To say that Tolkien’s literary creations are a work of genius, would be an understatement. It is not every day that we encounter successful fantasy, but once we do, we never forget it. For those of you who have cherished every moment of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “The Hobbit” will definitely keep you at the edge of your seats. Just a few days ago, the second part of the Hobbit, “The Desolation of Smaug” was released. The movie may have been nearly three hours long, but to me it seemed like an adrenaline-filled, fascinating and magical adventure that melted into an oh-to-short moment in time.
It is actually incredible how Peter Jackson managed to produce such a complex movie from only one book, and considering that there are only a few dozen pages left to leverage in the creation of movie number three, we might expect a few scenes from Lord of the Rings to unfold in it, to the delight of its fandom. For those of you who have already seen it, the ending was probably not what you had in mind, and the wait might feel like too much to endure, so we have decided to present you with 5 little known things about the Hobbit and LOTR, to pass the time faster.
1. Characters that Appear in Both Trilogies
The depth of connection between the characters of Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit is incredible. Here is some fun trivia for you. Do you remember the scenes from the “Mines of Moria”? It is in that faithful place that the Fellowship of the Ring comes across Balin’s tomb. The same Balin that appears in the Hobbit (white haired, big nose). There is one more character that we see in both LOTR and the Hobbit. We are talking about Ori, the child-faced dwarf, and scribe, who wrote the book from which Gandalf reads in the mines. Thranduil, the high-elf who betrayes the dwarfs in the Hobit, is the same Thranduil who rides the giant Moose* in Lord of the Rings. Oh, and he is also Legolas’s father. Last on our list is Gimli, or more exactly his axe, which he inherits from his father, Gloin. He also has the same eyes… and eyebrows.
*We just found out that Thranduil’s Moose is not actually a moose. According to “Middle Earth’s Biology as Shown in the Hobbit”, it is a different species of deer.
2. The Corruption of Gollum
Tolkien decided to rewrite certain passages of “The Hobbit” to better fit his legendary “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Initially, Gollum was a sweet and lovely creature which willingly offers to give up the ring on condition that Bilbo wins the Guessing Game. He was given a darker side, more suitable for the story, to flesh out the evil of the ring’s corruption. Poor, little Smeagol.
3. The First Hobbit, and his Anemic Dwarf Companions
In 1969 Tolkien decided to sell the screen rights to “The Hobbit” and “Lord of the Rings”, because he had some money issues. This lead to the ecranization of a pathetic Hobbit story, where the elves had German accents, Gollum looked like some new species of toad, suspicious gnomes and a big eyed Bilbo.
4. In case you Were Wondering about the Eagles…
Several times during the movie, I could hear people asking why the pretty birdies did not swopp in to rescue the squad. Truth be told, it would have been a lot easier to pass the corrupted forest on their backs. For those of you who were wondering where Gandalf’s eagles were during the Hobbit movie, here is a little info for you: they did not get involved because our most beloved wizard did not have them at their beck and call. Also, they’re not bloody taxis. And they’re not even eagles for that matter, because they’re anatomy is unlike any eagles, they are Aquila.
5. Bilbo, the Dragon Slayer
Initially, Tolkien considered handing the task of killing Smaug to the leaf-smoking hobbit. He quickly changed his mind, and decided to leave the matter to more capable hands. And to be frank, Bilbo doesn’t really look like much of a dragon slayer.
