Is there a word from the lord of the rings the

The company where I work we name internal software after characters/things from The Lord of the Rings universe. I will be creating a new project for the marketing department and I’m scratching my head thinking of a character/object/city that represents wealth/success.

As I was asking this question, Smaug came to mind because of his hoard of gold, but Smaug has a negative connotation to it (i.e. greed vs. success).

Is there an affluent city or person that you can think of that would be a good name for our new marketing software?

EDIT:

Everyone really likes your ideas guys but since we use Frodo as a main app, the marketing guy though that Bilbo might be a good choice. In case you’re wondering we have Palantir that runs on a giant wide screen for viewing order statuses and we’re thinking about using Sauron for another «all-seeing eye type dashboard».

Also, a couple ideas the company had were: Mordor, Wormtoungue, and Gimli. I guess marketing wasn’t opposed to having their application named after an evil character.

Thank you everyone for your contributions!

«Can you see anything?» «Nothing. There’s nothing.» The descriptive majority of this article’s text is unsourced, and should be supported with references.

Frodo: «It’s some form of Elvish. I can’t read it.»
Gandalf: «There are few who can. The language is that of Mordor, which I will not utter here.»

—Frodo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey, on the inscription on the One Ring, The Fellowship of the Ring (film)

The Black Speech, also known as the Dark Tongue of Mordor, was the official language of Mordor.

History

Sauron created the Black Speech to be the unifying language of all the servants of Mordor, used along with different varieties of Orkish and other languages used by his servants. J.R.R. Tolkien describes the language as existing in two forms, the ancient «pure» forms used by Sauron himself, the Nazgûl, and the Olog-hai, and the more «debased» form used by the soldiery of the Barad-dûr at the end of the Third Age. The only example given of «pure» Black Speech is the inscription upon the One Ring:

«Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul,

ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul.«

—The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book Two, Ch. II: «The Council of Elrond»

When translated into English, these words form the lines:

«One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,

One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.«

—J.R.R. Tolkien’s epigraph to The Lord of the Rings

These are the first two lines from the end of a verse about the Rings of Power.

Many Orkish dialects had adopted words from the Black Speech. One Orc from the band that took Merry and Pippin prisoners utters a tirade of curses at one point that is presumably Orkish, but apparently contains at least some elements of Black Speech.

Black Speech could be understood by anyone who wore the One Ring. Samwise Gamgee wore the ring in the Tower of Cirith Ungol to be invisible from Orcs of Sauron, and in the process heard many of the Orcs’ plans.

Background

In real life, J. R. R. Tolkien created this language with the intention of making it harsh and ugly. The Black Speech is unfortunately one of the more incomplete languages in Tolkien’s novels, as the forces of good are reluctant to utter it. Unlike Elvish languages, there are no poems or songs written in it (apart from the Ring’s inscription), and because Tolkien designed it to be unpleasant in his own mind, he did not enjoy writing in it; according to Tolkien, he once received a goblet from a fan with the Ring inscription on it in Black Speech, and Tolkien, finding it distasteful, never drank from it and used it only as an ashtray. The result is a random collection of words that are hard to actually use in day-to-day conversation. We learn from the text in the ring and its translation that the Black Speech is a strongly agglutinating language.

Russian historian Alexander Nemirovski identified an ergative case in durbatuluk and thrakatuluk according to a common suffix —tuluk meaning «them all», relating to the verb’s object rather than to its subject. This was found as a similarity to other ergative languages such the Hurrian language of ancient Mesopotamia.

Earlier versions of the legendarium

Melkian had been the linguistic phylum of the servants of Melko in an early conception of the legendarium, seen in The Lhammas. In this branch were the Black Speech, Orkish, and all other tongues of evil races. The other two phyla were Oromëan, from which descended both Elvish and Mannish languages, and Aulëan, the branch of Khuzdul.^[1]

Words

Some of these words are true to J.R.R. Tolkien’s books; most others are part of the Neo-Black Speech lexicon invented in the making of Peter Jackson’s film trilogies.

• -a — to (Debased Black Speech)
• alba — elf
• agh -and (for conjoining sentences)
• ash — one
• burz — dark
• burzum — darkness
• durb — rule
• carnish — ambush
• gazat — dwarf
• ghâsh — fire
• gimb — find
• glob — filth
• gûl — wraith
• hai — folk
• -ishi — in
• krimp — bind
• lug — tower
• mas — mine
• nazg — ring
• nugu — nine
• olog — troll
• ombi — seven
• ronk — pit/pool (bagronk, as muttered by an Orc in The Two Towers, means «dung-pit»)
• sha -and (for binding nouns)
• shara — man
• sharkû — old/old man (Debased Black Speech)
• shre — three
• snaga- slave
• thrak — bring
• -tul -them
• ûk — all
• -um -ness
• uruk — orc
• zagh — mountain pass/mountains

See also

• Neo-Black Speech

References

1. ↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. V: The Lost Road and Other Writings, chapter VII: «The Lhammas»

Translations

Foreign Language	Translated name
Afrikaans	Swart Spraak
Albanian	Fjala e zezë
Amharic	ጥቁር ንግግር
Arabic	الكلام الأسود
Aragonese	Luenga negra
Armenian	Սեւ ելույթը
Azerbaijani	Qara çıxış
Basque	Hizkuntza beltza
Belarussian Cyrillic	Чорная мова
Bengali	ব্ল্যাক বাক
Bosnian	Crni Govor
Bulgarian Cyrillic	Черна реч
Burmese	အနက်ရောင်မိန့်ခွန်း
Cambodian	សុន្ទរកថាខ្មៅ
Catalan	Llengua Negra
Cebuano	Itom nga Sinultihan
Chinese	黑暗語
Cornish	Kows Du
Croatian	Crni Govor
Czech	Černá řeč
Danish	Sort Tale
Dutch	Zwarte Taal
Esperanto	Nigra lingvo
Estonian	Must kõne
Faroese	Svartur Mál
Fijian	Vosa Loaloa
Filipino	Itim na pananalita
Finnish	Musta kieli
French	Noir parler/Langue noire
Frisian	Swarte Rede
Galician	Lingua negra
Georgian	შავი ენა
German	Schwarze Sprache
Greek	Μαύρη Ομιλία
Gujarati	બ્લેક સ્પીચ
Haitian Creole	Nwa Lapawòl
Hausa	Baƙi Jawabin
Hebrew	שפה השחורה
Hindi	काले भाषण
Hmong	Hais lus dub
Hungarian	Fekete Beszéd
Icelandic	Svartur Tal
Indonesian	Bicara Hitam
Irish Gaelic	Teanga dhubh
Italian	Linguaggio Nero
Japanese	暗黒語
Javanese	Wicara Ireng
Kannada	ಕಪ್ಪು ಭಾಷೆ
Kazakh	Қара тіл (Cyrillic) Qara til (Latin)
Korean	암흑어
Kurdish	Axaftina Reş (Kurmanji)
Kyrgyz Cyrillic	кара сөз
Latvian	Melnā runa
Lithuanian	Juodoji kalba
Luxembourgish	Schwaarz Ried
Macedonian Cyrillic	Црна говор
Malagasy	Mainty Miteny
Malaysian	Ucapan Hitam
Malayalam	ബ്ലാക്ക് സ്പീച്ച്
Maltese	Diskors Iswed
Maori	Kōrero Pango
Marathi	काळा भाषण
Mongolian Cyrillic	Хар хэлсэн үг
Navajo	Shash Saad
Nepalese	काला भाषण
Norwegian	Svart Tale
Pashto	تور وینا
Persian	زبان سیاه
Polish	Czarna Mowa
Portuguese	Língua Negra
Punjabi	ਕਾਲੇ ਸਪੀਚ
Romanian	Limba Neagră
Romansh	Linguatg Naira
Russian	Чёрное наречие
Sanskrit	राजिका वाच्
Samoan	Tautala Uliuli
Scottish Gaelic	Dubh Òraid
Serbian	Црни Говор (Cyrillic) Crni Govor (Latin)
Sindhi	ڪارو تقرير
Sinhalese	කළු කථාව
Slovak	Temná reč
Slovenian	Črni govor
Somalian	Hadalka Madow
Spanish	Lengua Negra
Sundanese	Hideung Biantara
Swahili	Nyeusi Hotuba
Swedish	Svartspråket
Tahitian	Parau Ereere
Tajik Cyrillic	Суханронии сиёҳ
Tamil	கறுப்பு பேச்சு
Telugu	బ్లాక్ స్పీచ్
Thai	แบล็กสปีช / ภาษามืด
Turkish	Kara Lisan
Turkmen	Gara dil
Ukrainian Cyrillic	Чорна говірка
Urdu	سیاہ خطاب
Uzbek	Қора Нутқ (Cyrillic) Qora Nutq (Latin)
Vietnamese	Chữ Đen
Welsh	Lleferydd Du
Xhosa	Intetho Abamnyama
Yiddish	שוואַרץ שפּראַך

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is the 2001 epic fantasy adventure film and the first installment in The Lord of the Rings motion picture trilogy based on the volume novel by J. R. R. Tolkien. It tells the tale of nine companions starting out on a quest to destroy the One Ring and secure the fate of Middle Earth.

Directed by Peter Jackson. Written by Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson.

One Ring to rule them all. (taglines)

Gandalf the Grey[edit]

• [to Frodo] Keep it secret. Keep it safe.

• [reading] The year 3434 of the Second Age. Here follows the account of Isildur, the High King of Gondor, at the finding of the Ring of Power. «It has come to me, the One Ring. It shall be an heirloom of my Kingdom. All those who follow in my bloodline shall be bound to its fate, for I shall risk no hurt to the Ring. It is precious to me, though I buy it with a great pain. The markings upon the band begin to fade. The writing, which at first was as clear as red flame, has all but disappeared – a secret now that only fire can tell.»

• My dear Frodo. Hobbits really are amazing creatures. You can learn all that there is to know about their ways in a month and yet, after a hundred years, they can still surprise you.

• Be careful, both of you. The Enemy has many spies in his service; birds and beasts. [to Frodo] Is it safe? Never put it on, for then the agents of the Dark Lord will be drawn to its power. Always remember, Frodo, the Ring is trying to get back to its master. It wants to be found.

• [reading the inscription on a sarcophagus] «Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria». He is dead then. It’s as I feared.

• [reading the Book of Mazarbul’s last entry] «They have taken the Bridge and the Second Hall. We have barred the gates, but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes… Drums. Drums in the deep. We cannot get out. A Shadow moves in the dark… We cannot get out… They are coming.»

• Fool of a Took! Throw yourself in next time, and rid us of your stupidity!

• [confronting the Balrog on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm] You cannot pass! I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor. The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udûn! Go back to the shadow. You shall not pass!

• Fly, you fools!

Galadriel[edit]

• [opening narration] The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it. It began with the forging of the Great Rings. Three were given to the Elves; immortal, wisest and fairest of all beings. Seven to the Dwarf Lords, great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls. And nine… Nine rings were gifted to the Race of Men, who above all else desire power. For within these rings was bound the strength and will to govern each race. But they were all of them deceived, for another ring was made. In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged, in secret, a Master Ring to control all others. And into this Ring he poured all his cruelty, his malice and his will to dominate all life. One Ring to rule them all.

  One by one, the Free Lands of Middle-Earth fell to the power of the Ring. But there were some who resisted. A last alliance of Men and Elves marched against the armies of Mordor. And on the slopes of Mount Doom, they fought for the freedom of Middle-Earth. Victory was near, but the power of the Ring could not be undone. It was in this moment, when all hope had faded, that Isildur, son of the king, took up his father’s sword. Sauron, the enemy of the free peoples of Middle-Earth, was defeated. The Ring passed to Isildur, who had this one chance to destroy evil forever, but the hearts of Men are easily corrupted. And the Ring of Power has a will of its own. It betrayed Isildur, to his death.

  And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend. Legend became myth. And for two and a half thousand years, the Ring passed out of all knowledge. Until, when chance came, it ensnared a new bearer. The Ring came to the creature Gollum, who took it deep into the tunnels of the Misty Mountains. And there it consumed him. The Ring brought to Gollum unnatural long life. For 500 years, it poisoned his mind. And in the gloom of Gollum’s cave, it waited. Darkness crept back into the forests of the world. Rumor grew of a shadow in the East – whispers of a nameless fear. And the Ring of Power perceived its time had now come. It abandoned Gollum. But something happened then the Ring did not intend. It was picked up by the most unlikely creature imaginable. A Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins of the Shire. For the time will soon come when Hobbits will shape the fortunes of all…

• Farewell, Frodo Baggins. I give you the Light of Eärendil, our most beloved star. May it be a light for you in dark places, when all other lights go out.

Bilbo Baggins[edit]

• [writing his book] The twenty-second day of September in the year 1400 by Shire reckoning. Bag End, Bagshot Row, Hobbiton, West Farthing, The Shire, Middle Earth. The Third Age of this world. «There and back again, A Hobbit’s tale, by Bilbo Baggins». Now, where to begin? Ah, yes. «Concerning Hobbits». Hobbits have been living and farming in the four Farthings of the Shire for many hundreds of years. Quite content to ignore and be ignored by the world of the Big Folk. Middle Earth being, after all, full of strange creatures beyond count. Hobbits must seem of little importance, being neither renowned as great warriors, nor counted amongst the very wise. …In fact, it has been remarked by some that Hobbits’ only real passion is for food. A rather unfair observation as we have also developed a keen interest in the brewing of ales and the smoking of pipeweed. But where our hearts truly lie is in peace and quiet and good tilled earth. For all Hobbits share a love of all things that grow. And yes, no doubt to others, our ways seem quaint. But today of all days, it is brought home to me it is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life.

• [writing in his book] And so life in the Shire goes on, very much as it has this past age. Full of its own comings and goings with change coming slowly, if it comes at all. For things are made to endure in the Shire, passing from one generation to the next. There’s always been a Baggins living here under the Hill, in Bag End. [to himself] And there always will be.

• [telling a story to the Hobbit children] So there I was at the mercy of three monstrous trolls. And they were all arguing amongst themselves about how they were going to cook us. Whether it be turned on a spit or whether they should sit on us one by one and squash us into jelly. They spent so much time arguing the witherto’s and whyfor’s that the sun’s first light cracked open over the top of the trees…Poof! And turned them all into stone!

• [to Frodo] I’m sorry I brought this upon you, my boy. I’m sorry that you must have to carry this burden. I’m sorry for everything.

Sauron[edit]

• [speaking to Frodo] You cannot hide. I see you! There is no life in the void…only death.

• [speaking to Saruman] Build me an army worthy of Mordor!

Dialogue[edit]

Frodo: You’re late.

Gandalf: A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins. Nor is he early; he arrives precisely when he means to.

---

Gandalf: So, how is the old rascal? I hear it is going to be a party of special significance.

Frodo: You know Bilbo. He’s got the whole place in an uproar.

Gandalf: Well, that should please him.

Frodo: Half the Shire’s been invited. And the rest are turning up anyway.[They laugh]

---

[Extended Edition only]

Frodo: To tell you the truth, Bilbo’s been a bit odd lately. I mean… more than usual. He’s taking to locking himself in his study. He spends hours and hours poring over old maps when he thinks I’m not looking. He’s up to something. [Gandalf acts nonchalant] All right, then, keep your secrets. But I know you have something to do with it.

Gandalf: Gracious me.

Frodo: Before you came along, we Bagginses were very well thought of.

Gandalf: Indeed?

Frodo: Never had any adventures or did anything unexpected.

Gandalf: If you’re referring to the incident with the dragon, I was barely involved. All I did was give your uncle a little nudge out of the door.

Frodo: Whatever you did, you’ve been officially labeled a ‘disturber of the peace.’

Gandalf: [surprised] Oh, really?

---

[Gandalf arrives at Bag End, goes through the gate, and knocks on the door with his staff]

Bilbo: [from inside] No, thank you! We don’t want any more visitors, well-wishers, or distant relations!

Gandalf: And what about very old friends?

[Bilbo opens the door]

Bilbo: Gandalf?

Gandalf: Bilbo Baggins.

Bilbo: My dear Gandalf! [hugs Gandalf]

Gandalf: It’s good to see you. One hundred and eleven years old; who would believe it? You haven’t aged a day. [they both laugh]

Bilbo: Come on, come in! Welcome, welcome.

---

Gandalf: Frodo suspects something.

Bilbo: Of course he does! He’s a Baggins! Not some blockheaded Bracegirdle from Hardbottle.

Gandalf: You will tell him, won’t you?

Bilbo: Yes, yes.

Gandalf: He’s very fond of you.

Bilbo: I know, he’d probably come with me if I asked him to. I think in his heart, Frodo’s still in love with the Shire; the woods, the fields, little rivers… I am old, Gandalf. I know I don’t look it, but I’m beginning to feel it in my heart. I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread. I need a holiday, a very long holiday. And I don’t expect that I shall return. In fact, I mean not to.

---

Bilbo: My dear Bagginses and Boffins. [cheers] Tooks and Brandybucks. [cheers] Grubbs! [cheers] Chubbs! [cheers] Hornblowers! [cheers] Bolgers! [cheers] Bracegirdles! [cheers] And Proudfoots!

Proudfoot: Proudfeet!

Bilbo: Proudfoots. Today is my one hundred and eleventh birthday! [cheers] Alas, eleventy one years is far too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable Hobbits. I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve. [confused silence] I, uh, I have things to do…I’ve put this off for far too long. I regret to announce this is the end. I’m going now. I bid you all a very fond farewell. Goodbye. [puts the Ring on and vanishes]

---

Bilbo: You will keep an eye on Frodo, won’t you?

Gandalf: Two eyes, as often as I can spare them.

Bilbo: I’m leaving everything to him.

Gandalf: What about this ring of yours? Is that staying too?

Bilbo: Yes, yes. It’s in an envelope over there on the mantelpiece. No, wait, it’s… here in my pocket. Isn’t that odd, now? And yet, why not? Why shouldn’t I keep it?

Gandalf: I think you should leave the ring behind, Bilbo. Is that so hard?

Bilbo: Well, no… and yes. [agitated] Now it comes to it, I don’t feel like parting with it! It’s mine, I found it! It came to me!

Gandalf: There’s no need to get angry.

Bilbo: Well, if I’m angry, it’s your fault! [to himself] It’s mine… my own… [Hisses] My precious…

Gandalf: [alarmed] «Precious»? It’s been called that before, but not by you.

Bilbo: [angry] Oh, what business is it of yours what I do with my own things?!

Gandalf: I think you’ve had that ring quite long enough.

Bilbo: You want it for yourself!

Gandalf: BILBO BAGGINS! [The room grows darker and Gandalf’s voice grows deeper] DO NOT TAKE ME FOR SOME CONJURER OF CHEAP TRICKS! I AM NOT TRYING TO ROB YOU! [gently and normally] I’m trying to help you. [Bilbo, frightened, hugs Gandalf] All your long years, we have been friends. Trust me, as you once did. Let it go.

Bilbo: You’re right, Gandalf. The ring must go to Frodo. Well, it’s late, the road is long.

Gandalf: [sternly] Bilbo. The ring is still in your pocket.

Bilbo: [sheepish] Oh, yes… of course.

[With great effort, he drops the ring to the floor, and rushes outside, appearing relieved]

Bilbo: I’ve thought of an ending for my book. «And he lived happily ever after… to the end of his days.»

Gandalf: And I’m sure you will, my friend.

Bilbo: Goodbye, Gandalf.

[Bilbo and Gandalf shake hands]

Gandalf: Goodbye, dear Bilbo. [Bilbo sets off] Until our next meeting.

---

Frodo: [Reading the inscription on the Ring] There are markings. It’s some form of Elvish. I can’t read it.

Gandalf: There are few who can. The language is that of Mordor, which I will not utter here.

Frodo: Mordor?

Gandalf: In the common tongue it says, «One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them.»

---

Gandalf: This is the One Ring, forged by the Dark Lord Sauron, in the fires of Mount Doom, taken by Isildur from the hand of Sauron himself.

Frodo: Bilbo found it… in Gollum’s cave.

Gandalf: Yes. For 60 years, the Ring lay quiet in Bilbo’s keeping, prolonging his life, delaying old age. But no longer, Frodo. Evil is stirring in Mordor. The Ring has awoken. It’s heard its Master’s call.

Frodo: But he was destroyed. Sauron was destroyed!

[The Ring whispers]

Gandalf: No, Frodo. The spirit of Sauron endured. His life-force is bound to the Ring, and the Ring survived. Sauron has returned. His Orcs have multiplied; his fortress of Barad-dûr is rebuilt in the land of Mordor. Sauron needs only this Ring to cover all the lands in a second darkness. He is seeking it — seeking it, all his thought is bent on it. The Ring yearns above all else to return to the hand of its Master. They are one, the Ring and the Dark Lord. Frodo… he must never find it.

Frodo: All right. We put it away. We keep it hidden; we never speak of it again. No one knows it’s here do they? Do they, Gandalf?

Gandalf: There is one other who knew Bilbo had the Ring. I looked everywhere for the creature Gollum, but the enemy found him first. I don’t know how long they tortured him, but amidst the endless screams and inane babble, they discerned two words.

Gollum: «Shire»! «Baggins«!

Frodo: «Shire»? «Baggins«? But that will lead them here! Take it, Gandalf! Take it!

Gandalf: No, Frodo.

Frodo: You must take it!

Gandalf: You cannot offer me this Ring!

Frodo: I’m giving it to you!

Gandalf: Don’t… tempt me, Frodo! I dare not take it. Not even to keep it safe. Understand, Frodo, I would use this Ring from the desire to do good. But through me, it would wield a power too great and terrible to imagine.

Frodo: But it cannot stay in the Shire!

Gandalf: No! No, it can’t.

Frodo: [pause, then realizes his burden, gripping the Ring] What must I do?

---

[Gandalf finds Sam spying on him and Frodo]

Gandalf: CONFOUND IT ALL, SAMWISE GAMGEE! Have you been eavesdropping?!

Sam: I ain’t been droppin’ no eaves sir, honest. I was just cutting the grass under the window there, if you’ll follow me.

Gandalf: A little late for trimming the verge, don’t you think?

Sam: I heard raised voices–

Gandalf: What did you hear?! Speak!

Sam: N-nothing important! That is, I heard a good deal about a Ring and Dark Lord and something about the end of the world, but… Please, Mr. Gandalf, sir, don’t hurt me. Don’t turn me into anything… unnatural.

Gandalf: [smiles at Frodo] No… perhaps not. I’ve thought of a better use for you.

[Later, Frodo and Gandalf leave the Shire with a horse next to them, initially appearing as if Gandalf turned turned Sam into a horse.]

Gandalf: Come along, Samwise, keep up! [Sam appears behind them, following them & struggling with all the luggage]

---

Sam: This is it.

Frodo: What?

Sam: If I take one more step, I’ll be the farthest away from home I’ve ever been.

Frodo: Come on, Sam. Remember what Bilbo used to say: «It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no telling where you might be swept off to.»

---

Saruman: Sauron has regained much of his former strength. He cannot yet take physical form, but his spirit has lost none of its potency. Concealed within his fortress, the Lord of Mordor sees all. His gaze pierces cloud, shadow, earth, and flesh. You know of what I speak, Gandalf. A Great Eye, lidless, wreathed in flame.

Gandalf: The Eye of Sauron.

Saruman: He is gathering all evil to him. Very soon, he will have summoned an army great enough to launch an assault upon Middle Earth.

Gandalf: You know this? How?

Saruman: I have seen it.

Gandalf: A Palantír is a dangerous tool, Saruman.

Saruman: Why? Why should we fear to use it? [uncovers the Palantír he keeps]

Gandalf: They are not all accounted for, the lost Seeing Stones. We do not know who else may be watching. [recovers the Palantír; the Eye of Sauron is shown to be agitated by this]

Saruman: The hour is later than you think. Sauron’s forces are already moving. The Nine have left Minas Morgul.

Gandalf: The Nine?

Saruman: They crossed the River Isen on Midsummer’s Eve, disguised as riders in black.

Gandalf: [Shocked] They’ve reached the Shire?!

Saruman: They will find the Ring… and kill the one who carries it.

Gandalf: Frodo!

[He moves towards the the doors, but Saruman seals them all]

Saruman: You did not seriously think that a Hobbit could contend with the will of Sauron? There are none who can. Against the power of Mordor, there can be no victory. We must join with him, Gandalf. We must join with Sauron. It would be wise, my friend.

Gandalf: [Disgusted] Tell me, «friend»… when did Saruman the Wise abandon reason for madness?!

[Angered, Saruman uses his powers to throw Gandalf to the floor. The two fight, but Saruman gains the upper hand]

Saruman: I gave you the choice of aiding me willingly! But you have elected the way of pain!

---

[Strider has ushered Frodo into his room]

Strider: You draw far too much attention to yourself, Mr. «Underhill.»

Frodo: What do you want?

Strider: More caution from you. That is no mere trinket you carry.

Frodo: I carry nothing.

Strider: Indeed. I can avoid being seen if I wish, but to disappear entirely; that is a rare gift.

Frodo: Who are you?

Strider: Are you frightened?

Frodo: Yes.

Strider: Not nearly frightened enough. I know what hunts you. [Strider spins round and draws his sword as Sam, Merry and Pippin storm in]

Sam: Let him go! Or I’ll have you, longshanks!

Strider: You have a stout heart, little Hobbit, but that will not save you. You can no longer wait for the wizard, Frodo. They are coming.

---

Frodo: [overhearing the Black Riders] What are they?

Strider: They were once Men. Great Kings of Men. Then Sauron the Deceiver gave to them nine Rings of Power. Blinded by their greed, they took them without question, one by one falling to darkness. Now, they are slaves to his will. They are the Nazgûl, Ringwraiths, neither living nor dead. At all times they feel the presence of the Ring, drawn to the power of the One. They will never stop hunting you.

---

Strider: Gentlemen, we do not stop till nightfall.

Pippin: What about breakfast?

Strider: You already had it.

Pippin: We had one, yes. What about second breakfast?

[Strider walks away]

Merry: I don’t think he knows about second breakfast, Pip.

Pippin: What about elevenses? Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper? He knows about them, doesn’t he?

Merry: I wouldn’t count on it.

[Strider tosses them apples]

---

Arwen: [in Elvish, to the wounded Frodo] Frodo. I am Arwen. I’ve come to help you. Hear my voice. Come back to the light.

Merry: Who is she?

Arwen: [kneeling down by Frodo] Frodo…

Sam: She’s an Elf.

[Arwen and Aragorn inspect Frodo’s wound]

Arwen: He’s fading. He’s not going to last. We must get him to my father. [Aragorn carries Frodo towards Arwen’s horse Asfaloth] I’ve been looking for you for two days.

Merry: Where are you taking him?

Arwen: There are five Wraiths behind you. Where the other four are, I do not know.

Strider: [Elvish] Stay with the hobbits. I’ll send horses for you.

Arwen: [Elvish] I’m the faster rider, I’ll take him.

Strider: [Elvish] The road is too dangerous.

Pippin: What are they saying?

Arwen: [Elvish] Frodo is dying. If I can get across the river, the power of my people will protect him. [common tongue] I do not fear them.

Strider: [Elvish] As you wish. [common tongue] Arwen, ride hard. Don’t look back.

Arwen: [Elvish] Run fast, Asfaloth! Run fast! [she rides away with Frodo]

Sam: What are you doing?! Those Wraiths are still out there!

---

Ringwraith: Give up the Halfling, She-Elf!

Arwen: [Draws her sword] If you want him, come and claim him!

---

Saruman: The friendship of Saruman is not lightly turned aside. One ill turn deserves another. It is over. Embrace the power of the Ring… or embrace your own destruction!

[Gandalf has noticed Gwaihir, the Great Eagle, approaching]

Gandalf: There is only one Lord of the Ring. Only one who can bend it to his will. And he does not share power! [jumps onto the Eagle’s back and escapes]

Saruman: [watching them fly off] So you have chosen death.

---

Frodo: [reading Bilbo’s book] «There and Back Again: A Hobbits Tale by Bilbo Baggins.» This is wonderful.

Bilbo: I meant to go back. Wander the paths of Mirkwood, visit Lake-town, see the Lonely Mountain again. But age it seems has finally caught up with me

Frodo: [looks at a map of the Shire] I miss the Shire. I spent all my childhood pretending I was off somewhere else. Off with you on one of your adventures. My own adventure turned out to be quite different. I’m not like you, Bilbo.

Bilbo: My dear boy…

---

Elrond: [watching Frodo] His strength returns.

Gandalf: That wound will never fully heal. He will carry it the rest of his life.

Elrond: And yet, to have come so far still bearing the Ring, the Hobbit has shown extraordinary resilience to its evil.

Gandalf: It is a burden he should never have had to bear. We can ask no more of Frodo.

Elrond: Gandalf, the enemy is moving. Sauron’s forces are massing in the East; his Eye is fixed on Rivendell. And Saruman, you tell me, has betrayed us. Our list of allies grows thin.

Gandalf: His treachery runs deeper than you know. With foul craft, Saruman has crossed Orcs with Goblin-Men. He’s breeding an army in the caverns of Isengard. An army that can move in sunlight, and cover great distance at speed. Saruman is coming for the Ring.

Elrond: This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves. We do not have the strength to fight both Mordor and Isengard! Gandalf, the Ring cannot stay here. This peril belongs to all Middle Earth. They must decide now how to end it. The time of the Elves is over. My people are leaving these shores. Who will you look to when we’ve gone? The Dwarves? They hide in their mountains, seeking riches. They care nothing for the troubles of others.

Gandalf: It is in Men that we must place our hope.

Elrond: [bitterly] Men? Men are weak. The race of Men is failing. The Blood of Númenor is all but spent, its pride and dignity forgotten. It is because of Men the Ring survives. I was there, Gandalf. I was there three thousand years ago, when Isildur took the Ring. I was there the day the strength of Men failed.

Elrond: (flashback) Isildur, hurry! Follow me!

Elrond: I led Isildur into the heart of Mount Doom, where the Ring was forged – the one place it could be destroyed.

Elrond: (flashback) Cast it into the fire! (Isildur hesitates) Destroy it!

Isildur: (flashback) No. (Isildur leaves Mount Doom)

Elrond: (flashback) Isildur!

Elrond: It should have ended that day, but evil was allowed to endure. Isildur kept the Ring. The line of Kings was broken. There’s no strength left in the World of Men. They’re scattered, divided, leaderless.

Gandalf: There is one who could unite them. One who could reclaim the Throne of Gondor.

Elrond: He turned from that path a long time ago. He has chosen exile.

---

Boromir: You are no elf?

Aragorn: Men of the South are welcome here.

Boromir: Who are you?

Aragorn: I’m a friend of Gandalf the Grey.

Boromir: Then we are here on a common purpose… friend.

[Boromir examines the shards of Narsil]

Boromir: The shards of Narsil. [picks up hiltpiece] The blade that cut the ring from Sauron’s hand. [cuts himself with the sword] It’s still sharp. [looks at Aragorn] But no more than a broken heirloom. [drops hiltpiece in an almost-disrespectful manner]

---

Arwen: [Elvish] Do you remember when we first met?

Aragorn: [Elvish] I thought I had wandered into a dream.

Arwen: [Elvish] Long years have passed. You did not have the cares you carry now. Do you remember what I told you?

Aragorn: You said you’d bind yourself to me, forsaking the immortal life of your people.

Arwen: And to that I hold. I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone. [hands him her pendant] I choose a mortal life.

Aragorn: You cannot give me this.

Arwen: It is mine to give to whom I will. Like my heart.

---

[At the Council of Elrond]

Elrond: Strangers from distant lands, friends of old, you have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle Earth stands upon the brink of destruction; none can escape it. You will unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate, this one doom. Bring forth the Ring, Frodo.

[Frodo puts the Ring on a stand for all to see]

Boromir: So it is true. [Stands and walks towards the Ring] In a dream, I saw the Eastern sky grow dark. But in the West, a pale light lingered. A voice was crying, «The doom is near at hand, Isildur’s Bane is found.» [Reaches for the Ring] Isildur’s Bane…

Elrond: Boromir!

Gandalf: [Speaking the words engraved on the Ring] Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul!

[The light darkens and the air rumbles; Boromir backs away from the Ring]

Elrond: Never before has anyone dared utter words of that tongue here, in Imladris.

Gandalf: I do not ask for pardon, Master Elrond, for the Black Speech of Mordor may yet be heard in every corner of the West! The Ring is altogether evil.

Boromir: But it is a gift. A gift to the foes of Mordor. Why not use this Ring? Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay. By the blood of our people are your lands kept safe! Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy! Let us use it against him!

Aragorn: You cannot wield it. None of us can. The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master.

Boromir: And what would a Ranger know of this matter?

Legolas: This is no mere Ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance.

Boromir: Aragorn? This is Isildur’s heir?

Legolas: And heir to the throne of Gondor.

Aragorn: [in Elvish] Sit down, Legolas.

Boromir: Gondor has no King. Gondor needs no King.

Gandalf: Aragorn is right. We cannot use it.

Elrond: You have only one choice. The Ring must be destroyed.

Gimli: What are we waiting for?

[He roars and strikes the Ring with his axe; the axe breaks, leaving the Ring perfectly intact]

Elrond: The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli, son of Glóin, by any craft that we here possess. The Ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came! One of you… must do this.

Boromir: One does not simply walk into Mordor. Its Black Gates are guarded by more than just Orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep. The Great Eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire, ash and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly!

Legolas: Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said? The Ring must be destroyed!

Gimli: And I suppose you think you’re the one to do it?!

Boromir: And if we fail, what then?! What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?!

Gimli: I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an Elf! [The council argue amongst themselves] Never trust an Elf!

Gandalf: Do you not understand?! While you bicker amongst yourselves, Sauron’s power grows! None will escape it! You’ll all be destroyed!

[As Frodo focuses on the Ring, everyone’s arguing voices are drowned out by Sauron’s voice reciting the Ring’s inscription. Frodo gets to his feet]

Frodo: I will take it! [All continue to argue] I will take it! [All fall silent] I will take the Ring to Mordor. Though… I do not know the way.

Gandalf: I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, for as long as it is yours to bear.

Aragorn: If by my life or death I can protect you, I will. You have my sword…

Legolas: And you have my bow.

Gimli: And my axe.

Boromir: You carry the fate of us all, little one. If this is indeed the will of the Council, then Gondor will see it done.

[Sam rushes in]

Sam: Hey! Mr. Frodo’s not going anywhere without me!

Elrond: No, indeed. It is hardly possible to separate you, even when he is summoned to a secret council, and you are not.

Merry: We’re coming, too! [Elrond looks astounded] You’d have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us!

Pippin: Anyway, you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission… quest… thing.

Merry: That rules you out, Pip.

Elrond: Nine companions. So be it. You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring.

Pippin: Great! Where are we going?

---

Gandalf: Frodo, come and help an old man. How’s your shoulder?

Frodo: Better than it was.

Gandalf: And the Ring? You feel its power growing, don’t you? I’ve felt it too. You must be careful now. Evil will be drawn to you from outside the Fellowship… and, I fear, from within.

Frodo: Who then, do I trust?

Gandalf: You must trust yourself. Trust your own strengths.

Frodo: What do you mean?

Gandalf: There are many powers in this world, for good or for evil. Some are greater than I am. And against some, I have not yet been tested.

---

[Gandalf has tried to open the Doors of Durin, to no avail]

Gandalf: I once knew every spell in all the tongues of Orcs.

Pippin: What are you going to do, then?

Gandalf: Knock your head against these doors, Peregrin Took! And if that does not shatter them, and I am allowed a little peace from foolish questions, I will try to find the opening words.

---

Pippin: [Whispering] Merry.

Merry: What?

Pippin: I’m hungry.

---

Frodo: There’s something down there!

Gandalf: It’s Gollum.

Frodo: Gollum?

Gandalf: He’s been following us for three days.

Frodo: He escaped the dungeons of Barad-dûr?

Gandalf: Escaped… or was set loose. Now the Ring has drawn him here. He hates and loves the Ring, as he hates and loves himself. He will never be rid of his need for it. Sméagol’s life is a sad story. Yes, Sméagol he was once called… before the Ring found him. Before it drove him mad.

Frodo: It’s a pity Bilbo didn’t kill him when he had the chance.

Gandalf: Pity? It was pity that stayed Bilbo’s hand. Many that live deserve death, and some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo? Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. Even the very wise cannot see all ends. My heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play, for good or ill, before this is over. The pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many.

Frodo: I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.

Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times; but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring. In which case, you were also meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought.

---

Boromir: What is this new devilry?

Gandalf: A Balrog… a demon of the Ancient World. This foe is beyond any of you. RUN!

---

Gimli: Stay close, young Hobbits. They say a great sorceress lives in these woods. An Elf witch of terrible power. All who look upon her fall under her spell…

Galadriel: [in Frodo’s mind] Frodo.

Gimli: …and are never seen again.

Galadriel: [to Frodo] Your coming to us is as the footsteps of doom. You bring great evil here, Ringbearer.

Sam: Mr. Frodo?

Gimli: Well, here’s one Dwarf she won’t ensnare so easily. I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox!

[Haldir and a group of elves appear, holding Gimli and the others at arrow point]

Haldir: The Dwarf breathes so loud, we could have shot him in the dark.

---

Celeborn: Eight there are here, yet nine there were set out from Rivendell. Tell me, where is Gandalf? For I much desire to speak with him.

Galadriel: He has fallen into shadow. The Quest stands upon the edge of knife. Stray but a little and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while the company is true. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now and rest for you are weary with sorrow and much toil. Tonight you will sleep in peace. [to Frodo, telepathically] Welcome, Frodo of the Shire… one who has seen THE EYE!

---

Aragorn: Take some rest. These borders are well protected.

Boromir: I will find no rest here. I heard her voice inside my head. She spoke of my father and the fall of Gondor, and she said to me: «Even now, there is hope left.» But I cannot see it. It is long since we had any hope. My father is a noble man, but his rule is failing and our… our people lose faith. He looks to me to make things right and I would do it, I would see the glory of Gondor restored. Have you ever seen it, Aragorn? The White Tower of Ecthelion, glimmering like a spike of pearl and silver. Its banners caught high in the morning breeze. Have you ever been called home by the clear ringing of silver trumpets?

Aragorn: I have seen the White City… long ago.

Boromir: One day our paths will lead us there, and the tower guards shall take up the call: «The Lords of Gondor have returned!»

---

Galadriel: Will you look into the mirror?

Frodo: What will I see?

Galadriel: Even the wisest cannot tell. For the mirror shows many things. Things that were, things that are, and some things… that have not yet come to pass.

[Looking into the mirror, Frodo sees the Orcs enslave the Hobbits and reduce the Shire to an industrial wasteland; finally, the Eye of Sauron causes him to stumble backwards]

Galadriel: I know what it is you saw; for it is also in my mind. [in Frodo’s mind] It is what will come to pass if you should fail. The Fellowship is breaking. It is already begun. He will try to take the Ring. You know of whom I speak. One by one, it will destroy them all.

Frodo: If you ask it of me, I will give you the One Ring. [holds out the Ring to Galadriel]

Galadriel: You offer it to me freely? I do not deny that my heart has greatly desired this… [Suddenly fierce] In place of a Dark Lord, you would have a Queen! Not dark, but beautiful and terrible as the Dawn! Treacherous as the Sea! Stronger than the foundations of the Earth! All shall love me and despair! [Stops, shaken, and becomes calm again] I pass the test. I will diminish, and go into the West… and remain Galadriel.

Frodo: I cannot do this alone.

Galadriel: You are a Ringbearer, Frodo. To bear a Ring of Power is to be alone. [holds up her hand to show a silver, flower-jeweled Ring] This is Nenya, the Ring of Adamant, and I am its keeper. This task was appointed to you and if you do not find a way, no one will.

Frodo: I know what I must do, it’s just that… I’m afraid to do it.

Galadriel: Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.

---

Saruman: Do you know how the Orcs first came into being? They were Elves once. Taken by the Dark Powers. Tortured, and mutilated. A ruined and terrible form of life. And now… perfected. My fighting Uruk-hai… Whom do you serve?

Lurtz: Saruman!

Saruman: [to his army of Uruk-hai soldiers] Hunt them down! Do not stop until they are found! You do not know pain; you do not know fear! You will taste man-flesh!! [to Lurtz] One of the Halflings carries something of great value. Bring them to me alive…and unspoiled. Kill the others!

---

[Extended Edition only]

Aragorn: Gollum. He’s tracked us since Moria. I hoped we would lose him on the river, but he’s too clever a waterman.

Boromir: And if he alerts the enemy to our whereabouts, it’ll make the crossing even more dangerous.

Sam: Have some food, Mr. Frodo.

Frodo: No, Sam.

Sam: You haven’t eaten anything all day. And you’re not sleeping, either. Don’t think I haven’t noticed. Mr. Frodo!

Frodo: I’m all right.

Sam: But you’re not. I’m here to help you. I promised Gandalf that I would.

Frodo: You can’t help me, Sam. Not this time. Get some sleep.

Boromir: Minas Tirith is the safer road. You know that. From there, we can regroup. Strike out at Mordor from a place of strength.

Aragorn: There is no strength from Gondor that can avail us.

Boromir: You were quick enough to trust the Elves! Have you so little faith in your own people? Yes, there is weakness! There is frailty! But there is courage, also! And honor to be found in men, but you will not see that! You’re afraid! All your life, you have lived in the shadows, scared of who you are, of what you are!

Aragorn: I will not lead the Ring within a hundred leagues of your city!

---

Boromir: [carrying gathered wood] None of us should wander alone. You, least of all. So much depends on you. [Frodo is silent] Frodo? I know why you seek solitude. You suffer. I see it day by day. You’re sure you do not suffer needlessly? There are other ways, Frodo. Other paths that we might take.

Frodo: I know what you would say. And it would seem like wisdom, but for the warning in my heart.

Boromir: Warning? Against what? We’re all afraid, Frodo, but to let that fear drive us to destroy what hope we have, don’t you see that is madness?

Frodo: There is no other way.

Boromir: [frustrated] I ask only for the strength to defend my people! [throws down the wood] If you would but lend me the Ring…

Frodo: No!

Boromir: Why do you recoil? I am no thief.

Frodo: You are not yourself.

Boromir: What chance do you think you have? They will find you. They will take the Ring. And you will beg for death before the end! [Frodo tries to walk away] You fool! It is not yours, save by unhappy chance! It could have been mine! It should be mine! [pins Frodo to the ground] Give it to me! Give it to me!

Frodo: No!

Boromir: Give it to me!

Frodo: No! [puts the Ring on his finger and slips away, invisible]

Boromir: I see your mind. You will take the Ring to Sauron! You will betray us! You go to your death, and the death of us all! Curse you! Curse you, and all the Halflings! [suddenly gets ahold of himself and starts choking up] Frodo? Frodo. What have I done? Please, Frodo. Frodo, I’m sorry! Frodo!

---

Aragorn: Frodo?

Frodo: It has taken Boromir.

Aragorn: Where is the Ring?

Frodo: Stay away! [Frodo bolts, and Aragorn follows him]

Aragorn: [confused] Frodo! I swore to protect you.

Frodo: Can you protect me from yourself? [holds out the Ring] Would you destroy it?

[Aragorn reaches out for the Ring, hearing Sauron’s voice whisper to him. He pushes Frodo’s hand away]

Aragorn: I would have gone with you to the end. Into the very fires of Mordor.

Frodo: I know. Look after the others. Especially Sam. He will not understand.

---

( Boromir Grunts )

Boromir: [dying] They took the little ones.

Aragorn: Be still.

Boromir: Frodo… Where is Frodo?

Aragorn: I let Frodo go.

Boromir: Then you did what I could not. I tried to take the Ring from him.

Aragorn: The Ring is beyond our reach now.

Boromir: Forgive me. I could not see it. I have failed you.

Aragorn: No, Boromir. You fought bravely. You kept your honor. [tries to remove an arrow from Boromir]

Boromir: Leave it. It is over. The world of men shall fall. All will come to darkness. And my city to ruin.

Aragorn: I do not know what strength is in my blood, but I swear to you I will not let the White City fall… Nor our people fail.

Boromir: Our people… I would have followed you, my brother… my captain… my king. [dies]

Aragorn: Be at peace, Son of Gondor. [kisses Boromir’s head] They will look for his coming from the white tower, but he will not return.

---

Frodo: Go back, Sam! I’m going to Mordor alone.

Sam: Of course you are. And I’m coming with you!

[Sam wades in the water]

Frodo: You can’t swim! Sam! [Sam sinks below the surface] SAM!

[Sam nearly drowns, but Frodo pulls him up into the raft]

Sam: I made a promise, Mr. Frodo. A promise! «Don’t you leave him, Samwise Gamgee.» And I don’t mean to! I don’t mean to.

---

Legolas: Hurry! Frodo and Sam have reached the eastern shore.

[Aragorn does not move]

Legolas: You mean not to follow them.

Aragorn: Frodo’s fate is no longer in our hands.

Gimli: Then it has all been in vain. The Fellowship has failed.

Aragorn: Not if we hold true to each other. We will not abandon Merry and Pippin to torment and death. Not while we have strength left. Leave all that can be spared behind. We travel light. Let’s hunt some Orc!

Gimli: Yes!

---

[Last lines]

Frodo: Mordor… I hope the others find a safer road.

Sam: Strider’ll look after ’em.

Frodo: I don’t suppose we’ll ever see them again.

Sam: We may yet, Mr Frodo. We may.

Frodo: Sam… I’m glad you’re with me.

Taglines[edit]

• One Ring to rule them all.

• The Legend Comes to Life

• One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them.

• Fate Has Chosen Him. A Fellowship Will Protect Him. Evil Will Hunt Them.

• Middle-earth comes to life…

• Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.

• All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you.

• Power can be held in the smallest of things…

• Its power corrupts all who desire it. Only one has the will to resist it. A Fellowship of Nine must destroy it.

Cast[edit]

• Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins
• Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey
• Liv Tyler as Arwen Undómiel
• Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn / Strider
• Sean Astin as Samwise Gamgee
• Cate Blanchett as Lady Galadriel
• John Rhys-Davies as Gimli
• Billy Boyd as Peregrin Took
• Dominic Monaghan as Meriadoc Brandybuck
• Orlando Bloom as Legolas
• Christopher Lee as Saruman the White
• Hugo Weaving as Lord Elrond
• Sean Bean as Boromir
• Ian Holm as Bilbo Baggins
• Andy Serkis as Sméagol / Gollum
• Marton Csokas as Celeborn
• Craig Parker as Haldir
• Lawrence Makoare as Lurtz
• Bret McKenzie as Figwit
• Carole Jeghers as Animals’ vocal effects

See also[edit]

• J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings (1978)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
• The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
• The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

External links[edit]

• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring quotes at the Internet Movie Database
• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Official Lord of the Rings Site

J.R.R. Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings. The following quotes were taken from the characters in his books.



Showing results 1 to 25 of 34

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A hunted man sometimes wearies of distrust and longs for friendship.

J.R.R. Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings — The Fellowship of the Ring
Aragorn

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A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.

(unknown author)
Movie: The Lord of the Rings
Gandalf

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About her feet in wide vessels of green and brown earthenware, white water-lilies were floating, so that she seemed to be enthroned in the midst of a pool.

J.R.R. Tolkien
The Fellowship of the Ring
About Goldberry

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All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost.

J.R.R. Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings — The Fellowship of the Ring
Bilbo

---

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes, a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.

J.R.R. Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings

---

Aragorn: «You have my sword.»
Legolas: «And you have my bow.»
Gimli: «And my axe.»

J.R.R. Tolkien
Movie: Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

---

Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.

(unknown author)
Movie: The Lord of the Rings
Galadriel

---

From the ashes, a fire shall be woken. A light from the shadow shall spring. Renewed shall be blade that was broken. The crownless again shall be king.

J.R.R. Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings — The Fellowship of the Ring

---

He had a blue coat and a long brown beard; his eyes were blue and bright, and his face was red as a ripe apple, but creased into a hundred wrinkles of laughter.

J.R.R. Tolkien
The Fellowship of the Ring
Description of Tom Bombadil

---

He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom.

J.R.R. Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings — The Fellowship of the Ring
Gandalf

---

He told them tales of bees and flowers, the ways of trees, and the strange creatures of the Forest, about the evil things and good things, things friendly and things unfriendly, cruel things and kind things, and secrets hidden under brambles.

J.R.R. Tolkien
The Fellowship of the Ring
About Tom Bombadil

---

I choose a mortal life.

J.R.R. Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings
Arwen
Quote from the movie

---

I do not fear death.

J.R.R. Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings
Aragorn
Quote from the movie

---

I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox.

J.R.R. Tolkien
Movie: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Gimli

---

I thought up an ending for my book. «And he lives happily ever after, till the end of his days.»

J.R.R. Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings
Bilbo
Quote from the movie

---

I will be a healer, and love all things that grow and are not barren.

J.R.R. Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings — The return of the King
Eowyn

---

I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil.

J.R.R. Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings — The Return of the King
Gandalf

---

I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone.

J.R.R. Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings
Arwen
Quote from the movie

---

If I take one more step it’ll be the farthest away from home I’ve ever been.

J.R.R. Tolkien
Movie: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

---

In his hands he carried on a large leaf as on a tray a small pile of white water-lilies.

J.R.R. Tolkien
The Fellowship of the Ring
About Tom Bombadil

---

It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door. You step into the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.

J.R.R. Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings — The Fellowship of the Ring
Bilbo

---

Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement.

J.R.R. Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings — The Fellowship of the Ring
Gandalf

---

Not all tears are an evil.

J.R.R. Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings

---

Now Galadriel rose from the grass, and taking a cup from one of her maidens she filled it with white mead and gave it to Celeborn.

J.R.R. Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings — The Fellowship of the Ring

---

Sleep! I feel the need of it. Yet my axe is restless in my hand. Give me a row of orc-necks and room to swing and all weariness will fall from me!

J.R.R. Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings — The Two Towers
Gimli

---

 

Next 9



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The Lord of the Rings

The first single-volume edition (1968)
Author	J. R. R. Tolkien
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Genre	High fantasy Adventure
Set in	Middle-earth
Publisher	Allen & Unwin
Publication date	29 July 1954 (The Fellowship of the Ring) 11 November 1954 (The Two Towers) 20 October 1955 (The Return of the King)
Media type	Print (hardback & paperback)
OCLC	1487587
Preceded by	The Hobbit
Followed by	The Adventures of Tom Bombadil

The Lord of the Rings is an epic^[1] high-fantasy novel^[a] by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien’s 1937 children’s book The Hobbit, but eventually developed into a much larger work. Written in stages between 1937 and 1949, The Lord of the Rings is one of the best-selling books ever written, with over 150 million copies sold.^[2]

The title refers to the story’s main antagonist,^[b] the Dark Lord Sauron, who, in an earlier age, created the One Ring to rule the other Rings of Power given to Men, Dwarves, and Elves, in his campaign to conquer all of Middle-earth. From homely beginnings in the Shire, a hobbit land reminiscent of the English countryside, the story ranges across Middle-earth, following the quest to destroy the One Ring, seen mainly through the eyes of the hobbits Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin. Aiding Frodo are the Wizard Gandalf, the Man Aragorn, the Elf Legolas and the Dwarf Gimli, who unite in order to rally the Free Peoples of Middle-earth against Sauron’s armies and give Frodo a chance to destroy the One Ring in the fire of Mount Doom.

Although often called a trilogy, the work was intended by Tolkien to be one volume of a two-volume set along with The Silmarillion.^{[3][T 3]} For economic reasons, The Lord of the Rings was published over the course of a year from 29 July 1954 to 20 October 1955 in three volumes^[3][4] titled The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. The work is divided internally into six books, two per volume, with several appendices of background material. Some later editions print the entire work in a single volume, following the author’s original intent.

Tolkien’s work, after an initially mixed reception by the literary establishment, has been the subject of extensive analysis of its themes and origins. Influences on this earlier work, and on the story of The Lord of the Rings, include philology, mythology, Christianity, earlier fantasy works, and his own experiences in the First World War.

The Lord of the Rings is considered one of the greatest fantasy books ever written and it has helped to create and shape the modern fantasy genre. Since release, it has been reprinted many times and translated into at least 38 languages.^[c] Its enduring popularity has led to numerous references in popular culture, the founding of many societies by fans of Tolkien’s works,^[5] and the publication of many books about Tolkien and his works. It has inspired many derivative works, including paintings, music, films, television, video games, and board games.

Award-winning adaptations of The Lord of the Rings have been made for radio, theatre, and film. It was named Britain’s best-loved novel of all time in the BBC’s 2003 poll The Big Read.

Plot[edit]

The Fellowship of the Ring[edit]

Prologue[edit]

The prologue explains that the work is «largely concerned with hobbits», telling of their origins in a migration from the east, their habits such as smoking «pipe-weed», and how their homeland the Shire is organised. It explains how the narrative follows on from The Hobbit, in which the hobbit Bilbo Baggins finds the One Ring, which had been in the possession of Gollum.

Book I: The Ring Sets Out[edit]

Bilbo celebrates his eleventy-first (111th) birthday and leaves the Shire suddenly, passing the Ring to Frodo Baggins, his cousin^[d] and heir. Neither hobbit is aware of the Ring’s origin, but the wizard Gandalf suspects it is a Ring of Power. Seventeen years later, in «The Shadow of the Past», Gandalf tells Frodo that he has confirmed that the Ring is the one lost by the Dark Lord Sauron long ago and counsels him to take it away from the Shire. Gandalf leaves, promising to return by Frodo’s birthday and accompany him on his journey, but fails to do so.

Frodo sets out on foot, offering a cover story of moving to Crickhollow, accompanied by his gardener Sam Gamgee and his cousin Pippin Took. They are pursued by mysterious Black Riders, but meet a passing group of Elves led by Gildor Inglorion, whose chants to Elbereth ward off the Riders. The hobbits spend the night with them, then take an evasive short cut the next day, and arrive at the farm of Farmer Maggot, who takes them to Bucklebury Ferry, where they meet their friend Merry Brandybuck. When they reach the house at Crickhollow, Merry and Pippin reveal they know about the Ring and insist on travelling with Frodo and Sam.

They decide to try to shake off the Black Riders by cutting through the Old Forest. Merry and Pippin are trapped by Old Man Willow, an ancient tree who controls much of the forest, but are rescued by Tom Bombadil. Leaving the refuge of Tom’s house, they get lost in a fog and are caught by a barrow-wight in a barrow on the downs, but Frodo, awakening from the barrow-wight’s spell, calls Tom Bombadil, who frees them, and equips them with ancient swords from the barrow-wight’s hoard.

The hobbits reach the village of Bree, where they encounter a Ranger named Strider. The innkeeper gives Frodo a letter from Gandalf written three months before which identifies Strider as a friend. Knowing the riders will attempt to seize the party, Strider guides the hobbits through the wilderness toward the Elven sanctuary of Rivendell. On the way, the group stops at the hill Weathertop. While at Weathertop, they are again attacked by five of the nine Black Riders. During the struggle, their leader wounds Frodo with a cursed blade. After fighting them off, Strider treats Frodo with the herb athelas, and is joined by the Elf Glorfindel who has been searching for the party. Glorfindel rides with Frodo, now deathly ill, toward Rivendell. The Black Riders nearly capture Frodo at the Ford of Bruinen, but upon attempting to cross the ford, flood waters summoned by Elrond rise up and overwhelm them.

Book II: The Ring Goes South[edit]

Frodo recovers in Rivendell under Elrond’s care. Gandalf informs Frodo that the Black Riders are the Nazgûl, Men from ancient times enslaved by lesser Rings of Power to serve Sauron. The Council of Elrond discusses the history of Sauron and the Ring. Strider is revealed to be Aragorn, the heir of Isildur. Isildur had cut the One Ring from Sauron’s hand in the battle ending the Second Age, but refused to destroy it, claiming it for himself. The Ring had been lost when Isildur was killed, finally ending up in Bilbo’s possession after his meeting with Gollum, described in The Hobbit. Gandalf reports that the chief wizard, Saruman, has betrayed them and is now working to become a power in his own right. Gandalf was captured by him, but escaped, explaining why he had failed to return to meet Frodo as he had promised.

The Council decides that the Ring must be destroyed, but that can only be done by sending it to the fire of Mount Doom in Mordor where it was forged. Frodo takes this task upon himself. Elrond, with the advice of Gandalf, chooses companions for him. The Fellowship of the Ring consists of nine walkers who set out on the quest to destroy the One Ring, in opposition to the nine Black Riders: Frodo Baggins, Sam Gamgee, Merry Brandybuck and Pippin Took; Gandalf; the Elf Legolas; the Dwarf Gimli; and the Men Aragorn and Boromir, son of the Steward of Gondor. The Fellowship thus represents the Free Peoples of the West – Elves, Dwarves, Men, and Hobbits, assisted by a Wizard.

After a failed attempt to cross the Misty Mountains over the Redhorn Pass, the Fellowship take the perilous path through the Mines of Moria. They learn that Balin, one of the Dwarves who accompanied Bilbo in The Hobbit, and his colony of Dwarves were killed by Orcs. After surviving an attack, they are pursued by Orcs and a Balrog, an ancient fire demon from a prior Age. Gandalf confronts the Balrog, and both of them fall into the abyss of Moria. The others escape and find refuge in the timeless Elven forest of Lothlórien, where they are counselled by the Lady Galadriel. Before they leave, Galadriel tests their loyalty, and gives them individual, magical gifts to help them on their quest. She allows Frodo and Sam to look into her fountain, the Mirror of Galadriel, to see visions of the past, the present, and perhaps the future, and she refuses to take the Ring Frodo offers her, knowing that it would master her.

Galadriel’s husband Celeborn gives the Fellowship boats, elven cloaks, and waybread (Lembas), and they travel down the River Anduin to the hill of Amon Hen. There, Boromir tries to take the Ring from Frodo, but immediately regrets it after Frodo puts on the Ring and disappears. Frodo chooses to go alone to Mordor, but Sam, guessing what he intends, intercepts him as he tries to take a boat across the river, and goes with him.

The Two Towers[edit]

Book III: The Treason of Isengard[edit]

A party of large Orcs, Uruk-hai, sent by Saruman, and other Orcs sent by Sauron and led by Grishnákh, attack the Fellowship. Boromir tries to protect Merry and Pippin from the Orcs, but they kill him and capture the two hobbits. Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas decide to pursue the Orcs taking Merry and Pippin to Saruman. In the kingdom of Rohan, the Orcs are killed by Riders of Rohan, led by Éomer. Merry and Pippin escape into Fangorn Forest, where they are befriended by Treebeard, the oldest of the tree-like Ents. Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas track the hobbits to Fangorn. There they unexpectedly meet Gandalf.

Gandalf explains that he killed the Balrog. He was also killed in the fight, but was sent back to Middle-earth to complete his mission. He is clothed in white and is now Gandalf the White, for he has taken Saruman’s place as the chief of the wizards. Gandalf assures his friends that Merry and Pippin are safe. Together they ride to Edoras, capital of Rohan. Gandalf frees Théoden, King of Rohan, from the influence of Saruman’s spy Gríma Wormtongue. Théoden musters his fighting strength and rides with his men to the ancient fortress of Helm’s Deep, while Gandalf departs to seek help from Treebeard.

Meanwhile, the Ents, roused by Merry and Pippin from their peaceful ways, attack and destroy Isengard, Saruman’s stronghold, and flood it, trapping the wizard in the tower of Orthanc. Gandalf convinces Treebeard to send an army of Huorns to Théoden’s aid. He brings an army of Rohirrim to Helm’s Deep, and they defeat the Orcs, who flee into the forest of Huorns, never to be seen again. Gandalf, Théoden, Legolas, and Gimli ride to Isengard, and are surprised to find Merry and Pippin relaxing amidst the ruins. Gandalf offers Saruman a chance to turn away from evil. When Saruman refuses to listen, Gandalf strips him of his rank and most of his powers. After Saruman leaves, Wormtongue throws down a hard round object to try to kill Gandalf. Pippin picks it up; Gandalf swiftly takes it, but Pippin steals it in the night. It is revealed to be a palantír, a seeing-stone that Saruman used to speak with Sauron, and that Sauron used to ensnare him. Sauron sees Pippin, but misunderstands the circumstances. Gandalf immediately rides for Minas Tirith, chief city of Gondor, taking Pippin with him.

Book IV: The Ring Goes East[edit]

Frodo and Sam, heading for Mordor, struggle through the barren hills and cliffs of the Emyn Muil. They become aware they are being watched and tracked; on a moonlit night they capture Gollum, who has followed them from Moria. Frodo makes Gollum swear to serve him, as Ringbearer, and asks him to guide them to Mordor. Gollum leads them across the Dead Marshes. Sam overhears Gollum debating with his alter ego, Sméagol, whether to break his promise and steal the Ring.

They find that the Black Gate of Mordor is too well guarded, so instead they travel south through the land of Ithilien to a secret pass that Gollum knows. On the way, they are captured by rangers led by Faramir, Boromir’s brother, and brought to the secret fastness of Henneth Annûn. Faramir resists the temptation to seize the Ring and, disobeying standing orders to arrest strangers found in Ithilien, releases them.

Gollum – who is torn between his loyalty to Frodo and his desire for the Ring – guides the hobbits to the pass, but leads them into the lair of the great spider Shelob in the tunnels of Cirith Ungol. Frodo holds up the gift given to him in Lothlórien: the Phial of Galadriel, which holds the light of Eärendil’s star. The light drives Shelob back. Frodo cuts through a giant web using his sword Sting. Shelob attacks again, and Frodo falls to her venom. Sam picks up Sting and the Phial. He seriously wounds and drives off the monster. Believing Frodo to be dead, Sam takes the Ring to continue the quest alone. Orcs find Frodo; Sam overhears them and learns that Frodo is still alive, but is separated from him.

The Return of the King[edit]

Book V: The War of the Ring[edit]

Sauron sends a great army against Gondor. Gandalf arrives at Minas Tirith to warn Denethor of the attack, while Théoden musters the Rohirrim to ride to Gondor’s aid. Minas Tirith is besieged; the Lord of the Nazgûl uses a spell-wound battering ram to destroy the city’s gates. Denethor, deceived by Sauron, falls into despair. He burns himself alive on a pyre; Pippin and Gandalf rescue his son Faramir from the same fate.

Aragorn, accompanied by Legolas, Gimli, and the Rangers of the North, takes the Paths of the Dead to recruit the Dead Men of Dunharrow, oathbreakers who are bound by an ancient curse which denies them rest until they fulfil their oath to fight for the King of Gondor. Aragorn unleashes the Army of the Dead on the Corsairs of Umbar invading southern Gondor. With that threat eliminated, Aragorn uses the Corsairs’ ships to transport the men of southern Gondor up the Anduin, reaching Minas Tirith just in time to turn the tide of battle. Théoden’s niece Éowyn, who joined the army in disguise, kills the Lord of the Nazgûl with help from Merry; both are wounded. Together, Gondor and Rohan defeat Sauron’s army in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, though at great cost; Théoden is among the dead.

Aragorn enters Minas Tirith and heals Faramir, Éowyn, and Merry. He leads an army of men from Gondor and Rohan, marching through Ithilien to the Black Gate to distract Sauron from his true danger. At the Battle of the Morannon, his army is vastly outnumbered.

Book VI: The End of the Third Age[edit]

Meanwhile, Sam rescues Frodo from the tower of Cirith Ungol. They set out across Mordor. When they reach the edge of the Cracks of Doom, Frodo cannot resist the Ring any longer. He claims it for himself and puts it on. Gollum suddenly reappears. He struggles with Frodo and bites off Frodo’s finger with the Ring still on it. Celebrating wildly, Gollum loses his footing and falls into the Fire, taking the Ring with him. When the Ring is destroyed, Sauron loses his power forever. All he created collapses, the Nazgûl perish, and his armies are thrown into such disarray that Aragorn’s forces emerge victorious.

Aragorn is crowned King of Arnor and Gondor, and weds Arwen, daughter of Elrond. Théoden is buried and Éomer is crowned King of Rohan. His sister Éowyn is engaged to marry Faramir, now Steward of Gondor and Prince of Ithilien. Galadriel, Celeborn, and Gandalf meet and say farewell to Treebeard, and to Aragorn.

The four hobbits make their way back to the Shire, only to find that it has been taken over by men directed by «Sharkey» (whom they later discover to be Saruman). The hobbits, led by Merry, raise a rebellion and scour the Shire of Sharkey’s evil. Gríma Wormtongue turns on Saruman and kills him in front of Bag End, Frodo’s home. He is killed in turn by hobbit archers. Merry and Pippin are celebrated as heroes. Sam marries Rosie Cotton and uses his gifts from Galadriel to help heal the Shire. But Frodo is still wounded in body and spirit, having borne the Ring for so long. A few years later, in the company of Bilbo and Gandalf, Frodo sails from the Grey Havens west over the Sea to the Undying Lands to find peace.

Appendices[edit]

The appendices outline more details of the history, cultures, genealogies, and languages that Tolkien imagined for the peoples of Middle-earth. They provide background details for the narrative, with much detail for Tolkien fans who want to know more about the stories.

Appendix A: «Annals of the Kings and Rulers»

Provides extensive background to the larger world of Middle-earth, with brief overviews of the events of the first two Ages of the world, and then more detailed histories of the nations of Men in Gondor and Rohan, as well as a history of the royal Dwarvish line of Durin during the Third Age.The embedded «Tale of Aragorn and Arwen» tells how it happened that an immortal elf came to marry a man, as told in the main story, which Arwen’s ancestor Lúthien had done in the First Age, giving up her immortality.

Appendix B: «The Tale of Years» (Chronology of the Westlands)

It is a timeline of events throughout the series, and ancient events affecting the narrative, and in lesser detail, it gives the stories’ context in the fictional chronology of the larger mythology.It also tells that Sam gives his daughter Elanor the fictional Red Book of Westmarch – which contains the autobiographical stories of Bilbo’s adventures at the opening of the war, and Frodo’s role in the full-on War of the Ring, and serves as Tolkien’s source for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (with Tolkien representing himself as a translator, rather than an epic novelist). It says that there was «a tradition» that after handing over the book, Sam crossed west over the sea himself, the last of the ring-bearers; and that some years later, after the deaths of Aragorn and Arwen, Legolas and Gimli also sailed together «over Sea».

Appendix C: «Family Trees» (Hobbits)

Gives hobbit genealogies – not only for Bilbo and Frodo’s Baggins family, but also their relations the Tooks and Brandybucks, which connect them to Pippin and Merry.

Appendix D: «Calendars»

Describes some of the calendars used by the characters in the story, and explains that the Roman month names in the text are «translations» of the names in the hobbits’ calendar. (Tolkien was a linguist, and provided Germanic-sounding names for the hobbit calendar by extrapolating names of German and Old English months forward to what he thought they might have become if all were still used in modern English, as Yule and Easter are.)

Appendix E: «Writing and Spelling»

Describes dwarves’ runes and the elvish runes use by the other peoples of Middle-earth; the names of the runes and letters incidentally give a bit of information about dwarvish and elvish languages.

Appendix F: «Languages and Peoples of the Third Age» and «On Translation»

Presented as two sections. In addition to outlines of the various languages in current use during the narrative, and mentioned or seen in the story, it discusses hobbits’ names at length. It sorts out names which Tolkien affected to have translated into English, and names which said he had left in original form (since they had no meaning in hobbits’ everyday language).

Frame story[edit]

Tolkien presents The Lord of the Rings within a fictional frame story where he is not the original author, but merely the translator of part of an ancient document, the Red Book of Westmarch.^[6] That book is modelled on the real Red Book of Hergest, which similarly presents an older mythology. Various details of the frame story appear in the Prologue, its «Note on Shire Records», and in the Appendices, notably Appendix F. In this frame story, the Red Book is the purported source of Tolkien’s other works relating to Middle-earth: The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, and The Adventures of Tom Bombadil.^[7]

Concept and creation[edit]

Background[edit]

Although a major work in itself, The Lord of the Rings was only the last movement of a much older set of narratives Tolkien had worked on since 1917 encompassing The Silmarillion,^[8] in a process he described as mythopoeia.^[e]

The Lord of the Rings started as a sequel to Tolkien’s work The Hobbit, published in 1937.^[10] The popularity of The Hobbit had led George Allen & Unwin, the publishers, to request a sequel. Tolkien warned them that he wrote quite slowly, and responded with several stories he had already developed. Having rejected his contemporary drafts for The Silmarillion, putting Roverandom on hold, and accepting Farmer Giles of Ham, Allen & Unwin continued to ask for more stories about hobbits.^[11]

Writing[edit]

Persuaded by his publishers, he started «a new Hobbit» in December 1937.^[10] After several false starts, the story of the One Ring emerged. The idea for the first chapter («A Long-Expected Party») arrived fully formed, although the reasons behind Bilbo’s disappearance, the significance of the Ring, and the title The Lord of the Rings did not come until the spring of 1938.^[10] Originally, he planned to write a story in which Bilbo had used up all his treasure and was looking for another adventure to gain more; however, he remembered the Ring and its powers and thought that would be a better focus for the new work.^[10] As the story progressed, he brought in elements from The Silmarillion mythology.^[12]

Writing was slow, because Tolkien had a full-time academic position, marked exams to bring in a little extra income, and wrote many drafts.^{[10][T 4]} Tolkien abandoned The Lord of the Rings during most of 1943 and only restarted it in April 1944,^[10] as a serial for his son Christopher Tolkien, who was sent chapters as they were written while he was serving in South Africa with the Royal Air Force. Tolkien made another major effort in 1946, and showed the manuscript to his publishers in 1947.^[10] The story was effectively finished the next year, but Tolkien did not complete the revision of earlier parts of the work until 1949.^[10] The original manuscripts, which total 9,250 pages, now reside in the J. R. R. Tolkien Collection at Marquette University.^[13]

Poetry[edit]

Unusually for 20th century novels, the prose narrative is supplemented throughout by over 60 pieces of poetry. These include verse and songs of many genres: for wandering, marching to war, drinking, and having a bath; narrating ancient myths, riddles, prophecies, and magical incantations; and of praise and lament (elegy).^[14] Some, such as riddles, charms, elegies, and narrating heroic actions are found in Old English poetry.^[14] Scholars have stated that the poetry is essential for the fiction to work aesthetically and thematically, as it adds information not given in the prose, and it brings out characters and their backgrounds.^[15][16] The poetry has been judged to be of high technical skill, reflected in Tolkien’s prose; for instance, he wrote much of Tom Bombadil’s speech in metre.^[17]

Illustrations[edit]

Tolkien worked on the text using his maps of Middle-earth as a guide, to ensure the elements of the story fitted together in time and space.^{[T 5]} He prepared a variety of types of illustration – maps, calligraphy, drawings, cover designs, even a facsimile painting of the Book of Mazarbul – but only the maps, the inscription on the Ring, and a drawing of the Doors of Durin were included in the first edition.^{[18][T 6]}

The hardback editions sometimes had cover illustrations by Tolkien,^[f] sometimes by other artists. According to The New York Times, Barbara Remington’s cover designs for Ballantine’s paperback editions «achieved mass-cult status in the 1960s, particularly on college campuses» across America.^[19]

Influences[edit]

Tolkien drew on a wide array of influences including language,^{[T 7]} Christianity,^{[T 8]} mythology and Germanic heroic legend including the Norse Völsunga saga,^[21] archaeology, especially at the Temple of Nodens,^[22] ancient and modern literature, like Finnish 19th-century epic poetry The Kalevala by Elias Lönnrot,^[23] and personal experience. He was inspired primarily by his profession, philology;^{[T 9]} his work centred on the study of Old English literature, especially Beowulf, and he acknowledged its importance to his writings.^[20]
He was a gifted linguist, influenced by Celtic,^[24][21] Finnish,^[25] Slavic,^[26] and Greek language and mythology.^[27]
Commentators have attempted to identify literary and topological antecedents for characters, places and events in Tolkien’s writings; he acknowledged that he had enjoyed adventure stories by authors such as John Buchan and Rider Haggard.^[28][29][30] The Arts and Crafts polymath William Morris was a major influence,^{[T 10]} and Tolkien undoubtedly made use of some real place-names, such as Bag End, the name of his aunt’s home.^[31]
Tolkien stated, too, that he had been influenced by his childhood experiences of the English countryside of Worcestershire near Sarehole Mill, and its urbanisation by the growth of Birmingham,^{[T 11]} and his personal experience of fighting in the trenches of the First World War.^[32] Moreover, the militarization and industrialization inspired the character of Sauron and his forces. The Orcs represented the worst of it as workers that have been tortured and brutalized by the war and industry.^[33]

Themes[edit]

Scholars and critics have identified many themes in the book with its complex interlaced narrative, including a reversed quest,^[34][35] the struggle of good and evil,^[36] death and immortality,^[37] fate and free will,^[38] the addictive danger of power,^[39] and various aspects of Christianity such as the presence of three Christ figures, for prophet, priest, and king, as well as elements like hope and redemptive suffering.^{[40][41][42][43]}
There is a common theme throughout the work of language, its sound, and its relationship to peoples and places, along with hints of providence in descriptions of weather and landscape.^[44] Out of these, Tolkien stated that the central theme is death and immortality.^{[T 12]} To those who supposed that the book was an allegory of events in the 20th century, Tolkien replied in the foreword to the Second Edition that it was not, saying he preferred «history, true or feigned, with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers.»

Some commentators have criticized the book for being a story about men for boys, with no significant women; or about a purely rural world with no bearing on modern life in cities; of containing no sign of religion; or of racism. Other commentators responded by noting that there are three powerful women in the book, Galadriel, Éowyn, and Arwen; that life, even in rural Hobbiton, is not idealised; that Christianity is a pervasive theme; and that Tolkien was sharply anti-racist both in peacetime and during the Second World War, while Middle-earth is evidently polycultural.^[45][46][47]

Publication history[edit]

A dispute with his publisher, George Allen & Unwin, led Tolkien to offer the work to William Collins in 1950. Tolkien intended The Silmarillion (itself largely unrevised at this point) to be published along with The Lord of the Rings, but Allen & Unwin were unwilling to do this. After Milton Waldman, his contact at Collins, expressed the belief that The Lord of the Rings itself «urgently wanted cutting», Tolkien eventually demanded that they publish the book in 1952.^[48] Collins did not; and so Tolkien wrote to Allen and Unwin, saying, «I would gladly consider the publication of any part of the stuff», fearing his work would never see the light of day.^[10]

For publication, the work was divided into three volumes to minimize any potential financial loss due to the high cost of type-setting and modest anticipated sales: The Fellowship of the Ring (Books I and II), The Two Towers (Books III and IV), and The Return of the King (Books V and VI plus six appendices).^[49] Delays in producing appendices, maps and especially an index led to the volumes being published later than originally hoped – on 29 July 1954, on 11 November 1954 and on 20 October 1955 respectively in the United Kingdom.^[50] In the United States, Houghton Mifflin published The Fellowship of the Ring on 21 October 1954, The Two Towers on 21 April 1955, and The Return of the King on 5 January 1956.^[51]

The Return of the King was especially delayed as Tolkien revised the ending and prepared appendices (some of which had to be left out because of space constraints). Tolkien did not like the title The Return of the King, believing it gave away too much of the storyline, but deferred to his publisher’s preference.^[52] Tolkien wrote that the title The Two Towers «can be left ambiguous»,^{[T 13]} but considered naming the two as Orthanc and Barad-dûr, Minas Tirith and Barad-dûr, or Orthanc and the Tower of Cirith Ungol.^{[T 14]} However, a month later he wrote a note published at the end of The Fellowship of the Ring and later drew a cover illustration, both of which identified the pair as Minas Morgul and Orthanc.^[53][54]

Tolkien was initially opposed to titles being given to each two-book volume, preferring instead the use of book titles: e.g. The Lord of the Rings: Vol. 1, The Ring Sets Out and The Ring Goes South; Vol. 2, The Treason of Isengard and The Ring Goes East; Vol. 3, The War of the Ring and The End of the Third Age. However, these individual book titles were dropped, and after pressure from his publishers, Tolkien suggested the volume titles: Vol. 1, The Shadow Grows; Vol. 2, The Ring in the Shadow; Vol. 3, The War of the Ring or The Return of the King.^[55][56]

Because the three-volume binding was so widely distributed, the work is often referred to as the Lord of the Rings «trilogy». In a letter to the poet W. H. Auden, who famously reviewed the final volume in 1956,^[57] Tolkien himself made use of the term «trilogy» for the work^{[T 15]} though he did at other times consider this incorrect, as it was written and conceived as a single book.^{[T 16]} It is often called a novel; however, Tolkien objected to this term as he viewed it as a heroic romance.^{[T 17]}

The books were published under a profit-sharing arrangement, whereby Tolkien would not receive an advance or royalties until the books had broken even, after which he would take a large share of the profits.^[58] It has ultimately become one of the best-selling novels ever written, with 50 million copies sold by 2003^[59] and over 150 million copies sold by 2007.^[2] The work was published in the UK by Allen & Unwin until 1990, when the publisher and its assets were acquired by HarperCollins.^[60][61]

Editions and revisions[edit]

In the early 1960s Donald A. Wollheim, science fiction editor of the paperback publisher Ace Books, claimed that The Lord of the Rings was not protected in the United States under American copyright law because Houghton Mifflin, the US hardcover publisher, had neglected to copyright the work in the United States.^[62][63] Then, in 1965, Ace Books proceeded to publish an edition, unauthorized by Tolkien and without paying royalties to him. Tolkien took issue with this and quickly notified his fans of this objection.^[64] Grass-roots pressure from these fans became so great that Ace Books withdrew their edition and made a nominal payment to Tolkien.^{[65][T 18]}

Authorized editions followed from Ballantine Books and Houghton Mifflin to tremendous commercial success. Tolkien undertook various textual revisions to produce a version of the book that would be published with his consent and establish an unquestioned US copyright. This text became the Second Edition of The Lord of the Rings, published in 1965.^[65] The first Ballantine paperback edition was printed in October that year, selling a quarter of a million copies within ten months. On 4 September 1966, the novel debuted on The New York Times‘s Paperback Bestsellers list as number three, and was number one by 4 December, a position it held for eight weeks.^[68] Houghton Mifflin editions after 1994 consolidate variant revisions by Tolkien, and corrections supervised by Christopher Tolkien, which resulted, after some initial glitches, in a computer-based unified text.^[69]

In 2004, for the 50th Anniversary Edition, Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull, under supervision from Christopher Tolkien, studied and revised the text to eliminate as many errors and inconsistencies as possible, some of which had been introduced by well-meaning compositors of the first printing in 1954, and never been corrected.^[70] The 2005 edition of the book contained further corrections noticed by the editors and submitted by readers. Yet more corrections were made in the 60th Anniversary Edition in 2014.^[71] Several editions, including the 50th Anniversary Edition, print the whole work in one volume, with the result that pagination varies widely over the various editions.^{[T 19]}

Posthumous publication of drafts[edit]

From 1988 to 1992 Christopher Tolkien published the surviving drafts of The Lord of the Rings, chronicling and illuminating with commentary the stages of the text’s development, in volumes 6–9 of his History of Middle-earth series. The four volumes carry the titles The Return of the Shadow, The Treason of Isengard, The War of the Ring, and Sauron Defeated.^[72]

Translations[edit]

The work has been translated, with varying degrees of success, into at least 38,^[c] and reportedly at least 70, languages.^[73] Tolkien, an expert in philology, examined many of these translations, and made comments on each that reflect both the translation process and his work. As he was unhappy with some choices made by early translators, such as the Swedish translation by Åke Ohlmarks,^{[T 20]} Tolkien wrote a «Guide to the Names in The Lord of the Rings» (1967). Because The Lord of the Rings purports to be a translation of the fictitious Red Book of Westmarch, using the English language to represent the Westron of the «original», Tolkien suggested that translators attempt to capture the interplay between English and the invented nomenclature of the English work, and gave several examples along with general guidance.^[74][75]

Reception[edit]

1950s[edit]

Early reviews of the work were mixed. The initial review in the Sunday Telegraph described it as «among the greatest works of imaginative fiction of the twentieth century».^[76] The Sunday Times echoed this sentiment, stating that «the English-speaking world is divided into those who have read The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and those who are going to read them.»^[76] The New York Herald Tribune appeared to predict the books’ popularity, writing in its review that they were «destined to outlast our time».^[77] W. H. Auden, a former pupil of Tolkien’s and an admirer of his writings, regarded The Lord of the Rings as a «masterpiece», further stating that in some cases it outdid the achievement of John Milton’s Paradise Lost.^[78] Kenneth F. Slater wrote in Nebula Science Fiction, April 1955, «… if you don’t read it, you have missed one of the finest books of its type ever to appear».^[79][80] On the other hand, in 1955, the Scottish poet Edwin Muir attacked The Return of the King, writing that «All the characters are boys masquerading as adult heroes … and will never come to puberty … Hardly one of them knows anything about women», causing Tolkien to complain angrily to his publisher.^[81] In 1956, the literary critic Edmund Wilson wrote a review entitled «Oo, Those Awful Orcs!», calling Tolkien’s work «juvenile trash», and saying «Dr. Tolkien has little skill at narrative and no instinct for literary form.»^[82]

Within Tolkien’s literary group, The Inklings, the work had a mixed reception. Hugo Dyson complained loudly at its readings,^[83][84] whereas C. S. Lewis had very different feelings, writing, «here are beauties which pierce like swords or burn like cold iron. Here is a book which will break your heart.»^[8] Lewis observed that the writing is rich, in that some of the ‘good’ characters have darker sides, and likewise some of the villains have «good impulses».^[85] Despite the mixed reviews and the lack of a paperback until the 1960s, The Lord of the Rings initially sold well in hardback.^[8]

Later[edit]

Judith Shulevitz, writing in The New York Times, criticized the «pedantry» of Tolkien’s literary style, saying that he «formulated a high-minded belief in the importance of his mission as a literary preservationist, which turns out to be death to literature itself».^[86] The critic Richard Jenkyns, writing in The New Republic, criticized the work for a lack of psychological depth. Both the characters and the work itself were, according to Jenkyns, «anemic, and lacking in fibre».^[87] The science fiction author David Brin interprets the work as holding unquestioning devotion to a traditional hierarchical social structure.^[88] In his essay «Epic Pooh», fantasy author Michael Moorcock critiques the world-view displayed by the book as deeply conservative, in both the «paternalism» of the narrative voice and the power structures in the narrative.^[89] Tom Shippey, like Tolkien an English philologist, notes the wide gulf between Tolkien’s supporters, both popular and academic, and his literary detractors, and attempts to explain in detail both why the literary establishment disliked The Lord of the Rings, and the work’s subtlety, themes, and merits, including the impression of depth that it conveys.^[12] The scholar of humanities Brian Rosebury analysed Tolkien’s prose style in detail, showing that it was generally quite plain, varying to suit the voices of the different characters, and rising to a heroic register for special moments.^[90]

Awards[edit]

In 1957, The Lord of the Rings was awarded the International Fantasy Award. Despite its numerous detractors, the publication of the Ace Books and Ballantine paperbacks helped The Lord of the Rings become immensely popular in the United States in the 1960s. The book has remained so ever since, ranking as one of the most popular works of fiction of the twentieth century, judged by both sales and reader surveys.^[91] In the 2003 «Big Read» survey conducted in Britain by the BBC, The Lord of the Rings was found to be the «Nation’s best-loved book». In similar 2004 polls both Germany^[92] and Australia^[93] chose The Lord of the Rings as their favourite book. In a 1999 poll of Amazon.com customers, The Lord of the Rings was judged to be their favourite «book of the millennium».^[94] In 2019, the BBC News listed The Lord of the Rings on its list of the 100 most influential novels.^[95]

Adaptations[edit]

The Lord of the Rings has been adapted for radio, stage, film and television.

Radio[edit]

The book has been adapted for radio four times. In 1955 and 1956, the BBC broadcast The Lord of the Rings, a 13-part radio adaptation of the story. In the 1960s radio station WBAI produced a short radio adaptation. A 1979 dramatization of The Lord of the Rings was broadcast in the United States and subsequently issued on tape and CD. In 1981, the BBC broadcast The Lord of the Rings, a new dramatization in 26 half-hour instalments.^[96][97]

Film and television[edit]

A variety of filmmakers considered adapting Tolkien’s book, among them Stanley Kubrick, who thought it unfilmable,^[98][99] Michelangelo Antonioni,^[100] Jim Henson,^[101] Heinz Edelmann,^[102] and John Boorman.^[103]
A Swedish live action television film, Sagan om ringen, was broadcast in 1971.^[104]
In 1978, Ralph Bakshi made an animated film version covering The Fellowship of the Ring and part of The Two Towers, to mixed reviews.^[105] In 1980, Rankin/Bass released an animated TV special based on the closing chapters of The Return of the King, gaining mixed reviews.^[106][107]
In Finland, a live action television miniseries, Hobitit, was broadcast in 1993 based on The Lord of the Rings, with a flashback to Bilbo’s encounter with Gollum in The Hobbit.^[108][109]

A far more successful adaptation was Peter Jackson’s live action The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, produced by New Line Cinema and released in three instalments as The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). All three parts won multiple Academy Awards, including consecutive Best Picture nominations. The final instalment of this trilogy was the second film to break the one-billion-dollar barrier and won a total of 11 Oscars (something only two other films in history, Ben-Hur and Titanic, have accomplished), including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.^[110][111] Commentators including Tolkien scholars, literary critics and film critics are divided on how faithfully Jackson adapted Tolkien’s work, or whether a film version is inevitably different, and if so the reasons for any changes, and the effectiveness of the result.^[112]

The Hunt for Gollum, a 2009 film by Chris Bouchard,^[113][114] and the 2009 Born of Hope, written by Paula DiSante and directed by Kate Madison, are fan films based on details in the appendices of The Lord of the Rings.^[115]

From September 2022, Amazon is presenting a multi-season television series of stories, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. It is set at the beginning of the Second Age, long before the time of The Lord of the Rings, based on materials in the novel’s appendices.^{[116][117][118]}

In early 2023, Warner Bros Discovery announced that multiple new movies set in Middle-earth are in development, and will be produced along with New Line Cinema and Freemode.^[119]

Audiobooks[edit]

In 1990, Recorded Books published an audio version of The Lord of the Rings,^[120] read by the British actor Rob Inglis. A large-scale musical theatre adaptation, The Lord of the Rings, was first staged in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 2006 and opened in London in June 2007; it was a commercial failure.^[121]

In 2013, the artist Phil Dragash recorded the whole of the book, using the score from Peter Jackson’s movies.^{[122][123][124]}

During the COVID-19 lockdown, Andy Serkis read the entire book of The Hobbit online to raise money for charity.^[125] He then recorded the work again as an audiobook.^[126][127] The cover art was done by Alan Lee. In 2021, Serkis recorded The Lord of the Rings novels.^[128]

Legacy[edit]

Influence on fantasy[edit]

The enormous popularity of Tolkien’s work expanded the demand for fantasy. Largely thanks to The Lord of the Rings, the genre flowered throughout the 1960s and enjoys popularity to the present day.^[129] The opus has spawned many imitations, such as The Sword of Shannara, which Lin Carter called «the single most cold-blooded, complete rip-off of another book that I have ever read,»^[130] as well as alternate interpretations of the story, such as The Last Ringbearer.
The Legend of Zelda, which popularized the action-adventure game genre in the 1980s, was inspired by The Lord of the Rings among other fantasy books.^[131][132] Dungeons & Dragons, which popularized the role-playing game genre in the 1970s, features several races from The Lord of the Rings, including halflings (hobbits), elves, dwarves, half-elves, orcs, and dragons. However, Gary Gygax, lead designer of the game, maintained that he was influenced very little by The Lord of the Rings, stating that he included these elements as a marketing move to draw on the popularity the work enjoyed at the time he was developing the game.^[133]
Because Dungeons & Dragons has gone on to influence many popular games, especially role-playing video games, the influence of The Lord of the Rings extends to many of them, with titles such as Dragon Quest,^[134][135] EverQuest, the Warcraft series, and The Elder Scrolls series of games^[136] as well as video games set in Middle-earth itself.

Music[edit]

In 1965, the songwriter Donald Swann, best known for his collaboration with Michael Flanders as Flanders & Swann, set six poems from The Lord of the Rings and one from The Adventures of Tom Bombadil («Errantry») to music. When Swann met with Tolkien to play the songs for his approval, Tolkien suggested for «Namárië» (Galadriel’s lament) a setting reminiscent of plain chant, which Swann accepted.^[137] The songs were published in 1967 as The Road Goes Ever On: A Song Cycle,^[138] and a recording of the songs performed by singer William Elvin with Swann on piano was issued that same year by Caedmon Records as Poems and Songs of Middle Earth.^[139]

Rock bands of the 1970s were musically and lyrically inspired by the fantasy-embracing counter-culture of the time. The British rock band Led Zeppelin recorded several songs that contain explicit references to The Lord of the Rings, such as mentioning Gollum and Mordor in «Ramble On», the Misty Mountains in «Misty Mountain Hop», and Ringwraiths in «The Battle of Evermore». In 1970, the Swedish musician Bo Hansson released an instrumental concept album entitled Sagan om ringen («The Saga of the Ring», the title of the Swedish translation at the time).^[140] The album was subsequently released internationally as Music Inspired by Lord of the Rings in 1972.^[140] From the 1980s onwards, many heavy metal acts have been influenced by Tolkien.^[141]

In 1988, the Dutch composer and trombonist Johan de Meij completed his Symphony No. 1 «The Lord of the Rings». It had 5 movements, titled «Gandalf», «Lothlórien», «Gollum», «Journey in the Dark», and «Hobbits».^[142]

The 1991 album Shepherd Moons by the Irish musician Enya contains an instrumental titled «Lothlórien», in reference to the home of the wood-elves.^[143]

Impact on popular culture[edit]

The Lord of the Rings has had a profound and wide-ranging impact on popular culture, beginning with its publication in the 1950s, but especially during the 1960s and 1970s, when young people embraced it as a countercultural saga.^[144] «Frodo Lives!» and «Gandalf for President» were two phrases popular amongst United States Tolkien fans during this time.^[145] Its impact is such that the words «Tolkienian» and «Tolkienesque» have entered the Oxford English Dictionary, and many of his fantasy terms, formerly little-known in English, such as «Orc» and «Warg», have become widespread in that domain.^[146]
Among its effects are numerous parodies, especially Harvard Lampoon‘s Bored of the Rings, which has had the distinction of remaining continuously in print from its publication in 1969, and of being translated into at least 11 languages.^[147]

In 1969, Tolkien sold the merchandising rights to The Lord of The Rings (and The Hobbit) to United Artists under an agreement stipulating a lump sum payment of £10,000^[148] plus a 7.5% royalty after costs,^[149] payable to Allen & Unwin and the author.^[150] In 1976, three years after the author’s death, United Artists sold the rights to Saul Zaentz Company, who now trade as Tolkien Enterprises. Since then all «authorised» merchandise has been signed off by Tolkien Enterprises, although the intellectual property rights of the specific likenesses of characters and other imagery from various adaptations is generally held by the adaptors.^[151]

Outside commercial exploitation from adaptations, from the late 1960s onwards there has been an increasing variety of original licensed merchandise, with posters and calendars created by illustrators such as Barbara Remington.^[152]

The work was named Britain’s best novel of all time in the BBC’s The Big Read.^[153] In 2015, the BBC ranked The Lord of the Rings 26th on its list of the 100 greatest British novels.^[154] It was included in Le Monde‘s list of «100 Books of the Century».^[155]

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

Primary[edit]

Secondary[edit]

Sources[edit]

• Carpenter, Humphrey (1977). J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biography. New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-04-928037-3.
• Carpenter, Humphrey, ed. (1981). The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 978-0-395-31555-2.
• Drout, Michael D. C. (2006). The J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-96942-0.
• Hammond, Wayne G.; Scull, Christina (2005). The Lord of the Rings: A Reader’s Companion. Houghton Mifflin Co. ISBN 978-0-00-720907-1.
• Tolkien, Christopher (ed.) (1988–1992). The History of The Lord of the Rings, 4 vols.
• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1997). The Monsters and the Critics, and Other Essays. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-261-10263-7.

External links[edit]

• Tolkien website of Harper Collins (the British publisher)
• Tolkien website of Houghton Mifflin Archived 24 April 2021 at the Wayback Machine (the American publisher)
• Lord of the Rings, The Archived 2 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine at the Encyclopedia of Fantasy