All right, since there were a fair amount of questions after the release of ROTK, here’s a fairly comprehensive FAQ.
here is a link to the J.R.R. Tolkein forum. it contains many answers to questions from the Silmarillion.
Where are they sailing to at the end of the movie?
The ring bearers are going into the west to Valinor. Valinor is the dwelling place of The Valar and Maiar, and is known as the undying lands. It is the land that elves spirits return to when they die. It can also be reached by sailing there, but only the elves can successfully find it. The ring bearers, and eventually Sam and Gimli, are awarded a special privilege by being allowed to go to Valinor.
What is the difference between orcs and Uruk-hai?
Uruk-Hai are a cross breed between orcs and goblin-men (whatever those are). They are taller, stronger and probably smarter than your average orc. Also, unlike regular orcs, Uruk-Hai can travel during the day.
Why don't the elves and dwarves like each other?
The cause of they’re intense dislike of each other goes all the way back to the beginning of days. In the Silmarillion a precious Silmaril is fought over by the elves and dwarves. The elves eventually won, but they never seemed to have forgiven eachother. This makes sense when you consider the damage they did to each others lands.
What are the Ringwraiths?
They are the Nazgul. They were given 9 rings of power and were thus ensnared by Sauron. Their rings gave them seeming immortal life, and they could walk unseen when they wore the rings. Eventually the faded into a permanently invisible wraith state, some sooner some later, and were then enslaved to the will of the being who wore the One ring. In this case it was Sauron.
Who is the Witch King?
The Lord of the Nazgul. He is the most powerful of them, and he alone can stand the light of day. The other 8 benefit from his strength of will and power, and when under his command are at their most dreadful.
Why doesn't Aragorn want to be king?
In the book he is just biding his time. In the movie, it is because he is afraid he will turn out to be another Isildur.
What happened to Frodo's parents?
They drowned in a boating accident on the Brandywine River. Frodo was left an orphan until Bilbo adopted him as his heir.
What is that bowling ball thing that Pippin stole from Gandalf?
It was a Palantir. It allowed the use to see many things that were far away, or communicate with another Palantir user. Saruman extended the gaze of his Palantir too far, and was ensnared by Sauron.
Why won't Gandalf or Galadriel take the ring when Frodo offered it to them?
Because through them it would work great evil. Even if they used it to defeat the Sauron, they would then set themselves up in his place.
How did Bilbo get the ring?
He found it in Gollum’s cave. The ring had decided to abandon Gollum since it couldn’t do anything more with him.
What kind of creature is Gollum?
He is believe it or not, a ancestor of the hobbit race.
Was Sauron a man at one time?
No. Sauron is not a man, he is a Maiar. During LOTR it is never known exactly what physical form he took, but he was not actually a giant flaming eye.
Why didn't Shelob go after Gollum?
Because he had an agreement with her. He would bring her the 2 hobbits (Frodo and Sam) and she would spare Gollum.
Why is the One Ring so powerful?
Because Sauron poured almost all of his natural power into it. He also poured all of his desires into it as well, thus the ring was purely evil in nature. It could cause the user (except Sauron) to become invisible and it doubled Sauron’s power when he wore it. Those who possessed it (or were possessed by it as it turns out) could not bring themselves to do harm to the Ring. All the other rings of power are only useful so long as the One lasted. It was created in the Fires of Orondruin or Mt. Doom, and only in those fires could it be destroyed. No other thing could cause damage to the ring.
If elves are immortal, how can they die?
They can be killed by weapons and in some cases, diseases. Immortal does not mean invincible.
What exactly are rings of power?
”Three Rings for Elven kings under the Sky
Seven for Dwarf lords in their halls of stone
Nine for mortal men doomed to die
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne.”
The 20 rings of power were created in part by Sauron. The only rings he had not part in making were the 3 Elven rings which were made in secret. These rings he never touched. All the others he stole from the elves who had helped him make the rings. Sauron then distributed to the various peoples of Middle-Earth. The Dwarven rings brought the dwarves great wealth, but they could not be subdued or turned into wraiths. But their rings caused trouble enough for them even so. Men Sauron found easiest to ensnare, thus he gave them 9 rings. The 9 men were great kings, sorcerers, and warriors, and once ensnared they became the Nazgul, the deadliest of Sauron’s servants. Their voices were as the cries of Death.
What are Maiar?
Maiar are the servants of the Valar. The most important of them in LOTR are Sauron, and the Balrog. Wizards are Maiar in human form.
What are Valar?
Valar are the equivalent of gods. They hold dominion over Middle-Earth from their land of Valinor. They appear only in the Silmarillion.
If you have any more questions, just ask and they’ll be added here with the answer!
Love is a very powerful force, especially when its formed into a coherent beam of death.
I have to say that our Shadow Stalker really is the master of all things Tolkien. He is a huge asset to this forum. Thank you Shadow for all of your wonderful posts, your humor, and your knowledge.
Even after reading the books several times and watching the movies more times than I care to admit, I still manage to learn something new from Shadow's posts almost everyday.
"Man is a marvelous curiosity ... he thinks he is the Creator's pet ... he even believes the Creator loves him; has a passion for him; sits up nights to admire him; yes and watch over him and keep him out of trouble. He prays to him and thinks He listens. Isn't it a quaint idea." Mark Twain
I agree, Pippin. Council of Elrond is the best Tolkien site out there. I am an active member there and really enjoy it. I've been spending a lot of time there lately.
03-02-2004 11:36 PM
