Most people think Sméagol became Gollum because of the Ring. And in one sense, that is true. The Ring stretched his life, poisoned his mind, drove him into secrecy, and consumed almost everything that had once been natural in him. By the time Bilbo meets him under the Misty Mountains, there is barely a recognizable … Read more
It is mentioned clearly enough that readers are meant to notice it. And then it disappears. There is no scene in which it is taken from him. No explanation of its powers. No warning about its danger. No note in the early Fourth Age telling us where it ended up, who found it, or whether … Read more
The end of The Two Towers is one of the cruelest cliffhangers in The Lord of the Rings. Frodo has been stung by Shelob. Sam has fought the spider off in a desperate struggle. Believing his master dead, he has made the almost unbearable decision to take the Ring and continue the Quest alone. For a few terrible … Read more
At first glance, Shadow of Mordor seems like it should belong. It is set in the dark years before the War of the Ring. Sauron is rising again. Mordor is filling with Orcs and captains. Gollum is still wandering in search of the Ring. And the story reaches backward into one of the most important names in … Read more
The Secret Stairs feel as if they belong to Mordor. They rise out of darkness. They cling to the Mountains of Shadow. They lead Frodo and Sam away from the open road and into a place of hunger, webs, Orcs, and dread. By the time the Hobbits begin climbing, the reader already knows something is … Read more
Gandalf does not enter Middle-earth like a shining lord. He does not descend in glory.He does not reveal himself as a spirit from the West.He does not walk among Men and Elves with an unveiled majesty that makes kings bow and armies tremble. He appears as an old man. Grey-cloaked. Weather-worn. Bearded. Often weary. Often … Read more
Most readers notice it sooner or later. Sauron.Saruman. The names look and sound close enough that they almost seem designed to echo one another. Both begin with the same sharp sound. Both belong to powerful enemies in The Lord of the Rings. Both are associated with command, fear, craft, and corruption. So it is natural to … Read more
At first glance, it seems like a problem. The One Ring was the ruling Ring. The Three Elven Rings were bound to it. Elrond, Galadriel, and Gandalf were among the wisest beings left in Middle-earth. By the end of the Third Age, each of them bore one of the Three. So why did none of … Read more
At first, the idea seems almost obvious. If the One Ring had to be carried into Mordor, why not give it to a Dwarf? Dwarves were famously hard to dominate. The Rings of Power given to the Dwarf-lords did not turn them into Ringwraiths. They did not become pale servants like the Nazgûl. Their wills … Read more
When most people think of the Nazgûl, they imagine them in the sky. Black wings over Minas Tirith. Terrible cries falling like sickness over soldiers. A shadow circling above the Dead Marshes or sweeping across the darkening lands before Mordor. By the end of the War of the Ring, the Nazgûl are no longer merely … Read more