|
|
| Line 1: |
Line 1: |
| [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] paid a great deal of attention to detail in his [[Secondary world]] to preserve a realistic consistency.
| |
|
| |
|
| However his work has been admired, studied and analyzed by "[[Tolkienist]]s" over the years in various aspects and levels; unavoidably, some more or less obvious '''inconsistencies seem to have slipped the author's attention'''. Most are revealed after more than one reading of the book and possibly thorough study.
| |
|
| |
| Fans of Tolkien usually accept that in any work there are usually plot holes. In a larger, far more detailed and realistic book we expect fewer (if any) plot holes, when in reality there is a far greater chance because of its complexity.
| |
|
| |
| Any inconsistency can be blamed on the fictitious Tolkien who adapted ancient sources such as the Red Book or on the characters who wrote and compiled those sources. Tolkien himself mentioned in Appendix D that he might have made many errors on the calendar while "translating" the "ancient sources", a comment written as a fail-safe for any narrative mistakes the author might have made, and mentioned in Appendix F ("Of the Elves") that Frodo had erred in thinking the dialect of Sindarin spoken by the elves of Lórien was Silvan Elvish.<ref>{{FR|II6}}. A footnote directs the reader to the correction in the appendix.</ref>
| |
|
| |
| Such explanations attributing the mistakes to the "translator Tolkien" or the "original sources" are easy and unenlightening. Therefore many fans prefer to explain those inconsistencies with some internal explanation. The explanations below of are this type. For example, at least some of the logical mistakes can be attributed to the characters themselves who said a contradicting phrase, since none of them is supposed to have the "omniscience" of the author. Contradictions of this type are grouped as "character mistakes". Others are grouped as "factual mistakes", of which mistakes in chronology are a subgroup.
| |
|
| |
| =Character mistakes=
| |
| ==The Eldest==
| |
| Possibly the most noticeable inconsistency in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' is that both [[Tom Bombadil]] and [[Treebeard]] are referred to as the [[eldest]] being in [[Middle-earth]]. Tom says that about himself,<ref>{{FR|I7}}, "Eldest, that's what I am.... Tom was here before the river and the trees; Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn." </ref> and [[Elrond]] mentions that the Elves knew Tom as "oldest and fatherless".<ref name="CofE">{{FR|II2}}</ref> However, [[Gandalf]] tells [[Théoden]] that Treebeard is "the oldest of all living things",<ref name="Isengard">{{TT|III8}}</ref> and Celeborn addresses Treebeard as "Eldest".<ref>{{HM|RK}}, "[[Many Partings]]"</ref>
| |
|
| |
| ;Explanation: Maybe Tom is not "alive" as Treebeard is<ref>Tom Shippey, ''The Road to Middle-earth: Revised and Expanded Edition'', p. 107</ref> (though he seems to be). On this subject, Gandalf, [[Saruman]], and [[Sauron]] have existed far longer than Treebeard, as they are [[Maiar]], but they haven't been alive (in a physical body) as long.
| |
|
| |
| ==Sam's spying==
| |
| [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Merry]] tells [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] that as a result of [[Samwise Gamgee|Sam]]'s eavesdropping, he and [[Peregrin Took|Pippin]] "know most of what Gandalf has told you about the [[The One Ring|Ring]]".<ref name=ACU>{{FR|I5}}</ref> Most of what Gandalf told Frodo was in one long conversation, at the end of which Gandalf caught Sam.<ref>{{FR|I2}}</ref> This contradicts Merry's statement that after Sam was caught, he "seemed to regard himself as on parole, and dried up".<ref name=ACU/>
| |
|
| |
| ;Explanation: Maybe Sam's information was what he learned before he was caught, though that's not what Merry says.
| |
|
| |
| ==A choice of dangers==
| |
| [[Aragorn]] tells the hobbits, as they prepare to leave [[Bree]], "After [[Weathertop]] our journey will become more difficult, and we shall have to choose between various dangers."<ref name=Strider/> The ridges they have to climb after Weathertop may be more difficult than the [[Midgewater Marshes]], but they encounter no dangers on the route Aragorn chooses, and Aragorn doesn't warn the hobbits of any dangers, except the chance that the Nazgûl will find them as they cross the [[Last Bridge]].<ref name="Flight">{{FR|I12}}</ref>
| |
|
| |
| ;Explanation: Aragorn does cite two other possible courses. One is going north through the [[Ettenmoors|Ettendales]] instead of crossing the [[Ford of Bruinen]], but in addition to the danger of [[trolls]], that route would take too long and the Company would run out of food. The other is finding the Ford without following the Road, but that's impossible.<ref>{{FR|I12}}, "'We cannot hope to find a path through these hills. Whatever danger may beset it, the Road is our only way to the Ford.'"</ref> Maybe although he describes these alternatives as impossible when he faces them, in Bree they only seemed to present the danger of taking too long or getting lost.
| |
|
| |
| ==Aragorn's knowledge==
| |
| Aragorn tells the hobbits in Bree, "I know all the lands between [[the Shire]] and the [[Misty Mountains]], for I have wandered over them for many years."<ref name="Strider"/> But later, speaking of the Ettendales, he says, "That is troll-country, and little known to me," and "I do not know the way" to Rivendell by detouring through them.<ref name="Flight"/> The Ettendales or Ettenmoors are on a line between the Shire and the northern part of the Misty Mountains.
| |
| ;Explanation:If we take Aragorn's line "wandered over them" literally, we can accept that Aragorn has also wandered over the Ettendales. Of course that doesn't necessarily means that Aragorn should know ''everything'' about those lands, or even know ''all'' ways (e.g., to Rivendell) through them. He does say that he knows those lands a "little".
| |
|
| |
| ==Building Barad-dûr==
| |
| Elrond says at his council that the foundations of [[Barad-dûr]] were made with the One Ring,<ref>{{FR|II2}, "The Dark Tower was broken, but its foundations were not removed; for they were made with the power of the Ring, and while it remains they will endure.</ref> which is consistent with its destruction when the Ring is destroyed. However, according to the Tale of Years, Sauron began building Barad-dûr in about S.A. 1000 and forged the Ring in about S.A. 1600.<ref>https://www.quora.com/What-inconsistencies-if-any-appear-in-the-Hobbit-Lord-of-the-Rings-and-the-Silmarillion</ref>
| |
| ;Explanation: Maybe he used the Ring for some critical aspect of the foundations, 600 years after he started work.
| |
|
| |
| ==Possession of the [[Nine Rings]]==
| |
| In ''[[The Council of Elrond]]'' [[Gandalf]] says that the [[Nazgûl]] kept their Rings by saying "The Nine the Nazgûl keep"<ref name="CofE"/>. However in most other references, it is mentioned that Sauron had taken them.<ref>{{FR|I2}}, "the Nine [Sauron] has gathered to himself; the Seven also, or else they are destroyed."</ref><ref>{{FR|II7}}, "You saw the Eye of him that holds the Seven and the Nine."</ref> Furthermore, Frodo doesn't see any Rings on them on [[Weathertop]], and it is believed that if they did wear the Rings, they would have been fully [[Unseen|invisible]] (including their cloaks).<ref>http://oakroadsystems.com/genl/ringfaq.htm#Q0-InvRiders</ref>
| |
|
| |
| The line in the Council of Elrond represents Tolkien's earlier intention that the Nazgûl should still be wearing their Rings, but he later changed his mind and simply missed revising that sentence.
| |
|
| |
| ;Explanation: The phrase can be also interpreted as "The Nine keep the Nazgûl [in Sauron’s thralldom]"; or as the Nazgûl are Sauron's slaves, his owning the Rings may be equivalent to the Nazgûl's keeping them.
| |
| :Or perhaps, Gandalf was mistaken. The Nazgûl were not well known by the Council nor were all of Sauron's personal actions, and it is possible that they assumed they kept the Rings when in reality they did not.
| |
|
| |
| ==Feeling the [[Mithril#The_Mithril_Coat|''mithril'' coat]]==
| |
| The ''mithril'' coat that Bilbo gives Frodo is "almost as supple as linen",<ref name="Ring">{{FR|II3}}</ref> and Aragorn carries Frodo in Moria (after the orc chieftain spears Frodo) without noticing the coat.<ref>{{FR|II5}}</ref> However, when Bilbo slaps Frodo on the back after giving him the coat, he says, "Ow!... You are too hard now to slap!"<ref name="Ring"/>
| |
| ;Explanation: Perhaps Bilbo is joking.
| |
|
| |
| ==Galadriel's mind-reading==
| |
| Galadriel tells Frodo and Sam that she knows Sauron's thoughts that concern the Elves.<ref name="Mirror">{{FR|II7}}</ref> It seems strange that they don't ask her whether she has any information they might find useful and she doesn't offer them any. Also, she doesn't seem to have known about [[Saruman]]'s betrayal some nineteen years earlier, though the defection of a member of the [[White Council]] might be thought to concern the Elves. At least, she didn't warn Gandalf in the messages he got from Lórien after reading the [[Scroll of Isildur]], the year before he trustingly entered [[Orthanc]].<ref name="CofE"/> (Also, when Aragorn was serving in Gondor under the name [[Thorongil]], he "often warned [[Ecthelion II|Ecthelion]] not to put trust in Saruman".<ref>{{HM|AA}}</ref> It's strange that he knew not to trust Saruman but Gandalf didn't.)
| |
| ;Explanation: Conceivably Galadriel gained the ability to read Sauron's mind sometime after the messages went to Gandalf.
| |
|
| |
| ==[[Galadriel]]'s role==
| |
| Galadriel tells the Fellowship, "I will not give you counsel, saying do this, or do that. For not in doing or contriving, or in choosing between this course and another, can I avail; but only in knowing what was and is, and in part also what shall be."<ref>{{FR|I6}}</ref> Later she tells Frodo, "I do not counsel you one way or the other. I am not a counsellor."<ref name="Mirror"/> However, the rhyme she sends Aragorn advises a specific course: the [[Grey Company]] should come out of [[Rivendell]], and Aragorn should take the [[Paths of the Dead]].<ref>{{TT|III5}}</ref> Likewise [[Legolas]] and [[Gimli]] conclude that Galadriel sent the message to the Grey Company telling them to join Aragorn in [[Rohan]]; this seems to be "contriving" and "choosing between one course and another". Incidentally, it is odd that the Grey Company got this message without knowing who it was from.<ref>{{HM|RK}}, "[[The Passing of the Grey Company]]"</ref>
| |
|
| |
| ;Explanation: One could imagine that someone else (Celeborn?) made the decisions and Galadriel only sent the messages; Legolas and Gimli may have erred in thinking she was the source. Alternatively, it is conceivable that Galadriel's words to the Fellowship were calculated to have a desired impact, even though at face value they seemed to be of no use.
| |
|
| |
| ==Tales of hobbits==
| |
| Pippin tells [[Théoden]], "I have wandered in many lands, since I left my home, and never till now have I found people that knew any story concerning hobbits."<ref name="Isengard"/> But hobbits live in [[Bree]], [[Tom Bombadil]] knows many stories about hobbits, one would think the [[Rangers of the North|Rangers]] (who guard [[the Shire]] and Bree) and the Elves of Rivendell (where Bilbo has been living) would know some, and the Elves of Lórien have at least heard of hobbits.<ref>{{FR|II6}}, "We had not heard of—hobbits, of halflings, for many a long year...."</ref>
| |
|
| |
| ;Explanation: Pippin has just woken up from a nap, after a lunch that included wine, and is talking to a king for the first time in his life; he may not be thinking clearly.
| |
|
| |
| ==Crossing Rohan inconspicuously==
| |
| As they ride away from Isengard, Gandalf tells Merry that the Lidless Eye will be looking toward Rohan, so "He [Théoden] will ride from there [Helm's Deep] to Dunharrow by paths among the hills. From now on no more than two or three together are to go openly over the land, by day or night, when it can be avoided."<ref>{{TT|III11}}</ref> However, later that night, after Pippin looks into the ''palantír'' and Gandalf says they must move from the spot, Théoden says he will go in a group of twelve, and Gandalf agrees.<ref>{{TT|III11}}, "'I will keep Éomer and ten Riders,' said the king. 'They shall ride with me at early day. The rest may go with Aragorn and ride as soon as they have a mind.' 'As you will,' said Gandalf."</ref> Then when the trip to Helm's Deep starts, the number has increased to twenty-six, and Aragorn goes with Théoden.<ref>{{RK|V2}}, "Soon all were ready to depart: twenty-four horses, with Gimli behind Legolas, and Merry in front of Aragorn."</ref> The trip from Helm's Deep to Dunharrow has a group of five hundred.<ref>{{RK|V2}}, "A thousand spears had indeed already ridden away at night, but still there would be some five hundred more to go with the king."</ref> They do ride through the hills, as Gandalf had said. "Most of the time" they're in a group bigger than three.<ref>{{RK|V3}}, "Sometimes where the way was broader he [Merry] had ridden at the king's side, not noticing that many of the Riders smiled to see the two together: the hobbit on his little shaggy grey pony, and the Lord of Rohan on his great white horse. [...] But most of the time, especially on the last day, Merry had ridden by himself just behind the king, saying nothing, and trying to understand the slow sonorous speech of Rohan that he heard the men behind him using."</ref>
| |
|
| |
| ;Explanation: Maybe there was some reason, not narrated, that Gandalf changed his mind about the need for small groups (and Théoden changed his about his companions). Or maybe for most of the journey, riding in big groups couldn't be avoided, though that would make the order pointless.
| |
|
| |
| ==Knowledge of the ''Palantíri''==
| |
| After Gandalf learns that the crystal ball he has recovered is the ''[[palantír]]'' of [[Orthanc]], he tells [[Peregrin Took|Pippin]] the [[White Council]] didn't know any of the ''palantíri'' (presumably those of [[Gondor]]) survived disaster in Gondor (presumably the [[Kin-strife]]).<ref>{{TT|III11}}, "It was not known to us that any of the ''palantíri'' had escaped the ruin of Gondor."</ref> However, after [[Denethor]] reveals his ''palantír'', Gandalf claims to have "long" known that the [[Stewards of Gondor|Stewards]] had it and that another ''palantír'' was at [[Orthanc]].<ref>{{HM|RK}}, "[[The Pyre of Denethor]]", "Though the Stewards deemed that it was a secret kept only by themselves, long have I known that here in the White Tower, as at Orthanc, one of the Seven Stones was preserved."</ref>
| |
|
| |
| ;Explanation: Gandalf could have learned about the two ''palantíri'' by himself, after the last time the White Council met (66 years earlier), or he was concealing his knowledge so as to keep secret his source for this information.
| |
|
| |
| ==The peril of deep arts==
| |
| In connection with the ''palantír'' of Orthanc, Gandalf observes to Pippin, "Perilous to us all are the devices of an art deeper than we possess ourselves."<ref name="Palantir">{{TT|III11}}</ref> However, never in ''The Hobbit'' or ''The Lord of the Rings'' does he warn [[Thorin|Thorin]] or the hobbits against using elvish swords, which glow in the presence of orcs, or [[Daggers of Westernesse|daggers from the barrow]], which are especially effective against Ringwraiths. He returns the [[Phial of Galadriel]] to Frodo and [[Gifts of Galadriel|Galadriel's box of earth]] to Sam without any warnings. Also, there is no apparent danger in characters' using other products of elven arts (cloaks, ''[[hithlain]]'' ropes, ''[[lembas]]'').
| |
|
| |
| ;Explanation: Maybe the ''palantíri'' are "devices" in a sense in which the other things named are not.
| |
| :Furthermore, it's possible that Gandalf was only attempting to discourage Pippin's curiosity, worrying that it could lead to another dangerous situation like that with the ''palantír''.
| |
| ==The eyes in Orthanc==
| |
|
| |
| When Aragorn tells Gimli and Legolas that he's confronted Sauron in the ''palantír'', he says, "To know that I lived and walked the earth was a blow to his heart, I deem; for he knew it not till now. The eyes in Orthanc did not see through the armour of Théoden".<ref>{{RK|V2}}</ref> But Wormtongue knew that Aragorn claimed to be Isildur's heir, as Gandalf points out to Pippin.<ref name=Palantir/> Thus whether Wormtongue recognized Aragorn from Orthanc doesn't matter to Sauron's knowledge of Aragorn's existence. What Aragorn should have deduced was that either Wormtongue never told Saruman about him, or Saruman didn't reveal the knowledge, whether to Sauron through the ''palantír'' or to the Nazgûl who came to demand Saruman's supposed captive hobbit. (The latter is what Gandalf tells Pippin he fears.)
| |
|
| |
| ==[[Mouth of Sauron]] and "Sauron the Great"==
| |
| [[Aragorn]] mentions that the name "[[Sauron]]" (meaning "Abominable") is the name used by his enemies, and Sauron himself does not permit it to be pronounced.<ref>{{TT|III1}}</ref> Therefore it would be problematic, if not logically impossible, for the messenger to Dáin to refer to his master as "the Lord Sauron the Great", as Aragorn had heard at the [[Council of Elrond]],<ref>{{FR|II2}}</ref> and for a servant of Sauron to say, "I am the Mouth of Sauron".<ref>{{RK|V10}}</ref>
| |
|
| |
| ;Explanation: It could be that Aragorn was mistaken, perhaps thinking of the time before Sauron had declared himself. Another possibility is that the "Mouth" used a different name or title, perhaps in the Black Speech, and Frodo or the translator Tolkien "translated" it as Sauron to clarify it for readers. A similar possibility is that despite Aragorn's blanket statement, Sauron sometimes allowed his servants to use the name for such purposes as communicating with others who used it. As many of his enemies only knew his "true" name as Sauron, it would also allow him to keep his true names and aliases hidden from them, as well as allow them to immediately recognize whom his servants were referring to.
| |
|
| |
| =Factual mistakes=
| |
| ==[[Doors of Durin]]==
| |
| The name ''[[Moria]]'' means "Black Chasm" and was a derogatory description of the place which the [[Dwarves]] did not like much; it was given after [[Durin's Bane]] took over the city and it was overrun by [[Orcs]]. It is therefore a paradox why that name appears on the [[Doors of Durin]] (''Ennyn Durin Aran Moria''), made in the [[Second Age]], and with the consent of the Dwarves.
| |
|
| |
| ;Explanation: An "external" explanation is that since the translated [[Norse]] names [[Durin (disambiguation)|Durin]] and [[Narvi]] are seen in the inscription, ''Moria'' may also be a "translated" name.
| |
|
| |
| ==[[Eagles]]==
| |
| One of the best-known alleged plot holes is why the Eagles came to carry Frodo and Sam back from [[Mount Doom]] but did not help them to fly [[the One Ring]] there. While there are many counter explanations, it is a logical gap that this idea was not proposed in the [[Council of Elrond]].
| |
| ;Explanation: Flying directly into Mordor whilst Sauron and his forces, particularly the Nazgûl and their [[fell beast|fell beasts]], were on alert and not distracted (as they were during the [[Battle of the Morannon]]) would have been an incredibly dangerous, if not impossible, task. Furthermore, Frodo's mission depended on the fact that Sauron never considered that his enemies might destroy the Ring. With his Eye roving across Mordor, it is almost certain that the Ringbearer would be noticed, revealing the plan of the Council and resulting in the swift annihilation of the Ringbearer and retrieval of the Ring by Sauron.
| |
| :See [[Eagles#Flying_the_Ring_to_Mount_Doom|here]] for a more detailed discussion.
| |
|
| |
| ==Distances==
| |
| The distances of the Dwarves' travel to [[Rivendell]] in ''[[The Hobbit]]'' seem to have different proportions than those in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''. Tolkien tried to reconcile the ''Hobbit'' description with the scale of the ''LotR'' map but couldn't find an appropriate solution.<ref>{{HM|RS}} p. 204</ref>
| |
|
| |
| While Frodo and his companions needed 28 days from [[Hobbiton]] to [[Rivendell]] (10.7 miles/day)<ref name="atlas">[[Karen Wynn Fonstad]], ''[[The Atlas of Middle-earth]]''</ref>, [[Karen Wynn Fonstad]] calculated that Bilbo and [[Thorin and Company]] needed 38 days (17.5 miles/day)<ref name="atlas"/>. [[Andreas Möhn|Andreas Moehn]] goes further and supposes that Thorin and Co. wanted two weeks from the [[Trollshaws]] till Rivendell (a distance which [[Glorfindel]] covered in two days), resulting in c. 48 days total.<ref>http://lalaith.vpsurf.de/Tolkien/Durin%27s_Day.html</ref>.
| |
| ;Explanation: The distances and days are not described in the narrative and can be measured only by references such as the moon phases and other fan calculations; therefore there can be a margin of miscalculation.
| |
| :In general, perhaps the Dwarves are by nature slower travelers than Men and/or Hobbits. In ''[[The Departure of Boromir]]'' it is seen that [[Gimli]] had a problem keeping pace with Aragorn and Legolas.
| |
|
| |
| ==Beater and Biter==
| |
| The swords [[Glamdring]] and its "mate" [[Orcrist]] are said to have belonged to King [[Turgon]] of the [[First Age]]. They never appeared much in battle (Turgon fought only in the [[Nirnaeth Arnoediad]]) and they were witnessed only by the Orcs of Beleriand. However, in the [[Third Age]] the swords are found in a [[Troll]] hoard in [[Eriador]], and the [[Orcs of the Misty Mountains]] recognize them by their names.
| |
|
| |
| The Orcs don't seem to react similarly in the sight of Glamdring in ''LotR'', nor do they seem to recognize [[Narsil]]/[[Andúril]], which is much more "recent".
| |
|
| |
| ;Explanation: There can be several theories and explanations of how the swords and even their reputations reach Eriador. However, the narrative of ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' doesn't justify their significance to the extent of being remembered and recognized by the Goblins of the Third Age, even by tradition.
| |
|
| |
| ==The elf-king's favorite gems==
| |
| The narration of ''The Hobbit'' says the [[Thranduil|elf-king]]'s favorite gems are "white."<ref>{{H|8}}, "If the elf-king had a weakness it was for treasure, especially for silver and white gems...."</ref> However, after the [[Battle of Five Armies]], the narration says, "To the Elven-king he <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Bard]]<nowiki>]</nowiki> sent the emeralds of [[Girion]], such gems as he most loved...."<ref>{{H|18}}</ref>
| |
|
| |
| ;Explanation: The sentence is somewhat ambiguous: "he" could refer to Bard or Girion instead of the elf-king. However, the elf-king's preference in gems, not the others', would be relevant to Bard's choice of what to give him.
| |
|
| |
| ==Thráin and Thorin's settling in the [[Blue Mountains]]==
| |
| [[File:Stephen Raw - Middle-earth map (1 of 4).png|250px|thumb|A map of north-west Middle-earth]]
| |
| After [[Thráin|Thráin II]] and his followers returned to [[Dunland]] following the [[Battle of Azanulbizar]] in {{TA|2799}},
| |
| {{Blockquote|they removed and wandered in [[Eriador]], until at last they made a home in exile in the east of the [[Ered Luin]] beyond the [[Lune]].<ref name="AppADurin">{{App|Durin}}</ref>}}
| |
|
| |
| From the point of view of Eriador and the Shire, "beyond the Lune" is north of it.
| |
|
| |
| However, the "Tale of Years" ([[Appendix B]]) states,
| |
| {{Blockquote|Thráin and his son Thorin wander westwards. They settle in the South of [[Ered Luin]] beyond [[the Shire]] ({{TA|2802|n}})<ref name="AppThird">{{App|TA}}</ref>}}
| |
|
| |
| It is difficult to reconcile the descriptions "beyond the Lune" and "in the south of the Ered Luin."
| |
|
| |
| Other mentions of the Dwarves' homes in the Ered Luin are consistent with both possibilities. "Dwarves dwelt in the east side of the Blue Mountains, especially in those parts south of the [[Gulf of Lune]], where they have mines that are still in use."<ref name="AppEriador"/> "Especially in those parts south of the Gulf of Lune" implies that a smaller number of Dwarves lived north of the Gulf, as shown in two other quotations. In a parenthetical comment made in "Of Dwarves and Men" in ''[[The Peoples of Middle-earth]]'', Tolkien indicated that beyond the inflow of the [[Little Lune]] was 'Dwarf territory'.<ref>{{PM|Dwarves}}, p. 313</ref> Likewise in Appendix A: [[Arvedui]], the last king of [[Arthedain]], "hid in the tunnels of the old dwarf-mines near the far end of the Mountains".<ref name="AppEriador">{{App|Eriador}}</ref>
| |
|
| |
| ==Westron and English==
| |
| In a few places, Tolkien might be thought to have forgotten that the English, including Old English, in ''The Lord of the Rings'' is supposed to be translated from [[Westron]] and related languages. Some of these are easily explained. The most difficult is the comment, "This was ''Orthanc'', the citadel of Saruman, the name of which had (by design or chance) a twofold meaning; for in the Elvish speech ''orthanc'' signifies Mount Fang, but in the language of the Mark of old ''the Cunning Mind''."<ref>{{TT|III8}}</ref> However, ''orthanc'' means "cunning" not in [[Rohirric]] but in Old English, which Tolkien used to translate Rohirric.
| |
|
| |
| ==Chronology==
| |
|
| |
| ===When Bilbo departed===
| |
| In the chapter ''[[Roast Mutton]]'', [[Thorin and Company]] depart from the ''[[Green Dragon]]'' "one fine morning just before May." In the later written and published "[[The Quest of Erebor]]", part of "[[Unfinished Tales]]", the author established that the day of departure was [[27 April]].<ref>{{UT|Quest}}</ref> However, the chapter ''[[Flies and Spiders]]'' refers to what has happened "since they started their journey that May morning long ago."
| |
|
| |
| ;Explanation: The fifth month of the [[Shire Calendar]], Thrimidge, falls between 22 April to 21 May. By the human calendar, the journey would have started just before May; but by the hobbit calendar, the journey started during Thrimidge. The second reference to May could have been a "translation error", where "Thrimidge" was translated as "May" regardless of the actual date.
| |
|
| |
| ===[[White Council]] during the [[Watchful Peace]]===
| |
| According to [[Appendix A]], "The Stewards", during the [[Watchful Peace]] "''Sauron withdrew before the power of the White Council and the Ringwraiths remained hidden in Morgul Vale''". However the Watchful Peace ended in {{TA|2460}}, three years before the White Council was formed. Thus according to [[Robert Foster]], the reference to the Council is "incorrect".<ref>[[Robert Foster]] (2001) ''[[The Complete Guide to Middle-earth|The Complete Guide to Middle-Earth: From The Hobbit through The Lord of the Rings and Beyond]]''. Random House Digital, [http://books.google.com/books?id=GNGJvGi849UC&pg=PA538 p. 538].</ref>
| |
| ;Explanation: Foster suggests that the reference to the "White Council" is rather to "the [[Wise]]" in general.
| |
|
| |
| ===Moon phases===
| |
| Tolkien was particularly careful about the phases of the [[Moon]] in the ''LotR''. Yet some mistakes did elude him. See for example [[13 January|January 13]], [[16 January|January 16]], [[22 February|February 22]], [[22 September|September 22]].
| |
|
| |
| In general, it is possible that Tolkien consulted a modern almanac to model the moon phases, and also possible that he confused the meanings of "New Moon": the astronomical (the moment when the moon is darkest) and the colloquial (appearance of the new crescent moon).<ref>http://shire-reckoning.com/moon.html</ref>
| |
|
| |
| Another mistake appears in ''The Hobbit'': [[Bard|Bard I]] killed [[Smaug]] "at the rising of the moon"<ref>{{H|15}}</ref> when "the moon rose above the eastern shore and silvered his [Smaug's] great wings... the waxing moon rose higher and higher". Also the [[thrush]] tells Bard, "Wait! Wait!... The Moon is rising." <ref>{{H|14}}</ref> However, according to astronomy a waxing moon rises only in the morning, after the sun. We can be certain the moon was waxing because this occurs the day after [[Durin's Day]], which is the first day in the last month of autumn that the new moon is visible together with the sun.<ref name=lalaith>http://lalaith.vpsurf.de/Tolkien/Durin%27s_Day.html</ref>
| |
|
| |
| ;Explanation: One might imagine that Bard needed to wait for the moon to fall below a cloudbank and that the tradition is corrupt.<ref name=lalaith/>
| |
|
| |
| ===Gandalf's letter===
| |
| The letter Gandalf leaves for Frodo at the ''[[Prancing Pony]]'' is dated "[[Midyear's Day]], Shire Year, 1418."<ref name="Strider">{{FR|I10}}</ref> However, Appendix B says Gandalf met [[Radagast]] on June 29, and Gandalf says he left [[Bree]] at dawn of the following day,<ref name="CofE"/> which would be June 30, two days before Midyear's day (as 1 [[Lithe]] comes between).
| |
| ;Explanation: Possibly someone made a mistake involving the different calendars, though Bree uses the [[Shire-reckoning]] (aside from the number of the year). Perhaps more likely is that Gandalf, who was in a hurry, and traveling for days, confused the passage of time.
| |
|
| |
| ===[[Shadow over Hollin]]===
| |
| While the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] traverses [[Hollin]], they see and feel a flying shadow over them.<ref name="Ring"/> Since no other such phenomena occur, when the [[Fell Beast]]s are introduced, the reader makes such a connection. However later we learn that Sauron did not permit the Nazgûl to traverse west of the [[Anduin]] after their accident at [[Bruinen]].
| |
|
| |
| ;Explanation: Possibly it was a "lost" or "disobeying" Nazgûl who despite orders found himself prematurely west of the Anduin, or simply something wholly unexplained and unrelated to the Fell Beasts. Perhaps it was some feeling of foreboding as they would eventually have to go to Moria. It could also be a sort of literal metaphor of Sauron observing them, as often throughout the books Sauron's gaze is compared to a "heavy shadow" bearing down on what it sees.
| |
|
| |
| ===Nights in Lórien===
| |
| The surviving members of the Company spend their first night in Lórien in a "flet" in a tree. On their second night, "they rested and slept without fear on the ground".<ref >{{FR|II6}}</ref> On their third night, they sleep on the ground again, in a pavilion in [[Caras Galadon]]. "For a little while the travellers talked of their night before in the tree-tops, and of their day's journey...." And Aragorn says, "But tonight I shall sleep without fear for the first time since I left Rivendell."<ref name="Mirror"/> The night in the tree-tops was not the night before, and Aragorn did sleep without fear on the previous night, so the second night appears to be forgotten.
| |
|
| |
| ;Explanation: In Lórien at least some members of the fellowship lose track of the flow of time. Shortly after Aragorn's remark, the narration says, "They remained some days in Lothlórien, so far as they could tell or remember." Also, after leaving Lórien, Sam feels sure they had not spent a whole month there, despite the evidence of the phase of the moon, and Frodo thinks while in Lórien they were in the past and mentions that he doesn't remember seeing the moon while there. However, Legolas assures him that only their perception of time was changed, and Aragorn points out that the time had indeed been a month.<ref>{{FR|II9}}</ref> Aragorn's forgetting his night without fear could be an effect of this changed sense of time. The phrase in the narration "the night before in the tree-tops" is harder to explain within the story, as the narration does include the intervening night, but the inconspicuous contradiction might be deliberate foreshadowing of what the Company will experience.
| |
|
| |
| ===The sapling's discovery===
| |
| In the text of ''[[The Return of the King]]'' it is stated: "And Aragorn planted the new tree in the court by the fountain, and swiftly and gladly it began to grow; and when the month of June entered in it was laden with blossom".<ref>{{RK|VI5}}</ref> The wording of this sentence suggests that Aragorn planted the sapling ''before'' June began. However, in ''[[Appendix B]]'' there is the entry: "June 25 (of {{TA|3019|n}}) King Elessar finds the sapling of the White Tree",<ref>{{App|Chief}}</ref> in which case it could not have blossomed until late in the month.
| |
|
| |
| ===Walda's death===
| |
| King [[Walda]]'s death date is recorded in [[Appendix A]] as [[Third Age 2851]] but in [[Appendix B]] as [[Third Age 2861]].
| |
|
| |
| =Corrected mistakes=
| |
| Several mistakes were simply remnants of earlier concepts of Tolkien, which later escaped his attention when revising the book. Some of them were corrected in the [[The Lord of the Rings (50th Anniversary Edition)|50th Anniversary Edition]].
| |
|
| |
| ===Bridle and headstall===
| |
| The first edition referred to the "bridle and bit" of [[Glorfindel]]'s horse, [[Asfaloth]].<ref name="Flight"/> [[Rhona Beare]] wrote to Tolkien asking how that was possible when elves don't use bridles. Tolkien replied in [[Letter 211]] that he'd written "bridle and bit" before thinking about how elves ride, and he changed it to "headstall" in the second edition. However, a later mention of Asfaloth's bridle remained in the chapter.<ref>"His hand left the bridle and gripped the hilt of his sword, and with a red flash he drew it."</ref>
| |
|
| |
| ===Durin's Day===
| |
| The original text of ''The Hobbit'' described [[Durin's Day]] as occurring on "the first day of the last moon of autumn",<ref>{{H|3}}</ref> the "first moon of autumn",<ref>{{H|4}}</ref> and "the last week of autumn".<ref>{{H|11}}</ref> In the 1995 edition the mention in Chapter 4 was revised to place the day at the end of autumn, in line with the other two mentions.<ref>Chester N. Scoville, "''The Hobbit''" in ''[[J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment]]'' (2007), Michael D.C. Drout, ed., Taylor and Francis, p. 279</ref>
| |
|
| |
| ===Bandobras' parentage===
| |
| The ''[[The Lord of the Rings Prologue|Prologue]]'' mentions that [[Bandobras Took]] was the son (not grandson) of [[Isengrim Took II]]. This has been corrected in the 50th Anniversary edition.
| |
|
| |
| ===Sam's birth===
| |
| In the second edition of ''LotR'', [[Samwise Gamgee]]'s year of birth was added to ''[[Appendix B|The Tale of Years]]'' as [[Third Age 2963]]. This contradicts both a later entry in ''The Tale of Years'' and the [[Appendix C]] given as [[Third Age 2980]].<ref>[[Wayne G. Hammond]], [[Christina Scull]], ''[[The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion]]'', page 716</ref>
| |
|
| |
| ===[[Gimli]]'s axe===
| |
| Upon arrival in [[Edoras]], Gimli mentions his axe has touched nothing but firewood since they left Moria. Yet he also claims he and [[Legolas]] killed several Orcs at [[Amon Hen]].
| |
| ;Explanation: This discrepancy was noted by [[Wayne G. Hammond]] and [[Christina Scull]] in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion]]'', where they explained why they left it unchanged in the [[The Lord of the Rings (50th Anniversary Edition)|50th anniversary edition]]. Amon Hen was a week before the Battle of the Hornburg; even for a stout Dwarven warrior, lamenting not killing an Orc for that short period would make him look too bloodthirsty.
| |
|
| |
| ===Date of the addition of the Westmarch to the Shire===
| |
| In the "Prologue" to ''The Lord of the Rings'' it stated that the Westmarch was added to the Shire in S.R. 1462.<ref name="OldPrologue">{{FR|Prologue}}</ref> In the "Tale of Years", however, this event was dated as {{SR|1452}}.<ref name="AppLater">{{App|Later}}</ref> The "S.R. 1462" date was corrected to "S.R. 1452" in the "Prologue" of the [[The Lord of the Rings (50th Anniversary Edition)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (50th Anniversary Edition)]].<ref name="NewPrologue">{{FR|Prologue|50}}</ref>
| |
| ===Mirror of Galadriel===
| |
| In editions prior to the ''[[The Lord of the Rings (50th Anniversary Edition)|50th Anniversary Edition]]'', the [[Appendix B|Tale of Years]] mentions that Frodo and Sam looked into the [[Mirror of Galadriel]] on [[14 February]]. However it is clear from the narrative that this occurred ''one day'' before departure on [[16 February]], not ''two''. [[Wayne G. Hammond|Hammond]] and [[Christina Scull|Scull]] decided to fix the Tale of Years so that the [[Mirror of Galadriel]] sequence happened on 15 February.
| |
| {{References}}
| |
| [[Category:Debates]]
| |
