189
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How is Shelob's name known?
From Letter 144:
Shelob (English representing C.S 'she-lob' = female spider) is a translation of Elvish Ungol 'spider'.
'Shelob' is therefore not, strictly speaking, a name, but rather a ...
- 1,236
150
votes
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Why did Aragorn call this stranger father?
Definition 4 of “father” from Collins English Dictionary:
A respectful term of address for an old man.
That is the sense in which Aragorn uses the word, he doesn’t think that the old man is ...
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130
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How is Shelob's name known?
"Shelob" probably wasn't her name
Fun fact, Sam's name is actually Banazîr and his father Ham is Ranugad. Tolkien's stories are meant to be translations of old books into English. He did, however, ...
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124
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What does Gandalf the White mean by his strange speech about Boromir?
What Gandalf has to say probably has to be understood from Tolkien's religious point of view. The Lord of the Rings is subtly—but significantly—influenced by the author's devout Catholicism, ...
- 98.6k
100
votes
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Treebeard: "I always like going South, somehow it feels like going downhill." - Is it really?
This was ad-libed by John Rhys-Davies, the voice actor for Treebeard
It is stated by Peter Jackson in the commentary track of The Two Towers Extended Edition that John Rhys-Davies would often throw in ...
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90
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What does Faramir mean by "divers characters"?
books and tablets writ on withered parchments, yea, and on stone, and on leaves of silver and of gold, in divers characters.
Let me de-archaic this for you:
The books and [plaques written] on [old ...
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88
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Treebeard: "I always like going South, somehow it feels like going downhill." - Is it really?
Classically, south-facing gardens get the most light (in northern hemisphere gardens, that is). Treebeard is referring to being drawn by the increased sunlight coming from that direction.
Update ...
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81
votes
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Why was the breaking of the wall of Helm's Deep so important in "The Two Towers" movie?
The whole fortification complex at Helm's Deep was not only meant to defend itself, but also, and mainly, to protect the whole valley from external threats.
Technically speaking, Helm's Deep was the ...
- 15.2k
67
votes
What did Gandalf mean by "first light of the fifth day"?
Gandalf calculated the time he would need to fulfill the task and come back, and the result was "at the morning in five days from now, I assume to be back". And because he knows, from which ...
- 2,191
66
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What was the purpose of the quote "Meat is back on the menu boys" in Lord of the Rings?
The orcs from the White Tower had just started a fight/finished killing the orcs from Mordor (Morgul) so they mean they are going to eat the dead orcs.
It’s funny because right before that, the orc ...
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60
votes
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Was it reckless to allow Wormtongue to go free?
There is always some risk in being merciful
The question quotes the discussion between Théoden and the others about what to do with Wormtongue. It is clear from that discussion that they are aware ...
- 21.2k
53
votes
How is Shelob's name known?
“Shelob” may be a name of the orcs’ invention
Shelob is what the orcs call her, not necessarily her real or original name.
‘You won’t go again, you say? Curse you, Snaga, you little maggot! If
...
- 117k
51
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What was the purpose of the quote "Meat is back on the menu boys" in Lord of the Rings?
tl;dr: It's just a funny* line of PJ's.
* Your funny mileage may vary.
From an in-universe perspective, I agree with Himarm's answer.
From an out-of-universe point of view, we can add that the line,...
- 7,809
51
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Why can't Merry drink the Ent-draught?
Merry can (and does) drink the Ent-draught.
In the film, Pippin is lying, because he wants it all to himself, so he stays bigger than Merry.
Treebeard said no such thing, neither in the film nor the ...
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50
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What are the advantages of breeding Uruk-hai for Saruman?
You are comparing the Uruk-hai to Humans or Elves, which isn't a very relevant comparison. Instead, compare them to the other breeds of Orcs that serve Sauron, which the Uruk-hai were bred as a ...
- 30.5k
46
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What was Aragorn talking about when he said "Helms Deep helped them survive in the past"?
The War against the Dunlendings, TA 2758
A Dunlending man Freca, claiming descent from King Fréawine, rode to Meduseld and asked for King Helm's daughter's hand for his son Wulf. Helm, however, mocked ...
- 77.5k
46
votes
Was it Gollum who untied Sam's Elf-rope?
In the novel the rope is noted to have been secured tightly
He took up the rope and made it fast over the stump nearest to the brink.
LOTR: The Two Towers
and it does indeed fall down when tugged, ...
- 702k
44
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Why was the breaking of the wall of Helm's Deep so important in "The Two Towers" movie?
The Deeping Wall protects the Deep behind the Keep, this is the only escape for the Defenders
What you seem to be misunderstanding is the layout of Helm's Deep. The Wall, defended the actual "...
- 77.5k
43
votes
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Why did Theoden allow the Uruk-Hai to approach Helm's Deep without harassing them?
In the books, the battle plays out a little different...
Regarding your question in particular:
First, there's a dike "two furlongs below Helm's Gate" that they indeed try to use to harass/...
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42
votes
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Why doesn't Sam have to say "Aiya Eärendil Elenion Ancalima"?
It doesn't need to be activated by the words. It's activated when a person of strong spirit (and hope) wields it.
Seen in the case of Frodo when he first remembers of the Phial:
'The star-glass?' ...
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40
votes
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What's the meaning of "your life will be forfeit?"
Something perhaps worth emphasizing here is that that film dialogue is not a very accurate paraphrase of the book. As already noted in another answer, the book's quote, spoken by Faramir, is:
I ...
- 4,436
40
votes
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How are Gimli's athletic abilities in the books?
None of those three scenes are in the book
Gimli doesn't fall behind the other runners, he never gets tossed, and he never is shown falling of his horse. Those movie scenes simply aren't in the book ...
- 95.3k
35
votes
What does Faramir mean by "divers characters"?
different writing systems
In Hammond and Scull's The Lord of the Rings, A Reader's Companion (pg 471), this line is explained as meaning "in many different (diverse) writing systems".
670 (...
- 95.3k
31
votes
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What does Sam shout when he uses the Phial?
Sam was speaking Sindarin and crying a prayer to Elbereth
The translations are sourced from here, as well as there relevant source books. The direct translation seems to come from the Letters, ...
- 77.5k
29
votes
Treebeard: "I always like going South, somehow it feels like going downhill." - Is it really?
John Rhys-Davies, the actor who lent his voice to Treebeard, has gone on record stating that the line was actually an ad-lib. He just thought it would be the strange, almost non-sensical sort of ...
- 407
29
votes
Was it Gollum who untied Sam's Elf-rope?
Elves—or at least, those of Lothlórien—have some funny ideas about what is and isn’t magic.
‘Are these magic cloaks?’ asked Pippin, looking at them with wonder.
‘I do not know what you mean by that,’ ...
- 3,386
27
votes
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How did Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli know what Uruk-hai were?
I don't have the movie available, but using the book it's possible to come up with some explanations.
Simple and short:
Uruk means ork.
Despite being Black Speech (the language of Mordor) it seems ...
- 3,098
27
votes
Why is Sam unsure about whether or not he has taken out the Elf-rope before in chapter 12 of Two Towers?
Yes, you are misreading. The operative part is "Never noticed it before." Sam is reasoning that if he had taken it out, and if at the time it were dark, he would remember its looking silver. ...
- 3,873
27
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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?
"Can't remember as [something occurred]" is a colloquial version of "can't remember that [something occurred]". It expresses that the speaker thinks the thing didn't happen, rather ...
- 271
25
votes
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Are Shagrat and Gorbag really talking about "the old days" from personal experience?
No conclusive evidence
The relevant part conversation between Shagrat and Gorbag is this:
‘They would,’ grunted Gorbag. ‘We’ll see. But anyway, if it does go well, there should be a lot more room. ...
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Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible