History Literature / TheLordOfTheRings

In addition, there has been a BBC radio adaptation, three [[TabletopGames Tabletop [=RPGs=]]] set in Middle-earth, and several video games or mods. There is also a tabletop miniature game by GamesWorkshop, and a board wargame was published by Simulations Publications, Inc. in the late 1970's. At least one CollectibleCardGame has been set in Middle-Earth.

With those words, [[BigBad Sauron]] forged the [[ArtifactOfDoom One Ring]], the [[SoulJar vessel of his power]] and the pivot on which the fate of Middle-earth would turn for five thousand years -- until the [[{{Hobbits}} most unlikely of heroes]] did the one thing Sauron [[EvilCannotComprehendGood could never have imagined]], and brought his [[EvilTowerOfOminousness dark tower]] [[CollapsingLair tumbling down]].

'''Please note that this is the page for tropes used in the book. See above for the links to pages for the movies.'''

''The Lord of the Rings'' by Creator/JRRTolkien is too well-known, and too complex, to be [[Synopsis/TheLordOfTheRings summarised in full]]. Succinctly, it is by far the most recent addition to the {{canon}} of Western epic literature and is the epic, which set the stage for the entire [[HighFantasy modern genre]] that followed in its wake. Interestingly, the story was originally intended as a ''shorter'' sequel to ''Literature/TheHobbit'', but as its author famously remarked, "the tale grew in the telling."

[[caption-width-right:350:"AreWeThereYet" "Almost, [[VerbalTic precious]], give or take [[{{Doorstopper}} another twelve chapters."]]]]

There were, though, some tropes Creator/JRRTolkien couldn't justify to his satisfaction, not helped by the fact that he updated his mythos constantly over a period of decades, creating a minor ContinuitySnarl at times but never quite reaching the ShrugOfGod. He spent years trying to decide how orcs could be AlwaysChaoticEvil without being born evil or soulless -- since Eru would not give creatures inherently evil souls, on moral grounds, Morgoth was unable to create souls, and Tolkien believed anything without a soul would be a mere animal -- but he never found any answer he liked. It was philosophical niggles like this that stopped him from publishing ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' in his lifetime. His son Christopher did it posthumously, to the delight of all Tolkien scholars, and most of his readers.

''The Lord of the Rings'' by Creator/JRRTolkien is too well-known, and too complex, to be [[Synopsis/TheLordOfTheRings summarised in full]]. Succinctly, it is by far the most recent addition to the {{canon}} of Western epic literature and is, in the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta0bxLJ4sHE words of Jude Fisher]], the "[[UrExample Ur fantasy trilogy]]", which set the stage for the entire [[HighFantasy modern genre]] that followed in its wake. Interestingly, the story was originally intended as a ''shorter'' sequel to ''Literature/TheHobbit'', but as its author famously remarked, "the tale grew in the telling."

[[caption-width-right:350:"AreWeThereYet?" "Almost, [[VerbalTic precious]], give or take [[{{Doorstopper}} another twelve chapters."]]]]

# ''The Return of the King'', October 20, 1955

* ''[[WesternAnimation/TheLordOfTheRings The Lord of the Rings (Animated)]]'' - The RalphBakshi animated adaptation.
* ''[[WesternAnimation/TheReturnOfTheKing The Return of the King (Animated)]]'' - The {{Rankin-Bass}} animated adaptation of the third part.
* ''[[Film.TheLordOfTheRings The Lord of the Rings (Film series)]]'' - The Creator/PeterJackson live action adaptation. Easily the most well-known version.
* ''VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsOnline'' - a MassivelyMultiplayerOnlineRolePlayingGame

* ''WarOfTheRing'' - A 2003 RealTimeStrategy game by Liquid Entertainment

In addition, there has been a BBC radio adaptation, three [[TabletopGames Tabletop [=RPGs=]]] set in Middle-earth, and several video games or mods. There is also a tabletop miniature game by GamesWorkshop, and a board wargame was published by Simulations Publications, Inc. in the late 1970's.

There was another aborted attempt by John Boorman to adapt the books in the 70's. It would've been live action and the notes from it might have suggested that adaptation might have looked like ''{{Zardoz}}''. The Harvard Lampoon published a parody titled ''Literature/BoredOfTheRings'' in 1969, which manages to cover the entire journey in under 200 pages.

The majority of tropes used in ''[=LotR=]'' are well-explained, unlike in the majority of its [[TheThemeParkVersion imitators]]. For instance, Mordor has large fertile areas offstage where food is grown, thus explaining how Sauron's armies survive in the volcanic hellscape around Barad-dur. The [[ArtifactOfDoom Ring]] is also more than just a convenient MacGuffin -- its effects matter too much for that. This is largely due to the immensely elaborated BackStory and Tolkien's life-defining experiences in [[http://www.greatwar.nl/frames/default-tolkiene.html The Great War.]]

There were, though, some tropes Creator/JRRTolkien couldn't justify to his satisfaction, not helped by the fact that he updated his mythos constantly over a period of years, creating a minor ContinuitySnarl at times but never quite reaching the ShrugOfGod. He spent years trying to decide how orcs could be AlwaysChaoticEvil without being born evil or soulless - since Eru would not give creatures born evil souls, on moral grounds, Morgoth was unable to create souls, and Tolkien believed anything without a soul would be a mere animal - but he never found any answer he liked. It was philosophical niggles like this that stopped him from publishing ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' in his lifetime. His son Christopher did it anyway, [[AndTheFandomRejoiced to the delight of all]] Tolkien scholars, and most of his readers.

[[caption-width-right:350:"{{Are we there yet}}?" "Almost, [[VerbalTic precious]], give or take [[{{Doorstopper}} another twelve chapters."]]]]

* ''[[Film.TheLordOfTheRings The Lord of the Rings (Film series)]]'' - The PeterJackson live action adaptation. Easily the most well-known version.

The majority of tropes used in ''[=LotR=]'' are well-explained, unlike in the majority of its [[TheThemeParkVersion imitators]]. For instance, Mordor has large fertile areas offstage where food is grown, thus explaining how Sauron's armies survive in the volcanic hellscape around Barad-dur. The [[ArtifactOfDoom Ring]] is also more than just a convenient {{MacGuffin}} -- its effects matter too much for that. This is largely due to the immensely elaborated BackStory and Tolkien's life-defining experiences in [[http://www.greatwar.nl/frames/default-tolkiene.html The Great War.]]

'''Please note that this is the page for tropes used in the book. See above for the links to pages for the movies. (And the Franchise page for general Verse tropes.)'''

'''Please note that this is the page for tropes used in the book. See above for the links to pages for the movies.'''

The story was originally intended as a ''shorter'' sequel to ''Literature/TheHobbit'', but as its author famously remarked, "the tale grew in the telling." '''''The Lord of the Rings''''' by Creator/JRRTolkien is too well-known, and too complex, to be [[Synopsis/TheLordOfTheRings summarised in full]]. Succinctly, it is by far the most recent addition to the {{canon}} of Western epic literature and is, in the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta0bxLJ4sHE words of Jude Fisher]], the "[[UrExample Ur fantasy trilogy]]", which set the stage for the entire [[HighFantasy modern genre]] that followed in its wake.

!!Provides Examples Of:

The story was originally intended as a ''shorter'' sequel to ''Literature/TheHobbit'', but as its author famously remarked, "the tale grew in the telling." '''''The Lord of the Rings''''' by JRRTolkien is too well-known, and too complex, to be [[Synopsis/TheLordOfTheRings summarised in full]]. Succinctly, it is by far the most recent addition to the {{canon}} of Western epic literature and is, in the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta0bxLJ4sHE words of Jude Fisher]], the "[[UrExample Ur fantasy trilogy]]", which set the stage for the entire [[HighFantasy modern genre]] that followed in its wake.

There were, though, some tropes JRRTolkien couldn't justify to his satisfaction, not helped by the fact that he updated his mythos constantly over a period of years, creating a minor ContinuitySnarl at times but never quite reaching the ShrugOfGod. He spent years trying to decide how orcs could be AlwaysChaoticEvil without being born evil or soulless - since Eru would not give creatures born evil souls, on moral grounds, Morgoth was unable to create souls, and Tolkien believed anything without a soul would be a mere animal - but he never found any answer he liked. It was philosophical niggles like this that stopped him from publishing ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' in his lifetime. His son Christopher did it anyway, [[AndTheFandomRejoiced to the delight of all]] Tolkien scholars, and most of his readers.

!![[TropeNamer Named The Following Tropes:]]
* ArmyOfTheDead
* BlackSpeech: The language of Sauron and Mordor.
* BreakingTheFellowship
* CommonTongue
* DugTooDeep
* EchoingAcoustics used to be named "Live from Khazad Dum".
* TheFellowshipHasEnded
* GollumMadeMeDoIt
* GondorCallsForAid
* {{Hobbits}}
* KneelBeforeFrodo: Aragorn bows to Frodo and Sam at Cormallen during the honoring of the Ring-bearers.
* {{Mithril}}: A fantasy version of {{Unobtainium}}
** HeavyMithril: Music genre, a mix of the sound of Music/HeavyMetal with fantasy-inspired lyrics
* {{Mordor}}: Although only true for parts of it (Volcanic soil is usually very fertile). The south of Mordor has huge fertile farmlands, which are needed to keep the Mooks fed.
* MouthOfSauron
* {{Mythopoeia}}: Tolkien coined the term.
* OurOrcsAreDifferent: Formed the template that all modern fantasy copies from.
* RingOfPower: Several rings, but The One Ring is nicknamed this.
* ShortCutsMakeLongDelays: Spoken first by Pippin.
* SpeakFriendAndEnter
* SupportingLeader was formerly known as The Aragorn. The reason for this trope's existence was that Tolkien wanted to write a story about the folly of power and strength, sanctifying the weak and humble. If not for this theme, Aragorn would probably have been the main hero. (As a bit of trivia, his character was originally a ranger hobbit named Trotter who would have turned out to be in one early suggestion Bilbo, but then another cousin, who had lost his feet after torture in Mordor, resulting in him wearing wooden feet!).
* WalkIntoMordor: that dreaded thing, what which one [[MemeticMutation does not simply do]].
* YouShallNotPass: Spoken first by Gandalf as "You cannot pass.", though the movie is the actual trope namer.

The story was originally intended as a ''shorter'' sequel to TheHobbit, but as its author famously remarked, "the tale grew in the telling." '''''{{The Lord of the Rings}}''''' by [[JRRTolkien J. R. R. Tolkien]] is too well-known, and too complex, to be [[Synopsis/TheLordOfTheRings summarised in full]]. Succinctly, it is by far the most recent addition to the {{canon}} of Western epic literature and is, in the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta0bxLJ4sHE words of Jude Fisher]], the "[[UrExample Ur fantasy trilogy]]", which set the stage for the entire [[HighFantasy modern genre]] that followed in its wake.

# ''The Return Of The King'', October 20, 1955

* ''[[WesternAnimation/TheLordOfTheRings The Lord Of The Rings (Animated)]]'' - The RalphBakshi animated adaptation.
* ''[[WesternAnimation/TheReturnOfTheKing The Return Of The King (Animated)]]'' - The {{Rankin-Bass}} animated adaptation of the third part.
* ''[[Film.TheLordOfTheRings The Lord Of The Rings (Film series)]]'' - The PeterJackson live action adaptation. Easily the most well-known version.

The first attempt to make a screen version was made in 1958 by a certain Zimmerman, who wrote a film script for "The Lord of the Rings". J.R.R. Tolkien looked through it and in his letter to Forrest Ackerman heavily criticized this feeble attempt. It turned out that the script didn't reflect many of Tolkien's thoughts and some of the characters lost their appeal.

There was another aborted attempt by John Boorman to adapt the books in the 70's. It would've been live action and the notes from it might have suggested that adaptation might have looked like ''{{Zardoz}}''. The Harvard Lampoon published a parody titled ''BoredOfTheRings'' in 1969, which manages to cover the entire journey in under 200 pages.

!Tropes

There were, though, some tropes JRRTolkien couldn't justify to his satisfaction, not helped by the fact that he updated his mythos constantly over a period of years, creating a minor ContinuitySnarl at times but never quite reaching the ShrugOfGod. He spent years trying to decide how orcs could be AlwaysChaoticEvil without being born evil or soulless - since Eru would not give creatures born evil souls, on moral grounds, Morgoth was unable to create souls, and Tolkien believed anything without a soul would be a mere animal - but he never found any answer he liked. It was philosophical niggles like this that stopped him from publishing ''TheSilmarillion'' in his lifetime. His son Christopher did it anyway, [[AndTheFandomRejoiced to the delight of all]] Tolkien scholars, and most of his readers.

->''"Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky''
-->''Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone''
->''Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die''

->''In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie''
-->'''''One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them'''''

->''In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie"''

* AscendedExtra: Arwen's transition from book to screen.

* SupportingLeader was formerly known as The Aragorn. The reason for this trope's existence was that Tolkien wanted to write a story about the folly of power and strength, sanctifying the weak and humble. If not for this theme, Aragorn would probably have been the main hero. As a bit of trivia, his character was originally a ranger hobbit named Trotter who would have turned out to be in one early suggestion Bilbo, but then another cousin, who had lost his feet after torture in Mordor, resulting in him wearing wooden feet!).

* ''[[WesternAnimation/{{TheLordOfTheRings}} The Lord Of The Rings (Animated)]]'' - The RalphBakshi animated adaptation.

* ''TheLordOfTheRingsOnline'' - a MassivelyMultiplayerOnlineRolePlayingGame

** HeavyMithril: Music genre, a mix of the sound of HeavyMetal with fantasy-inspired lyrics

* LiveFromKhazadDum -- now known as EchoingAcoustics

The story was originally intended as a ''shorter'' sequel to TheHobbit, but as its author famously remarked, "the tale grew in the telling." '''''{{The Lord of the Rings}}''''' by [[JRRTolkien J. R. R. Tolkien]] is too well-known, and too complex, to be [[Synopsis/TheLordOfTheRings summarised in full]]. Succinctly, it is by far the most recent addition to the {{canon}} of Western epic literature - [[YourMileageMayVary though it should be noted that certain tropers would strongly object to anything written by Tolkien being considered part of the Western canon]] - and is, in the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta0bxLJ4sHE words of Jude Fisher]], the "[[UrExample Ur fantasy trilogy]]", which set the stage for the entire [[HighFantasy modern genre]] that followed in its wake.

** HeavyMithril: Music genre

In addition, there has been a BBC radio adaptation, three [[TabletopGames Tabletop [=RPGs=]]] set in Middle-earth, and several video games or mods. There is also a tabletop miniature game by GamesWorkshop.

The story was originally intended as a ''shorter'' sequel to TheHobbit, but as its author famously remarked, "the tale grew in the telling." '''''{{The Lord of the Rings}}''''' by [[JRRTolkien J. R. R. Tolkien]] is too well-known, and too complex, to be [[Synopsis/TheLordOfTheRings summarised in full]]. Succinctly, it is by far the most recent addition to the {{canon}} of Western epic literature, and is, in the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta0bxLJ4sHE words of Jude Fisher]], the "[[UrExample Ur fantasy trilogy]]", which set the stage for the entire [[HighFantasy modern genre]] that followed in its wake.

In addition, there has been a BBC radio adaptation, two [[TabletopGames Tabletop [=RPGs=]]] set in Middle-earth, and several video games or mods. There is also a tabletop miniature game by GamesWorkshop.