Tolkien Fans: Comments and Questions

[Britva415]

No RL bird can manage

No RL Balrog can manage
No RL dragon can manage
No RL wizard can manage
No RL elf can manage
No RL ring can manage

Need I go on?

At any rate, neither the above nor the whole "no RL birds" thing has anything to do with why the eagles thing is not a plot hole.

 

[TheLobster]

Unless -- wrinkle -- the eagle lord Gwaihir takes the ring and decides to keep it.

And he would title himself the Lord of the Wings.

 

[onehitwanda]

And he would title himself the Lord of the Wings.

Better than QuiverPrance, as the Legolas musical would be titled.

 

[Voboy]

So who had the biggest boobies in Middle-Earth?

Rosie Cotton. Clearly.

 

[StillStunned]

Rosie Cotton. Clearly.

Ooo, good one!

 

[Bramblethorn]

No RL Balrog can manage
No RL dragon can manage
No RL wizard can manage
No RL elf can manage
No RL ring can manage

Need I go on?

At any rate, neither the above nor the whole "no RL birds" thing has anything to do with why the eagles thing is not a plot hole.

That was the point of the last sentence of the post you're quoting.

 

[Voboy]

I'm afraid I'm going to have to call shenanigans on this. Tolkien wrote the Lord of the Rings between the late 1930s and 1949. In that time, it's fair to say that the entire world's opinion on aircraft had changed.

More: during the time that Tolkien was writing of the journey from Imladris to Moria, his beta reader was his son Christopher. Who read the early drafts while in training as a fighter pilot.

 

[onehitwanda]

More: during the time that Tolkien was writing of the journey from Imladris to Moria, his beta reader was his son Christopher. Who read the early drafts while in training as a fighter pilot.

Never mind that the whole Berlin Airlift took place before he published.

 

[SimonDoom]

Rosie Cotton. Clearly.

This was always my image of her. Bosomy, with a habit of showing cleavage when Sam was around. Not that we get that in the books, but I think it's implied.

 

[TheWritingGroup]

At the very least, Frodo wouldn't have developed the willpower to give up the Ring. At worst, he'll be trying to walk across the open air to hand it over to the Witch King.

Not arguing your actual point, but Frodo did not, in fact, ever develop the willpower to give up the Ring.

 

[StillStunned]

Not arguing your actual point, but Frodo did not, in fact, ever develop the willpower to give up the Ring.

Good catch.

 

[TheLobster]

Not arguing your actual point, but Frodo did not, in fact, ever develop the willpower to give up the Ring.

Isn't it established that basically no one would've been able to do it while in the heart of Orodruin? Sure, it might have been a convenient plot device for Tolkien to provide closure for Gollum and sneak in another glimpse of his divine providence kink; but it also has the earlier precedent in Isildur, which, whatever you want to say about the hardiness of hobbits, ought to have been a stronger-willed individual, him being a Numenorian and all.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Not arguing your actual point, but Frodo did not, in fact, ever develop the willpower to give up the Ring.

He doesn't, but his character development in the long journey into Mordor is still crucial in its destruction. His kindness to Gollum is why Gollum's there at the end to inadvertently finish the job for him, and Gandalf's "the pity of Bilbo" discussion strongly implies that this kind of thing is how destiny works in Middle-Earth.

 

[onehitwanda]

He doesn't, but his character development in the long journey into Mordor is still crucial in its destruction. His kindness to Gollum is why Gollum's there at the end to inadvertently finish the job for him, and Gandalf's "the pity of Bilbo" discussion strongly implies that this kind of thing is how destiny works in Middle-Earth.

There's also a strong hint that the reason Frodo resists the Ring for so long is precisely because of his innate kindness.

 

[SimonDoom]

Strength through kindness is an important theme. Gandalf is kind, and as pointed out his advice to Frodo about Gollum is both kind and wise and plays an important role in the success of the quest. Gandalf's kindness and wisdom go together and are contrasted with the lack of kindness and empathy shown by Saruman.