The Lord of the Rings: 7 Things That Still Make No Sense About Middle-Earth

No, you won’t find us asking why Frodo and Sam didn’t simply ride the eagles to Mordor. By now, we all know it’s because the eagles knew they needed to avoid detection by the all-seeing Eye. While The Lord of the Rings trilogy is as close to film perfection as we can get (truly, so little even comes close—certainly not the follow-up Hobbit trilogy), there are still a few questions we’re left with at the end of the day.

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Despite the incredibly rich lore and world-building that Tolkien put into his novels, and that Peter Jackson then wove into the films, a few things just don’t stand up to scrutiny upon closer inspection—like why could Eowyn kill the Witch King, but not Galadriel? Or how did Gollum plan to escape Shelob in his original plan to get to Cirith Ungol? Read on to ask the hard-hitting questions.

1) How is Shelob Still Out There Causing Chaos?

Speaking of Shelob and her ravenous intent, how is she still allowed to be lurking in caverns near Cirith Ungol? We know that the orcs and Uruk-hai have no qualms about killing anything that threatens them or gets in their way, but somehow they’ve elected to leave Shelob alive after she’s taken out a few of their own? Understandably, they can feed some of their victims to the giant spider, which makes for their entertainment, but at the end of the day, Shelob isn’t going to pick a side and simply not eat them, either.

2) What, exactly, is the flame of Anor?

“You shall not pass!” We all know the scene, one of the most famous in the trilogy; Gandalf bravely sacrifices himself to help the others escape, placing his body on the bridge between the Fellowship and the Balrog and planting his staff into the ground. In addition to his famous line, he also says that he is the wielder of the flame of Anor—but we never find out what the flame of Anor is, in either the books or the movies, and it’s a power that he never uses again.

3) Why Did They Just Let Grima Go?

The Lord of the Rings is a masterclass in emotional storytelling, never solely relying on violence to get its points across. But one moment where violence would have served the Fellowship, or at least the members who were present, was in The Two Towers, after it’s discovered that Grima Wormtongue has helped to place Theoden King under a spell, depriving him of his mental faculties and use of free will. When it’s discovered that Grima is working for Saruman, he’s promptly thrown out of Rohan with little ceremony. Of course, he immediately runs back to his master, where he recounts his story of who he’s encountered. Saruman, who is no fool, puts the pieces together, clocking that the Dunedain ranger is more than meets the eye. While it might have cut out a small portion of the plot, this all could have been avoided by tossing Grima into a cell at the very least.

4) How Does Saruman Know So Much About the Fellowship’s Whereabouts, Yet So Little About Their Plans?

Yes, he has the Palantir. But what Saruman knows and how he chooses to wield that knowledge doesn’t always make sense. At one point, he tells Gandalf, “Tell me, what words of comfort did you give the Halfling before you sent him to his doom? The path that you have set him on can only lead to death.” How does he know for certain that Frodo is headed to Mordor, and not Minas Tirith? The path to Minas Tirith would hardly be one that only leads to death. Believing that Frodo is headed to Mias Tirith is the only thing that makes the lack of fortification around Mt. Doom make sense, as it would never cross Saruman’s mind that the Fellowship would try to destroy the Ring instead of using it for their own gain. So how is all that still true if he believes Frodo is headed for Mt. Doom?

5) Why is Arwen’s Fate Tied to the Ring?

Elrond says forlornly about his daughter’s future, “Arwen is dying. She will not long survive the evil that now spreads from Mordor. The light of the Evenstar is failing. As Sauron’s power grows, her strength wanes. Arwen’s life is now tied to the fate of the Ring.” But why, exactly, is Arwen’s life inextricably tied to the Ring? Is she meant to be a stand-in for all of the elves? For humanity in general? Is she the ultimate example of goodness that will surely perish if the Ring’s influence grows? Or is this a more literal tie-in? For something that Elrond says with such certainty, we’re short on the reasons as to why he’s so sure.

6) Why Was Galadriel Not at the Council Meeting in Rivendell?

The meeting where the Fellowship is initially formed was planned well in advance in the films—a very intentional Council. Elrond even says at the beginning of the meeting, “Strangers from distant lands, friends of old. You have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor.” So why wasn’t Galadriel present? She’s the ring-bearer of Nenya, rules over the woodland Elves of Lothlórien, and was known throughout Middle Earth as “the mightiest and fairest of all the Elves that remained in Middle-earth”, and the “greatest of Elven women.” So it seems a little fishy that her invitation got lost in the mail.

7) How Did That Guard Outside the Gates of Mordor Not See Frodo and Sam Hiding Under the Cloak?

This is probably the greatest mystery in the entire trilogy. One second, Sam and Frodo are sure to be seen as they scout a way into Mordor through the front gates, and the next their cloaks are suddenly perfectly rock-shaped and colored, helping them blend seamlessly into the gravel outside the entrance and evade notice by the guards. Is it elven magic? Did Gandalf enchant the cloak? We will likely never know.

What burning questions were you left with after watching The Lord of the Rings? Let us know in the comments, and then head over to the ComicBook forum to keep the conversation going.