Brush Up on Your Lord of the Rings Lore With These 30 Interesting Facts

John Summers • Contributor

Mar 7, 2024 11:00 PM EST

Embark on a journey through Middle-earth with this collection of 30 interesting facts about The Lord of the Rings, brought to you by the Imgur user with the ridiculously long name: Idontalwaysbutwhenidoiaccidentallythewholething. These facts delve into the depths of J.R.R. Tolkien's literary masterpiece, the epic film adaptations by Peter Jackson, and the life of the author himself. From hidden details in the movies to lesser-known tidbits about the books and their creator, this compilation is a treasure trove for fans of the beloved fantasy saga.

As we explore these fascinating insights, we'll uncover the dedication, creativity, and passion that went into bringing the world of hobbits, elves, and orcs to life. Whether you're a longtime admirer of Tolkien's work or a newcomer to the wonders of Middle-earth, these facts will enhance your appreciation for the enduring legacy of The Lord of the Rings. So, prepare to be enchanted by the magic, the lore, and the behind-the-scenes stories that make this series a timeless classic.

01
15 different languages

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J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of Lord of the Rings didn't invent the Elvish languages to fit into the Lord of the Rings timeline, but wrote Lord of the Rings as a background history for the 15 different languages he created.
02
Sindarin

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The Elvish language (Sindarin) J.R.R. Tolkien used for The Lord of the Rings was entirely independent from any other language, and as of 2008 contained some 25000 words.
03
Twice the budget

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The budget for just two "The Hobbit" movies was almost twice the budget of the entire Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
04
Everybody loves Sam

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Tolkien considered Sam Gamgee the "chief hero" of The Lord of the Rings. (and so do we)
05
Changes to "The Hobbit"

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In the original 1937 edition of "The Hobbit," Gollum willingly bet his ring in a game of riddles with Bilbo and the two parted on good terms when the ring went 'missing'. Tolkien changed the story in his second edition to reflect the corruptive powers of the ring taking shape in, "The Lord of the Rings" Trilogy.
06
Fear of flying

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While filming Lord of the Rings in the mountainous New Zealand, Sean Bean refused a helicopter ride to a set that was high in the mountains due to his fear of flying. He instead hiked up to the set in his full Boromir armor every day that they shot up there.
07
The other side of the coin

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In 1999, a Russian author, Kirill Eskov published a novel that retold The Lord of The Rings from Sauron's Perpective. In his version, he depicted Mordor as a peaceful country and Gandalf and Aragorn as evil.
08
Not a fan

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Surprisingly, Tolkien's son, Christopher Tolkien hates The Lord of the Rings movies
09
Th e man The myth The legend

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Christopher Lee (Saruman) was the only person involved with the Lord of the Rings films to have actually met Tolkien
10
Translated from Westron

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The Lord of the Rings novels were written as if they were translated to English, and the original common tongue of the books is called Westron.
11
The Beatles

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The Beatles once approached Stanley Kubrick with the idea of shooting Lord of the Rings movie that starred them. Kubrick told John Lennon, he felt the story was unfilmable
12
Another Bilbo Adventure

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Instead of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien intended to write "A New Hobbit" about Bilbo who had spent all his riches from The Hobbit and wanted to go on another adventure. Tolkien remembered the powers of the ring from his first book and decided to write about that instead.
13
The Lord of the Horses

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Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn) bonded with the two horses that he rode in Lord of the Rings, so he purchased them from their owner.
14
Best Picture

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"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" is the first and only fantasy film ever to win an Academy Award for "Best Picture".
15
Not an alternate reality

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Tolkien has often mentioned that Lord of the Rings takes place in the real world and that we are now currently in the Seventh Age.
16
Titan's Mountains

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An International Astronomical Union regulation states that all mountains on Titan must be named after the mountains from The Lord of the Rings.
17
Frodo's audition tape

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Elijah Wood created his Lord of the Rings' Frodo audition tape in the woods with a homemade Hobbit costume.
18
Viggo who?!

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While filming "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, Viggo Mortensen got so into character that during a conversation, Peter Jackson referred to him as "Aragorn" for over half an hour without him even realizing it.
19
Bought for cheap

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JRR Tolkien's estate only received $62,500 for the Lord of the Rings film trilogy until a lawsuit was filed.
20
Sauron’s destruction

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In The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' (2003), they made a special effort to make sure that Sauron's tower being destroyed did not resemble the World Trade Center attack.
21
“You shall not pass!”

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Gandalf's famous quote "You shall not pass" line in the book/movie is an allusion to a propaganda slogan predating to World War 1.
22
That's a lot of feet!

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Around 10,000 prosthetic facial appliances, over 3,500 pairs of Hobbit feet, 2 500 foam body suits, 1,200 suits of armour, 2,000 weapons and 10,000 arrows were made for the Lord of The Rings trilogy.
23
The War of the Ring

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Tolkien did not want the third Lord of the Rings book to be called 'Return of the King', as he felt it revealed too much about the story. This title was chosen by the publisher.
24
“Lúthien and Beren”.

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The gravestone of J.R.R. Tolkien and his wife is inscribed with "Lúthien" and "Beren". They were two tragic legendary characters in The Lord of the Rings, who were madly in love.
25
University of California Housing

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Housing at University of California, Irvine is called Middle Earth and each hall is named after a region or town in LOTR.
26
Sean Connery

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Sean Connery turned down the role of Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which cost him $300 million (he was offered 15% of the film's profit).
27
He does fall A LOT

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Frodo falls down exactly 39 times in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
28
Actually stabbed

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In the scene where Frodo is stabbed by Shelob's stinger, Elijah Wood was actually stabbed with a prop one.
29
The perfect Saruman

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It was Christopher Lee's lifelong dream to play Gandalf in the LOTR movies. He auditioned for the role, but was given the part of Saruman instead because they thought he was too old to handle the fighting scenes.
30
17 years

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The length of time from when Frodo first gets the ring to when he actually sets out on his adventure is 17 years, not a few weeks like the movie makes it seem.