In which Sam regrets his choice of naming conventions.

One difference between the Lord of the Rings books and the Peter Jackson films that I find really interesting is what the hobbits find when they return to the Shire.

In the books, they return from the War, only to see that the war has not left their home untouched. Not only has it not left their home unscathed, battle and conflict is still actively ravaging the Shire. They return, weary and battle-scarred, to find a home actively wounded and in need of rescue and healing. All four launch themselves into defending their home and rousting those harming it, and eventually succeed. But their idyllic home has been damaged, and even once healed, is never quite again the Shire they set out to save.

In contrast, in the Jackson films, they return to a Shire shockingly untouched by the horrors of war. The hobbits of the Shire talk, in the Green Dragon in Fellowship of the Ring, about not getting involved with issues "beyond our borders," and it seems those issues have not invaded their sanctuary. After having been bowed to by kings, dwarves, elves, and men alike at the coronation in Gondor, their only acknowledgment upon returning home is a skeptical head shake from an older hobbit.

One of the most poignant scenes to me in Return of the King (and there are a considerable amount) is the scene where Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin are sitting in the Green Dragon. The pub patrons bustle around them, talking loudly, clapping excitedly, drinking cheerfully, just as they had in the beginning of the story. But the four hobbits sit silently, watching almost curiously at what was once familiar but is now foreign to them. Their home has not changed. But they have.

Which is the deeper hurt? To come to your home to find it irrevocably changed, despite all you did to keep it untouched and the same? Or to return home but no longer feeling at home, because it is only you that is irrevocably changed?

Made some LOTR fellowship Valentine Cards 💘💌

little dudes!

Friendly reminder that Frodo named his pony Strider when he got back to the Shire. Friendly reminder that all the hobbits continued to call Aragorn “Strider” (at least on occasion) even after his coronation. Friendly reminder that Aragorn said that the name meant so much to him that he was going to make it his family name. Friendly reminder that the hobbits and Aragorn considered themselves close friends, even with everything going on. Friendly reminder that Merry and Pippin are buried with Aragorn.

sam & frodo

edit: someone on twitter asked for them kissing

Just some of my favorite BTS photos from The Hobbit and LOTR!

Frodo: *stabbed by an immortal blade*

The Hobbits: What do we do Mr. Strider

The Hobbits: *looking to this big scary mountain man so intimidating and mysterious they don’t even know his real name*

Aragorn, truly just some guy at heart: I’m gonna call my dad

It amazes me that in a world where oaths are so valued and taken so seriously, Elrond does not have the members of the Fellowship swear any oath. He only encourages them to stay with the Ring-bearer for as long as they will. Yet every single member remains true to the Quest in their own way. Everyone makes contributions that make its success possible. Not because of any oath. Sam is under no oath to follow Frodo to Mordor. Boromir is under no oath to lay down his life for Merry and Pippin. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli are under no oath to follow the hobbits. But they do all these things anyway, because it is right, and because they love each other. Boromir repents for his actions toward Frodo not because he has broken a literal oath, but because he has broken his friend’s trust, and his actions were just plain wrong. Frodo has sworn no official oath, but made a vow of his own will, because he knows the task must be done by someone, and he is not forced to be the one; he chooses: “I will take the Ring.” Within the entire Fellowship is pure love and nobility and loyalty and that, rather than any oath, saves the world. From the beginning, Elrond knows this is the better option. He knows what Fëanor’s oath did to the world. He knows that there has to be another way. And it turns out there is.

Unimpressed.

LOTR & HOBBIT TEXT POSTS

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)