What Tech Level is the Hobbit?

[Dryfus]

Yet another thing that bugs me about the Good Guys in LotR. They have access to these wonderful fireworks that could be of great help in a battle, for illumination, intimidation, or outright offensive purposes. But oh no, lets just rely on "heroism" and "valor" instead of doing anything smart.

True dat!!

 

[The_Gneech]

Yet another thing that bugs me about the Good Guys in LotR. They have access to these wonderful fireworks that could be of great help in a battle, for illumination, intimidation, or outright offensive purposes. But oh no, lets just rely on "heroism" and "valor" instead of doing anything smart.

Oh yeah, next you're going to say Gandalf should have been casting spells or something! ;P

-The Gneech

 

[lukelightning]

I'm pretty sure a ginormous fiery dragon swooping out of the sky would have been helpful in certain places.

Oh yeah, next you're going to say Gandalf should have been casting spells or something! ;P

-The Gneech

 

[Storm Raven]

Ah yes, good point. And Saruman was originally a Maia of Aulë. In Tolkien's mythology knowing how to make stuff makes you more prone to hubris and evil.

I think he would phrase it "more prone to become overly proud of one's creations". Aule himself created dwarves, but was not overly proud of their creation, even willingly submitting whether they would live or die to Eru's will. It wasn't just being good at making stuff that made one prone to evil, it was being good at making stuff and being unwise in the application of that knowledge.

 

[Storm Raven]

I'm pretty sure a ginormous fiery dragon swooping out of the sky would have been helpful in certain places.

It would have raise the morale of Sauron's armies? After all, the dragon's were Morgoroth's creations, and any who showed up on the battlefield would presumably be allies of Sauron's. Even a fake dragon, if it fooled Sauron's armies, would probably cheer them up, as they would think they had a powerful ally to help them fight.

 

[Burrahobbit]

What's the general gist of this story? Me = curious!

If I remember correctly (I'm several thousand miles away from my J.R.R. Tolkien books at the moment, "The Return of the Shadow" (as it was called at least at some point) was described as a kind of mystery featuring the discovery of a cult of Morgoth in Gondor of the Fourth Age. Again, IIRC, Tolkien abandoned it in part because he felt it wasn't working without the narrative device of the hobbits to bring Middle Earth down, so to speak, to Earth.

 

[Akrasia]

To be a little nitpicky; only the line of kings themselves had any elvish blood, not all the Numenoreans...

Though for the most part you're right, it is worth noting that the line of kings married into different families, thus spreading the 'elvish influence' through the population. In addition, there were two other unions between men and elves during the First Age (Beren and Luthien; Tuor and Idril), in addition to that of Earendil and Elwing.

And in the spirit of being nitpicky, it is clear that other Dunedain/Numenoreans intermarried with elves at certain points during their history. The men of Dol Amroth, for example, were said to have 'elvish blood'.

 

[Bullgrit]

I hate that JRRT named the two major baddies so similarly: Sauron, Sauroman. Errr. I always mix them up.

Bullgrit

 

[Ferret]

I read nearly two books thinking they were the same person. I never got through the lot of it.......

 

[painandgreed]

It would have raise the morale of Sauron's armies? After all, the dragon's were Morgoroth's creations, and any who showed up on the battlefield would presumably be allies of Sauron's. Even a fake dragon, if it fooled Sauron's armies, would probably cheer them up, as they would think they had a powerful ally to help them fight.

And that is the reason for "The Hobbit" as somebody was telling me. Gandalf didn't really care if the dwarves got their kingdom back, but he needed Sauron's air support destroyed before the upcoming war.