‘Lord of the Rings’ Mysteries From the Film Trilogy and Tolkien’s Books

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J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is the foundation for modern fantasy stories. Tolkien’s detailed world-building is unmatched, and he went above and beyond by creating complete, functioning languages for his characters. Nearly fifty years after the book was published, director Peter Jackson brought the story to life with a bold three-part movie adaptation. Today, the Lord of the Rings film trilogy is still considered one of the greatest fantasy movies ever made. While it doesn’t follow the book exactly, very few adaptations do.

As a longtime fan of The Lord of the Rings, both the books and the films, I’ve always been fascinated by the unanswered questions. There are quite a few Middle-earth mysteries – things that were cut from the movies, left out of the original script, or simply never explained by Tolkien himself – and honestly, I think some of them will always remain a puzzle. It’s part of what makes revisiting this world so endlessly compelling.

The Entwives of It All


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Long ago, before the events of The Lord of the Rings, the Entwives – the female Ents – left Fangorn Forest to create a beautiful garden, which would later become known as the Brown Lands. Sadly, this meant they left the male Ents behind. They disappeared, and Treebeard, the oldest of the Ents, couldn’t find them despite searching. Later, during the Second Age, as Sauron gained power, the Brown Lands were destroyed. In The Two Towers, Merry and Pippin encounter Treebeard (also called Fangorn) and learn the story of the lost Entwives.

The fate of the Entwives remains a mystery. They appear only briefly in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, through Treebeard’s stories, as they vanished long before the main events of the book. It’s obvious they valued peace and wanted to escape the destruction caused by Sauron’s ambition. Tolkien suggested they may have been destroyed during the War of the Last Alliance, but could any have actually survived into later ages?

What Happened to the Blue Wizards?


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The Blue Wizards, Alatar and Pallando, are as mysterious as the Entwives. While most readers know of the five Wizards sent to Middle-earth – Gandalf, Saruman, and Radagast being the most famous – the fate of these two remains largely unknown. Tolkien originally stated all five arrived around the year 1000 of the Third Age, but later writings in The Peoples of Middle-earth place their arrival much earlier, in the Second Age around 1600, and even give them different names: Morinehtar and Rómestámo.

As a huge Tolkien fan, I’ve always been fascinated by the Blue Wizards. They pop up briefly in The Lord of the Rings, but get a little more attention in The Silmarillion. Unfinished Tales really fleshes out their story, explaining that these two wizards headed east. Basically, Tolkien wrote that their job was to disrupt Sauron’s power in the eastern and southern parts of Middle-earth, while the other wizards focused on the west. It’s a cool little piece of lore that adds so much to the world!

Considering how little information there is about the Blue Wizards, it makes sense they weren’t included in Peter Jackson’s films. However, it’s still tempting to speculate about what happened to them. Did they fail in their mission and return to Valinor, or are they still somewhere in Middle-earth, perhaps unnoticed?

The Watcher in the Water


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The Watcher in the Water, a terrifying creature with tentacles, dwells in the pool outside the Doors of Durin. It appears briefly in J.R.R. Tolkien’s original writings but is more prominently featured in the film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. In the movie, the Watcher grabs Frodo while Gandalf tries to figure out the password to enter Moria. As the Fellowship attempts to enter the Mines of Moria, Legolas shoots an arrow into the creature’s eye.

Tolkien didn’t describe the Watcher in much detail, only mentioning its tentacles. However, it clearly evokes a sense of eerie, ancient horror. While its origins are a mystery, Gandalf believed it came from deep beneath the Misty Mountains. Like many of the unique creatures in Tolkien’s world, the Watcher appears only briefly, leaving much about it unknown.

Aragorn’s Connection With the Elves in ‘The Lord of the Rings’


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Aragorn and the Elves have a very close relationship, and he falls in love with Arwen, known as the Evenstar. Though Tolkien’s books explain their deep connection, Peter Jackson’s films don’t explore it much, which is surprising given how important it is to their story. We learn that Aragorn’s father died when Aragorn was just two years old, while chasing Orcs. Afterward, Aragorn was raised in Rivendell by Elrond, who also cared for Aragorn’s father as a child. Elrond even gave Aragorn a new name, Estel, to hide his royal heritage at his mother’s request. Aragorn comes from a noble line – he’s a descendant of Elendil and the heir of Isildur, characters who are further explored in the Prime Video series, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

Even with just these details, it’s easy to imagine Aragorn and Arwen growing up together and falling in love. Still, it would have been great if Peter Jackson had shown more of Aragorn’s connection to Rivendell in The Lord of the Rings films.

Ungoliant’s Origin Story

Ungoliant was a powerful, ancient being best known for destroying the Two Trees of Valinor at the command of Melkor. Her beginnings are a mystery, but Tolkien described her changing into a giant spider after arriving in the world. Some Elves believe she was originally one of the Ainur – the holy, primordial beings – who was corrupted by Melkor.

When Ungoliant arrived in Middle-earth, she attempted to kill Melkor, believing he had betrayed her. Melkor’s screams drew the Balrogs who lived within the ruined fortress of Angband. Terrified, Ungoliant escaped and took root beneath the Ered Gorgoroth mountains, where she bred with other monstrous spiders. She later traveled south of the world, eventually disappearing. The stories say she ultimately consumed herself, unable to control her endless hunger.

Although Ungoliant isn’t seen in the Lord of the Rings movies, her child, Shelob, is a significant character in The Return of the King. She creates a lot of trouble for Frodo and Sam during their journey in that final film.

This incredibly evil being is both captivating and enigmatic. Where did she originate? What was her life like before becoming a massive spider? Was she always inherently wicked?

The Hobbits and Rivendell


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In The Fellowship of the Ring, Arwen helps the Fellowship when Aragorn brings an injured Frodo to Rivendell. They are desperately trying to escape the Ringwraiths, making speed crucial. While the movie understandably shortened the chase, the book depicts the Hobbits taking weeks to approach Rivendell. This extended journey allows Elrond and the Elves to learn about the Hobbits’ approach and prepare for their arrival at the Elven settlement.

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It’s curious how the Elves seem to be aware of the Hobbits’ and Aragorn’s travels to Rivendell. While Aragorn understands the Elvish language and was raised among them, it makes you wonder if there’s a deeper, almost psychic connection between him and his Elven friends. Or is this just a plot convenience created for the film?

Who Are the Other Seven Nazgûl in ‘The Lord of the Rings’?


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In the realm of Eregion, Celebrimbor crafted nineteen Rings of Power. He gave three to the Elves, seven to the Dwarves, and nine to the most powerful humans. Sauron secretly corrupted these humans, transforming them into the Nazgûl, also known as Ringwraiths – terrifying servants under his command. These figures appear throughout Tolkien’s writings, including The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales, as well as in the film adaptations like The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit movies.

We know the identities of two of the nine Ringwraiths: Khamûl, a former king who fell to darkness, and the Witch-king of Angmar, their leader. This leaves seven Ringwraiths unknown. While Tolkien reveals that Sauron gifted rings to three Númenóreans and a king from the East, neither the books nor Peter Jackson’s films ever name these seven individuals.

Although not officially part of established Tolkien lore, The Rings of Power has the opportunity to reveal who the Nine Nazgûl were, particularly with Season 2 exploring Númenor and Sauron’s role in forging the rings as Annatar. A popular idea is that Pharazôn, who took the throne from his cousin Tar-Míriel, and his son Kemen might become the Nazgûl. They seem to possess the qualities – being easily influenced and naturally evil – needed to serve as Sauron’s powerful agents.

Honestly, I think this story works better as a ‘what if?’ scenario for die-hard Tolkien fans to play with online. It just doesn’t quite land as a fully realized narrative on its own.

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2026-01-05 03:37