon that mentions whether he had visited the Stoor Hobbits during his ...
user143126
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Besides Galadriel and Glorfindel, were any of the elves living in Middle-earth at the end of the Third Age born in Aman?
Both Galadriel and Glorfindel were Noldor born in Aman who followed Fëanor to Middle-earth, and are still there at the end of the Third Age (though yes, technically Glorfindel died, was reembodied, ...
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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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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 ...
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Did Tolkien ever discuss the inconsistent number of recorded Human and Elven relationships
In Tolkien's legendarium he was very clear that there were three unions of elves and men. Which were those of:
Beren and Lúthien
Tuor and Idril
Aragorn and Arwen
Tolkien also describes at least two ...
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Who was the elf fighting a balrog over a tree on top of a mountain over Khazad-dum?
In S1E5 of The Rings of Power, King Gil-galad and Elrond tell a story about an elf and a balrog fighting over a tree on top of a mountain as they tell the backstory about the origin of mithril. They ...
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Did the ringwraiths develop a better sense of smell and if so, why?
In my understanding, ringwraiths were once humans. The books portray them as sniffing a lot and trying to pick up a scent. This is especially true in the first part where Frodo departs from Bag End.
...
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Who made the ring of Barahir
In JRR Tolkien's work the Ring of Barahir (RoB) was one of the key heirlooms of the Heirs of Elendil.
There is a relevant passage I recall, (I think it is from "Appendix A" of LotR, but my ...
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Who were the two large hobbits?
In the Lord of the Rings chapter "The Scouring of the Shire", there is this passage:
The hobbits at the gate still seemed ill at ease, evidently some rule or other was being broken; but ...
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Why is there no evidence of any locations from Arda? [duplicate]
Tolkien said that he imagines the events of The Lord of the Rings to have happened about 6,000 years ago. Assuming this is the case, what happened since then to make the land completely unrecognizable?...
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Who are depicted in the statues at Númenor?
In The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power S01E03 "Adar", Galadriel and Halbrand get rescued at sea by Elendil and his crew, whereafter they travel to the island kingdom of Númenor. While ...
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What is the significance of the intro to The Rings of Power?
The intro to The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power shows small stones or sand forming various shapes and patterns.
Other than looking cool, do these shapes and patterns, and the sand, have any ...
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What has appeared in Rings of Power S1 that is outside Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, but still in Tolkien's writings?
While people are quite, and even singularly, focused on things that appear in The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power that aren't in Tolkien's writings anywhere, what I find interesting are things that ...
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Dark-skinned elves in J. R. R. Tolkien's works
Are there any indications in any of Tolkien's works (stories, letters, notes, or anything) that suggest there can be elves of dark skin?
And the opposite: Is there any indication that there cannot be ...
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How close is Amazon's 'The Rings of Power' to anything that existed in prior Tolkien works?
I was interested in watching 'The Rings of Power' as I enjoy most of what has been produced on Tolkien's works (minus 'The Hobbit'). I am hearing some horrible reviews, however, that make me question ...
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Why would Galadriel "might have inadvertently kept alive the very evil she sought to defeat," were she allowed to continue her hunt for Sauron?
In The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power S01E01 "A Shadow of the Past", Elrond and Gil-galad had a conversation about Gil-galad not allowing Galadriel to continue her hunt for Sauron ...
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Did the Istari arrive in Middle Earth simultaneously? [duplicate]
From the wiki it is said that Saruman and one of the blue wizards came first, followed by Gandalf. Later Radagast and the other Blue wizard was sent.
Was this arrival practically simultaneous ("...
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As of now, who determines what is canon in the Tolkien universe? [duplicate]
With the debut of “Rings of Power,” I want to know whether the idea of “canon” exists in the Tolkien universe, and if so, who determines canon at this point in time?
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Where do Saruman's loyalties lie during the events of The Hobbit?
In The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Thorin's company comes to Rivendell. While there, Elrond, Galadriel, and Saruman privately brace Gandalf to inquire about his activities with the dwarves. (~1h35m)...
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Why couldn't the Ring be taken to Gondor by sea?
I'm currently listening to the Lord of the Rings on audiobook. In the Council of Elrond, they discuss a number of possible options for dealing with the Ring, including sending it to Valinor by ship, ...
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Did Tolkien ever write about his elves being hairless on certain parts of their bodies in any of his works, or if elves grew pubic hair
Any information from Tolkien's works that showed this would be acceptable.
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Why didn't Gandalf have spies just like Saruman?
In The Fellowship of the Ring we see the Gap of Rohan being constantly watched by Dunland's Crebains (crows) which Saruman used as spies. So, when Gandalf was reborn as Gandalf the White, or even ...
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Why shouldn't Angrod have forgotten that his father was a lord of the Noldor?
In the XIII chapter of the Silmarillion, Caranthir addressing Angrod says:
“But Caranthir, who loved not the sons of Finarfin, and was the harshest of the brothers and the most quick to anger, cried ...
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What does "Golden" refer to in Ar-Pharazôn's title - the Golden?
We know Númenóreans could have golden hair, like Aldarion.
I'm inclined to think he had golden hair or liked to dress in gold. There's probably no definite answer in canon, but can there be other ...
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How did the Witch-king take and hold Minas Ithil so easily?
One of the longer conflicts in the Legendarium is the Fall of Arnor, where the Witch-king spends a century building up Angmar to rival the diminished and disunited petty kingdoms of the Dúnedain, ...
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Did Tolkien communicate whether Glorfindel ever reported the conditions of the Halls of Mandos?
Glorfindel was reincarnated: a Noldo who died in Beleriand in the First Age, and was sent back after spending some time in Mandos' Halls in some state of grace. In the Third Age he resided with Elrond ...
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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 a dragon ever attack the lands of Rohan or Gondor?
I would like to know if there is anything mentioned in LOTR canon that mentions that a dragon had once attacked the lands of Rohan and/or Gondor, either during the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd Age.
Did a dragon ...
user143126
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In "The Silmarillion", why did not all the creatures living in total darkness become evil/deformed?
Large stretches of time pass in The Silmarillion with there being no Sun. And when it comes, it's like a little "prop" that just looks nice on the sky.
Does this not meant that all the Elves ...
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Can Gandalf magically manipulate smoke rings?
In the Lord of the Rings movie, Gandalf is shown manipulating smoke rings in a clearly magical way.
Is there any evidence in the books that he can do this?
I recall he blew smoke rings in LOTR but don’...
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Is Elven immortality in Middle-earth tied to the Elven Rings of Power?
Background:
I was reading this answer:
https://scifi.stackexchange.com/a/27985/41365
In it I came upon the quote, 'As Elrond puts it'
"What is that doom?" said Aragorn.
"That so long ...
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Why does Éowyn shieldmaiden of Rohan "not desire the speech of living men"?
Faramir smiled, though his heart was filled with pity. ‘Your window does not look eastward?’ he said. ‘That can be amended.
In this I will command the Warden. If you will stay in this house in our ...
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