The Sons of Fëanor Could Repent — But They Could Not Undo the Oath At the end of the First Age, the most terrible thing about the Oath of Fëanor is no longer that Maedhros and Maglor want the Silmarils. It is that they scarcely seem to want them at all. Morgoth has fallen. Beleriand … Read more
When Merry Brandybuck and Pippin Took meet Treebeard in Fangorn, one of the strangest transformations in The Lord of the Rings begins with something remarkably ordinary: a drink of water. Or at least, something that looks like water. Treebeard gives the hobbits an Ent-draught at Wellinghall, drawn from one of the tall stone jars kept … Read more
When Frodo puts on the One Ring at Amon Hen, he expects escape. Boromir has tried to take the Ring from him. Frodo has fled, invisible, up the wooded slopes above Parth Galen. Eventually he reaches the summit and finds an ancient work of the Men of Númenor: a paved circle, ruined battlements, and a … Read more
The secret door into the Lonely Mountain seems, at first, like the sort of obstacle a burglar ought to solve. Thorin possesses the key. Thrór’s Map identifies a hidden entrance. Bilbo has specifically been brought on the Quest of Erebor because the company needs someone capable of getting into places where thirteen Dwarves cannot simply … Read more
When Aragorn becomes King, one of Gondor’s most famous symbols is still standing in the Citadel of Minas Tirith: the White Tree. But it is dead. That detail matters. The victory over Sauron does not suddenly make the old Tree flower again. Aragorn does not heal its withered branches, and Gandalf does not awaken some … Read more
Some weapons in Middle-earth seem almost too remarkable to fail. Angrist was one of them. Forged by Telchar of Nogrod, the famed Dwarven smith, the knife was so keen that iron could be cut by it as though it were green wood. It eventually came into Beren’s possession, and deep beneath Thangorodrim he used it … Read more
Mount Doom is visible from astonishing distances. Once Frodo and Sam reach the eastern side of the Anduin, their destination is no longer some vague point beyond the horizon. Orodruin stands inside Mordor, rising above the Plateau of Gorgoroth, and everything depends upon reaching its fire. That makes an obvious question surprisingly important: why do … Read more
When most readers picture Helm’s Deep, the Deeping Wall seems obvious: a huge stone barrier built to keep an army out. But the geography of the Hornburg reveals something more interesting. The wall is not simply the outer wall of a castle. The Hornburg itself stands at one end of it, raised upon the Hornrock. … Read more
Eärendil’s ship, Vingilot, crossed the Great Sea and reached Aman. At first glance, that sounds like a problem of distance: determine where the Mouths of Sirion lay, estimate the western coastline of the Blessed Realm, measure the ocean between them, and calculate how many miles the voyage required. But Eärendil’s journey does not work that … Read more
How Mordor Controlled Its Orc Companies: Numbers, Captains, Whips, and Reports When Frodo and Sam finally entered Mordor, they faced a danger that had little to do with swords. They looked like Orcs. That disguise had helped them leave the Tower of Cirith Ungol, but on the road across Mordor it created a new problem. … Read more