Misconceptions

Misconceptions have arisen over numerous concepts within J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium as a result of mistakes made by secondary authors and of changes made by adaptations.

Definition of First Age; Third Age "of the Sun"

• The First Age began with the first sunrise over Middle-earth and the events of The Lord of the Rings took place in the Third Age of the Sun.
  • Actually, Tolkien never described his ages as being linked to the Sun and specifically wrote that the "First Age of the Children of Ilúvatar" began with the Awakening of the Elves, long before the first sunrise. Despite this, many fans believe the 'Ages of the Sun' version is correct because it has been repeated so often. For example, it is found in Tolkien: The Illustrated Encyclopedia by David Day, whose books are generally considered unreliable (as by Conrad Dunkerson and Steuard Jensen).

The Arkenstone was a Silmaril

• The Arkenstone was a Silmaril, probably the one thrown into a fiery pit by Maedhros, and found its way (geologically?) to the north, to be rediscovered by the Khazad of Erebor. Tolkien wrote that the two lost Silmarils would remain lost until the end of Arda. However, in a partial translation of early Silmarillion texts into Old English Tolkien used the etymologically related term 'Eorclanstanas' ('holy stones') to translate 'Silmarils' - suggesting that he may have borrowed the name and other concepts from the Silmarils in describing the Arkenstone.

Arwen, the lastborn of the Elves

• Arwen was the last Elf born in Middle-earth.
  • This concept derives from being the youngest Elf whose birth is mentioned in the Tale of Years, and perhaps from publicity for the films; but is never stated in the films or the books.

Legolas's age

• Legolas is 2931 years old during the War of the Ring, and thus was born in T.A. 87.
  • This information also comes from film publicity and is never stated in the films or books. It may derive from the fact that Aragorn was born in the year T.A. 2931. The date of T.A. 87 for Legolas' birth agrees with another common fan theory, namely that Legolas was born during the period of peace at the beginning of the Third Age. Tolkien, never wrote about Legolas' birthdate.

Legolas hair color

• Legolas is blond.
  • This is a visual tradition dating back to the works of the Brothers Hildebrandt in the 1970s and followed in both the animated and live action LotR films. However, Tolkien never specifies Legolas' hair color (although The Hobbit mentions that Thranduil, Legolas' father, was blond). Legolas' hair color is one of the most enduring controversies in Tolkien fandom.

Names of the Nazgûl

• The names of all nine Nazgûl are known: Er-Murazor (the Witch-king of Angmar), Khamûl, Dwar of Waw, Ji Indur Dawndeath, Akhorahil, Hoarmurath, Adunaphel the Quiet (female), Ren the Unclean and Uvatha the Horseman.
  • In fact Tolkien recorded the name of only one Nazgûl: Khamûl, the Black Rider who barely missed catching the Hobbits at Bucklebury Ferry. Even the personal name of the Witch-king of Angmar was not given by Tolkien, although some fans refer to him as "Angmar". The names for the eight Nazgûl other than Khamûl which some fans think were coined by Tolkien were actually invented for the Middle-earth Role Playing game (MERP) published by Iron Crown Enterprises (ICE).

It should be also noted that Tolkien's texts seemingly contradict the idea that one of the Nazgûl was a woman, with their consistent references as "Men" and "kings", although it could be argued that "Men" includes women and "kings" includes queens. Unsurprisingly, the film version of The Fellowship of the Ring shows all nine Nazgûl as men when they received their Rings of Power.

The War in the North

• The War of the Ring included a "War in the North", which involved fighting in Eriador and around Rivendell.
  • This has been stated as fact by the writers of the films in a DVD commentary and has formed the basis for parts of the computer games The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II and The Lord of the Rings: The War in the North. However, although Tolkien mentions violent incidents around Bree during the War (not to mention the Scouring of the Shire), no extensive military campaign in Eriador is mentioned in the Tale of Years in Appendix B of The Lord of the Rings. Since the Tale of Years does mention the Battle of Dale and the fighting around Lothlórien, it is clear that it would also have mentioned the "War in the North" if it had been part of Tolkien's conception. Moreover, the section of Appendix A on the Dwarves includes comments by Gandalf to the effect that extensive, destructive fighting in Eriador was averted by the death of Smaug and the Battles of Five Armies and of Dale.

Hobbit feet

• Hobbits have comparatively large, hairy feet.
  • Tolkien wrote: "their feet had tough leathery soles and were clad in a thick curling hair, much like the hair of their heads". Besides the hair, Tolkien doesn't mention that the size of their feet is disproportionally large; they are portrayed so in several adaptations, such as illustrations by the Brothers Hildebrandt and the movies, where the feet are actually prosthetics.

Déagol/Sméagol relationship

• Déagol is Sméagol's cousin.
  • Tolkien only calls him Sméagol's friend in The Lord of the Rings, though in The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien he writes that Déagol was "evidently a relative (as no doubt all the members of the small community were)" of Sméagol’s. This misconception probably dates from The Complete Guide to Middle-earth by Robert Foster and Tolkien: The Illustrated Encyclopedia by David Day. [1]

Gollum's age

• Sméagol was born in the year 2430 of the Third Age, found the Ring on his 33rd birthday in 2463, and thus was 589 years old when he died in 3019.
  • 33 is the age a Shire Hobbit becomes officially an adult. Sméagol "found" the Ring on his birthday. The filmmakers evidently decided that the day Sméagol found the Ring was his 33rd birthday. However: Sméagol was not a Shire Hobbit, but a Stoor, and these had different customs - Tolkien states that the Stoors of Rhovanion received, and did not give gifts on their birthdays (in Unfinished Tales, The History of Middle-earth and Letters); and T.A. 2463 as the date of the discovery of the Ring is an approximate, not a precise date. Thus, there is no exact indication of Gollum's age in Tolkien's books. See http://www.theonering.net/movie/char/smeagol.html

Tengwar on Sting

• The Sindarin words Maegnas aen estar nin dagnir in yngyl im are engraved on the blade of Sting. The worlds translate as "Maegnas (Sharp-point) is my name, I am the spider's bane".
• The origin of this inscription is the depiction in the movies. In the books, Tolkien describes Sting as a rather plain weapon with a simple leather sheath. Unlike Glamdring and Orcrist, it bears no runes for Elrond to translate in The Hobbit. It first receives a name from Bilbo Baggins after he uses it against the giant spiders of Mirkwood.

Saruman, the creator of Uruk-hai

Saruman is believed to be the creator of the race of Uruk-hai (Uruks), the larger, stronger breed of Orcs. This is visualized in The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy which further established this view. The movie also established wrongly that "Uruk-hai" are a stronger race of Orcs, while in reality it is simply a Black Speech term for the Orcs proper themselves (excluding the Snaga).

In reality, the Uruks first appeared out of Mordor in the last years of Steward Denethor I, before T.A. 2475 and before Saruman settles in Orthanc.

The misconception originates from the fact that Saruman perhaps created a race of Orc-men or Men-Orcs in his service. However these aren't the same as the Uruk-hai.

Dorwinion

Dorwinion was only mentioned in passing until it appeared on Pauline Baynes' 1969 map, where it was placed on the western shore of the Sea of Rhûn. But contrary to popular belief, it's location was not decided by Tolkien, but by Baynes. Tolkien had asked her to place several locations on the map, but did not specify the location. Baynes picked the location, and Tolkien agreed, though it was not the location he originally had in mind - several references to it place it in "the South". Christopher Tolkien later commented:

"Dorwinion is marked on the decorated map by Pauline Baynes, as a region on the North-western shores of the Sea of Rhun. It must be presumed that this, like other names on that map, was communicated to her by my father, but its placing seems surprising."

―

Money

• It is thought that Middle-earth is a utopia with no finance based economy.
  • This misconception is noted by Robert Foster. The misconception originates from the very few times any transactions or the word "money" are mentioned in The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings; most mentions of wealth are vague or in the form of gold or treasures. However in Bree both golden pieces and silver pennies appear. Furthermore, in a draft of "The Appendix on Languages" published in The Peoples of Middle-earth some details of the coins of Gondor are given.

Gwaihir is the Great Eagle

• The (unnamed) Lord of the Eagles from The Hobbit is identified in the Lord of the Rings as Gwaihir, as they are the same person.
  • This interpretation is stated by Robert Foster and perhaps originates from the meaning of Gwaihir's name, which translates as "Windlord". However Tolkien never states that Gwaihir was the Lord of the Eagles and King of All Birds. Furthermore there are some problems with conflating the two characters:
    • The Great Eagle of The Hobbit is said to wear a golden crown after the end of the book, but Gwaihir is not wearing one.
    • Near the end of Lord of the Rings Gandalf mentions that Gwaihir has carried him two times (once from Orthanc and once from Celebdil); if Gwaihir was the Great Eagle, that would make it at least three times.

Gil-galad's father

• Fingon was Gil-galad's father
  • Not really a misconception as it was at one point considered so by Tolkien, as in Aldarion and Erendis, and it is mentioned so in The Silmarillion. However Christopher Tolkien admitted that it was a rushed choice as in his father's final scripts Orodreth was Gil-galad's father, and Fingon had no wife: even in The Silmarillion, Fingon was succeeded by Turgon as High King of the Noldor instead of his "son".