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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When Frodo offers her the ring, is Galadriel really tempted, or just making a point?
(Question sparked by discussion on Why does Frodo follow Galadriel and offer her the ring?)
When Frodo suggests that Galadriel should take the ring, she appears tempted: she gives a vision of the ...
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Is there a passage in Lord of the Rings told from the perspective of an orc?
I distinctly remember that when I read Lord of the Rings, there was a passage told from the point of view of an orc (although obviously still told in the third person).
I think the orc was ...
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Why do the Rohirrim apparently find the H-word offensive?
In The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Gimli and Éomer have the following dialogue:
Gimli: Give me your name, Horse-master, and I shall give you mine.
Éomer: I would cut off your head, dwarf, if ...
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Were there any democracies in Middle-earth?
Most states in Middle-earth seem to be feudalish kingdoms; Gondor, Rohan, Númenor, Dwarves, and Elves were all ruled by hereditary nobles.
Was there any state/society that was more of a democracy/...
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Why did the Dwarves build Erebor with wide hallways big enough for dragons to fit in?
Why didn't they build narrow hallways and doors so that no dragon would fit in?
Dwarves are short and stouty, so why didn't they go "Tucker's Kobolds" on Smaug?
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Was Gollum always a hobbit?
Gollum first appears in The Hobbit, as a pitiful creature from whom Bilbo 'steals' the ring. From what I remember, there is no mention of his hobbithood. He's just a unique creature Bilbo finds.
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Why does Sauron not permit his followers to use his name?
From The Two Towers, chapter 1, "The Departure of Boromir":
Upon their shields [the orcs] bore a strange device: a small white hand in the centre of a black field; on the front of their ...
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Why don't elves have more babies?
Is there a particular reason the elves die off so fast? After the first war against Sauron, I recall the elves being decimated, to the point that they're almost useless army-wise in the trilogy. But I'...
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How large was Khazad-dûm?
Khazad-dûm is said the be the largest of the Dwarven kingdoms. In terms of scale how large was it? 40 miles end to end but how many levels?
Is there a way to compare it to a modern day city in terms ...
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Who's older: Treebeard or Tom Bombadil?
Tom Bombadil says this to the hobbits, in reply to the question "who are you?":
(...) But you are young and I am old. Eldest, that’s what I am. Mark my words, my friends: Tom was here before the ...
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If Galadriel had claimed the One Ring, would Sauron have become her servant, or would have Galadriel become his servant?
This question was inspired by the Andres F answer to another question. In his answer he stated
"we are told that if she ever took the One Ring, she would become way
more powerful than Sauron ...
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Are there any more races in Middle-earth?
Not counting orcs, Balrogs, and the like. Are there any more diplomatic races found in the history of Middle-earth? Any singular or group of historical significance?
The ones we're obviously aware of:
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Was the Lonely Mountain, where Smaug lived, a volcano?
Was the Lonely Mountain in The Hobbit a volcano?
If not, how did the dwarves get enough heat to run the huge forges?
I am asking about the books, not the movies.
user89104
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What effect would the One Ring have on other people?
We know that for hobbits, the One Ring makes them invisible. But, at least according to the movie, Sauron was not invisible when he was wearing the ring. What effects would the ring have on other ...
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Could Tom Bombadil have defeated Sauron?
There is evidence that Tom Bombadil is unaffected by the One Ring's power and he has magical ways about him that can't be explained.
It seems that Tom did not participate actively in the War of the ...
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Do Lord of the Rings or The Silmarillion pass the Bechdel test?
Motivation
Let's face it, Tolkien wasn't much of a promoter of women's equality (to say the least). Thus there are no female characters in The Hobbit. The Lord of the Rings certainly has several (...
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Are there any bad elves in the Lord of the Rings universe?
Is there ever acknowledgement of a bad elf, or even an elf doing a very bad thing (because he is bad)? I've heard that bad elves are orcs and good orcs are elves, or something like that.
Similar to ...
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Did Saruman know about the Ents?
When Saruman began fortifying Isengard and cutting down all the trees in the vicinity to fuel his construction, was he totally unaware of the Ents?
When they attacked, they made pretty quick work of ...
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How well does Shadow of Mordor fit into Middle-earth canon?
The 2014 video game Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor takes place between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. In it, an undead Gondorian Ranger named Talion is bound to Celebrimbor's ...
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Why didn't Gandalf know what the Palantir was?
In the book The Two Towers, Gandalf is puzzled as to how Saruman had been communicating with Sauron. Grima Wormtongue, rather conveniently, then throws Saruman's Palantir out the window of Orthanc, ...
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Is Sam Gamgee an orphan?
Is Samwise Gamgee, one of the four hobbits in the fellowship, one of the three to be the last bearers of the one ring of power, one of the two hobbits who alone infiltrated mordor and brought the ring ...
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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.
...
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What was the value of the Shire and everything in it?
We know for a fact — leastways, according to Mithrandir — that a certain corslet of mithril chainmail would be valued more than the Shire and everything in it:
‘What?’ cried Gimli, startled out of ...
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Why didn't Aragorn keep going with the army of the dead?
Why did Aragorn not keep going with the army of the dead and overthrow Mordor and Sauron?
As unstoppable as they seem to be in destroying all physical armies without any injuries, taking on Mordor ...
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Why would the elves help destroy the One Ring?
In Lord of the Rings, the rings preserve what you desire the most. The Elves have three rings preserving their kind's well-being, as well as preserving Rivendell. If the One Ring is destroyed, and ...
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Why didn’t they just take the ring to Valinor?
At the end of ‘The Return of the King’, Bilbo, Frodo, Gandalf and others boarded a boat and left Middle-earth for Valinor.
Is there any canon explanation why they couldn’t just take the ring there in ...
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Why do people say that Peter Jackson can not make LOTR/Hobbit sequels?
I was reading a couple of posts on forums where people said that "The Silmarillion" would make a great basis for an action movie, a sequel (or would that be prequel?) to LOTR and Hobbit.
But someone ...
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Did Sauron have the military power to control all Middle-earth?
Inspired by here: Why was the ring necessary for Sauron to control Middle-earth?, but not a question about the Ring itself, but about Sauron's military power.
TL/DR: Could Sauron conquer Middle-earth ...
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Why didn't Gollum grow old and die after he lost the One Ring to Bilbo?
Gollum had his life largely extended because he possessed the One Ring. He appeared to be an old, deformed, and twisted creature.
According to this list, he had the Ring for 478 years. His loss of ...
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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 ...
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Did Sauron survive?
According to Tolkien himself Sauron had a physical form in the third age:
...in a tale which allows the incarnation of great spirits in a physical and destructible form their power must be far ...
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Is there any canonical reference to the fate of the Blue Wizards: Alatar and Pallando?
All I've ever been able to find is that they arrived in Middle-earth and left to go do something outside of the scope of the story. Has anyone ever found any additional information?
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Was Gimli the last of his race?
In the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, dwarves play a fairly central role: They drive the entire plot of The Hobbit, and much of Fellowship is centered upon Moria, the dwarven stronghold.
We see ...
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Why model Smaug after a cat?
In the 1977 animated film version of the Hobbit, the dragon Smaug is drawn similar to a cat- the shape of his head is distinctly feline (complete with whiskers), and his posture when awoken from his ...
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Why did Gandalf chase the Balrog down?
From the Fellowship of the Ring:
From LotrWikia:
Neither he nor the Balrog was killed by the fall, and Gandalf pursued the creature for eight days until they climbed to the peak of Zirakzigil. ...
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Why does Gandalf show such reverence for Galadriel and Elrond?
Particularly in the Hobbit movies, Elrond mentions that Gandalf answers to Galadriel. Though Gandalf is a Maiar, one of Ainur, shouldn't he be regarded as one of the elders one above the Noldor?
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Was Elrond, in Tolkien's opinion, more inherently powerful than Galadriel?
I always thought it was the other way around, but then I read this (Letter 246):
"Of the others only Gandalf might be expected to master him – being an emissary of the Powers and a creature of ...
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Where did "you shall not pass" come from?
One of the most memorable lines from the Lord of the Rings movies is when Gandalf stands before the Balrog and says "you cannot pass". It's commonly quoted as "you shall not pass" ...
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Did Sauron give any care to Saruman or was he just a pawn?
Did Sauron make any sort of promise or guarantee to Saruman to gain his fealty? Did Saruman consider himself an equal to Sauron?
He seemed to control a reasonable Orc army, but were they actually ...
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Was Sauron aware of what Gandalf was?
Is there any evidence that Gandalf's maia origin was known to Sauron. Not many of the elves even knew (Cirdan, Galadriel and Elrond maybe)
This quote makes me think not.
'So!' said the Messenger. '...
user46509
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How did Gandalf elude and puzzle Sauron?
In the History of Middle-Earth book collection Myths Transformed we learn a lot about how Sauron perceived the Istari and what he knew of them.
Sauron had, in fact been very like Saruman, and so ...
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What are the revisions in the (Revised Edition) of The Hobbit?
So this past Saturday a group of my friends and I all watched the three The Lord of the Rings extended edition movies in one sitting.
That night, I borrowed a copy of The Hobbit, which I've never read,...
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Did Mandos make any decisions that didn't prove to be disastrous?
Mandos is the great judge of the Valar, and his decisions are widely respected by all the other Valar. But most of his judgements have disastrous consequences for the Valar, the Elves, and all of ...
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Unknown feature on Middle-earth's map?
On Christopher Tolkien's map of Middle-earth, one feature has always caught my eye, and to my knowledge has never been explained: The mass in the middle of the Sea of Rhûn:
Has this ever been talked ...
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Who or what is the oldest sentient being in Tolkien's lore?
The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, The Histories of Middle Earth, all lore related to this universe is acceptable fodder. Regardless of their power, susceptibility to The One Ring, ...
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Why did Gandalf not return to help Frodo and Sam?
It says on the Lord of the Rings wiki:
Gandalf returned as the White Wizard (named anew "Gandalf the White"), and he claimed leadership of the order of Wizards. Gandalf's power and wisdom ...
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Who is "He that flies" in Lord of the Rings?
In the chapter 7 of book three in Lord of the Rings titled "Helm's Deep", the scout says the following.
‘It is very great,’ said the scout. ‘He that flies counts every foeman twice, yet I have ...
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Was Galadriel's temptation of Boromir instrumental to his fall?
We know Galadriel tempted the members of the Fellowship, did she tempt Boromir with visions of taking the Ring and saving Gondor?
In the books, Boromir willingly accepts the judgement of the council ...
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Why did Frodo start his adventure 17 years after he inherited the One Ring?
I haven't read the books for many years, so I don't remember the exact reasons, but looking at this LOTR Timeline on lotrproject.com, I see that Frodo inherited the Ring on 23 September TA 3001, but ...
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What did Smaug eat for 60 years?
From what I understand, Smaug is a beast that must eat other living things to sustain himself. For example, he does not "eat" gold and jewels, he simply admires and covets them.
It's implied that he ...
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