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14!!The Book
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16[[folder:Fridge Brilliance]]
17* Nine members of the fellowship, nine black riders, nine rings... and nine fingers on Frodo's hands when he finishes his journey. Sauron also has nine fingers after the one with the ring gets cut off. In the end, ''everything'' bows to symbolism.
18* If one reads ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'', suddenly the whole sequence with Shelob, already horrifying, becomes a lot more intense and symmetrical. The draining, total darkness in Shelob's lair isn't an absence of light, but Shelob is quite literally excreting darkness as its own material, just like her mother Ungoliant. Also, the light of Eärendil, which is the light of a Silmaril, shines through that darkness. When Ungoliant devoured the first trees, Fëanor refused to allow the use of the Silmarils to restore them. At one point, Tolkien was considering adding a chapter to ''The Silmarillion'' in which Eärendil ''kills'' Ungoliant, which would have made "Shelob's Lair" even more symbolic.
19* Galadriel giving Gimli three locks of her hair. Once you read through the ''Literature/{{Unfinished Tales|of Numenor and Middleearth}}'' and read about the description of her hair and how the Eldar believed that the light of the Two Trees were ensnared in it and how Fëanor was attracted to it, yet she refused to give him any lock. Some of the Eldar believed that her hair inspired Fëanor to create the Silmarils. So it was a very great honor that she gave Gimli not one, but three locks of her hair. It sort of mirrors her CharacterDevelopment: she starts off a prideful Noldorin princess, setting out to forge her own land in Beleriand. By the end of the Third Age, she is [[DefrostingIceQueen mature and wise]] enough to not only turn down the Ring, but graciously gift something as trivial as a lock of hair (or three) to a traditional enemy of the Eldar. Seems plausible that she wanted to mend relations between the Dwarves and Elves, partly because she saw how [[Literature/TheSilmarillion King Thingol's]] pride was his downfall in regards to the Dwarves.
20** Additionally, it speaks to Galadriel's judge of character and her ability to see into the hearts of others: Fëanor, for all his gifts and hauteur, was unworthy of even a single strand because of his obsession, but Gimli son of Gloin, a ''dwarf'' whose admiration was humble and whose heart was good and heroic, receives three strands for the mere asking. Galadriel is no one's fool and would have known the immense symbolism of her gesture, especially so (relatively) soon after the Battle of Five Armies; but she also wouldn't have given it to just any dwarf.
21* Aragorn's alias Thorongil is a combination of his father's - Ara''thorn'' - and his mother's - ''Gil''raen - names.
22* Sauron was actually right about the Ring - no one could have destroyed it![[note]]Gandalf even suggests that not even Sauron himself could pull his will together to do it, even as he had the means and knowledge.[[/note]] All those eagles visions would fail, as no one would throw the Ring into fire. Sauron didn't even need to protect the cracks - even Frodo, who was specifically suited to be least affected by the ring, was incapable of destroying it. It took several twists of fate and coincidences, also known as Eru ex Machina, to destroy the One Ring - something that could not be predicted by Sauron.
23** Adding to this, The Crack of Doom being unguarded is brilliant in itself. Sauron not only didn't really think anyone would have the will to resist the One Ring's influence enough want to destroy it and stay that way until they reached the Crack of Doom not to mention actually succeed in getting there alive, but even if they did the One Ring would unavoidably finally corrupt them once they tried to destroy it anyway. The Crack of Doom is left unguarded both because the constantly erupting Mount Doom makes it impractical to do so and also as SchmuckBait to both draw whoever has the One Ring to Sauron's doorstep and corrupt the Bearer turning them into his servant or creating a new Dark Lord depending on who did it. Sauron covered all bases except the only one he couldn't possibly have predicted or done anything about, the One Ring being destroyed accidentally.
24*** It is clearly stated in the book that Sauron was ''scared to death'' (haha) when he found out that the Ring was in the Crack of Doom, and one of his servants was not. Plan or no plan that would scare anyone [[ImmortalsFearDeath especially someone who otherwise could not be defeated]].
25* Denethor's madness wasn't just because of Faramir's injury and the Palantír's visions of the power of Mordor. The Palantír also showed him things that caused him to believe Frodo had been captured and Sauron had obtained the ring. Specifically, if one checks the Tales of Years, Denethor saw Frodo captured in Cirith Ungol, which happened the day before the Siege of Minas Tirith.
26-->"Comfort me not with wizards!" said Denethor. "The fool's hope has failed. '''The Enemy has found it, and now his power waxes'''; he sees our very thoughts, and all we do is ruinous."
27* When the Fellowship are in Lothlórien, it's said that Aragorn left the hill of Cerin Amroth and "came there never again as a living man". This seems strangely specific, but still merely a fancy way of saying he just didn't go there again, until you read about Arwen's death, when she "laid herself to rest upon Cerin Amroth." It's possible (even implied?) that Aragorn did return - in spirit, already on the higher plane and indeed not as a living man; to wait for Arwen so they could go wherever next together. Subtle reunion or what - but it makes their story all the more poignant.
28* Gollum's fall into Mount Doom wasn't an accident.
29** Earlier, when Frodo orders him with the power of the Ring, his exact words are: "[[{{Geas}} Begone, and trouble me no more! If you touch me ever again, you shall be cast yourself into the Fire of Doom.]]" Gollum touches Frodo again - and guess what happens. So in a way, Frodo did cast the Ring down himself - if not in a way that he, and likely Gandalf, intended.
30** Even earlier, Frodo told Gollum:
31 --->"You will never get it back. At the last need, Sméagol, I should put on the Precious; and the Precious mastered you long ago. If I, wearing it, were to command you, you would obey, even if it were to leap from a precipice or cast yourself into the fire. And such would be my command."
32** So Gollum's fall into the Cracks of Doom was his obeying a command that Frodo (who still had the Ring on his finger, even if the finger wasn't attached) had given to Gollum some time back - to leap from a precipice and cast himself into the fire.
33** Later than that, when Gollum attacks the duo in Mordor, Frodo tells him that if he touches the Ring again, he will be "cast into the fire". And that's exactly what happens. Effectively, Frodo uses the Ring to curse Gollum, in order to prevent his regaining it. And ultimately, that means that the malice of the Ring was its own undoing.
34** This is also the one time that Frodo uses the Ring's true power. Invisibility and long life are side-effects (Sauron didn't need either power when he made the Ring). The real power of the Ring is to ''command.'' Perhaps this was the moment that Frodo crossed the line, making himself unable to throw the Ring away when the time came.
35** Gollum's fall into Mount Doom serves as a fitting character arc for him. On one hand, he's an intensely tragic character who does show some hints at redemption and loyalty towards Frodo. At the same time, his obsession and corruption from the Ring are central to his character and he can't simply redeem himself due to its irrevocable damage. Thus, his final fall manages to fulfill both purposes- his reuniting with the ring manages to satisfy his base desire, while his inadvertent sacrifice to destroy the ring maintains at least some form of redemption. Gollum "possessing" the ring in any other fashion would've clashed with Frodo's wishes.
36*** Also, there's some symbolism there too. He found the Ring in water; he found it again in fire.
37** The book specifically states "Sam saw the rivals with other vision. A crouching shape, scarcely more than the shadow of a living thing, a creature now wholly ruined and defeated, yet filled with a hideous lust and rage; and before it stood stern, untouchable now by pity, a figure robed in white, ''but at its breast it held a wheel of fire. Out of the fire there spoke a commanding voice.'' 'Begone, and trouble me no more! If you touch me ever again, you shall be cast yourself into Mount Doom.'" In other words, it wasn't ''Frodo'' who cast the curse that sent Gollum to his death, but ''the Ring itself.'' Why would it do this? Like Gandalf said, the Ring had grown tired of Gollum after spending ''centuries'' with him in the Misty Mountains, frustrated that he never did anything that would draw attention and alert Sauron to its whereabouts- and now that Frodo was ''actively bringing it into Mordor and closer to its master,'' it'd ''never'' allow itself to be taken by Gollum again, because he'd go ''right'' back to hiding under Sauron's radar! In the end, the Ring's own evil (with the help of Eru ex Machina) destroyed itself!
38*** Which is exactly Tolkien's philosophy throughout the books. Remember the beginning of the Silmarillion?
39--> "And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me, nor can any alter the music in my despite. [[EvilCannotComprehendGood For he that attempteth this shall prove but mine instrument in the devising of things more wonderful, which he himself hath not imagined."]]
40* As you read the series, you come to realise that almost all the good races have at least one twisted, corrupted counterpart - Orcs, if you go with the published version of the Silmarillion, are Elves ruined by Morgoth, or at any rate were made in envy and mockery of the Elves; the Nazgûl are the evil counterparts of men, Trolls those of Ents, the Balrog is an evil Maia and therefore the ruined counterpart of Gandalf, and Gollum is a corrupted Hobbit. Dwarves are the only race that doesn't have an evil counterpart. In ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' it's revealed that Dwarves weren't designed by Eru in a time before evil, but by the lesser being Aule who knew he was sending his mortal creations into a world with TheCorruption and built them spiritually as well as physically tough.
41** Alternatively, the Dwarves actually DO have an evil counterpart, just one that wasn't spawned from corrupting them. The Dragons are essentially the Dwarves one weakness driving them towards evil, greed, personified. Dragons also possess strength and toughness far exceeding that of all the evil races and likely all the good ones as well, just as Dwarves themselves are physically the strongest and most resilient of all the good races. Dragons and Dwarves are natural enemies not due to the fact that they're different but because they are so similar, especially when it comes to greed.
42* The Sackville-Baggins' pretensions towards respectability and their political ambition are symbolised in their name: "Sackville" is partly "Baggins" translated into French (Fr. "sac"= Eng. "bag"), and with the suffix "-ville" (Fr. "ville" = Eng. = "town"), it implies that instead of Hobbiton, they want to live in Bagginstown. No wonder one of them gets himself elected mayor.
43* The Rings of Power are pretty much the embodiment of BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: they latch onto the primal racial desires of their Bearers, give them the means to achieve them, then give them an all-too-appropriate downside. This is also the reason Gandalf feared the One Ring so much he won't even touch it: as a Maia, wielding greater power than any Elf or Man ruler and the innate sense of superiority of a god, he (or Saruman as well) might have turned into a tyrant just as great as Sauron if the Ring dominated him.
44** Mortal Men desire temporal power and long life. The Mortal Ringbearers are turned into the Nazgûl. They are deathless and immensely powerful, but they are basically ghosts in the thrall of Sauron: devoid of any real physical form, personality, or will of their own.
45** Dwarves are miners, craftsmen, and merchants. The Dwarven Rings bring their Bearers great wealth and renown. They also bring their Bearers unchecked greed and paranoia, hostility with other races, and ultimately ruinous warfare with Orcs and Northmen.
46** Elves want simply for things to continue as they are, unchanged. The Elvish Ringbearers are the leaders of the last three great Elven kingdoms in Middle-Earth, and are able to maintain their realms in peace and relative safety from the outside world. However these realms are little more than havens, little bubbles of Elvish culture in a changing world... and the Ringbearers can't do much outside of those bubbles. They have become isolated, withdrawn, and unable to affect the world at large. For the most part they don't even leave their realms; they simply live in the past, unable to deal with the present.
47** And Hobbits just want to be left in peace, unnoticed, invisible. They want to farm their lands, eat the results, and be left alone. There's little in the way of hierarchy or rulers. Even Gollum had no desire for power or riches. He just wanted the ring to have it. Bilbo used it to become invisible. Samwise puts it on and sees a magnificent, Platonic ideal of a garden, but shakes it off by thinking of how much of a pain it would be to maintain. It's like their brains can't handle the concept. The reason Sauron never bothered handing a ring to Hobbits - they're both beneath concern ''and'' have no real capacity to want anything he could offer.
48** Meanwhile, who is the one person who the ring has no power over? Tom Bombadil - a character who has no desires whatsoever. He has ultimate power in his own domain and no will to extend his power beyond the old forest. The ring has literally nothing to work with.
49** The Ring also doesn't seem to have much, if at all, an effect on Faramir. Not just because Faramir is the closest Tolkien came to a self-insert, but also because, very simply, Faramir ''doesn't want all that much.'' He comes across as a pretty straightforward fellow who's mostly content with what he has. Sure, he wants his father's love, his brother come back to life, and his country safe, but he's wise enough to understand that even with the Ring he wouldn't be able to have those. Like Sam and Tom, there's nothing for the Ring to work with, and he has enough strength of will that the Ring can't even get a foothold.
50* At first, Gandalf comes across as simply the prototypical grumpy old wizard. But upon a closer reading, you understand the real genuine reasons behind his grumpiness: he's the only wizard left who's ''actually doing his job''. Of the five Istari, one turned evil, one went native, and the other two just wandered off somewhere. Gandalf is doing the job of five people ''all by himself''. He's traveling far and wide, perhaps even the entire length and breadth of Middle-Earth, gathering information, rallying the Free Peoples, dispelling evil... and he's doing it all while constrained in the body of a wizened old man. No wonder he's cranky. He's got no time for your silly little Hobbit nonsense; he's trying to save the world here!
51** The two other wizards are said to have gone into the East, where they are fighting the Enemy on a different front (that was where the Garden of Eden was.) Radagast never had power to confront Sauron directly; his job was to nurture the spirits of plants and animals. and fight in a different way. Only one wizard left the fight.
52** Main/WordOfGod is that the Blue Wizards most likely got distracted and set up magical cults in the East with themselves as the heads, or perished at Saruman's hands when traveling alongside him during the same.
53*** The fact that the Haradrim and Easterlings showed up on Sauron's doorstep as full unquestioning allies of his likely indicates that they failed in their mission. Sauron would have likely turned on them once Gondor and Rohan would have fallen; wise counselors would have managed to convince them of the folly of said alliance.
54** At the very least, even if the Blue Wizards did do their jobs and Radagast is taking care of the plants and animals, he's certainly doing the job of two or three by himself. And Saruman is supposed to be the most powerful and leader of them all, it's no surprise he's upset.
55* When Frodo, Sam and Gollum are crossing the Dead Marshes a Black Rider flies overhead, around the hills and back to Mordor. A few days later, when they reach the Black Gate, another one flies over them, but this time it keeps going... to fly over the rest of the Fellowship after Pippin looks into the Palantír that evening. The Black Gate is northwest of Barad-dûr, and further northwest is Isengard.
56* It seems kind of silly that Tolkien made the One Ring's power invisibility, considering it's toted as a power great enough to rule all of Middle Earth, but the professor was actually referencing Plato's logical questioning of morality in ''Literature/TheRepublic'', the parable of the Ring of Gyges. The One Ring acts as the ultimate temptation to do whatever you want, so it is the ultimate test of one's morality! Gollum used the Ring for evil, since it helped him steal and kill whatever he wanted. Bilbo used the Ring to aid his friends and fulfill his quest, but later used it for more selfish purposes like avoiding nasty relatives and eventually had to give it up for the sake of his own sanity. Frodo went out of his way to avoid using it, and only ever used it by accident or under duress. Sam only ever used it once to save Frodo and then easily gave it up once Frodo was rescued.
57* It makes some sense that the One Ring's default set of powers were invisibility and long life. Its greatest fear isn't being found by an elf or Maia (such a powerful being would eventually be twisted into challenging Sauron, so it'd get back to Sauron that way), it's ending up in the hands of a nobody who'd keep it hidden and never use it, preventing Sauron from finding and recovering it. Invisibility and long life are two things most mortals would want, but they're also two powers that people would eventually talk about...just like Hobbiton was talking about Bilbo at the beginning of ''Fellowship''. That way, all the Nazgul have to do to find the Ring is to keep an ear out for any rumors of unusually old people with a tendency to vanish into thin air and inquire about where they live.
58** Another possible explanation: The Ring was made by Sauron to be used by Sauron alone, and the greater part of his essence is bound into it. Now, two of the most defining traits of the Valar and Maiar are that 1) They can assume or discard physical form at will, and 2) that they alone of all the beings within Middle-Earth are truly unaging (even Elves are affected by the flow of time, if not in the same way as humans). When a mortal wears the Ring, the essence of Sauron within it transfuses him to the tiniest degree, causing him to take on certain properties of a Maiar.
59** Alternatively, a big part of the Ring's power is the way it corrupts your mind, making you desire to keep it to yourself and hide it away from other people. What's the best way of hiding something? ''Turning it invisible.'' While wearing the Ring, you vanish from sight, not necessarily to keep ''yourself'' safe, but to keep the ''Ring'' safe, by making it literally impossible to find.
60** Also, the other rings are invisible, themselves. Frodo can only see Nenya because he's a Ringbearer. Sam can't see it, just notices a glint of light.
61* In the Houses of Healing Pippin says of Aragorn, "Was there ever anyone like him? Except Gandalf, of course. I think they must be related." Aragorn is a descendant of Lúthien, and so of Melian the Maia, so in a way they are related.
62* When Elrond warns Gimli against taking an oath to fulfill their quest he isn't just speaking in general but from experience. He knows someone who was broken by their oath, his foster-father Maglor. Not just that, but the Oath of Feanor just about destroyed his whole family on his mother's side. The Oath drove the Host of Feanor to topple not one, but two of Elrond's ancestral kingdoms and separated him from all of his direct relatives besides his brother.
63* Eagles:
64** One common Headscratcher is "Why didn't the Eagles just take the ring to Mordor?" According to [[http://np.reddit.com/r/FanTheories/comments/130it2/lord_of_the_rings_a_theory_about_the_eagle_plot/ one theory,]] Gandalf secretly planned on taking the fellowship to where the eagles live and having the eagles fly them to Mordor. The eagles lived on the other side of the Misty Mountains but all the routes for crossing them were too dangerous and difficult, and Gandalf (along with his secret plan) ends up falling down a chasm in a battle with the Balrog. Just before falling with the Balrog he tries to surreptitiously tell them the secret plan ("Fly, you fools!") but was too surreptitious and they didn't understand. When he came back as Gandalf the White he had forgotten many things, including everything from hi-s name to the plan to meet the eagles. Furthermore, we hear in "The Hobbit" that eagles aren't always kind and can be cruel and cowardly. It makes sense then that Gandalf doesn't want them near the ring. He can't risk the eagles being corrupted by the ring.
65** A point made at the Counsel of Elrond is the need for subtlety in moving the ring to Mordor. Eagles or other flying creatures would likely draw attention and interception (if not the Nazgul on their flying steeds, then some other flying monstrosity we never meet in the books). This may also be why the Fellowship consists of mostly low-powered characters...an escort of elf princes, or something like, might've gotten Frodo through more dangers more easily, but also would've detected by Sauron through magical or spiritual means and then overwhelmed.
66** Common sense might also be the reason. Sauron only has... what, Fell Beasts, archers, catapults, trebuchets and God knows what. Saruman has his crows which might seem like a small threat to giant eagles, but considering their speed and numbers, are not to be underestimated. Besides, he would see them flying a mile away and would have had a welcoming committee consisting of his entire army waiting at the Mount Doom. Remember: the only reason Frodo and Sam made it to Mount Doom is because Sauron's entire army was lured away to the Black Gate.
67*** Really, the answer is this: Flying into the teeth of Mordor, with Sauron awake and watching constantly? Suicide. Flying into a thoroughly disrupted Mordor with Sauron's power broken? Just doable to save the hero.
68** A lot of Lord of the Rings was inspired by Tolkien's experiences as a soldier in WWI the Eagles are probably a representation of the United States, an isolationist country that could have entered earlier and made a pretty big difference in how the war went but didn't until late in conflict. This happened again in WWII, so really the Eagles are just the United States and it's refusal to take action.
69*** Not so, although this is a common misunderstanding of how Tolkien worked his WWI experiences into the Legendarium. It was much more subtle than that.
70* In Cirith Ungol, Sam is talking about the old stories and Galadriel's light and suddenly realizes that with the phial, Eärendil's story is ''still going on'' and they're just in a new part of it. Well, Eärendil's light is from a Silmaril. A Silmaril's light is from the Two Trees of Valinor. In other words, Sam and Frodo are using the light of the ''Valar themselves'' to fight Shelob and break the Watchers' invisible gate. (As to why it fails later, a cup of the stuff, as powerful as it is, still isn't enough to overcome the ocean's worth of Sauron's darkness when they're on his doorstep.)
71* Why has Radagast disappeared from his home? Other material reveals the Battle under the Trees in Mirkwood was going on during the War of the Ring and two Nazgul went to Dol Guldur. We know Radagast is devoted to animals - speech with animals is his 'thing' as fire is Gandalf's and mental influence is Saruman's. Maybe with the coming battle he went into Mirkwood to protect the animals.
72* Crossover with FridgeHorror: Creator/JRRTolkien was a close friend of Creator/CSLewis. And in the Nazgûl, we see men [[Literature/TheScrewtapeLetters whose souls Satan devoured]] ''before'' they died.
73* Why does Sauron only have nine fingers? The same reason none of Morgoth's injuries never healed - they are both completely consumed by their rebellion against Eru, the Giver of Healing. On top of that, Sauron's body within the LOTR timeframe is implied to be an artificial one - his natural body was lost in the Downfall of Numenor.
74* Witnessing Théoden's death probably had a lot to do with Éowyn's CharacterDevelopment later on. Before that, she saw [[WarIsGlorious war as a valorous thing]] and [[DeathSeeker preferred the idea of dying in battle]] to possibly leading her people as Queen if both Théoden and Éomer died at Minas Tirith. Théoden's death was [[DroppedABridgeOnHim sudden, brutal, ignoble, and unavoidable]]. Her own almost-death [[UnstoppableRage sent her brother into a rage]], causing him to nearly lead a suicidal charge of his own. Seeing the former and hearing about the latter probably convinced her that [[WarIsHell war is]] ''[[WarIsHell not]]'' [[WarIsHell a good way to live]], man or woman.
75* Bilbo's seemingly immeasurable wealth seems odd, considering he returned to the Shire with a single chest of treasure that seemed to sustain him for decades, in spite of spending those decades giving lavish gifts to hobbits throughout the Shire and generally not being known for being tight with money in his everyday life either. However, the events leading up to the party imply that a great many of the gifts that Bilbo gives out at his parties come from Dale and Erebor. In a sense, Bilbo has paid for them with his "one fourteenth share" of the treasure of Erebor, which he was contractually promised for helping the company on their quest. Aside from that one chest, the rest of his share is just being held at Erebor and being spent when he needs it.
76** Bilbo brought back two chests: one full of gold, and another of silver, which would be easier to spend in the Shire than gold. That was all the wealth he claimed of the dragon's hoard. He just knew how to spend that wealth, and the wealth that he inherited, well. By the end of LotR, his fortune is down to Bag End and the purse he gives to Sam - the "last drop of the Smaug vintage".
77* Tom Bombadil gives the four hobbits a whole day of his time, just telling them stories. Not only that - he recounts (backwards) the story of the entire world, all the way back to the beginning. Frodo´s reaction at the end of this, is a mix of StunnedSilence and a mystical revelation. This experience is a part of the point of Bombadil, giving us, and the hobbits, a sense of "depth". It also gives some meaning to Pippin´s joke towards Gandalf while riding to Gondor, when he asks Gandalf for the "whole story of Middle-Earth, the heavens and the sundering seas" - Bombadil already gave him that one. The bet is - can Gandalf do the same? He is at least just as old as Tom Bombadil.
78* In the Houses of Healing, the herb-master characterizes the athelas (kingsfoil) Aragorn asks for as a home remedy used by old men. The old men who use it are probably about Aragorn's actual age--he's close to ninety.
79* Small one, but the weapons the Balrog wields seem a little... odd. Sure, the sword makes sense (because everyone in Middle Earth has one), but why the whip? It seems like a random choice. However, the Balrog is an evil Maia, making it an EvilCounterpart to Gandalf, who gets some literal GoodShepherd-style symbolism in that he carries a staff as his off-hand weapon/source of power. Where Gandalf may be called to protect and guide, the Balrog would lean more toward subjugation or torture; hence, the whip.
80* Of course Celebrimbor's Ring project [[GoneHorriblyWrong got hijacked to evil]]. Part of the curse on Fëanor's line was that everything they started for good would be perverted.
81* Shortly after Pippin arrives in Minas Tirith, the Gondorians start a rumor that he's a "prince of the halflings," which he sees as a gross misapprehension. But even though all the specifics are wrong, the rumor is closer to the truth than it has any right to be. Pippin is next in line to become Thain of the Shire, so if anyone could be called "prince of the halflings," it'd be him.
82** WordOfGod has it that the Hobbits did away with the formal diction of Westron, so Pippin essentially walked into Denethor's throne room and said something along the lines of, "Hey man, what's up?" The Gondorians heard him speaking to the Steward as an equal, leading them to believe he was of equal status.
83* Once you know a little about Middle-Earth cosmology, the reforging of Andúril becomes an even bigger deal than it is at first glance. In Tolkien's universe, great works of art, magic, and craft [[LostTechnology cannot be made more than once,]] as the skills needed to make them [[TheMagicGoesAway fade over time.]] Even in our world, [[ReforgedBlade reforging a blade]] tends to [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome make it weaker along the joints]] than one made whole from scratch, as the fill material is different than the metal that went into the original blade. That the elves of Rivendell not only reforged Narsil (a sword made in the First Age whose original smith is long gone) into Andúril, but made it arguably ''[[CameBackStrong better]]'' than before (Narsil was broken by Sauron, while Andúril survives the rest of the story), is something special.
84* Gimli being permitted to make the trip to Valinor with Legolas parallels the scene in the ''Silmarillion'' where Illuvatar blesses Aule's prototype dwarves with the Secret Fire, and makes them a true race. In both cases, by divine grace and love dwarfkind is permitted entry to a blessing that was not originally intended for them.
85* A heartwarming little touch - both Aragorn and Sam Gamgee end up planting a tree (from elven lands! both white trees and mallorns are descended from the Trees of Valinor) to replace a significant dead tree, marrying their long-time sweethearts and settling down to be beloved leaders of their respective communities. They get the same happy ending, each on his own scale. And they remain friends for their entire lives, despite living so far apart.
86* Another interesting little touch - everyone agrees that ''athelas'' smells nice, but what does it smell like? Look at the scene where Ararogn is healing Faramir, Éowyn and Merry - at each patient's bed the herb smells different (to everyone around, not just to the patients). It's "spring in Ithilien" for Faramir, "mountain air" for Éowyn, "orchards and heatherfields" for Merry. The respective persons' favourite places, most likely. Or possibly the places they consider their homes. Athelas smells like home.
87* Perhaps less fridge-y than all above, but how does Frodo empathise with Gollum while Sam doesn't? Because Frodo is going through the same thing Gollum has, and being both BookSmart and a generally honest person, he realises full well that there, but for the grace of Eru, goes Frodo Baggins. He sees himself in Gollum. Sam doesn't, since his five minutes as a ringbearer hasn't come yet. Being practical, Sam sees a threat to protect himself and his friend from - a liar, thief, murderer. An alien, disgusting, scary being he has nothing in common with, but knows it's dangerous.
88** Frodo's pacifism after coming back to Shire is another face of this - he's experienced firsthand how easy it is to slip into evil, how hard it gets not to. Notice how he bristles against disguising as an orc. He's had the information to decide and stick to his decision, but is aware that others, like Gollum, hadn't. He's sorry for them.
89* Saruman preferring Sauron to the wizards in his own order makes more sense if you recall that both Sauron and Saruman had been Maiar of Aulë, Vala of technology and craft. The guys were easy to find common language, which went beyond just being tactical allies: there is a common train of thought - as in, reliance on unusual technology - between Sauron's Grond and Saruman's gunpowder.
90** Of course, on a {{Meta}} level it rather reflects Tolkien's deep suspicion of modern industry, as most clearly shown in the Scouring of the Shire.
91* Way back near the beginning of ''The Fellowship Of The Ring'', Sam mentions that one of his cousins saw what he swore was a walking tree up on the northern border of the Shire. After we learn of the Ents and the Entwives in ''The Two Towers'', it seems very likely that that was an Entwife, poking around the borders of the Shire. Treebeard did say that the Shire was just the kind of land they'd love...
92** Or a male Ent, a survivor from the days the primal forest stretched from Dunland to Shire and beyond, quietly going about his business. Ents are long lived, after all, and there's a nice swath of forest still growing there.
93* The One Ring failing to corrupt Sam seems odd, but makes sense. Sam is such a humble person that the Ring had hard time trying to find something to corrupt him. The fact that the best the Ring had to tempt Sam is Mordor as a garden, show that the Ring run out of options and was just that desperate.
94** Similarly with Faramir, he has enough strength of character to know that anything it could offer him, he didn't want, and anything he really wanted, he couldn't get from the Ring.
95* The Mouth of Sauron comes to the assembled company in ''Return of the King'' and mentions ''a'' Hobbit. Though it's not spelled out explicitly, it's likely that part of the reason Aragorn and Gandalf didn't despair is that they know ''two'' Hobbits are running around in Mordor (three if we count Smeagol), and clearly Sauron doesn't have the Ring back.[[note]]After all, Sauron wasn't going to bother with diplomacy if he actually had the Ring.[[/note]] Even if it's true that Frodo is dead or captured (which they would guess from the mail shirt), Sam can still fulfill the Quest. Merry and Pippin may not have picked up on this, but it's likely Gandalf and Aragon would have. However, naturally they wouldn't say anything to the Mouth, and even saying anything out loud to the rest of their troops might be dangerous at the very border, where anything and anyone could be watching and listening.
96* At first, it seems strange that Westron (or Adûni) and Adûnaic do not resemble each other at all, even though one is supposed to be the descendant of the other. Then comes the appendix and the revelation that all of the Westron we see in the novels is actually the English translation of the original text. From what little we see of untranslated Adûni, it does greatly resemble its ancestor Adûnaic, with names like Banazîr, Razanur, Sûza, etc.
97[[/folder]]
98
99[[folder:Fridge Horror]]
100* Saruman's army has troops composed crossbreeds of orcs and humans. Just what exactly did the process of their... um... creation involve?
101** This comes with a side of fridge brilliance: Saruman could have secretly captured both Dunlendings and people on the fringes of Rohan's Westfold for this purpose, inflaming tensions between the two (who would blame each other) to keep them preoccupied while also making it easier for him to manipulate both sides. He gets two armies and Rohan is weakened.
102** The creation of the Uruk-Hai is considered one of Saruman's most grievous crimes, similar to Morgoth's "creation" of Orcs. It's a safe bet that whatever actions he took to get the interbreeding going were pretty abominable.
103* On a related note, we don't hear of any human women accompanying the ruffians who take over the Shire. One wonders what kind of comfort they sought.
104* Tolkien heavily disliked the idea of Orcs being AlwaysChaoticEvil monsters, whose evilness in inherent. That would actually make them even more terrifying: if they were AlwaysChaoticEvil, they could be seen as a whole race of woobie-types whose basic existence is suffering, but actually they are simply sadistic freaks who simply commit atrocities and enjoy it wholly.
105* The passages involving the Dead Marshes and the Morannon are depressing and bleak... but when you find out that they are based on ''RealLife'' -Tolkien's personal experiences in World War I specifically-, they become horrifying.
106* There are - were - dungeons in Barad-dur, where prisoners were kept until their usefulness had expired. ''Squish.''
107** Which is probably a far preferable option for anyone who's spent any amount of time in there.
108** To some, this idea is quite {{Narm}}y, with the Franchise/StarWars trash compactor immediately springing to mind...
109* When Frodo is seen by Sam in his spirit world appearance—as a commanding figure, booming voice forcing Gollum to cower away from him—the realization comes that Frodo has had his pity for Gollum replaced by hatred and a desire to do him harm or otherwise control him. Galadriel had previously told him that he would need to train his will to dominating others in order to unlock the Ring's true potential and not merely being warped into Gollum's pitiable state. He managed to find it. Not only does it indicate how much the pull of the Ring has corrupted his mind, it also suggests that Frodo has it within him, despite his good nature, to be a terrible-to-behold Dark Lord, if given the chance. It may even be part of what scared Sauron when he sensed the Ring at Mount Doom.
110* How Sam's near-drowning affected Frodo wouldn't be a pleasant thought either way, but it gets worse when the reader remembers that Frodo's parents drowned, and, given how gossipy hobbits are, he'd know the story simply from hearing it retold even if he couldn't remember it.
111* In the appendix, you read that Earnur, the last king of Gondor prior to Elessar, rode with a few knights to Minas Morgul to meet the Witch-king's challenge of single combat, and was never heard from again. In Gondor they believed he died at Minas Morgul. But on the other hand... "[The Nazgul] will not slay thee in turn. He will bear thee away to the houses of lamentation, beyond all darkness, where thy flesh shall be devoured, and thy shrivelled mind be left naked to the Lidless Eye." Which is more-or-less what the Witch-king tries to do to Frodo at Weathertop. In reward for his ill-advised bravery, Earnur might well have still been in an undead state at the Dark Tower ''at the time of the War of the Ring'', tortured for nearly a thousand years.
112* Old Man Willow was bad enough. But imagine if there were [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hura_crepitans sandbox tree]] Huorns.
113* Sauron reclaimed the three surviving of the Seven Rings. The Mouth of Sauron has apparently been in Sauron's service a long time (to the point where he's even forgotten his own name). His age is unknown, but might Sauron have given those Rings to Humans (learning from his inability to make shadows of the Dwarves) to try to mint three more Nazgûl?
114** Possibly, the Rings work according to the wearer's nature...
115* What horrors did Sauron have planned for Merry and Éowyn, for daring to bring down his number one Nazgûl?
116* Frodo has a bit of a dramatic streak in his personality (look at him going all "I wonder if I shall ever see this valley again" when he's preparing to leave Shire), possibly because, for a hobbit, he's been rather lonely most of his life - a orphan with no siblings, growing up as just another kid in his mom's (large, busy) family home, maybe he just had nobody close to him. He's definitely a dreamer - a well-read, educated person who lives in books more than he lives in the world around him (as much as any hobbit is like that). He's fairly introverted, but don't mistake that for timid. If Middle Earth had Internet, he'd be JustForFun/OneOfUs, for sure. Now, dear Troper, look carefully within yourself. Don't you ever want to be a hero? Don't you ever want the world to be a little bit cooler than it is, and especially to be, yourself, a little bit cooler and more admirable? Perhaps you indulge in a saving the world fantasy every once in a while? Frodo did. Look how he ended up...
117* When relating his fight with the Balrog Gandalf says:"Far, far below the deepest delving of the Dwarves, the world is gnawed by nameless things. Even Sauron knows them not. They are older than he. Now I have walked there, but I will bring no report to darken the light of day." These are ancient abominations that Gandalf refuses to talk about. Even huorns were given some explanation. The worst part is that unlike with the other monsters of middle earth it's unlikely that they were hunted to extinction. Meaning "they" could be still be there...waiting for us.
118** One of the freakier readings of this scene is that the Balrog was probably the ''best case scenario'' for a horrible monster being unleashed in Dwarrowdelf. The next level underneath Durin's Bane were creatures that [[HorrifyingTheHorror even he didn't want to screw with]]. Gandalf describes the fight with the Balrog essentially devolved into them both running for their lives once they reached the abyss where the Nameless Things lived.
119[[/folder]]
120
121!!The Films
122
123[[folder:Fridge Brilliance]]
124* Creator/OrlandoBloom's performance is rather stiff, but he becomes much more expressive whenever Legolas is speaking Elvish. So it might be that Legolas himself is inexpressive because he's not very comfortable speaking Westron. (Elves are known to be very insular, and Elrond and Arwen might be better at Westron because they're leaders and expected to have contact with the outside world. Meanwhile, [[AWizardDidIt Galadriel is magic.]] And a leader. And well-traveled in her youth.) Now that ''Film/TheHobbit'' is out we know that he was raised away from the other races, was a bit racist towards Dwarves and later befriended a young Aragorn. That explains why he is so reserved all the time but gets emotional when Aragorn is insulted (the Council), presumed dead (the Cliff) or in danger (Mordor). He is more comfortable around Aragorn but not around the others because he doesn't know them ''at all''. He does start joking with Gimli once they start up a friendship. Everything is done for a reason.
125* "May It Be" by Music/{{Enya}} is already an emotional, soothing and hope-inspiring song. But when you realise it's sung from the perspective of Galadriel offering the light of Eärendil to Frodo, [[YouAreNotAlone it becomes that much more poignant and moving.]]
126* Explosives and wizards:
127** In ''The Two Towers'', there's a scene where Saruman is preparing explosives. Wormtongue is curious (he's never heard of explosives before), and leans over, and Saruman looks at him funny. It looks like Saruman was implying "You're an idiot for not knowing what explosives are." But Wormtongue is holding a candle, and if he had leaned just a little bit farther over, it would've ''really'' changed the plot of the movie. This also doubles as a great moment reinforcing the "practical wizard" aspect: although it might look like magic to the natives, Saruman isn't just waving a wand around and repeating mumbo jumbo, he's using real intellect. It helps sell to the audience that there might be similar principles behind other things they can do, and ironically that it's NOT simply a case of AWizardDidIt.
128** This makes more sense when you know Saruman is a Maia of Aule, the Smith Valar. Of course he knows more about technology.
129** Also note the contrast between Saruman's knowledge of gunpowder and Gandalf's fireworks in the first movie. Both operate on the same principles, but Gandalf uses his knowledge [[MundaneUtility for art and entertainment]], while Saruman uses it [[JustThinkOfThePotential as a weapon of war]]. It really underlines the differences between the two wizards' thinking.
130* Relating to the above, it seems rather odd that Gandalf is first speaking with Saruman's voice when he encounters Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas in Fangorn only to switch back to his normal voice when he fully reveals himself. However it makes more sense when taking into account how in the book Gandalf described his new form as what Saruman should have been. Thus for those who don't know Gandalf, he essentially is Saruman (albeit uncorrupted) while still being Gandalf to those that do.
131* There's a whole layer of depth to Merry and Pippin's story arc that you don't realise first time around.
132** Up until the moment where Gandalf separates them, they are practically attached at the hip, with Merry always looking after Pippin (nearly ten years Merry's junior). When they are separated, Merry finds a new close friend in Éowyn and Pippin does the same with Faramir. Pippin ends up looking out for Faramir and even risking his own life to save him, by getting up on the pyre. Meanwhile, Merry lets Éowyn take care of him (even stated in dialogue - "''Whatever happens, stay with me. I'll look after you.''") After the Battle of Pelennor they are reunited, and it is now Pippin who looks after Merry. This is something Creator/PeterJackson cultivated for the actors. During the filming of the first movie and beginning of the second, Jackson had Billy Boyd and Creator/DominicMonaghan stay together as much as possible. They became good friends as a result. Once Pippin goes off with Gandalf, Jackson kept them apart until they filmed their scene after the Battle of Pelennor Fields. Reportedly, one of they first things they did was argue about whose armor was cooler looking.
133** Boromir dies to save Merry and Pippin (and actually ''does'' save them, since that orc seemed intent on hacking them to pieces when Boromir showed up). The Hobbits are later freed from the uruk-hai thanks to Éomer attacking. Pippin goes on to save Faramir's life and Merry to save Éowyn's. Faramir and Éowyn then fall in love. Thanks to Boromir and Éomer aiding the Hobbits, their siblings survived the war and ended up married.
134** Éowyn and Merry are developmentally the same age; she is 23 and Merry is 37, (since hobbits' life cycles are about twice as long as that of humans); meanwhile Faramir and Pippin are both, in a sense, little brothers.
135* While the charge of the Rohirrim is one of the most epic movie moments ever, a lot of people thought it was slightly deflated by the ridiculous reaction shot of the stunned Orc commander. He couldn't really believe that three volleys of arrow fire would turn back the charge, could he? But from his position at the bottom of the hill, he couldn't see the vastness of the Rohirrim army. He couldn't imagine that Rohan could field a much larger force than the one Gondor sent to attempt to retake Osgiliath, which he had easily slaughtered. For Rohan to commit so many troops to the battle, they would have to leave their own lands undefended for the benefit of an ally, a risk that he couldn't imagine taking.[[note]]The novel makes clearer that this is ''exactly'' what they did and they found out mid-march that an orc army was heading for Rohan, but happily they were fatally intercepted by Ents.[[/note]] So he's stunned not just by the fearlessness of the charge, but by the fact that so many Rohirrim are there at all!
136* The scene near the start where Bilbo drops the Ring is one that is very, very unsettling. Something's not right, but you can't quite put your finger on it. Later, usually on another watching, you finally realize what it is: It does not bounce. It simply falls and stops. It's a fantastic underscore to the fact that the Ring is ''very'' unnatural. (The effect, incidentally, was created by using a very strong magnet under the floor.) It's meant to express the Ring's symbolic weight, both in importance to the Middle-Earth's fate and as a burden on Bilbo's, and later Frodo's shoulders. In ''The Return of the King'', you can actually see scars on Frodo's neck, caused by chafing of the chain due to the Ring's heaviness. Specifically, it starts getting much heavier once Sam and Frodo have ''passed'' Sauron's tower and are continuing on towards Mount Doom. The burden of carrying the Ring isn't just growing because Frodo's had it for so long, it's because the Ring ''is trying to protect itself'' by hindering their travel. This might even resolve the LavaIsBoilingKoolAid effect when Gollum falls into the Cracks at the end: while Gollum ''should'' be lighter than lava and not sink into it, the Ring is forcing him under with its unnatural weight, desperate to delay its own destruction for a few more seconds.
137* It seems odd that the uruk that Boromir intercepts at the end of ''Fellowship'' was going to deal a killing blow to Merry and Pippin, given that they were explicitly ordered to bring the halflings "alive and unspoiled." But that's in the first film, where they have no dialogue beyond growls and are an implacable killing force. In the ''second'' film, they ''do'' get to talk, and it's easy to believe that at least one frustrated and battle-mad uruk would decide to kill a halfling because he felt like it, orders or no orders.
138* At first the impact of the ring on Frodo seems rather extreme, but aside from Bilbo (who only handles it before Sauron's rise to power), Deagol (who dies within minutes of doing so), and Gollum (and look what happened to him), Frodo is the only one to ever '''touch''' the ring. Everyone else just comes close to touching it, then pulls away or is forced away somehow. Well, except for Sam. He carried/wore it while Frodo was being held prisoner in the tower. Of course the only time he actually touched it was when he held it in his hand while confronting the Orc. He'd also shown himself resilient to the Ring when he [[WhatYouAreInTheDark resists]] [[TheFinalTemptation becoming "Samwise the Strong" with a "garden of his delights"]], and he didn't carry it for very long anyway. Also, like Bilbo, Sam gave up the Ring willingly, which (combined with the very short time he held the Ring) accounts for its lack of lasting impact.
139* There's European folklore explaining you have to kill a wizard three times to keep him dead. Interestingly, Saruman in the movie is stabbed with a knife, falls from a great height, and gets impaled on a spike. Naturally, [[Creator/ChristopherLee an actor]] famous for playing Literature/{{Dracula}} gets impaled right in the chest...
140* When Gandalf shows up at Mt. Doom, there are three eagles. The first, ridden by Gandalf, grabs Frodo. The second grabs Sam. Why the extra eagle? Just in case Sméagol had been redeemed by Frodo. Gandalf sees many possibilities.
141* The flag of Rohan is a white horse upon a field of green with the sun shining behind it. What happens at the end of ''The Two Towers''? Gandalf, riding a white horse, leads the cavalry charge of the green-cloaked Rohirrim to Théoden's aid, with the [[{{CueTheSun}} sun rising behind them.]] Also happens in Return of the King, with Théoden, riding Snowmane, leads a mass of green cloaks with the sun now setting behind them.
142* In, Aragorn begs Théoden to ask Gondor for aid, and he retorts, "Where was Gondor when the Westfold fell? Where was Gondor when our enemies closed in around us? Where was Gon..." and then cuts himself off. The end of that sentence, the part he couldn't bring himself to say, was, "...when my son died."
143* What happens to Gollum upon falling into the lava of Mount Doom is surprising: He doesn't die right away and doesn't even seem to notice the excruciatingly hot lava that engulfs and slowly kills him. It makes sense, however, if the Ring's bestowing of "unnatural long life" to Gollum not only extended his years but also made him extremely difficult to kill. That would also explain how he survived what should have been a fatal fall outside Shelob's Lair; and it makes Gollum's death a foreshadowing of the Ring's own similarly slow death by lava.
144* Galadriel:
145** When watching Creator/CateBlanchett's performance as Galadriel, something seems very odd about her. Her movements, mannerisms, and even how she speaks all seem off somehow (for example, her conversation with Frodo when he looks into her mirror). Something is also different about her eyes in the scene in which she greets the Fellowship, and a closer look reveals that she's the ''only'' character in the scene whose eye shine is made up of a globe of dozens of individual points of light. Everyone else's eyes (even Celeborn's) reflects a single point (this was a conscious decision by the video effects team). Then you remember: Aside from Gandalf and Saruman (and of course, Sauron), Galadriel is the ''only'' character we see in the films who has been to Valinor (she was born there), and it's made clear in the books that Elves who came out of the West are literally living in two worlds at once. Galadriel seems so odd and other worldly because she literally ''is'' living in two different worlds. Blanchette is ''invoking'' the UncannyValley to show that Galadriel is a woman who doesn't quite live at the same level of existence as those around her.
146** In fact, it's even worse - Galadriel, through Nenya, her one of the Three Rings, is all that maintains Lorien's existence. As soon as she leaves, the place collapses and decays. It's also made quite clear that doing this is not at all easy for her - it severely saps her energy and mental stamina.
147** Another thing they did to invoke the UncannyValley was her scene with Frodo predicting the future - normally scenes are filmed in 24 frames per second but that scene was filmed at 36 fps followed by 48 for her 'Dark Queen' moment. Why would the film-makers do this? Because when played at 24 fps [[{{Overcrank}} the footage seems slower than it actually is]] to give Galadriel the allusion of being a being of endless age and wisdom.
148** Galadriel rejects the ring when Frodo offers it. Why? She's not scared of ''it'', but of what ''she'' could and would do if she had that power. She successfully overcomes her own weaknesses and temptations and stays exactly as she is.
149* In the books, Aragorn refuses to hand over Anduril when Hama the Doorwarden asks the party to disarm before meeting King Theoden. Aragorn then clarifies that he would gladly comply with the rules of the house "were it only a woodman's cot" if he had any other sword but Anduril. In the film, Aragorn does not have Anduril yet at that point, and he hands over his own sword without a fuss.
150* Why is Saruman so incapable of understanding the Ents and why does he prove to be such a HorribleJudgeOfCharacter when it comes to them? When the Dwarves were created, Yavanna, Vala of Nature, asked for her beloved trees to have a line of defense since trees are felled all the time and cannot protect themselves- so were the Ents made. She told her husband Aulë that no love will there be between her children, the Ents, and his children, the Dwarves, and the Dwarves will have little regard to things Yavanna holds dear because Aulë kept their creation in secret from her. Saruman was a Maia of Aulë- what if this means he, too, has little understanding of nature and Ents?
151** What's more, Saruman despised Radagast precisely for the reason that Yavanna basically imposed his presence on Saruman. His contempt for Radagast's weakness could have eventually been transferred to all Yavanna's creations.
152* The scene where the Corsairs of Umbar (well, their ships anyway) arrive at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields shows the orcs showing an OhCrap expression when Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas step off seems a bit comical at first, since they're essentially showing fear of three people (remember, they don't even know about the CavalryOfTheDead thing yet). Taking a moment to see it from their view, it suddenly becomes a lot more understandable: "Wait, these aren't the people we were expecting! Who ''are'' these people? ''What have they done with our reinforcements?''"
153* The extended films (well, at least in the box set) has each film divided onto two discs, which seems kind of odd aside from the obvious space limitations... until you remember that each part of the book was divided into two possible books, six in total. 6 [=DVDs=], 6 books as intended by Tolkien.
154* When the Fellowship first flee from the Balrog in Moria, at one point Gandalf seems to be in pain and Aragorn goes to help him. Even as they approach the bridge, Gandalf is visibly struggling to keep pace despite having sprinted across the previous hall with the rest of the Fellowship at full pelt not five minutes beforehand. Is it just because he's an old man and feeling exhausted? Maybe, but if you read the books, you'll see Gandalf and the Balrog spend a bit of time firing curses and counter-curse at each other ''before'' they meet face to face. This is what is happening during these scenes; the Balrog is not just a big demon, it's a powerful sorcerer as well. Gandalf is putting all his efforts into fighting back the invisible spells the Balrog is casting, and the strain is wearing him out. Luring the Balrog to the bridge was a chance for Gandalf to level the playing field and fight it on his own terms.
155* At the end of ''The Fellowship of the Ring'', Frodo extends his hand to save Sam from drowning. At the end of ''The Return of the King'', Sam extends his hand to save Frodo from burning.
156* In the Extended Edition, the Mouth of Sauron gloats at the Fellowship, talking about how Frodo is dead and suffered horrible tortures at their hands. [[TalkToTheFist Aragorn's measured response]] [[ShutUpHannibal of lopping off his head]] and saying that he doesn't and won't believe it makes a lot more sense when you factor in that Frodo was carrying the Ring, and if he had been captured and tortured to death, the Ring would already be in Sauron's hands again, and he would have simply wiped out the army at his gates rather than send out a diplomatic envoy.
157** It doesn't help that that the Ring being not returned to Sauron is pretty clear cut. Firstly, if the Mouth of Sauron wanted to lie that Frodo had been captured, then why would a second hobbit (aka Sam) not even be mentioned? Secondly, if Sauron really had the One Ring back, he wouldn't have bothered with diplomacy and would have just crushed the Host of the West with his armies at the Black Gate.
158* At the end of the Battle of Helm's Deep, the pike-wielding orcs would surely have broken the charge led by Gandalf and Eomer, if not for the sun rising over the hill at the last second and making them break ranks. Luck? No, the Rohirrim were led by a wizard. [[CallBack And a wizard arrives]] ''[[CallBack precisely]]'' [[CallBack when he means to]].
159* At ''The Return of the King'''s climax, we see Frodo hanging over the edge of the Crack of Doom, exhausted and guilt-ridden for allowing himself to succumb to the Ring’s corruption; unsure if he still wants to live. Meanwhile, the Ring is not quite destroyed as it sits and shimmers on top of the magma. It would seem that the Ring is using the last bit of its power, of its very existence, to try to claim Frodo’s life (just as Galadriel had forewarned). For its influence lies not only in corruption but also making one give into despair. Frodo is at his weakest, so it would seem like he would give up all hope and fall. However, Sam would not have any of it as he pleads with Frodo to take his hand and not let go; to not give into despair. Hearing his best friend’s pleas, Frodo uses what little strength he has left to take Sam’s hand. At that moment, what sway the Ring had left over Frodo was no more as it then disintegrates into the magma. What makes this scene so brilliant is that it illustrates that no matter the influence of evil, no matter the weight of despair, love will always triumph and that hope will prevail. That strength can be found even at one’s weakest of times.
160** An alternative explanation is that the Ring was keeping him from grabbing Sam's hand; once the Ring was destroyed, ''then'' Frodo was able to reach up and grab Sam's hand.
161** In addition to this wonderful and well-reasoned explanation, this also reveals ''why'' the Ring took so long to melt in the magma: as long as Frodo was both still alive and lost in despair, the Ring had a tie to power and existence through him. It's only after he hears Sam's plea and takes his hand that the Ring sinks and dissolves; without his despair and the hold it had over him, the Ring couldn't resist the fires of Mount Doom any longer.
162* The layout of Aragorn's host at the Battle of the Black Gate has been criticized as an example of HollywoodTactics that got them surrounded. But remember: they were there to draw out Mordor's forces so Frodo would have a greater chance of success. Therefore, being surrounded was the best option, since it drew out more of Sauron's troops, which would leave fewer for Frodo and Sam to contend with.
163* Shortly before the final battle in ''The Return of the King'', we see Aragorn lower his sword and turn back to Gandalf with a lost, almost despairing look. Immediately after, Gandalf does a little waving motion with his hand and then we get the completely epic "For Frodo" line. Gandalf is the bearer of Narya, one of the Great Rings of Power, and its powers allow its bearer to "inspire others to resist tyranny, domination, and despair", as the other wiki says. Gandalf is using Narya in that scene to give Aragorn the last push he needs to take one last stand against the seemingly insuperable forces of Sauron.
164* It makes perfect sense as to why the lava bombs from Mount Doom can kill the Nazgul: they were born from the One Ring's power, and if that volcanic lava is capable of melting the source of their power, they're just as vulnerable. Furthermore, their master just got destroyed/depowered a short while ago, so they're likely in their dying throes anyway.
165* Why wasn't Frodo surprised to see Gandalf when he woke up near the end of ''The Return of the King''? Well, he thought Gandalf had died in the Misty Mountains (which is [[BackFromTheDead technically true]]), and believed he was going to die in Mount Doom's eruption before he passed out. He thought he had reunited with Gandalf in the afterlife. Supporting this is his clear surprise at seeing Merry and Pippin, shortly after which he receives confirmation that he's still alive.
166* When Sam battles Shelob, his most telling blow is to her underside, cutting upwards from beneath the cephalothorax with Sting. It's after this strike, which doesn't appear all that deep, that she starts staggering and listing to the left, her hind left legs sliding outwards rather than supporting her body. This is actually true to spider anatomy and nervous function: their major nerve cords are located along the belly, not along the back as in vertebrates, and their limbs will reflexively clench and extend if not ordered to do otherwise by the brain.
167* At first glance, with its ridiculous StoryBreakerPower, the Army of the Dead would've been handy at the Black Gate as the armies of Gondor and Rohan were devastated at the Siege of Minas Tirith. However, there are actually reasons why Aragon would only use them to save Minas Tirith instead.
168** Oaths in Middle-Earth are taken very seriously due to them carrying literal weight and dire consequences if trifled with, hence justifying the curse of being BarredFromTheAfterlife. These are people who have ''worshipped Sauron'' when they swore to help Isildur fight him. If Aragon tried to alter the deal at the last minute to keep them as a secret weapon, he would have been seen as an oathbreaker himself, stifling his credibility as King.
169** If Aragon had tried to cheat his way to victory by establishing the "salvation of Men" instead of simply "saving Minas Tirith" as terms of release beforehand, then he'd be no better than Sauron with the One Ring; using forces beyond mortality to realize his own power. He instead took the path of responsibility and self-sacrifice, the road less travelled to truly deserve inheriting the throne.
170** Throwing a CavalryOfTheDead against Sauron, a ''necromancer'' would be a terrible idea that would have gotten everyone killed at the Black Gate should they fall under his influence.
171** The idea to attack the Black Gate as a diversion is a last-minute decision due to underestimating just how many orcs still remain in Mordor free to catch Frodo and Sam. Hindsight is 20[=/=]20.
172** Also, it should be noted that it's the Army of Dead who presses the issue of being released, not Aragorn. He might have planned to use them more, but they've put their foot down and demanded immediate release after Minas Tirith. Demanding an insubordinate army to keep on fighting is a surefire recipe for disaster, so it's no wonder Aragorn agrees to let them go right then and there.
173* The change of the One Ring being destroyed from Gollum's accidental fall into molten pit to Frodo and Gollum fighting over the Ring puts a greater emphasis on [[EvilWillFail the folly of evil]] that Sauron counted on to preserve his powers. Sauron didn't realize that impulse of greed that prevents a person from destroying the One Ring only works with one person corrupted. If there are two corrupted persons, then they are more interested in killing their rival rather than protecting the Ring from harm. And this consequently causes them and the Ring to fall into the Crack of Doom due to their blindness of greed. [[HoistByHisOwnPetard Hoisted by his own petard, anyone?]]
174* One ''just'' realizes that "Gollum's Song" from the soundtrack to ''The Two Towers'', isn't sung ''about'' Gollum, it's sung ''by'' Gollum.
175* A moment of sheer brilliance in the soundtrack to ''The Return of the King''. Six triumphant, joyous notes ring out as the good guys win. They are the opening bars of Mordor's theme, rewritten. This is exactly what happens to the music of Sauron's boss Morgoth in ''The Silmarillion.'' In fact, the major themes of the soundtrack for all three movies are as described by the late J.R.R. Tolkien in that book! Somewhere in Heaven there is a pub, and in that pub there is very good beer, and Professor Tolkien is sipping it and humming (probably badly) all of the best bits.
176--> "And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me, nor can any alter the music in my despite. [[EvilCannotComprehendGood For he that attempteth this shall prove but mine instrument in the devising of things more wonderful, which he himself hath not imagined."]]
177** Regarding the Fellowship leitmoif, according to Howard Shore, it is never fully played in its complete form for the rest of the trilogy following the loss of Gandalf and later, Boromir. Even after Gandalf returns and reunites with Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas, the theme remains incomplete, with instruments and movements changing and slightly different.
178* In ''Return of the King'' during the siege of Minas Tirith Gandalf calls the men out to fight and Pippin, now a sworn guard of the citadel, answers the call. Gandalf orders him to go back to the highest point of the city. Previously their relationship has been somewhat difficult in that Gandalf is frustrated and sometimes angry with Pippin's antics. This time however, Gandalf is not ordering him back to where he is farthest from the fighting because he's worried he might do something stupid that will make their situation worse. If that were the case he would have let Pippin stay after the Hobbit has proven himself by killing the orc that was about to strike at Gandalf. Instead, he's ordering Pippin to go back to the citadel because he loves him and doesn't want him killed or injured. He's ordering him to go where he will be the safest for his own protection rather than to protect others from Pippin doing something reckless. This is also shown from the fact that Gandalf, basically an angel and the most powerful member of the group, has Pippin riding with him on the way to the Black Gates, rather than with Aragorn as he did at the start of the film.
179* During the lead-up to the battle at the Black Gates Pippin rides with Gandalf, as mentioned above. Merry rides with Éomer, which seems a touch random considering they've not really been shown even interacting at this point. But, Merry swore his alliegence to the king of Rohan (Théoden), and Éomer is now the new king. He's also wearing his Rohirric armor rather than having been given new Gondorian clothes. For all intents and purposes Merry is there as a servant of Rohan.
180* In Moria, after Gandalf tells Aragorn that "swords are no more use here", Aragorn spends the rest of his time in Moria using a bow.
181* Aragorn throws apples to Merry and Pippin from over his shoulder and out of line of sight. Aragorn is descended from the line of the Kings of Arnor, the Northern Kingdom of the Kingdoms in Exile. Arnor encompassed much of what the Shire was by the end of the Third Age. Hobbits are known for their skill in rock-throwing. Also, he's spent several decades as a Ranger. No doubt his hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness are amazing anyway!
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184[[folder:Fridge Horror]]
185* The Account of Isildur which Gandalf reads, where Isildur details his claiming of the One Ring, has some disturbingly familiar language in it. Although it's a bit more formally and flowery-worded, the Account is basically Gollum's ranting about the Ring; Isildur at one point says that it is ''Precious'' to him. He's only had the Ring for a short time and already it's starting to warp his mind.
186* By all indications, Bilbo only rarely wore the Ring during the sixty-plus years he had it, although he kept it with him. The slowed aging was just a side effect of having it. You don't even have to ''put the thing on'' for it to affect you.
187** It's even worse than that. Gollum not only eventually almost stopped wearing the Ring (otherwise he would have become a wraith) - he lost the thing altogether. Yet he was unable to die...
188* There are many parallels in Sméagol and Frodo's stories. Both Hobbits, both with one dear best friend, both driven mad by the One Ring... What would have happened if Gollum hadn't gone with Frodo and Sam on their journey, if [[AloneWithThePsycho Sam had been left alone with Frodo]]? Would Frodo have wound up killing Sam the same way Sméagol killed Déagol, and ultimately would the Ring have remained with Frodo until Sauron had reclaimed it? Having Gollum along, a trio instead of a duo, changed the dynamics and thus the outcome of the whole story.
189** Probably wouldn't, unless Sam tried to take the Ring off him...
190* The goblins in Moria look nothing like the goblins in the Misty Mountains. Moria goblins are scrawny, green, skulking, and chittering, whereas Misty Mountain goblins are corpulent, grey, grandiose, and garrolous. Morians are constantly terrorized by by a BigRedDevil and implied to be starving. They're halfway to insane and gaining fast. Misty Mountainers, by stark contrast, are fattened up by kidnapping and/or robbing travelers, an have grown into a thriving community (if they can truly be said to 'thrive').
191* During the lead up to the battle for Helm's Deep, several young boys are seen being armed for battle. When the last survivors retreat to Hornburg keep, none of the child soldiers are seen and Saruman's forces have otherwise taken over Helm's Deep. [[DeathOfAChild What happened to them can likely be guessed]].
192** Among them is probably Éothain, who is old enough to have been drafted and unfortunately went out of the frying pan and into the fire.
193** On a related note, it's implied that the Elves who came to help from Lorien were wiped out to the last. We don't see a single one after Aragorn goes to defend the gate.
194* Saruman's Uruk-Hai are a ''suicide cult.'' They were artificially created by him, and have no life or purpose beyond waging war in his name. He is essentially their ''God.'' When they adorn themselves with the symbol of the White Hand, they look almost ecstatic, receiving the blessings of their Creator. When the bombs are planted at Helm's Deep, the Uruk chosen to set it off is plastered head to toe with White Hands, and he is being cheered on by rows of his comrades. He's a suicide bomber, a sacrifice to their god, and he's probably ''thrilled'' to do it.
195* The Mouth of Sauron's line about Frodo: "Who knew one so small could suffer so much? But he did, Gandalf, he did." He's bluffing - but when we see what the war has done to Frodo, it's hard to say what he says isn't ''true''.
196** For that matter, Boromir's words to Frodo just before he tries to take the Ring from him in ''Fellowship'' are upsettingly true in retrospect: he was found by various enemies and antagonists (Shelob, the orcs, the men in Ithilien), Faramir came close to taking the Ring, and Frodo most certainly begged for death before the end (particularly during his speech on the slopes of Mount Doom, just before Sam carried him). He even almost did give the Ring to Sauron, when he offered it to the Nazgul in Osgiliath.
197* Frodo grew up listening to Bilbo's stories about [[GiantSpider giant, man-eating spiders]] (among other things). [[https://forestphantom05.tumblr.com/post/181065574767/can-we-just-talk-about-this-look-for-a-moment With that in mind]], the sequence where he's wandering through Shelob's lair, slowly realizing what Gollum's gotten him into, comes across even more horrifying than before.
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200[[folder:Fridge Logic]]
201On the [[Headscratchers/TheLordOfTheRings headscratchers]] page.
202[[/folder]]

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