The Best ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Theories and Hidden Details Explained

Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy remains one of the crowning achievements in cinema history. A cultural icon, the trilogy of films has transcended the changes from the novels that came before them to form their own unique entity that has more than stood the test of time. Even after 25 years, viewers are still discovering new details hidden in the background of the films and forming their own theories as to what they may mean. Let’s take a look at a few key moments, and speculate ourselves.

An Eagle For Gollum?

YouTuber Middle Earth Updates offers really compelling analysis on many different details in these films. One of the coolest details and theories comes during the climax of The Return of the King. When Gandalf sends the Eagles to Mount Doom after the ring is destroyed, one is sent for Frodo, one is sent for Sam, and one conveniently just kind of hangs around. Which inevitably begs the question: did Gandalf send an eagle for Gollum? In the book, Gandalf tasks the Eagles with flying to Mount Doom to collect “the Hobbits”, so unfortunately, the book doesn’t give us a ton of support for this theory.

It’s entirely possible to think romantically about this theory in that Gandalf could have assumed Gollum would have had a change of heart, resulting in the ring being destroyed. But also, if Gandalf had the foresight to know that Gollum was even on the journey with Sam and Frodo to begin with, he likely would also have the foresight to know that Gollum was killed in the final moments at Mount Doom as well. Who knows? Maybe that third Eagle was just there for moral support.

A New Meaning for ‘Fly You Fools!’

‘The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the RingCredit: New Line Cinema

Keeping with the theme of the Eagles, one of the many “plot holes” that people will occasionally throw at the Lord of the Rings films is “why didn’t they just use the Eagles to fly all the way to Mordor?” Well, according to this theory, that may have been Gandalf’s plan the entire time.

It’s no secret that Gandalf “dies” during the Moria escape sequence in The Fellowship of the Ring. Immediately before plummeting down the cave shaft, he delivers the now iconic line to the rest of the group, “Fly, you fools!” Some fans speculate that he may have taken that literally. Gandalf was always against going through the mines, and only did so because the winter conditions in the mountains were so aggressive that the others suggested it would ultimately claim the lives of the Hobbits. Some speculate that Gandalf was planning on summoning the Eagles much earlier to transport them all the way to Mordor.

The main reason why this isn’t entirely debunkable by Gandalf’s return in The Two Towers is that he has some selective, but still long-term memory loss as to who he is and what his job was. He gains most of this knowledge back as the film goes on, but by this point, everyone is so separated from each other that he has no way of summoning the Eagles to the right location. Additionally, despite Aragorn being the rightful king of Gondor, he’s not exactly shown to be able to summon the Eagles himself, making their journey on foot for the rest of the Fellowship a true necessity.

Galadriel’s Gift to Gimli

Famously, when departing from the company of Galadriel in The Fellowship of the Ring, she gives the members of the Fellowship personalized gifts. Almost everyone’s gift has some identifiable purpose, either to that person or to the narrative itself. Gimli's, however, is kind of treated in a joking manner. He is given three locks of Galadriel’s hair. A potential leading theory, however, gives this gift far more meaning.

Many speculate that this gift is a symbolic reproach of the elf, Fëanor, an egotistical, prideful elf who asked Lady Galadriel three separate times for a strand of her hair, to no avail. Gimli’s receiving of not only one, but three strands of her hair, suggests to many that he is three times more worthy than Fëanor ever was. Also, that Galadriel is aware of the bond that will form between Gimli and Legolas in particular. After ages of prejudice between the dwarves and the elves, a friendship like Gimli and Legolas’ is one that proves deeply important to the lore of Middle Earth, and Gimli’s gift suggests that Galadriel is well tuned in to its importance.

Regardless of what theories you may or may not subscribe to, at the very least, these small details and fan theories are certainly enough to make you look at very minute details in the film quite differently.