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 many Ents were at the Entmoot?
Whilst rereading The Lord of the Rings, I came to the part with the Ents. Curiously, the book gives the impression that there were many Ents at the Entmoot, or at least far more than the movie would ...
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Why was Gandalf so concerned for Gollum's well-being?
In The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf seems to be particularly sensitive to Gollum's wretched state. When explaining his recent activities to Frodo, Gandalf says things like:
'Unless [the evil part of ...
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Treebeard: "I always like going South, somehow it feels like going downhill." - Is it really?
In The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002 movie), Treebeard says:
I always like going South, somehow it feels like going downhill.
Is there a difference in elevation or something that can ...
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Since Boromir wanted the One ring so badly, why didn't he volunteer to take it during the Council of Elrond?
So I'm currently reading through the Lord of the Rings trilogy for the first time and this question has popped into my head. Boromir clearly desperately wanted the ring, as evidenced by him trying to ...
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Are there any female characters in the Hobbit?
I believe Bilbo's mother, Belladonna Took, is mentioned briefly in the beginning, but are there any female characters who actually appear in the novel, rather than being merely referenced?
Even ...
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In "The Lord of the Rings," what important background information is contained in the poems?
From Jeff's answer to a separate Lord Of The Rings question:
... the songs and poems give some relatively important background information
I don't recall any information that seemed important (as ...
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Why wasn't Bilbo famous, by the time of LOTR?
(Note: I'm trying to avoid spoilers, as much as possible.)
Toward the end of LOTR, we are told that bards have already begun singing the tale of
It took the bards roughly a week or two.
So, why ...
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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 ...
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Why does Gandalf the White not remember his original name?
'Gandalf,' the old man repeated, as if recalling from old memory a long disused word. 'Yes, that was the name. I was Gandalf.'
Why wouldn't he remember being Gandalf right away? Why would Eru send ...
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Was the Stone of Minas Tirith still dangerous after Sauron was destroyed?
In the sad chapter of The Return of the King in which the Fellowship parts for the last time, Pippin says he wishes that they could use Palantiri to keep in touch. Aragorn dismisses this idea:
...
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What is the symbolism of the colors assigned to Istari wizards?
The 5 known Istari wizards all had different colors (Saruman the White, Gandalf the Gray, Radagast the Brown and two blue ones, with the later changes of Gandalf to white and Saruman to 'many colors')....
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Are there any (natural) scientists in Middle-earth?
Put simply: by scientists, I mean a people whose job is to examine the world around them.
I know that a lot of characters even from LOTR are well educated and they used to study old books etc.
But I ...
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In what time period does The Lord of the Rings take place in the real world?
I know that The Lord of the Rings is located in Middle-earth and by the looks of clothes and props, we're looking at well before the 18th century.
What's the best guess at the time period that The ...
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Why does Frodo cry "O Elbereth! Gilthoniel!" at Weathertop?
At Weathertop, Frodo and the band are beset by the Ring-wraiths, at which point Frodo feels compelled to put on the ring, and he does.
When the Witch King attacks Frodo and just before Strider comes ...
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How on (middle) earth did Eärendil kill a dragon as huge as Ancalagon?
We know that Ancalagon was killed by Earendil, but how exactly was he killed? Ancalagon was so incredibly massive and Earendil was just a dude in a ship with some Eagles.
This image ↓ isn't canon but ...
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Do we know what the 20 Rings of Power look like?
Do we know what the 20 Rings of Power look like?
Is there any known descriptions of all the Rings of Power. If not which rings have been described as to what they looked like?
The Rings of Power ...
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Without a physical form, what would Sauron have done had he recovered the Ring?
Assuming one of Sauron's servants managed to recover the Ring, what exactly would Sauron do with it? He had no physical body to manipulate it and no finger to put it on. I guess he would have ...
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What is the oldest object in Middle-earth?
After reading a question (or was it elsewhere?) discussing which Rings of Power were made first, it caused me to wonder which item (not just the rings) is the oldest. There are various ancient ...
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Did Balrogs have their own language?
As seen in the movie, Durin's Bane made rather unpleasant and irritated growls and roars when awoken.
During the early stages of the world when the Balrogs weren't in hiding, did they have their own ...
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How far did Gandalf and the Balrog drop from the bridge in Moria?
As best I can tell, in this dramatic scene from The Fellowship of the Ring, Gandalf falls for 71 seconds, mostly in free-fall while fighting a Balrog. True, the Balrog hits the walls of the abyss a ...
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When did Bilbo and Frodo learn that Gandalf was a Maia?
It is obvious that the common Hobbits (and men) knew nothing of the true nature of the Istari. When the Istari arrived in Middle-earth they were considered "strange elves" (as a matter of fact, ...
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Why is Sauron's name similar to the Greek/Latin word for "lizard"?
The name Sauron is spelled like, and sounds very similar to the Greek word σαῦρος, or the corresponding Latin word saurus, which means lizard.
Is this just a coincidence, or is there a (known or ...
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How do Hobbits come to be so rich?
Hobbits seem to live a very rich, upper class life in the most peaceful landscape in the Middle Earth.
How do Hobbits come to be so rich when they don't seem to be doing any hard work?
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Why did Saruman not kill Gandalf?
Gandalf travels to Orthanc to take advice from Saruman, at which point Saruman reveals himself as a traitor. Why does he then simply imprison Gandalf on top of Orthanc instead of killing him? Clearly ...
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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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Why Did J.R.R. Tolkien Capitalize Certain Words Throughout His Books?
Why did J.R.R. Tolkien randomly capitalize various words throughout his books?
My husband asked me this question today and we were wondering if there's any rhyme or reason to Tolkien's capitalization ...
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They defeated a ring-bearing Sauron once, why couldn't they do it again?
Why did everyone believe that if Sauron reclaimed the One Ring the world would succumb to him, just like that?
Didn't he already fail twice in attempts at world domination, and once even while ...
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What is the place that Gandalf falls to after the battle with the Balrog?
I was wondering; what is the name of the place Gandalf falls to when the Balrog drags him down, after the fight in Moria?
What information from the Legendarium is there available about this place?
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How powerful were the Nine really?
It is explained numerous times how powerful and deadly the Nazgûl are — however, on multiple occasions, they failed their master badly.
Some examples:
Frodo and the Hobbits escaped both during the ...
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Is the ring poem slightly inaccurate? Who wrote it?
It is clear that the three Elven rings were not made by Sauron. The inscription on the One Ring, made by Sauron, was in some way related to its power, even if we cannot say if it was by fancy (it ...
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Is there a legal system in Middle-earth?
I was re-watching the Hobbit films last weekend, and noticed in "An Unexpected Journey", there is a scene in Bag End where the Dwarves present Bilbo with a contract, outlining the many potential ...
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Why did Peter Jackson add the Nazgûls attack scene in Bree when it was not present in the original story, nor very important for the plot?
Although it's a very good scene from the film, I don't see why Peter Jackson added it to the story (remember).
In the books, the Hobbits do not meet the Nazgûl in Bree, and that does not really ...
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Is there more to Arwen than her obsessive love for Aragorn?
It's me again — still reading my way through The Lord of the Rings, but quite familiar with Peter Jackson's trilogy, which I really like.
It occurs to me, though, that Arwen is almost the Lord of the ...
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What is the timeline for The Lord of the Rings trilogy?
The Lord of the Rings trilogy obviously covers a lot of time. How many months/years pass from the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring until the end of The Return of the King? A timeline of events ...
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Does Gollum know that others call him Gollum?
I don't recall any of the characters in Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit calling Sméagol Gollum in his face. It seems to be more of a private epithet. Is this correct? Does Gollum know that others call ...
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Why didn't Saruman break Gandalf's staff on Orthanc as Gandalf broke Saruman's?
In The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers after becoming Gandalf the White, Gandalf cast Saruman from the Order and the Council. He also got the power to break Saruman's staff, which was very powerful. ...
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How does Galadriel know that Gandalf 'survives' his encounter with the Balrog?
In The Two Towers, when Gandalf meets Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli for the first time since the Balrog encounter, he briefly gives some details of the encounter which to me are (perhaps intentionally) ...
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Would Gandalf have been promoted to the White if he had not fought the Balrog?
Gandalf was promoted to a White wizard after his body was destroyed in the battle with the Balrog.
This was done mainly to replace Saruman as he had joined Sauron (or at least swayed significantly ...
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Why was Tom Bombadil so unconcerned about the fate of Middle-earth?
I know he saves the hobbits from the barrow-wight and gives them weapons which affect the Nazgûl, Sauron's greatest servants. But I've always wondered why a high power, which Tom Bombadil obviously is,...
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Did Gandalf cast a spell on Butterbur's beer?
In Lord of the Rings, Gandalf says to Butterbur after learning the Hobbits have left with Strider :
"May your beer be laid under an enchantment of surpassing excellence
for seven years!"
Did ...
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What kind of power was hoped-for/expected to be gained from the One Ring?
Several characters tried to get hold of the One Ring on Frodo's journey to Mount Doom, some by force like Boromir, some by persuasion like Galadriel. All spoke of gaining power and using it against ...
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Why didn't Gollum ever become a wraith?
Inspired by this answer regarding the long-term effects of The One Ring: Sméagol possessed the ring for close to 500 years, and although he clearly didn't wear it constantly, it had some terrible ...
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Do orcs drink water?
At least in the film version of Return of the King, Frodo and Sam run out of water while trekking across Mordor, apparently having been unable to refill their water pouches in the tower or at any ...
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How can a storm cloud in Middle-earth "move behind the sun"?
This is probably the most trivial question I've ever asked here, and relates to something mentioned in passing. The passage occurs in The Two Towers, Book IV, "The Taming of Smeagol". While ...
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Why did it take longer to go to Rivendell in The Hobbit than in The Fellowship of the Ring?
Both The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring involve traveling to Rivendell; however, although approximately the same route is taken, the journey took longer in The Hobbit.
In The Hobbit, Gandalf, ...
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Why would Gandalf (as ring-lord) be worse than Sauron?
I've just come across a point that I've thought about before, and thought it would be good to get some other stances on it. See this letter, emphasis mine:
In the 'Mirror of Galadriel', 1381, it ...
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Were there two elves named Glorfindel?
In the Silmarillion, an elf named Glorfindel is killed in a duel with a Balrog at the battle for Gondolin. (He kills the Balrog as well.) Then in The Fellowship of the Ring, an elf named Glorfindel ...
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Did Tolkien ever specify that Orodruin was a volcano?
It is incredibly clear that Orodruin (Mount Doom) was a volcano. It is a mountain with fire inside of it, and it periodically belches forth ash, smoke, and rock. This is what volcanoes do best (...
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Where do the Dwarves put all the stone from the Mines of Moria?
In Lord of the Rings, the Fellowship of the Ring heads into the Mines of Moria to escape from the Watcher in the Water after attempting to cross over the Misty Mountains.
Inside the Mines of Moria ...
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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 ...
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