Farmer Maggot appeared in the movies, albeit in a very warped version. In the film, he appears in two instances: 1. he is shown terrified by a Black Rider, who just entered the Shire. Maggot tells the Rider that the Bagginses are not here but in Hobbiton. The real Maggot says the same to a Black Rider but in a very different situation (the Rider has been to Hobbiton and has already pursued Frodo on the way) . The Rider answers Maggot that "Baggins has gone away" and "is coming here"). Also, the real Maggot through is defiant towards the Black Rider, not scared like the movie Maggot. 2. we see Maggot's scythe as he chases Merry and Pippin through the field. Of course, nothing like this happened in the book so it is in line with Maggot's attitude towards trespassers.
I think there is another role that Tom Bombadil plays. He shows that not everyone who has power is interested in mastery over others. At the council of Elrond, they reject Tom as a possible guardian of the ring, not because he is not powerful enough (although they recognise that it may be so), but because he would lose interest and forget about the ring because such things have no hold on his mind. Rather like the ents, Tom is not much interested in the big issues of power, he is content with his life as it is.
Tom Bombantil is my favorite character because he is the master or better say the Lord of himself. The other characters are lords of something else but not necessarily lords of themselves. Think for example Isildur, or Aragorn or Gandalf. All of them could be influenced by the ring because their power came from ruling kingdoms, or other people, or Magic arts etc ( you name it). Tom Bombadil can not be influenced by anything or anyone because he is the Lord of Himself.
This is the sort of thing that Gandalf and Tom talked about for so long. Gandalf was probably horrified by even the sliver of desire he had for the one one ring back in frodo's home. I could imagine that with his newfound powers he sought out Tom to talk about tempering ambition with obscene ability
@@creativecolours2022 that's interesting, because as a kid after the first read through, I would skip Tom's part. I never liked him and he didn't seem to fit with the story. My unappreciative perspective on Tom hasn't changed in all these years; its interesting to see that he's actually some people's favorite!
He also gives the Hobbits 4 Numenorean daggers, including the one Merry used to stab the Witch King. Breaking the spell holding the Witch King together, allowing eowyn to finish him off.
Glad you mentioned Elladan, Elrohir and Halbarad- I missed them greatly in the films, but I love that you remembered Fatty and Lobelia, who are rarely mentioned as "missing" characters, but are brilliant characters in their own right. In fact, the scouring of the Shire was so important to complete the Hobbits' story arc. It was the biggest loss in PJ's truly amazing movies.
Where is Bill Ferny? His role in the tale may be small, but I did miss him from the movies. The only hint we get is a sad look from Sam when he says goodbye to Bill the pony at the Gates of Moria, which is totally unexplained in the movie, but perhaps left in as a wink to those who knew and loved the books.
There are so many examples of this, but Beregond strikes me as a character out of Tolkien's time at war. Young men at war questioning the morality or legality of their actions but doing what they feel they have to do to save those they care for.
I'm glad you included Lobelia, I've seen a few similar kinds of videos but she is never mentioned as far as minor characters go. I love her character arc and how she & Frodo drop their animosity towards each other and end the feud.
Gwaihir the Windlord. While present, I feel just giving the great eagle a couple lines like, "even if you were made of stone would I carry you," or "Thanks for healing me from that poison arrow" would not only have made him an actual character, but also averted some of the wider perception of eagles as Middle Earth's taxi service. 🙂
@@archieanderson6518 Nah, giving him lines would've seemed ridiculous. Talking animals in films is seen as childish, ala Narnia. I enjoy their portrayal in the movies, makes them seem like a force of nature.... which they basically are, they are the will of Manwe.
As a fan, Glorfindel is the one that upsets me the most in terms of the story told. The point is well made during the choosing of the 9 companions that even though Glorfindel is someone whom the Nazgul might fear even when grouped together, strength alone will not win the battle. Then again, the choosing of the companions was something that always bothered me in the movie. What was originally a serious and deliberate choice, became comic relief. So in that sense, it didn't really matter who was picked apparently.
Glorfindel not being in the story makes more sense to me than most. He's a cool character but he does precisely NOTHING after Rivendell. I thought it was quite smart of Jackson to give his early tasks to Arwen as a way to introduce us to her earlier, and give her character some additional depth. Her character is practically non existent in the books until RotK's latter half. As for the choosing of the Fellowship.... ultimately Elrond sent the additional Hobbits along as decoys lol him coldly spelling that out in the movie would've taken some of the whimsical feel they were going for out of the film.
Tolkien used the healing powers of Edward the Confessor ( 1003 - 1066) as a source for this adage. It helped that Edward was at Fecamp Abbey in Normandy from 1014 to 1041 and probably learnt medicinal herb lore from the brothers there.
I love the section where she keeps on getting cut off while speaking. It is one of the most human moments in the entire series, and you can almost hear her voice trailing off as the events unfold around her.
My biggest regret from the films is the whole Scouring of the Shire. I well understand why it wasn't there but for me it's the real heart of the books. Not foreign wars and gold rings and magic and elves although I loved every page of it, but having to fight for your own. I love the Cotton's, (Father and Sons) the archers, the Tooks, the Battle of Bywater and the end of Wormtongue and Sharku/Saruman.. I know Christopher Lee was disappointed by his movie death or lack of it, but it was an opportunity missed to not join in the many ends to the films.
It was also an important ending to the trilogy, to complete the hero's journey for the hobbits, to show how much their adventures had changed them, and made them more useful to their community.
Sam says it best when he says " this is worse than mordor" when they return. and seeing what him and frodo went through in mordor and getting there...you can tell how important it was to the story and how integral it was to them getting back home and the shire back to normal. Saruman even explains this to merry and pippen about them helping in take over isengard with treebeard and not expecting it to have consequences. And there home just to remain untouched by every thing thats happened just because gandalf and aragorn are with them. For once they have to solve a problem alone with their own wits and it proves how much they have grown compaired to them wandering off into the old forest at the start of the book
You know, we used to have to depend on executives at major media corporations to, on a whim, decide what content the masses see. Think about that. When most of us were kids, we only saw what was commercially produced and available on hard media or airwaves only. I am so glad that I get to live in a day in age that wonderful people like Rainbow Dave can create higher quality, more informative content to share with us, just because he wants to. Here's to Rainbow Dave and Tolkien and the freedom to make and share content. May you all get a million views and a million likes because I have a million times more respect for you than any Hollywood studio. Cheers!
I understand what you mean. I started reading in the late 1940's. It wasn't so much censorship as the technological limitations of the ways in which information could be created and distributed, and the difficulty in finding what information was available. I grew up reading science fiction-we didn't get many of the things that were imagined for the future, but i'm really happy we got the Internet with all the information and content that's available, and the ease of creating and finding it.
I think Gildor is most important for Sam. It is one of his chief experiences in life. And after they met the elves in the shire Sam changes - as witnessed by Frodo. He first came along, yes to be with Frodo, but also to see elves as he always loved stories of the elves. He had early on the chance to turn back, he had seen elves and he experienced some danger but he then made a resolution to stay with Frodo until the end. And that even though he had Rosie to go home to. It is also Gildor and his company who spread the word about Gandalf missing and people should help Frodo as the nine are on his tail. Without that meeting Glorfindel probably wouldn't have rode out in time or Bombadil would not have been there to look out for the Hobbits. And I love the fact that Sam seemingly kept quoting Gildor about not getting mixed up in the business of wizards :D
That's what I love about the Lord of the Rings story. One might call it a "chosen one" story, as Frodo was literally fated to have the ring. But it really doesn't play out like that. It's not like Frodo is some super hero and he just deals with everything himself. Yeah, the fate of the world does rest on him, but not him alone by far. Without at least a dozen characters along the way, he never would have made it.
Do I remember correctly that it was the encounter with the Elves led by Gildor that set in Sam's mind the significance of calling on Elbereth in time of need? That seems to have made a big difference at Cirith Ungol.
@@Nerobyrne And not to mention that Frodo actually failed. Even admitted it himself. If not for smeagol and golum, Sauron would have crushed the captains of the west.
@@jameshumphrey2345 Sam probably knew about Elbereth before he met the Elves as he loved Stories about the Elves. He even learned a bit about Gil-Galad. I would think you are right though. The significance might have been impressed there. Their singing to her drove away the Black Rider after all. And who knows what else they told him when Frodo was sleeping.
@@ja3033 Smeagol/Gollum has simply fulfilled his destiny. Like Frodo, he had a mission to fulfill for better or for worse. Nobody failed, everything was part of something bigger.
@@johndododoe1411 He was a racist caricature, sure, but he deffo didn't bend his knee. He treated theoden like an annoying child, told them to stfu and kill orcs, then disappeared.
The #1 is also my #1. The scene I really would love to have seen is the armies of Gondor entering Minas Tirith. The movies make Gondor seem weaker than they are. They give the impression Minas Tirith is all there is.
Gildor is interesting for many reasons. Inglorion means son of Inglor. Inglor was a name for Finrod Felagund, which Tolkien used very early in his writings but later changed his mind about and i personally think Gildor was more or less planned to be a son of Finrod/Inglor, who survived the battles of the First and Second age and helped those elves, who wanted to leave Middle Earth, on their path through Eriador. From the way the character is written it is clear he is an old elf and was among those who came against the will of the Valar. I remember my first reading of the Lord of the Rings and how the singing of those elves could force one of the Nine to go away.
Yeah, I think they rushed and narrowed down the Minas Tirith Story-arc far to much in the movie. To the point where it is at Times a little frustrating to watch, to be honest.
I discovered this channel a few weeks ago when TH-cam suggested a new video for me on Finrod Felagund, my favorite Tolkien character. I didn't know what to expect but what I got was fantastic! This channel has the best content with even better delivery (if that is possible). It is just so good and I look forward to my weekly video with the greatest of anticipation! Thank you so much Rainbow Dave and Long Live Tolkien Untangled!
One minor correction, Quickbeam actually does appear in "The Return of the King". He is the ent who gives Aragorn the keys to Orthanc. Aragorn: "I give this valley to the ents to do with as they please so long as they keep a watch on Orthanc and let no man enter it without my leave." Treebeard: "It is locked. I made Saruman lock it and give me the keys. Quickbeam has them." Then Quickbeam "bends like a tree in the wind" and gives Aragorn the keys. That conversation takes place just after Theoden's funeral and just before the Fellowship finally breaks up and goes their separate ways. The quote from Aragorn may be slightly off as I'm going strictly from memory here, but the quote from Treebeard is spot-on. That one I remember clearly.
Actually, it occurs to me that you were probably saying that he doesn't appear in the movie, and you would be completely correct about that. That scene is in the book.
@@michaelschaper352 That guy was a snitch and a pussy, no way that was pimpin' Farmer Maggot. He'd have told the Ringwraith that Baggins was located at the corner of Get a Map and Fuck Off, then threatened to go break off a switch and give the dark bastard a whoopin' if he didn't get off his porch!
I get such a sigh of relief, and happiness when I see a new video is uploaded!! Not only do we learn so much exciting new lore, but we are able to escape into Tolkien’s beautiful world through your amazing storytelling!!! We can only hope Mr.Dave of many colors continues his storytelling for as long as possible! Hehe! And thank you for your free video’s!!!!
I imagine that no hobbits apparently died in the Lockholes because Lobelia's tart tongue kept them going. It is implied that Gandalf went out of his way to avoid her. If you think about it, he treated her much as he did the Balrog!! It may be likely that her formidable will kept all of them going until they were rescued. It should also be remembered that unlike a number of others, she walked, though admittedly with some assistance. It is sad, even if fitting for the evil that she did help inaugurate, that she passed away before the Shire was healed.
The chapters from the departure of the hobbits from Crickhollow to their arrival at Bree--and even later, let's say to Weathertop--are a rehearsal and foretelling of their later adventures. They are getting used to their training wheels, as it were. First they have the fraught journey through the Old Forest (pointing toward Fangorn, where Merry and Pippin go through some frightening times); then in the Barrow Downs, there's an enmity in the very landscape (as with Caradhas during the foiled crossing of the Misty Mountains), and their entrapment in the barrow is a pre-echo of Moria, I think. The crossing of the midge-infested marshes after they leave Bree presages Frodo and Sam's crossing of the Dead Marshes. On a happier note, Goldberry is the beautiful golden-haired lady who's somewhat like Galadriel as an inspiration. The hobbits get their swords, just as later Aragorn will wield his--all being weapons of men of Numenor, wielded against evil. And Tom's house is a safe haven like Rivendell and Lorien--a place to recover and make ready for the next challenge. If the four hobbits had been flung straight into their most perilous adventures, would they have survived? Maybe not; they had to be seasoned. Not to mention that Aragorn came across them as they returned to the Great Road, and was able to trail them to Bree and save their lives at the Prancing Pony. Well, there could have been a different plot element for how Aragorn and the hobbits did meet, but not a better one than the actual one. "I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and if by life or death I can save you, I will." Sends shivers down my spine! By the way, Bree is rather scanted; Mine Host is barely seen; Nob is (I think) missing from the movie, and Bill Ferny is too, yes? Well, he's not there enough to notice.
@@elainechubb971 By far the biggest event that is presaged in these chapters is the battle of Pelannor Fields and the death of the Witch King of Angmar. When Tom Bombadil rescues Frodo and company from the Barrow Downs, he arms the hobbits with daggers from the hoard to use as swords. Merry's sword in particular had been ensorcelled long ago by the men of Westernesse specifically to kill the Witch King. Without Merry's first having broken the 'spell that knit his unseen sinews to his will' by hamstringing him, it is unlikely Eowyn could have gone on and finally killed him.
@@missanne2908 Yes, the arming of the hobbits is enormously important. Sam used his to wound Shelob and save Frodo, yes? The hobbits are being armed for battle within and without.
I’ve always wondered how different the movies would have been if produced as a mini series instead of 3 movies…Prince Imrahil is one of my favorite characters in the books, and was crushed when he was cut out of the movies, though I can understand why
i mean for decades people think these book were unadaptable, so if you think no one would have adapted in movie form then no one would adapt them nither in tv form. And it just that the movies leaft a big impact in movie history that is almost imposible to top them
I would also love to see Elfhelm, especially the part when he basicaly covers for Eowyn/„Dernhelm“ and Merry during the journey to Minas Tirith... Theoden would be really pissed if he found that two people who he explicitely ordered to stay behind dissobeyed his orders AND one of his greatest marshalls (and where the commander leads whole eored follows I guess) not only knows, but helps them doing so 😂
Yeah Elfhelm is super awesome! The only reason I didn't include him on this list is because I have a video coming soon on top ten Men of Rohan, and I'll talk a lot about Elfhelm in that video.
true! as well: Háma and Haleth. Háma is the one who suggests Éowyn should be regent: vital experience for her later role as Princess of Ithilien. A suggestion that is unconventional in this highly patriarchal society. Éomer and his followers clearly have a vision for the future of the Rohirrim: and it is one that breaks from the past in many ways. Haleth has this awesome conversation with Aragorn before Helm’s Deep: which is impressive since he’s like ten. Also, Tolkien never reused names without a good reason. “Haleth” of course is a heroine from the Silmarillion. It’s one of only two times in the whole Legendarium that a male character is named for a female character and guess who the other one is? Elros. His name means the same thing is his mother’s name: Star-spray. Haleth the son of Háma, dies at Helm’s Deep. As Elros was inches from death at Sirion, when Maglor saved him and his brother: at the end of a very different Age. An interesting parallel.
I have a theory that Tom Bombadil is Eru in human form. Or at least a small part of him that has chosen to exist in space/time for his own reasons. Authors will sometimes include a minor character that represents the author themselves interacting with their creations. They usually play an observer role who knows everything but takes little direct action to affect the plot.
@@Lukecash2 Yep, Tolkien himself stated even he didn't know exactly what Tom really was. He said all fantasy should contains some mystery, even for the author himself. Personally I think Tom is the manifestation of the "spirit" of Arda for lack of a better word. I think when Eru and the Valar were singing the song that would create Arda, when Melkor started changing the song, and introducing evil into the world, Arda itself fought back, and decided that there would be at least a small area where things would be as they should've been originally, with no darkness, and created Tom. Where Tom is master, the shadow hold no sway, period.
Tolkien explicitly said he was bot comfortable writing the incarnation into his work, so I think that probably refutes that theory. My best guess is simply that Tom is the embodiment of Arda. He is one of the primordial things that have no clear explanation, like Ungoliant or the nameless things beneath Moria.
@@calebklingerman7902 Those things have an explanation. When Morgoth changed the song of creation, it birthed all kinds of unplanned and unexpected dark creatures into the world. Its these things I assumed Morgoth eventually bred into Dragons, Werewolves, Trolls, Spiders, etc..... I think Tom is the spirit of Arda itself... as it should've been, before Melkor fucked it up.
No. Absoloutly impossible. Sorry to sound like a dick, but Eru \ God, Tom is not. If the Valar won`t help Middle Earth personally, they do send the Istari, how would God??? No way.
While he was the films, I still felt like Beorn didn’t get enough screen time. Especially during the Battle of the Five Armies where he had a scene that was left out in the original cut before the special edition was released.
That's definitely true! The fact that the Battle of the Five Armies gave Tauriel, Legolas, and that Alfrid guy so much screentime, and yet we got so little of actual Hobbit characters like Beorn, is insane to me.
My exact thoughts. It was definitely different having Legolas in the Hobbit, it just wasn’t his story. And I wasn’t put off exactly by Tauriel as a new character, but the three way romance was unnecessary. If anything she could have died and Legolas felt regret or something. Anything was better than that. But don’t get me started on Alfrid’s character. Should have died or been useful back the Battle of Five Armies with less screen time. Beorn deserved more than that. Especially since it kinda irked when he said he was the last of his people. Which is obviously untrue. Movie adaptations of course have to change stuff for the running. But that was so left field for me. Same with Azog still living. Good performance though along side the Black Speech spoken and translated clear as day.
@@tolkienuntangled let's be honest, Hobbit Trilogy sucked and it wasn't PJs fault if ppl actually look into it, but they will look like masterpiece adaptations compared to Amazon's shit show that is Tolkien in name only.
The thing I hated was the change in how the dwarves got Beorn to accept them. In the book, they come in a few at a time, to keep Beorn interested and amused enough to forget about harming them. Nor do we know he's a shape-shifter (werebear). There's real tension in the scenes, because we don't yet know how dangerous he is, but we are apprehensive. But in the movie, there's no surprise at all! It's farcical.
Back when I was a kid, I pictured Tom Bombadil as being played by Robin Williams. The point of passing through the Old Forest, and encountering the Willow Tree, Bombadil and the Barrow-Wights is that this is the center of the first book (LOTR is actually six books in three volumes), and is the hobbit's very first adventure into the unknown, while they only had brushes before. It cements their inability to cope in the world, and Bombadil serves as a Galadriel/Elrond type figure to save them and help them on their way.
LOTR wasn't written as 6 books, it was written as one, so the idea that Tolkien wrote in the conflicts in the Old Forest to be the "centre" of book one isn't accurate.
What I like about your channel is that you don't just do a Top video, but you actually tell a complete story. Most channels that do "Top Ten" videos just sum up in 10-12 minutes.
If they'd had Glorfindel in the film, everyone would have been 'Well, if they can't fly to Mordor on eagles, why didn't they take that super-elve that the freakin Nazgul themselves are terrified of!'
@@freakazoid4691 A _broken_ sword. Narsil wasn't lying around in an Elven memorial. Aragorn carried it as his actual sword until it was reforged to full size in Rivendel by Arven's brothers.
They already had one super elf so PJ had to cut him out, which sucks, he could've popped up here and there to save them instead of using silly excuses like in the movies
There was a reason Glorfindel wasn't in the fellowship. Since he was so powerful and after he killed the balrog and too died. He passed into Valinor and was reincarnated. Due to his residing in Valinor he was known to Sauron. His power was so great that he would have been sensed by Sauron on the journey. Hence, he chilled.
Another reason for the Bombadill storyline is that he saves the party from the barrowdown, in which they find the magical weapons that enable Merry to strike down the head of the Nazgul, the former witch-king of Angmar. No other blade could have done that. It is also omitted in the movies and yes, I also understand why but it is important still.
True, but in the films it would have made people wonder if Merry let Weathertop happen or why didn't that knowledge plague him and what happens when Frodo finds out Merry could have killed them... It would have led to more questions and conspiracies while the book allows for character ignorance. (Also, the poisoning was highly amplified in the films. Ignorance in the book while it was a slow drain on Frodo and the journey to Rivendell took weeks is fine, as well as Aragorn getting a chide in and educating. There was no time for that in the movies with Elijah Wood wheezing and being corrupted.
About Prince Imrahil's elven ancestors: I do not think there was just one mating between elf and man in Dol Amroth. Silvan elves passed through this area for along time, and I suppose many half-elves were born. Perhaps the elves tought of this as not entirely abandoning Middle Earth by leaving half-elven progeny behind? Perhaps some of these very young half-elves chose the elven heritage and almost immediately (after just a century or so of life in Middle Earth) wehn to Aman. Tolkien's story is very aristocratic, and I don't think we should suppose that just because only four cross-racial pairings are mentioned, there was no marriages among elves and men of lower social rank. This would create a group of half-elves in Dol Amroth, and prince Imrahil might be the result of matings within this group, giving him much more elven ancestry than the thousand year time span would indicate.
Shame we didn't see the swan knights. The people of dol amroth weren't just one of the last places of almost pure numenorian blood with a bit of elf, but were the elite of gondor...
I think the reason for “ aristocratic “ tendencies is because it’s fairy story and Tolkien wanted to write this kind of like the fair tall elves in contrast to dark orca not by bias but what is typical in fairy story in terms of description.
Beregond is one of my favorite characters, he was so selfless. His relationship with Faramir reminded me of Sam’s with Frodo. Glad to see him on this list!
Thank you so much for this fantastic video, and I'm so happy that you included Prince Imrahil, I was hoping and waiting for you to include him! He has really made a lasting impression on me. And I think if anyone who watched your video still hasn't read the book, you must have really made them want to, with all this incredible detail - I had almost forgotten some of it, it's been a while since I read it - but you made me want to grab it and read it again right now!!
This was great! I saddens me to think that I have forgotten more from the books than I have remembered of the films. Time to read again! You are the absolute best. I have shared your channel with my students.
To this day, I have never finished watching the films. I gave up on Two Towers after the scene where Pippin had to trick Treebeard into fighting Saruman....grrr. I tried to watch RotK, but gave up around the end of the scene where Pippin lights the beacon...as I was convinced then that Jackson had less respect for Tolkein's characters than he did for my valuable time.
@@TheMarcHicks You might try that particular scene again. It is the scenes that follow that help convey the enormous distance between Minas Tirith over the White Mountains to Edoras. With aerial shots of mountain peak after mountain peak and the rousing score of Howard Shore, without words, we see that this is taking place over a *huge* geographic area, and by extension, the whole journey really has been a massive undertaking. Again, all without words, it helps redeem all the many shortcuts taken in the last movie. Bernard Hill's speech before the charge, too, is well done. Those two scenes are in clips on TH-cam, and really are worth watching.
The biggest and possibly most metal scene missing from the movies albeit a small part of the story is when Sauron lifts Gil-Galad by the throat and burns his flesh off just from the heat of his hand, killing him in the process, but not before Gil-Galad stabs Sauron right in the neck with his spear. Also Sauron single armed driving Elendil headfirst into the rock face killing him would have been awesome
Fatty Bolger and Farmer Maggot are essential characters in FOTR because they represent the perspective of more mainstream Hobbit thinking. We get a bit of that from the Green Dragon gossip at the opening and more at the party, but as the story progresses past Chapter 1, Tolkien needs to remind the reader that the four main Hobbit characters each have an unusual character to them over and above the average of their kind. That doesn't mean that Bolger or Maggot are average by any means - but they weigh their actions from the norm of what's expected from their neighbours. Frodo, Merry, and Pippin don't - and Sam has the soul of a poet.
Thanks for this. I read Tolkien in my 20s. I am 66 now. So much forgotten. I'll need to reread it now. I remember loving Tolkien, but recognizing how difficult I found the text. Channels such as yours really help us understand the stories. I did find a very detailed map. This is really important for compression. I am listening to the Similarian now. But listening doesn't help. I need the text with a map and a compendium. A genealogy would help too, along with a character index. The movies were epic!
I am sad that Tom Bombadil wasn't in the movie. I understand why he's not but he was one of my favorite characters. When I read his chapters, in my mind he kind of looks like Brian Blessed, so I see him skipping around singing and I find that hilarious. I think that he represents hope and peace. He lives in the old forest that is full of danger at every turn and spends his days gathering lillies and enjoying life.
Great--no, VERY great list. I agree with Jackson's decision to omit Tom Bombadil. However, Ghan Buri Ghan could easily have been put in the movie. LIkewise with Glorfindel whose omission is criminal. While the sons of Elrond are a personal favorite, I can readily accept their omission--but Glorfindel... Finally, shame on Jackson for omitting Imrahil.
Betcha don't include my favorite NPC, Ioreth of the Houses of Healing of Gondor. She was among the first Gondorian to recognize that Aragorn was the heir of Isilder, prophesizing, "The hands of the king are the hands of the healer." BTW, I agree about Lobelia! She is like one of those elderly Ukrainian women who resisted the Russians.
She's like many elderly women in occupied territories in modern history, idly cursing at the new rulers and passively providing for resistance movements.
It would be cool to mention that it was Gangurigan who first noticed a change in the air, that the perpetuous night coming from Mordor was getting weak. He was the announcer of the changing of the tide.
What a great list! I now understand the reason for Frodo's dream at Tom's house and I see Lobelia in a new light. Glorfindel, my favourite elf, finally gets a jersey. Every one you discussed is an amazing character. Thank you xx
I love this list and really wish that we could’ve gotten them in the movie. I do understand why we didn’t and the fact that it doesn’t really lessen the movies for me speaks to just how good they are. That said I really hope the ride of the Rohirrim is popular so maybe just maybe we get a LOTR animated series which would allow for all these amazing characters to be included. Great video as always!
Rainbow Dave is the best. I honestly cannot count how many times I’ve watched ALLLLLLL OF the playlists. *chefs kiss* perfection. Every video. Thank you.
Before watching the video, I tried to guess your picks and got 6 or 7 (not sure if I considered Lobelia) right 😁 Some honourable mentions: Erkenbrand Angbor the Fearless The Barrow-Wight (man these Old Forest chapters have some neat Silmarillion and Morgoth references) Bill (the useless criminal, not the pony) Also, Uglúk and Grishnákh were underused in the films
Future directors should create scenes with these characters and weave them into the movies, as we all know, this LORT isn't going away. I would not mind seeing some of Peter Jackson's omissions corrected. Nice Video.
Wow, this was actually really educational even for a Tolkien fan like me. I'm embarrassed to say that it's been so long since I read LOTR in its entirety (long before I read and reread the Silmarillion) that I flat-out forgot that Glorfindel is Frodo's Rivendell guide! (I remembered it wasn't Arwen but...) Wow.
Háma is a wonderful charachter too but in the movies is very different (due partially to the changes in the plot) and become almost as irrelevant as Fredegar. He was depicted as a good-hearted man and among all the other things he resulted so brave in the battle of Helm's Depp he was the only one who was given the honor to be tumulated right in front of the Hornburg's gate, under a small green hill.
@@tolkienuntangled thanks, matey! It was a really good training, got some great takeaways to share with my fellow teachers here on Java and share with my former school I volunteered with when in the Peace Corps. Now, off to the Prancing Pony to sing and dance on the tables like Mery and Pippin...but am 100kg, so I would...break the table lol. Maybe skip the tables part.
So many to choose from! I can't decide who my favorite is. I'll have to take some time with this one. Great video, as usual, RD. You've made such a good channel. If you don't have at least 100k subs by the end of the year, I'll eat my hat.
Interestingly, Bregalad's name rendered in the Common Tongue, Quickbeam, is actually the Old English name for his beloved rowan trees: cwic-beám. "The Old English name of the rowan is cwic-beám, which survives in the name quickbeam (also quicken, quicken-tree, and variants)." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rowan
One of my major beefs with the movies (which were far better than I expected and bear repeated watching) was the weird decision to put Arwen in Glorfindel's place in the flight from Weathertop. It really rankles with me. Still, the Hobbit trilogy is far worse - so much nonsense added that I cannot watch it.
The message is that yes, there is redemption and we shall not dispair. Similar to Goethes Faust, a fascinating story as well. Just that Faust was even worse than Lobelia.
Shagrat and Gorbag are two characters that I absolutely love because they give more depth to the orc's then the rest of the books combined. Their conversion in the tunnel felt so real. I'd be willing believe Tolkien had similar conversations during the war. I've never seen the extended additions so maybe they are in the movie but they would be excellent characters to include
I recently found out a fun fact, I wish to share with Tolkien Fans. Cwic-beàm is the old English word for rowan tree. After everything told about Quickbeam, I felt I had to share this, because Tolkien knew this most probably.
I think almost the same about Tom Bombadil than you, i think he is important to the book but not to include on the movies, and his greatest contribution in my opinion is not that much to the story but to the Worldbuilding, is the way for Tolkien to tell us that there are things on Middle Earth that are way older and indifferent to what our characters are going through.
33:30 A couple notes on Glorfindel. First, I can't believe you left out how Glorfindel died before being sent back. He killed a Balrog single handed at the Battle of Unending Tears, covering the retreat of those fleeing the city and allowing Tuor, Idril, Earendil and others to escape. If not for Glorfindel, there would be no Elrond, no Elros, and therefore no Dunedain, no Aragorn, etc. And like Gandalf, it cost him his life. Second, that image at my time stamp is pretty clearly based on the face of Jonathan Rhys Meyers.
Yes, fighting Balrogs was treacherous business, and few who did lived to tell of it. Feanor tried & died. Glorfindel tried & died. Ecthelion tried & died. Gandalf tried & died. (Of course, they achieved their purpose, but did not survive). However, during "The Fall of Gondolin", many Balrogs were slain in that great battle. "Of those demons of power, Tuor slew five & Ecthelion three...." Tuor (a mortal man) was able to do this because of his empowerment by Ulmo the Vala. Ecthelion (Elf Lord) managed it because um well, - he was Ecthelion ! But ultimately both he & Gothmog (Lord of Balrogs) slew each other in the Battle of The Fountain. Also Rog (Elf Lord) & his battalion from the house of the 'Hammer of Wrath' were also credited with destroying several Balrogs in the tragedy of Gondolin.
@@fabricembida8029 There are many versions of the Fall of Gondolin... in some of the earlier drafts Tuor is slaying Balrogs by the dozen, but those versions are generally accepted as less accurate now, as it seemed later in life that Tolkien settled on there only being 7 Balrogs total, each a mighty opponent equal to any Elf or Maia, and slaying one became a massively big deal.
@@KS-xk2so Huh, so did ALL the Balrogs gang up on Feanor then? I recall he was slain by multiple Balrogs. Never heard it was just 7. Not challenging the info, it's just interesting.
I often wonder when, not if, a tv series of the silmarillion, the hobbit, the fellowship of the ring, the return of the king and the two towers is going to be made. Doing real justice to honour, not only the books, but the story itself with all the characters from J R R Tolkien's well rounded books. There are other books as well that would expand the series into several seasons of televisual and cinematic splendour.
Mentioning Tom Bombadil and Gahn-Buri-Gahn in the same video, gives me the idea that they serve a similar purpose. Just as the hero faces many perils on his quest, so does there appear unexpected helpers. What is foreshadowed as danger turns out to be friendly help. Aragon is initially presented in this way too, and both Theode and Denethor are introduced as possible threats. Strangely, I read the orcs that capture Frodo after the battle with Shelob and the orcs that carry of Merry and Pippin are variants on this theme. Yes the orcs were evil and hostile, but they also turn out to be helpers, moving the heroes to places where they need to be. Gildor Inglorion, Glorfindiel, Elrond, and even Galadriel have helper roles, but they are introduced as good from the get-go.
I wish even the books would have given more attention to Fredegar after the Scouring. But I keep reminding myself of how Tolkien worked: he was always second-guessing, re-thinking and revising even after the "good enough" version got published. It would have been fun in the movies to see Pippin and Bergil.
I read the trilogy in high school in the late 1960’s and like a lot of book characters I pictured Jimmy Durante playing the roll of Tom Bombadill. So I anxiously awaited the Fellowship of the Ring to be filmed and was shocked to find Peter Jackson wrote Bombadill right out of the script! Several years later I visualized Madonna in the role of Goldberry. What a pair they would have made singing a Middle Earth duet. (However Jackson got it right casting Cate Blanshette as Galadriel. She was born to be an elf queen.)
OH MY GOODNESS! I'm so glad this video popped up in my feed. This is wonderful. Thank you for shining a light on these wonderful characters that so many fans of the franchise have never met. Liked and Subbed!
Glorfindel was not the only character to be reborn. Both Beren and Luthien died and Luthien was able to persuade Mandos to pity and let them return to life - albeit a mortal one.
Gildor, Glorfindel the ever awesome, Elladan and Elrohir (Elrond’s sons), Ghan-buri-ghan, Beregond and his son (whose name escapes me, Halbarad the Ranger, Prince Imrahil and of course Tom Bombadil. To name a few!! Now let’s see who gets a mention here 🥰🥰
So glad Bombadil was cut was a pointless chapter. Glorfindel would just be another generic elf to normies and much better having Arwen. Its a movie, it needs a love story.
@@JohnSmith-is4uu It was not a pointless chapter at all. It's there where the hobbits get the Barrow-blades, without which the Witch-King of Angmar could not be killed. It's also Tom who directs Frodo to Bree. Not Gandalf, who originally directed him to Rivendell. Not to mention that Bombadil himself is easily the most interesting character in the book, if not the entire legendarium, for a fuckton of reasons. Arwen had no reason to be there and then to help Frodo get to Rivendell. She couldn't have any idea that Aragorn and the hobbits were there. Glorfindel would make more sense, even if it was just a random encounter.
I always thought Imrahil the Elven Gondorian was a part of the Tolkien Legedarium that Tolkien was going to develop when the 4th age shadow rises again and then he would back fill an epic story of his lineage. Kind of a parallel story to Beren & Luthian
I think it would have added a bit of depth if while Sam and Frodro were in Mordor, they would have included the 2 Orcs talking about deserting and just going off to live by themselves
Very well made and a good choice of missed characters, about half of whom I don't remember from reading the book (which I've only read all the way through 2 or 3 times many years ago!) I started reading it again last spring inspired by 'Tolkien day' whenever that was... and got as far as Tom Bombadil!
He is one of the omissions that makes the most sense to me honestly. He does literally NOTHING after Rivendell, so cutting him doesn't remove much... but what it does allow the writers to do is introduce Arwen earlier and actually give her some character development, which she is sorely lacking, especially in the first 2 books.
Perhaps the reason why Legolas didn't perceive the elven blood of Boromir is because Gandalf had said earlier in his story about the brothers, that "the elven blood ran more true in Faramir than his brother."
Great channel I’m so glad you found me!!! Keep up the great work and the fact that Tom and goldberry aren’t but barely mentioned in the movies was a crime and those responsible need to be punished and sent to time out to think about what they did!!!
![[MV] A leap of faith...ความเชื่อใจครั้งสุดท้าย (From "Petrichor the series")](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/U1piZH2CNXA/mqdefault.jpg)
Farmer Maggot is an interesting fellow. Brave. Headstrong. And held in high regard by Bombadil.
I was sure he's gonnabe in this list. Obviously Ghan took Maggot's place - Ghan is so rare to be mentioned and remembered.
Farmer Maggot appeared in the movies, albeit in a very warped version. In the film, he appears in two instances:
1. he is shown terrified by a Black Rider, who just entered the Shire. Maggot tells the Rider that the Bagginses are not here but in Hobbiton. The real Maggot says the same to a Black Rider but in a very different situation (the Rider has been to Hobbiton and has already pursued Frodo on the way) . The Rider answers Maggot that "Baggins has gone away" and "is coming here"). Also, the real Maggot through is defiant towards the Black Rider, not scared like the movie Maggot.
2. we see Maggot's scythe as he chases Merry and Pippin through the field. Of course, nothing like this happened in the book so it is in line with Maggot's attitude towards trespassers.
Right!? He threatened to sick his hounds on the nazgul! What a chad
@@DoctorMandible I love the indomitable will of the Hobbits. They don't put up with anyone's shit.
b,m
I think there is another role that Tom Bombadil plays. He shows that not everyone who has power is interested in mastery over others. At the council of Elrond, they reject Tom as a possible guardian of the ring, not because he is not powerful enough (although they recognise that it may be so), but because he would lose interest and forget about the ring because such things have no hold on his mind. Rather like the ents, Tom is not much interested in the big issues of power, he is content with his life as it is.
Tom Bombantil is my favorite character because he is the master or better say the Lord of himself. The other characters are lords of something else but not necessarily lords of themselves. Think for example Isildur, or Aragorn or Gandalf. All of them could be influenced by the ring because their power came from ruling kingdoms, or other people, or Magic arts etc ( you name it). Tom Bombadil can not be influenced by anything or anyone because he is the Lord of Himself.
They had mind altering experience. Goldberry singing her voice bouncing.....and it have Frodo somekind of insight.
This is the sort of thing that Gandalf and Tom talked about for so long.
Gandalf was probably horrified by even the sliver of desire he had for the one one ring back in frodo's home.
I could imagine that with his newfound powers he sought out Tom to talk about tempering ambition with obscene ability
@@creativecolours2022 that's interesting, because as a kid after the first read through, I would skip Tom's part. I never liked him and he didn't seem to fit with the story.
My unappreciative perspective on Tom hasn't changed in all these years; its interesting to see that he's actually some people's favorite!
He also gives the Hobbits 4 Numenorean daggers, including the one Merry used to stab the Witch King. Breaking the spell holding the Witch King together, allowing eowyn to finish him off.
Glad you mentioned Elladan, Elrohir and Halbarad- I missed them greatly in the films, but I love that you remembered Fatty and Lobelia, who are rarely mentioned as "missing" characters, but are brilliant characters in their own right. In fact, the scouring of the Shire was so important to complete the Hobbits' story arc. It was the biggest loss in PJ's truly amazing movies.
In Lord of the Rings Online, I have a portrait of the Grey Company hanging in my bedroom ^.^
Where is Bill Ferny? His role in the tale may be small, but I did miss him from the movies. The only hint we get is a sad look from Sam when he says goodbye to Bill the pony at the Gates of Moria, which is totally unexplained in the movie, but perhaps left in as a wink to those who knew and loved the books.
There are so many examples of this, but Beregond strikes me as a character out of Tolkien's time at war. Young men at war questioning the morality or legality of their actions but doing what they feel they have to do to save those they care for.
Here gone was based on a French friend that died almost next to him. His name was beregond too
Every war has men like Beregond.
I'm glad you included Lobelia, I've seen a few similar kinds of videos but she is never mentioned as far as minor characters go. I love her character arc and how she & Frodo drop their animosity towards each other and end the feud.
Gwaihir the Windlord. While present, I feel just giving the great eagle a couple lines like, "even if you were made of stone would I carry you," or "Thanks for healing me from that poison arrow" would not only have made him an actual character, but also averted some of the wider perception of eagles as Middle Earth's taxi service. 🙂
Talking animals don’t work in such a serious movie.
@@Brinta3 well yes they do
@Fazy Baby A story about wizards, Hobbits, Ents and Nâzgul would not be realistic? 😂
@@archieanderson6518 Nah, giving him lines would've seemed ridiculous. Talking animals in films is seen as childish, ala Narnia.
I enjoy their portrayal in the movies, makes them seem like a force of nature.... which they basically are, they are the will of Manwe.
@@KS-xk2so Cartoonish talking animals are seen as childish. Animals talk in the Bible in some instances.
As a fan, Glorfindel is the one that upsets me the most in terms of the story told. The point is well made during the choosing of the 9 companions that even though Glorfindel is someone whom the Nazgul might fear even when grouped together, strength alone will not win the battle. Then again, the choosing of the companions was something that always bothered me in the movie. What was originally a serious and deliberate choice, became comic relief. So in that sense, it didn't really matter who was picked apparently.
Glorfindel not being in the story makes more sense to me than most. He's a cool character but he does precisely NOTHING after Rivendell. I thought it was quite smart of Jackson to give his early tasks to Arwen as a way to introduce us to her earlier, and give her character some additional depth. Her character is practically non existent in the books until RotK's latter half.
As for the choosing of the Fellowship.... ultimately Elrond sent the additional Hobbits along as decoys lol him coldly spelling that out in the movie would've taken some of the whimsical feel they were going for out of the film.
That was the way Tolkien wrote it. Liv Tyler sucked.
I also missed Ioreth. "The hands of the king are the hands of a healer."
Yeah she's a great character. She was on the shortlist.
Tolkien used the healing powers of Edward the Confessor ( 1003 - 1066) as a source for this adage. It helped that Edward was at Fecamp Abbey in Normandy from 1014 to 1041 and probably learnt medicinal herb lore from the brothers there.
"You have the hands of a healer :)"
I love the section where she keeps on getting cut off while speaking. It is one of the most human moments in the entire series, and you can almost hear her voice trailing off as the events unfold around her.
One of the characters that is fully human -- vain, wise in her own way, clever, and bumbling. Not of The Great. Of the hoi polloi. One of us.
My biggest regret from the films is the whole Scouring of the Shire. I well understand why it wasn't there but for me it's the real heart of the books. Not foreign wars and gold rings and magic and elves although I loved every page of it, but having to fight for your own. I love the Cotton's, (Father and Sons) the archers, the Tooks, the Battle of Bywater and the end of Wormtongue and Sharku/Saruman.. I know Christopher Lee was disappointed by his movie death or lack of it, but it was an opportunity missed to not join in the many ends to the films.
agree, in fact it was surprising that jackson didn't make a 4th rings film out of it. after all he turned the hobbit into 3 overly long episodes.
It was also an important ending to the trilogy, to complete the hero's journey for the hobbits, to show how much their adventures had changed them, and made them more useful to their community.
Sam says it best when he says " this is worse than mordor" when they return. and seeing what him and frodo went through in mordor and getting there...you can tell how important it was to the story and how integral it was to them getting back home and the shire back to normal. Saruman even explains this to merry and pippen about them helping in take over isengard with treebeard and not expecting it to have consequences. And there home just to remain untouched by every thing thats happened just because gandalf and aragorn are with them. For once they have to solve a problem alone with their own wits and it proves how much they have grown compaired to them wandering off into the old forest at the start of the book
For me, it's the Barrow Downs.
Kkkkkkk
You know, we used to have to depend on executives at major media corporations to, on a whim, decide what content the masses see. Think about that. When most of us were kids, we only saw what was commercially produced and available on hard media or airwaves only. I am so glad that I get to live in a day in age that wonderful people like Rainbow Dave can create higher quality, more informative content to share with us, just because he wants to. Here's to Rainbow Dave and Tolkien and the freedom to make and share content. May you all get a million views and a million likes because I have a million times more respect for you than any Hollywood studio. Cheers!
Thanks very much! It's only possible to make these videos because of viewers like yourself!
You could of course, read the books. You know nothing, Carl Tuckerson.
Bit of a tangent about censorship but I dig
The world has gotten more censored in my opinion.if you want a non sensored look then you half to know what to look fore.
I understand what you mean. I started reading in the late 1940's. It wasn't so much censorship as the technological limitations of the ways in which information could be created and distributed, and the difficulty in finding what information was available. I grew up reading science fiction-we didn't get many of the things that were imagined for the future, but i'm really happy we got the Internet with all the information and content that's available, and the ease of creating and finding it.
I think Gildor is most important for Sam. It is one of his chief experiences in life. And after they met the elves in the shire Sam changes - as witnessed by Frodo. He first came along, yes to be with Frodo, but also to see elves as he always loved stories of the elves. He had early on the chance to turn back, he had seen elves and he experienced some danger but he then made a resolution to stay with Frodo until the end. And that even though he had Rosie to go home to.
It is also Gildor and his company who spread the word about Gandalf missing and people should help Frodo as the nine are on his tail. Without that meeting Glorfindel probably wouldn't have rode out in time or Bombadil would not have been there to look out for the Hobbits.
And I love the fact that Sam seemingly kept quoting Gildor about not getting mixed up in the business of wizards :D
That's what I love about the Lord of the Rings story.
One might call it a "chosen one" story, as Frodo was literally fated to have the ring. But it really doesn't play out like that. It's not like Frodo is some super hero and he just deals with everything himself. Yeah, the fate of the world does rest on him, but not him alone by far. Without at least a dozen characters along the way, he never would have made it.
Do I remember correctly that it was the encounter with the Elves led by Gildor that set in Sam's mind the significance of calling on Elbereth in time of need? That seems to have made a big difference at Cirith Ungol.
@@Nerobyrne And not to mention that Frodo actually failed. Even admitted it himself. If not for smeagol and golum, Sauron would have crushed the captains of the west.
@@jameshumphrey2345
Sam probably knew about Elbereth before he met the Elves as he loved Stories about the Elves. He even learned a bit about Gil-Galad.
I would think you are right though. The significance might have been impressed there. Their singing to her drove away the Black Rider after all. And who knows what else they told him when Frodo was sleeping.
@@ja3033 Smeagol/Gollum has simply fulfilled his destiny.
Like Frodo, he had a mission to fulfill for better or for worse. Nobody failed, everything was part of something bigger.
I was surprised that you didn't mention that Tom Bombadil gave Merry the enchanted blade that killed the Witch King
@@12classics39 duh
And the other swords of westernesse
At last! Ghan buri Ghan gets his moment! At least someone mentions him and his people! You did this already once, now again! Thanks!
I recall him as a racist stereotype of a "primitive" Pygmy recognizing the superiority of white overlords.
@@johndododoe1411 the men of Rohan recognize him and his people as sovereign, and they respect them and their ancient history
@@johndododoe1411
He works together with the rohirim because they share a Common enemy. Not because He recognises them as Overlords.
@@johndododoe1411 He was a racist caricature, sure, but he deffo didn't bend his knee. He treated theoden like an annoying child, told them to stfu and kill orcs, then disappeared.
The #1 is also my #1. The scene I really would love to have seen is the armies of Gondor entering Minas Tirith. The movies make Gondor seem weaker than they are. They give the impression Minas Tirith is all there is.
I agree.
Apart from the ghost army, the portrayal of gondors men being weak af, really annoyed me.
So few kills.
@@alanmike6883 that is why I prefer Aragorn's use of the Dead Men of Dunharrow at Pelargir-not at Pelannor Fields.
@@TheMarcHicks
That would've been so much better had they stuck with the books.
The rest of gondors freed up army coming to the rescue
Gildor is interesting for many reasons. Inglorion means son of Inglor. Inglor was a name for Finrod Felagund, which Tolkien used very early in his writings but later changed his mind about and i personally think Gildor was more or less planned to be a son of Finrod/Inglor, who survived the battles of the First and Second age and helped those elves, who wanted to leave Middle Earth, on their path through Eriador. From the way the character is written it is clear he is an old elf and was among those who came against the will of the Valar. I remember my first reading of the Lord of the Rings and how the singing of those elves could force one of the Nine to go away.
Beregond is one I think they could have added to the movies. Such a great character.
And his boy, Bergil, who becomes Merry's pal.
I agree.
Beregond is one of those unsung heroes in many stories, because most people don't see the actual value those supposed side characters have.
Yeah, I think they rushed and narrowed down the Minas Tirith Story-arc far to much in the movie. To the point where it is at Times a little frustrating to watch, to be honest.
I think Arwen's twin brothers would have cool to see in the movie too.
I discovered this channel a few weeks ago when TH-cam suggested a new video for me on Finrod Felagund, my favorite Tolkien character. I didn't know what to expect but what I got was fantastic! This channel has the best content with even better delivery (if that is possible). It is just so good and I look forward to my weekly video with the greatest of anticipation! Thank you so much Rainbow Dave and Long Live Tolkien Untangled!
Thanks so much! I'm really glad you enjoy the channel!
Arwen: "Nuralím Aspharoth!"
Glorfindel: "Where the f*ck is my horse?"
it’s “noro lim” but lol.
Nice one 😂
@@golwenlothlindel Not to mention "Asfaloth"
as has been said already "noro lim Asfaloth" which means "ride on Asfaloth! "
@@fabricembida8029 I could edit it, but then the replies would make no sense.
One minor correction, Quickbeam actually does appear in "The Return of the King". He is the ent who gives Aragorn the keys to Orthanc.
Aragorn: "I give this valley to the ents to do with as they please so long as they keep a watch on Orthanc and let no man enter it without my leave."
Treebeard: "It is locked. I made Saruman lock it and give me the keys. Quickbeam has them." Then Quickbeam "bends like a tree in the wind" and gives Aragorn the keys.
That conversation takes place just after Theoden's funeral and just before the Fellowship finally breaks up and goes their separate ways. The quote from Aragorn may be slightly off as I'm going strictly from memory here, but the quote from Treebeard is spot-on. That one I remember clearly.
Actually, it occurs to me that you were probably saying that he doesn't appear in the movie, and you would be completely correct about that. That scene is in the book.
Honorary mention: Farmer Maggot.
Farmer Maggot, we only see his farming implement, not him.
I read that wrong, like as Marmer Gay
The guy who effectively told a nazgul to eff off
They have someone who has a dog though that tells them frighteningly that Baggins lived in Hobbiton.
@@michaelschaper352
Farmer maggot Had three dogs though.
@@michaelschaper352 That guy was a snitch and a pussy, no way that was pimpin' Farmer Maggot. He'd have told the Ringwraith that Baggins was located at the corner of Get a Map and Fuck Off, then threatened to go break off a switch and give the dark bastard a whoopin' if he didn't get off his porch!
I get such a sigh of relief, and happiness when I see a new video is uploaded!! Not only do we learn so much exciting new lore, but we are able to escape into Tolkien’s beautiful world through your amazing storytelling!!! We can only hope Mr.Dave of many colors continues his storytelling for as long as possible! Hehe! And thank you for your free video’s!!!!
Thanks very much. I'm really glad you enjoy the videos!
It makes me so happy Lobelia is on here! You're right: she does get a fantastic redemption arc!
Lobelia appears in the movies, though.
@@str.77 Hm. You're right.
I imagine that no hobbits apparently died in the Lockholes because Lobelia's tart tongue kept them going. It is implied that Gandalf went out of his way to avoid her. If you think about it, he treated her much as he did the Balrog!! It may be likely that her formidable will kept all of them going until they were rescued. It should also be remembered that unlike a number of others, she walked, though admittedly with some assistance. It is sad, even if fitting for the evil that she did help inaugurate, that she passed away before the Shire was healed.
That's awesome!
I LOVE TOM BOMBADIL!! I feel it was a grave injustice to cut his woods scene along with his wife Goldberry and Old Man Willow
Right??!? 😁 I also do wish the absolute mad lad ol Radagast woulda got some more love too tbh 👽😁
The chapters from the departure of the hobbits from Crickhollow to their arrival at Bree--and even later, let's say to Weathertop--are a rehearsal and foretelling of their later adventures. They are getting used to their training wheels, as it were. First they have the fraught journey through the Old Forest (pointing toward Fangorn, where Merry and Pippin go through some frightening times); then in the Barrow Downs, there's an enmity in the very landscape (as with Caradhas during the foiled crossing of the Misty Mountains), and their entrapment in the barrow is a pre-echo of Moria, I think. The crossing of the midge-infested marshes after they leave Bree presages Frodo and Sam's crossing of the Dead Marshes. On a happier note, Goldberry is the beautiful golden-haired lady who's somewhat like Galadriel as an inspiration. The hobbits get their swords, just as later Aragorn will wield his--all being weapons of men of Numenor, wielded against evil. And Tom's house is a safe haven like Rivendell and Lorien--a place to recover and make ready for the next challenge. If the four hobbits had been flung straight into their most perilous adventures, would they have survived? Maybe not; they had to be seasoned. Not to mention that Aragorn came across them as they returned to the Great Road, and was able to trail them to Bree and save their lives at the Prancing Pony. Well, there could have been a different plot element for how Aragorn and the hobbits did meet, but not a better one than the actual one. "I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and if by life or death I can save you, I will." Sends shivers down my spine!
By the way, Bree is rather scanted; Mine Host is barely seen; Nob is (I think) missing from the movie, and Bill Ferny is too, yes? Well, he's not there enough to notice.
@@elainechubb971 By far the biggest event that is presaged in these chapters is the battle of Pelannor Fields and the death of the Witch King of Angmar. When Tom Bombadil rescues Frodo and company from the Barrow Downs, he arms the hobbits with daggers from the hoard to use as swords. Merry's sword in particular had been ensorcelled long ago by the men of Westernesse specifically to kill the Witch King. Without Merry's first having broken the 'spell that knit his unseen sinews to his will' by hamstringing him, it is unlikely Eowyn could have gone on and finally killed him.
@@missanne2908 Yes, the arming of the hobbits is enormously important. Sam used his to wound Shelob and save Frodo, yes? The hobbits are being armed for battle within and without.
The movies would have become too long, especially for broader audience. I of course would have liked it too.
I’ve always wondered how different the movies would have been if produced as a mini series instead of 3 movies…Prince Imrahil is one of my favorite characters in the books, and was crushed when he was cut out of the movies, though I can understand why
i mean for decades people think these book were unadaptable, so if you think no one would have adapted in movie form then no one would adapt them nither in tv form. And it just that the movies leaft a big impact in movie history that is almost imposible to top them
I would also love to see Elfhelm, especially the part when he basicaly covers for Eowyn/„Dernhelm“ and Merry during the journey to Minas Tirith... Theoden would be really pissed if he found that two people who he explicitely ordered to stay behind dissobeyed his orders AND one of his greatest marshalls (and where the commander leads whole eored follows I guess) not only knows, but helps them doing so 😂
Yeah Elfhelm is super awesome! The only reason I didn't include him on this list is because I have a video coming soon on top ten Men of Rohan, and I'll talk a lot about Elfhelm in that video.
@@tolkienuntangled do not tempt me Frodo..... And post the video asap 🤣
true! as well: Háma and Haleth. Háma is the one who suggests Éowyn should be regent: vital experience for her later role as Princess of Ithilien. A suggestion that is unconventional in this highly patriarchal society. Éomer and his followers clearly have a vision for the future of the Rohirrim: and it is one that breaks from the past in many ways. Haleth has this awesome conversation with Aragorn before Helm’s Deep: which is impressive since he’s like ten.
Also, Tolkien never reused names without a good reason. “Haleth” of course is a heroine from the Silmarillion. It’s one of only two times in the whole Legendarium that a male character is named for a female character and guess who the other one is? Elros. His name means the same thing is his mother’s name: Star-spray. Haleth the son of Háma, dies at Helm’s Deep. As Elros was inches from death at Sirion, when Maglor saved him and his brother: at the end of a very different Age. An interesting parallel.
I have a theory that Tom Bombadil is Eru in human form. Or at least a small part of him that has chosen to exist in space/time for his own reasons.
Authors will sometimes include a minor character that represents the author themselves interacting with their creations. They usually play an observer role who knows everything but takes little direct action to affect the plot.
Tom Bombadil was intended to be a mystery…he’s the first sign of Sauron was not the ultimate power.
@@Lukecash2 Yep, Tolkien himself stated even he didn't know exactly what Tom really was. He said all fantasy should contains some mystery, even for the author himself.
Personally I think Tom is the manifestation of the "spirit" of Arda for lack of a better word. I think when Eru and the Valar were singing the song that would create Arda, when Melkor started changing the song, and introducing evil into the world, Arda itself fought back, and decided that there would be at least a small area where things would be as they should've been originally, with no darkness, and created Tom. Where Tom is master, the shadow hold no sway, period.
Tolkien explicitly said he was bot comfortable writing the incarnation into his work, so I think that probably refutes that theory. My best guess is simply that Tom is the embodiment of Arda. He is one of the primordial things that have no clear explanation, like Ungoliant or the nameless things beneath Moria.
@@calebklingerman7902 Those things have an explanation. When Morgoth changed the song of creation, it birthed all kinds of unplanned and unexpected dark creatures into the world. Its these things I assumed Morgoth eventually bred into Dragons, Werewolves, Trolls, Spiders, etc..... I think Tom is the spirit of Arda itself... as it should've been, before Melkor fucked it up.
No. Absoloutly impossible. Sorry to sound like a dick, but Eru \ God, Tom is not. If the Valar won`t help Middle Earth personally, they do send the Istari, how would God??? No way.
While he was the films, I still felt like Beorn didn’t get enough screen time. Especially during the Battle of the Five Armies where he had a scene that was left out in the original cut before the special edition was released.
That's definitely true! The fact that the Battle of the Five Armies gave Tauriel, Legolas, and that Alfrid guy so much screentime, and yet we got so little of actual Hobbit characters like Beorn, is insane to me.
My exact thoughts. It was definitely different having Legolas in the Hobbit, it just wasn’t his story. And I wasn’t put off exactly by Tauriel as a new character, but the three way romance was unnecessary. If anything she could have died and Legolas felt regret or something. Anything was better than that. But don’t get me started on Alfrid’s character. Should have died or been useful back the Battle of Five Armies with less screen time. Beorn deserved more than that. Especially since it kinda irked when he said he was the last of his people. Which is obviously untrue. Movie adaptations of course have to change stuff for the running. But that was so left field for me. Same with Azog still living. Good performance though along side the Black Speech spoken and translated clear as day.
@@tolkienuntangled let's be honest, Hobbit Trilogy sucked and it wasn't PJs fault if ppl actually look into it, but they will look like masterpiece adaptations compared to Amazon's shit show that is Tolkien in name only.
@@JohnSmith-is4uu bro, the show has aired 0 seconds. How can anyone know it's shit?
The thing I hated was the change in how the dwarves got Beorn to accept them. In the book, they come in a few at a time, to keep Beorn interested and amused enough to forget about harming them. Nor do we know he's a shape-shifter (werebear). There's real tension in the scenes, because we don't yet know how dangerous he is, but we are apprehensive. But in the movie, there's no surprise at all! It's farcical.
Back when I was a kid, I pictured Tom Bombadil as being played by Robin Williams.
The point of passing through the Old Forest, and encountering the Willow Tree, Bombadil and the Barrow-Wights is that this is the center of the first book (LOTR is actually six books in three volumes), and is the hobbit's very first adventure into the unknown, while they only had brushes before. It cements their inability to cope in the world, and Bombadil serves as a Galadriel/Elrond type figure to save them and help them on their way.
YES! Robin Williams! Now what about Goldberry?
@@dandaintac388 I never pictured an actress for her, at the time. The closest, I suppose, at the time, would've been Felicity Kendall, but blonde.
@@dandaintac388 I see the actress who played Jane Bennet in the 90s Pride and Prejudice.
LOTR wasn't written as 6 books, it was written as one, so the idea that Tolkien wrote in the conflicts in the Old Forest to be the "centre" of book one isn't accurate.
@@KS-xk2so It actually says Book 1, Book 2, etc at the beginning of each half of all three volumes.
What I like about your channel is that you don't just do a Top video, but you actually tell a complete story. Most channels that do "Top Ten" videos just sum up in 10-12 minutes.
If they'd had Glorfindel in the film, everyone would have been 'Well, if they can't fly to Mordor on eagles, why didn't they take that super-elve that the freakin Nazgul themselves are terrified of!'
Aragorn scared them off with a sword and a torch.
@@freakazoid4691 A _broken_ sword. Narsil wasn't lying around in an Elven memorial. Aragorn carried it as his actual sword until it was reforged to full size in Rivendel by Arven's brothers.
They already had one super elf so PJ had to cut him out, which sucks, he could've popped up here and there to save them instead of using silly excuses like in the movies
There was a reason Glorfindel wasn't in the fellowship. Since he was so powerful and after he killed the balrog and too died. He passed into Valinor and was reincarnated. Due to his residing in Valinor he was known to Sauron. His power was so great that he would have been sensed by Sauron on the journey. Hence, he chilled.
Another reason for the Bombadill storyline is that he saves the party from the barrowdown, in which they find the magical weapons that enable Merry to strike down the head of the Nazgul, the former witch-king of Angmar. No other blade could have done that. It is also omitted in the movies and yes, I also understand why but it is important still.
True, but in the films it would have made people wonder if Merry let Weathertop happen or why didn't that knowledge plague him and what happens when Frodo finds out Merry could have killed them... It would have led to more questions and conspiracies while the book allows for character ignorance. (Also, the poisoning was highly amplified in the films. Ignorance in the book while it was a slow drain on Frodo and the journey to Rivendell took weeks is fine, as well as Aragorn getting a chide in and educating. There was no time for that in the movies with Elijah Wood wheezing and being corrupted.
@@Undomaranel Like I said, I understand why it was omitted but in the books it is highly crucial.
About Prince Imrahil's elven ancestors: I do not think there was just one mating between elf and man in Dol Amroth. Silvan elves passed through this area for along time, and I suppose many half-elves were born. Perhaps the elves tought of this as not entirely abandoning Middle Earth by leaving half-elven progeny behind? Perhaps some of these very young half-elves chose the elven heritage and almost immediately (after just a century or so of life in Middle Earth) wehn to Aman. Tolkien's story is very aristocratic, and I don't think we should suppose that just because only four cross-racial pairings are mentioned, there was no marriages among elves and men of lower social rank. This would create a group of half-elves in Dol Amroth, and prince Imrahil might be the result of matings within this group, giving him much more elven ancestry than the thousand year time span would indicate.
Shame we didn't see the swan knights.
The people of dol amroth weren't just one of the last places of almost pure numenorian blood with a bit of elf, but were the elite of gondor...
I want to have babies with a fell beast
@@FluffySylveonBoi Sadly, you possibly will.
I think the reason for “ aristocratic “ tendencies is because it’s fairy story and Tolkien wanted to write this kind of like the fair tall elves in contrast to dark orca not by bias but what is typical in fairy story in terms of description.
Beregond is one of my favorite characters, he was so selfless. His relationship with Faramir reminded me of Sam’s with Frodo. Glad to see him on this list!
Thank you so much for this fantastic video, and I'm so happy that you included Prince Imrahil, I was hoping and waiting for you to include him! He has really made a lasting impression on me. And I think if anyone who watched your video still hasn't read the book, you must have really made them want to, with all this incredible detail - I had almost forgotten some of it, it's been a while since I read it - but you made me want to grab it and read it again right now!!
This was great! I saddens me to think that I have forgotten more from the books than I have remembered of the films. Time to read again! You are the absolute best. I have shared your channel with my students.
To this day, I have never finished watching the films. I gave up on Two Towers after the scene where Pippin had to trick Treebeard into fighting Saruman....grrr.
I tried to watch RotK, but gave up around the end of the scene where Pippin lights the beacon...as I was convinced then that Jackson had less respect for Tolkein's characters than he did for my valuable time.
@@TheMarcHicks You might try that particular scene again. It is the scenes that follow that help convey the enormous distance between Minas Tirith over the White Mountains to Edoras. With aerial shots of mountain peak after mountain peak and the rousing score of Howard Shore, without words, we see that this is taking place over a *huge* geographic area, and by extension, the whole journey really has been a massive undertaking. Again, all without words, it helps redeem all the many shortcuts taken in the last movie. Bernard Hill's speech before the charge, too, is well done. Those two scenes are in clips on TH-cam, and really are worth watching.
The biggest and possibly most metal scene missing from the movies albeit a small part of the story is when Sauron lifts Gil-Galad by the throat and burns his flesh off just from the heat of his hand, killing him in the process, but not before Gil-Galad stabs Sauron right in the neck with his spear. Also Sauron single armed driving Elendil headfirst into the rock face killing him would have been awesome
and poor anarion who died by a falling rock i think it was,
That sounds awesome
hope to see this in rings of power
Your description of the fight between GG and Sauron doesn’t exist in the books.
Fatty Bolger and Farmer Maggot are essential characters in FOTR because they represent the perspective of more mainstream Hobbit thinking. We get a bit of that from the Green Dragon gossip at the opening and more at the party, but as the story progresses past Chapter 1, Tolkien needs to remind the reader that the four main Hobbit characters each have an unusual character to them over and above the average of their kind. That doesn't mean that Bolger or Maggot are average by any means - but they weigh their actions from the norm of what's expected from their neighbours. Frodo, Merry, and Pippin don't - and Sam has the soul of a poet.
Thanks for this. I read Tolkien in my 20s. I am 66 now. So much forgotten. I'll need to reread it now. I remember loving Tolkien, but recognizing how difficult I found the text. Channels such as yours really help us understand the stories. I did find a very detailed map. This is really important for compression. I am listening to the Similarian now. But listening doesn't help. I need the text with a map and a compendium. A genealogy would help too, along with a character index. The movies were epic!
I am sad that Tom Bombadil wasn't in the movie. I understand why he's not but he was one of my favorite characters. When I read his chapters, in my mind he kind of looks like Brian Blessed, so I see him skipping around singing and I find that hilarious. I think that he represents hope and peace. He lives in the old forest that is full of danger at every turn and spends his days gathering lillies and enjoying life.
ive always had him as brian blessed too lol
Great--no, VERY great list. I agree with Jackson's decision to omit Tom Bombadil. However, Ghan Buri Ghan could easily have been put in the movie. LIkewise with Glorfindel whose omission is criminal. While the sons of Elrond are a personal favorite, I can readily accept their omission--but Glorfindel... Finally, shame on Jackson for omitting Imrahil.
I like that there are people (read: elves and maia) in Middle Earth who can just casually claim they are older than the sun.
lol not a lot, but yeah... at least a half dozen or so.
Betcha don't include my favorite NPC, Ioreth of the Houses of Healing of Gondor. She was among the first Gondorian to recognize that Aragorn was the heir of Isilder, prophesizing, "The hands of the king are the hands of the healer."
BTW, I agree about Lobelia! She is like one of those elderly Ukrainian women who resisted the Russians.
She's like many elderly women in occupied territories in modern history, idly cursing at the new rulers and passively providing for resistance movements.
It would be cool to mention that it was Gangurigan who first noticed a change in the air, that the perpetuous night coming from Mordor was getting weak. He was the announcer of the changing of the tide.
What a great list! I now understand the reason for Frodo's dream at Tom's house and I see Lobelia in a new light. Glorfindel, my favourite elf, finally gets a jersey. Every one you discussed is an amazing character. Thank you xx
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
I love this list and really wish that we could’ve gotten them in the movie. I do understand why we didn’t and the fact that it doesn’t really lessen the movies for me speaks to just how good they are. That said I really hope the ride of the Rohirrim is popular so maybe just maybe we get a LOTR animated series which would allow for all these amazing characters to be included. Great video as always!
Rainbow Dave is the best. I honestly cannot count how many times I’ve watched ALLLLLLL OF the playlists. *chefs kiss* perfection. Every video. Thank you.
Thank you so much! I'm really glad you enjoy the channel!
One of the best Tolkien legendarium videos I've seen in a while, thank you. The only wrinkle for me is that I would've had Glorfindel as #1.
great idea for a video! i am so excited to see the length of it and cant wait to get farther into it, i really love this channel
I have just found a new other LoTR favorite channel, thank you for all your effort with your videos!
Before watching the video, I tried to guess your picks and got 6 or 7 (not sure if I considered Lobelia) right 😁 Some honourable mentions:
Erkenbrand
Angbor the Fearless
The Barrow-Wight (man these Old Forest chapters have some neat Silmarillion and Morgoth references)
Bill (the useless criminal, not the pony)
Also, Uglúk and Grishnákh were underused in the films
Future directors should create scenes with these characters and weave them into the movies, as we all know, this LORT isn't going away. I would not mind seeing some of Peter Jackson's omissions corrected. Nice Video.
These are great! Thanks for the extended extended version as always
Many beautiful art pieces in your video. Thanks for the informative and beautiful video!
Wow, this was actually really educational even for a Tolkien fan like me. I'm embarrassed to say that it's been so long since I read LOTR in its entirety (long before I read and reread the Silmarillion) that I flat-out forgot that Glorfindel is Frodo's Rivendell guide! (I remembered it wasn't Arwen but...) Wow.
What a fantastic list. Prince Imrahil was always my favourite character from the books so I was happy to see him at number 1.
Háma is a wonderful charachter too but in the movies is very different (due partially to the changes in the plot) and become almost as irrelevant as Fredegar.
He was depicted as a good-hearted man and among all the other things he resulted so brave in the battle of Helm's Depp he was the only one who was given the honor to be tumulated right in front of the Hornburg's gate, under a small green hill.
Someone just made my Friday night! I have a teacher training early tomorrow, no going to the Prancing Pony this evening. Matur suwon!
All the best with your teacher training!
@@tolkienuntangled thanks, matey! It was a really good training, got some great takeaways to share with my fellow teachers here on Java and share with my former school I volunteered with when in the Peace Corps. Now, off to the Prancing Pony to sing and dance on the tables like Mery and Pippin...but am 100kg, so I would...break the table lol. Maybe skip the tables part.
So many to choose from! I can't decide who my favorite is. I'll have to take some time with this one. Great video, as usual, RD. You've made such a good channel. If you don't have at least 100k subs by the end of the year, I'll eat my hat.
Thank you very much!
Brilliant commentary about Fredigar Fatty Bolger. I had completely and utterly forgotten about him.
Couldn't agree more with Bregalad's inclusion, he really makes the Treebeard chapter for me and just has the most hilarious backstory for his name
Interestingly, Bregalad's name rendered in the Common Tongue, Quickbeam, is actually the Old English name for his beloved rowan trees: cwic-beám.
"The Old English name of the rowan is cwic-beám, which survives in the name quickbeam (also quicken, quicken-tree, and variants)."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rowan
Which always reminds me of the sentient tree of the Anglo Saxon poem The Dream of the Rood.
I was expecting to see Ioreth, the healing woman in Gondor who first realized Aragorn had the hands of a healer, and was the true king.
One of my major beefs with the movies (which were far better than I expected and bear repeated watching) was the weird decision to put Arwen in Glorfindel's place in the flight from Weathertop. It really rankles with me.
Still, the Hobbit trilogy is far worse - so much nonsense added that I cannot watch it.
Sort of like butter scraped over too bread, or 3 films made from one book of source material.
My beef is the way Faramir is portrayed.
@@cleanwillie1307 The films' portrayal of Faramir isn't too bad, but the way Theoden is portrayed is just wrong.
I thought you captured the first time reader's experience of these characters excellently.
Dont know why but the story of Lobelia being beaten down, weak and old finally becoming good really got to me.
The message is that yes, there is redemption and we shall not dispair. Similar to Goethes Faust, a fascinating story as well. Just that Faust was even worse than Lobelia.
Shagrat and Gorbag are two characters that I absolutely love because they give more depth to the orc's then the rest of the books combined. Their conversion in the tunnel felt so real. I'd be willing believe Tolkien had similar conversations during the war. I've never seen the extended additions so maybe they are in the movie but they would be excellent characters to include
I recently found out a fun fact, I wish to share with Tolkien Fans. Cwic-beàm is the old English word for rowan tree. After everything told about Quickbeam, I felt I had to share this, because Tolkien knew this most probably.
This is fascinating! Thanks for sharing.
I think almost the same about Tom Bombadil than you, i think he is important to the book but not to include on the movies, and his greatest contribution in my opinion is not that much to the story but to the Worldbuilding, is the way for Tolkien to tell us that there are things on Middle Earth that are way older and indifferent to what our characters are going through.
33:30 A couple notes on Glorfindel.
First, I can't believe you left out how Glorfindel died before being sent back. He killed a Balrog single handed at the Battle of Unending Tears, covering the retreat of those fleeing the city and allowing Tuor, Idril, Earendil and others to escape. If not for Glorfindel, there would be no Elrond, no Elros, and therefore no Dunedain, no Aragorn, etc. And like Gandalf, it cost him his life.
Second, that image at my time stamp is pretty clearly based on the face of Jonathan Rhys Meyers.
A fascinati characte indeed.
True, though it was during the Fall of Gondolin, not the Battle of Unnumbered Tears.
Yes, fighting Balrogs was treacherous business, and few who did lived to tell of it. Feanor tried & died. Glorfindel tried & died. Ecthelion tried & died. Gandalf tried & died. (Of course, they achieved their purpose, but did not survive). However, during "The Fall of Gondolin", many Balrogs were slain in that great battle. "Of those demons of power, Tuor slew five & Ecthelion three...." Tuor (a mortal man) was able to do this because of his empowerment by Ulmo the Vala. Ecthelion (Elf Lord) managed it because um well, - he was Ecthelion ! But ultimately both he & Gothmog (Lord of Balrogs) slew each other in the Battle of The Fountain. Also Rog (Elf Lord) & his battalion from the house of the 'Hammer of Wrath' were also credited with destroying several Balrogs in the tragedy of Gondolin.
@@fabricembida8029 There are many versions of the Fall of Gondolin... in some of the earlier drafts Tuor is slaying Balrogs by the dozen, but those versions are generally accepted as less accurate now, as it seemed later in life that Tolkien settled on there only being 7 Balrogs total, each a mighty opponent equal to any Elf or Maia, and slaying one became a massively big deal.
@@KS-xk2so Huh, so did ALL the Balrogs gang up on Feanor then? I recall he was slain by multiple Balrogs. Never heard it was just 7. Not challenging the info, it's just interesting.
Another long Tolkien Untangled? Yes, please 😊👍👍
I need to read these friggin books, it's on my audible wishlist I swear.
I massively recommend the new Andy Serkis audio books. They're so awesome to listen to.
Andy serkis reading the gollum parts in the hobbit are pure gold
I prefer the audio books by Phil Dragash…
@@tolkienuntangledwhere to find these kind sir?
Such a pleasure to dive into another video full of your never ending Tolkien- knowledge ☺️☺️
Great job on the video Rainbow Dave! I had a feeling Imrahil would be number one. Deservedly so. Such an amazing little wrinkle indeed.
Excellent analysis of Tom's role in the story -he had always seemed an add-on to me.
I often wonder when, not if, a tv series of the silmarillion, the hobbit, the fellowship of the ring, the return of the king and the two towers is going to be made. Doing real justice to honour, not only the books, but the story itself with all the characters from J R R Tolkien's well rounded books. There are other books as well that would expand the series into several seasons of televisual and cinematic splendour.
After the desaster of „The Rings of Power“ I don‘t trust this possibility anymore, sadly.
Thanks for this. Need to read the books again soon sometime. I remember bombadill ofc but forgot many of these other heroes.
In the spoof "Bored of the Rings", Frito Bugger and his companions meet a drugged-out hippie named Tim Benzedrine and his chick Hashberry.
Ho timm benzadrine, tom benzadrino! Pop a pill hop a hill make mine mescalino!
Mentioning Tom Bombadil and Gahn-Buri-Gahn in the same video, gives me the idea that they serve a similar purpose. Just as the hero faces many perils on his quest, so does there appear unexpected helpers. What is foreshadowed as danger turns out to be friendly help. Aragon is initially presented in this way too, and both Theode and Denethor are introduced as possible threats. Strangely, I read the orcs that capture Frodo after the battle with Shelob and the orcs that carry of Merry and Pippin are variants on this theme. Yes the orcs were evil and hostile, but they also turn out to be helpers, moving the heroes to places where they need to be. Gildor Inglorion, Glorfindiel, Elrond, and even Galadriel have helper roles, but they are introduced as good from the get-go.
I always thought that not including Beregond was a MAJOR flaw of the movies.
I wish even the books would have given more attention to Fredegar after the Scouring. But I keep reminding myself of how Tolkien worked: he was always second-guessing, re-thinking and revising even after the "good enough" version got published.
It would have been fun in the movies to see Pippin and Bergil.
I read the trilogy in high school in the late 1960’s and like a lot of book characters I pictured Jimmy Durante playing the roll of Tom Bombadill. So I anxiously awaited the Fellowship of the Ring to be filmed and was shocked to find Peter Jackson wrote Bombadill right out of the script! Several years later I visualized Madonna in the role of Goldberry. What a pair they would have made singing a Middle Earth duet. (However Jackson got it right casting Cate Blanshette as Galadriel. She was born to be an elf queen.)
Brian Blessed would've been perfect casting for the Peter Jackson movies.
OH MY GOODNESS! I'm so glad this video popped up in my feed. This is wonderful. Thank you for shining a light on these wonderful characters that so many fans of the franchise have never met. Liked and Subbed!
I'm really glad you enjoyed it!
@@tolkienuntangled Already watched a couple other of your videos. They're fantastic!
Glorfindel was not the only character to be reborn. Both Beren and Luthien died and Luthien was able to persuade Mandos to pity and let them return to life - albeit a mortal one.
He’s the only Elf to be reborn as an elf with even more than he had previously. Luthien was reborn into a mortal life without her Elven powers.
Trivia: Glorfindel - guide to Rivendell - is replaced by Legolas in the Bakshi movie.
Thank you for this. Excellent video Dave 💙. (I love hearing about the twins but GLORFINDEL takes the cake for me!)
Gildor, Glorfindel the ever awesome, Elladan and Elrohir (Elrond’s sons), Ghan-buri-ghan, Beregond and his son (whose name escapes me, Halbarad the Ranger, Prince Imrahil and of course Tom Bombadil. To name a few!! Now let’s see who gets a mention here 🥰🥰
All good characters
Beregond's son's name is Bergil
So glad Bombadil was cut was a pointless chapter. Glorfindel would just be another generic elf to normies and much better having Arwen. Its a movie, it needs a love story.
@@JohnSmith-is4uu It was not a pointless chapter at all. It's there where the hobbits get the Barrow-blades, without which the Witch-King of Angmar could not be killed. It's also Tom who directs Frodo to Bree. Not Gandalf, who originally directed him to Rivendell. Not to mention that Bombadil himself is easily the most interesting character in the book, if not the entire legendarium, for a fuckton of reasons.
Arwen had no reason to be there and then to help Frodo get to Rivendell. She couldn't have any idea that Aragorn and the hobbits were there. Glorfindel would make more sense, even if it was just a random encounter.
@@JohnSmith-is4uu its one of the most important characters in the novel for creating the atmosphere. Kind of lotr buddha.
Your content really butters my bread
I think it’s interesting how similar the movies are to the dramatized versions that were recorded for the bbc in the 80’s
gildor is the original one who told sam not to leave frodo.
I always thought Imrahil the Elven Gondorian was a part of the Tolkien Legedarium that Tolkien was going to develop when the 4th age shadow rises again and then he would back fill an epic story of his lineage. Kind of a parallel story to Beren & Luthian
I think it would have added a bit of depth if while Sam and Frodro were in Mordor, they would have included the 2 Orcs talking about deserting and just going off to live by themselves
Gorbag the forgotten hero who saved Frodo.
Very well made and a good choice of missed characters, about half of whom I don't remember from reading the book (which I've only read all the way through 2 or 3 times many years ago!) I started reading it again last spring inspired by 'Tolkien day' whenever that was... and got as far as Tom Bombadil!
My favorite character not in the movie is actually Beregond. I love his story and his relationship with Pippin
Nice to see Glorfindel on this list. He is my favorit Tolkien Char. I really love him 💙
I mean they obviously had their reasons, and I adore the movies, but I just can't get over Glorfindel not being there in Fellowship.
He is one of the omissions that makes the most sense to me honestly. He does literally NOTHING after Rivendell, so cutting him doesn't remove much... but what it does allow the writers to do is introduce Arwen earlier and actually give her some character development, which she is sorely lacking, especially in the first 2 books.
@@KS-xk2so you're right
Perhaps the reason why Legolas didn't perceive the elven blood of Boromir is because Gandalf had said earlier in his story about the brothers, that "the elven blood ran more true in Faramir than his brother."
God I love Elrond's sons so much. Elidan and Elrohir are probably my favorite elves in Middle Earth
Great channel I’m so glad you found me!!! Keep up the great work and the fact that Tom and goldberry aren’t but barely mentioned in the movies was a crime and those responsible need to be punished and sent to time out to think about what they did!!!