Gandalf

The five armies are goblins, eagles, dwarves, elves, and men. Beorne doesn't count as an army, although it might take one to kill him. Sand worms don't count either because they are from Dune.

Note that Beorne is rescuing Thorin.

by Matthew Stewart

So, Frodo puts on the ring while at Amon Hen and within moments, Sauron starts looking toward him. If not for Gandalf's interference, he'd have been seen.

But, mere seconds later, Frodo puts the ring right back on again and heads to the boats and is apparently not seen.

Much later, Sam puts on the ring in Mordor to chase after Frodo, but he's not seen by Sauron. Then, at the last moment, when Frodo puts on the ring in Mt Doom, Sauron is instantly aware.

Putting on the ring in the Shire appears to never alert Sauron, but does alert the black riders when they're close.

I have no doubt that there are rules being applied here. Tolkien never does anything randomly. So, what are the rules? Is there something magical about Amon Hen that made it especially dangerous? Is it simply being on top of a hill so that there's a clear line of sight between Barad-dûr and wherever the ring is?

This is a miniature scene of Boromir's last stand at Amon Hen when he was defending Merry and Pippin from the Uruk Hai and orcs.

I was hoping that this was a kit or something, because I'd love to paint this. But, it appears to be a custom project someone did using games workshop miniatures.

from this forum

Most images of the Argonath are from an angle similar to the movie where you're seeing it from further back. But, I really like this lower angle. This kind of looks like it comes from a computer game, but I don't know of one that has the Argonath in it. Anyone know where this is from?

found here

What is the watcher in the water? How did it get there?

The watcher gets its first kill that we know of when Balin tries to retake the mines. (If anyone knows of earlier references, please let me know.) During that attempt, the watcher gets Óin. 25 years later, it's woken up by Boromir and it nearly gets the fellowship, but instead traps them inside the mines.

Gandalf seemed to think it was one of the nameless things that lives beneath middle earth which gnawed its way to the surface. What other nameless things are there that have reached the surface?

by Joan Wyatt

If you look closely, you can see a pair of feet in the center. Both Merry and Pippin are trapped, but I wasn't able to see a second pair of feet.

I love all the detail in the bark and the roots of the tree. That is a very elaborate tree!

The Willow Man is Tamed by Ted Nasmith

This is the definition of Durin's Day:

Durin's Day was a yearly event noted by the Dwarves, "when the last moon of Autumn and the first sun of Winter appear in the sky together" (i.e. until sunset) on the first day of the Dwarves' New Year, which was "the first day of the last moon of Autumn on the threshold of Winter."

Since it's based on the moon, it doesn't happen on the same day every year.

The art of David Wenzel is just the best. His style is just so fun to me.

by David Wenzel

You can't go wrong with a good picture of Hobbiton.

by David T Wenzel

I'm loving this circular style of art from David Wenzel. This is the moment when the Great Goblin gets really upset that Thorin has Foe Hammer. That weapon had been used to kill many goblins in the past. It was probably glowing pretty brightly here given that it's surrounded by goblins and is being held by one.

He won't have long to be upset though. Gandalf takes him out just a few seconds from now.

by David Wenzel

I believe this is an image of Éowyn during the brief period when she was in Edoras after she was told that she would rule while Théoden went off to battle in Minas Tirith.

You can see soldiers in the background, so presumably they're getting ready to go soon. Éowyn goes with them, so I assume she's getting ready to do that right now.

by Matthew Stewart

I love the feeling in this image of the pressure he's under. He's standing precariously on a rooftop while the entire town is up in flames behind him, aiming at a moving dragon, while a thrush is trying to talk to him to explain where he needs to aim.

Note that the quiver is empty, so this is his last shot. In a way, the entire future of Middle Earth hangs on this moment. If Smaug had killed Bard here, he probably would have gone back and killed Bilbo and the dwarves. The ring would have ended up in the treasure hoard and would presumably have eventually been retrieved by Sauron.

Could Smaug have used the ring? I think it is able to change its size. Don't know if it could increase that big. But, a dragon is already nearly invincible. Imagine having to deal with an invisible one.

by Matthew Stewart

I find this picture to be super charming. Those poor dwarves, getting stuffed into barrels by Bilbo with the sleeping elves in the upper left.

Author is David T Wenzel