History Fanon / TolkiensLegendarium

* ''Radagast'' is a character in Peter Jackson's [[Franchise/TheHobbit]] movies, but [[TheGhost only appears in flashback]] in ''Liturature/TheLordOfTheRings''. He's never even mentioned in ''Literature/TheHobbit''. He was shown to be a [[FriendToAllLivingThings friend of beasts]] and is referred to by Saruman as a "bird-tamer", but mostly, fans take his character traits from Peter Jackson's films.

** The two blue wizards, Alatar and Pallandro, are just barely canon. There are mentions in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' of there being five wizards, all told, but you'd have to look into the posthumous history of Middle-earth books, as well as Tolkien's letters, to learn their names, or anything about them. Even then, we don't learn much, and they even have alternate names, also supplied by Tolkien, Morinehtar and Rómestámo. However, as Saruman is known as Curunìr in Sindarin and Curumo in Quenya, and Gandalf is Olórin in Quenya and Mithrandir in Sindarin (also Tharkun, but we don't know by whom), these alternate names could just be translations.

* ''Radagast'' has his name in the books, but [[TheGhost never appears]] in them. Fans take his character traits from Peter Jackson's films of ''Film/TheHobbit'', where Radagast does appear.

* ''Thranduil'' is apparently an alcoholic who regularly beats Legolas senseless. This is highly unlikely, based on what we know of elves in general (elves have great difficulty even getting drunk, let alone addicted) and Legolas in particular.

* Fans have certain ideas about mortal women in Middle-earth. A woman always wears a dress, never breeches. If a woman is on a horse, she always rides sidesaddle, never astride. Some fans enforce this even when the woman must hike or ride for long distances.

* Fans do not agree on whether things that appear in the earlier drafts of the Silmarillion (and its predecessor The Book of Lost Tales) are canon if they are not contradicted by the later, published, version. For instance there is a part in The Book of Lost Tales which describes how when Arda was first created, a number of creatures from outside the world fled into it; hence not everything in the world is something which the Valar put there (the most prominent example being the Faerie). This is of interest to fans because it provides a possible origin for Ungoliant and Tom Bombadil, but the fact that the passage doesn't appear in The Silmarillion casts doubt on this.

More recently, the movie of ''Film/TheHobbitAnUnexpectedJourney'' (2013) has a scene where the Elves of Rivendell serve vegetarian food to the Dwarves. But this is not in the book.

* ''Dwarves'' are short, but how short? All measurements are fanon. Some fans think that dwarves are taller than 5 feet (152 cm). In the fan story ''FanFic/WorldsApart'', Nymeria is 4 feet 11 inches, and the dwarves are taller than her. This might be too tall, because in canon, the secret door to Erebor is 'five feet high and three broad' (''The Hobbit'' chapter 11), so dwarves are probably under five feet.

* ''dwarfling'' and ''elfling'' -- These words only appear in fan fiction. The suffix ''-ling'' is for "little", so an elfling is a little elf, an elf-child. Tolkien never used "dwarfling" nor "elfling", though he did use some other ''-ling'' words. So in ''[=LoTR=]'' Appendix A, a young-adult dwarf is a "stripling", and an Orc addresses a dwarf as a "beardling". Also, a hobbit is a "Halfling" (''[=LoTR=]'' II 2), and little Ents are "Entings" (''[=LoTR=]'' III 4). (Among fans, [[http://nellardo.com/lang/elf/faq.html Elfling]] is also the name of a mailing list about Tolkien's languages, or elf linguistics.)

** Fans are not sure how many elves have golden hair. ''[=LoTR=]'' Appendix F says of the elves, 'their locks were dark, save in the golden house of Finrod', but that isn't all true, because in ''The Silmarillion'', Finrod and his sister Galadriel are grandchildren of Indis of the Vanyar, and the Vanyar have golden hair.

* ''Fili'' and ''Kili'' are caught in a ContinuitySnarl about who is older. In ''The Hobbit'' chapter 8, Thorin says, 'Fili is the youngest' when Kili is also present, so Kili is the older brother. Then in ''[=LoTR=]'' Appendix A, the family tree shows Fíli born 2859 and Kíli born 2864, so Fili is the older one. Most fans accept that Fili is older, because most references copy the years from ''[=LoTR=]'', and because Peter Jackson's movies present Kili as the younger brother. Fans have also exaggerated the age difference, so Kili has less experience and maturity than Fili; but ''The Hobbit'' happens with 2941 (in the timeline from [=LoTR=]'' Appendix B), so their ages are close, about 82 years for Fili and 77 for Kili.

** Legolas, for many fans, is the eldest son of Thranduil, and the next king after Thranduil. Legolas is an only child or has a younger sister. Canon never mentions any children of Thranduil other than Legolas, but they might still exist. A few fan stories suppose that Legolas has an older brother, which is not against canon.
** The mother of Legolas (and wife of Thranduil) died before ''The Lord of the Rings''. This idea is common, though each fan story gives a different version of her death. ''FanFic/TheGamesOfTheGods'', Book One, Chapter 75, defies this idea by declaring, "yep, she was still alive".

* ''Dwarves'': The word "dwarfling" only appears in fan fiction. Tolkien never used "dwarfling", but in ''[=LoTR=]'' Appendix A, a young-adult Dwarf is a "stripling", and an Orc addresses an adult Dwarf as a "beardling".

** The word "elfling" only appears in fan fiction. Tolkien never used "elfling". The suffix ''-ling'' is for "little", so an elfling is a little elf, an elf-child. Tolkien does use similar words: little Ents are "Entings" (''[=LotR=]'' Book III, Chapter 4), and a dwarf is a "stripling" or "beardling" (Appendix A). ([[http://nellardo.com/lang/elf/faq.html Elfling]] is also the name of a mailing list about Tolkien's languages, or elf linguistics.)
** Some fans believe that [[http://askmiddlearth.tumblr.com/post/41793669791/vegetarian-elves Elves are vegetarian]], with almost no evidence. ''The Hobbit'' Chapter 8, where the Elves of Mirkwood have 'roast meats', is one of several canon references to suggest that Elves do eat Meat.\\

In ''The Silmarillion'' Chapter 17, the Elves of Ossiriand say of Men: 'And these folk are hewers of the trees and hunters of beasts; therefore we are their unfriends, and if they will not depart then we shall inflict them in all ways that we can.' This suggests that Men eat meat but Elves do not, but there are other interpretations. Perhaps the Elves eat meat but fear Men competing for game. Perhaps the Elves eat fish, not beasts of land. Perhaps the Elves of Ossiriand are vegetarians but other Elves are not.\\

More recently, the movie of ''Film/TheHobbit: An Unexpected Journey'' (2013) has a scene where the Elves of Rivendell serve no meat to the Dwarves. But this is not in the book.
* ''Orcs'' in fan fiction like to ravish elven and mortal women. The canon never mentions sexual assault, so we can only guess whether Orcs would rape other races.

!! Places
* ''Minas Tirith'', the city of seven circles, is where the wealthy live closer to the castle, while the lower and outer levels attract poorer and rougher folk. This is how ''FanFic/TheGamesOfTheGods'' depicted the city. This is only a guess, but perhaps a good guess.

** The idea that Glorfindel of ''The Silmarillion'' and Glorfindel of ''The Lord of the Rings'' comes from Tolkien himself, so it is canon! Tolkien wrote in an essay (found in ''Literature/ThePeoplesOfMiddleEarth'') that after Glorfindel died in ''The Silmarillion'', he came BackFromTheDead before ''The Lord of the Rings''. To reduce {{Continuity Snarl}}s, some fans omit essays like that one from continuity. This allows that the two Glorfindels are two different elves.

** Glorfindel of Rivendell is only "Lord Glorfindel" in fan fiction. This might work if Glorfindel kept his title from the ''The Silmarillion'' and if anyone remembered his old rank. The problem here is that everyone in ''The Lord of the Rings'' seems to have forgotten about Glorfindel's title. He was "chief of the House of the Golden Flower of Gondolin" (''Silm'' Chapter 23).

* '''Dwarves''': The word "dwarfling" only appears in fan fiction. Tolkien never used "dwarfling", but in ''[=LoTR=]'' Appendix A, a young-adult Dwarf is a "stripling", and an Orc addresses an adult Dwarf as a "beardling".
* '''Elves'''

* '''Orcs''' in fan fiction like to ravish elven and mortal women. The canon never mentions sexual assault, so we can only guess whether Orcs would rape other races.

* '''Minas Tirith''', the city of seven circles, is where the wealthy live closer to the castle, while the lower and outer levels attract poorer and rougher folk. This is how ''FanFic/TheGamesOfTheGods'' depicted the city. This is only a guess, but perhaps a good guess.

* '''Aragorn'''
** Aragorn was [[ConvenientlyAnOrphan orphaned]] at two. This is downright contradicted by the Appendices to ''LOTR'': Aragorn's father died when he was two, but his mother lived until he was in his seventies.

* '''Boromir''' is a HeManWomanHater or even a StrawMisogynist. He thinks that women can't do anything. In fan fiction, Boromir acts rude to any woman he meets; and if the woman offers to help the group, Boromir argues against her. Fans do this to make their female characters seem more special.
* '''Elladan''' and '''Elrohir''' are [[TricksterTwins troublemakers]]. Elrohir is the more sensitive of the two, and Elladan has more of a temper. None of that is in the books.
* '''Elrond''' was the romantic partner of Gil-galad, the last High King. Canon has no gay romance, but leaves enough room for one. Their romance would explain why Gil-galad gave [[RingOfPower the ring Vilya]] to Elrond, and why Gil-galad had no children to become High King after him. Also, Gil-galad died at the end of the Second Age, and Elrond did not marry Celebrían until the Third Age. This isn't enough to prove that their love was romantic instead of just platonic.
* '''Erestor''' is the grim headmaster type in Rivendell. That's not in the books. He is only "Lord Erestor" in fan fiction. Erestor in canon is "the chief" among "counsellors of Elrond's household" (''[=LotR=]'' Book II, Chapter 2). Fans also ship Erestor with Glorfindel.
* '''Figwit''' or '''Melpomaen''' is not in the books. His names are {{Fan Nickname}}s for a background character in Peter Jackson's movies of ''The Lord of the Rings''.
* '''Glorfindel'''

* '''Legolas'''

* '''Morgoth''', in many fan portrayals, simply looks like a bigger version of Sauron's physical form the Peter Jackson films. That's because Jackson used illustrator John Howe's Morgoth for movie Sauron. Howe was also hired for movie concept art.
* '''Radagast''' has his name in the books, but [[TheGhost never appears]] in them. Fans take his character traits from Peter Jackson's films of ''Film/TheHobbit'', where Radagast does appear.
* '''Tauriel''' is not in the books. She comes from Peter Jackson's films of ''Film/TheHobbit''.
* '''Thranduil''' is apparently an alcoholic who regularly beats Legolas senseless. This is highly unlikely, based on what we know of elves in general (elves have great difficulty even getting drunk, let alone addicted) and Legolas in particular.

This is {{fanon}} for Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium, mostly for ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', but also for other works such as ''Literature/TheSilmarillion''.

[[http://tinni.s43.eatj.com/ This site]] (dead link) exists to tell {{canon}} apart from fanon, a fairly tricky task since the canon for that particular fandom is notoriously shifty -- what with J.R.R Tolkien constantly revising his ideas -- and TheFilmOfTheBook can't help either.

* The word "elfling" only appears in fan fiction. Tolkien never used "elfling". The suffix ''-ling'' is for "little", so an elfling is a little elf, an elf-child. Tolkien does use similar words: little Ents are "Entings" (''[=LotR=]'' Book III, Chapter 4), and a dwarf is a "beardling" (Appendix A). ([[http://nellardo.com/lang/elf/faq.html Elfling]] is also the name of a mailing list about Tolkien's languages, or elf linguistics.)

!! Fanon for Specific Characters

** The names and personalities of Finrod's ten faithful elves (from ''FanFic/BeyondTheDawn'') and of the Nazgul (from ''FanFic/TheGreatGame'', and no, they are different from the ICE version known to the West)

[[http://tinni.s43.eatj.com/ This site]] (dead link) exists to tell canon apart from fanon, a fairly tricky task since the canon for that particular fandom is notoriously shifty -- what with J.R.R Tolkien constantly revising his ideas -- and TheFilmOfTheBook can't help either.

* The word "elfling" only appears in fan fiction. Tolkien never used "elfling". The suffix ''-ling'' is for "little", so an elfling is a little elf, an elf-child. Tolkien does use the word "Enting" for a little Ent. ([[http://nellardo.com/lang/elf/faq.html Elfling]] is also the name of a mailing list about Tolkien's languages, or elf linguistics.)
* Fans often add the title "Lord" or "Lady" to characters. Fan fiction has "Lord Erestor" and "Lord Haldir". In canon, a lord or lady is always the first man or woman of some territory or people. Canon examples include Lord Elrond and Lady Arwen both of Rivendell, and Éowyn Lady of Rohan. Some fan characters have "Lord" or "Lady" as a rank without anywhere to lord over. Lord Kinsey in ''FanFic/HomeWithTheFairies'' lives in Minas Tirith, and might be lord of nothing but his own household. In some fan stories, "lady" is no longer a title, but a polite label for any random woman, like lady Helanthir in ''FanFic/TroubledWaters''.

* '''Erestor''' is the grim headmaster type in Rivendell. That's not in the books. He is only "Lord Erestor" in fan fiction. Erestor in canon is "the chief" among "counsellors of Elrond's household" (''LOTR'' Book II, Chapter 2). Fans also ship Erestor with Glorfindel.

** Glorfindel of Rivendell is only "Lord Glorfindel" in fan fiction. This might work if Glorfindel kept his title from the ''The Silmarillion'' and if anyone remembered his old rank. The problem here is that everyone in ''The Lord of the Rings'' seems to have forgotten about Glorfindel's title.

* The word "elfling" only appears in fan fiction. Tolkien never used "elfling". The suffix ''-ling'' is for "little", so an elfling is a little elf, an elf-child. ([[http://nellardo.com/lang/elf/faq.html Elfling]] is also the name of a mailing list about Tolkien's languages, or elf linguistics.)
* Fans often add the title "Lord" or "Lady" to characters. Fan fiction has "Lord Erestor" and "Lord Haldir". In some fan stories, "Lady" is no longer a title, but refers to any random woman. In canon, a lord or lady is always the first man or woman of some territory or people. Canon examples include Lord Elrond and Lady Arwen both of Rivendell, and Éowyn Lady of Rohan.

** What hair color has Legolas? Creator/PeterJackson's adaptation of ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' might have settled the fan arguments. He's blond. The books make only [[http://www.ageofthering.com/tolkien/characters/legolas.php vague references]] to his hair color. In ''The Hobbit'', the Elvenking has gold hair. This king is Thranduil, father of Legolas; so it is plausible that Legolas inherited gold hair. In ''The Lord of the Rings'', it seems that Legolas might have dark hair, but this is not sure. Some fans still believe that movie Legolas and book Legolas have different hair colors; the authors of ''FanFic/TheGamesOfTheGods'', ''FanFic/IAmNotAMarySue'' and ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/9399845/5/What-Grace-Has-Given-Me What Grace Has Given Me]]'' defy the movie and write that Legolas has dark hair.

* '''Erestor''' is the grim headmaster type in Rivendell. That's not in the books. Also, Erestor and Glorfindel are romantic partners.

** Legolas, for many fans, is the eldest son of Thranduil. He is an only child or has a younger sister. Canon never mentions any children of Thranduil other than Legolas, but they might still exist. A few fan stories suppose that Legolas has an older brother, which is not against canon.

** What hair color has Legolas? Creator/PeterJackson's adaptation of ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' might have settled the fan arguments. He's blond. The books make only [[http://www.ageofthering.com/tolkien/characters/legolas.php vague references]] to his hair color. In ''The Hobbit'', the Elvenking has gold hair. Legolas is this king's son, so it is plausible that Legolas inherited gold hair. In ''The Lord of the Rings'', it seems that Legolas might have dark hair, but this is not sure. Some fans still believe that movie Legolas and book Legolas have different hair colors; the authors of ''FanFic/TheGamesOfTheGods'', ''FanFic/IAmNotAMarySue'' and ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/9399845/5/What-Grace-Has-Given-Me What Grace Has Given Me]]'' defy the movie and write that Legolas has dark hair.

** Legolas is the eldest son of Thranduil. Some fans believe that Legolas is an only child or has a younger sister. Canon never mentions any children of Thranduil other than Legolas, but they might still exist. ''FanFic/TheAwkwardAdventuresOfMeghanWhimblesby'' makes that Legolas has an older brother, which is not against canon.

* The Russian Tolkien fandom has a set of very specific Fanon, mostly First Age-related, most of which was established by published big fanfics. (Yes, there is a bootleg ExpandedUniverse version of Arda in Russia, illegal in most of the world but legal in Motherland itself.)
** The (common to most Tolkien fandoms) notion of Celegorm the blond
** The notion that the Feanorians and their warriors wore a uniform of red, black and silver
** The notion that there were human black knights in Angband (popularized by ''FanFic/TheBlackBookOfArda'')
** The names and personalities of Finrod's ten faithful elves (from ''FanFic/BeyondTheDawn'') and of the Nazgul (from ''FanFic/TheGreatGame'', and no, they are different from the ICE version known to the West)
* Fans have certain ideas about mortal women in Middle-earth. A woman always wears a dress, never breeches. If a woman is on a horse, she always rides sidesaddle, never astride. Some fans enforce this even when the woman must hike or ride for long distances.

This is {{fanon}} for Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium, mostly about ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', but also other works such as ''Literature/TheSilmarillion''.

* '''Elrond''' was the romantic partner of Gil-galad, the last High King. Canon has no gay romance, but the Elrond/Gil-galad pair fits well enough. Their romance would explain why Gil-galad gave [[RingOfPower the ring Vilya]] to Elrond, and why Gil-galad had no children to become High King after him. Also, Gil-galad died at the end of the Second Age, and Elrond did not marry Celebrían until the Third Age. This isn't enough to prove that their love was romantic instead of just platonic.

* The Russian Tolkien fandom has a set of very specific Fanon, mostly First Age-related, most of which was established by published big fanfics (Yes, there is a bootleg ExpandedUniverse version of Arda in Russia, illegal in most of the world but legal in Motherland itself).

** The notion that there were human black knights in Angband (popularized by TheBlackBookOfArda)
** The names and personalities of Finrod's ten faithful elves (from ''Fanfic/BeyondTheDawn'') and of the Nazgul (from Fanfic/TheGreatGame, and no, they are different from the ICE version known to the West)

* Oh, ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', how we love thee.
** Apparently, Thranduil is an alcoholic who regularly beats Legolas senseless and Aragorn was orphaned at two. The former is highly unlikely, based on what we know of elves in general (elves have great difficulty even getting drunk, let alone addicted) and Legolas in particular, while the latter is downright contradicted by the Appendices (Aragorn's father died when he was two, but his mother lived until he was in his seventies).
** And all the Rivendell Elves have defined personalities: Erestor is the grim headmaster type, Glorfindel is the resident babysitter and DeadpanSnarker, and Elladan and Elrohir are [[TricksterTwins troublemakers]] (as well as Elrohir being the more sensitive of the two and Elladan having more of a temper). None of that is in the books.
** It's also ''very, very'' commonly accepted that Legolas and Aragorn knew each other well before The Fellowship of the Ring took place. It's everything but canon now. Does make sense when you consider the facts though: Elrond and Thranduil most likely keep very close contact, and so given he's Thranduil's son, this would mean Legolas has probably spent a decent amount of time in Rivendell, where Aragorn has lived most of his life up to the Fellowship.
** [[http://tinni.s43.eatj.com/ This site]] exists to tell canon apart from fanon, a fairly tricky task since the canon for that particular fandom is notoriously shifty -- what with J.R.R Tolkien constantly revising his ideas -- and TheFilmOfTheBook can't help either.
** In many fan portrayals of Morgoth, he simply looks like a bigger version of Sauron's physical form from the Peter Jackson films. That's because Jackson used illustrator John Howe's Morgoth for movie Sauron. Howe was also hired for movie concept art.
** The Russian Tolkien fandom has a set of very specific Fanon, mostly First Age-related, most of which was established by published big fanfics (Yes, there is a bootleg ExpandedUniverse version of Arda in Russia, illegal in most of the world but legal in Motherland itself).
*** The (common to most Tolkien fandoms) notion of Celegorm the blond
*** The notion that the Feanorians and their warriors wore a uniform of red, black and silver
*** The notion that there were human black knights in Angband (popularized by TheBlackBookOfArda)
*** The names and personalities of Finrod's ten faithful elves (from ''Fanfic/BeyondTheDawn'') and of the Nazgul (from Fanfic/TheGreatGame, and no, they are different from the ICE version known to the West)
** Fans have certain ideas about mortal women in Middle-earth. A woman always wears a dress, never breeches. If a woman is on a horse, she always rides sidesaddle, never astride. Some fans enforce this even when the woman must hike or ride for long distances.
** Boromir is a HeManWomanHater or even a StrawMisogynist. He thinks that women can't do anything. In fan fiction, Boromir acts rude to any woman he meets; and if the woman offers to help the group, Boromir argues against her. Fans do this to make their female characters seem more special.