Figwit

The "Elf Escort" from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Elf
Figwit
Biographical Information
Other names	Aegnor
Position	Escort
Location	Rivendell, wandering company, Grey Havens (presumably)
Affiliation	Rivendell
Physical Description
Gender	Male
Height	5′ (1.83 m)
Hair colour	Black
Eye colour	Black
Clothing	Robe, Undershit, Cloakbrooch,
Gallery	Images of Figwit

Aegnor was an Elf of Rivendell, affectionately known to his contemporaries in Rivendell as Figwit. He attended the Council of Elrond and later travelled to the Grey Havens with Arwen to pass into Valinor.

Figwit is an original creation for The Lord of the Rings film series and is portrayed by Bret McKenzie. Figwit, while later made official by Topps and Decipher, was initially a fan-created name. Figwit is an acronym for "Frodo is grea...who is THAT?!?", with the latter part referring to the viewer's surprise at the character's beauty during the Council of Elrond scene.

History

Early life

Aegnor was an Elf of Rivendell during the late Third Age, affectionately known to his contemporaries in Rivendell as Figwit.

Participation in the Council of Elrond

Figwit's appearance at the Council of Elrond in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

When Elrond, the Lord of Rivendell, invited representatives of factions of the Free peoples of Middle-earth to a Council which aimed to answer the growing threat of Mordor, Figwit attended. He sat in between another Elf and Aragorn.

The Council erupted into chaos as its members disagreed on what to do with the One Ring. Figwit stood up and began yelling. He and the Elf next to him argued with Járnsmid and Hugin of Dale. The Council's furious argument raged on until Frodo Baggins, the Shire-hobbit who brought the Ring to Rivendell, volunteered to take the Ring to Mordor and destroy it. Figwit watched as eight others offered to join Frodo on his quest. He sat back down and watched Lord Elrond dub Frodo and his eight companions "The Fellowship of the Ring".

Travelling to the Grey Havens

Later, Elrond formed a wandering company of Elves. He ordered them to set out for the Grey Havens with Arwen Undómiel, his daughter. Elrond ordered them to take her by the safest road and leave for Valinor on the ship anchored at the Havens. On the road, Arwen had a vision of her son, should she remain in Middle-earth with Aragorn. Brought to tears, she halted. Figwit told her "Lady Arwen, we cannot delay". Arwen turned her horse around and rode back to Rivendell. In confusion, Figwit asked "My lady?".

Fandom

Figwit's rise to fame began shortly after the first movie, and some fans believe that he was given dialog in the third movie because Peter Jackson was aware of the attention given to this extra. Jackson mentions the phenomenon in the commentary track on the extended edition of the Return of the King:

The decision to give him a speaking role was developed after the scene was scripted. Originally just a random cast extra was to give the lines, but it was decided that it would be fun if the Figwit actor was brought in to deliver them.

In 2004, a 50-minute documentary on the Figwit phenomenon, = 1802&Archive = 0&RegionID = 1&EventID = 8 "Frodo is great... Who is that?!!", was made by three Wellington filmmakers - Stan Alley, Nick Booth, and Hannah Clarke - all of whom worked on Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings adaptation. The documentary follows Bret McKenzie to Edinburgh where he meets the fans of his trademark pout and "elvish good looks" and features extensive interviews with fans behind various Figwit fan sites as well as Peter Jackson, Barry Osbourne, Mark Ordesky, Ian McKellen, and a pre-fame Taika Waititi.

Figwit has also appeared in official merchandise of the movie franchise: once on an autograph card, and once on a card for Arwen. Both of these cards are made by Topps.

Figwit's "brother"

Figwit has a lesser known "brother", played by extra Blair Morton. Meorof, also known as the "Mystery Elf On (The) Right Of Figwit", appears at the Council of Elrond sitting in the seat on Figwit's right

Etymology

The name Figwit is a humorous acronym created by fans which stands for "Frodo is grea...who is THAT?!?"

Other names

Figwit is credited in the credits of The Return of the King under the name Elf Escort, and his Decipher Card gives the name Aegnor, a name derived from The Silmarillion.

In fan fiction, Figwit is sometimes called Melpomaen, a shoddy translation of the elements "fig" (melpo in Qenya) and "wit" (maen in Noldorin).

Bret McKenzie's character in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is Lindir, who shares similarities with Figwit. Both are dark-haired Elves of Rivendell and courtiers of Elrond. It is unclear if the two characters are intended to be the same, which would establish a film "canon" name for Figwit.

See also

• Lindir, a character from The Hobbit also portrayed by Bret McKenzie for The Hobbit films.