@Fandyllic West of the undying lands on the very edge of the world. They are further west than Valinor.
@Fandyllic technically Elves don't go to the undying lands on death, they go to the Halls of Mandy's to await the end of the world when they will help Eru Illuvatar remake the world.
I don't think any of the changes were for the better. There a no changes in the movies that I like better than what is in the book; HOWEVER, I do find many of the changes understandable for the necessity of clarity in a movie.
There are several different books you can buy. Search Elvish Dictionary on Amazon.
Villain is a strong word. He was a corrupt man with bad intentions who decided to defy the biggest rule the Valar gave him leading to the deaths of almost all the Numenorians and the destruction of Numenor itself. So yeah, I'd say in the end that is pretty villainous. Sauron only stirred up what was already in Pharazons heart, Sauron didn't plant it there.
@Randomguy987123 aren't they all very good? Haha it's hard to rank them and in any ranking they are all very close!
Welcome! This is a pretty great community! And my favorite is ROTK because of the emotion and the skill of the writing.
Personally, I would say the only ones that really need to go in order are the Histories of Middle Earth. So Lost Tales - The People's of Middle Earth. But other than that it doesnt really matter, so when in doubt go in the same order they were published.
It does make a little more sense though to read Beren and Luthien and The Fall of Gondolin and the Children of Hurin close to the same time you read the Silmarillion, but it isn't necessary.
Very true. I always saw it as a combination of Inherited/took/was given the title by those afraid of him haha.
Well he is called the Dark Lord in the book "One for the Dark Lord on his Dark Throne." The term actually became a trope after Tolkien popularized it. @PoolDeadpool2
@Nick Bu is correct. Thror gave it to Thrain and it was taken from Thrain after he was captured in Dol Guldor and before Gandalf found him there.
@Gaurangi Sookdeo I am enjoying it so far!
@Emperor2078 for me it is more an issue that the sexual content is untrue to the source material and would probably offend J.R.R. Tolkien. They are trying to be Game of Thrones instead of Middle Earth, which is a problem for me.
Amen! I am also very disappointed!
I should clarify, I am new to this App/website, but I'm not new to being a HUGE LOTR (and Tolkien in general) fan. But since I am new I wanted to get to know the community here a little bit with a question:
Who are your favorite characters in the Legendarium and why?
This is something I have said before too! It is amazing how a villain that gets 0 "screen" time can be so feared. It is a brilliant piece of writing that totally expands the world for the reader by allowing the "edges" to be a little blurry.
It really depends on what you want to read. The Silmarillion is amazing and I love it! I can see why that is winning. However, Tales From The Perilous Realm is also great. It is more lighthearted and fun. Also, Tolkien's essay "On Fairy Stories" that is in my copy is absolutely amazing!
The Professor will literally turn in his grave if they TV show has suggestive content. He was a devout Catholic and I would presume to assert, that content is definitely NOT what he would want.
@ArwenUdomiel Actually, in the forward to the Second Edition Tolkien himself says, "But I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence. I much prefer history, true or feigned, with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers. I think that many confuse ‘applicability’ with ‘allegory’; but the one resides in the freedom of the reader, and the other in the purposed domination of the author."
So as The Professor says, applicability is the key. What is actually being discussed here is applicability confused for allegory. Tolkien didn't write any of it with the express intent for it to be allegorical, but he would be delighted that readers are able to take his writing and apply their own meaning and learn their own lessons from it.
