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.
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Sam Is The Greatest
Aye, I Can Do This
Well?
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.
This Belongs Here
I Knew It!
Middle Tweet Has A Point
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.
Selfish, Dishonest, Empty Bravado Or Courage, Humility, Wisdom And Grace?
True Sign Of An Intellectual
Dom Monaghan Posted This To His Instagram With The Caption “Life Imitates Art”
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.
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Every Group Project Ever
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.
Does This Check Out Lore-Wise?
Got Me Feelin' Like A King
Gentlemen, We Do Not Stop Till Nightfall
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.
This Made Me Laugh
That Still Counts As One
Gandalf Got No Chill
"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.
Normalize Bromances
For The Time Had Already Come When Hobbits Will Shape The Fortunes Of All
Goosebumps Everytime I Watch
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.
The Difference Is Clear
It's Gotta Come Out Some Day
I'm Going To Prank The Little Guy So Hard
The Problem With Being Immortal Is That Your Dad Is Too
Still Impressed By The Technical Quality Of The Movie
Imagine If Frodo Didn’t Get Healed
Thank Iluvatar!!
I Made A Slight Edit
V True
I (F75) studied English at university. In 1970-71 I had an advanced Middle English class. One of the books was “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”. Edited by JRR himself. I had already read LOTR. I was so excited!!! Time passes. LOTR comes to the theatres. I cried all the way through remembering…things. I have watched the LOTR trilogy many many times. It never fails to delight me. Thx for these memes. Xxoo
Please, I have a very serious and genuine question. I love the Hobbit movies, one of my favourite trilogy ever. When I learned the movies were hated, I didn't understood why. I asked people but they would just say "it sucks" or insult me and never answer. So I ask here, why do people hate the Hobbit movies so much ? -------(EDIT)------- So what I understand from the answers is that the Hobbit movies are bad if you compare them to the books or the LOTR movies... But if you watch them without having watched LOTR or read the book, are they not good by themselves ? I personally saw the Hobbit movies first and never read the book (I tried but I think I was too young), and I really love them ! The characters are deep, the story is captivating, the costumes and locations are beautiful, it made me feel very strong emotions...
I believe it was because they were seen primarily as a money grab. They stretched a single book that was about one third the length of LOTR and turned it into three movies. If it had truly been about ensuring the story was told as well as possible on the movie screen there would have been nine LOTR films, all things being equal anyway.
Load More Replies...I (F75) studied English at university. In 1970-71 I had an advanced Middle English class. One of the books was “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”. Edited by JRR himself. I had already read LOTR. I was so excited!!! Time passes. LOTR comes to the theatres. I cried all the way through remembering…things. I have watched the LOTR trilogy many many times. It never fails to delight me. Thx for these memes. Xxoo
Please, I have a very serious and genuine question. I love the Hobbit movies, one of my favourite trilogy ever. When I learned the movies were hated, I didn't understood why. I asked people but they would just say "it sucks" or insult me and never answer. So I ask here, why do people hate the Hobbit movies so much ? -------(EDIT)------- So what I understand from the answers is that the Hobbit movies are bad if you compare them to the books or the LOTR movies... But if you watch them without having watched LOTR or read the book, are they not good by themselves ? I personally saw the Hobbit movies first and never read the book (I tried but I think I was too young), and I really love them ! The characters are deep, the story is captivating, the costumes and locations are beautiful, it made me feel very strong emotions...
I believe it was because they were seen primarily as a money grab. They stretched a single book that was about one third the length of LOTR and turned it into three movies. If it had truly been about ensuring the story was told as well as possible on the movie screen there would have been nine LOTR films, all things being equal anyway.
Load More Replies...