scwilliam

Question: This is more of a book question really. According to the Tale of Years Pippin and Merry left their offices in the Shire to their sons when they left for Gondor and Rohan for good. Pippin's son Faramir is in his family tree, but looking at the Brandybuck family tree Merry does not even have a wife. Is there some other text by Tolkien which gives more details on this, was the child perhaps left out of the family tree because it was a "bastard" child? Is his son, or the mother, mentioned by name anywhere?

Answer: The discrepancy lies with Tolkien's late addition of information on Meriadoc's wife. She was Estella Bolger, sister to "Fatty" Bolger. Tolkien did not add her into the family tree until after the first edition, so it has taken years for the name to get into all versions.

scwilliam

Question: At the Last Alliance battle, how did the Men and Elves get into Mordor?

Answer: The Black Gates across Cirith Gorgol had been destroyed and repaired at several times in the 2nd and 3rd Ages. The Army of Men and Elves (and other creatures) marched past the Gates into Mordor and beseiged Sauron at Barad-dur.

scwilliam

Question: In the Return of the King movie, after Arwen has a vision of her unborn son, she rides back to Rivendell to ask her father whether he saw a son in her future. He explains that he saw death. She argues that that is not a certainty and then asks him to reforge Narsil (Isildur's Sword) for Aragorn. She then sits down and drops the book she was holding. What book was she holding and what is its significance?

Answer: The book contained the exact information about the legend that she was pointing out to Elrond. When he balked, she sat dejectedly and let the book fall from weakened fingers.

scwilliam

Question: Why did Mordor attack Middle Earth at this specific time? .Why did the battles and fighting all start at a certain time in middle earth. Since their world has been going on for thousands of years you'd think that something specific happened to make them fight.

Answer: Sauron has been probing for weaknesses for hundreds of years. But Denethor's emotional unbalance, the addition of Saruman as an ally, the distraction of Theoden of Rohan, and the increase in the number of Mordor orcs seemed to be a winning combination.

scwilliam

Answer: The surface of the water colored by "the pale moon..."

scwilliam

Question: This question is more about the book, but I'll ask it here anyway. Are Elladan and Elrohir, the Sons of Elrond, men or elves? The timeline in the appendix of the book says they were born at the beginning of the Third Age, 3000 years before the Ring was destroyed, and yet they fought in the war. However, the book implied that Legolas was the only elf to travel the Paths of the Dead with Aragorn and the Grey Company, which the Sons of Elrond were a part of.

Answer: Elladan and Elrohir were twins, and half-elven like their father. They returned to Rivendell after the War of the Rings, and were given the choice of going into the west or staying and becoming mortal. It is not known which choice they made.

scwilliam

Answer: Since Elrond had chosen to be of Elven kind when given the choice by the Valar, his children were of Elven kind too. But they were given the choice of either and leaving Middle-earth with him, or remaining and becoming mortal. "Elladan and Elrohir remained in Imladris well into the Fourth Age, and since they did not accompany Elrond over Sea they seem to have chosen to become Mortal." Robert Foster, "Complete Guide to Middle-Earth" (2nd edition p. 144).

Question: Did Eowyn and Farimir end up together at the end of the film?

Answer: Tolkien had both Eowyn and Faramir affected by their contact with Sauron's evil. Aragorn healed both, and while recovering, they fell in love. They married eventually and were second only to Aragorn in Gondor.

scwilliam

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