# Things Tolkien would never have guessed!



## elvish-queen (Apr 13, 2002)

Do you think Tolkien would ever have guessed that LotR would have been made into a movie, got 13 oscar nominations and that Legolas, the least famous elf in all his writings, would become a sort of an idol??? 
Post things that you think Tolkien would never have guessed about his writings!


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## Anarchist (Apr 13, 2002)

No, I guess he didn't Elvish-queen. Neither did he guess that so much people like us would make internet sites and forum discussing about his writtings


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## Úlairi (Apr 13, 2002)

In fact, to shed light on things, the publishing company of LotR _'Ray & Unwin'_, thought that _'The Lord of the Rings'_ would be a financial _flop_!


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## Beorn (Apr 13, 2002)

Tolkien probably would've never guessed that his book would ever be made into _one_ book, rather than three volumes...


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## Dhôn-Buri-Dhôn (Apr 13, 2002)

Well, Tolkien certainly know that LotR might be made into a movie, as it was discussed during his lifetime. He wasn't satisfied with the proposals that were made then, but that doesn't mean he would have been surprised, or even opposed, to a film adaptation like PJ's.

I'd quibble with your statement that Legolas was Tolkien's "least famous Elf". Hey, he was a member of the Fellowship, and had a renowned friendship with a Dwarf, either one of which would have earned him a song or two in the Hall of Fire. There are plenty of less-famous Elves. Consider, for example, Gildor, who Frodo meets as he's leaving the Shire... or better yet, the rest of Gildor's company, whose names we never learn.

In fact, one could make an argument that there is no such thing as the "least famous Elf". Why? Well, suppose you figured out who the least famous Elf was. Suddenly, he would be famous, for being the least-famous of all Elves! So you'd have to find the second-least-famous Elf and... uh... well, then he'd be famous too, and...


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## Lantarion (Apr 13, 2002)

He would not have guessed that such a fantastic and complex saga would be transformed into a merchandise-machine of plastic toy-swords, collectable cards, board-games and even little *contains burst of furious anger* plastic...action...figures!! 
Down with commercialism!


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## HLGStrider (Apr 13, 2002)

Oh come on! If people will buy the stuff it deserves to be made... that's supply and demand.
I wouldn't buy it myself, but my town isn't big enough to sell all that stuff... we don't even have a Toys R Us...


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## Gil-Galad (Apr 13, 2002)

Tolkien would have never guessed such thing.Mainly because it seems really imossible to make a movie when there're so many things of importance.Like 22 main characters,for example.
I think that ME and all characters,events etc. were in Tolkien's mind,in a world which only he would dream.Can anyone guess whether his immagination would be filmed by Peter Jackson or someone else?I don't think so.


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## Úlairi (Apr 14, 2002)

I read somewhere that Tolkien wanted to make up an English mythology, as England was based on the Roman Empire. I think that is a great thing to do and Tolkien's mythology was almost believable!


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## Beleg Strongbow (Apr 14, 2002)

Tolkien always though his books were impossible to put on film. Because of the whole creation and originalty to it. So i'd say no.


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## Úlairi (Apr 14, 2002)

Yes, CT said that his father would not have been impressed by the movie.


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## Rangerdave (Apr 14, 2002)

Actually, I think that Prof. Tolkien was quite surprised that his work was published in the first place. Never one to be satisfied with good enough, he had to rework his creations until they reached perfection.

I sometimes wonder if Tolkien created the myth or the myth picked him to reveal itself to.

RD


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## ElrondHalfelven (Apr 15, 2002)

>>>Tolkien probably would've never guessed that his book would ever be made into one book, rather than three volumes...<<<

Wasn't it originally one book?


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## Úlairi (Apr 15, 2002)

No, it was published volume by volume. Look in the front of your copy of 'The Lord of the Rings' where all the publishing dates have been recorded.


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## Beleg Strongbow (Apr 15, 2002)

> _Originally posted by Ulairi _
> *No, it was published volume by volume. Look in the front of your copy of 'The Lord of the Rings' where all the publishing dates have been recorded. *






Yes that is right. Although he always thought it to himself that lotr should be 1 book not a trilogy. He wanted it that way.


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## Úlairi (Apr 15, 2002)

And that's how he got it.


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## Beleg Strongbow (Apr 15, 2002)

> _Originally posted by Ulairi _
> *And that's how he got it. *





Yeah i got that info on a tolkien documentary. It was really interesting and it spoke about the comparisons of lotr to world war 2 and the movie and many other things. It was great.


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## Úlairi (Apr 15, 2002)

Yes, I saw that too, it was brilliant! However, I disagreed with some of the scholars who believed that Tolkien's work was based on his experiences in the war. It was his imagination that wrote the book, not the war.


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## Beleg Strongbow (Apr 15, 2002)

> _Originally posted by Ulairi _
> *Yes, I saw that too, it was brilliant! However, I disagreed with some of the scholars who believed that Tolkien's work was based on his experiences in the war. It was his imagination that wrote the book, not the war. *





Yes did you see all 3? They were all great. I think it was his head that did it. HOw could a war come up with things like lorien,mandos, rings and other things. Same not all the scholars agreed though.


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## Úlairi (Apr 15, 2002)

I agree completely, but some psychologists and psychiatrists came up with the belief that these thoughts which entered Tolkien's mind were somehow 'created' by the war. BtW Beleg, Tolkien began writing the Silmarillion before he went to the war. He even tried to get it published but it was rejected. So, after Tolkien died, his son Christopher, edited it and it got published post-humously.


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## Beleg Strongbow (Apr 15, 2002)

> _Originally posted by Ulairi _
> *I agree completely, but some psychologists and psychiatrists came up with the belief that these thoughts which entered Tolkien's mind were somehow 'created' by the war. BtW Beleg, Tolkien began writing the Silmarillion before he went to the war. He even tried to get it published but it was rejected. So, after Tolkien died, his son Christopher, edited it and it got published post-humously. *





Yes i ,know. He wrote his own language 1st. I can see why the sil didn't get published wuithout any background info lotr now gives. He had started to write lotr just b4 the war started. I doubt that they were created by the war, very strongly. What about as u said the sil and the hobbit was done b4 lotr 2. It was brilliant and it shall never be bettered.


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## Úlairi (Apr 15, 2002)

That is completely agreeable Beleg, well said.


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## SpencerC18 (Apr 15, 2002)

Originally the books were going to be in one volume but the publishers decided to break it up into three, which infuriated Tolkien. I found that out through a seminar I recently attended about Tolkien's life.


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## Beorn (Apr 15, 2002)

Tolkien would've never guessed that there would be so many people so amazingly affected by his writings, his themes, and his spirited style.


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## Úlairi (Apr 15, 2002)

Yay for John Ronald Reuel Tolkien! *said with a slight hint of sarcasm*


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## Beleg Strongbow (Apr 16, 2002)

I think it should have stayed as 1 book.


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## Úlairi (Apr 16, 2002)

The reason it didn't stay in one book is because the bookstores would make a lot more money selling them book by book, it's obvious!


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## Eledhwen (Nov 3, 2008)

I think that what would have amazed JRR Tolkien most would be the quality of the computer generated special effects. These made the impossible possible. He might also have been amazed that the books have stood the test of time and become modern classics. He would also never have guessed that Sarehole, which had been in decay after being swallowed up by the encroachment of the City of Birmingham, is now beautifully preserved.


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## Aisteru (Nov 24, 2008)

I don't think he would have seen groups of completely unrelated people gathering together over the internet (unless he could see the future) or the depth to which his works would be analyzed and critisized.


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## Aisteru (Nov 24, 2008)

Didn't finish my first thought: I don't think he could have seen unrelated people gathering over the internet in the name of himself and his work to discuss and argue over the finer points of his writing.


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## Barliman Butterbur (Nov 26, 2008)

READY FOR THE CRUISE TO MIDDLE-EARTH?

http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2008/11/20/30618-the-cruise-to-middle-earth-set-to-begin/

and especially http://www.redcarpet-tours.com/.

Barley


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