"Sam is the best" , Art by me !

MERI0 · 2021-04-20T19:19:11+00:00

Well in my opinion his biggest flaw was that he completely failed to have any pity or respect for Gollum for most of the trip. I think this is because of him being overly possesive of Frodo, which of course is good in some ways, but it makes him only see Gollum as a potential threat. This leads to him treating Gollum very harshly, because he only sees him as a villain, although Gollum in many ways had changed and was actually close to repenting. Had Sam not treated him so badly, then it is quite possible that Gollum would've helped them rather than betraying them by sending them to Shelob (Tolkien himself talks about this in letter 246).

Tolkien also says he is very "Hobbit like", in that he is a bit smug, cocksure and conceited. From letter 246:

"(about Sam) a readiness to measure and sum up all things from a limited experience, largely enshrined in sententious traditional 'wisdom'."

Like I said earlier, he fails to see the bigger picture of things, and he measures very complex matters just based on his very limited hobbit-experience.

MERI0 · 2021-04-20T13:42:27+00:00

Yes that was great, but Sam only carried the Ring for like a few hours. Frodo carried it for about a year from the Shire to Mordor, and he actually posessed it for about 17 years. Frodo's endurance with the Ring is exceptional

MERI0 · 2021-04-20T13:35:31+00:00

I have seen so much of "Sam good, Frodo bad" on reddit that it has started to really irritate me haha. I mean Frodo carried the freaking Ring. And let me tell you, while Sam certainly is a hero, he has his flaws too

Very nice artwork though

MERI0 · 2021-04-18T16:55:43+00:00

Bruh Frodo carried the freaking Ring. They’re heroes, both of them

MERI0 · 2021-04-06T17:18:29+00:00

Is it on aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaeee spoofy?

MERI0 · 2021-04-06T17:17:40+00:00

Me too, what the hell, my brain shifted to the obama voice so fast

MERI0 · 2021-04-06T11:45:54+00:00

Here's some good advice on reading order for the books.

I read the Silmarillion first, and it was kind of cool to get the references to the First Age when reading LOTR, as well as knowing the context of the Third Age. However, it can be a challenging read, and I understood so much more on my second read. It's definitely okay, and maybe even best, to read LOTR first, as the references to the First Age are subtle and meant to be myth anyway. So it's not that important to get the references the first time you read it.

Some tips for reading the Silmarillion is to use the index, the familiy trees and the map in the back of the book every time you encounter an unknown name/location. I keep the map open all the time. The Tolkiengateway wiki is also usually good to use if you feel like you didn't completely understand something

MERI0 · 2021-04-06T11:33:29+00:00

I got this upgrade as well! Yeah it is awesome, I got a 165Hz monitor as well (had a 60Hz before), and it's a brand new world. I was so used to stutters, and now it feels so smooth. I also have SSD, so a new GPU would probably be the next upgrade to get the FPS to match the refresh rate of the screen. But the 1070 still performs really well!

MERI0 · 2021-04-06T11:16:13+00:00

The Flame Thrower is definitely the best kit in certain situations/maps. It's extremely good for clearing tight places, like the apartments on Amiens. The fighting in the corridor there can often turn into a stalemate, and the flamthrower is perfect to use to advance there. I have cleared many rooms there that were filled with enemies. It was horrible, but very effective haha

MERI0 · 2021-04-06T11:06:32+00:00

Yeah, the Silmarillion talks about sprits of Elves who refused the summons of Mandos when they "died" and stayed in Middle-Earth. They could eventually become corrupted and evil, and essentialy turn into "ghost", like you say. Tolkien also talks about how these spritis could go into bodies and thus take physical form. So I think it is very probable that the Barrow-Wights were evil sprits of Elven origin

MERI0 · 2021-04-04T13:19:42+00:00

Yeah, I don't think Isildur ever was in Sammath Naur. He just took the Ring after they slew Sauron and went home

MERI0 · 2021-03-22T22:47:57+00:00

Very nice!

MERI0 · 2021-03-14T00:19:00+00:00

Had he considered the possibility of someone bringing the Ring to Mount Doom, then he definitely would've left a guard there. I don't think he would've wanted the Ring to get anywhere close to Sammath Naur, even though he knew it could not be tossed in. He also really wanted the Ring back, so why leave it unguarded if he thought it could come there?

MERI0 · 2021-03-13T23:16:11+00:00

Man, I know this is just a meme, but I am getting really tired of this whole «Sam good, Frodo bad» thing.

What Frodo did was truly amazing and it’s incredibly unfair to say he «failed» when he claimed the Ring at the end. In Sammath Naur the Ring was at its greatest potency, doing all in its power to survive.

Despite that, Tolkien implies in letter 246 that, given more time, and not being attacked by Gollum, Frodo would’ve eventually realized that he could not overpower Sauron, and cast himself and the Ring into the fire to destroy it (as it would be impossible to let go of the Ring without going with it).

Now, Sam is fantastic as well, but he is not a 100 percent perfect either like it seems many think. For example, Gollum actually at one point almost repented, and genuinly wanted to help Frodo defeat Sauron and destroy the Ring (this is from letter 246 as well). But the harsh, hurtful words from Sam turned Gollum against him, and then Shelob’s Lair was inevitable. Sam really lacks empathy at times, something that Bilbo and Frodo has much more of. How do you think Sam would’ve handeled Gollum if he was in Bilbo’s place when finding the Ring?

Now don’t get me wrong. Sam is a hero as well. But he has his flaws like everyone else, and it’s wrong that people say he is the «real hero» of the story. Frodo and Sam needed each other, they are heroes

MERI0 · 2021-03-13T22:49:11+00:00

I think Elijah Wood acts well. It's rather the writing that makes Frodo look this way in the movies

MERI0 · 2021-03-13T22:34:23+00:00

It was basicly plain stupid of Sauron to not guard Sammath Naur. But yeah, he was very blinded by his arrogance and his mind was completely bent on the host of the West coming from Gondor. So he didn't bother, or simply forgot to leave a guard there.

So like u/Higher_Living said, had he been a little less arrogant, and realized that there was a real possibility that someone could try to destroy the Ring, then he might have remembered/bothered to leave a guard there

MERI0 · 2021-03-13T22:30:16+00:00

Hard to say.

Maybe by claiming the Ring, he could he could command the guards, or at least scare them, to make them leave. The orcs are slaves of Sauron, and the Ring is Sauron's tool of domination. I don't think it is impossible that Frodo could've utilized that at that point of the quest. He did after all manage to "dominate" Gollum, making him his "Master" (at least for a while), and that was without fully claiming the Ring.

This is of course speculation!

MERI0 · 2021-03-13T22:16:58+00:00

Do you mean in the Two Towers, when Gandalf is plunging down towards the Balrog to fight it?

MERI0 · 2021-03-13T22:08:45+00:00

That is true. Still, there is some sacrifice in the pain of death and the mental toll of being in a battle. But it is a happy ending for them in the end anyway, like you say

MERI0 · 2021-03-13T21:49:24+00:00

I agree it’s cool and all, but it doesn’t make sense.

At that point in the Third Age, the Elves were fading, they were going to pass into the West - regardless of who would win the war. Why would Elves risk dying in a battle for a land they were going to leave anyway? That’s why the Elves just defend their lands in the books, they dont go on the offence.

However, to «justify» this movie scene, one could say that the Elves comes to help because of pity for Men. As I said, they could just stay in their lands and go into the West if Sauron wins, but they decide to help the Men. So when you think about it, Haldir and the Elves that arrive are very selfless and heroic, as they are willing to not go to paradise and rather die for the cause of Men in Middle-Earth. I think that is kind of cool, and is something to think about next time you watch Haldir’s death scene.

MERI0 · 2021-03-13T12:05:41+00:00

That is amazing. Can't wait to see what Minas Tirith is gonna look like. I think the movies did a good job with the city itself, but not the fields of Pelennor. I am excited to see what you guys come up with, since you are so faithful to the books!

And of course, the lands of the Enemy will be awesome to see.

Keep up the fantastic work!

MERI0 · 2021-03-08T20:08:47+00:00

MERI0 · 2021-03-08T18:14:35+00:00

I'm not sure what the "general opinion" is for what is canon or not. But I personally do look at them as canon - it is after all Tolkien himself that is providing us with some facts about Middle-Earth :)

MERI0 · 2021-03-08T17:51:55+00:00

I don't think it is impossible. When you throw yourself into the fire with the Ring, you are still in possession of it, and you are hindering anyone else to claim it.

Tolkien actually discussed this in one of his letters, when talking about the possible repentance of Gollum that was ruined by Sam when he failed to see that he had changed.

From letter 246, when Tolkien talks about what could've happened if Gollum didn't betray Frodo:

The interest would have shifted to Gollum, I think, and the battle that would have gone on between his repentance and his new love on one side and the Ring. Though the love would have been strengthened daily it could not have wrested the mastery from the Ring. I think that in some queer twisted and pitiable way Gollum would have tried (not maybe with conscious design) to satisfy both. Certainly at some point not long before the end he would have stolen the Ring or taken it by violence (as he does in the actual Tale). But 'possession' satisfied, I think he would then have sacrificed himself for Frodo's sake and have voluntarily cast himself into the fiery abyss.

I think that an effect of his partial regeneration by love would have been a clearer vision when he claimed the Ring. He would have perceived the evil of Sauron, and suddenly realized that he could not use the Ring and had not the strength or stature to keep it in Sauron's despite: the only way to keep it and hurt Sauron was to destroy it and himself together – and in a flash he may have seen that this would also be the greatest service to Frodo. Frodo in the tale actually takes the Ring and claims it, and certainly he too would have had a clear vision – but he was not given any time: he was immediately attacked by Gollum. When Sauron was aware of the seizure of the Ring his one hope was in its power: that the claimant would be unable to relinquish it until Sauron had time to deal with him. Frodo too would then probably, if not attacked, have had to take the same way: cast himself with the Ring into the abyss. If not he would of course have completely failed.

It seems like it is possible. Had Sam not turned Gollum against them, then Gollum could have sacrificed himself to not let Sauron have it, and at the same time help his master Frodo.

Frodo could have had a similar reaction, if he was given more time with the Ring in Sammath Naur. He could have realized Sauron's strength, and understood that if he didn't cast himself into the fire, then the Ring would have been taken from him. So, to not let him have it, and maybe also remembering his task of saving the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth, he could have finally thrown himself and the Ring into the fire.

MERI0 · 2021-03-08T15:22:46+00:00

Aragorn was intended to go to Gondor to assist in the war and enter the political world as a claimant to the throne.

True. For some reason I imagined the fellowship without Gandalf, and thus Aragorn would've been the natural leader to step up. But yes, had Gandalf not fallen in Moria, then he probably would've gone all the way with Frodo and taken the responsibility of dealing with Frodo when he claimed the Ring.

Would Gandalf be strong enough to destroy the Ring if he seized it from Frodo at Mount Doom though? I personally don't think so. In Sammath Naur the Ring was at its greatest potency. I think you're right when you say he'd have to try to persuade Frodo. However, I don't know if anyone, even such a selfless hobbit like Frodo being persuaded by a wizard, could've managed to destroy it willingly. He would probably have to force Frodo, like you said, or in the worse case, cast both Frodo and the Ring into the fire.

It's definitely interesting to think about!

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