The appendices, indices, maps, and genealogies in the back of the book are your best friend - especially after the first two sections. With so many characters who are immortal, they show up over time and you may need a refresher on their previous appearances. There are also characters who share the same or similar name - so be careful not to get confused.
I lean toward definitely agreeing about Galadriel herself - she obviously doesn’t give off nearly as much light as the sun. Given her incredible strength though, I’m sure she could handle herself without that instant win.
As for the phial… while it is the same light as from the stars, there’s a significant difference in how much light. Considering how dark it is at night, trolls wouldn’t be receiving very much, especially with much of that light being the moon. Her phial gives a much larger concentration of “sunlight” than the stars.
Will it turn them to stone though? I don’t have enough cause to argue either way. Maybe they’ll just get some dermatitis lol
Some trolls turn to stone in sunlight
The sun is the vessel for the last fruit of Laurelin
The Phial of Galadriel (along with her hair) hold the hallowed light of the Two Trees of Valinor
Therefore - would Galadriel’s Phial, or merely her presence, turn these trolls to stone?
From the page about the Wizards:
“They were forbidden to dominate the free peoples of Middle-earth or to match Sauron's power with power and if they deviated from their appointed task their powers and memory of Valinor would begin to wane.”
I assume they would weaken just as Saruman did, and be unable to actually claim that title.
I can only imagine what would happen if Morgoth returned while Sauron was still claiming that title.
Yes I know Morgoth is the true Dark Lord, but after he was cast into the Void Sauron claimed the title for himself.
Does anyone know the reason for the Valar imposing the restrictions they did on the Wizards?
We know the Valar were reluctant to openly war against Morgoth until being convinced to in the War of Wrath. They wanted to avoid the massive damage to M.E. which did occur. However, Sauron was less powerful than his master, and his destruction would could massive damage to the lands his power was imbued in.
Why would the Wizards be restricted from using their full power and fighting Sauron as peers? Together they should have been able to severely hinder him, if not defeat him. Even if using their true power and revealing their identities, they could still guide the free peoples of M.E. without dominating them. In fact, openly coming as emissaries of the Valar might have made the free peoples more likely to listen to them and stand against Sauron.
Thròr’s Ring of Power was passed down to his son Thráin. When Thráin was captured and imprisoned in Dol Guldur, Sauron’s servants reclaimed the ring for the Dark Lord.
@Bitterhand yes, an exegetical interpretation of the text. Not just personal feeling/opinion.
I’m not sure what you mean by the article’s talk page.
Is there an existing discussion on the size of Ancalagon? I saw a very interesting argument online against the larger-than-mountains point of view that’s so common.
I should clarify, if they’re not calling it actual canon then I don’t really care. That way it’s no different from fan fiction. However if they try to claim it is canon, like Disney did with Star Wars, then that’s where my objections come.
@SerBronnoftheBlackwater There are certain characteristics of a franchise that define it. When you change those things, the franchise isn’t the same anymore. With Tolkien’s world, certain adult content is not present. It’s not something he just never got around to putting in, Tolkien chose not to.
Those of us saying we don’t want to see this done to LOTR isn’t because we don’t ever want to see that. I love GoT, including those adult aspects. But that’s part of what makes GoT what it is. Just like it would diminish GoT to make a clean version, it would diminish Tolkien’s universe by making it dirty. It’s about respecting and appreciating the franchise for what it is. If you don’t like it, watch/read something else. Don’t try to change it ton your liking, it’s bigger than you or I.
Oh I’m very forgiving of the LOTR trilogy. To change from a novel to movie requires some changes. I’m more referring to what was kept but altered in a way that impacts the larger lore of his world.
Still, that’s very different from someone else creating new content for his world.
Even if they do try to respect the franchise and don’t put that stuff in, I wouldn’t want to see any “original content.” It wouldn’t be anything more than corporate fan fiction.
The continuity issues in the shadow of Mordor/War games irk me, but I just ignore the bad lore to enjoy gameplay.
With a show, it’s all about story/lore. If they do original content, especially with nudity etc, I will refuse to watch it.
@Logan Flanagan The idea of female Viking warriors is highly debated. There is no evidence that it was widespread. It seems for now that female Vikings were rare, with women from that culture taking care of domestic issues while the men went raiding.
Of course that only reinforces the notion that Tolkien fairly represented women in his writing.