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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"Regions where pain and delight flow together and tears are the very wine of blessedness"?
From The Return of the King, either in the middle or toward the end:
And all the host laughed and wept, and in the midst of their merriment and tears the clear voice of the minstrel rose like silver ...
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Why would Sam NOT note the date when his own daughter was born?
In the end of The Return of the King:
Time went on, and 1421 came in. Frodo was ill again in March, but with a great effort he concealed it, for Sam had other things to think about. The first of Sam ...
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Are there meaningful anagrams in Lord of the Rings character names?
Motivation
I just observed that "Denethor", the human steward who thought himself king has all the same letters as the word "dethrone" which is what he intended to do to Aragorn, ...
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Was it not inexcusably foolish of Sauron to not guard the Ring-destroying lava pit? [duplicate]
I know that he did not think that anyone would want to destroy it, but rather that somebody would instead claim it and try to fight Him with it, but if there is only one place on the planet where the ...
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Why do the Dunedain wear Fëanorian stars?
Why do the Dunedain wear Fëanorian stars? Is it because of their Noldorin descent through Ëarendil?
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How did Frodo's and Sam's non-Orc clothes get back from Mount Doom?
When Frodo and Sam wake up after being rescued by the Eagles, Gandalf mentions that the clothes that they wore to Mordor have been "rescued", and that they shall wear them in a ceremony.
He ...
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Why does Frodo act as if the world is coming to an end when they have fulfilled the Quest?
At the moment when they should be overflowing with joy, when they have just saved Middle-earth by finally managing to drop The One into the uniquely Ring-destroying lava pit, Frodo is talking about ...
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Are there any battle speeches given by Elven commanders in Tolkien's legendarium?
I am looking for battle speeches like the one Théoden gave prior to the Battle of the Pelennor Fields in The Return of the King:
Arise! Arise, riders of Théoden! Spears shall be shaken, shields shall ...
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What is the Tengwar transliteration of this Gandalf quote fom the Lord of the Rings
I searched the web for someone to trust to make a transliteration in Tengwar and no one that I have asked has gotten back to me, so here I am.
I want to make a tattoo in Tengwar (preferably the italic/...
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Is Sam exclusively Frodo's gardener, or his general servant?
Sam felt that he could sit like that in endless happiness; but it was not allowed. It was not enough for him to find his master, he had still to try and save him. He kissed Frodo’s forehead. ‘Come! ...
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What happened to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings as the text that existed in Middle-Earth? [duplicate]
Excuse me for not having read the books, I just rewatched the movies while beginning The Silmarillion, with The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings to follow.
At the end of Return of the King as he ...
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Where has Tolkien's Second Age material been published?
A new Tolkien collection, The Fall of Númenor, is due to be published in a few months. It will contain all of the second age material. I believe this will all be reprints. Aside from The Silmarillion ...
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Why did the gate before Minas Tirith break so very easily?
Unless I got something wrong, it took only three (3) bashes with the huge door-breaker for the "mighty" gate before Minas Tirith to burst open.
Isn't it strange? Is that really how a real ...
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Did Sauron suspect that the Ring would be destroyed?
In The Lord of the Rings, the strategy is to infiltrate the One Ring into Mordor undetected and destroy it in Mount Doom.
However in "The Choices of Master Samwise", Shagrat and Gorbag have ...
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Why is Pippin thinking "mostly" of Frodo, ignoring poor Sam?
It seems that even in thoughts and prayers, poor Sam is thought of as "lesser than" Frodo, if even included whatsoever:
All now took leave of the Lord of the City and went to rest while ...
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Did the "Wild Men" actually help in the great battle in The Return of the King?
It's quite possible that I've just managed to miss this, even though I read so slowly, but there seemed to be a big build-up when the "Wild Men" were talking to Théoden king and it seemed ...
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Is there “destiny” in "The Lord of the Rings"?
I’m confused about the existence of destiny in the world of The Lord of the Rings and, subject to it, free will.
Clearly the characters seems to think there is, indeed, free will and the choices to ...
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Why did Pippin insist on joining Denethor's army?
Never mind the fact that it makes for a good (and nerve-wracking, in my case) plot point, but why did the hobbit feel the need to take this drastic step?
Yes, I know that he has some sort of honour ...
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Evil Things Older than Sauron? [duplicate]
I was reminded by its quotation in Why did Caradhras not want the Fellowship to pass? of the following quote from The Lord of the Rings ("The Ring Goes South" from Book 2"):
We cannot ...
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Did Isildur know who had the three elven rings?
A quote from the Unfinished Tales attributed to Isildur is included in the following question:
What counts as being "given" the One Ring?
From Unfinished Tales, "The Disaster of the ...
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Does everyone always eat, drink and sleep for free everywhere in Middle-earth?
Maybe it has to do with the specific and unique circumstances in which the characters we follow in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings find themselves, but it seems to me that everyone always assumes ...
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Who was the person in a white cape standing behind dying Boromir in the LoTR movie?
Was it a personification of death? Or someone else?
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Would the 3rd Age of Middle-earth have been dominated by men if Isildur had destroyed the One Ring in Mount Doom?
I am wondering if Isildur had destroyed the One Ring by throwing it down into the lava of Mount Doom, would doing this have resulted in the 3rd Age of Middle-earth being dominated by men?
user143126
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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, ...
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Was Saruman a landlord, a robber baron or something?
In The Return of the King (extended edition) there is a line where Gandalf? explains that Saruman claimed Rohan as his own. It sounded like a robber barons who used force and violence to claim ...
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Why didn't Morgoth corrupt the other races of Middle Earth?
I am aware that it is a hotly debated topic on what the true origins of Orcs are. However, assuming that Morgoth did create Orcs by corrupting Elves; why didn't he do the same thing for the other ...
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Would Gandalf know Sauron personally?
The thought just occurred to me that the two had co-existed for eons. Even not taking the music of the Ainur into account, wouldn't they have had ample opportunity to interact with each other on Arda ...
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Why were the keepers of the three Elf-rings not aware that the One Ring had been used?
All twenty Rings of Power are linked, as we know. Further, we know from the text of the Lord of the Rings that the One Ring can confer the power to "know the thoughts" of the keepers of the ...
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Why did Gollum not take the Ring when both Hobbits were fast asleep and extremely vulnerable?
It is easy to understand why he did not escape, as it would just bring him further away from the Precious, and the Hobbits would never trust him again after that.
It is also pretty easy to understand ...
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Was it Gollum who untied Sam's Elf-rope?
When Frodo and Sam are safely down on the ground after having climbed down using the Elf-rope, Sam pulls it and, to the surprise of both Hobbits, it comes back down.
Frodo assumes that Sam had been ...
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Why is Sam unsure about whether or not he has taken out the Elf-rope before in chapter 12 of Two Towers?
(It may be considered chapter 1 of "book two" of The Two Towers. I'm calling it chapter 12 based on my EPUB file names.)
‘It’s good to be able to see again,’ said Frodo, breathing deep. ‘Do ...
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Does Sauron not have a physical, tangible presence anywhere?
Please note: I am talking only about the books!
In a way, I find the story of the Lord of the Rings to be a bit of a letdown in the end.
I expected there to be some sort of final confrontation between ...
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By what name are the Pelennor Fields known to the commonfolk of Gondor?
I've recently discovered that "Pelennor" is not Westron, but Sindarin.
Taken from tolkiengateway.net:
The name Pelennor translates to "fenced, encircled land" in Sindarin. ...
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Did Sauron ever consider that the Valar and/or Eru Ilúvatar may not allow him to conquer Middle-earth?
I am wondering if there is anything mentioned in LOTR canon that Sauron had once given thought to the possibility that the Valar and/or Eru Ilúvatar may not allow him to conquer Middle-earth, and due ...
user143126
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Do we know if Gollum/Sméagol was called to the Halls of Mandos?
My understanding is that the second Children of Ilúvatar are called to Mandos when they die and then move ... elsewhere. I think this applies to all men, halflings, etc and the only way to avoid it is ...
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What does Gandalf the White mean by his strange speech about Boromir?
In The Two Towers, chapter five, soon after Gandalf has returned as Gandalf the White, he says something very peculiar to Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas in Fangorn:
‘You have not said all that you know ...
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How to translate "The Eye of Sauron is always watching" to Black Speech? [duplicate]
How would the following sentence be translated to Black Speech: "The Eye of Sauron is always watching"? Or, more simply, "Sauron is always watching", or, even more simply, "...
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Where were the Three during the Last Alliance?
During the War of the Last Alliance — or basically as soon as Sauron's spirit limbed back to Middle-earth after his body got lost alongside Númenor and he got the One back from its hiding place where ...
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Is there a longer audio clip than this where Tolkien discusses the Eagles?
I was linked to this today:
At first, I assumed that it was faked/cut together, but now I think it's real, and that he really did say this while alive. I never knew ...
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Translation for a LOTR tattoo
I want to get a LOTR tattoo with the quote “Until the stars are all alight” in Tengwar. If anyone can help me translate it I would be so grateful.
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Where did the Elves go when they said they were leaving Middle-earth? [duplicate]
When the Elves said they were leaving Middle-earth where were they going? For some reason I thought they were going underground. If it was another continent couldn't Sauron just build ships?
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How much did the livelihood of the Rohirrim rely on agriculture?
The Tolkien Gateway says they were "herdsmen and farmers".
Tolkien described them as "still partly mobile and nomadic people of horse-breeders" (Letter #297), so I guess they at ...
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Why did both Frodo and Aragorn keep Gollum a secret for seemingly no reason?
After the Fellowship had left Elf Paradise and was boating down the long river, Sam notices what turns out to be Gollum following them.
Sam tells this to Frodo in the camp, which has no guard, and ...
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What exactly did Galadriel fear/know/assume would happen if she had accepted the Ring? [duplicate]
A frustrating part is where Frodo actually (sort of) offers the Ring to Galadriel. She appears to laugh and find it almost funny, and fight some internal battle against herself, until her "good ...
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Was Tolkien implying (heat/locomotive) engines in The Lost Road?
Here's the quote:
The teaching of Sauron has led to the invention of ships of metal that
traverse the seas without sails, but which are hideous in the eyes of
those who have not abandoned or ...
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Why did Tar-Calion listen to Sauron and become so evil?
Around the beginning of his rule, Tar-Calion the Golden was a dear friend to Amandil the Lord of Andúnië, despite Amandil being leader of the Faithful, and he let him be a member of the Council of ...
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What counts as being "given" the One Ring?
Inspired by this question. What counts as being given the one ring?
As I recall, when Bilbo is leaving for Rivendell, Gandalf refuses to take the Ring for safe keeping, instead he tells Bilbo to leave ...
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How soon did Smeagol develop a split personality?
How long did Smeagol have the ring until his personality split into his good former self and the evil Gollum? At the time Bilbo took the ring from him (T.A. 2941) he had the split personality. However,...
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Why didn't Bilbo ever visit the Grey Havens or the Elostirion before 3021? [closed]
Bilbo was like a tourist, travelling far through Middle-earth to Rivendell, the Woodland Realm, Esgaroth, Dale, the Erebor and back. But given his wanderlust and his friendship with the elves, why ...
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Why could Melkor's forces not detect Gondolin by flying around?
If I understand correctly, Gondolin was not protected by any magical or godly means hiding it from Melkor and his forces.
Now, the Echoriad mountains were pretty far up North, and also not that far (...
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