If you've read both The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales, you've essentially read The Children of Húrin, but I still think it's worth reading the compiled version. The others are collections of various versions of the stories more than anything.

Originally, The Hobbit stood on its own, with only cheeky little references to the Legendarium, but knowing what we know, Tolkien spoke of animals of a "higher order". The Old thrush and his ilk would fit that bill, and the art of speaking to animals, especially birds, comes up in Unfinished Tales as something but Saruman and Radagast can do, and it seems that either Bard can, or the Thrush can speak Westron.

@ So they’re more akin to the capital A Animals of Narnia? That makes sense, thanks.

He could not be permanently killed - but he could be defeated - and eventually was by Eönwë. Fingolfin came pretty close, he messed Morgoth up pretty badly, but ran out of stamina. Fingolfin at this point just believed he had no other option.

They finally died - they were long past their expiration date, after all, so without the necromancy of the rings keeping them in the world, they immediately perished. Like all mortal men, they would go beyond the circles of the world. Beyond that, it's only conjecture, we know there is an afterlife for mortals, but we dont know if it's the same as the heaven/hell thing- though that seems likely coming from Tolkien. As to their final fate, Tolkien would refuse to comment, he would say that is between them and Ilúvatar.

My brother in Arceus, I take up like 60% of the screen - how much closer do you want me to be?

That was Gimli's thought as to the origin of the storm. It's an open question, but I agree with Gimli - Caradhras was sentient and had an evil will - in other words mountains are alive and this one is a jerk. The fact that Legolas hears the voices of stones from Eregion makes this seem feasable.

@ wow thanks for your reply! You actually brought up other details I forgot. Probably could have answered my own question.

​@@John-Sierraisn't Caradras part of a mountain range erected by Morgoth himself to stop the Elves from going from Cuivienen to Aman ? If so, it would make sense for it to be a grumpy lump of evil rocks hell bent on preventing people from crossing.

Farmer Giles of Ham is outside the Legendarium and therefore isn't in Middle-Earth in that sense, it takes place in an imaginary Dark Ages Britain (while Middle-Earth would be an imaginary pre-antiquity Europe/Africa/Asia). Chrysophylax Dives is also not really evil, making him unlike any of the dragons of Melkor.

@@John-Sierra Thank you

You might argue that the dwarves had them much longer than men - who had to turn theirs in to Sauron once they were fully bound to him. Think of it this way, the last one was still held by Thrain until just shortly before the events of The Hobbit.

@@John-Sierra I agree with you I just thought I might explain what that guy might have meant when he asked

Swedish shares some roots with English, tolkien used the Old English "stor" which had the same meaning, tracing back to Old Norse. So while he wasn't specifically thinking of Swedish, he was using the same root.

Also missed the very bottom item of the iceberg about the comics

It would have glowed blue - as certain Gondolin weapons would in the presence of Orcs. The Hobbit is not very specific, stating that Glamdring glowed "in its own light" but also did use "blue flame" as an example, though it was "as bright as blue flame" not "blue, like a flame". The Lord of the Rings is more specific, but for Sting - but it's reasonable to say that both Glamdring and Orcrist would glow blue.

The door faces to the east. Though Tolkien never outright says this, we can deduce this from the fact that it is mentioned that the windows, all on the left side, face The Water. Now of course "left' is relative to which way you're standing, is Bilbo facing his door or his the door to his back? However when you give such directions, it's reasonable to assume that the windows being in all the left handed rooms are relative to entering the abode, and this "tour" of Bag End starts with the door. So therefore, if The Water is on the left, left is south - and the door faces outward to the East.

Tolkien doesn't mention Gondor's clime, but it absolutely would be mediterranean, as it sits on the sea and is analogous to Italy.

@@John-SierraI do remember reading Rotk and some of the men of Mountains in Gondor are described as swarthy right?

correct

That is not true. "once removed" refers to a generational difference, there's a difference between a first cousin once removed and a second cousin.

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoy it!

It did not give him power, it just burned him from the inside, driving him insane and making him go on a rampage.

Beren and Luthien is one of my favourite stories in the entire story. I’ve always wondered about Carcharoth and how he was affected by swallowing that Jem. I’ve always read it like he was untouchable during that period.

@@John-Sierra Carcharoth with a Silmaril in his belly sounds like an epic Halloween story…

Could the Istari stop Carcharoth with a Silmaril in his gut?

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoy it.

If not for the bit of gray in my beard you'd never know

The actual marsh already existed but what happened is that the marsh expanded and swallowed up a gravesite nearby.

The sad part is I'm in my 30s...

Nothing sad about that.

If Frodo became a lesser wraith there would be no saving him, only containing him as a prisoner until he passed - if The One Ring was destroyed. It's possible that someone like Glorfindel or Bombadil may have been able to free his spirit, but he would still be dead. The bearers would just take off their rings, just like the elves did in the 2nd age. Tolkien did not want to show religion in The Lord of the Rings but we learn more of it in Unfinished Tales, particularly the worship of Ilúvatar and customs of the men of Númenor. The closest to organized prayer seen in The L.R. is Faramir's prayer. Tolkien did not want to be accused of religious allegory of the type that his friend C.S. Lewis wrote. So really it was just the author's preference.

@@John-Sierra thanks!

I think Gimli would have made his gems long before going West. The reason that Galadriel gave him the hairs was not just because she liked him more than Fëanor (and she did indeed like him a lot more than Fëanor, but she asked him what he would do with them - Fëanor jealously guarded the Silmarils but Gimli said he would proudly display them to be viewed and appreciated by people - he was all about sharing the light. They probably wound up in Moria once it was restored. I could only imagine that Aulë would be over the moon to meet GImli, but Gimli would only be interested in spending time with Galadriel - it was the whole reason he went there! I think Nienna, as well as all of the Valar, would be eagerly awaiting the ring bearers, they wouldn't need Olórin to make introductions. Keep in mind that Olórin did not have only one master, it was Nienna, Varda, Manwë and Irmo.

@@John-Sierra I feel kinda bad for Aulë now I asked specificaly about Nienna because of the whole mercy thing, that Frodo spared smeagol and was rewarded (I even entretained the idea that it wasn't Eru that made sméagol trip, but her, but then remembered that Eru forbode the ainur to touch his children). Its such a central thing to the story and it derives from what she represents, I guess, like mercy, compassion etc

Probably because it sounds terrible. Tolkien wanted things to sound a certain way. But keep in mind that in the case of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings he is "translating" from Westron, while The Silmarillion is translated first by Bilbo and then by Tolkien. The Hobbit names are really just to sell the idea that Hobbits had their own language and demonstrate Westron. To be honest, if he had done what you suggest, Adunaic would have been Old Norse, as Rohanese (an older Westron) is represented as Old English. So going even further back would lead us to Old Norse names.

Tolkien's letter 131 suggests that Maglor threw himself into the sea.

The helmet is pretty much as far as it goes - outside of Unfinished Tales and The Fall of Númemor there isn't much out there other than a chapter in The Peoples of Middle-Earth about Tal-Elmar. Arnor was gone by Aragorn's time, if anything he would have used isildur's crest, but he chose the Elessar as his icon. When Tolkien says "darts" he usually means arrows, we see this commonly in The Hobbit but it did bleed into The L.R. a bit.

@John-Sierra Thank you greatly, would it then be realistic to see the Numenorean armour evolution from a Greek style hoplite, to a Byzantine style Skutatos, to Western Europeans men-at-arms/knights? And then based on the information we do have, would it be more likely for the Witch king to have used a bow or a crossbow?