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Just saw lotr:rotk today, had some questions...

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95SS

Golden Member
Nov 30, 2003
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0
76
Originally posted by: MAME
Originally posted by: SampSon
Gandalf is a wizard, one of three that were created by "him".
As the world of tolkien goes, these 3 wizards are as much gods as they are men. So ultimatly the human world is really a minor thing.
From what I've read of tolkien, his idea of magic is much more spiritual and deeply rooted than traditional RPG style "magic".

Everyone on the boat was making the trip to the undying lands. Prior to a fall of numenor travel between the two lands was possible. After the numenoreans were tricked by Sauron to help him, the god sunk the island of numenor, and then made travel to the undying lands impossible, save for a select few.
The numenoreans who survived founded what is now known as Gondor. These humans were the descendants of elves, and thought to the be closest related being. For betraying their gods, they were denied passage and life to the undying lands.

Arwen gave up her mortality by choosing to stay in the mortal realm. I forgot the history behind it, but, all Elves were to make a homeage back to the undying lands, where they would stay for eternity. Just like it was before they made the trip to the mortal lands. By choosing to stay behind from this great migration destiny, she became immortal.

I know the plot hole about the witch king, but I can't remember how it works out. I know the book is better than the movie at explaining that.

Ultimatly I suggest you read the trilogy. There are also a few beatiaries out there that are written by, well, tolkien historians for lack of a better term.

Wow, ok then.
So wizards aren't really that powerful? That sucks...I seem to recall that Gandalf blocks axes and arrows thrown at him when he first appears after beating the Balrog fire guy. He didn't do anything cool like that in the movies...

Does everyone in the undying lands live forever? What do they do there anyway?

He does that in Fangorn, and heats Aragorn's sword up so he drops it.
 

MAME

Banned
Sep 19, 2003
9,281
1
0
Originally posted by: Barrak
No "MAN" can kill the witchking. Women and hobbits are not a MAN.

In the book Sauron was made powerless, but escapes and goes to hobbiton and takes over. Then then Merry and Pippin come back and kick his butt.

So the guy can detect the hormones/DNA of an attacker and is invincible if they match with male humans? That's really weak. If a guy ran up from behind and stabbed him, I'd imagine it would have done the same as the Hobbit and the girl.

Also, like 5 people have given different explainations as to Sauron and who killed him :confused:
 

MAME

Banned
Sep 19, 2003
9,281
1
0
Originally posted by: 95SS
Originally posted by: MAME
Originally posted by: SampSon
Gandalf is a wizard, one of three that were created by "him".
As the world of tolkien goes, these 3 wizards are as much gods as they are men. So ultimatly the human world is really a minor thing.
From what I've read of tolkien, his idea of magic is much more spiritual and deeply rooted than traditional RPG style "magic".

Everyone on the boat was making the trip to the undying lands. Prior to a fall of numenor travel between the two lands was possible. After the numenoreans were tricked by Sauron to help him, the god sunk the island of numenor, and then made travel to the undying lands impossible, save for a select few.
The numenoreans who survived founded what is now known as Gondor. These humans were the descendants of elves, and thought to the be closest related being. For betraying their gods, they were denied passage and life to the undying lands.

Arwen gave up her mortality by choosing to stay in the mortal realm. I forgot the history behind it, but, all Elves were to make a homeage back to the undying lands, where they would stay for eternity. Just like it was before they made the trip to the mortal lands. By choosing to stay behind from this great migration destiny, she became immortal.

I know the plot hole about the witch king, but I can't remember how it works out. I know the book is better than the movie at explaining that.

Ultimatly I suggest you read the trilogy. There are also a few beatiaries out there that are written by, well, tolkien historians for lack of a better term.

Wow, ok then.
So wizards aren't really that powerful? That sucks...I seem to recall that Gandalf blocks axes and arrows thrown at him when he first appears after beating the Balrog fire guy. He didn't do anything cool like that in the movies...

Does everyone in the undying lands live forever? What do they do there anyway?

He does that in Fangorn, and heats Aragorn's sword up so he drops it.

What is Fangorn and when did he heat up Aragorn's sword?

 

ElFenix

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Mar 20, 2000
102,402
8,574
126
First off, Gandalf, Sauron, and Saruman are all ainur, that is, they existed before the world and the world came about because of them. Some of the ainur chose to live in the world they created, of which Gandalf, Sauron, and Saruman were very minor. In the history to the Lord of the Rings, one of the ainur, melkor, tried to create as much chaos as possible. He was the original bad guy. He chose to live there as well, but was defeated by a combination of other ainur and a union of elves and men, culminated in the love of Beren and Luthien, human and elf (who actually defeated Melkor, iirc).

After Melkor was defeated the ainur chose to mainly stay in the West, where only immortals could dwell. The Numenoreans were given an island very close to the West, and could trade with the elven ships that came, but they could never reach the West themselves. Sauron exploited this fact, spoke poison to the Kings, and eventually caused the downfall of Numenor. Numenor tried to challenge the West, for which it was destroyed. But some managed to escape, to see Sauron's lies for what they were. That was Isildur, his father, and his brother, along with their people. They sailed to Gondor, which was already set up this time as a trading post for Numenor. They then met up with the elves in the second alliance of elves and men, and beat sauron as was shown in the movies. But of course Isildur was corrupted by the ring, which you know of.

But the ainur knew that sauron was still around. So they sent the Ishtari, the wizards, to help the races of middle earth (there is an eastern part of which little is known, and the western part where the ainur and high elves live). But the Ishtari could only guide. They were not powerful enough to challege Sauron himself. It was up to middle earth to do for middle earth. That is why Gandalf never really uses his powers.

The witch king of angmar could not be killed by a man. Literally, a man. It must have been some sort of prophecy that he would not be killed by a man, and everyone just assumed he wouldn't be killed, not that something else could kill him. The thing that isn't mentioned in the movies is that the sword the hobbit was carrying was gotten from a barrow wight, and was left there from the time that the witch king had first been defeated, created by elven smiths to injure the witch king and others like him. So the hobbit stabs the witch king with the magic sword, the magic binding him together was broken, and a woman, not a man, kills him.

As for Arwen, I really think it was just that she chose to stay after the other elves had all left. Had nothing to do with the giving of the necklace. The only thing it says is that she turned from the Twilight (being the West), and embraced the Doom of Man (death). Arwen really isn't in the books, so most of the stuff in the movie about her is contrived.

The guys at the end of the movie were going into the West, on a special ship that only Cirdan (the elf standing in the background) had the ability to build.

Tolkien didn't write much about anything that happened after the War of the Ring.

I suppose the ghost army could have defeated anything, but Aragorn wouldn't have used them that way.


if anything is wrong, well, its been a long time since i read the silmarillion
 

Wow, ok then.
So wizards aren't really that powerful? That sucks...I seem to recall that Gandalf blocks axes and arrows thrown at him when he first appears after beating the Balrog fire guy. He didn't do anything cool like that in the movies...

Does everyone in the undying lands live forever? What do they do there anyway?
No, they are much more powerful than they lead you to believe. But, have no real need to use it.

Everyone in the undying lands lives forever. I would imagine they learn and refine arts such as language, and metal working.

I believe in the book it's the saruman who comes back as <insert the name here> in hobbiton. Merry and Pippin "kill" him and his figure blows away in the wind. End of book. Of course, the whole journey back to hobbiton is a months long process. They kind of plod along and take their time.

 

ElFenix

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Mar 20, 2000
102,402
8,574
126
Originally posted by: SampSon
Wow, ok then.
So wizards aren't really that powerful? That sucks...I seem to recall that Gandalf blocks axes and arrows thrown at him when he first appears after beating the Balrog fire guy. He didn't do anything cool like that in the movies...

Does everyone in the undying lands live forever? What do they do there anyway?
No, they are much more powerful than they lead you to believe. But, have no real need to use it.

Everyone in the undying lands lives forever. I would imagine they learn and refine arts such as language, and metal working.

I believe in the book it's the saruman who comes back as <insert the name here> in hobbiton. Merry and Pippin "kill" him and his figure blows away in the wind. End of book. Of course, the whole journey back to hobbiton is a months long process. They kind of plod along and take their time.

sharkey was the name
 

speg

Diamond Member
Apr 30, 2000
3,681
3
76
www.speg.com
I do belive that the hobbits swords were made of something special, which is why he was able to hurt the witch king.
 

sharkey was the name
Was it? I thought it was Jack something.
My books are all packed away, so I can't even look.

Of course google would probably help, but I'm too lazy for that. :D
 

95SS

Golden Member
Nov 30, 2003
1,630
0
76
Originally posted by: MAME
Originally posted by: 95SS
Originally posted by: MAME
Originally posted by: SampSon
Gandalf is a wizard, one of three that were created by "him".
As the world of tolkien goes, these 3 wizards are as much gods as they are men. So ultimatly the human world is really a minor thing.
From what I've read of tolkien, his idea of magic is much more spiritual and deeply rooted than traditional RPG style "magic".

Everyone on the boat was making the trip to the undying lands. Prior to a fall of numenor travel between the two lands was possible. After the numenoreans were tricked by Sauron to help him, the god sunk the island of numenor, and then made travel to the undying lands impossible, save for a select few.
The numenoreans who survived founded what is now known as Gondor. These humans were the descendants of elves, and thought to the be closest related being. For betraying their gods, they were denied passage and life to the undying lands.

Arwen gave up her mortality by choosing to stay in the mortal realm. I forgot the history behind it, but, all Elves were to make a homeage back to the undying lands, where they would stay for eternity. Just like it was before they made the trip to the mortal lands. By choosing to stay behind from this great migration destiny, she became immortal.

I know the plot hole about the witch king, but I can't remember how it works out. I know the book is better than the movie at explaining that.

Ultimatly I suggest you read the trilogy. There are also a few beatiaries out there that are written by, well, tolkien historians for lack of a better term.

Wow, ok then.
So wizards aren't really that powerful? That sucks...I seem to recall that Gandalf blocks axes and arrows thrown at him when he first appears after beating the Balrog fire guy. He didn't do anything cool like that in the movies...

Does everyone in the undying lands live forever? What do they do there anyway?

He does that in Fangorn, and heats Aragorn's sword up so he drops it.

What is Fangorn and when did he heat up Aragorn's sword?


Fangorn Forest, in The Two Towers. Aragron, Gimli, and Legolas are tracking Merry and Pippin through the forest, and sense that "The White Wizard approaches". Thinking that it's Saruman, they attack, and are easily disarmed, in the manner you described. If i recall, Gandalf knocks away the weapons with his staff as they fly at him, then you see Aragorn drop a glowing sword.
 

MAME

Banned
Sep 19, 2003
9,281
1
0
Originally posted by: 95SS
Fangorn Forest, in The Two Towers. Aragron, Gimli, and Legolas are tracking Merry and Pippin through the forest, and sense that "The White Wizard approaches". Thinking that it's Saruman, they attack, and are easily disarmed, in the manner you described. If i recall, Gandalf knocks away the weapons with his staff as they fly at him, then you see Aragorn drop a glowing sword.

that happened in the movie? I guess I forgot it.



I also posted a reply to ElFenix but I lost my connection and everything I typed is gone.
 

NesuD

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
4,999
106
106
Why didn't Gandalf ever use his magic other than that one time with the light? I thought he was a wizard!
You must remember that Gandalf in fact isn't a man. If you read some of Tolkeins other works there are clues as to the origins of the wizards. They are more like a kind of Demigod and were sent to Middle earth by The Valar which are the true gods to aid the elves and men in their struggle against Morgoth and Sauron if i recall correctly. Morgoth was one of the Valar that had gone renegade ages before and had been destroyed by The Valar in a great war. Sauron was one of his henchmen and the only one to survive the war. To counter Sauron who in the beginning had been a demigod type being as well The Valar sent the wizards to middle earth but limited how much of their power they could use to aid the men and elves against Sauron. I think the basic rule was they could only match their immediate adversary in power expended such as the battle with the Balrog. In the books he does use his power a bit more but in subtle ways. Unfortunately because of the nature of movies much of that stuff didn't make it to the big screen.
I seem to recall that Gandalf blocks axes and arrows thrown at him when he first appears after beating the Balrog fire guy. He didn't do anything cool like that in the movies...

Actually he does do that in The Two Towers when Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli first encounter him in Fangorn forest and mistake him for Saruman. Gimli throws an axe which he shatters in the air, Legolas shoots an arrow which i think he flames, and Aragorns sword turns redhot in his hand forceing him to drop it. The Scene is in TTT extended edition don't recall for sure if it was in the theatrical release.
 

95SS

Golden Member
Nov 30, 2003
1,630
0
76
I seem to recall that Gandalf blocks axes and arrows thrown at him when he first appears after beating the Balrog fire guy. He didn't do anything cool like that in the movies...

Actually he does do that in The Two Towers when Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli first encounter him in Fangorn forest and mistake him for Saruman. Gimli throws an axe which he shatters in the air, Legolas shoots an arrow which i think he flames, and Aragorns sword turns redhot in his hand forceing him to drop it. The Scene is in TTT extended edition don't recall for sure if it was in the theatrical release.[/quote]

See my post above.;):beer:
 

MAME

Banned
Sep 19, 2003
9,281
1
0
Originally posted by: NesuD
Why didn't Gandalf ever use his magic other than that one time with the light? I thought he was a wizard!
You must remember that Gandalf in fact isn't a man. If you read some of Tolkeins other works there are clues as to the origins of the wizards. They are more like a kind of Demigod and were sent to Middle earth by The Valar which are the true gods to aid the elves and men in their struggle against Morgoth and Sauron if i recall correctly. Morgoth was one of the Valar that had gone renegade ages before and had been destroyed by The Valar in a great war. Sauron was one of his henchmen and the only one to survive the war. To counter Sauron who in the beginning had been a demigod type being as well The Valar sent the wizards to middle earth but limited how much of their power they could use to aid the men and elves against Sauron. I think the basic rule was they could only match their immediate adversary in power expended such as the battle with the Balrog. In the books he does use his power a bit more but in subtle ways. Unfortunately because of the nature of movies much of that stuff didn't make it to the big screen.
I seem to recall that Gandalf blocks axes and arrows thrown at him when he first appears after beating the Balrog fire guy. He didn't do anything cool like that in the movies...

Actually he does do that in The Two Towers when Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli first encounter him in Fangorn forest and mistake him for Saruman. Gimli throws an axe which he shatters in the air, Legolas shoots an arrow which i think he flames, and Aragorns sword turns redhot in his hand forceing him to drop it. The Scene is in TTT extended edition don't recall for sure if it was in the theatrical release.

So why didn't the gods just kill Sauron if they wanted him dead?
 

Jfrag Teh Foul

Diamond Member
Jul 18, 2001
3,146
0
0
Originally posted by: PipBoy
Galdalf only uses magic directly against enemy magic (vs Balrog, vs Nazgul attacking the horsemen). Otherwise he lets men determine their own fate, using only his own mortal abilities to influence & lead. He doesn't go around dumping 12d6 fireballs into orc encampments ;)

Is that by D&D or AD&D rules. ;)

 

Siddhartha

Lifer
Oct 17, 1999
12,505
3
81
Elrond was half human and half elven. His family were able to choice between being mortal and immortal. Elrond's brother, who is Aragon's ancestor, choose mortality. In her love for Aragon, Arwen choose mortality.

BTW, Arwen was over 2000 years old when she first meets Aragon.

Edit:
Tolkien wrote the LOTR as a heroic fantasy in which Hobbits are the main characters with the other men, races, elves, wizards, etc are secondary. This is a twist for this genre because usually it is strongest who are the main characters and heros.

 

Tom

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
13,293
1
76
The other thing which I think is true and should be remembered..

Is that the book, LOTR, is the account of what happened as it would have been known by someone who was part of that world. It isn't written from the position of an overseeing God figure who can understand and explain every event that happens.

Kind of like the way the different authors of the Bible had various interpretations and explanations of the world and events of their time.