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Glorfindel

2008-10-31T03:02:19Z

98.202.126.54: /* Collectibles */

{{noldor infobox
| image= [[Image:Soni - Glorfindel.jpg|250px]]
| name= Glorfindel of the Golden Flower
| quenya=
| titles= Chief of the [[House of the Golden Flower]]
| birth= Sometime during the [[Years of the Trees]], [[Aman]]. Returned to [[Middle-earth]] c. [[Second Age 1600|S.A. 1600]]
| realm= [[Aman]] ([[Tirion]]?), [[Vinyamar]], [[Gondolin]]
| death= [[First Age 510|F.A. 510]]; may have sailed West during the [[Fourth Age]]
| age= 6000+
| parentage= Probably [[Noldor]]in/[[Vanyar]]in mix
| spouse=
| children=
| gender= Male
| hair= Long Golden
| ref=''[[The Fall of Gondolin]]'', ''[[Last Writings]]'', ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''
|}}

{{quote|'''Glorfindel''' was tall and straight; his hair was of shining gold, his face fair and young and fearless and full of joy; his eyes were bright and keen, and his voice like music; on his brow sat wisdom, and in his hand was strength.|[[The Fellowship of the Ring]], ''[[Many Meetings]]''}}
'''Glorfindel''' was one of the mightiest [[Elves]] of [[Middle-earth]] in the [[Third Age]]. He was distinctive because of his return to [[Middle-earth]] after death, acting as an emissary of the [[Valar]], on a similar mission to the [[Istari]] who were to come several thousand years later.

==History==
===Early History===

Glorfindel was born in [[Valinor]] sometime during the [[Years of the Trees]]. His parentage is unknown; due to his apparent nobility and a note that he was kin of [[Turgon the Wise|Turgon]] it is possible that he was the son of one of [[Finwë]]’s daughters, [[Findis]] or [[Irimë]]. This would account for his distinctive golden hair as well, as [[Indis]] their mother was a [[Vanya]]. It would also make Glorfindel the possible uncle of [[Voronwë]] (who may have been the grandson of Irimë), the only surviving mariner who sought Valinor. Nevertheless, his parentage is and always will be a matter of speculation, unless new manuscripts turn up, as [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] never explored that matter very deeply.

He was of the host of [[Turgon the Wise|Turgon]], who was one of the most determined and unrepentant followers of [[Fëanor]]. Nevertheless Glorfindel himself was reluctant; only for his allegiance and kinship with Turgon did he go, and had no part in the [[Kinslaying of Alqualondë]].

===Gondolin===

After the [[Exile of the Noldor]] Glorfindel’s history is obscure. As a great follower of Turgon he was appointed chief of the [[House of the Golden Flower]], one of the [[Twelve Houses of the Gondolindrim|Twelve Houses]] of [[Gondolin]]. He was dearly loved by all the [[Gondolindrim]], and went about in a mantle embroidered in threads of gold, diapered with celandine “as a field in spring”. His vambraces were [[Uncommon words#damask|damascened]] with "cunning gold".

[[Image:Jenny Dolfen - Glorfindel and Ecthelion.jpg|thumb|left|250px|''Glorfindel and Ecthelion'', as drawn by [[Jenny Dolfen]].]]He witnessed the coming of [[Tuor]] and later the [[Fall of Gondolin]]. During the ensuing battle in the streets, Glorfindel chose (or was ordered to) hold the [[Great Market]] from the advancing [[orcs]]. He attempted to flank them, taking their enemies by surprise, but was himself ambushed and surrounded. Cut off, the House of the Golden Flower fought on fiercely for hours, until a fire-breathing [[dragon]] came and leveled their ranks. Glorfindel with some of the strongest of his followers cut his way out, but the survivors of that battle were very few. Even then they were pursued and might have been killed, but the [[House of the Harp]] arrived in time, ambushing their pursuers, after rebelling from their treacherous leader [[Salgant]]. The Golden Flower arrived at the [[Square of the King]], one of the last of the Houses to be driven in.

As many of the lords had fallen, [[Ecthelion of the Fountain|Ecthelion]] was wounded, [[Galdor]] was engaged, and [[Egalmoth]] had not yet arrived, Glorfindel joined Tuor in leading the defense of the King’s Square. When Egalmoth arrived, bringing with him many women and children, he took over Glorfindel’s job in going from place to place, strengthening the defenses. Glorfindel presumably threw himself once more into the thick of the fight. But even he could not prevent a dragon from coming down from the [[Alley of Roses]], breaking through their lines. The dragon was accompanied by orcs and balrogs, among them [[Gothmog (Lord of Balrogs)|Gothmog]]. Even Tuor was thrown down, but Ecthelion sacrificed himself to kill Gothmog and buy the Gondolindrim a little more time. When the Gondolindrim fled southward, and Turgon King was slain, Glorfindel held the rear manfully, losing many more of his House in the process. After they had escaped Gondolin via [[Idril's Secret Way]], and passed through the [[Cristhorn|Cirith Thoronath]], Glorfindel again held the rear with the largest number of the unwounded.

[[Image:Ted Nasmith - Glorfindel and the Balrog Above Gondolin.jpg|thumb|right|150px|''Glorfindel and the Balrog Above Gondolin'' by [[Ted Nasmith]].]]It was at that time that a balrog and a contingent of orcs ambushed their company. Glorfindel there accomplished his greatest deed, for he saved the lives of Tuor, [[Idril]], and all the company when he defied the balrog. They fought long. According to ''[[The Fall of Gondolin]]'' Glorfindel stabbed it in the belly, but as the balrog fell it reached out and grabbed his long golden hair, pulling him back down over the edge of the cliff. He perished in the fall, but his body was borne up by [[Thorondor]], and buried him with a mound of stones in the pass. On that mound grew yellow flowers (possibly celandine), despite its remote location.

===Re-embodiment and Return===

Glorfindel’s spirit passed to the [[Halls of Mandos]], where he waited with the spirits of the other Noldor who had died during their war against [[Morgoth]]. But because of Glorfindel’s noble actions in life, his reluctance at the Exile, and his furthering of the purposes of the Valar by saving Tuor and Idril, he was re-embodied after only a short time. He had redeemed himself, and was purged of any guilt. Not only did his sacrifice get him an early pardon, it earned him great powers, so that he was almost an equal to the faithful [[Eldar]].

Glorfindel spent several hundred years in Valinor, during which time he became a friend and follower of the [[Maia]] [[Olórin]]. Eventually, [[Manwë]] sent him across the [[Belegaer|sea]] to [[Middle-earth]], possibly as early as [[Second Age 1200]], but more likely in [[Second Age 1600|1600]] with the [[Blue Wizards]]. If the latter date, he arrived just after the [[One Ring]] had been forged, [[Barad-dûr]] built, and [[Celebrimbor]] dead or soon to be so. While the Blue Wizards were sent to the east, Glorfindel’s mission was to aid [[Gil-galad]] and [[Elrond]] in the struggle against [[Sauron]]. He played a prominent behind-the-scenes role in the war in [[Eriador]] and the other struggles of the [[Second Age]] and [[Third Age]]. His part, though great, was mostly overlooked by the histories, because his immense, angelic power was not usually displayed openly.

===Third Age===

[[Image:Anna Lee - Glorfindel.jpg|thumb|left|''Glorfindel'' by Anna Lee.]] Glorfindel greeted his friend [[Olórin]] (to be known as [[Gandalf]]) in [[Mithlond]] in [[Third Age 1000|1000]] of the Third Age, who was on a similar mission to his own. As the great Elves of Middle-earth fell one by one, only [[Galadriel]], [[Celeborn (Lord of Lórien)|Celeborn]], [[Elrond]], and [[Círdan]] were left of the Wise. Glorfindel took a more active role, leading the Elven forces in the [[Battle of Fornost]]. Upon the humiliation of [[Eärnur]] before the [[Witch-king]], Glorfindel bade him not pursue, and prophesied that the wraith would not fall by the hand of man.

His next appearance in the histories was during the pre-[[War of the Ring]] struggles, after the [[One Ring]] had been brought into the light once more. He was one of the elves dispatched from [[Rivendell]] by Elrond to search for the [[Ring-bearer]]. Elrond had chosen him partially because Glorfindel did not fear the [[Ringwraiths]], as he had great presence in both the [[Seen]] and [[Unseen]] worlds. While on his perilous mission the Ringwraiths avoided him; he met five of them, and they fled at his presence. It was Glorfindel indeed who accomplished his mission and found the Ringbearer, [[Frodo Baggins]], and his friend [[Aragorn II|Aragorn]] with him. Glorfindel put Frodo on his horse, [[Asfaloth]], and upon the approach of the Ringwraiths ordered him to go on. The white horse bore Frodo to safety across the [[Ford of Bruinen]], but Frodo, in a rash act of attempted heroism, turned around at the other side and defied the Nine. Glorfindel, expecting the flood that protected Rivendell to come down and smite the riders, revealed his power to the Riders, and drove them (willingly or not) into the River, where they were swept away by the ensuing waters.

[[Image:Hope Hoover - Glorfindel in Battle.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''Glorfindel in Battle'' as drawn by [[Hope Hoover]].]]After this adventure, he helped bear Frodo to Rivendell, where the wounded Ringbearer was tended to. Glorfindel attended the [[Council of Elrond]], playing an active role in the conversation, speaking prophetically of [[Tom Bombadil]] and other matters with authority. Glorfindel stood beside Elrond and Gandalf as the backbone of the Council, laying out clearly their options. At first Glorfindel suggested that the Ring would be safe in the depths of the Sea, but the far-sighted Gandalf noted the change of landscapes, and the unforeseen possibilities that could bring the Ring forth once more in a hundred or even a thousand years in the future. In a hasty note Tolkien suggested that Glorfindel could tell of his ancestry in Gondolin, but this idea was disbanded. He was briefly considered as a member of the [[Fellowship of the Ring]], but as his friend Gandalf said, Glorfindel's power would be of little use against the might of [[Mordor]], on a mission of secrecy.

During the [[War of the Ring]] nothing is said of Glorfindel. Doubtless he played as strong a role as he had in previous campaigns. It is possible that he went to [[Lothlórien]] and fought actively in the [[Rhovanion Campaign (WotR)|war of Rhovanion]], perhaps even aiding Celeborn in the [[Fall of Dol Guldur]]. Whatever his role, his next mention in the texts is the [[Wedding of Elessar]], to which he came from the north with Galadriel and Elrond. After that no more is said of him. Like Olórin, his task in Middle-earth was done, and the age of the [[Elves]] was over. He probably passed West, perhaps with the bearers of the [[Three Rings]] and the [[One Ring]]. Or he may have remained for a time in Middle-earth to oversee the cleanup after the war. It may even be speculated that he waited for the Blue Wizards, who were active in the east against Sauron, and departed with them even as he came.

==Earlier Versions of the Legendarium==

Glorfindel was originally planned to be part of the [[Fellowship of the Ring]], in a way taking the place of [[Legolas of Mirkwood|Legolas]]. Tolkien proposed three dates as to his return to Middle-earth: [[Third Age 1000|T.A. 1000]], with [[Gandalf]], [[Second Age 1200|S.A. 1200]] and the years following, or [[Second Age 1600|S.A. 1600]]. He dropped the first one after some thought, and though he declared the second possible, he favored the last as the most probable.

==Attributes==

Glorfindel was an elf of great beauty, power, wisdom, and moral courage. He was clearly loved by the people of [[Gondolin]], who mourned his passing greatly. He acted most courageously during the Fall, his House being among those that suffered the greatest losses, and eventually giving his own life for the safety of [[Tuor]] and [[Idril]], accomplishing the designs of the Valar, though it was said that he "''would have defended them even had they been fugitives of any rank''". He was repentant of the rebellion of the Noldor, and took no part in the Kinslaying. His acts in the Third Age also show great presence and authority, as does the very fact that he was sent as an emissary of the Valar.

==Controversy==

Some have questioned whether Glorfindel of Gondolin and Glorfindel of Rivendell were the same. Tolkien may simply have borrowed a name from his earlier legendarium, something he was known to do. ''[[The Peoples of Middle-earth]]'', published posthumously, cast some light on this issue. Among the ''[[Last Writings]]'' published in that volume, there are two long essays, ''Glorfindel I'' and ''Glorfindel II''. These were written later in life by Tolkien, and directly addressed whether the two Glorfindels were the same person. Both essays clearly indicated that they were the same person, and included a detailed discussion of 're-embodiment' in Tolkien's mythology.

{{quote|. . . At any rate what at first sight may seem the simplest solution must be abandoned: sc. that we have merely a reduplication of names, and that Glorfindel of Gondolin and Glorfindel of Rivendell were different persons. This repetition of so striking a name, though possible, would not be credible… Also it may be found that acceptance of the identity of Glorfindel of old and of the Third Age will actually explain what is said of him and improve the story. . .|''[[Last Writings]]'', Glorfindel II}}

{{quote|. . . After his purging of any guilt that he had incurred in the rebellion, he was released from Mandos, and Manwë restored him… We may then best suppose that Glorfindel returned during the Second Age, before the ‘shadow’ fell on [[Númenor]]. . .|Ibid.}}

As Tolkien's legendarium was an evolving work that he constantly updated and revised, there will always be some question of "final intent". Some may note that the above-quoted essays were private and not ever published, and thus should not be taken as decisive. Nevertheless the editors of the Tolkien Gateway believe that these essays, combined with Tolkien's published novels, clearly establish that Glorfindel of Gondolin and Glorfindel of Rivendell were the same person.

==Portrayal in Adaptations==
[[Image:BFME2 - Glorfindel.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Glorfindel, silverhaired, as he appeared in ''[[EA's The Battle for Middle-earth II|The Battle for Middle-earth II]].]]
Glorfindel is rarely portrayed like in the book. His role in ''The Lord of the Rings'' is too small to be introduced and forgotten - he basically does little else beyond providing fast transport to Rivendell. In the more popular works, his role has been filled by another Elf.

'''1978: ''[[Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:In this adaptation, the role of Glorfindel was taken by [[Legolas of Mirkwood|Legolas]]. In a simplification of that character, and as a reason for ''his'' coming, he is portrayed as an Elf of Rivendell rather than [[Mirkwood]].

'''1981: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|BBC Radio's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:Glorfindel appears in his original role at the Last Bridge, voiced by [[John Webb]]. Because the part of [[Gildor Inglorion]] was cut, the heavily wounded Frodo says the [[Quenya]] greeting ''Elen síla lúmenn' omientielvo'' to him, and Glorfindel replies with Gildor's answer. Glorfindel keeps his two [[Sindarin]] lines, ''A na vedui, Dúnadan!'' and ''Noro lim, noro lim, Asfatloth!'', though he says them with a heavy English accent. His name is pronounced correctly in the adaptation, but in the credits, his name is pronounced "Glorfindle".

'''2001: ''[[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring]]'':'''
:To limit the already large number of one-appearance characters, Glorfindel has been omitted in this adaptation as well. [[Peter Jackson]] decided, much to the horror of many purists, to have [[Arwen]] ride on [[Asfaloth]], not just serve as someone who provides a ride.

'''2002: ''[[Vivendi's The Fellowship of the Ring (game)|Vivendi's The Fellowship of the Ring]]'':'''
:Glorfindel appears on the Last Bridge. He has several Sindarin lines: ''A na vedui, Dúnadan'', like in the book, and ''Mae govannen, mellon'' (which Frodo accurately translates as "Well met, friend"). He comes to the aid of the hobbits at the request of Elrond, who had received news from [[Gildor Inglorion|a group of Elves travelling near the Shire]] - even though there is no mention of that group earlier in the gameplay. Glorfindel does so in a monotonous voice, and his speech continues without pause. He also uses the lines ''Noro lim, Asfaloth'', though he does not say them to his horse: he says them to Frodo. No actor is specified for this part.

'''2003: ''[[Peter Jackson's The Return of the King]]'':'''
:After [[Decipher]] made a [[Decipher Card|card]] featuring extra [[Jarl Benzon]] as Glorfindel, many fans speculate that Benzon's cameo at the [[Coronation of Elessar]] was Glorfindel.

'''2006: ''[[EA's The Battle for Middle-earth II]]'':'''
:Glorfindel played an important part in this video game, set during the [[War of the Ring]]. Together with [[Glóin son of Gróin|Glóin]] of [[Erebor]], Glorfindel fights in several places in northern [[Eriador]] and [[Rhovanion (Region)|Rhovanion]]. He is voiced by [[Jason Carter]], and portrayed as white haired. His design was changed to a more movie-accurate version in the expansion pack, ''[[EA's The Battle for Middle-earth II: The Rise of the Witch-king|The Rise of the Witch-king]]''. He serves as narrator throughout, and appears in the story itself after the death of [[Arvedui]].

==Collectibles==
[[Gentle Giant]] produced a [http://www.gentlegiantltd.com/catalog/product/detail/314 Glorfindel Mini Bust] for [[Comic-Con 2007]], based on Glorfindel's appearance in ''[[EA's The Battle for Middle-earth II]]''.

[[Category:Noldor]]
[[Category:Characters in The Lord of the Rings]]

[[de:Glorfindel]]
[[fi:Glorfindel]]

Glorfindel

2008-10-31T03:01:26Z

98.202.126.54: /* Collectibles */

{{noldor infobox
| image= [[Image:Soni - Glorfindel.jpg|250px]]
| name= Glorfindel of the Golden Flower
| quenya=
| titles= Chief of the [[House of the Golden Flower]]
| birth= Sometime during the [[Years of the Trees]], [[Aman]]. Returned to [[Middle-earth]] c. [[Second Age 1600|S.A. 1600]]
| realm= [[Aman]] ([[Tirion]]?), [[Vinyamar]], [[Gondolin]]
| death= [[First Age 510|F.A. 510]]; may have sailed West during the [[Fourth Age]]
| age= 6000+
| parentage= Probably [[Noldor]]in/[[Vanyar]]in mix
| spouse=
| children=
| gender= Male
| hair= Long Golden
| ref=''[[The Fall of Gondolin]]'', ''[[Last Writings]]'', ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''
|}}

{{quote|'''Glorfindel''' was tall and straight; his hair was of shining gold, his face fair and young and fearless and full of joy; his eyes were bright and keen, and his voice like music; on his brow sat wisdom, and in his hand was strength.|[[The Fellowship of the Ring]], ''[[Many Meetings]]''}}
'''Glorfindel''' was one of the mightiest [[Elves]] of [[Middle-earth]] in the [[Third Age]]. He was distinctive because of his return to [[Middle-earth]] after death, acting as an emissary of the [[Valar]], on a similar mission to the [[Istari]] who were to come several thousand years later.

==History==
===Early History===

Glorfindel was born in [[Valinor]] sometime during the [[Years of the Trees]]. His parentage is unknown; due to his apparent nobility and a note that he was kin of [[Turgon the Wise|Turgon]] it is possible that he was the son of one of [[Finwë]]’s daughters, [[Findis]] or [[Irimë]]. This would account for his distinctive golden hair as well, as [[Indis]] their mother was a [[Vanya]]. It would also make Glorfindel the possible uncle of [[Voronwë]] (who may have been the grandson of Irimë), the only surviving mariner who sought Valinor. Nevertheless, his parentage is and always will be a matter of speculation, unless new manuscripts turn up, as [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] never explored that matter very deeply.

He was of the host of [[Turgon the Wise|Turgon]], who was one of the most determined and unrepentant followers of [[Fëanor]]. Nevertheless Glorfindel himself was reluctant; only for his allegiance and kinship with Turgon did he go, and had no part in the [[Kinslaying of Alqualondë]].

===Gondolin===

After the [[Exile of the Noldor]] Glorfindel’s history is obscure. As a great follower of Turgon he was appointed chief of the [[House of the Golden Flower]], one of the [[Twelve Houses of the Gondolindrim|Twelve Houses]] of [[Gondolin]]. He was dearly loved by all the [[Gondolindrim]], and went about in a mantle embroidered in threads of gold, diapered with celandine “as a field in spring”. His vambraces were [[Uncommon words#damask|damascened]] with "cunning gold".

[[Image:Jenny Dolfen - Glorfindel and Ecthelion.jpg|thumb|left|250px|''Glorfindel and Ecthelion'', as drawn by [[Jenny Dolfen]].]]He witnessed the coming of [[Tuor]] and later the [[Fall of Gondolin]]. During the ensuing battle in the streets, Glorfindel chose (or was ordered to) hold the [[Great Market]] from the advancing [[orcs]]. He attempted to flank them, taking their enemies by surprise, but was himself ambushed and surrounded. Cut off, the House of the Golden Flower fought on fiercely for hours, until a fire-breathing [[dragon]] came and leveled their ranks. Glorfindel with some of the strongest of his followers cut his way out, but the survivors of that battle were very few. Even then they were pursued and might have been killed, but the [[House of the Harp]] arrived in time, ambushing their pursuers, after rebelling from their treacherous leader [[Salgant]]. The Golden Flower arrived at the [[Square of the King]], one of the last of the Houses to be driven in.

As many of the lords had fallen, [[Ecthelion of the Fountain|Ecthelion]] was wounded, [[Galdor]] was engaged, and [[Egalmoth]] had not yet arrived, Glorfindel joined Tuor in leading the defense of the King’s Square. When Egalmoth arrived, bringing with him many women and children, he took over Glorfindel’s job in going from place to place, strengthening the defenses. Glorfindel presumably threw himself once more into the thick of the fight. But even he could not prevent a dragon from coming down from the [[Alley of Roses]], breaking through their lines. The dragon was accompanied by orcs and balrogs, among them [[Gothmog (Lord of Balrogs)|Gothmog]]. Even Tuor was thrown down, but Ecthelion sacrificed himself to kill Gothmog and buy the Gondolindrim a little more time. When the Gondolindrim fled southward, and Turgon King was slain, Glorfindel held the rear manfully, losing many more of his House in the process. After they had escaped Gondolin via [[Idril's Secret Way]], and passed through the [[Cristhorn|Cirith Thoronath]], Glorfindel again held the rear with the largest number of the unwounded.

[[Image:Ted Nasmith - Glorfindel and the Balrog Above Gondolin.jpg|thumb|right|150px|''Glorfindel and the Balrog Above Gondolin'' by [[Ted Nasmith]].]]It was at that time that a balrog and a contingent of orcs ambushed their company. Glorfindel there accomplished his greatest deed, for he saved the lives of Tuor, [[Idril]], and all the company when he defied the balrog. They fought long. According to ''[[The Fall of Gondolin]]'' Glorfindel stabbed it in the belly, but as the balrog fell it reached out and grabbed his long golden hair, pulling him back down over the edge of the cliff. He perished in the fall, but his body was borne up by [[Thorondor]], and buried him with a mound of stones in the pass. On that mound grew yellow flowers (possibly celandine), despite its remote location.

===Re-embodiment and Return===

Glorfindel’s spirit passed to the [[Halls of Mandos]], where he waited with the spirits of the other Noldor who had died during their war against [[Morgoth]]. But because of Glorfindel’s noble actions in life, his reluctance at the Exile, and his furthering of the purposes of the Valar by saving Tuor and Idril, he was re-embodied after only a short time. He had redeemed himself, and was purged of any guilt. Not only did his sacrifice get him an early pardon, it earned him great powers, so that he was almost an equal to the faithful [[Eldar]].

Glorfindel spent several hundred years in Valinor, during which time he became a friend and follower of the [[Maia]] [[Olórin]]. Eventually, [[Manwë]] sent him across the [[Belegaer|sea]] to [[Middle-earth]], possibly as early as [[Second Age 1200]], but more likely in [[Second Age 1600|1600]] with the [[Blue Wizards]]. If the latter date, he arrived just after the [[One Ring]] had been forged, [[Barad-dûr]] built, and [[Celebrimbor]] dead or soon to be so. While the Blue Wizards were sent to the east, Glorfindel’s mission was to aid [[Gil-galad]] and [[Elrond]] in the struggle against [[Sauron]]. He played a prominent behind-the-scenes role in the war in [[Eriador]] and the other struggles of the [[Second Age]] and [[Third Age]]. His part, though great, was mostly overlooked by the histories, because his immense, angelic power was not usually displayed openly.

===Third Age===

[[Image:Anna Lee - Glorfindel.jpg|thumb|left|''Glorfindel'' by Anna Lee.]] Glorfindel greeted his friend [[Olórin]] (to be known as [[Gandalf]]) in [[Mithlond]] in [[Third Age 1000|1000]] of the Third Age, who was on a similar mission to his own. As the great Elves of Middle-earth fell one by one, only [[Galadriel]], [[Celeborn (Lord of Lórien)|Celeborn]], [[Elrond]], and [[Círdan]] were left of the Wise. Glorfindel took a more active role, leading the Elven forces in the [[Battle of Fornost]]. Upon the humiliation of [[Eärnur]] before the [[Witch-king]], Glorfindel bade him not pursue, and prophesied that the wraith would not fall by the hand of man.

His next appearance in the histories was during the pre-[[War of the Ring]] struggles, after the [[One Ring]] had been brought into the light once more. He was one of the elves dispatched from [[Rivendell]] by Elrond to search for the [[Ring-bearer]]. Elrond had chosen him partially because Glorfindel did not fear the [[Ringwraiths]], as he had great presence in both the [[Seen]] and [[Unseen]] worlds. While on his perilous mission the Ringwraiths avoided him; he met five of them, and they fled at his presence. It was Glorfindel indeed who accomplished his mission and found the Ringbearer, [[Frodo Baggins]], and his friend [[Aragorn II|Aragorn]] with him. Glorfindel put Frodo on his horse, [[Asfaloth]], and upon the approach of the Ringwraiths ordered him to go on. The white horse bore Frodo to safety across the [[Ford of Bruinen]], but Frodo, in a rash act of attempted heroism, turned around at the other side and defied the Nine. Glorfindel, expecting the flood that protected Rivendell to come down and smite the riders, revealed his power to the Riders, and drove them (willingly or not) into the River, where they were swept away by the ensuing waters.

[[Image:Hope Hoover - Glorfindel in Battle.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''Glorfindel in Battle'' as drawn by [[Hope Hoover]].]]After this adventure, he helped bear Frodo to Rivendell, where the wounded Ringbearer was tended to. Glorfindel attended the [[Council of Elrond]], playing an active role in the conversation, speaking prophetically of [[Tom Bombadil]] and other matters with authority. Glorfindel stood beside Elrond and Gandalf as the backbone of the Council, laying out clearly their options. At first Glorfindel suggested that the Ring would be safe in the depths of the Sea, but the far-sighted Gandalf noted the change of landscapes, and the unforeseen possibilities that could bring the Ring forth once more in a hundred or even a thousand years in the future. In a hasty note Tolkien suggested that Glorfindel could tell of his ancestry in Gondolin, but this idea was disbanded. He was briefly considered as a member of the [[Fellowship of the Ring]], but as his friend Gandalf said, Glorfindel's power would be of little use against the might of [[Mordor]], on a mission of secrecy.

During the [[War of the Ring]] nothing is said of Glorfindel. Doubtless he played as strong a role as he had in previous campaigns. It is possible that he went to [[Lothlórien]] and fought actively in the [[Rhovanion Campaign (WotR)|war of Rhovanion]], perhaps even aiding Celeborn in the [[Fall of Dol Guldur]]. Whatever his role, his next mention in the texts is the [[Wedding of Elessar]], to which he came from the north with Galadriel and Elrond. After that no more is said of him. Like Olórin, his task in Middle-earth was done, and the age of the [[Elves]] was over. He probably passed West, perhaps with the bearers of the [[Three Rings]] and the [[One Ring]]. Or he may have remained for a time in Middle-earth to oversee the cleanup after the war. It may even be speculated that he waited for the Blue Wizards, who were active in the east against Sauron, and departed with them even as he came.

==Earlier Versions of the Legendarium==

Glorfindel was originally planned to be part of the [[Fellowship of the Ring]], in a way taking the place of [[Legolas of Mirkwood|Legolas]]. Tolkien proposed three dates as to his return to Middle-earth: [[Third Age 1000|T.A. 1000]], with [[Gandalf]], [[Second Age 1200|S.A. 1200]] and the years following, or [[Second Age 1600|S.A. 1600]]. He dropped the first one after some thought, and though he declared the second possible, he favored the last as the most probable.

==Attributes==

Glorfindel was an elf of great beauty, power, wisdom, and moral courage. He was clearly loved by the people of [[Gondolin]], who mourned his passing greatly. He acted most courageously during the Fall, his House being among those that suffered the greatest losses, and eventually giving his own life for the safety of [[Tuor]] and [[Idril]], accomplishing the designs of the Valar, though it was said that he "''would have defended them even had they been fugitives of any rank''". He was repentant of the rebellion of the Noldor, and took no part in the Kinslaying. His acts in the Third Age also show great presence and authority, as does the very fact that he was sent as an emissary of the Valar.

==Controversy==

Some have questioned whether Glorfindel of Gondolin and Glorfindel of Rivendell were the same. Tolkien may simply have borrowed a name from his earlier legendarium, something he was known to do. ''[[The Peoples of Middle-earth]]'', published posthumously, cast some light on this issue. Among the ''[[Last Writings]]'' published in that volume, there are two long essays, ''Glorfindel I'' and ''Glorfindel II''. These were written later in life by Tolkien, and directly addressed whether the two Glorfindels were the same person. Both essays clearly indicated that they were the same person, and included a detailed discussion of 're-embodiment' in Tolkien's mythology.

{{quote|. . . At any rate what at first sight may seem the simplest solution must be abandoned: sc. that we have merely a reduplication of names, and that Glorfindel of Gondolin and Glorfindel of Rivendell were different persons. This repetition of so striking a name, though possible, would not be credible… Also it may be found that acceptance of the identity of Glorfindel of old and of the Third Age will actually explain what is said of him and improve the story. . .|''[[Last Writings]]'', Glorfindel II}}

{{quote|. . . After his purging of any guilt that he had incurred in the rebellion, he was released from Mandos, and Manwë restored him… We may then best suppose that Glorfindel returned during the Second Age, before the ‘shadow’ fell on [[Númenor]]. . .|Ibid.}}

As Tolkien's legendarium was an evolving work that he constantly updated and revised, there will always be some question of "final intent". Some may note that the above-quoted essays were private and not ever published, and thus should not be taken as decisive. Nevertheless the editors of the Tolkien Gateway believe that these essays, combined with Tolkien's published novels, clearly establish that Glorfindel of Gondolin and Glorfindel of Rivendell were the same person.

==Portrayal in Adaptations==
[[Image:BFME2 - Glorfindel.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Glorfindel, silverhaired, as he appeared in ''[[EA's The Battle for Middle-earth II|The Battle for Middle-earth II]].]]
Glorfindel is rarely portrayed like in the book. His role in ''The Lord of the Rings'' is too small to be introduced and forgotten - he basically does little else beyond providing fast transport to Rivendell. In the more popular works, his role has been filled by another Elf.

'''1978: ''[[Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:In this adaptation, the role of Glorfindel was taken by [[Legolas of Mirkwood|Legolas]]. In a simplification of that character, and as a reason for ''his'' coming, he is portrayed as an Elf of Rivendell rather than [[Mirkwood]].

'''1981: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|BBC Radio's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:Glorfindel appears in his original role at the Last Bridge, voiced by [[John Webb]]. Because the part of [[Gildor Inglorion]] was cut, the heavily wounded Frodo says the [[Quenya]] greeting ''Elen síla lúmenn' omientielvo'' to him, and Glorfindel replies with Gildor's answer. Glorfindel keeps his two [[Sindarin]] lines, ''A na vedui, Dúnadan!'' and ''Noro lim, noro lim, Asfatloth!'', though he says them with a heavy English accent. His name is pronounced correctly in the adaptation, but in the credits, his name is pronounced "Glorfindle".

'''2001: ''[[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring]]'':'''
:To limit the already large number of one-appearance characters, Glorfindel has been omitted in this adaptation as well. [[Peter Jackson]] decided, much to the horror of many purists, to have [[Arwen]] ride on [[Asfaloth]], not just serve as someone who provides a ride.

'''2002: ''[[Vivendi's The Fellowship of the Ring (game)|Vivendi's The Fellowship of the Ring]]'':'''
:Glorfindel appears on the Last Bridge. He has several Sindarin lines: ''A na vedui, Dúnadan'', like in the book, and ''Mae govannen, mellon'' (which Frodo accurately translates as "Well met, friend"). He comes to the aid of the hobbits at the request of Elrond, who had received news from [[Gildor Inglorion|a group of Elves travelling near the Shire]] - even though there is no mention of that group earlier in the gameplay. Glorfindel does so in a monotonous voice, and his speech continues without pause. He also uses the lines ''Noro lim, Asfaloth'', though he does not say them to his horse: he says them to Frodo. No actor is specified for this part.

'''2003: ''[[Peter Jackson's The Return of the King]]'':'''
:After [[Decipher]] made a [[Decipher Card|card]] featuring extra [[Jarl Benzon]] as Glorfindel, many fans speculate that Benzon's cameo at the [[Coronation of Elessar]] was Glorfindel.

'''2006: ''[[EA's The Battle for Middle-earth II]]'':'''
:Glorfindel played an important part in this video game, set during the [[War of the Ring]]. Together with [[Glóin son of Gróin|Glóin]] of [[Erebor]], Glorfindel fights in several places in northern [[Eriador]] and [[Rhovanion (Region)|Rhovanion]]. He is voiced by [[Jason Carter]], and portrayed as white haired. His design was changed to a more movie-accurate version in the expansion pack, ''[[EA's The Battle for Middle-earth II: The Rise of the Witch-king|The Rise of the Witch-king]]''. He serves as narrator throughout, and appears in the story itself after the death of [[Arvedui]].

==Collectibles==
[[Gentle Giant]] produced a [https://www.gentlegiantltd.com/catalog/product/detail/314 Glorfindel Mini Bust] for [[Comic-Con 2007]], based on Glorfindel's appearance in ''[[EA's The Battle for Middle-earth II]]''.

[[Category:Noldor]]
[[Category:Characters in The Lord of the Rings]]

[[de:Glorfindel]]
[[fi:Glorfindel]]

Glorfindel

2008-10-31T02:59:59Z

98.202.126.54: /* Collectibles */

{{noldor infobox
| image= [[Image:Soni - Glorfindel.jpg|250px]]
| name= Glorfindel of the Golden Flower
| quenya=
| titles= Chief of the [[House of the Golden Flower]]
| birth= Sometime during the [[Years of the Trees]], [[Aman]]. Returned to [[Middle-earth]] c. [[Second Age 1600|S.A. 1600]]
| realm= [[Aman]] ([[Tirion]]?), [[Vinyamar]], [[Gondolin]]
| death= [[First Age 510|F.A. 510]]; may have sailed West during the [[Fourth Age]]
| age= 6000+
| parentage= Probably [[Noldor]]in/[[Vanyar]]in mix
| spouse=
| children=
| gender= Male
| hair= Long Golden
| ref=''[[The Fall of Gondolin]]'', ''[[Last Writings]]'', ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''
|}}

{{quote|'''Glorfindel''' was tall and straight; his hair was of shining gold, his face fair and young and fearless and full of joy; his eyes were bright and keen, and his voice like music; on his brow sat wisdom, and in his hand was strength.|[[The Fellowship of the Ring]], ''[[Many Meetings]]''}}
'''Glorfindel''' was one of the mightiest [[Elves]] of [[Middle-earth]] in the [[Third Age]]. He was distinctive because of his return to [[Middle-earth]] after death, acting as an emissary of the [[Valar]], on a similar mission to the [[Istari]] who were to come several thousand years later.

==History==
===Early History===

Glorfindel was born in [[Valinor]] sometime during the [[Years of the Trees]]. His parentage is unknown; due to his apparent nobility and a note that he was kin of [[Turgon the Wise|Turgon]] it is possible that he was the son of one of [[Finwë]]’s daughters, [[Findis]] or [[Irimë]]. This would account for his distinctive golden hair as well, as [[Indis]] their mother was a [[Vanya]]. It would also make Glorfindel the possible uncle of [[Voronwë]] (who may have been the grandson of Irimë), the only surviving mariner who sought Valinor. Nevertheless, his parentage is and always will be a matter of speculation, unless new manuscripts turn up, as [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] never explored that matter very deeply.

He was of the host of [[Turgon the Wise|Turgon]], who was one of the most determined and unrepentant followers of [[Fëanor]]. Nevertheless Glorfindel himself was reluctant; only for his allegiance and kinship with Turgon did he go, and had no part in the [[Kinslaying of Alqualondë]].

===Gondolin===

After the [[Exile of the Noldor]] Glorfindel’s history is obscure. As a great follower of Turgon he was appointed chief of the [[House of the Golden Flower]], one of the [[Twelve Houses of the Gondolindrim|Twelve Houses]] of [[Gondolin]]. He was dearly loved by all the [[Gondolindrim]], and went about in a mantle embroidered in threads of gold, diapered with celandine “as a field in spring”. His vambraces were [[Uncommon words#damask|damascened]] with "cunning gold".

[[Image:Jenny Dolfen - Glorfindel and Ecthelion.jpg|thumb|left|250px|''Glorfindel and Ecthelion'', as drawn by [[Jenny Dolfen]].]]He witnessed the coming of [[Tuor]] and later the [[Fall of Gondolin]]. During the ensuing battle in the streets, Glorfindel chose (or was ordered to) hold the [[Great Market]] from the advancing [[orcs]]. He attempted to flank them, taking their enemies by surprise, but was himself ambushed and surrounded. Cut off, the House of the Golden Flower fought on fiercely for hours, until a fire-breathing [[dragon]] came and leveled their ranks. Glorfindel with some of the strongest of his followers cut his way out, but the survivors of that battle were very few. Even then they were pursued and might have been killed, but the [[House of the Harp]] arrived in time, ambushing their pursuers, after rebelling from their treacherous leader [[Salgant]]. The Golden Flower arrived at the [[Square of the King]], one of the last of the Houses to be driven in.

As many of the lords had fallen, [[Ecthelion of the Fountain|Ecthelion]] was wounded, [[Galdor]] was engaged, and [[Egalmoth]] had not yet arrived, Glorfindel joined Tuor in leading the defense of the King’s Square. When Egalmoth arrived, bringing with him many women and children, he took over Glorfindel’s job in going from place to place, strengthening the defenses. Glorfindel presumably threw himself once more into the thick of the fight. But even he could not prevent a dragon from coming down from the [[Alley of Roses]], breaking through their lines. The dragon was accompanied by orcs and balrogs, among them [[Gothmog (Lord of Balrogs)|Gothmog]]. Even Tuor was thrown down, but Ecthelion sacrificed himself to kill Gothmog and buy the Gondolindrim a little more time. When the Gondolindrim fled southward, and Turgon King was slain, Glorfindel held the rear manfully, losing many more of his House in the process. After they had escaped Gondolin via [[Idril's Secret Way]], and passed through the [[Cristhorn|Cirith Thoronath]], Glorfindel again held the rear with the largest number of the unwounded.

[[Image:Ted Nasmith - Glorfindel and the Balrog Above Gondolin.jpg|thumb|right|150px|''Glorfindel and the Balrog Above Gondolin'' by [[Ted Nasmith]].]]It was at that time that a balrog and a contingent of orcs ambushed their company. Glorfindel there accomplished his greatest deed, for he saved the lives of Tuor, [[Idril]], and all the company when he defied the balrog. They fought long. According to ''[[The Fall of Gondolin]]'' Glorfindel stabbed it in the belly, but as the balrog fell it reached out and grabbed his long golden hair, pulling him back down over the edge of the cliff. He perished in the fall, but his body was borne up by [[Thorondor]], and buried him with a mound of stones in the pass. On that mound grew yellow flowers (possibly celandine), despite its remote location.

===Re-embodiment and Return===

Glorfindel’s spirit passed to the [[Halls of Mandos]], where he waited with the spirits of the other Noldor who had died during their war against [[Morgoth]]. But because of Glorfindel’s noble actions in life, his reluctance at the Exile, and his furthering of the purposes of the Valar by saving Tuor and Idril, he was re-embodied after only a short time. He had redeemed himself, and was purged of any guilt. Not only did his sacrifice get him an early pardon, it earned him great powers, so that he was almost an equal to the faithful [[Eldar]].

Glorfindel spent several hundred years in Valinor, during which time he became a friend and follower of the [[Maia]] [[Olórin]]. Eventually, [[Manwë]] sent him across the [[Belegaer|sea]] to [[Middle-earth]], possibly as early as [[Second Age 1200]], but more likely in [[Second Age 1600|1600]] with the [[Blue Wizards]]. If the latter date, he arrived just after the [[One Ring]] had been forged, [[Barad-dûr]] built, and [[Celebrimbor]] dead or soon to be so. While the Blue Wizards were sent to the east, Glorfindel’s mission was to aid [[Gil-galad]] and [[Elrond]] in the struggle against [[Sauron]]. He played a prominent behind-the-scenes role in the war in [[Eriador]] and the other struggles of the [[Second Age]] and [[Third Age]]. His part, though great, was mostly overlooked by the histories, because his immense, angelic power was not usually displayed openly.

===Third Age===

[[Image:Anna Lee - Glorfindel.jpg|thumb|left|''Glorfindel'' by Anna Lee.]] Glorfindel greeted his friend [[Olórin]] (to be known as [[Gandalf]]) in [[Mithlond]] in [[Third Age 1000|1000]] of the Third Age, who was on a similar mission to his own. As the great Elves of Middle-earth fell one by one, only [[Galadriel]], [[Celeborn (Lord of Lórien)|Celeborn]], [[Elrond]], and [[Círdan]] were left of the Wise. Glorfindel took a more active role, leading the Elven forces in the [[Battle of Fornost]]. Upon the humiliation of [[Eärnur]] before the [[Witch-king]], Glorfindel bade him not pursue, and prophesied that the wraith would not fall by the hand of man.

His next appearance in the histories was during the pre-[[War of the Ring]] struggles, after the [[One Ring]] had been brought into the light once more. He was one of the elves dispatched from [[Rivendell]] by Elrond to search for the [[Ring-bearer]]. Elrond had chosen him partially because Glorfindel did not fear the [[Ringwraiths]], as he had great presence in both the [[Seen]] and [[Unseen]] worlds. While on his perilous mission the Ringwraiths avoided him; he met five of them, and they fled at his presence. It was Glorfindel indeed who accomplished his mission and found the Ringbearer, [[Frodo Baggins]], and his friend [[Aragorn II|Aragorn]] with him. Glorfindel put Frodo on his horse, [[Asfaloth]], and upon the approach of the Ringwraiths ordered him to go on. The white horse bore Frodo to safety across the [[Ford of Bruinen]], but Frodo, in a rash act of attempted heroism, turned around at the other side and defied the Nine. Glorfindel, expecting the flood that protected Rivendell to come down and smite the riders, revealed his power to the Riders, and drove them (willingly or not) into the River, where they were swept away by the ensuing waters.

[[Image:Hope Hoover - Glorfindel in Battle.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''Glorfindel in Battle'' as drawn by [[Hope Hoover]].]]After this adventure, he helped bear Frodo to Rivendell, where the wounded Ringbearer was tended to. Glorfindel attended the [[Council of Elrond]], playing an active role in the conversation, speaking prophetically of [[Tom Bombadil]] and other matters with authority. Glorfindel stood beside Elrond and Gandalf as the backbone of the Council, laying out clearly their options. At first Glorfindel suggested that the Ring would be safe in the depths of the Sea, but the far-sighted Gandalf noted the change of landscapes, and the unforeseen possibilities that could bring the Ring forth once more in a hundred or even a thousand years in the future. In a hasty note Tolkien suggested that Glorfindel could tell of his ancestry in Gondolin, but this idea was disbanded. He was briefly considered as a member of the [[Fellowship of the Ring]], but as his friend Gandalf said, Glorfindel's power would be of little use against the might of [[Mordor]], on a mission of secrecy.

During the [[War of the Ring]] nothing is said of Glorfindel. Doubtless he played as strong a role as he had in previous campaigns. It is possible that he went to [[Lothlórien]] and fought actively in the [[Rhovanion Campaign (WotR)|war of Rhovanion]], perhaps even aiding Celeborn in the [[Fall of Dol Guldur]]. Whatever his role, his next mention in the texts is the [[Wedding of Elessar]], to which he came from the north with Galadriel and Elrond. After that no more is said of him. Like Olórin, his task in Middle-earth was done, and the age of the [[Elves]] was over. He probably passed West, perhaps with the bearers of the [[Three Rings]] and the [[One Ring]]. Or he may have remained for a time in Middle-earth to oversee the cleanup after the war. It may even be speculated that he waited for the Blue Wizards, who were active in the east against Sauron, and departed with them even as he came.

==Earlier Versions of the Legendarium==

Glorfindel was originally planned to be part of the [[Fellowship of the Ring]], in a way taking the place of [[Legolas of Mirkwood|Legolas]]. Tolkien proposed three dates as to his return to Middle-earth: [[Third Age 1000|T.A. 1000]], with [[Gandalf]], [[Second Age 1200|S.A. 1200]] and the years following, or [[Second Age 1600|S.A. 1600]]. He dropped the first one after some thought, and though he declared the second possible, he favored the last as the most probable.

==Attributes==

Glorfindel was an elf of great beauty, power, wisdom, and moral courage. He was clearly loved by the people of [[Gondolin]], who mourned his passing greatly. He acted most courageously during the Fall, his House being among those that suffered the greatest losses, and eventually giving his own life for the safety of [[Tuor]] and [[Idril]], accomplishing the designs of the Valar, though it was said that he "''would have defended them even had they been fugitives of any rank''". He was repentant of the rebellion of the Noldor, and took no part in the Kinslaying. His acts in the Third Age also show great presence and authority, as does the very fact that he was sent as an emissary of the Valar.

==Controversy==

Some have questioned whether Glorfindel of Gondolin and Glorfindel of Rivendell were the same. Tolkien may simply have borrowed a name from his earlier legendarium, something he was known to do. ''[[The Peoples of Middle-earth]]'', published posthumously, cast some light on this issue. Among the ''[[Last Writings]]'' published in that volume, there are two long essays, ''Glorfindel I'' and ''Glorfindel II''. These were written later in life by Tolkien, and directly addressed whether the two Glorfindels were the same person. Both essays clearly indicated that they were the same person, and included a detailed discussion of 're-embodiment' in Tolkien's mythology.

{{quote|. . . At any rate what at first sight may seem the simplest solution must be abandoned: sc. that we have merely a reduplication of names, and that Glorfindel of Gondolin and Glorfindel of Rivendell were different persons. This repetition of so striking a name, though possible, would not be credible… Also it may be found that acceptance of the identity of Glorfindel of old and of the Third Age will actually explain what is said of him and improve the story. . .|''[[Last Writings]]'', Glorfindel II}}

{{quote|. . . After his purging of any guilt that he had incurred in the rebellion, he was released from Mandos, and Manwë restored him… We may then best suppose that Glorfindel returned during the Second Age, before the ‘shadow’ fell on [[Númenor]]. . .|Ibid.}}

As Tolkien's legendarium was an evolving work that he constantly updated and revised, there will always be some question of "final intent". Some may note that the above-quoted essays were private and not ever published, and thus should not be taken as decisive. Nevertheless the editors of the Tolkien Gateway believe that these essays, combined with Tolkien's published novels, clearly establish that Glorfindel of Gondolin and Glorfindel of Rivendell were the same person.

==Portrayal in Adaptations==
[[Image:BFME2 - Glorfindel.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Glorfindel, silverhaired, as he appeared in ''[[EA's The Battle for Middle-earth II|The Battle for Middle-earth II]].]]
Glorfindel is rarely portrayed like in the book. His role in ''The Lord of the Rings'' is too small to be introduced and forgotten - he basically does little else beyond providing fast transport to Rivendell. In the more popular works, his role has been filled by another Elf.

'''1978: ''[[Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:In this adaptation, the role of Glorfindel was taken by [[Legolas of Mirkwood|Legolas]]. In a simplification of that character, and as a reason for ''his'' coming, he is portrayed as an Elf of Rivendell rather than [[Mirkwood]].

'''1981: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|BBC Radio's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:Glorfindel appears in his original role at the Last Bridge, voiced by [[John Webb]]. Because the part of [[Gildor Inglorion]] was cut, the heavily wounded Frodo says the [[Quenya]] greeting ''Elen síla lúmenn' omientielvo'' to him, and Glorfindel replies with Gildor's answer. Glorfindel keeps his two [[Sindarin]] lines, ''A na vedui, Dúnadan!'' and ''Noro lim, noro lim, Asfatloth!'', though he says them with a heavy English accent. His name is pronounced correctly in the adaptation, but in the credits, his name is pronounced "Glorfindle".

'''2001: ''[[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring]]'':'''
:To limit the already large number of one-appearance characters, Glorfindel has been omitted in this adaptation as well. [[Peter Jackson]] decided, much to the horror of many purists, to have [[Arwen]] ride on [[Asfaloth]], not just serve as someone who provides a ride.

'''2002: ''[[Vivendi's The Fellowship of the Ring (game)|Vivendi's The Fellowship of the Ring]]'':'''
:Glorfindel appears on the Last Bridge. He has several Sindarin lines: ''A na vedui, Dúnadan'', like in the book, and ''Mae govannen, mellon'' (which Frodo accurately translates as "Well met, friend"). He comes to the aid of the hobbits at the request of Elrond, who had received news from [[Gildor Inglorion|a group of Elves travelling near the Shire]] - even though there is no mention of that group earlier in the gameplay. Glorfindel does so in a monotonous voice, and his speech continues without pause. He also uses the lines ''Noro lim, Asfaloth'', though he does not say them to his horse: he says them to Frodo. No actor is specified for this part.

'''2003: ''[[Peter Jackson's The Return of the King]]'':'''
:After [[Decipher]] made a [[Decipher Card|card]] featuring extra [[Jarl Benzon]] as Glorfindel, many fans speculate that Benzon's cameo at the [[Coronation of Elessar]] was Glorfindel.

'''2006: ''[[EA's The Battle for Middle-earth II]]'':'''
:Glorfindel played an important part in this video game, set during the [[War of the Ring]]. Together with [[Glóin son of Gróin|Glóin]] of [[Erebor]], Glorfindel fights in several places in northern [[Eriador]] and [[Rhovanion (Region)|Rhovanion]]. He is voiced by [[Jason Carter]], and portrayed as white haired. His design was changed to a more movie-accurate version in the expansion pack, ''[[EA's The Battle for Middle-earth II: The Rise of the Witch-king|The Rise of the Witch-king]]''. He serves as narrator throughout, and appears in the story itself after the death of [[Arvedui]].

==Collectibles==
[[Gentle Giant]] produced a [[https://www.gentlegiantltd.com/catalog/product/detail/314 Glorfindel Mini Bust]] for [[Comic-Con 2007]], based on Glorfindel's appearance in ''[[EA's The Battle for Middle-earth II]]''.

[[Category:Noldor]]
[[Category:Characters in The Lord of the Rings]]

[[de:Glorfindel]]
[[fi:Glorfindel]]

The Lord of the Rings

2008-10-22T16:54:31Z

98.202.126.54: /* Jackson */

{{book|
title=The Lord of the Rings|
image=[[Image:Jrrt lotr cover design.jpg|225px]]|
author=[[J.R.R. Tolkien]]|
publisher=Houghton Mifflin|
date=1954-1955|
format=Hardcover, Paperback|
pages=1210|
}}

{{quote|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.|Sunday Times}}

'''''The Lord of the Rings''''' is a book by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]], the sequel to his earlier work, ''[[The Hobbit]]''. It was published in three volumes in 1954 and 1955.

The story's [[Lord of the Rings|titular character]] is the Dark Lord [[Sauron]] of [[Mordor]]. The primary villain of the work, he created the One Ring to control nineteen other Rings of Power, and is thus the "Lord of the Rings." Sauron, in turn, was the servant of an earlier Dark Lord, [[Morgoth]] (Melkor), who is prominent in Tolkien's ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', the history of Middle-earth.

==Books and volumes==

===Writing===

Tolkien did not originally intend to write a sequel to ''[[The Hobbit]]'', and instead wrote several other children's tales, including ''[[Roverandom]]'' and ''[[Farmer Giles of Ham]]''. As his main work, Tolkien began to outline the history of [[Arda]], telling tales of the [[Silmarils]], and many other stories of how the races and situations that we read about in the Lord of the Rings trilogy came to be. Tolkien died before he could complete and put together ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', but his son [[Christopher Tolkien]] edited his father's work, filled in gaps and published in 1977.

Tolkien had a deep desire to write a mythology for England, especially after his horrific experiences during the First World War. He was also influenced by the effects of continued industrialisation, where he saw much of the England he loved passing away and became aware of the immense evil in the world. Thus to understand his writings we must be aware of how Tolkien the scholar influences Tolkien the author. His writing of this mythology emerges as an Oxford philologist well acquainted with Northern European Medieval Literature including the great mythic works such as the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hervarar_saga Hervarar saga], the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Völsunga_Saga Völsunga saga], the influential [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf Beowulf] as well as other Old Norse, Old and Middle English Texts. He was also inspired by non-Germanic works such as the Finnish epic [[Kalevala]]. A man who had created his first language by the age of seven, he was driven by a desire to write a mythology for England influenced by his exposure and expertise of these ancient traditions. The need for such a myth was often a topic of conversation in his meetings with the [[Inklings]], fellow Oxford scholars who have been described as Christian Romantics, meeting weekly and discussing Icelandic myths and their own unpublished compositions. Tolkien agreed with one of the other members of the group, [[C.S. Lewis]], that if there were no adequate myths for England then they would have to write their own. Tolkien's work has been commonly interpreted in this light.

Persuaded by his publishers, he started 'a new hobbit' in December 1937. After several false starts, the story of the One Ring soon emerged, and the book mutated from being a sequel to ''The Hobbit'' to being, in theme, more of a sequel to the unpublished ''[[The Silmarillion|Silmarillion]]''. The idea of the first chapter (''A Long-Expected Party'') arrived fully-formed, although the reasons behind Bilbo's disappearance, and the significance of the Ring did not arrive, along with the title ''The Lord of the Rings'' until spring [[1938]]. Originally he was going to write another 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 the powers it had and decided to write about that instead. He started to write it with Bilbo as the main character but decided that the story was too serious to use the fun loving Hobbit so Tolkien looked to use a member of Bilbo's family. He thought about using Bilbo's son but this generated some difficult questions — Where was his wife? How could Bilbo let his son go into that kind of danger? — so he looked for an alternate character to carry the ring. In Greek legend, it was a hero's nephew that gained the item of power, and so into existence came the Hobbit Frodo.

Writing was slow due to Tolkien's perfectionism, and was frequently interrupted by his obligations as an examiner, and other academic duties. In fact, the first sentence of ''[[The Hobbit]]'' was written on a blank page a student had left on an exam paper that Tolkien was grading — "In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit". He seems to have abandoned the book during most of 1943 and only re-started it in April 1944. This effort was written as a serial for [[Christopher Tolkien]] and [[C.S. Lewis]] — the former would be sent copies of chapters as they were written while he was serving in [[Africa]] in the [[Royal Air Force]]. He made another push in 1946, and showed a copy of the manuscript to his publishers in 1947. The story was effectively finished the next year, but Tolkien did not finish revising earlier parts of the work until 1949.

A dispute with his publishers, [[Allen and Unwin]], led to the book being offered to [[HarperCollins|Collins]] in 1950. He intended ''the Silmarillion'' (itself largely unrevised at this point) to be published along with ''The Lord of the Rings'', but A&U were unwilling to do this. After his contact at Collins, [[Milton Waldman]], expressed the belief that ''The Lord of the Rings'' itself 'urgently needed cutting', he eventually demanded that they publish the book in 1952. They did not do so, and so Tolkien wrote to Allen and Unwin, saying "I would gladly consider the publication of any part of the stuff".

===Publication===

For publication, due largely to post-war paper shortages, but also to keep the price of the first volume down, the book was divided into three volumes (''[[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, 6 appendices). Delays in producing appendices and maps led to these being published later than originally hoped — on the 29 July and 11 November 1954 and 20 October 1955 in the United Kingdom, slightly later in the United States. ''The Return of the King'' was especially delayed. He did not, however, much like the title ''The Return of the King'', believing it gave away too much of the storyline. He had originally suggested ''[[The War of the Ring]]'' which was dismissed by his publishers.

The books were published under a 'profit-sharing' arrangement, where Tolkien would not receive an advance or royalties until the books had broken even, but after then take a large share of the profits.

An index to the entire 3-volume set at the end of third volume was promised in the first volume. However, this proved impractical to compile in a reasonable timescale. Later, in 1966, four indices which were not compiled by Tolkien were added to ''The Return of the King''.

Because the three-volume binding was so widely distributed, the work is usually referred to as the ''Lord of the Rings'' "trilogy". Tolkien himself made use of the term "trilogy" for the work, though he did at other times consider this incorrect, as it was written and conceived as a single novel.

A 1999 (Millennium Edition) British (ISBN 0-261-10387-3) 7-volume box set followed the six-book division authored by Tolkien, but with the Appendices from the end of Book VI bound as a separate volume. The letters of ''Tolkien'' appear on the spines of the boxed set which includes a CD.
The individual names for books in this series were decided posthumously, based on a combination of suggestions Tolkien had made during his lifetime, title of the volumes, and whole cloth — viz:

* T Book I: ''The Ring Sets Out''
* O Book II: ''The Ring Goes South''
* L Book III: ''The Treason of Isengard''
* K Book IV: ''The Ring Goes East''
* I Book V: ''The War of the Ring''
* E Book VI: ''The End of the Third Age''
* N Appendices

The name of the complete work is often abbreviated to ''''LotR'''', ''''LOTR'''', or simply ''''LR'''', and the three volumes as FR, FOTR, or FotR (The '''F'''ellowship '''o'''f '''t'''he '''R'''ing), TT or TTT ('''T'''he '''T'''wo '''T'''owers), and RK, ROTK, or RotK (The '''R'''eturn '''o'''f '''t'''he '''K'''ing).

Note that the three titles ''The Return of the Shadow'', ''The Treason of Isengard'' and ''The War of the Ring'' were used by [[Christopher Tolkien]] in [[The History of The Lord of the Rings]].

Some locations and characters were inspired by Tolkien's childhood in [[Sarehole]], then a [[Warwickshire]] village, now part of [[Birmingham]], and in Birmingham itself.

== Publication history ==

The three parts were first published by [[Allen and Unwin]] in [[1954]]-[[1955]] several months apart. They were later reissued many times by multiple publishers, as one, three, six or seven volumes. Two current printings are ISBN 0-618-34399-7 (one-volume) and ISBN 0-618-34624-4 (three volume set).

In the early 1960s, Donald A. Wollheim, science fiction editor of the paperback publisher [[Ace Books]], realized that ''The Lord of the Rings'' was not protected in the United States under American copyright law because the US hardcover edition had been bound from pages printed in the UK for the British edition. Ace Books proceeded to publish an edition, unauthorized by Tolkien and without compensation to him. Tolkien made this plain to US fans who wrote to him. Grass-roots pressure became so great that Ace books withdrew their edition and made a nominal payment to Tolkien, well below what he might have been due in an appropriate publication. However, this poor beginning was overshadowed when an authorized edition followed from [[Ballantine Books]] to tremendous commercial success. By the mid-1960s the books, due to their wide exposure on the American public stage, had become a true cultural phenomenon. The Second Edition of the Lord of the Rings dates from this time — Tolkien undertook various textual revisions to produce a version of the book that would have a valid U.S. copyright.

The books have been translated, with various degrees of success, into dozens of other languages.
Tolkien, an expert in philology, examined many of these translations, and had comments on each that illuminate both the translation process and his work.

The enormous popular success of Tolkien's epic saga greatly expanded the demand for fantasy fiction. Largely thanks to ''The Lord of the Rings'', the genre flowered throughout the 1960s. Many well-written books of this genre were published (comparable works include the ''Earthsea'' books of Ursula K. Le Guin, the ''Thomas Covenant'' novels of Stephen R. Donaldson, and in the case of the ''Gormenghast'' books by Mervyn Peake, and ''The Worm Ourobouros'' by E. R. Eddison, rediscovered). It also strongly influenced the role playing game industry that achieved popularity in the 1970s with ''Dungeons & Dragons'' which featured many creatures that could be found in Tolkien's books.

As in all artistic fields, a great many lesser derivatives of the more prominent works appeared. The term "Tolkienesque" is used in the genre to refer to the oft-used and abused storyline of ''The Lord of the Rings'': a group of adventurers embarking on a quest to save a magical fantasy world from the armies of an evil "[[Dark Lord|dark lord]]", and is a testament to how much the popularity of these books has increased, since many critics initially decried Lord of the Rings as being "[[Richard Wagner| Wagner]] for children" (a reference to the [[Ring Cycle]]) — a specially interesting commentary in light of a possible interpretation of The Lord of The Rings as a Christian response to Wagner, for example following [http://atimes.com./atimes/others/spengler.html ATimes' pseudo-Oswald Spengler].

== The books ==

''The Lord of the Rings'' began as a personal exploration by Tolkien of his interests in philology, religion (particularly Roman Catholicism); fairy tales, and Norse and Celtic mythology.
Tolkien detailed his creation to an astounding extent; he created a complete mythology for his realm of Middle-earth, including genealogies of characters, languages, [[runes]], calendars and histories.
Some of this supplementary material is detailed in the appendices to ''The Lord of the Rings'', and the mythological history was woven into a large, biblically-styled volume entitled ''[[The Silmarillion]]''.

J. R. R. Tolkien once described ''The Lord of the Rings'' as "''a fundamentally religious and Catholic work''" he wrote to his friend, the English Jesuit Father Robert Murray, "''unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision.''"(''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', 142). There are many theological themes underlying the narrative, the battle of good versus evil, the triumph of humility over pride, the activity of grace, Death and Immortality, Resurrection, Salvation, Repentance, Self-Sacrifice, Free Will, Humility, Justice, Fellowship, Authority and Healing.
In it the great virtues of Mercy and Pity (shown by Bilbo and Frodo towards Gollum) win the day and the message from the Lord's Prayer "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" was very much on Tolkien's mind as Frodo struggled against the power of the One Ring (''Letters'', 181 and 191).

Religious motifs other than Christian can be discerned as strong influences in Tolkien's Middle Earth. The pantheon of the Valar and Maiar (greater and lesser gods/angels) responsible for the creation and maintenance of everything from skies (Manwe) and seas (Ulmo), to dreams (Lorien) and dooms (Mandos) suggest a pre-Christian mythology in style, albeit that these Valar and Maiar are themselves creations of a monotheistic entity — Illuvatar or Eru, "The One".

Other pre-Christian mythological references can be seen in the representations of: a "Green Man" — Tom Bombadil, wise-men — the Istari (commonly referred to as the Wizards, perhaps more of angels), shapechangers — Beorn, undead spirits — Barrow Wights, Oathbreakers, sentient nonhumans — Dwarves, Elves, Hobbits, and, of course, Ents. Magic is utilised freely in Middle Earth, and may be found not only in the incantations of Wizards, but in the weapons and tools of warriors and craftspeople, in the perceptions and abilities of heroes, and in the natural world itself.

Tolkien did repeatedly insist that his works were not an allegory of any kind, and even though his thoughts on the matter are mentioned in the introduction of the book, there has been heavy speculation about the Ruling Ring being an allegory for the atom bomb. However, Tolkien had already completed most of the book, and planned the ending in entirety, before the first atom bombs were made public to the world during the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. However there is a strong theme of despair in front of new mechanized warfare that Tolkien himself had experienced in the trenches of World War One. The development of a specially bred orc army, and the destruction of the environment to aid this have modern resonances. Nevertheless, the author's own opinion on the matter of allegories was that he disliked them, and it would be irresponsible to dismiss such direct statements on these matters lightly.

The plot of ''The Lord of the Rings'' builds from his earlier book ''[[The Hobbit]]'' and more obliquely from the history in ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', which contains events to which the characters of ''The Lord of the Rings'' look back upon in the book.
The [[hobbit]]s become embroiled in great events that threaten their entire world, as [[Sauron]], an evil spirit, attempts to regain the lost [[One Ring]] which will restore him to full potency.

=== The storyline ===
See the articles on ''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', ''[[The Two Towers]]'', and ''[[The Return of the King]]'' for plot summaries.

=== Criticism ===
The book was characterized as "juvenile balderdash" by American critic Edmund Wilson in his essay "[http://www.jrrvf.com/sda/critiques/The_Nation.html Oo, those awful Orcs]", and in 1961 Philip Toynbee wrote, somewhat prematurely, that it had "passed into a merciful oblivion" [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/1695926.stm]. Although she had never read ''The Lord of the Rings'', Germaine Greer wrote "it has been my nightmare that Tolkien would turn out to be the most influential writer of the twentieth century. The bad dream has materialized."

[[W.H. Auden]] also criticized the book in a 1968 ''Critical Quarterly'' article, "Good and evil in ''The Lord of the Rings''," objecting to Tolkien's conception of sentient species that are intrinsically evil without possibility of redemption. (This is a criticism often directed at [[Dungeons and Dragons]]-like fantasy worlds as well as at fantasy literature in general, and a criticism that Tolkien himself increasingly struggled with during his last years.) On the other hand, in a 1956 ''New York Times'' book review, "At the end of the Quest, Victory," Auden also called the book "a masterpiece of its genre" that "succeeded where [[wikipedia:John Milton|Milton]] failed" in depicting an epic battle between good and evil, and wrote that it "never violated" the "reader's sense of the credible."

Science-fiction author David Brin has criticized the books for unquestioning devotion to a traditional elitist social structure, their positive depiction of the slaughter of the opposing forces, and their romantic backward-looking worldview [http://www.davidbrin.com/tolkienarticle1.html].

Another notable SF writer Michael Moorcock wrote a long and piercing critique of the book under the title Epic Pooh advancing the thesis that it was simply a child's tale written in the language of epic myth.

China Mieville, a modern fantasy writer, criticised Tolkien's works as "reactionary." Mieville is also a detractor of later fantasy which draws heavily upon Tolkien's work, based on the idea that such work is cliche.

===Alternative Titles===
J.R.R. Tolkien contemplated numerous alternative titles for ''The Lord of the Rings'' and its volumes before the final titles were chosen. An early title for the trilogy was "The Magic Ring" ([[John D. Rateliff]], ''[[The History of The Hobbit]]''). From a letter to [[Rayner Unwin]], Tolkien writes:
{{quote|Would it not do if the 'book-titles' were used: e.g. The Lord of the Rings: Vol. I The Ring Sets out (sic) and The Ring Goes South; Vol. II The Treason of Isengard, and The Ring goes East; Vol. III The War of the Ring, and The End of the Third Age? "If not, I can at the moment think of nothing better than: I The Shadow Grows II The Ring in the Shadow III The War of the Ring or The Return of the King.|''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', [[Letter 136]]}}

A note from this letter states a manuscript located at [[Marquette University]], Milwaukee, USA, has a different set of titles: Vol. I The First Journey and The Journey of the Nine Companions; Vol. II The Treason of Isengard and The Journey of the Ringbearers; Vol. III The War of the Ring and The End of the Third Age.

In [[Letter 139]] Tolkien writes again to Unwin with his new preferences: The Return of the Shadow, II The Shadow Lengthens, and III The Return of the King. On August 17th he writes his updated choices: I The Fellowship of the Ring, II The Two Towers (deliberately ambiguous), III The War of the Ring.

Many of the unused titles were chosen by [[Christopher Tolkien]] as titles for ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' volumes.

== ''The Lord of the Rings'' on film ==
===Failed efforts===
* ''[[The Beatles|The Beatles' The Lord of the Rings]]''
* ''[[John Boorman's The Lord of the Rings]]''
===Early efforts===
====Bakshi====
:''Main article: [[Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings]]''

This film, originally released by [[United Artists]], was directed by [[Ralph Bakshi]] and used an animation technique called rotoscoping in which footage of live actors was filmed and then traced over.

The film was part one of what was originally to be a two-part adaptation of Tolkien's story, Part I ending after the battle of Helm's Deep, but before Sam, Frodo and Gollum traverse the [[Dead Marshes]], and Part II picking up from where the first film left off. Made for a minimal budget of $8 million dollars, the film earned $30 million dollars at the box office.

United Artists viewed the film as a flop, and refused to fund a Part II (covering the rest of the story), leaving the door open for [[Rankin/Bass]] to do the work for him.
====Rankin/Bass====
:''Main article: [[Rankin/Bass' The Return of the King]]''
The 1980 animated television version of ''[[Rankin/Bass' The Return of the King|The Return of the King]]'' picked up from where the book began, and not from where Bakshi's film left off. Additionally, the change in style and character design was quite noticeable.

Since this film was targeted to a younger audience, adult enthusiasts have complained that much of the depth and darkness of the book was discarded.

====Jackson====
:''Main article: [[Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings]]''
[[Miramax]] developed a full-fledged live-action adaptation of ''The Lord of the Rings'', with [[Peter Jackson]] as director. Eventually, Miramax became uneasy with the sheer scope of the proposed project and wanted to combine the suggested two films into one. [[Peter Jackson]] struck a deal with Miramax that if he could not find a fresh studio to back the project, he would walk away and leave the rights and all the work so far completed with Miramax. However, in 1998, [[New Line Cinema]] assumed production responsibility, unexpectedly announcing that it would mount three, not just two films (while Miramax executives [[Bob Weinstein]] and [[Harvey Weinstein]] retained on-screen credits as executive film producers).

The three live action films (supplemented with extensive computer-generated imagery, for example in the major battle scenes, using the "[[Massive]]" software) were filmed simultaneously. ''[[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring|The Fellowship of the Ring]]'' was released on December 19, 2001. ''[[Peter Jackson's The Two Towers|The Two Towers]]'' was released on December 18, 2002 and ''[[Peter Jackson's The Return of the King|The Return of the King]]'' was released worldwide on December 17, 2003. All three films won the Hugo Award for Best (Long-form) Dramatic Presentation in their respective years.

Although some have criticized these films because they have altered the story somewhat and, arguably, have a noticeably different tone from Tolkien's original vision, others have hailed them as remarkable achievements. [[Peter Jackson]] has defended his changes by stating that he views the films as merely one man's interpretation.

[[Peter Jackson]]'s film adaptations garnered seventeen Oscars (four for ''The Fellowship of the Ring'', two for ''The Two Towers'', and eleven for ''The Return of the King''); these cover many of the awards categories (in fact, ''The Return of the King'' won all of the eleven awards for which it was nominated, including Best Picture). With 30 total nominations, the trilogy also became the most-nominated in the Academy's history, surpassing the ''Godfather'' series (28).

''The Return of the King''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Oscar sweep is widely seen as a proxy award for the entire trilogy. ''The Return of the King''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s 11 Oscars at the 2004 Academy Awards tied it for most awards won for one film with ''Titanic'' six years earlier and the [[1959]] version of ''Ben-Hur''. It also broke the previous "sweep" record, beating ''Gigi'' and ''The Last Emperor'' (which had gone 9 for 9).

The visual-effects work has been groundbreaking, particularly the creation of the emotionally versatile digital character [[Gollum]].
The scale of the production alone — three films shot and edited back to back over a period of little more than three years — is unprecedented.

The films have also proven to be substantial box office successes. The premiere of ''The Return of the King'' took place in [[Wellington]], [[New Zealand]], on December 1, 2003 and was surrounded by fan celebrations and official promotions (the production of the films having contributed significantly to the New Zealand economy). It has made movie history as the largest Wednesday opening ever. ''The Return of the King'' was also the second movie in history (after ''Titanic'') to earn over 1 billion $US (worldwide). Note, however, that these numbers are all unadjusted for inflation, making their significance questionable. Adjusted for inflation, as of 24 March 2005, the three films rank (in order of release) as the 71st, 56th, and 48th highest-grossing films in the United States [http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm].

Fanatics of the films have also flocked to the locations where the trilogy was filmed in New Zealand, with many tour companies being totally devoted to taking fans to and from the filming locations that Director Peter Jackson chose for the adaptation of Tolkien’s epic trilogy.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journey_Of_The_Ring]

== ''The Lord of the Rings'' on radio ==

The [[BBC]] produced a [[The Lord of the Rings (1956 radio series)|13-part radio adaptation]] of ''The Lord of the Rings'' in 1955. It is uncertain whether Tolkien ever heard either series. No recording of the 1956 series is known to exist. It is a very faithful adaptation, incorporating some passing references to ''The Lord of the Rings'' and ''[[The Silmarillion]]''.

A [[The Lord of the Rings (1979 radio series)|1979 dramatization]] was broadcast in the USA and subsequently issued on tape and CD. No cast or credits appear on the audio packaging. Each of the actors was apparently recorded separately and then the various parts were edited together. Thus, unlike a BBC recording session where the actors are recorded together, none of the cast are actually interacting with each other and the performances suffer badly as a result.

In [[1981]] the BBC broadcast a [[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|new, ambitious dramatization]] of ''The Lord of the Rings'' in 26 half-hour installments.

== ''The Lord of the Rings'' on stage ==

[[Ed Mirvish|Mirvish Productions]] has started rehearsals for a three-hour stage musical adaptation of ''The Lord of the Rings'' that will have a cast of over 65 actors and cost C$27 million (£11.5 million). The show will be written by Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus with music by [[A. R. Rahman]] and [[Värttinä]], collaborating with [[Christopher Nightingale]] and will be directed by [[Matthew Warchus]]. It will open on March 23 2006 at Toronto's Princess of Wales Theatre, with preview performances from February 2 until March 22. It is planned to premiere in London in autumn 2006 and New York City within two years.

The director explained his vision of the play’s format by saying, "We have not attempted to pull the novel towards the standard conventions of musical theatre, but rather to expand those conventions so that they will accommodate Tolkien's material. As a result, we will be presenting a hybrid of text, physical theatre, music and spectacle never previously seen on this scale. To read the novel is to experience the events of Middle-earth in the mind’s eye; to watch the films is to view Middle-earth as though through a giant window. Only in the theatre are we actually plunged into the events as they happen. The environment surrounds us. We participate. We are in Middle-earth."

== Satire and parody based on ''The Lord of the Rings'' ==
''This section has been moved to the [[Humor]] page.''

==Awards==
* In 1957 it was awarded the International Fantasy Award
* In the 2003 "Big Read" survey conducted by the BBC, The Lord of the Rings was found to be the "Nation's Best-loved Book".
* Australians voted The Lord of the Rings "My Favourite Book" in a 2004 survey conducted by the Australian ABC
* In a 1999 poll of Amazon.com customers, The Lord of the Rings was judged to be their favourite "book of the millennium". [http://archive.salon.com/books/feature/2001/06/04/tolkien/]
* In 2002 Tolkien was voted the ninety-second "greatest Briton" in a poll conducted by the BBC
* In 2004 he was voted thirty-fifth in the SABC3's Great South Africans, the only person to appear in both lists
* In a 2004 poll inspired by the UK’s "Big Read" survey, about 250,000 Germans found The Lord of the Rings to be their favourite work of literature. [http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/10/04/1096871805007.html?from=storyrhs]
* The Lord of the Rings came in 3rd in the Librarians' Poll [http://tolkiensociety.org/news/librarians-poll.html]
==See also==
* [[References to The Lord of the Rings]]

{{lotr}}

[[Category:Books|Lord of the Rings]]
[[Category:Books by J.R.R. Tolkien|Lord of the Rings]]

[[de:Der Herr der Ringe]]
[[fi:Taru Sormusten Herrasta]]

The Lord of the Rings

2008-10-22T16:54:05Z

98.202.126.54: /* Jackson */

{{book|
title=The Lord of the Rings|
image=[[Image:Jrrt lotr cover design.jpg|225px]]|
author=[[J.R.R. Tolkien]]|
publisher=Houghton Mifflin|
date=1954-1955|
format=Hardcover, Paperback|
pages=1210|
}}

{{quote|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.|Sunday Times}}

'''''The Lord of the Rings''''' is a book by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]], the sequel to his earlier work, ''[[The Hobbit]]''. It was published in three volumes in 1954 and 1955.

The story's [[Lord of the Rings|titular character]] is the Dark Lord [[Sauron]] of [[Mordor]]. The primary villain of the work, he created the One Ring to control nineteen other Rings of Power, and is thus the "Lord of the Rings." Sauron, in turn, was the servant of an earlier Dark Lord, [[Morgoth]] (Melkor), who is prominent in Tolkien's ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', the history of Middle-earth.

==Books and volumes==

===Writing===

Tolkien did not originally intend to write a sequel to ''[[The Hobbit]]'', and instead wrote several other children's tales, including ''[[Roverandom]]'' and ''[[Farmer Giles of Ham]]''. As his main work, Tolkien began to outline the history of [[Arda]], telling tales of the [[Silmarils]], and many other stories of how the races and situations that we read about in the Lord of the Rings trilogy came to be. Tolkien died before he could complete and put together ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', but his son [[Christopher Tolkien]] edited his father's work, filled in gaps and published in 1977.

Tolkien had a deep desire to write a mythology for England, especially after his horrific experiences during the First World War. He was also influenced by the effects of continued industrialisation, where he saw much of the England he loved passing away and became aware of the immense evil in the world. Thus to understand his writings we must be aware of how Tolkien the scholar influences Tolkien the author. His writing of this mythology emerges as an Oxford philologist well acquainted with Northern European Medieval Literature including the great mythic works such as the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hervarar_saga Hervarar saga], the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Völsunga_Saga Völsunga saga], the influential [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf Beowulf] as well as other Old Norse, Old and Middle English Texts. He was also inspired by non-Germanic works such as the Finnish epic [[Kalevala]]. A man who had created his first language by the age of seven, he was driven by a desire to write a mythology for England influenced by his exposure and expertise of these ancient traditions. The need for such a myth was often a topic of conversation in his meetings with the [[Inklings]], fellow Oxford scholars who have been described as Christian Romantics, meeting weekly and discussing Icelandic myths and their own unpublished compositions. Tolkien agreed with one of the other members of the group, [[C.S. Lewis]], that if there were no adequate myths for England then they would have to write their own. Tolkien's work has been commonly interpreted in this light.

Persuaded by his publishers, he started 'a new hobbit' in December 1937. After several false starts, the story of the One Ring soon emerged, and the book mutated from being a sequel to ''The Hobbit'' to being, in theme, more of a sequel to the unpublished ''[[The Silmarillion|Silmarillion]]''. The idea of the first chapter (''A Long-Expected Party'') arrived fully-formed, although the reasons behind Bilbo's disappearance, and the significance of the Ring did not arrive, along with the title ''The Lord of the Rings'' until spring [[1938]]. Originally he was going to write another 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 the powers it had and decided to write about that instead. He started to write it with Bilbo as the main character but decided that the story was too serious to use the fun loving Hobbit so Tolkien looked to use a member of Bilbo's family. He thought about using Bilbo's son but this generated some difficult questions — Where was his wife? How could Bilbo let his son go into that kind of danger? — so he looked for an alternate character to carry the ring. In Greek legend, it was a hero's nephew that gained the item of power, and so into existence came the Hobbit Frodo.

Writing was slow due to Tolkien's perfectionism, and was frequently interrupted by his obligations as an examiner, and other academic duties. In fact, the first sentence of ''[[The Hobbit]]'' was written on a blank page a student had left on an exam paper that Tolkien was grading — "In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit". He seems to have abandoned the book during most of 1943 and only re-started it in April 1944. This effort was written as a serial for [[Christopher Tolkien]] and [[C.S. Lewis]] — the former would be sent copies of chapters as they were written while he was serving in [[Africa]] in the [[Royal Air Force]]. He made another push in 1946, and showed a copy of the manuscript to his publishers in 1947. The story was effectively finished the next year, but Tolkien did not finish revising earlier parts of the work until 1949.

A dispute with his publishers, [[Allen and Unwin]], led to the book being offered to [[HarperCollins|Collins]] in 1950. He intended ''the Silmarillion'' (itself largely unrevised at this point) to be published along with ''The Lord of the Rings'', but A&U were unwilling to do this. After his contact at Collins, [[Milton Waldman]], expressed the belief that ''The Lord of the Rings'' itself 'urgently needed cutting', he eventually demanded that they publish the book in 1952. They did not do so, and so Tolkien wrote to Allen and Unwin, saying "I would gladly consider the publication of any part of the stuff".

===Publication===

For publication, due largely to post-war paper shortages, but also to keep the price of the first volume down, the book was divided into three volumes (''[[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, 6 appendices). Delays in producing appendices and maps led to these being published later than originally hoped — on the 29 July and 11 November 1954 and 20 October 1955 in the United Kingdom, slightly later in the United States. ''The Return of the King'' was especially delayed. He did not, however, much like the title ''The Return of the King'', believing it gave away too much of the storyline. He had originally suggested ''[[The War of the Ring]]'' which was dismissed by his publishers.

The books were published under a 'profit-sharing' arrangement, where Tolkien would not receive an advance or royalties until the books had broken even, but after then take a large share of the profits.

An index to the entire 3-volume set at the end of third volume was promised in the first volume. However, this proved impractical to compile in a reasonable timescale. Later, in 1966, four indices which were not compiled by Tolkien were added to ''The Return of the King''.

Because the three-volume binding was so widely distributed, the work is usually referred to as the ''Lord of the Rings'' "trilogy". Tolkien himself made use of the term "trilogy" for the work, though he did at other times consider this incorrect, as it was written and conceived as a single novel.

A 1999 (Millennium Edition) British (ISBN 0-261-10387-3) 7-volume box set followed the six-book division authored by Tolkien, but with the Appendices from the end of Book VI bound as a separate volume. The letters of ''Tolkien'' appear on the spines of the boxed set which includes a CD.
The individual names for books in this series were decided posthumously, based on a combination of suggestions Tolkien had made during his lifetime, title of the volumes, and whole cloth — viz:

* T Book I: ''The Ring Sets Out''
* O Book II: ''The Ring Goes South''
* L Book III: ''The Treason of Isengard''
* K Book IV: ''The Ring Goes East''
* I Book V: ''The War of the Ring''
* E Book VI: ''The End of the Third Age''
* N Appendices

The name of the complete work is often abbreviated to ''''LotR'''', ''''LOTR'''', or simply ''''LR'''', and the three volumes as FR, FOTR, or FotR (The '''F'''ellowship '''o'''f '''t'''he '''R'''ing), TT or TTT ('''T'''he '''T'''wo '''T'''owers), and RK, ROTK, or RotK (The '''R'''eturn '''o'''f '''t'''he '''K'''ing).

Note that the three titles ''The Return of the Shadow'', ''The Treason of Isengard'' and ''The War of the Ring'' were used by [[Christopher Tolkien]] in [[The History of The Lord of the Rings]].

Some locations and characters were inspired by Tolkien's childhood in [[Sarehole]], then a [[Warwickshire]] village, now part of [[Birmingham]], and in Birmingham itself.

== Publication history ==

The three parts were first published by [[Allen and Unwin]] in [[1954]]-[[1955]] several months apart. They were later reissued many times by multiple publishers, as one, three, six or seven volumes. Two current printings are ISBN 0-618-34399-7 (one-volume) and ISBN 0-618-34624-4 (three volume set).

In the early 1960s, Donald A. Wollheim, science fiction editor of the paperback publisher [[Ace Books]], realized that ''The Lord of the Rings'' was not protected in the United States under American copyright law because the US hardcover edition had been bound from pages printed in the UK for the British edition. Ace Books proceeded to publish an edition, unauthorized by Tolkien and without compensation to him. Tolkien made this plain to US fans who wrote to him. Grass-roots pressure became so great that Ace books withdrew their edition and made a nominal payment to Tolkien, well below what he might have been due in an appropriate publication. However, this poor beginning was overshadowed when an authorized edition followed from [[Ballantine Books]] to tremendous commercial success. By the mid-1960s the books, due to their wide exposure on the American public stage, had become a true cultural phenomenon. The Second Edition of the Lord of the Rings dates from this time — Tolkien undertook various textual revisions to produce a version of the book that would have a valid U.S. copyright.

The books have been translated, with various degrees of success, into dozens of other languages.
Tolkien, an expert in philology, examined many of these translations, and had comments on each that illuminate both the translation process and his work.

The enormous popular success of Tolkien's epic saga greatly expanded the demand for fantasy fiction. Largely thanks to ''The Lord of the Rings'', the genre flowered throughout the 1960s. Many well-written books of this genre were published (comparable works include the ''Earthsea'' books of Ursula K. Le Guin, the ''Thomas Covenant'' novels of Stephen R. Donaldson, and in the case of the ''Gormenghast'' books by Mervyn Peake, and ''The Worm Ourobouros'' by E. R. Eddison, rediscovered). It also strongly influenced the role playing game industry that achieved popularity in the 1970s with ''Dungeons & Dragons'' which featured many creatures that could be found in Tolkien's books.

As in all artistic fields, a great many lesser derivatives of the more prominent works appeared. The term "Tolkienesque" is used in the genre to refer to the oft-used and abused storyline of ''The Lord of the Rings'': a group of adventurers embarking on a quest to save a magical fantasy world from the armies of an evil "[[Dark Lord|dark lord]]", and is a testament to how much the popularity of these books has increased, since many critics initially decried Lord of the Rings as being "[[Richard Wagner| Wagner]] for children" (a reference to the [[Ring Cycle]]) — a specially interesting commentary in light of a possible interpretation of The Lord of The Rings as a Christian response to Wagner, for example following [http://atimes.com./atimes/others/spengler.html ATimes' pseudo-Oswald Spengler].

== The books ==

''The Lord of the Rings'' began as a personal exploration by Tolkien of his interests in philology, religion (particularly Roman Catholicism); fairy tales, and Norse and Celtic mythology.
Tolkien detailed his creation to an astounding extent; he created a complete mythology for his realm of Middle-earth, including genealogies of characters, languages, [[runes]], calendars and histories.
Some of this supplementary material is detailed in the appendices to ''The Lord of the Rings'', and the mythological history was woven into a large, biblically-styled volume entitled ''[[The Silmarillion]]''.

J. R. R. Tolkien once described ''The Lord of the Rings'' as "''a fundamentally religious and Catholic work''" he wrote to his friend, the English Jesuit Father Robert Murray, "''unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision.''"(''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', 142). There are many theological themes underlying the narrative, the battle of good versus evil, the triumph of humility over pride, the activity of grace, Death and Immortality, Resurrection, Salvation, Repentance, Self-Sacrifice, Free Will, Humility, Justice, Fellowship, Authority and Healing.
In it the great virtues of Mercy and Pity (shown by Bilbo and Frodo towards Gollum) win the day and the message from the Lord's Prayer "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" was very much on Tolkien's mind as Frodo struggled against the power of the One Ring (''Letters'', 181 and 191).

Religious motifs other than Christian can be discerned as strong influences in Tolkien's Middle Earth. The pantheon of the Valar and Maiar (greater and lesser gods/angels) responsible for the creation and maintenance of everything from skies (Manwe) and seas (Ulmo), to dreams (Lorien) and dooms (Mandos) suggest a pre-Christian mythology in style, albeit that these Valar and Maiar are themselves creations of a monotheistic entity — Illuvatar or Eru, "The One".

Other pre-Christian mythological references can be seen in the representations of: a "Green Man" — Tom Bombadil, wise-men — the Istari (commonly referred to as the Wizards, perhaps more of angels), shapechangers — Beorn, undead spirits — Barrow Wights, Oathbreakers, sentient nonhumans — Dwarves, Elves, Hobbits, and, of course, Ents. Magic is utilised freely in Middle Earth, and may be found not only in the incantations of Wizards, but in the weapons and tools of warriors and craftspeople, in the perceptions and abilities of heroes, and in the natural world itself.

Tolkien did repeatedly insist that his works were not an allegory of any kind, and even though his thoughts on the matter are mentioned in the introduction of the book, there has been heavy speculation about the Ruling Ring being an allegory for the atom bomb. However, Tolkien had already completed most of the book, and planned the ending in entirety, before the first atom bombs were made public to the world during the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. However there is a strong theme of despair in front of new mechanized warfare that Tolkien himself had experienced in the trenches of World War One. The development of a specially bred orc army, and the destruction of the environment to aid this have modern resonances. Nevertheless, the author's own opinion on the matter of allegories was that he disliked them, and it would be irresponsible to dismiss such direct statements on these matters lightly.

The plot of ''The Lord of the Rings'' builds from his earlier book ''[[The Hobbit]]'' and more obliquely from the history in ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', which contains events to which the characters of ''The Lord of the Rings'' look back upon in the book.
The [[hobbit]]s become embroiled in great events that threaten their entire world, as [[Sauron]], an evil spirit, attempts to regain the lost [[One Ring]] which will restore him to full potency.

=== The storyline ===
See the articles on ''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', ''[[The Two Towers]]'', and ''[[The Return of the King]]'' for plot summaries.

=== Criticism ===
The book was characterized as "juvenile balderdash" by American critic Edmund Wilson in his essay "[http://www.jrrvf.com/sda/critiques/The_Nation.html Oo, those awful Orcs]", and in 1961 Philip Toynbee wrote, somewhat prematurely, that it had "passed into a merciful oblivion" [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/1695926.stm]. Although she had never read ''The Lord of the Rings'', Germaine Greer wrote "it has been my nightmare that Tolkien would turn out to be the most influential writer of the twentieth century. The bad dream has materialized."

[[W.H. Auden]] also criticized the book in a 1968 ''Critical Quarterly'' article, "Good and evil in ''The Lord of the Rings''," objecting to Tolkien's conception of sentient species that are intrinsically evil without possibility of redemption. (This is a criticism often directed at [[Dungeons and Dragons]]-like fantasy worlds as well as at fantasy literature in general, and a criticism that Tolkien himself increasingly struggled with during his last years.) On the other hand, in a 1956 ''New York Times'' book review, "At the end of the Quest, Victory," Auden also called the book "a masterpiece of its genre" that "succeeded where [[wikipedia:John Milton|Milton]] failed" in depicting an epic battle between good and evil, and wrote that it "never violated" the "reader's sense of the credible."

Science-fiction author David Brin has criticized the books for unquestioning devotion to a traditional elitist social structure, their positive depiction of the slaughter of the opposing forces, and their romantic backward-looking worldview [http://www.davidbrin.com/tolkienarticle1.html].

Another notable SF writer Michael Moorcock wrote a long and piercing critique of the book under the title Epic Pooh advancing the thesis that it was simply a child's tale written in the language of epic myth.

China Mieville, a modern fantasy writer, criticised Tolkien's works as "reactionary." Mieville is also a detractor of later fantasy which draws heavily upon Tolkien's work, based on the idea that such work is cliche.

===Alternative Titles===
J.R.R. Tolkien contemplated numerous alternative titles for ''The Lord of the Rings'' and its volumes before the final titles were chosen. An early title for the trilogy was "The Magic Ring" ([[John D. Rateliff]], ''[[The History of The Hobbit]]''). From a letter to [[Rayner Unwin]], Tolkien writes:
{{quote|Would it not do if the 'book-titles' were used: e.g. The Lord of the Rings: Vol. I The Ring Sets out (sic) and The Ring Goes South; Vol. II The Treason of Isengard, and The Ring goes East; Vol. III The War of the Ring, and The End of the Third Age? "If not, I can at the moment think of nothing better than: I The Shadow Grows II The Ring in the Shadow III The War of the Ring or The Return of the King.|''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', [[Letter 136]]}}

A note from this letter states a manuscript located at [[Marquette University]], Milwaukee, USA, has a different set of titles: Vol. I The First Journey and The Journey of the Nine Companions; Vol. II The Treason of Isengard and The Journey of the Ringbearers; Vol. III The War of the Ring and The End of the Third Age.

In [[Letter 139]] Tolkien writes again to Unwin with his new preferences: The Return of the Shadow, II The Shadow Lengthens, and III The Return of the King. On August 17th he writes his updated choices: I The Fellowship of the Ring, II The Two Towers (deliberately ambiguous), III The War of the Ring.

Many of the unused titles were chosen by [[Christopher Tolkien]] as titles for ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' volumes.

== ''The Lord of the Rings'' on film ==
===Failed efforts===
* ''[[The Beatles|The Beatles' The Lord of the Rings]]''
* ''[[John Boorman's The Lord of the Rings]]''
===Early efforts===
====Bakshi====
:''Main article: [[Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings]]''

This film, originally released by [[United Artists]], was directed by [[Ralph Bakshi]] and used an animation technique called rotoscoping in which footage of live actors was filmed and then traced over.

The film was part one of what was originally to be a two-part adaptation of Tolkien's story, Part I ending after the battle of Helm's Deep, but before Sam, Frodo and Gollum traverse the [[Dead Marshes]], and Part II picking up from where the first film left off. Made for a minimal budget of $8 million dollars, the film earned $30 million dollars at the box office.

United Artists viewed the film as a flop, and refused to fund a Part II (covering the rest of the story), leaving the door open for [[Rankin/Bass]] to do the work for him.
====Rankin/Bass====
:''Main article: [[Rankin/Bass' The Return of the King]]''
The 1980 animated television version of ''[[Rankin/Bass' The Return of the King|The Return of the King]]'' picked up from where the book began, and not from where Bakshi's film left off. Additionally, the change in style and character design was quite noticeable.

Since this film was targeted to a younger audience, adult enthusiasts have complained that much of the depth and darkness of the book was discarded.

====Jackson====
:''Main article: [[Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings]]''
[[Miramax]] developed a full-fledged live-action adaptation of ''The Lord of the Rings'', with [[Peter Jackson]] as director. Eventually, Miramax became uneasy with the sheer scope of the proposed projectand wanted to combine the suggested two films into one. [[Peter Jackson]] struck a deal with Miramax that if he could not find a fresh studio to back the project, he would walk away and leave the rights and all the work so far completed with Miramax. However, in 1998, [[New Line Cinema]] assumed production responsibility, unexpectedly announcing that it would mount three, not just two films (while Miramax executives [[Bob Weinstein]] and [[Harvey Weinstein]] retained on-screen credits as executive film producers).

The three live action films (supplemented with extensive computer-generated imagery, for example in the major battle scenes, using the "[[Massive]]" software) were filmed simultaneously. ''[[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring|The Fellowship of the Ring]]'' was released on December 19, 2001. ''[[Peter Jackson's The Two Towers|The Two Towers]]'' was released on December 18, 2002 and ''[[Peter Jackson's The Return of the King|The Return of the King]]'' was released worldwide on December 17, 2003. All three films won the Hugo Award for Best (Long-form) Dramatic Presentation in their respective years.

Although some have criticized these films because they have altered the story somewhat and, arguably, have a noticeably different tone from Tolkien's original vision, others have hailed them as remarkable achievements. [[Peter Jackson]] has defended his changes by stating that he views the films as merely one man's interpretation.

[[Peter Jackson]]'s film adaptations garnered seventeen Oscars (four for ''The Fellowship of the Ring'', two for ''The Two Towers'', and eleven for ''The Return of the King''); these cover many of the awards categories (in fact, ''The Return of the King'' won all of the eleven awards for which it was nominated, including Best Picture). With 30 total nominations, the trilogy also became the most-nominated in the Academy's history, surpassing the ''Godfather'' series (28).

''The Return of the King''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Oscar sweep is widely seen as a proxy award for the entire trilogy. ''The Return of the King''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s 11 Oscars at the 2004 Academy Awards tied it for most awards won for one film with ''Titanic'' six years earlier and the [[1959]] version of ''Ben-Hur''. It also broke the previous "sweep" record, beating ''Gigi'' and ''The Last Emperor'' (which had gone 9 for 9).

The visual-effects work has been groundbreaking, particularly the creation of the emotionally versatile digital character [[Gollum]].
The scale of the production alone — three films shot and edited back to back over a period of little more than three years — is unprecedented.

The films have also proven to be substantial box office successes. The premiere of ''The Return of the King'' took place in [[Wellington]], [[New Zealand]], on December 1, 2003 and was surrounded by fan celebrations and official promotions (the production of the films having contributed significantly to the New Zealand economy). It has made movie history as the largest Wednesday opening ever. ''The Return of the King'' was also the second movie in history (after ''Titanic'') to earn over 1 billion $US (worldwide). Note, however, that these numbers are all unadjusted for inflation, making their significance questionable. Adjusted for inflation, as of 24 March 2005, the three films rank (in order of release) as the 71st, 56th, and 48th highest-grossing films in the United States [http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm].

Fanatics of the films have also flocked to the locations where the trilogy was filmed in New Zealand, with many tour companies being totally devoted to taking fans to and from the filming locations that Director Peter Jackson chose for the adaptation of Tolkien’s epic trilogy.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journey_Of_The_Ring]

== ''The Lord of the Rings'' on radio ==

The [[BBC]] produced a [[The Lord of the Rings (1956 radio series)|13-part radio adaptation]] of ''The Lord of the Rings'' in 1955. It is uncertain whether Tolkien ever heard either series. No recording of the 1956 series is known to exist. It is a very faithful adaptation, incorporating some passing references to ''The Lord of the Rings'' and ''[[The Silmarillion]]''.

A [[The Lord of the Rings (1979 radio series)|1979 dramatization]] was broadcast in the USA and subsequently issued on tape and CD. No cast or credits appear on the audio packaging. Each of the actors was apparently recorded separately and then the various parts were edited together. Thus, unlike a BBC recording session where the actors are recorded together, none of the cast are actually interacting with each other and the performances suffer badly as a result.

In [[1981]] the BBC broadcast a [[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|new, ambitious dramatization]] of ''The Lord of the Rings'' in 26 half-hour installments.

== ''The Lord of the Rings'' on stage ==

[[Ed Mirvish|Mirvish Productions]] has started rehearsals for a three-hour stage musical adaptation of ''The Lord of the Rings'' that will have a cast of over 65 actors and cost C$27 million (£11.5 million). The show will be written by Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus with music by [[A. R. Rahman]] and [[Värttinä]], collaborating with [[Christopher Nightingale]] and will be directed by [[Matthew Warchus]]. It will open on March 23 2006 at Toronto's Princess of Wales Theatre, with preview performances from February 2 until March 22. It is planned to premiere in London in autumn 2006 and New York City within two years.

The director explained his vision of the play’s format by saying, "We have not attempted to pull the novel towards the standard conventions of musical theatre, but rather to expand those conventions so that they will accommodate Tolkien's material. As a result, we will be presenting a hybrid of text, physical theatre, music and spectacle never previously seen on this scale. To read the novel is to experience the events of Middle-earth in the mind’s eye; to watch the films is to view Middle-earth as though through a giant window. Only in the theatre are we actually plunged into the events as they happen. The environment surrounds us. We participate. We are in Middle-earth."

== Satire and parody based on ''The Lord of the Rings'' ==
''This section has been moved to the [[Humor]] page.''

==Awards==
* In 1957 it was awarded the International Fantasy Award
* In the 2003 "Big Read" survey conducted by the BBC, The Lord of the Rings was found to be the "Nation's Best-loved Book".
* Australians voted The Lord of the Rings "My Favourite Book" in a 2004 survey conducted by the Australian ABC
* In a 1999 poll of Amazon.com customers, The Lord of the Rings was judged to be their favourite "book of the millennium". [http://archive.salon.com/books/feature/2001/06/04/tolkien/]
* In 2002 Tolkien was voted the ninety-second "greatest Briton" in a poll conducted by the BBC
* In 2004 he was voted thirty-fifth in the SABC3's Great South Africans, the only person to appear in both lists
* In a 2004 poll inspired by the UK’s "Big Read" survey, about 250,000 Germans found The Lord of the Rings to be their favourite work of literature. [http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/10/04/1096871805007.html?from=storyrhs]
* The Lord of the Rings came in 3rd in the Librarians' Poll [http://tolkiensociety.org/news/librarians-poll.html]
==See also==
* [[References to The Lord of the Rings]]

{{lotr}}

[[Category:Books|Lord of the Rings]]
[[Category:Books by J.R.R. Tolkien|Lord of the Rings]]

[[de:Der Herr der Ringe]]
[[fi:Taru Sormusten Herrasta]]

The Lord of the Rings

2008-10-22T16:47:13Z

98.202.126.54: /* Jackson */

{{book|
title=The Lord of the Rings|
image=[[Image:Jrrt lotr cover design.jpg|225px]]|
author=[[J.R.R. Tolkien]]|
publisher=Houghton Mifflin|
date=1954-1955|
format=Hardcover, Paperback|
pages=1210|
}}

{{quote|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.|Sunday Times}}

'''''The Lord of the Rings''''' is a book by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]], the sequel to his earlier work, ''[[The Hobbit]]''. It was published in three volumes in 1954 and 1955.

The story's [[Lord of the Rings|titular character]] is the Dark Lord [[Sauron]] of [[Mordor]]. The primary villain of the work, he created the One Ring to control nineteen other Rings of Power, and is thus the "Lord of the Rings." Sauron, in turn, was the servant of an earlier Dark Lord, [[Morgoth]] (Melkor), who is prominent in Tolkien's ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', the history of Middle-earth.

==Books and volumes==

===Writing===

Tolkien did not originally intend to write a sequel to ''[[The Hobbit]]'', and instead wrote several other children's tales, including ''[[Roverandom]]'' and ''[[Farmer Giles of Ham]]''. As his main work, Tolkien began to outline the history of [[Arda]], telling tales of the [[Silmarils]], and many other stories of how the races and situations that we read about in the Lord of the Rings trilogy came to be. Tolkien died before he could complete and put together ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', but his son [[Christopher Tolkien]] edited his father's work, filled in gaps and published in 1977.

Tolkien had a deep desire to write a mythology for England, especially after his horrific experiences during the First World War. He was also influenced by the effects of continued industrialisation, where he saw much of the England he loved passing away and became aware of the immense evil in the world. Thus to understand his writings we must be aware of how Tolkien the scholar influences Tolkien the author. His writing of this mythology emerges as an Oxford philologist well acquainted with Northern European Medieval Literature including the great mythic works such as the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hervarar_saga Hervarar saga], the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Völsunga_Saga Völsunga saga], the influential [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf Beowulf] as well as other Old Norse, Old and Middle English Texts. He was also inspired by non-Germanic works such as the Finnish epic [[Kalevala]]. A man who had created his first language by the age of seven, he was driven by a desire to write a mythology for England influenced by his exposure and expertise of these ancient traditions. The need for such a myth was often a topic of conversation in his meetings with the [[Inklings]], fellow Oxford scholars who have been described as Christian Romantics, meeting weekly and discussing Icelandic myths and their own unpublished compositions. Tolkien agreed with one of the other members of the group, [[C.S. Lewis]], that if there were no adequate myths for England then they would have to write their own. Tolkien's work has been commonly interpreted in this light.

Persuaded by his publishers, he started 'a new hobbit' in December 1937. After several false starts, the story of the One Ring soon emerged, and the book mutated from being a sequel to ''The Hobbit'' to being, in theme, more of a sequel to the unpublished ''[[The Silmarillion|Silmarillion]]''. The idea of the first chapter (''A Long-Expected Party'') arrived fully-formed, although the reasons behind Bilbo's disappearance, and the significance of the Ring did not arrive, along with the title ''The Lord of the Rings'' until spring [[1938]]. Originally he was going to write another 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 the powers it had and decided to write about that instead. He started to write it with Bilbo as the main character but decided that the story was too serious to use the fun loving Hobbit so Tolkien looked to use a member of Bilbo's family. He thought about using Bilbo's son but this generated some difficult questions — Where was his wife? How could Bilbo let his son go into that kind of danger? — so he looked for an alternate character to carry the ring. In Greek legend, it was a hero's nephew that gained the item of power, and so into existence came the Hobbit Frodo.

Writing was slow due to Tolkien's perfectionism, and was frequently interrupted by his obligations as an examiner, and other academic duties. In fact, the first sentence of ''[[The Hobbit]]'' was written on a blank page a student had left on an exam paper that Tolkien was grading — "In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit". He seems to have abandoned the book during most of 1943 and only re-started it in April 1944. This effort was written as a serial for [[Christopher Tolkien]] and [[C.S. Lewis]] — the former would be sent copies of chapters as they were written while he was serving in [[Africa]] in the [[Royal Air Force]]. He made another push in 1946, and showed a copy of the manuscript to his publishers in 1947. The story was effectively finished the next year, but Tolkien did not finish revising earlier parts of the work until 1949.

A dispute with his publishers, [[Allen and Unwin]], led to the book being offered to [[HarperCollins|Collins]] in 1950. He intended ''the Silmarillion'' (itself largely unrevised at this point) to be published along with ''The Lord of the Rings'', but A&U were unwilling to do this. After his contact at Collins, [[Milton Waldman]], expressed the belief that ''The Lord of the Rings'' itself 'urgently needed cutting', he eventually demanded that they publish the book in 1952. They did not do so, and so Tolkien wrote to Allen and Unwin, saying "I would gladly consider the publication of any part of the stuff".

===Publication===

For publication, due largely to post-war paper shortages, but also to keep the price of the first volume down, the book was divided into three volumes (''[[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, 6 appendices). Delays in producing appendices and maps led to these being published later than originally hoped — on the 29 July and 11 November 1954 and 20 October 1955 in the United Kingdom, slightly later in the United States. ''The Return of the King'' was especially delayed. He did not, however, much like the title ''The Return of the King'', believing it gave away too much of the storyline. He had originally suggested ''[[The War of the Ring]]'' which was dismissed by his publishers.

The books were published under a 'profit-sharing' arrangement, where Tolkien would not receive an advance or royalties until the books had broken even, but after then take a large share of the profits.

An index to the entire 3-volume set at the end of third volume was promised in the first volume. However, this proved impractical to compile in a reasonable timescale. Later, in 1966, four indices which were not compiled by Tolkien were added to ''The Return of the King''.

Because the three-volume binding was so widely distributed, the work is usually referred to as the ''Lord of the Rings'' "trilogy". Tolkien himself made use of the term "trilogy" for the work, though he did at other times consider this incorrect, as it was written and conceived as a single novel.

A 1999 (Millennium Edition) British (ISBN 0-261-10387-3) 7-volume box set followed the six-book division authored by Tolkien, but with the Appendices from the end of Book VI bound as a separate volume. The letters of ''Tolkien'' appear on the spines of the boxed set which includes a CD.
The individual names for books in this series were decided posthumously, based on a combination of suggestions Tolkien had made during his lifetime, title of the volumes, and whole cloth — viz:

* T Book I: ''The Ring Sets Out''
* O Book II: ''The Ring Goes South''
* L Book III: ''The Treason of Isengard''
* K Book IV: ''The Ring Goes East''
* I Book V: ''The War of the Ring''
* E Book VI: ''The End of the Third Age''
* N Appendices

The name of the complete work is often abbreviated to ''''LotR'''', ''''LOTR'''', or simply ''''LR'''', and the three volumes as FR, FOTR, or FotR (The '''F'''ellowship '''o'''f '''t'''he '''R'''ing), TT or TTT ('''T'''he '''T'''wo '''T'''owers), and RK, ROTK, or RotK (The '''R'''eturn '''o'''f '''t'''he '''K'''ing).

Note that the three titles ''The Return of the Shadow'', ''The Treason of Isengard'' and ''The War of the Ring'' were used by [[Christopher Tolkien]] in [[The History of The Lord of the Rings]].

Some locations and characters were inspired by Tolkien's childhood in [[Sarehole]], then a [[Warwickshire]] village, now part of [[Birmingham]], and in Birmingham itself.

== Publication history ==

The three parts were first published by [[Allen and Unwin]] in [[1954]]-[[1955]] several months apart. They were later reissued many times by multiple publishers, as one, three, six or seven volumes. Two current printings are ISBN 0-618-34399-7 (one-volume) and ISBN 0-618-34624-4 (three volume set).

In the early 1960s, Donald A. Wollheim, science fiction editor of the paperback publisher [[Ace Books]], realized that ''The Lord of the Rings'' was not protected in the United States under American copyright law because the US hardcover edition had been bound from pages printed in the UK for the British edition. Ace Books proceeded to publish an edition, unauthorized by Tolkien and without compensation to him. Tolkien made this plain to US fans who wrote to him. Grass-roots pressure became so great that Ace books withdrew their edition and made a nominal payment to Tolkien, well below what he might have been due in an appropriate publication. However, this poor beginning was overshadowed when an authorized edition followed from [[Ballantine Books]] to tremendous commercial success. By the mid-1960s the books, due to their wide exposure on the American public stage, had become a true cultural phenomenon. The Second Edition of the Lord of the Rings dates from this time — Tolkien undertook various textual revisions to produce a version of the book that would have a valid U.S. copyright.

The books have been translated, with various degrees of success, into dozens of other languages.
Tolkien, an expert in philology, examined many of these translations, and had comments on each that illuminate both the translation process and his work.

The enormous popular success of Tolkien's epic saga greatly expanded the demand for fantasy fiction. Largely thanks to ''The Lord of the Rings'', the genre flowered throughout the 1960s. Many well-written books of this genre were published (comparable works include the ''Earthsea'' books of Ursula K. Le Guin, the ''Thomas Covenant'' novels of Stephen R. Donaldson, and in the case of the ''Gormenghast'' books by Mervyn Peake, and ''The Worm Ourobouros'' by E. R. Eddison, rediscovered). It also strongly influenced the role playing game industry that achieved popularity in the 1970s with ''Dungeons & Dragons'' which featured many creatures that could be found in Tolkien's books.

As in all artistic fields, a great many lesser derivatives of the more prominent works appeared. The term "Tolkienesque" is used in the genre to refer to the oft-used and abused storyline of ''The Lord of the Rings'': a group of adventurers embarking on a quest to save a magical fantasy world from the armies of an evil "[[Dark Lord|dark lord]]", and is a testament to how much the popularity of these books has increased, since many critics initially decried Lord of the Rings as being "[[Richard Wagner| Wagner]] for children" (a reference to the [[Ring Cycle]]) — a specially interesting commentary in light of a possible interpretation of The Lord of The Rings as a Christian response to Wagner, for example following [http://atimes.com./atimes/others/spengler.html ATimes' pseudo-Oswald Spengler].

== The books ==

''The Lord of the Rings'' began as a personal exploration by Tolkien of his interests in philology, religion (particularly Roman Catholicism); fairy tales, and Norse and Celtic mythology.
Tolkien detailed his creation to an astounding extent; he created a complete mythology for his realm of Middle-earth, including genealogies of characters, languages, [[runes]], calendars and histories.
Some of this supplementary material is detailed in the appendices to ''The Lord of the Rings'', and the mythological history was woven into a large, biblically-styled volume entitled ''[[The Silmarillion]]''.

J. R. R. Tolkien once described ''The Lord of the Rings'' as "''a fundamentally religious and Catholic work''" he wrote to his friend, the English Jesuit Father Robert Murray, "''unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision.''"(''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', 142). There are many theological themes underlying the narrative, the battle of good versus evil, the triumph of humility over pride, the activity of grace, Death and Immortality, Resurrection, Salvation, Repentance, Self-Sacrifice, Free Will, Humility, Justice, Fellowship, Authority and Healing.
In it the great virtues of Mercy and Pity (shown by Bilbo and Frodo towards Gollum) win the day and the message from the Lord's Prayer "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" was very much on Tolkien's mind as Frodo struggled against the power of the One Ring (''Letters'', 181 and 191).

Religious motifs other than Christian can be discerned as strong influences in Tolkien's Middle Earth. The pantheon of the Valar and Maiar (greater and lesser gods/angels) responsible for the creation and maintenance of everything from skies (Manwe) and seas (Ulmo), to dreams (Lorien) and dooms (Mandos) suggest a pre-Christian mythology in style, albeit that these Valar and Maiar are themselves creations of a monotheistic entity — Illuvatar or Eru, "The One".

Other pre-Christian mythological references can be seen in the representations of: a "Green Man" — Tom Bombadil, wise-men — the Istari (commonly referred to as the Wizards, perhaps more of angels), shapechangers — Beorn, undead spirits — Barrow Wights, Oathbreakers, sentient nonhumans — Dwarves, Elves, Hobbits, and, of course, Ents. Magic is utilised freely in Middle Earth, and may be found not only in the incantations of Wizards, but in the weapons and tools of warriors and craftspeople, in the perceptions and abilities of heroes, and in the natural world itself.

Tolkien did repeatedly insist that his works were not an allegory of any kind, and even though his thoughts on the matter are mentioned in the introduction of the book, there has been heavy speculation about the Ruling Ring being an allegory for the atom bomb. However, Tolkien had already completed most of the book, and planned the ending in entirety, before the first atom bombs were made public to the world during the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. However there is a strong theme of despair in front of new mechanized warfare that Tolkien himself had experienced in the trenches of World War One. The development of a specially bred orc army, and the destruction of the environment to aid this have modern resonances. Nevertheless, the author's own opinion on the matter of allegories was that he disliked them, and it would be irresponsible to dismiss such direct statements on these matters lightly.

The plot of ''The Lord of the Rings'' builds from his earlier book ''[[The Hobbit]]'' and more obliquely from the history in ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', which contains events to which the characters of ''The Lord of the Rings'' look back upon in the book.
The [[hobbit]]s become embroiled in great events that threaten their entire world, as [[Sauron]], an evil spirit, attempts to regain the lost [[One Ring]] which will restore him to full potency.

=== The storyline ===
See the articles on ''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', ''[[The Two Towers]]'', and ''[[The Return of the King]]'' for plot summaries.

=== Criticism ===
The book was characterized as "juvenile balderdash" by American critic Edmund Wilson in his essay "[http://www.jrrvf.com/sda/critiques/The_Nation.html Oo, those awful Orcs]", and in 1961 Philip Toynbee wrote, somewhat prematurely, that it had "passed into a merciful oblivion" [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/1695926.stm]. Although she had never read ''The Lord of the Rings'', Germaine Greer wrote "it has been my nightmare that Tolkien would turn out to be the most influential writer of the twentieth century. The bad dream has materialized."

[[W.H. Auden]] also criticized the book in a 1968 ''Critical Quarterly'' article, "Good and evil in ''The Lord of the Rings''," objecting to Tolkien's conception of sentient species that are intrinsically evil without possibility of redemption. (This is a criticism often directed at [[Dungeons and Dragons]]-like fantasy worlds as well as at fantasy literature in general, and a criticism that Tolkien himself increasingly struggled with during his last years.) On the other hand, in a 1956 ''New York Times'' book review, "At the end of the Quest, Victory," Auden also called the book "a masterpiece of its genre" that "succeeded where [[wikipedia:John Milton|Milton]] failed" in depicting an epic battle between good and evil, and wrote that it "never violated" the "reader's sense of the credible."

Science-fiction author David Brin has criticized the books for unquestioning devotion to a traditional elitist social structure, their positive depiction of the slaughter of the opposing forces, and their romantic backward-looking worldview [http://www.davidbrin.com/tolkienarticle1.html].

Another notable SF writer Michael Moorcock wrote a long and piercing critique of the book under the title Epic Pooh advancing the thesis that it was simply a child's tale written in the language of epic myth.

China Mieville, a modern fantasy writer, criticised Tolkien's works as "reactionary." Mieville is also a detractor of later fantasy which draws heavily upon Tolkien's work, based on the idea that such work is cliche.

===Alternative Titles===
J.R.R. Tolkien contemplated numerous alternative titles for ''The Lord of the Rings'' and its volumes before the final titles were chosen. An early title for the trilogy was "The Magic Ring" ([[John D. Rateliff]], ''[[The History of The Hobbit]]''). From a letter to [[Rayner Unwin]], Tolkien writes:
{{quote|Would it not do if the 'book-titles' were used: e.g. The Lord of the Rings: Vol. I The Ring Sets out (sic) and The Ring Goes South; Vol. II The Treason of Isengard, and The Ring goes East; Vol. III The War of the Ring, and The End of the Third Age? "If not, I can at the moment think of nothing better than: I The Shadow Grows II The Ring in the Shadow III The War of the Ring or The Return of the King.|''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', [[Letter 136]]}}

A note from this letter states a manuscript located at [[Marquette University]], Milwaukee, USA, has a different set of titles: Vol. I The First Journey and The Journey of the Nine Companions; Vol. II The Treason of Isengard and The Journey of the Ringbearers; Vol. III The War of the Ring and The End of the Third Age.

In [[Letter 139]] Tolkien writes again to Unwin with his new preferences: The Return of the Shadow, II The Shadow Lengthens, and III The Return of the King. On August 17th he writes his updated choices: I The Fellowship of the Ring, II The Two Towers (deliberately ambiguous), III The War of the Ring.

Many of the unused titles were chosen by [[Christopher Tolkien]] as titles for ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' volumes.

== ''The Lord of the Rings'' on film ==
===Failed efforts===
* ''[[The Beatles|The Beatles' The Lord of the Rings]]''
* ''[[John Boorman's The Lord of the Rings]]''
===Early efforts===
====Bakshi====
:''Main article: [[Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings]]''

This film, originally released by [[United Artists]], was directed by [[Ralph Bakshi]] and used an animation technique called rotoscoping in which footage of live actors was filmed and then traced over.

The film was part one of what was originally to be a two-part adaptation of Tolkien's story, Part I ending after the battle of Helm's Deep, but before Sam, Frodo and Gollum traverse the [[Dead Marshes]], and Part II picking up from where the first film left off. Made for a minimal budget of $8 million dollars, the film earned $30 million dollars at the box office.

United Artists viewed the film as a flop, and refused to fund a Part II (covering the rest of the story), leaving the door open for [[Rankin/Bass]] to do the work for him.
====Rankin/Bass====
:''Main article: [[Rankin/Bass' The Return of the King]]''
The 1980 animated television version of ''[[Rankin/Bass' The Return of the King|The Return of the King]]'' picked up from where the book began, and not from where Bakshi's film left off. Additionally, the change in style and character design was quite noticeable.

Since this film was targeted to a younger audience, adult enthusiasts have complained that much of the depth and darkness of the book was discarded.

====Jackson====
:''Main article: [[Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings]]''
[[Miramax]] developed a full-fledged live-action adaptation of ''The Lord of the Rings'', with [[Peter Jackson]] as director. Eventually, Miramax became uneasy with the sheer scope of the proposed projectand wanted to combine the suggested two films into one. [[Peter Jackson]] struck a deal with Miramax that if he could not find a fresh studio to back the project, he would walk away and leave the rights and all the work so far completed with Miramax. However, in 1998, [[New Line Cinema]] assumed production responsibility, unexpectedly announcing that it would mount three, not just two films (while Miramax executives [[Bob Weinstein]] and [[Harvey Weinstein]] retained on-screen credits as executive producers on the films).

The three live action films (supplemented with extensive computer-generated imagery, for example in the major battle scenes, using the "[[Massive]]" software) were filmed simultaneously. ''[[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring|The Fellowship of the Ring]]'' was released on December 19, 2001. ''[[Peter Jackson's The Two Towers|The Two Towers]]'' was released on December 18, 2002 and ''[[Peter Jackson's The Return of the King|The Return of the King]]'' was released worldwide on December 17, 2003. All three films won the Hugo Award for Best (Long-form) Dramatic Presentation in their respective years.

Although some have criticized these films because they have altered the story somewhat and, arguably, have a noticeably different tone from Tolkien's original vision, others have hailed them as remarkable achievements. [[Peter Jackson]] has defended his changes by stating that he views the films as merely one man's interpretation.

[[Peter Jackson]]'s film adaptations garnered seventeen Oscars (four for ''The Fellowship of the Ring'', two for ''The Two Towers'', and eleven for ''The Return of the King''); these cover many of the awards categories (in fact, ''The Return of the King'' won all of the eleven awards for which it was nominated, including Best Picture). With 30 total nominations, the trilogy also became the most-nominated in the Academy's history, surpassing the ''Godfather'' series (28).

''The Return of the King''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Oscar sweep is widely seen as a proxy award for the entire trilogy. ''The Return of the King''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s 11 Oscars at the 2004 Academy Awards tied it for most awards won for one film with ''Titanic'' six years earlier and the [[1959]] version of ''Ben-Hur''. It also broke the previous "sweep" record, beating ''Gigi'' and ''The Last Emperor'' (which had gone 9 for 9).

The visual-effects work has been groundbreaking, particularly the creation of the emotionally versatile digital character [[Gollum]].
The scale of the production alone — three films shot and edited back to back over a period of little more than three years — is unprecedented.

The films have also proven to be substantial box office successes. The premiere of ''The Return of the King'' took place in [[Wellington]], [[New Zealand]], on December 1, 2003 and was surrounded by fan celebrations and official promotions (the production of the films having contributed significantly to the New Zealand economy). It has made movie history as the largest Wednesday opening ever. ''The Return of the King'' was also the second movie in history (after ''Titanic'') to earn over 1 billion $US (worldwide). Note, however, that these numbers are all unadjusted for inflation, making their significance questionable. Adjusted for inflation, as of 24 March 2005, the three films rank (in order of release) as the 71st, 56th, and 48th highest-grossing films in the United States [http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm].

Fanatics of the films have also flocked to the locations where the trilogy was filmed in New Zealand, with many tour companies being totally devoted to taking fans to and from the filming locations that Director Peter Jackson chose for the adaptation of Tolkien’s epic trilogy.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journey_Of_The_Ring]

== ''The Lord of the Rings'' on radio ==

The [[BBC]] produced a [[The Lord of the Rings (1956 radio series)|13-part radio adaptation]] of ''The Lord of the Rings'' in 1955. It is uncertain whether Tolkien ever heard either series. No recording of the 1956 series is known to exist. It is a very faithful adaptation, incorporating some passing references to ''The Lord of the Rings'' and ''[[The Silmarillion]]''.

A [[The Lord of the Rings (1979 radio series)|1979 dramatization]] was broadcast in the USA and subsequently issued on tape and CD. No cast or credits appear on the audio packaging. Each of the actors was apparently recorded separately and then the various parts were edited together. Thus, unlike a BBC recording session where the actors are recorded together, none of the cast are actually interacting with each other and the performances suffer badly as a result.

In [[1981]] the BBC broadcast a [[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|new, ambitious dramatization]] of ''The Lord of the Rings'' in 26 half-hour installments.

== ''The Lord of the Rings'' on stage ==

[[Ed Mirvish|Mirvish Productions]] has started rehearsals for a three-hour stage musical adaptation of ''The Lord of the Rings'' that will have a cast of over 65 actors and cost C$27 million (£11.5 million). The show will be written by Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus with music by [[A. R. Rahman]] and [[Värttinä]], collaborating with [[Christopher Nightingale]] and will be directed by [[Matthew Warchus]]. It will open on March 23 2006 at Toronto's Princess of Wales Theatre, with preview performances from February 2 until March 22. It is planned to premiere in London in autumn 2006 and New York City within two years.

The director explained his vision of the play’s format by saying, "We have not attempted to pull the novel towards the standard conventions of musical theatre, but rather to expand those conventions so that they will accommodate Tolkien's material. As a result, we will be presenting a hybrid of text, physical theatre, music and spectacle never previously seen on this scale. To read the novel is to experience the events of Middle-earth in the mind’s eye; to watch the films is to view Middle-earth as though through a giant window. Only in the theatre are we actually plunged into the events as they happen. The environment surrounds us. We participate. We are in Middle-earth."

== Satire and parody based on ''The Lord of the Rings'' ==
''This section has been moved to the [[Humor]] page.''

==Awards==
* In 1957 it was awarded the International Fantasy Award
* In the 2003 "Big Read" survey conducted by the BBC, The Lord of the Rings was found to be the "Nation's Best-loved Book".
* Australians voted The Lord of the Rings "My Favourite Book" in a 2004 survey conducted by the Australian ABC
* In a 1999 poll of Amazon.com customers, The Lord of the Rings was judged to be their favourite "book of the millennium". [http://archive.salon.com/books/feature/2001/06/04/tolkien/]
* In 2002 Tolkien was voted the ninety-second "greatest Briton" in a poll conducted by the BBC
* In 2004 he was voted thirty-fifth in the SABC3's Great South Africans, the only person to appear in both lists
* In a 2004 poll inspired by the UK’s "Big Read" survey, about 250,000 Germans found The Lord of the Rings to be their favourite work of literature. [http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/10/04/1096871805007.html?from=storyrhs]
* The Lord of the Rings came in 3rd in the Librarians' Poll [http://tolkiensociety.org/news/librarians-poll.html]
==See also==
* [[References to The Lord of the Rings]]

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[[Category:Books|Lord of the Rings]]
[[Category:Books by J.R.R. Tolkien|Lord of the Rings]]

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