Encyclopedia of Tolkien's Middle Earth

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[tolkienmatters]

The Doors of Durin are the western gate of Moria, built in the Second Age during a time of friendship between the Elves of Hollin (Eregion in Sindarin) and the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm. This gate was built for the Elves of Hollin, since the main gates are in the East in the Dimrill Dale. The door blends into the rock wall, save for the mithril edging, called Ithildin, which can only be seen under starlight or moonlight. The anvil, crown, and bright star are the symbols of Durin. The stars are the Stars of Fëanor. The trees are the “trees of the High Elves” referring to either Holly trees (Of Hollin), or the Two Trees of Valinor. The C and N in the top corners are the creator’s first initials. The writing on the door states in “Feanorian characters”, which would entail an older version of Tengwar; “Ennyn Durin Aran Moria. Pedo mellon a Minno. Im Narvi hain echant. Celebrimbor o Eregion tethant. I thiw hin”. Which is Sindarin for “The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter. I, Narvi, made them. Celebrimbor of Hollin drew these signs.”. Narvi was dwarven smith. Celebrimbor was a Noldor of Hollin who also crafted the Rings of Power (Not the One Ring). The gate remained open during times of peace, but Sauron’s first war on Middle Earth caused the gate to be closed. Hollin was entirely destroyed during the War of Elves and Sauron. Moria was abandoned because of the Balrog’s emergence. The door remained shut for most of the Third Age, It was referenced when the Dwarves who sought to reclaim Moria attempted to escape, upon exiting the door however Óin was slain by the Watcher In The Water, and the remainder were trapped and slain. The Fellowship of the Ring arrived at the door in an effort to bypass Saruman’s gaze by going through Moria. Gandalf initially forgot the password, but thanks to Merry’s hobbit curiosity regarding the riddle it was solved. The password to open the door is the Sindarin word for friend, “mellon”. The doors were blockaded with rubble by the Watcher In The Water following the Fellowship’s entrance.

“The Moon now shone upon the grey face of the rock; but they could see nothing else for a while. Then slowly on the surface where the wizard’s hands had passed, faint lines appeared, like slender veins of silver running in the stone. At first they were no more than pale gossamer-threads, so fine that they only twinkled fitfully where the Moon caught them, but steadily they grew broader and clearer, until their design could be guessed.” - Gandalf upon discovering the Door. Fellowship of the Ring, A Journey In The Dark

[volvolassie]

Tolkien was ahead of his time

[tolkienmatters]

"In the afternoon Uglúk’s troop overtook the Northerners. They were flagging in the rays of the bright sun, winter sun shining in a pale cool sky though it was; their heads were down and their tongues lolling out.

‘Maggots!’ jeered the Isengarders. ‘You’re cooked. The Whiteskins will catch you and eat you. They’re coming!’

A cry from Grishnákh showed that this was not mere jest. Horsemen, riding very swiftly, had indeed been sighted: still far behind but gaining on the Orcs, gaining on them like a tide over the flats on folk straying in a quicksand"

The Rohirrim hunting down an Uruk party, Two Towers, The Uruk-Hai.

[tolkienmatters]

The Battle of Azanulbizar was the deciding battle of the War of Dwarves and Orcs. The war began in the Third Age when a goblin host under Azog of Moria captured and beheaded Thrór, King of Durin’s Folk. Azog burned his own name into Thrór’s forehead and stuffed a bag of gold into his mouth. Azog threw the head to Nár with the message that Moria was officially ruled by the goblins. Nár fled and told Thráin II, who mobilized the many dwarf kingdoms and began the war. The war consisted of Dwarves plundering and destroying goblin holdouts throughout the mountains until finally reaching Moria. The dwarf coalition marched on the East Gate of Moria through the Dimrill Dale, where the goblin host under Azog met them. The battle left many dead including Frerin, son of Thráin II, and Fundin, father of Balin. Thorin II showed valor during the battle, losing his shield and using an oak branch in it’s place, giving him the title “Oakenshield”. Náin challenged Azog to duel, the fight was quick as Azog attempted to behead Náin, but ended up breaking his neck as the dwarven armor was too strong. Azog stood to celebrate but saw his army was routing. Dáin Ironfoot charged Azog and decapitated him. The dwarves put the same gold thrown at Thrór into Azog’s head, and left it on a pike. The orc host fled and the battle was won by the Dwarves, but at great cost. Thráin II, now blind in one eye from the battle, wanted to push into Khazad-dûm and reclaim the dwarf city, but the other dwarf armies did not. Dáin Ironfoot saw the shadow of Durin’s Bane in the gate, and knew of it’s power. The dwarves stripped their dead (to deny the goblins any loot) and burned them. The fires were so bright and many that they were seen from Lorien. The dead were from then on known as the Burned Dwarves. The dwarf armies returned to their kingdoms, with Thráin’s people travelling back to Dunland, then migrating until settling in Ered Luin. The Longbeards quest for a homeland would continue with Thorin’s Quest for Erebor and Balin’s ill-fated attempt to colonize Moria.

“None the less in the morning Thráin stood before them. He had one eye blinded beyond cure, and he was halt with a leg-wound; but he said: ‘Good! We have the victory. Khazad-dûm is ours!‘ 

But they answered: 'Durin’s Heir you may be, but even with one eye you should see clearer. We fought this war for vengeance, and vengeance we have taken. But it is not sweet. If this is victory, then our hands are too small to hold it.’ And those who were not of Durin’s Folk said also: 'Khazad-dûm was not our Fathers’ house. What is it to us, unless a hope of treasure? But now, if we must go without the rewards and the weregilds that are owed to us, the sooner we return to our own lands the better pleased we shall be.' 

Then Thráin turned to Dáin, and said: 'But surely my own kin will not desert me?’ 'No,’ said Dáin. 'You are the father of our Folk, and we have bled for you, and will again. But we will not enter Khazad-dûm. You will not enter Khazad-dûm. Only I have looked through the shadow of the Gate. Beyond the shadow it waits for you still: Durin’s Bane. The world must change and some other power than ours must come before Durin’s Folk walk again in Moria.’ “

- The pyrrhic victory of the Dwarves. Return of the King, Appendix A, Part II Durin’s Folk.

[pollkien]

ROUND 5: Gayest of Them All

Beleg

Túrin

Ecthelion

Voronwë

Finrod

Haleth

Voting ended onJul 5

[thebookwormunderground]

“It [The Lord of the Rings] is finished, if still partly unrevised, and is, I suppose, in a condition which a reader could read, if he did not wilt at the sight of it…now I look at it, the magnitude of the disaster is apparent to me. My work has escaped from my control, and I have produced a monster: an immensely long, complex, rather bitter, and very terrifying romance, quite unfit for children (if fit for anybody); and it is not really a sequel to The Hobbit, but to The Silmarillion.”

— J.R.R. Tolkien to Sir Stanley Unwin, 24 February 1950. Reprinted in The Fall of Gondolin

[cheesymovie]

why take the lords name in vain when u COULD have the vocabulary of a baseball playing kid from the 40s

[monstrousgourmandizingcats]

“It’s nice to find that little American boys do really say ‘Gee whiz.’“–J.R.R. Tolkien, on receiving a letter from an American fan, 1944.

[tolkienmatters]

“The wind was on the withered heath, but in the forest stirred no leaf: there shadows lay by night and day, and dark things silent crept beneath. The wind came down from mountains cold, and like a tide it roared and rolled; the branches groaned, the forest moaned, and leaves were laid upon the mould. The wind went on from West to East; all movement in the forest ceased, but shrill and harsh across the marsh its whistling voices were released. The grasses hissed, their tassels bent, the reeds were rattling-on it went o'er shaken pool under heavens cool where racing clouds were torn and rent. It passed the lonely Mountain bare and swept above the dragon’s lair: there black and dark lay boulders stark and flying smoke was in the air. It left the world and took its flight over the wide seas of the night. The moon set sail upon the gale, and stars were fanned to leaping light.”

- The Dwarves of Thorin’s Company’s song in Beorn’s Hall. The Hobbit, Queer Lodgings.

[tolkienmatters]

Crebain, plural of the Sindarin “Craban” meaning “Crow”, were large black birds who served Saruman during the War of the Ring. Though they do not speak any discernible language they are intelligent as demonstrated by Saruman, who used the Crebain to great effect as his spies and scouts. The Crebain stalked the Fellowship in Hollin, forcing them to remain hidden for the night. They often travel in large groups resembling clouds.

“Not all birds are to be trusted, and there are other spies more evil than they are.” - Aragorn, Fellowship of the Ring, A Knife in the Dark

[tolkienmatters]

"Watchmen" (a television play based on Fellowship of the Ring) by N. Serebryakova. Leningrad Television, 1991.

Parts 1 and 2:

Хранители | Часть 1 | Телеспектакль по мотивам повести Д.Р.Р.Толкиена

Watchmen | Part 2 | A television play based on J.R.R. Tolkien's novel

[tolkienmatters]

My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister Constance. I have often thought that with any luck at all I could have been born a werewolf, because the two middle fingers on both my hands are the same length, but I have had to be content with what I had. I dislike washing myself, and dogs, and noise. I like my sister Constance, and Richard Plantagenet, and Amanita phalloides, the death-cup mushroom. Everyone else in my family is dead.

Opening paragraph of We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson.

[tolkienmatters]

What kinds of things do you post on here? Is it just an encyclopedia of Tolkien?

Essentially! My goal is to show people content from the books that movies and media might miss. The books can be very dense and off putting to readers - so I try to show Tolkien's writing in a more byte-sized format. Also I like posting about the movies because they were monumental to me as a child. Thanks!

[mtg-cards-hourly]

Sauron’s Ransom

“He was dear to you, I see. And now he shall endure the slow torment of years.”

Artist: Alex Brock TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link

[tolkienmatters]

"‘Dwarf-coat, elf-cloak, blade of the downfallen West, and spy from the little rat-land of the Shire – nay, do not start! We know it well – here are the marks of a conspiracy. Now, maybe he that bore these things was a creature that you would not grieve to lose, and maybe otherwise: one dear to you, perhaps? If so, take swift counsel with what little wit is left to you. For Sauron does not love spies, and what his fate shall be depends now on your choice.’

No one answered him; but he saw their faces grey with fear and the horror in their eyes, and he laughed again, for it seemed to him that his sport went well. ‘Good, good!’ he said. ‘He was dear to you, I see. Or else his errand was one that you did not wish to fail? It has. And now he shall endure the slow torment of years, as long and slow as our arts in the Great Tower can contrive, and never be released, unless maybe when he is changed and broken, so that he may come to you, and you shall see what you have done. This shall surely be unless you accept my Lord’s terms."

Sauron's Ransom, Return of the King, The Black Gate Opens

[tolkienmatters]

The Shire was a large agriculture based community and home to most of the Hobbits of Middle Earth. The land was originally a large fertile part of the Kingdom of Arnor but remained undeveloped. The land was given to the Hobbits who had migrated from the Vale of Anduin and other parts along the Great River. This marks the Year 1 in “Shire Reckoning”. Hobbits lived in large holes dug within the hills, which were useful because they did not have to be very large and were small and cozy. They were loyal to the King of Arnor and even sent hobbits to fight in the ill-fated Battle of Fornost. Following Arnor’s collapse the Shire remained untouched and safe. This peace remained for much of the Third Age thanks to the watchful eye of the Dunedain Rangers. The administration and military of the Shire was extremely simplistic, where the Mayor served as acting governor, laws were enforced by the Shirrifs, and a Thain acted as the representative to the King (usually of the Took family). A most famous produce from the Shire was pipe-weed, The hobbits’ pipe-weed was renowned and almost exclusive to that region. This peace would define the Shire, though there were two instances of conflict prior to the adventures of The Hobbit. The Battle of Greenfields where the Hobbits under Brandobras “Bullroar” Took defeated the invading goblins of Golfimbul. Bullroar knocked Golfimbul’s head clean off during the battle and it rolled into a rabbit hole, inventing the game of golf! The Fell Winter saw the Shire be attacked by White Wolves during a famine, the Rangers were swift in protecting the Shire. The Third Age saw Bilbo Baggins bring the One Ring to the Shire and into global affairs. The Nazgul came to the Shire spreading fear in search of the Ring, and with this came more strict laws of who may enter and leave the Shire. The War of the Ring saw the Rangers leave to help fight, and the helpless Shire was occupied by ruffians lead by Sharkey, who was Saruman in disguise. Under Sharkey the Shire was industrialized and supplies were sent South to help the war effort and to fund brigands. This ended when Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin returned to the shire and lead the revolt leading to the Battle of Bywater. The Shire was saved, Ruffians banished, and Saruman defeated. Elvish dirt helped fertilize the land after what Sharkey had done to it, and ultimately it became again a simple and peaceful region. The Reunited Kingdom gave the Shire legal independence which was purely symbolic. I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on some of that pipe-weed.

“At first they passed through hobbit-lands, a wide respectable country inhabited by decent folk, with good roads, an inn or two, and now and then a dwarf or farmer ambling by on business. Then they came to land where people spoke strangely, and sang songs Bilbo had never heard before. Now they had gone far into the Lone-Lands, where there were no people left, no inns, and the roads grew steadily worse.” - Bilbo leaving the Shire with the Company of Thorin, The Hobbit, Roast Mutton.

[sankta-wraith]

Am I the only one who finds this extremely funny

[tolkienmatters]

Even as Sam himself crouched, looking at her, seeing his death in her eyes, a thought came to him, as if some remote voice had spoken. and he fumbled in his breast with his left hand, and found what he sought: cold and hard and solid it seemed to his touch in a phantom world of horror, the Phial of Galadriel.

‘Galadriel! ’ he said faintly, and then he heard voices far off but clear: the crying of the Elves as they walked under the stars in the beloved shadows of the Shire, and the music of the Elves as it came through his sleep in the Hall of Fire in the house of Elrond.

Gilthoniel A Elbereth!

And then his tongue was loosed and his voice cried in a language which he did not know:

A Elbereth Gilthoniel

o menel palan-diriel,

le nallon sí di'nguruthos!

A tiro nin, Fanuilos!

And with that he staggered to his feet and was Samwise the hobbit, Hamfast’s son, again.

- Samwise using the Phial of Galadriel against Shelob. Two Towers,  The Choices of Master Samwise.

[florencemachines]

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

🎬 Peter Jackson

+ IMDb trivia (FotR trivia) (ttt trivia)

bonus

[cheaphalloweencostume]

its actually kinda crazy that Grima Wormtongue eats a hobbit in the books

[cheaphalloweencostume]

like okay

[tolkienmatters]

"'Wormtongue!’ called Frodo. ‘You need not follow him. I know of no evil you have done to me. You can have rest and food here for a while, until you are stronger and can go your own ways.’

Wormtongue halted and looked back at him, half prepared to stay. Saruman turned. ‘No evil?’ he cackled. ‘Oh no! Even when he sneaks out at night it is only to look at the stars. But did I hear someone ask where poor Lotho is hiding? You know, don’t you, Worm? Will you tell them?’

Wormtongue cowered down and whimpered: ‘No, no!’

‘Then I will,’ said Saruman. ‘Worm killed your Chief, poor little fellow, your nice little Boss. Didn’t you, Worm stabbed him in his sleep, I believe. Buried him, I hope; though Worm has been very hungry lately. No, Worm is not really nice. You had better leave him to me.’

A look of wild hatred came into Wormtongue’s red eyes. ‘You told me to; you made me do it,’ he hissed.

Saruman laughed. ‘You do what Sharkey says, always, don’t you, Worm? Well, now he says: follow!’ He kicked Wormtongue in the face as he grovelled, and turned and made off. But at that something snapped: suddenly Wormtongue rose up, drawing a hidden knife, and then with a snarl like a dog he sprang on Saruman’s back, jerked his head back, cut his throat, and with a yell ran off down the lane. Before Frodo could recover or speak a word, three hobbit-bows twanged and Wormtongue fell dead."

Kinda crazy that Grima Wormtongue eats a hobbit, Return of the King, The Scouring of the Shire.