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I love your videos!!! I was wondering if maybe it would work to replay the footage from the films in slow-ish motion? Especially for some moments, it would result in more of a meditative and thoughtful tone, and it would also result in seeing the same few scenes less, so they'd be more special. Idk if it's possible or anything like that, but just a thought from the peanut gallery. 🥜
Arwen gave the pendant to Aragorn in Imladris ... back when he was a boy ... that is why he got no gift because there was no more precious gift than the Love of an Eldar betrothing themselves to a Dunnedain
The box of dirt didn't save only the shire. It saved all of Middle Earth because the hope it induced encouraged Sam to complete the journey to Mount Doom.
@@lauriewsmith1 Because it's a spoiler. The mallorn seed isn't mentioned until the very end, even Sam didn't know it was there until he opened it up after the Scouring.
Galadriel didn't give Feanor her hair because of his presumptuousness, and the arrogant way in which he asked for it, as though he was entitled to it. Contrast this with the shy and humble way in which Gimi makes his request, believing himself unworthy of it. This theme of "arrogance vs humility" plays a large part in Tolkien's world.
In _Unfinished Tales_ Fëanor was inspired by how Galadriel's hair seemed to capture the silver and gold light of the Two Trees to eventually create the Silmarils. It also says that "these two kinsfolk, the greatest of the Eldar of Valinor, were unfriends for ever."
@@darthkek1953 In _Unfinished Tales_ he "begged three times for a tress, but Galadriel would not give him even one hair." There's no objective quantity for a lock but pictures show them to be a substantial amount, probably 30 or more hairs. A tress is defined as a long lock of hair so Fëanor was asking for a lot from her.
One thing I've always loved about Sam's storyline is that when Frodo is taken captive Sam takes and put on the ring in order to evade the orcs. When he does this the ring tries to deceive him by giving him a vision. He sees himself leading armies and overthrowing the dark tower and making Mordor into a garden. Sam refuses thinking that he does not desire a garden grown to the size of a realm a simple home with a simple garden is enough. When he returns home he leads the effort to restore the Shire using Galadriel's gift to make the Shire bloom. By choosing to use the gift in the service of all he makes even the deceits of the enemy come true and Galadriel's words to him. Galadriel: "For you little gardener and lover of trees ... in this box is earth from my orchard and such blessing as Galadriel has still to bestow upon it ... if you keep it and see your home again at last, then perhaps it may reward you. Though you should find all barren and laid waste, there will be few gardens in Middle-earth that will bloom like your garden, if you sprinkle this earth there." When Sam meets Galadriel again after returning to the Shire she compliments him on how well he used the gift she gave him.
It's pretty interesting that, basically, all you need to defeat the ring is humility. The ring cannot deal with humility, as it wouldn't fathom why one would relinquish more power.
That's really interesting part is he uses a single grain of the soil in a wide area across the shire in order to restore it. That was the coolest part. got to imagine the amount of concentration it takes to just pull out a single grain of soil
@@AdmiralStoicRum He puts a single grain to the roots of the young trees that he plants, and throws the remaining dust in the air in the middle of the Shire.
I love the elves response when they learn Sam loves rope and rope-making. “Had we known that this craft delighted you, we could have taught you much”. So like elves
She also did it because he complained that he forgot to bring rope before leaving the Shire 17 years before Gandalf returned after Bilbo’s Birthday Party.
@@kristoferprovencal3608 my head cannon is sam spends his last days with those same elves in the undying lands, learning the craft of elven rope making
I just love Gimli in this scene from the books. His genuine sincerity about the single hair, to make it an heirloom, and a sign of friendship between him and elves. Man I love Gimli.
the actor really sold the value he had for such a gift. even the way he trails off at the thought because she gave him three, and how special it was to him to receive more than even he asked for. gimli is great
@@Connor-of-Rivia It's never really brought up much, but Tolkien wrote both him and Legolas as Paragons of their respective races in much the same way as Aragorn was for the race of Men. His feats and achievements before and after the books, and his enduring friendship with Legolas are matched by few others, and it's telling that Gimli was the only known Dwarf to make the trip to Valinor when Legolas felt his time to leave had come.
@@IainDoherty51…and Gimli never went to Valinor, the equivocal notation not-withstanding. Tolkien later clarified that it didn’t happen but more to the point, it couldn’t. Why? The ban the Valar placed on mortals entering Aman was as close to absolute as possible. if you consider the case of Ëarendil and Elwing who sailed to Valinor with a recovered Silmaril, to plea for the Valar’s help. Morgoth had conquered all of Beleriand save the Havens, and was poised to invade Eregion to the East. Elwing was an elf but Ëarendil was a man albeit of noble ancestorage. Their plea was heard but Ëarendil was obliged to become an elf so the Valar’s ban wasn’t violated in retrospect, neither were permitted to return to middle-Earth even though they had young sons Elrond and Elros, and (according to one telling) they were tasked with sailing the Silmaril in the sky as a sign of hope. Or consider the Númenor invasion of Valinor. The Valar considered that so grave a matter that-for the one and only time-they laid down their guardianship of the world and called upon Illúvatar to stop them. Illúvatar destroyed the invading fleet, the island of Númenor, and reshaped the world so it became impossible to sail to the West-except for a special straight road that only immortals could find and take-that would lift them out of the circles of the world and hence to the undying lands. Why would they make an exception for a dwarf that spent a few months as a traveling companion on a dangerous journey? It’s preposterous. The ring bearers, OTOH, suffered real, actual damage to their spirits (fëa) from wearing the One Ring. That and their existential contribution to the survival of middle-Earth earned them the extraordinary permission to pass into the West-for healing, not as a reward. Last, Gimli wouldn’t *want* to go. As a dwarf, being buried with his kin and forefathers would have been very important to him. Buried amongst the flowers with the elves in a faraway land? I think not. I have no doubt Legolas lingered through Gimli’s lifetime before sailing to the West-but that is what must have happened.
@@no-oneyou-know1117 Well....since the only critters there were immortal by default and even the elves from the first kinslaying were up and walking around again...Maybe you are only let in if you could handle it now.
@@samedmundson6470thats probably the reason mortals werent allowed there, elves go there to wait the end of the world basically to live in peace if mortals chilled there they would keep dyin and stress em out active elves can live lives in middle earth, but even more so reason is likely for the mortals themselves they would see immortality and wish for it and try to go against the will Eru and his design as Numenorians did. Only in very very rare occasions are there exceptions when some prove themselves to be pure of heart
Another minor but important difference is that Aragorn does not tell Galadriel that he wishes for Arwen to be with her people, the fact is that Aragorn's whole conquest is part of one giant dowry to Elrond to be able to marry Arwen, so he has got a lot riding on the success of the fellowship to complete the goal.
@@GrandmasterplaysYT Yeah, Galadriel is Arwen's grandmother, and yes, Arwen is Aragorn's first cousin but since he is 87 and she is 2700 (or so) they are so far removed they may as well be unrelated.
It's sad that Sam's gift had to be changed because of the removal of the Scouring. It provides beautiful closure to the story, and a very important thing that happens as a result of the gift, in addition to the spreading of the spoil, but I won't spoil it, of course.
Agreed . The scouring should have made it, and more faith to the storyline. I wanted to see the hurons. Han zuri han as intended. Quickbeam. Sharky. Ah-Jackson, instead of a trilogy a quad. It would have worked.
@@picklesnoutpenobscott3165 Could have still kept it a trilogy and just trimmed down some of the excess... the whole thing with Aragorn falling off the cliff, the wolf rider attack, Battle of the Hornburg taking up half the movie, Faramir taking Frodo to Osgiliath, it was all unnecessary. Tolkien had actually wanted film adaptions to follow the structure of the books, too, so there is one long segment of the Treason of Isengard, one long segment of The Ring going East, etc.
if they tried to do the entire book (3 novels was the publisher's idea, not Tolkiens), it would easily become a series of at least 10 seasons, perhaps more. Although, I wish they had included a few scenes about the scouring.
Part of the reason that Gimli found Legolas' comment that he should be satisfied to have the memory of Galadriel unsettling is because for Elves, reliving a memory is like experiencing the event all over again. Elves can effectively live in their memories. Dwarves, as Gimli notes, don't have that ability, and for them, memories are far less vivid, and inevitably fade with time.
And the flipside of a ptsd type of bad memory in ones recall is to never forget a good memory ...I cannot compare minor and major life events to a soldiers, or to a person with a severe mental or physical issue, I have my own but not incapacitating mostly, point is IS THERE ARE WAYS TO THINK, TO TRAIN ONES MIND TO OVERIDE THE BAD MEMORIES, AT LEAST SOME OF THEM, WITH THE GOOD MEMORIES. ANY THERAPIST IS A PLACE TO START. IT DOESNT HELP EVERYBODY...BUT WORTH A SHOT...TO SPEND 20 MINUTES A DAY...REMEMBERING AND SIMPLY THINKING GOOD STRONG JOY INSTEAD OF BAD WEAK HORRIBLE SADNESS. GOD HELPS THOSE WHO HELP THEMSELVES...AND NEVER EVER THINK THAT HE HAS FORGOTTEN YOU. ENDINGS, SOLUTIONS AND PROBLEM SOLVINGS DOES TAKE TIME, AS WELL AS CHANGING ONES THINKING, BUT IT CAN HAPPEN! 😊❤
Thank you for explaining the magnitude of Galadriel's gift to Gimli as it relates to Feanor. So few Tolkien creators mention that when discussing the topic.
@@factorfantasyweekly Wasn't the reason he wanted her hair that it had basked in the light of the one tree and reflected some of it's light and him making the silmarills was his second option? This is just from memory so I could be wrong.
One could argue the whole business of the first age wouldn't have happened if Feanor got those hairs from Galadriel. Most of the fellowship and also alot of the viewers would never understand the significance
I think the hair gift is what led to his opening up. He would know the story, and to have been given to a dwarf by Galadriel is like the ultimate "I vouch for this guy. "
As someone who has read the trilogy many times, and also loved the movies, I enjoyed your video. I did miss Sam's real gift, but as other have pointed out, with the removing of the Scouring of the Shire, Galadriel's real gift no longer made sense for the movie.
The rope and the disappointment was probably a nod to them not being able to fit the Scouring in, and their own feelings at omitting the whole thing. If he could, P. J. Would have included everything, I imagine.
it could have been added as just something she gave to someone who loves gardens. Didn't need to show the Scouring and how the box transformed the Shire afterwards. just my thought. Also, they could have shown that the rope had value to Sam. He could've smiled when handed it.
8:26 I feel it is worth noting that gold belts are generally used as funeral garments for the deceased. This is significant as Galadriel had the foresight of Boromir’s death that is soon to come
Also, when Faramir is questioning Sam and Frodo in Ithilien, he mentions seeing Boromir's body in the boat and that the belt was the one thing among Boromir's possessions that he didn't recognize. The fact that Frodo knew about the belt and was able to explain how it came into Boromir's possession, I think, went a long way towards convincing Faramir that Frodo and Sam were being truthful.
I've never heard of gold belts being reserved for funeral garments in Tolkien or even in general cultural use. If so, that would be an obviously creepy gift like giving him a burial shroud.
@@dlxmarksI didn’t either. But if you think about it, there’s some rationale to this explanation Gold is too soft for everyday use & definitely too soft to hold up real garments. But it was an item of great value worn by great leaders and usually buried with them in their graves. So it was an appropriate gift to Boromir.
@@lamdao1242 I don't think the belt was supposed to solid gold. I believe it would have been mostly leather and fabric embroidered with gold thread and decorated with gold ornamentation.
*Slight correction:* Aragorn’s gift from Galadriel is a green stone set in a brooch. Not really a necklace. The parallel in the movie is the necklace, but the actual gift in the book isn’t a “necklace”.
The gift of the soil is the greatest gift a gardener such as Sam could receive. Only a gardener/farmer would truly appreciate how amazing of a gift that was. Yes it's not useful on the journey but it is exactly what Sam would cherish when he returned home, cherish and use.
Man what a loot box they got from the elf raid. Epic cloaks with +10 invisibility , legendary dagger and bow, and a amazing off hand for Frodo that increased his mana massively and finally food buffs for the whole guild.
Such a pity that they didn’t add the return to the Shire. That is when many things are wrapped up and beautiful morals are shown. When they refuse to shed any blood or take any revenge in the retaking of the Shire (he even spares Saruman) is one, and when Sam uses his gifts to share with the whole community is another. This stuff caused a profound impression on me as a kid when I read the books, and they are important morals
Oh god it makes so much sense now! Why he was so hopeful and carried the whole team because of it - he had an actual physical heirloom to remind him of home and how things will be if he is succesful, not just thoughts and prayers
The departure scene also omits one of Gimli's best quotes: "But I would not have come, had I known the danger of light and joy. Now I have taken my worst wound in this parting". The second sentence is said but the first half is so powerful.
Was kind of funny in the book that boats made Sam so nervous that it was written he wasn't even allowed to take a turn at rowing and neither Frodo nor Aragorn would trust him with the oars.
Yes they should have made him getting the rope an event, with Sam being delighted to get such a high quality rope. it would have been more in character, at least.
@@JoeMama410Yeap, people who didn't read The Silmarillion don't understand how old she is. I mean, Elrond is old (as old as the first king of Numenor, his brother) but Galadriel wasn't even born in Middle Earth 😂
@@shawn092182But Galadriel was born in Valmar, the large elvish city in Valinor, under the light of the Two Trees. She was a direct, close relative of Fëanor. You can’t get much higher in Noldor power and royalty than that!
I look forward to these videos each week, thank you! A few years ago I watched a couple of videos delving more deeply into the backstory of Galadriel‘s gift to Gimli. I highly recommend searching for those, because it’s far too nuanced and beautiful to go fully into it here. Every detail adds more weight to the significance of her gift. Masterful writing by the Professor
I love the detail from the books about the Shire being forced through an Industrial Revolution. A greedy, industrious Hobbit destroys a near utopia and Tolkien frames that as a bad thing. How radical of an idea am I right? Wonder why this is never shown...
It was "Sharkey" (the defrocked Saruman) who was behind the destruction of the "Utopia" of the Shire. He had been so corrupted by Sauron that he hated anything good and naturally pure-- and he wanted to get back at Gandalf, who Saruman knew had a special place in his heart for Hobbits and the Shire. Lotho Sackville-Baggins had facilitated Sharkey at first because it gave Lotho a position of power and influence. In the end he became a puppet of Sharkey who took things farther than Lotho ever would have, and, by the time of the Scouring, he had been displaced-- before being murdered by Wormtongue. I believe Tolkien was illustrating how greed and hunger for power are often behind "progress", and how once people choose the path to corruption they often get more than they bargained for.
I think you describe the event in the extended edition. As far as I remember (which is not very well, because I only watch extended versions :) ), the cinematic version only shows that Frodo receives the light. This creates a massive plot hole in the trilogy, as the cloaks, lembas bread and Sam's rope all have roles to play in the subsequent movies, and are just there. So bit by bit, viewers not knowing the books just would come across a lot of 'oh they have another elvish thing' moments.
Which is crazy because in the movies most of those items are barely mentioned after that point and almost seem inconsequential as gifts. I dont think the rope is mentioned again ever after that scene either.
Two biggest things I disliked about the movies was sams gift and when Arwyn made the river take out the nazgul. It was Elrond using his ring which was the 'water power ring' and Gandalf added the horses to make it look cool. Elrond having a ring was a key plot point.
Good breakdown, I would have to point out that half the stuff you’re talking about wasn’t even mentioned in the theatrical release or original DVD release of LOTR. These are all the extended releases, that weren’t released and seen till years later.
Merry and Pippin getting daggers as gifts was inserted here because the whole episode in the Old Forest with Tom Bombadil and the Barrow Wights was cut out They actually got the daggers when rescued by Tom as he hands the weapons to them after dispersing the shade of the Barrow -Wight which leaves the Wight's weapons. These were forged with the intention of harming the Witch-King of Angmar who was the chief Nazgul (and that's why Merry was able to wound said Nazgul and leave him open for Eowyn's fatal attack during the Battle of the Field of Pelennor)
It's a bit of a grim fact that Sam's gift in the movie is considerably more pitiful than in the book. But I gladly accept it for film technical reasons. The Scouring of the Shire is removed and thus Sam has to get something else. The rope in particular is one of the essential things that Sam has both lacked and will need. The solution is flexible, simple and brilliant. They use the rope several times during the trip and here it is quickly and easily explained how exactly Sam had a rope. In the book, the lack of, the longing for and later the possession of rope takes up quite a lot of space. This is how you simply solve how information in film is delivered. What is possibly a shame is that Sam is making his slightly silly comment about running out of daggers. Peter Jackson injects humor, which here feels irrelevant. Sam should have been as happy about the rope as he is when he finds rope in the boat in the book.
I totally agree. It makes sense for the movie except for that brief comment, which is totally out of character for Sam. If he would’ve been excited about the rope, I really would have 0 complaints here.
@@factorfantasyweekly I hope you read my previous comment about how much I appreciate this analysis series. Otherwise, I'll write this again. You are doing a great job!!!
I still think they should have kept the Scouring of the Shire in the movie, or at least for the extended editions. It's a bookend to the plot and it's important. It's not like the audience is going to leave at that point.
At the very least for Sam's rope, they could have had a line of dialogue where an Elf explains how the rope will hold tight when you want it too, and then come undone with a simple tug so you can recover it quickly and easily. Otherwise, when they show exactly that in the next movie, it's almost portrayed as a nearly fatal mistake by Sam when the rope they're using to climb down a cliff in Emyn Muil just lets go right after Sam tugs on it, right after explaining how his knot would never just come undone and the rope is now lost to them... when instead it's essentially Elven "magic" and the rope (and Sam's knot) are simply working exactly as intended
The movie does give a slight nod to Galadriel’s actual gift to Sam. As Frodo & Sam journey together to Mordor, Frodo sees a little box Sam carries. Sam explains it contain salt for seasoning. Kind of a poor nod, yes, but there to see for book-loving viewers.
The Uruk-Hai commander's name is Lurtz (probably after the Black Speech word Lugburz, which means Barad-Dûr the Dark Tower), played by Lawrence Makoare.
Considering how long the movies were in the making, and the fact that they were made for the fan base more than attracting new viewers, I feel that swapping out the actual gift for a rope was letting down the story as well as the character of Samwise.
Really enjoyed this. I haven't read the books, don't plan to either. YOU have done an EXCELLENT job of summing them up and best of all including changes in the movie . I will also be catching up with the rest of your videos. Seems like changing the SOIL gift to a ROPE for Sam? was dumb. The SOIL gift was so much better figuratively and eventually literally . I REALLY like the SOIL/ORIGINAL JRRT version better.
The biggest change in my opinion .. is the omission of were the dagger actually came from. Tom Bombadil gave them the daggers at the Barrow Downs... the daggers were used in the wraith wars which is why they were so affective against the Ring Wraiths........ but since Tom was completely written out of the movies... they snuck the daggers in
Insightful video. Jackson really undersold Gimli's warmth and emotionalism. He was so much deeper than the movie gave him credit for. It's a shame Jackson could not have found a way to impart the significance of the dirt gift.
I just wish that Peter Jackson had made more of the daggers given to Merry and Pippin. It wouldn't even have added much more than a second to the film either to actually show Merry pull that dagger from his belt before plunging it into the thigh of the wraith king...
Something odd about the Mallorn-leaf clasps for the Elven cloaks in the movies: When they first get them, everybody wears them pointing to their right side. Well, I can't say for sure about Gimli because of his beard. Sometime between when they get out into the Anduin and the death of Boromir, Sam's clasp ends up pointing to his left. You can see that it's different when he chases after Frodo and almost drowns. It stays that way for the rest of the trilogy, but nobody else changes theirs. (Again, I can't tell with Gimli.) I always wondered if Peter Jackson had him do this purposely for some reason.
Legolas smiling after Gimli telling him about his gift, is a hint that he's aware of the event between Galadriel and Feanor (who was her uncle BTW). While Gimli wasn't crying in the movie (that'd been too sentimental for his character), he is depressed that he wouldn't see Galadriel again, so there's little difference. The reason why it isn't shown with Galadriel giving her the hairs, it would been too cumbersome to film and it would look strange and awkward, especially to those who haven't read the books. Even John Rhys-Davies himself asks in the behind the scenes interviews how Cate Blanchett would pull off three strands of hair (which he does demonstrate) and how he would act it out. It was easier and simpler to talk about it than show it.
@@mevb Not necessarily. While Feanor is considered one of the greatest of the elves, he is also associated with great shame because of the kinslaying. I doubt that elves casually bring up his name in conversation.
@keithtorgersen9664 Though, how bad history have been, it is always been remembered and reminded through the ages. Just think of the Germans and being reminded of World Wars I and II or Americans how their ancestors invaded Native American territories to claim their lands as their own. It's not something that you want to know but it's necessary. Besides, Leoglas is a royalty and leaders tend to know stuff normal people don't. Maybe Elrond have told him and Thranduil about it at some point between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
First, let me congratulate you on your brilliant idea to contrast the books with the movies - and your equally brilliant execution of same. My only note concerning the daggers given to Merry and Pippin is how this is also flawed as they each already have weapons of specific potency, which will become important to the overall story for Merry. The dagger of Westernesse that he has from the Barrow Down is arguably the most important weapon in terms of its actual deadly capabilities that is featured in the books. This is because it was forged to specifically destroy the witch-king, and that is how Merry used it. Anduril, which must be a more potent blade, while very important symbolically, nevertheless did not have such a potent or important individual impact as unravelling the spell that bound the witch-king's sinews to his will. Love your series!
The answer is simple. Without the Scouring of the Shire, her gift of the box of soil and the Mallorn seed to Sam would make no sense. There should have been 4 movies where the fourth was the return to the Shire, the Scouring of the Shire and the eventual sailing to the West of Frodo, Bilbo, and the others. But Peter Jackson didn't understand the Scouring of the Shire and left it out. Tolkien, having been through two world wars knew how hard it could be for soldiers to fit back into normal society after the horrors of war. Jackson even showed this as the 4 hobbits sat in a tavern drinking beer yet looking out of place. The Scouring of the Shire was a way for the hobbits to take what they learned and integrate it into their ordinary lives and community in a way that everyone could appreciate and understand. They became heroes of the Shire. It was only what they learned on their journey that allowed them to succeed in protecting the Shire.
The more you learn about the Silmarillion, the more you realize the gift of the three hairs for Gimli was far-and-away the most profound of all. Galadriel shows her unusual wisdom, giving the gift which she withheld from the hot-headed Feanor (perhaps the most renown elf of all time, and arguably the one who initiated ALL the pivotal events in Middle Earth, including every part of The War of the Rings) after THOUSANDS of years.... to a dwarf in a moment of his absolute humbling, who at that moment represented the polar opposite of Feanor. ...AND in doing so, Galadriel symbolically healed the rift created between Dwarves and Elves after the slaying of (King Thingel ??), which itself was another pivotal tragedy borne almost-directly from the same avarice which she sensed in Feanor - his manic nature & passion which caused him to forge the dangerously-powerful Silmarils - and for which she denied him all those years ago. The poetic synchrony in this storyline is just amazing.
Tolkien wrote LOTR as SIX books which were bound in three pairs; the film version should have been six separate films. The Hobbit could have been condensed to two films and fewer additions, like the giant Stone Worms and the side stories of Legolas going to the far North to see the unexpected Orc army marching South and the series of scenes of Bard and his family .
The return home, the scouring of the shire' was the entire Point of the books, which makes sense that Jackson missed it. Instead of unending endings, it was also a treat for the readers, feeling sad the story was 'over'. The hobbits grow enough to take down a diminished saruman, by themselves. A lot of the scenes in the books explained and expanded Tolkien's concepts that jackson missed.
There was another thing they changed later on because they cut out the scouring. Meri and Pippin getting bigger from the Ent Draught. It allowed them to be better warriors back home which was a very good character arc from them.
The extended edition of the movie did have them drink that water and they felt getting bigger. Problem is it would been a massive problem making it in to the movie.
Fëanor arrogantly asked three times for one strand of Galadriel's hair, which was considered to shine like the light of the two trees, so he could preserve it in Crystal forever - she refused each time, so he used what he considered second best, the light from the trees themselves and made the three Silmarils, that sundered the Elves, and led to the kinslaying, and to many tragic events including Galadriel's exile... Then a Dwarf humbly when pushed asked for but one strand to preserve in crystal, to commemorate the friendship of Elves and Dwarves, and she gladly gave him three
So many misquotes and mistakes in this video's comment section. From "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn" in _Unfinished Tales_ "...the Eldar said that the light of the Two Trees, Laurelin and Telperion, had been snared in her [Galadriel's] tresses. Many thought that this saying first gave to Fëanor the thought of imprisoning and blending the light of the Trees that later took shape in his hands as the Silmarils. For Fëanor beheld the hair of Galadriel with wonder and delight. He begged three times for a tress, but Galadriel would not give him even one hair. These two kinsfolk, the greatest of the Eldar of Valinor, were unfriends forever." So not arrogantly, not one strand but an entire tress, not to preserve it in crystal, and not second best to the light of the two trees because that was the source of the light in her hair.
As a gardener with friends who've spent their entire life to restore lifeless dirt into living soil I have high regards. I've a priest friend who working overseas in an impoverished community with children dying was able to cut mortality in half after 30 days of intensely gardening using organic methods from materials at hand and seeds he brought. The first requirements for life after safe water is food and shelter. I could go on for a long time at its importance. Had I more time I'd like to look at the significance of the gift of three hairs from Galadriel, but alas... work calls.
Thankyou. Really enjoying your content and all the comments. I read the books years ago and fell in love with them. PJ did a wonderful job I think and I can understand the need to condense. However even he fall into the trap of over egging and not giving the audience the credit of understanding many more of the nuances. Should have at least referenced Sam"s gift from Galadriel. Hope is what carried the fellowship and a central theme of the trilogy.
Galadriel didn't give Aragorn a necklace. She gave him a green gem set in a silver eagle-shaped brooch. The Elfstone (Elessar) which is the name Aragorn takes as king. The brooch is from the First Age.
I unferstand why they changed Sam's gogt in the movies and i do like the book gift so much better. So symbolic and beautiful. Basically the essence of the main theme right there
I think there was a plot point at the end of the third book where, not only did trees and other plants grow astoundingly well when fertilized with soil from Sam's box, but the newborn hobbits who were in the vicinity of these fertilized areas grew stronger and larger than those that didn't. Some mighty "homeopathic" soil!
Overall, I was disappointed by the movies as they omitted so many important parts of the books, important details that really matter for the whole story
Since the movie left out the Scouring of the Shire (Philistines!) I can understand why they had to change Sam's gift. But they could have come up with something better than rope. Or they could have used it in a different place, like restoring the White Tree of Gondor.
@@Makkaru112 Oaths are not binding across generations, though curses may be spread by people who take oaths. Aragorn is not bound by anyone's oath to lead Frodo to Mordor. If you think otherwise, identify the oath and explain how it applies.
@@bmolitor615 What generations? In the time of Isildur, the men of the mountains swore an oath to him and reneged on it. THEY were cursed. Their wives and children were not cursed. Over a long time, they and their families died or left, but the ghosts of the men who broke their oaths were bound to the mountains until they fulfilled them. There are no generations involved here. Those men who broke their oaths are the only ones in the company of the King of the Dead. What, are you imagining ghosts having ghost babies and growing up to be adult ghosts? What do you think is going on here? What generations are you talking about?
Remember folks. Even their bowstrings are made from their robust & magical hair. Which also acts as their antenna just like ours do. So I wouldn’t doubt many of their other crafts include their hair. ❤
I love all the videos, but I can't believe how much procrastination and teasing there was before finally revealing the item! xD Love you man nevertheless
I really like this video but the one statement that the gift of the Phial of Galadriel wasn’t the greatest gift does not fit well to my views of it. I would not argue with anything you said about the other gifts at all but I think you may be undervaluing the Phial and its role in the story. My favorite gift is Gimli’s . And Sam’s gift is awesome as well. All her gifts were epic with respect to her insight into their characters and her foresight into their futures. Far better than Dorothy’s Wizard or Bond’s Q or any other such mythic gift givers in literature.
I agree. Sam's box wasn't all that important even for the Shire. Saruman and his men chopped down trees and hoarded food but there's no indication that the Shire was heavily deforested or its farmland was made infertile. The Water was somewhat polluted by the new mill in Hobbiton but that's about it. The box didn't save the Shire because the Shire didn't need saving. It helped the new trees grow much faster and it created a bumper harvest that year but that doesn't mean the crops were going to be terrible otherwise. The phial helped Sam drive off Shelob and pass the Two Watchers in Cirith Ungol; lacking it in either situation would have ended the quest. If not for the phial, Sauron would have been victorious with or without the Ring.
Regarding the Phial of Galadriel vs her gift to Sam, I think both were indispensable in their own way. Without that sacred light in Cirith Ungol and before the watchers, the quest would have failed, making her gift to Sam a moot point. And without the soil from her garden, the Shire would never have been restored after it was scoured. It’s debatable, but if you asked me to choose one or the other, I would still say both 😅
I love how Sam calls on Varda and uses the Phial to defeat Shelob. It's as if the Trees themselves returned to fight the descendant of the creature that killed them.
"Scouring" actually refers to the cleaning of the Shire, ie the removal of the ruffians and the defeat of Saruman. You "scour" a dirty pan to clean it. So Sam's gift actually contributed to the scouring, it didn't remove it. (A minor point... it took me a long time to realize it myself. Because that's not at all what "scouring" sounds like if it's a word you've just read for the first time. Like it was for me when I first read it.)
The phial helped Sam drive off Shelob and pass the Two Watchers in Cirith Ungol; lacking it in either situation would have ended the quest. After Saruman was defeated, the Shire was in bad shape with many trees felled and food either exported away or hoarded by the ruffians but there's no indication that it was heavily deforested or its farmland was made infertile. The Water was somewhat polluted by the new mill in Hobbiton but that's about it. Galadriel's box didn't save the Shire because the Shire didn't need saving. It helped the new trees grow much faster and it created a bumper harvest that year but that doesn't mean the crops were going to be terrible otherwise. On the other hand, if not for the phial, Sauron would have been victorious with or without the Ring.
They had to give Merry and Pippin daggers because the movies cut the Barrow Downs and the ancient blades they got there. It leaves out the entire reason that Merry was able to help Eowyn kill the Witch King, his barrow blade having been wrought by the Witch King's ancient enemies. By making the blade just a token gift from some elves that later scene looks like an unrealistic Woman Power Moment which doesn't make sense in-universe. I understand why they couldn't fit that that whole side plot though and this change was an easy way to fix it and arm the Hobbits.
I didn't know that this series of videos existed. It's worthwhile for all the movie fans to realize what an abomination Peter Jackson made of a fine story. Naturally Galadriel doesn't give Aragorn a scabbard for his sword, because he doesn't have his sword yet. Peter Jackson commits a violation of fairy-tale principles by having his hero (who will be king) go on his quest without his heroic possession. There many other plot changes that essentially sabotage the book, and not the least of these is the omission of the Scouring of the Shire.
The movies did feature Sam's precious wooden box but it contains salt and herbs from the shire. It's a nice moment in the film but not a patch on the original.
Since Jackson wasn't going to put the Scouring of the Shire into the release, having the box and never using it would have been jarring to viewers who didn't read the book. Other than that, I think the changes made to the gifts was unnecessary. What Jackson accomplished was wonderful, but painfully incomplete.
I've watched 'The Fellowship of the Ring' many times, and hadn't noticed the 'gift swap' at all. I know all three films were filmed back-to-back, so it's quite clear even at this point, that the ending of the book was never going to make it to screen, seeing how Sam's real gift was such an integral part of it. Whilst some parts of the trilogy were obviously not going to make it to the screen (And I'd love to see someone do this trilogy with Tom Bombadil and the Barrow downs kept in) removing the original ending was a little more mystifying. Do we know why Peter Jackson decided not to film the Scouring of the Shire? Admittedly, it really didn't have much more to add to the story, other than to complete Saruman's tale, show that even a distant and peaceful place like the Shire wasn't beyond Sauron and Saruman's reach, and just hoe large and generous Sam Gamgee's heart truly was.
It's an old and now dead tradition for a woman to gift her lover or suitor with a lock of hair. It usually accompanied a letter (a kind of old communication style where people used to write on paper with ink you ignorant brats) filled with words of love and yearning. This was a VERY romantic gesture, a sign of belonging to that man. It was later replaced by carrying a photograph of the lover. Hair is an interesting piece of body part that has been considered sacred throughout the ages. It is believed in many cultures that hair harbors a part of the spirit, no doubt because it's shinier and healthier when the individual is also healthy, well-fed and happy. You would not gift your unkempt, greasy, dead hair to a loved one. It was also a sign of the passing time. Imagine receiving a lock of hair from your lover every 5 years with no photograph or other means of visual communication of any kind. The condition of the hair would give you some information about the situation back home. Be very concerned if the hair you receive is in part white or brittle or whatever. Enough with your crusading, time to return home! So, Gimli asking Galadriel for 'hair' was indeed VERY FORWARD as she puts it and hence the reaction from Celeborn and other elves. He was basically asking for her hand! lol. Silly love-struck dwarf...
Fuller detail - Sam received from Galadriel was wooden box with a Mallorn Tree nut & a handful of soil from her garden&grove. These gifts held symbolic significance and represented the connection between the Shire and the wider world of Middle-earth(our Midgard) Remember the giant trees of Lothlòrien? The Mallorn nut was a token of hope and renewal. Mallorn trees were majestic and rare, found only in Lothlórien. They symbolized the elves' realm and their enduring beauty. By giving Sam a Mallorn nut, Galadriel was entrusting him with a piece of her land and its magic, signifying that the spirit of Lothlórien would always be with him. Similarly, the soil from Galadriel's garden represented the bond between Sam's beloved Shire and the wider world. It symbolized the importance of preserving the natural beauty and fertility of the land. It was a reminder to Sam that the Shire was not isolated but part of a greater tapestry of Middle-earth, and that he had a role to play in protecting and nurturing it. In the film adaptation, the decision to replace the Mallorn nut and soil with Shire seasoning was likely made for several reasons. Firstly, it provided a lighthearted moment and a touch of humor, Secondly, it emphasized the hobbits' love for food and their connection to their home, the Shire. Lastly, it streamlined the narrative, as the significance of the Mallorn nut and soil might have required additional exposition and explanation. Which was a bit sad it was left out… While the change in the gift may have altered the symbolic depth of the original scene, it allowed for a more accessible and humorous moment in the film. Frodo's near-fall and subsequent landing without harm can be seen as a cinematic embellishment, adding a moment of tension and relief while showcasing the hobbits' resilience and agility. Overall, while the inclusion of the Shire seasoning may have deviated from the original symbolism of the Mallorn nut and soil, it served its purpose in adding levity and highlighting the hobbits' connection to their homeland. ((The fact below wasn’t put into the film so it’s not a spoiler. It only ever showed some of it in the mirror scene with Galadriel. Showing it actually happened is a nod towards Tolkiens books as some people apparently might not have liked the fact the movies had multiple endings already between the three movies. But funny enough is that every reactor said they’d watch ten hours for each movie so I think that alone proved that worry from the Peter Jackson team and cinemas quite wrong!)) 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 It was never in the movies but the shire was attacked, the hobbits of the fellowship had trained the other hobbits in a ragtag gorilla warfare sort of way and the party tree form bilbos birthday was destroyed and this tree of Lothlórien replaced it which became the only thriving Mallorn tree except for in Valinor far west across the Sundering Sea.
I like the concept from the books of Galadriel giving Sam a box with earth and a seed as a way of recognizing him as a gardener and their help of replacing felled trees and bringing life back to the SHIRE
I have a character that I drew inspiration from Tolkien dwarves. He isn't a dwarf. He is a dnd half dragon RAISED by dwarves. The only race both equally stubborn and stoic enough to set even a dragons compulsions straight. His foster parents had successfully replaced his instinctual need to horde treasure with an obsessive need for perfection in handicraft. Blacksmithing, masonry, carpentry, skills and techniques from even the most masterful of hammerdeep were mastered in a matter of just a scant few decades. So at 42, after a youth spent honorably amongst the mountain home, he decided he should leave and seek answers to his questions. He is much older since that chapter had closed. He has a family of his own. A title and responsibilities. Like Sam, he has an appreciation for the humble and useful. He spends his days courting his wife with hopeless romanticism, maintaining his masteries with studious zeal, and above all, trying to inspire others and nuture their greatness. Regardless of lifespans...
They changed the box of soil into a box of salt in Sam's pocket "in case we have a roast chicken some night!" BTW: in the movie, they never got to eat that rabbit stew! Did one of the rangers scarf it up when Faramir wasn't looking?
If you need a reason for Sam to have rope, then I would say look to the book. When Sam uses the rope have Frodo ask him where that came from and Sam can say it was in the boat and I thought we could use it, so I took it. As with almost all of the changes Peter Jackson made these don't serve a purpose. I do look forward to the rest of these videos, I enjoy them ever so much.
The purpose was that they'd left the Scouring of the Shire out of the movie and they were telegraphing it. That chapter should have stayed in. It's more important to the story than people realize. (Especially the people who aren't aware that that part of the story even exists, because they've only seen the movies.)
I do think they do a good enough job showing the growth of Gimli and Legolas (in the movie) but showing Legolas' look of understanding and almost awe when Gimli explains the gift he received. It's a nice nod to the book readers because you know WHAT that actually means, but it also just shows for movie only viewers that Legolas respects and appreciates the gift Gimli received and doesn't scoff at the dwarf getting it. Also this is my first video I've found or yours, this is awesome! Gonna have to go back and catch up now!
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We’re almost done with the first book, but it’s not too late! 📖 Claim Andy Serkis’ narration of “The Fellowship of the Ring” on Audible *for FREE:* www.audibletrial.com/factorfantasyfellowship 👈 Every free trial supports the channel!
I love your videos!!! I was wondering if maybe it would work to replay the footage from the films in slow-ish motion? Especially for some moments, it would result in more of a meditative and thoughtful tone, and it would also result in seeing the same few scenes less, so they'd be more special. Idk if it's possible or anything like that, but just a thought from the peanut gallery. 🥜
Arwen gave the pendant to Aragorn in Imladris ... back when he was a boy ... that is why he got no gift because there was no more precious gift than the Love of an Eldar betrothing themselves to a Dunnedain
Good video but dragged the topic out too long. 7-8 mins max. Had to ff.
A gardener getting dirt from Galadriel's personal garden would have been beautiful, even with the Scouring of the Shire being left out.
The box of dirt didn't save only the shire. It saved all of Middle Earth because the hope it induced encouraged Sam to complete the journey to Mount Doom.
The box Galadriel gave Sam also contained a single Mallorn seed, which he would later plant where the party tree had once stood.
Yeah that's actually not revealed until the final chapter, though.
I'm surprised it wasn't mentioned in the video as it's a significant part of the present. It became the only Mallorn tree west of the misty mountains.
@@lauriewsmith1 Because it's a spoiler. The mallorn seed isn't mentioned until the very end, even Sam didn't know it was there until he opened it up after the Scouring.
So glad you mentioned that seed. I feel it should have been brought in this recap just to complete it properly.
Thanks for saying something, I was like "am I crazy, wasn't there a seed in there too?"
Galadriel didn't give Feanor her hair because of his presumptuousness, and the arrogant way in which he asked for it, as though he was entitled to it. Contrast this with the shy and humble way in which Gimi makes his request, believing himself unworthy of it. This theme of "arrogance vs humility" plays a large part in Tolkien's world.
In _Unfinished Tales_ Fëanor was inspired by how Galadriel's hair seemed to capture the silver and gold light of the Two Trees to eventually create the Silmarils. It also says that "these two kinsfolk, the greatest of the Eldar of Valinor, were unfriends for ever."
And didn't he ask for an entire lock?
@@darthkek1953 In _Unfinished Tales_ he "begged three times for a tress, but Galadriel would not give him even one hair." There's no objective quantity for a lock but pictures show them to be a substantial amount, probably 30 or more hairs. A tress is defined as a long lock of hair so Fëanor was asking for a lot from her.
He was actually trying to create something to hold their light and power of pure creation. Due to his vision of the darkening of Valinor.
@@darthkek1953yes. Gimli’s got an entire braid
One thing I've always loved about Sam's storyline is that when Frodo is taken captive Sam takes and put on the ring in order to evade the orcs. When he does this the ring tries to deceive him by giving him a vision. He sees himself leading armies and overthrowing the dark tower and making Mordor into a garden. Sam refuses thinking that he does not desire a garden grown to the size of a realm a simple home with a simple garden is enough. When he returns home he leads the effort to restore the Shire using Galadriel's gift to make the Shire bloom. By choosing to use the gift in the service of all he makes even the deceits of the enemy come true and Galadriel's words to him.
Galadriel: "For you little gardener and lover of trees ... in this box is earth from my orchard and such blessing as Galadriel has still to bestow upon it ... if you keep it and see your home again at last, then perhaps it may reward you. Though you should find all barren and laid waste, there will be few gardens in Middle-earth that will bloom like your garden, if you sprinkle this earth there."
When Sam meets Galadriel again after returning to the Shire she compliments him on how well he used the gift she gave him.
It's pretty interesting that, basically, all you need to defeat the ring is humility. The ring cannot deal with humility, as it wouldn't fathom why one would relinquish more power.
That's really interesting part is he uses a single grain of the soil in a wide area across the shire in order to restore it. That was the coolest part. got to imagine the amount of concentration it takes to just pull out a single grain of soil
@@AdmiralStoicRum He puts a single grain to the roots of the young trees that he plants, and throws the remaining dust in the air in the middle of the Shire.
That's so beautiful, and so quintessential Tolkien
@@AdmiralStoicRumwho would’ve thought composted elf shit was so strong. Would do wonders for my garden 😂
I love the elves response when they learn Sam loves rope and rope-making. “Had we known that this craft delighted you, we could have taught you much”. So like elves
She also did it because he complained that he forgot to bring rope before leaving the Shire 17 years before Gandalf returned after Bilbo’s Birthday Party.
That’s actually kind of sad to me, a missed opportunity he didn’t even know he had until it was too late.
@@kristoferprovencal3608 such is a lesson of life
@@HyenDry Ask and ye shall be given, even in Middle Earth. ;)
@@kristoferprovencal3608 my head cannon is sam spends his last days with those same elves in the undying lands, learning the craft of elven rope making
I just love Gimli in this scene from the books.
His genuine sincerity about the single hair, to make it an heirloom, and a sign of friendship between him and elves.
Man I love Gimli.
Gimli is one of the best dwarfs
the actor really sold the value he had for such a gift. even the way he trails off at the thought because she gave him three, and how special it was to him to receive more than even he asked for. gimli is great
@@Connor-of-Rivia It's never really brought up much, but Tolkien wrote both him and Legolas as Paragons of their respective races in much the same way as Aragorn was for the race of Men.
His feats and achievements before and after the books, and his enduring friendship with Legolas are matched by few others, and it's telling that Gimli was the only known Dwarf to make the trip to Valinor when Legolas felt his time to leave had come.
@@IainDoherty51Gandalf wasn't a man. He is an Istari...a Maiar sent by Manwe to assist Middle Earth in the fight against Sauron.
@@IainDoherty51…and Gimli never went to Valinor, the equivocal notation not-withstanding. Tolkien later clarified that it didn’t happen but more to the point, it couldn’t. Why?
The ban the Valar placed on mortals entering Aman was as close to absolute as possible. if you consider the case of Ëarendil and Elwing who sailed to Valinor with a recovered Silmaril, to plea for the Valar’s help. Morgoth had conquered all of Beleriand save the Havens, and was poised to invade Eregion to the East. Elwing was an elf but Ëarendil was a man albeit of noble ancestorage. Their plea was heard but Ëarendil was obliged to become an elf so the Valar’s ban wasn’t violated in retrospect, neither were permitted to return to middle-Earth even though they had young sons Elrond and Elros, and (according to one telling) they were tasked with sailing the Silmaril in the sky as a sign of hope.
Or consider the Númenor invasion of Valinor. The Valar considered that so grave a matter that-for the one and only time-they laid down their guardianship of the world and called upon Illúvatar to stop them. Illúvatar destroyed the invading fleet, the island of Númenor, and reshaped the world so it became impossible to sail to the West-except for a special straight road that only immortals could find and take-that would lift them out of the circles of the world and hence to the undying lands.
Why would they make an exception for a dwarf that spent a few months as a traveling companion on a dangerous journey? It’s preposterous.
The ring bearers, OTOH, suffered real, actual damage to their spirits (fëa) from wearing the One Ring. That and their existential contribution to the survival of middle-Earth earned them the extraordinary permission to pass into the West-for healing, not as a reward.
Last, Gimli wouldn’t *want* to go. As a dwarf, being buried with his kin and forefathers would have been very important to him. Buried amongst the flowers with the elves in a faraway land? I think not. I have no doubt Legolas lingered through Gimli’s lifetime before sailing to the West-but that is what must have happened.
Knowing Gimli was the only dwarf to see the undying lands while still alive makes my heart glow.
What's odd about it is that going there does not grant immortality. Only The One can do that.
@@no-oneyou-know1117 Well....since the only critters there were immortal by default and even the elves from the first kinslaying were up and walking around again...Maybe you are only let in if you could handle it now.
@@samedmundson6470thats probably the reason mortals werent allowed there, elves go there to wait the end of the world basically to live in peace if mortals chilled there they would keep dyin and stress em out active elves can live lives in middle earth, but even more so reason is likely for the mortals themselves they would see immortality and wish for it and try to go against the will Eru and his design as Numenorians did. Only in very very rare occasions are there exceptions when some prove themselves to be pure of heart
Another minor but important difference is that Aragorn does not tell Galadriel that he wishes for Arwen to be with her people, the fact is that Aragorn's whole conquest is part of one giant dowry to Elrond to be able to marry Arwen, so he has got a lot riding on the success of the fellowship to complete the goal.
So you're saying elrond married galadriel's daughter?
@@GrandmasterplaysYT Yeah, Galadriel is Arwen's grandmother, and yes, Arwen is Aragorn's first cousin but since he is 87 and she is 2700 (or so) they are so far removed they may as well be unrelated.
@@GrandmasterplaysYT Yes
It's sad that Sam's gift had to be changed because of the removal of the Scouring. It provides beautiful closure to the story, and a very important thing that happens as a result of the gift, in addition to the spreading of the spoil, but I won't spoil it, of course.
I was real disappointed when he changed that. I wanted to see it and Treebeard's house.
@@GamerNerdess Same. And Quickbeam!!
Agreed . The scouring should have made it, and more faith to the storyline. I wanted to see the hurons. Han zuri han as intended. Quickbeam. Sharky. Ah-Jackson, instead of a trilogy a quad. It would have worked.
@@picklesnoutpenobscott3165 Could have still kept it a trilogy and just trimmed down some of the excess... the whole thing with Aragorn falling off the cliff, the wolf rider attack, Battle of the Hornburg taking up half the movie, Faramir taking Frodo to Osgiliath, it was all unnecessary. Tolkien had actually wanted film adaptions to follow the structure of the books, too, so there is one long segment of the Treason of Isengard, one long segment of The Ring going East, etc.
if they tried to do the entire book (3 novels was the publisher's idea, not Tolkiens), it would easily become a series of at least 10 seasons, perhaps more. Although, I wish they had included a few scenes about the scouring.
The gift giving starts at 8:20, guys.
lol Thanks
The scene between Gimli and Galadriel is so beautifully written in the book I teared up. Tolkien was a genius.
Part of the reason that Gimli found Legolas' comment that he should be satisfied to have the memory of Galadriel unsettling is because for Elves, reliving a memory is like experiencing the event all over again. Elves can effectively live in their memories. Dwarves, as Gimli notes, don't have that ability, and for them, memories are far less vivid, and inevitably fade with time.
They're just like humans at that.
Unless the human has PTSD. Then they can relive a moment they tried to forget a a thousand times over
And the flipside of a ptsd type of bad memory in ones recall is to never forget a good memory
...I cannot compare minor and major life events to a soldiers, or to a person with a severe mental or physical issue, I have my own but not incapacitating mostly, point is IS THERE ARE WAYS TO THINK, TO TRAIN ONES MIND TO OVERIDE THE BAD MEMORIES, AT LEAST SOME OF THEM, WITH THE GOOD MEMORIES. ANY THERAPIST IS A PLACE TO START. IT DOESNT HELP EVERYBODY...BUT WORTH A SHOT...TO SPEND 20 MINUTES A DAY...REMEMBERING AND SIMPLY THINKING GOOD STRONG JOY INSTEAD OF BAD WEAK HORRIBLE SADNESS. GOD HELPS THOSE WHO HELP THEMSELVES...AND NEVER EVER THINK THAT HE HAS FORGOTTEN YOU. ENDINGS, SOLUTIONS AND PROBLEM SOLVINGS DOES TAKE TIME, AS WELL AS CHANGING ONES THINKING, BUT IT CAN HAPPEN! 😊❤
Gimlis gift of 3 of her hairs is arguably the greatest gift even though it isn’t a practical gift
Definitely the most meaningful.
She wouldn't give Feanor 1. Gimli got 3. Easily the best gift
Why isn’t it practical? They shone as gold in the sun. Set in crystal they’d be beautiful.
@@corey57255 Her elven hair was a wonder to behold. Yeah the movie is just a back-lit wig.
@@prophetic0311 Feanor rolling over in the halls of Mandos when this happens lol
Thank you for explaining the magnitude of Galadriel's gift to Gimli as it relates to Feanor. So few Tolkien creators mention that when discussing the topic.
Whenever I finish this series I’ll probably make a whole video just on that! It’s a super interesting topic. 🙏🏼
@@factorfantasyweekly Wasn't the reason he wanted her hair that it had basked in the light of the one tree and reflected some of it's light and him making the silmarills was his second option? This is just from memory so I could be wrong.
I've read the Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings books all my life. *I* forgot about the arrogant elf who demanded her hair. Lol.
One could argue the whole business of the first age wouldn't have happened if Feanor got those hairs from Galadriel. Most of the fellowship and also alot of the viewers would never understand the significance
I think the hair gift is what led to his opening up. He would know the story, and to have been given to a dwarf by Galadriel is like the ultimate "I vouch for this guy. "
As someone who has read the trilogy many times, and also loved the movies, I enjoyed your video. I did miss Sam's real gift, but as other have pointed out, with the removing of the Scouring of the Shire, Galadriel's real gift no longer made sense for the movie.
The rope and the disappointment was probably a nod to them not being able to fit the Scouring in, and their own feelings at omitting the whole thing. If he could, P. J. Would have included everything, I imagine.
it could have been added as just something she gave to someone who loves gardens. Didn't need to show the Scouring and how the box transformed the Shire afterwards.
just my thought.
Also, they could have shown that the rope had value to Sam. He could've smiled when handed it.
8:26 I feel it is worth noting that gold belts are generally used as funeral garments for the deceased. This is significant as Galadriel had the foresight of Boromir’s death that is soon to come
Great spot!
Also, when Faramir is questioning Sam and Frodo in Ithilien, he mentions seeing Boromir's body in the boat and that the belt was the one thing among Boromir's possessions that he didn't recognize. The fact that Frodo knew about the belt and was able to explain how it came into Boromir's possession, I think, went a long way towards convincing Faramir that Frodo and Sam were being truthful.
I've never heard of gold belts being reserved for funeral garments in Tolkien or even in general cultural use. If so, that would be an obviously creepy gift like giving him a burial shroud.
@@dlxmarksI didn’t either. But if you think about it, there’s some rationale to this explanation
Gold is too soft for everyday use & definitely too soft to hold up real garments. But it was an item of great value worn by great leaders and usually buried with them in their graves.
So it was an appropriate gift to Boromir.
@@lamdao1242 I don't think the belt was supposed to solid gold. I believe it would have been mostly leather and fabric embroidered with gold thread and decorated with gold ornamentation.
*Slight correction:*
Aragorn’s gift from Galadriel is a green stone set in a brooch. Not really a necklace. The parallel in the movie is the necklace, but the actual gift in the book isn’t a “necklace”.
I wondered if I remembered it that wrong. You had me confused looking through the comments there.
It is the Elessar which has two good but conflicting stories of its origin and it's the source of Aragorn's regnal name.
@@dlxmarks, that's right! In fact, isn't one of Aragorn's nicknames "Elfstone"?
@@stephenbonaduce7852 Yes and Elf-stone translates as Elessar in Quenya.
Brother pls pin this correction or append it to the previous pinned comment
The gift of the soil is the greatest gift a gardener such as Sam could receive. Only a gardener/farmer would truly appreciate how amazing of a gift that was. Yes it's not useful on the journey but it is exactly what Sam would cherish when he returned home, cherish and use.
Man what a loot box they got from the elf raid. Epic cloaks with +10 invisibility , legendary dagger and bow, and a amazing off hand for Frodo that increased his mana massively and finally food buffs for the whole guild.
After the mvp sacrificed himself to kill the balrog boss singlehandedly, the rest of the team took the loot
They didn’t get the stats for the balrog kill though! Gandalf really ranked up with that one!
@@acash93 Yeah but Gandalf fought the Balrog alone so he could take all the XP for himself in order to level up lmao
@@ericcrilley8871Of course, that is how he unlocked his legendary class "white mage"!
I am glad you added Faenor's requests. A lot of people don't realize how important her gift to Gimli was.
Such a pity that they didn’t add the return to the Shire. That is when many things are wrapped up and beautiful morals are shown. When they refuse to shed any blood or take any revenge in the retaking of the Shire (he even spares Saruman) is one, and when Sam uses his gifts to share with the whole community is another. This stuff caused a profound impression on me as a kid when I read the books, and they are important morals
Oh god it makes so much sense now! Why he was so hopeful and carried the whole team because of it - he had an actual physical heirloom to remind him of home and how things will be if he is succesful, not just thoughts and prayers
The departure scene also omits one of Gimli's best quotes: "But I would not have come, had I known the danger of light and joy. Now I have taken my worst wound in this parting". The second sentence is said but the first half is so powerful.
*We got 30 minutes of Arwen flashbacks instead of events like this*
Was kind of funny in the book that boats made Sam so nervous that it was written he wasn't even allowed to take a turn at rowing and neither Frodo nor Aragorn would trust him with the oars.
"It was the furthest thing from a rope"
Me- "A lead pipe found by Mr. Green in the Conservatory!"
Reverend Green
Good as the trilogy is, it isn't a replacement for the books. They're companion pieces.
sam in the movie obviously dissapointed with the rope gift: Where are my damned seeds???
Yes they should have made him getting the rope an event, with Sam being delighted to get such a high quality rope. it would have been more in character, at least.
If only Galadriel didnt forget to give Boromir his "Anti Arrow Elixer".
Gosh darnit!
If only Boromir had his shield that he was known for being proficient with, it was literally his whole thing.
Galadriel as Arwen’s grandmother is one thing but when you realize that she’s Elrond’s MOTHER-in-LAW!!!!! Wow, that just makes my head explode!!! 🤯
She’s also older than the Sun.
@@JoeMama410Yeap, people who didn't read The Silmarillion don't understand how old she is. I mean, Elrond is old (as old as the first king of Numenor, his brother) but Galadriel wasn't even born in Middle Earth 😂
And older still, is Ciridan, the oldest known elf in Middle Earth at the time of The War of the Ring.
One of the things that makes RoP so head shaking.
@@shawn092182But Galadriel was born in Valmar, the large elvish city in Valinor, under the light of the Two Trees. She was a direct, close relative of Fëanor. You can’t get much higher in Noldor power and royalty than that!
I look forward to these videos each week, thank you! A few years ago I watched a couple of videos delving more deeply into the backstory of Galadriel‘s gift to Gimli. I highly recommend searching for those, because it’s far too nuanced and beautiful to go fully into it here. Every detail adds more weight to the significance of her gift. Masterful writing by the Professor
I love the detail from the books about the Shire being forced through an Industrial Revolution. A greedy, industrious Hobbit destroys a near utopia and Tolkien frames that as a bad thing. How radical of an idea am I right? Wonder why this is never shown...
It was "Sharkey" (the defrocked Saruman) who was behind the destruction of the "Utopia" of the Shire. He had been so corrupted by Sauron that he hated anything good and naturally pure-- and he wanted to get back at Gandalf, who Saruman knew had a special place in his heart for Hobbits and the Shire. Lotho Sackville-Baggins had facilitated Sharkey at first because it gave Lotho a position of power and influence. In the end he became a puppet of Sharkey who took things farther than Lotho ever would have, and, by the time of the Scouring, he had been displaced-- before being murdered by Wormtongue. I believe Tolkien was illustrating how greed and hunger for power are often behind "progress", and how once people choose the path to corruption they often get more than they bargained for.
I think you describe the event in the extended edition. As far as I remember (which is not very well, because I only watch extended versions :) ), the cinematic version only shows that Frodo receives the light. This creates a massive plot hole in the trilogy, as the cloaks, lembas bread and Sam's rope all have roles to play in the subsequent movies, and are just there. So bit by bit, viewers not knowing the books just would come across a lot of 'oh they have another elvish thing' moments.
Which is crazy because in the movies most of those items are barely mentioned after that point and almost seem inconsequential as gifts. I dont think the rope is mentioned again ever after that scene either.
Peater Jackson should have included Sam's gift and then kept the Scouring of the shire in Return of the King.
Two biggest things I disliked about the movies was sams gift and when Arwyn made the river take out the nazgul. It was Elrond using his ring which was the 'water power ring'
and Gandalf added the horses to make it look cool. Elrond having a ring was a key plot point.
Good breakdown, I would have to point out that half the stuff you’re talking about wasn’t even mentioned in the theatrical release or original DVD release of LOTR. These are all the extended releases, that weren’t released and seen till years later.
Merry and Pippin getting daggers as gifts was inserted here because the whole episode in the Old Forest with Tom Bombadil and the Barrow Wights was cut out They actually got the daggers when rescued by Tom as he hands the weapons to them after dispersing the shade of the Barrow -Wight which leaves the Wight's weapons. These were forged with the intention of harming the Witch-King of Angmar who was the chief Nazgul (and that's why Merry was able to wound said Nazgul and leave him open for Eowyn's fatal attack during the Battle of the Field of Pelennor)
It's a bit of a grim fact that Sam's gift in the movie is considerably more pitiful than in the book. But I gladly accept it for film technical reasons. The Scouring of the Shire is removed and thus Sam has to get something else. The rope in particular is one of the essential things that Sam has both lacked and will need. The solution is flexible, simple and brilliant. They use the rope several times during the trip and here it is quickly and easily explained how exactly Sam had a rope. In the book, the lack of, the longing for and later the possession of rope takes up quite a lot of space.
This is how you simply solve how information in film is delivered.
What is possibly a shame is that Sam is making his slightly silly comment about running out of daggers. Peter Jackson injects humor, which here feels irrelevant. Sam should have been as happy about the rope as he is when he finds rope in the boat in the book.
I totally agree. It makes sense for the movie except for that brief comment, which is totally out of character for Sam. If he would’ve been excited about the rope, I really would have 0 complaints here.
"The solution is flexible, simple and brilliant." - Elven rope, in short.
@@factorfantasyweekly
I hope you read my previous comment about how much I appreciate this analysis series. Otherwise, I'll write this again. You are doing a great job!!!
Thank you so much!
I still think they should have kept the Scouring of the Shire in the movie, or at least for the extended editions. It's a bookend to the plot and it's important. It's not like the audience is going to leave at that point.
At the very least for Sam's rope, they could have had a line of dialogue where an Elf explains how the rope will hold tight when you want it too, and then come undone with a simple tug so you can recover it quickly and easily. Otherwise, when they show exactly that in the next movie, it's almost portrayed as a nearly fatal mistake by Sam when the rope they're using to climb down a cliff in Emyn Muil just lets go right after Sam tugs on it, right after explaining how his knot would never just come undone and the rope is now lost to them... when instead it's essentially Elven "magic" and the rope (and Sam's knot) are simply working exactly as intended
The movie does give a slight nod to Galadriel’s actual gift to Sam. As Frodo & Sam journey together to Mordor, Frodo sees a little box Sam carries. Sam explains it contain salt for seasoning. Kind of a poor nod, yes, but there to see for book-loving viewers.
The Uruk-Hai commander's name is Lurtz (probably after the Black Speech word Lugburz, which means Barad-Dûr the Dark Tower), played by Lawrence Makoare.
Considering how long the movies were in the making, and the fact that they were made for the fan base more than attracting new viewers, I feel that swapping out the actual gift for a rope was letting down the story as well as the character of Samwise.
I was appalled at Sam being given a rope! I knew then that the Scouring wasn't going to happen - Was Furious then & still hate that huge 'throwaway'
Really enjoyed this. I haven't read the books, don't plan to either. YOU have done an EXCELLENT job of summing them up and best of all including changes in the movie . I will also be catching up with the rest of your videos. Seems like changing the SOIL gift to a ROPE for Sam? was dumb. The SOIL gift was so much better figuratively and eventually literally . I REALLY like the SOIL/ORIGINAL JRRT version better.
The biggest change in my opinion .. is the omission of were the dagger actually came from. Tom Bombadil gave them the daggers at the Barrow Downs... the daggers were used in the wraith wars which is why they were so affective against the Ring Wraiths........ but since Tom was completely written out of the movies... they snuck the daggers in
Insightful video. Jackson really undersold Gimli's warmth and emotionalism. He was so much deeper than the movie gave him credit for.
It's a shame Jackson could not have found a way to impart the significance of the dirt gift.
I just wish that Peter Jackson had made more of the daggers given to Merry and Pippin. It wouldn't even have added much more than a second to the film either to actually show Merry pull that dagger from his belt before plunging it into the thigh of the wraith king...
Something odd about the Mallorn-leaf clasps for the Elven cloaks in the movies: When they first get them, everybody wears them pointing to their right side. Well, I can't say for sure about Gimli because of his beard. Sometime between when they get out into the Anduin and the death of Boromir, Sam's clasp ends up pointing to his left. You can see that it's different when he chases after Frodo and almost drowns. It stays that way for the rest of the trilogy, but nobody else changes theirs. (Again, I can't tell with Gimli.) I always wondered if Peter Jackson had him do this purposely for some reason.
I love this episode 😍
Ps. I love Pippin's face after Legolas talks about lembas😂😂
It’s one of the best non-canon moments 😂
Legolas smiling after Gimli telling him about his gift, is a hint that he's aware of the event between Galadriel and Feanor (who was her uncle BTW).
While Gimli wasn't crying in the movie (that'd been too sentimental for his character), he is depressed that he wouldn't see Galadriel again, so there's little difference.
The reason why it isn't shown with Galadriel giving her the hairs, it would been too cumbersome to film and it would look strange and awkward, especially to those who haven't read the books. Even John Rhys-Davies himself asks in the behind the scenes interviews how Cate Blanchett would pull off three strands of hair (which he does demonstrate) and how he would act it out. It was easier and simpler to talk about it than show it.
The book implies that Legolas's people hardly ever visited Galadriel and Celeborn, so I don't think he would have been aware of what happened.
@keithtorgersen9664 Maybe so but isn't it something that all elves during The Third Ages knows?
@@mevb Not necessarily. While Feanor is considered one of the greatest of the elves, he is also associated with great shame because of the kinslaying. I doubt that elves casually bring up his name in conversation.
@keithtorgersen9664 Though, how bad history have been, it is always been remembered and reminded through the ages. Just think of the Germans and being reminded of World Wars I and II or Americans how their ancestors invaded Native American territories to claim their lands as their own. It's not something that you want to know but it's necessary.
Besides, Leoglas is a royalty and leaders tend to know stuff normal people don't. Maybe Elrond have told him and Thranduil about it at some point between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
@@mevb Elond himself may have not known about that, as it happened in Valinor, before the kinslaying.
She also gave Sam a Mallorn seed which he planted to replace the party tree.
Gimli's gift will always be my favorite and I wish it was portrayed a little better in the movie.
First, let me congratulate you on your brilliant idea to contrast the books with the movies - and your equally brilliant execution of same. My only note concerning the daggers given to Merry and Pippin is how this is also flawed as they each already have weapons of specific potency, which will become important to the overall story for Merry. The dagger of Westernesse that he has from the Barrow Down is arguably the most important weapon in terms of its actual deadly capabilities that is featured in the books. This is because it was forged to specifically destroy the witch-king, and that is how Merry used it. Anduril, which must be a more potent blade, while very important symbolically, nevertheless did not have such a potent or important individual impact as unravelling the spell that bound the witch-king's sinews to his will. Love your series!
The answer is simple. Without the Scouring of the Shire, her gift of the box of soil and the Mallorn seed to Sam would make no sense. There should have been 4 movies where the fourth was the return to the Shire, the Scouring of the Shire and the eventual sailing to the West of Frodo, Bilbo, and the others. But Peter Jackson didn't understand the Scouring of the Shire and left it out.
Tolkien, having been through two world wars knew how hard it could be for soldiers to fit back into normal society after the horrors of war. Jackson even showed this as the 4 hobbits sat in a tavern drinking beer yet looking out of place. The Scouring of the Shire was a way for the hobbits to take what they learned and integrate it into their ordinary lives and community in a way that everyone could appreciate and understand. They became heroes of the Shire. It was only what they learned on their journey that allowed them to succeed in protecting the Shire.
You kind of buried the lead a little bit, but i appreciate your analysis and respect for the source material.
The more you learn about the Silmarillion, the more you realize the gift of the three hairs for Gimli was far-and-away the most profound of all.
Galadriel shows her unusual wisdom, giving the gift which she withheld from the hot-headed Feanor (perhaps the most renown elf of all time, and arguably the one who initiated ALL the pivotal events in Middle Earth, including every part of The War of the Rings) after THOUSANDS of years.... to a dwarf in a moment of his absolute humbling, who at that moment represented the polar opposite of Feanor.
...AND in doing so, Galadriel symbolically healed the rift created between Dwarves and Elves after the slaying of (King Thingel ??), which itself was another pivotal tragedy borne almost-directly from the same avarice which she sensed in Feanor - his manic nature & passion which caused him to forge the dangerously-powerful Silmarils - and for which she denied him all those years ago.
The poetic synchrony in this storyline is just amazing.
Tolkien wrote LOTR as SIX books which were bound in three pairs; the film version should have been six separate films. The Hobbit could have been condensed to two films and fewer additions, like the giant Stone Worms and the side stories of Legolas going to the far North to see the unexpected Orc army marching South and the series of scenes of Bard and his family .
The return home, the scouring of the shire' was the entire Point of the books, which makes sense that Jackson missed it. Instead of unending endings, it was also a treat for the readers, feeling sad the story was 'over'. The hobbits grow enough to take down a diminished saruman, by themselves. A lot of the scenes in the books explained and expanded Tolkien's concepts that jackson missed.
There was another thing they changed later on because they cut out the scouring. Meri and Pippin getting bigger from the Ent Draught. It allowed them to be better warriors back home which was a very good character arc from them.
That is an interesting note... I remember them getting bigger but had never thought about it helping them in the Scouring! Thanks for pointing it out.
The extended edition of the movie did have them drink that water and they felt getting bigger. Problem is it would been a massive problem making it in to the movie.
Fëanor arrogantly asked three times for one strand of Galadriel's hair, which was considered to shine like the light of the two trees, so he could preserve it in Crystal forever - she refused each time, so he used what he considered second best, the light from the trees themselves and made the three Silmarils, that sundered the Elves, and led to the kinslaying, and to many tragic events including Galadriel's exile...
Then a Dwarf humbly when pushed asked for but one strand to preserve in crystal, to commemorate the friendship of Elves and Dwarves, and she gladly gave him three
Where does this story appear in the source material?
So many misquotes and mistakes in this video's comment section.
From "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn" in _Unfinished Tales_
"...the Eldar said that the light of the Two Trees, Laurelin and Telperion, had been snared in her [Galadriel's] tresses. Many thought that this saying first gave to Fëanor the thought of imprisoning and blending the light of the Trees that later took shape in his hands as the Silmarils. For Fëanor beheld the hair of Galadriel with wonder and delight. He begged three times for a tress, but Galadriel would not give him even one hair. These two kinsfolk, the greatest of the Eldar of Valinor, were unfriends forever."
So not arrogantly, not one strand but an entire tress, not to preserve it in crystal, and not second best to the light of the two trees because that was the source of the light in her hair.
As a gardener with friends who've spent their entire life to restore lifeless dirt into living soil I have high regards. I've a priest friend who working overseas in an impoverished community with children dying was able to cut mortality in half after 30 days of intensely gardening using organic methods from materials at hand and seeds he brought. The first requirements for life after safe water is food and shelter. I could go on for a long time at its importance.
Had I more time I'd like to look at the significance of the gift of three hairs from Galadriel, but alas... work calls.
Worms and cows make for living soil.
Since the Scouring was removed, rope was a good choice but Sam should have been excited. A rope is a sign of hope too
Galadriel was an amazing gift giver in the books, and that fits het personality perfectly
Thankyou. Really enjoying your content and all the comments. I read the books years ago and fell in love with them. PJ did a wonderful job I think and I can understand the need to condense. However even he fall into the trap of over egging and not giving the audience the credit of understanding many more of the nuances.
Should have at least referenced Sam"s gift from Galadriel. Hope is what carried the fellowship and a central theme of the trilogy.
"Look what i got"
"I got a jar of dirt"
"I got a jar of dirt"
"And guess whats in side it!"
Charlie Brown: I got a rock.
Galadriel didn't give Aragorn a necklace. She gave him a green gem set in a silver eagle-shaped brooch. The Elfstone (Elessar) which is the name Aragorn takes as king. The brooch is from the First Age.
You forgot about the Mallorn seed that Sam got in his gift
I unferstand why they changed Sam's gogt in the movies and i do like the book gift so much better. So symbolic and beautiful. Basically the essence of the main theme right there
I think there was a plot point at the end of the third book where, not only did trees and other plants grow astoundingly well when fertilized with soil from Sam's box, but the newborn hobbits who were in the vicinity of these fertilized areas grew stronger and larger than those that didn't. Some mighty "homeopathic" soil!
Overall, I was disappointed by the movies as they omitted so many important parts of the books, important details that really matter for the whole story
Since the movie left out the Scouring of the Shire (Philistines!) I can understand why they had to change Sam's gift. But they could have come up with something better than rope. Or they could have used it in a different place, like restoring the White Tree of Gondor.
5:47 - In the book, Aragorn did not swear to stay with Frodo. Elrond made a big to-do back in Rivendell about nobody swearing any oaths.
As anywhere else; oaths are metaphysically binding, across several generations even. 1000s of years even.
@@Makkaru112 Oaths are not binding across generations, though curses may be spread by people who take oaths. Aragorn is not bound by anyone's oath to lead Frodo to Mordor. If you think otherwise, identify the oath and explain how it applies.
@@bmolitor615 The men made oaths to Isildur, which they broke and so were cursed. Aragorn did not make an oath to them.
@@bmolitor615 Aw, thanks, sweetie!
@@bmolitor615 What generations? In the time of Isildur, the men of the mountains swore an oath to him and reneged on it. THEY were cursed. Their wives and children were not cursed. Over a long time, they and their families died or left, but the ghosts of the men who broke their oaths were bound to the mountains until they fulfilled them.
There are no generations involved here. Those men who broke their oaths are the only ones in the company of the King of the Dead.
What, are you imagining ghosts having ghost babies and growing up to be adult ghosts? What do you think is going on here? What generations are you talking about?
Remember folks. Even their bowstrings are made from their robust & magical hair. Which also acts as their antenna just like ours do. So I wouldn’t doubt many of their other crafts include their hair. ❤
I watched the trilogy before i read the books. I still love the movies, but the books certainly changed how I view them.
I love all the videos, but I can't believe how much procrastination and teasing there was before finally revealing the item! xD Love you man nevertheless
This guy took a master class in beating around the bush
I really like this video but the one statement that the gift of the Phial of Galadriel wasn’t the greatest gift does not fit well to my views of it. I would not argue with anything you said about the other gifts at all but I think you may be undervaluing the Phial and its role in the story. My favorite gift is Gimli’s . And Sam’s gift is awesome as well. All her gifts were epic with respect to her insight into their characters and her foresight into their futures. Far better than Dorothy’s Wizard or Bond’s Q or any other such mythic gift givers in literature.
I agree. Sam's box wasn't all that important even for the Shire. Saruman and his men chopped down trees and hoarded food but there's no indication that the Shire was heavily deforested or its farmland was made infertile. The Water was somewhat polluted by the new mill in Hobbiton but that's about it. The box didn't save the Shire because the Shire didn't need saving. It helped the new trees grow much faster and it created a bumper harvest that year but that doesn't mean the crops were going to be terrible otherwise. The phial helped Sam drive off Shelob and pass the Two Watchers in Cirith Ungol; lacking it in either situation would have ended the quest. If not for the phial, Sauron would have been victorious with or without the Ring.
Considering that they cut out the Scouring of the Shire what more could they have done. I was shocked how it ended.
What is extra funny is that anyone (Aragorn) who knows Sindarin, would know that "Fangorn Forest" literally means "Treebeard Forest".
Regarding the Phial of Galadriel vs her gift to Sam, I think both were indispensable in their own way. Without that sacred light in Cirith Ungol and before the watchers, the quest would have failed, making her gift to Sam a moot point. And without the soil from her garden, the Shire would never have been restored after it was scoured. It’s debatable, but if you asked me to choose one or the other, I would still say both 😅
I love how Sam calls on Varda and uses the Phial to defeat Shelob. It's as if the Trees themselves returned to fight the descendant of the creature that killed them.
"Scouring" actually refers to the cleaning of the Shire, ie the removal of the ruffians and the defeat of Saruman. You "scour" a dirty pan to clean it. So Sam's gift actually contributed to the scouring, it didn't remove it.
(A minor point... it took me a long time to realize it myself. Because that's not at all what "scouring" sounds like if it's a word you've just read for the first time. Like it was for me when I first read it.)
The phial helped Sam drive off Shelob and pass the Two Watchers in Cirith Ungol; lacking it in either situation would have ended the quest.
After Saruman was defeated, the Shire was in bad shape with many trees felled and food either exported away or hoarded by the ruffians but there's no indication that it was heavily deforested or its farmland was made infertile. The Water was somewhat polluted by the new mill in Hobbiton but that's about it. Galadriel's box didn't save the Shire because the Shire didn't need saving. It helped the new trees grow much faster and it created a bumper harvest that year but that doesn't mean the crops were going to be terrible otherwise. On the other hand, if not for the phial, Sauron would have been victorious with or without the Ring.
I wish the movie would've shown Galadriel's real gift to Sam.
They had to give Merry and Pippin daggers because the movies cut the Barrow Downs and the ancient blades they got there. It leaves out the entire reason that Merry was able to help Eowyn kill the Witch King, his barrow blade having been wrought by the Witch King's ancient enemies. By making the blade just a token gift from some elves that later scene looks like an unrealistic Woman Power Moment which doesn't make sense in-universe.
I understand why they couldn't fit that that whole side plot though and this change was an easy way to fix it and arm the Hobbits.
I didn't know that this series of videos existed. It's worthwhile for all the movie fans to realize what an abomination Peter Jackson made of a fine story. Naturally Galadriel doesn't give Aragorn a scabbard for his sword, because he doesn't have his sword yet. Peter Jackson commits a violation of fairy-tale principles by having his hero (who will be king) go on his quest without his heroic possession. There many other plot changes that essentially sabotage the book, and not the least of these is the omission of the Scouring of the Shire.
The movies did feature Sam's precious wooden box but it contains salt and herbs from the shire. It's a nice moment in the film but not a patch on the original.
I really appreciate these “explainers”! Such detail….. 😊
Thanks for watching!
Since Jackson wasn't going to put the Scouring of the Shire into the release, having the box and never using it would have been jarring to viewers who didn't read the book. Other than that, I think the changes made to the gifts was unnecessary. What Jackson accomplished was wonderful, but painfully incomplete.
I've watched 'The Fellowship of the Ring' many times, and hadn't noticed the 'gift swap' at all. I know all three films were filmed back-to-back, so it's quite clear even at this point, that the ending of the book was never going to make it to screen, seeing how Sam's real gift was such an integral part of it.
Whilst some parts of the trilogy were obviously not going to make it to the screen (And I'd love to see someone do this trilogy with Tom Bombadil and the Barrow downs kept in) removing the original ending was a little more mystifying. Do we know why Peter Jackson decided not to film the Scouring of the Shire? Admittedly, it really didn't have much more to add to the story, other than to complete Saruman's tale, show that even a distant and peaceful place like the Shire wasn't beyond Sauron and Saruman's reach, and just hoe large and generous Sam Gamgee's heart truly was.
It's an old and now dead tradition for a woman to gift her lover or suitor with a lock of hair. It usually accompanied a letter (a kind of old communication style where people used to write on paper with ink you ignorant brats) filled with words of love and yearning. This was a VERY romantic gesture, a sign of belonging to that man. It was later replaced by carrying a photograph of the lover. Hair is an interesting piece of body part that has been considered sacred throughout the ages. It is believed in many cultures that hair harbors a part of the spirit, no doubt because it's shinier and healthier when the individual is also healthy, well-fed and happy. You would not gift your unkempt, greasy, dead hair to a loved one. It was also a sign of the passing time. Imagine receiving a lock of hair from your lover every 5 years with no photograph or other means of visual communication of any kind. The condition of the hair would give you some information about the situation back home. Be very concerned if the hair you receive is in part white or brittle or whatever. Enough with your crusading, time to return home! So, Gimli asking Galadriel for 'hair' was indeed VERY FORWARD as she puts it and hence the reaction from Celeborn and other elves. He was basically asking for her hand! lol. Silly love-struck dwarf...
Fuller detail - Sam received from Galadriel was wooden box with a Mallorn Tree nut & a handful of soil from her garden&grove. These gifts held symbolic significance and represented the connection between the Shire and the wider world of Middle-earth(our Midgard)
Remember the giant trees of Lothlòrien? The Mallorn nut was a token of hope and renewal. Mallorn trees were majestic and rare, found only in Lothlórien. They symbolized the elves' realm and their enduring beauty. By giving Sam a Mallorn nut, Galadriel was entrusting him with a piece of her land and its magic, signifying that the spirit of Lothlórien would always be with him.
Similarly, the soil from Galadriel's garden represented the bond between Sam's beloved Shire and the wider world. It symbolized the importance of preserving the natural beauty and fertility of the land. It was a reminder to Sam that the Shire was not isolated but part of a greater tapestry of Middle-earth, and that he had a role to play in protecting and nurturing it.
In the film adaptation, the decision to replace the Mallorn nut and soil with Shire seasoning was likely made for several reasons. Firstly, it provided a lighthearted moment and a touch of humor,
Secondly, it emphasized the hobbits' love for food and their connection to their home, the Shire. Lastly, it streamlined the narrative, as the significance of the Mallorn nut and soil might have required additional exposition and explanation. Which was a bit sad it was left out…
While the change in the gift may have altered the symbolic depth of the original scene, it allowed for a more accessible and humorous moment in the film. Frodo's near-fall and subsequent landing without harm can be seen as a cinematic embellishment, adding a moment of tension and relief while showcasing the hobbits' resilience and agility.
Overall, while the inclusion of the Shire seasoning may have deviated from the original symbolism of the Mallorn nut and soil, it served its purpose in adding levity and highlighting the hobbits' connection to their homeland.
((The fact below wasn’t put into the film so it’s not a spoiler. It only ever showed some of it in the mirror scene with Galadriel. Showing it actually happened is a nod towards Tolkiens books as some people apparently might not have liked the fact the movies had multiple endings already between the three movies.
But funny enough is that every reactor said they’d watch ten hours for each movie so I think that alone proved that worry from the Peter Jackson team and cinemas quite wrong!)) 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻
It was never in the movies but the shire was attacked, the hobbits of the fellowship had trained the other hobbits in a ragtag gorilla warfare sort of way and the party tree form bilbos birthday was destroyed and this tree of Lothlórien replaced it which became the only thriving Mallorn tree except for in Valinor far west across the Sundering Sea.
the blades that were given weren't from the book, those blades came from the the crypts in the Barrow Downs
I like the concept from the books of Galadriel giving Sam a box with earth and a seed as a way of recognizing him as a gardener and their help of replacing felled trees and bringing life back to the SHIRE
I have a character that I drew inspiration from Tolkien dwarves. He isn't a dwarf. He is a dnd half dragon RAISED by dwarves. The only race both equally stubborn and stoic enough to set even a dragons compulsions straight. His foster parents had successfully replaced his instinctual need to horde treasure with an obsessive need for perfection in handicraft. Blacksmithing, masonry, carpentry, skills and techniques from even the most masterful of hammerdeep were mastered in a matter of just a scant few decades. So at 42, after a youth spent honorably amongst the mountain home, he decided he should leave and seek answers to his questions.
He is much older since that chapter had closed. He has a family of his own. A title and responsibilities. Like Sam, he has an appreciation for the humble and useful. He spends his days courting his wife with hopeless romanticism, maintaining his masteries with studious zeal, and above all, trying to inspire others and nuture their greatness. Regardless of lifespans...
They changed the box of soil into a box of salt in Sam's pocket "in case we have a roast chicken some night!" BTW: in the movie, they never got to eat that rabbit stew! Did one of the rangers scarf it up when Faramir wasn't looking?
I loved how he phrased how shocked everyone watching would have been, her husband most of all, to hear what Gimli wanted.
If you need a reason for Sam to have rope, then I would say look to the book. When Sam uses the rope have Frodo ask him where that came from and Sam can say it was in the boat and I thought we could use it, so I took it. As with almost all of the changes Peter Jackson made these don't serve a purpose. I do look forward to the rest of these videos, I enjoy them ever so much.
The purpose was that they'd left the Scouring of the Shire out of the movie and they were telegraphing it. That chapter should have stayed in. It's more important to the story than people realize. (Especially the people who aren't aware that that part of the story even exists, because they've only seen the movies.)
Always pissed me off that they left out the Scourging of the Shire...
It wasn't just a box of dirt, there was a seed in there too, one for the giant Mallorn trees! Strange you would forget that.
I just found this video and therefore your channel. I will be watching the whole series on differences. Thanks for the great work. Keep it up.
I do think they do a good enough job showing the growth of Gimli and Legolas (in the movie) but showing Legolas' look of understanding and almost awe when Gimli explains the gift he received. It's a nice nod to the book readers because you know WHAT that actually means, but it also just shows for movie only viewers that Legolas respects and appreciates the gift Gimli received and doesn't scoff at the dwarf getting it.
Also this is my first video I've found or yours, this is awesome! Gonna have to go back and catch up now!