Second-guessing and Misunderstanding Tolkien

[Deimos]

Do we know 100% for certain that Thranduil is The Elven king from the Hobbit? Does it state it explicitly/directly (In book or In irl) withought having to asume things?

You are correct. We do not know for certain that Thranduil is the Elven King in the Hobbit.
But you can be certain that if it is not Thranduil, it is another Elf with the same name who is the Elven King.

 

[Deimos]

@Radaghast...to appreciate my answer you need to be familiar with the question of the authorship of the Iliad and the Odyssey.
That discussion (controversy?) always centered on "Did Homer write the Iliad and Odyssey?" because there was/is no definitive answer of who Homer was.
It got to be such a conundrum in literary circles even in the 19th C. that some of the more well known "literary lights" were saying (with their tongue firmly in their cheek), "the Iliad and Odyssey were either written by Homer or by another man with the same name."
This has been variously attributed to Lewis Carroll, Mark Twain, and GK Chesterton, to name a few.
My answer about Thranduil was a riff on the "Homer identity" question. 😁

 

[Radaghast]

I see. Thanks for the explanation 👍

 

[Elthir]

"the Iliad and Odyssey were either written by Homer or by another man with the same name."

 

[Vorondil]

"the Iliad and Odyssey were either written by Homer or by another man with the same name."

The Idiot, by Homer Simpson

 

[Olorgando]

The Idiot, by Homer Simpson

Ah, no, I think The Idiot was written by some Russian guy ...
Wikipedia to the rescue: Dostoevsky! 🤓

 

[Radaghast]

In LOTR the films when Isuldur cuts of Saurons finger with the One ring, this causes Sauron to explode; at the end when Gollum bites off Frodo's Finger with the ring and falls into mount doom, the same explosion happens but Frodo survives?

Is there a special cut of the films I haven't heard about? 🤔

 

[Radaghast]

Would the LOTR have played out differently if instead of Olorin, Tulkas was sent instead?

 

[Vorondil]

Is there a special cut of the films I haven't heard about? 🤔

No there isn't a special cut. That person was obviously hallucinating.

 

[Radaghast]

 

[Deimos]

"In LOTR the films when Isuldur cuts of Saurons finger with the One ring, this causes Sauron to explode; at the end when Gollum bites off Frodo's Finger with the ring and falls into mount doom, the same explosion happens but Frodo survives?"

We, all of us here, shall be ever so grateful if you would betake yourself off aways and explode your annoyingly silly self.

 

[Deimos]

Is there a special cut of the films I haven't heard about? 🤔

There's Theatre Cut, Director's Cut, Director's other Cut, still another Director's cut**, and the Exploding Cut.... soon to be followed by The Criterion Collection Exploding Cut.

** see Blade Runner 🙄

 

[Olorgando]

** see Blade Runner 🙄

If you insist ...
I have a 5-DVD metal box collectors' edition containing the 1982 US theatrical version, 1982 international theatrical version and 1992 Director's Cut, the 2007 Final Cut ... and a pre-release working version. Plus "making of" and specials.
I think I watched the 2007 Final Cut ...

 

[Deimos]

If you insist ...
I have a 5-DVD metal box collectors' edition containing the 1982 US theatrical version, 1982 international theatrical version and 1992 Director's Cut, the 2007 Final Cut ... and a pre-release working version. Plus "making of" and specials.
I think I watched the 2007 Final Cut ...

From reading about all the different cuts, and that was a loooong time ago, seems I recall that one of the Director's cuts was the "the one" to watch... just can't recall what year it was released.

 

[Radaghast]

If Eru hadn't intervened and caused Gollum to fall into Mt. Doom, if rescued with Frodo and Sam by the others, wouldn't that make him a prime candidate for the trip to the undying lands?

 

[Radaghast]

In Lord of the Rings, why doesn't superpowered Glorfindel, who kills Balrogs before breakfast, get his thumb out and go mash Sauron instead of walking around looking posh doing nothing the entire three movies?

Yeah, why didn't a character who was barely in the movies do anything in the movies? 🙄

 

[Glorfindel Goldtress]

Yeah, why didn't a character who was barely in the movies do anything in the movies? 🙄

 

[Radaghast]

If Eru made Gollum trip and fall into the pit (Letter 192) why could he not do this to Sauron as he forged the ring 4.800 years earlier?

Why didn’t Tolkien just write a book filled with happy endings? 🥹

 

[Andromadus the Invictus]

Why didn’t Tolkien just write a book filled with happy endings? 🥹

Because his world he created is a parallel for our own. There is light and dark, happy and sad, but all endings just are. Inevitable, and ultimately, neither good nor bad.

 

[Radaghast]

Because his world he created is a parallel for our own. There is light and dark, happy and sad, but all endings just are. Inevitable, and ultimately, neither good nor bad.