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When J.R.R. Tolkien first sat down to write a children’s book way back in 1930, he probably had no idea just how successful the spin-offs from it would be - even decades after his death. Tolkien penned “The Hobbit” over several years, eventually publishing it in 1937. What started as a bedtime story for his own kids, ended up being an epic fantasy novel that has sold around 100 million copies worldwide.

Tolkien worked on The Lord Of The Rings trilogy after publishing The Hobbit. Those books later went on to become epic blockbusters at the box office, grossing over $2,9 billion internationally. Warner Bros. announced earlier this year that it’d be releasing a new batch of LOTR films in 2026, with Gollum as the star of the show.

If it seems too long away, fear not, My Precious. We found an online community dedicated to Lord Of The Rings memes. r/lotrmemes: "a warm resting place for all weary travelers who are fond of Tolkien and his works." Bored Panda has picked the best, and created an epic list of memes to get you in the mood for Middle-earth’s return. In the words of the page, "grab a pint, a long pipe, and relax". Keep scrolling for your LOTR fix, and don't forget to upvote your favorites.

#2

Aye, I Can Do This

Aye, I Can Do This

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veryvenasaur
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14 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hey Glix I'm starting to think you didn't read carefully You do realize Wormtongue is a villain like Sauran and Saruman and Denethor. The villains aren't supposed to be positive role models.

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#3

Well?

Well?

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Emily
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12 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"...And finally, we were able to cast the Onr Ring into the Fires of Mount Doom. Which inspired me to create this recipe for the SHIRE'S BEST chocolate lava cake!"

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John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was marking school exam papers in the 1920s, when a sudden bout of inspiration came to him. Knowing he needed to save it somewhere, the Professor of Anglo-Saxon quickly flipped over one of the papers and wrote the now famous line, “In a hole in the ground, there lived a Hobbit.”

It would be another ten years or so before he would actually start writing The Hobbit. Before then, he’d been making up bedtime stories about it for his children, immersing them in a world of fantasy. The problem was that he’d sometimes forget a few details, or maybe add a few new ones. His eldest son, Christopher, often picked up the discrepancies.

“One occasion I interrupted: 'Last time, you said Bilbo's front door was blue, and you said Thorin had a golden tassel on his hood, but you've just said that Bilbo's front door was green and that Thorin's hood was silver'; at which point my father muttered 'Damn the boy,' and then 'strode across the room' to his desk to make a note,” relayed Christopher Tolkien in the foreword to The Hobbit.

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#6

Middle Tweet Has A Point

Middle Tweet Has A Point

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B Jones
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4 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I relate to bilbo giving his birthday speech and half insulting everyone there.

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It’s thanks to the little boy’s sharp memory and yearning for consistency that The Hobbit was turned into a book. Tolkien initially wrote the story down as he told it, so he could keep track of all the details. And avoid interruptions from his young son.

Every time he told the story, he would add to the plot. He’d then grab his pen and make notes. After a while, he had the earliest drafts of the book millions eventually came to know and love.

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London’s George Allen & Unwin, Ltd. published the first edition of The Hobbit on 21 September 1937. Tolkien drew some black-and-white illustrations to add to the book. Only 1,500 copies were originally printed. They sold out by mid-December that year. Further copies were released in America and Britain later, with new color illustrations included.

#12

This Made Me Laugh

This Made Me Laugh

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Lupita Nyong'heaux
Community Member
10 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i laughed WAY harder than i should have at this. it literally burst out of me at "bong-water." LMAO

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Tolkien’s vision of Middle-earth first began in 1914, when he was called to fight in World War I. He has in the past said that he created the mythology to express his “feeling about good, evil, fair, foul.” We can understand how wars could make someone think deeply about right and wrong. And how the fantasy world of Mordor, Frodo Baggins, Sam Gamgee, Gandalf the Grey, Dragons, Mining Dwarves and Gollum grew from those thoughts of the literary great.

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#14

Got Me Feelin' Like A King

Got Me Feelin' Like A King

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M O'Connell
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15 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think this is similar to a Western hero flinging open saloon doors.

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#15

Sean Astin Is Really Good At The Sword Stuff

Sean Astin Is Really Good At The Sword Stuff

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Stephanie Did It
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19 hours ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Never mind, Sean, because Samwise was the strongest and best of them all.

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You might be surprised to know that while he spent most of his life in the U.K., JRR Tolkien was actually born in South Africa. In a place called Bloemfontein to be precise. Back then, it was the capital of an independent country called the Republic of the Orange Free State.

Tolkien’s British parents had moved to South Africa in the 1880s, and got married in Cape Town in 1889. His mother took him to Britain at the age of 3. But he had an eventful life in S.A. before then.

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#17

That Still Counts As One

That Still Counts As One

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Michael None
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14 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Can we all just take a moment to agree that John Rhys-Davies was the perfect person for this role. I mean of all the cast he was the most perfect and he delivered in ways that no one else did.

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#18

For The Time Had Already Come When Hobbits Will Shape The Fortunes Of All

For The Time Had Already Come When Hobbits Will Shape The Fortunes Of All

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"Quite by accident, I have a very vivid child's view, which was the result of being taken away from one country and put in another hemisphere-the place where I belonged but which was totally novel and strange,” reads this 1967 archived article. Tolkien told the writer that despite many tragedies, his child was not an unhappy one.

#19

I'm Going To Prank The Little Guy So Hard

I'm Going To Prank The Little Guy So Hard

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Ace
Community Member
23 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Except Bilbo never encountered Smaug when he was flying and breathing fire. Well not as per Tolkein anyway, maybe Jackson.

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It has been reported that JRR Tolkien was kidnapped as a baby. One of his family’s male workers was so enamored by him, that he snuck the infant away to show him off to local villagers. He returned the child the following day, and the family ended up forgiving him. The worker later named his own firstborn son Isaak Mister Tolkien Victor.

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#23

Goosebumps Everytime I Watch

Goosebumps Everytime I Watch

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Michael None
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14 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This was epic when I first saw it in theaters. It still gives me chills. “Arise, arise, riders of Théoden! Spears shall be shaken, shields shall be splintered! A sword-day, a red day, ere the sun rises!”

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#26

The Problem With Being Immortal Is That Your Dad Is Too

The Problem With Being Immortal Is That Your Dad Is Too

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#30

V True

V True

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Note: this post originally had 96 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.