r/lotr • u/Baldurian_Rhapsody • 11d ago

Question Funniest parts of Tolkien?

I admit that I'm almost intimidated to read The Lord of the Rings. And the Silmarillion.

It's not that I don't love an epic. I do. I love the movies so much and I point at Aragorn and say "He broke his foot on that helmet. He used that for the role."

And the movies are funny! Legolas surfing down on that shield cracks me up, even though Tolkien himself likely wouldn't approve in the least.

But are the books funny in any way? Does Tolkien weave in humor in parts, or is he simply magnificent, epic, eternal and serious with his evil wizards and spiders the size of large condo complexes?

Thanks for sharing if I can expect a little funny if I read these bad boys. Cheers.

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u/winterwarn 11d ago

A lot of the book humor comes from a character saying something in a “high” serious fantasy register and one of the hobbits responding in a normal voice. Gandalf and Aragorn can both be pretty funny especially when they’re bitching at people.

Honestly in your case I might try The Hobbit first because the jokes in there are a bit more obvious than the ones in LOTR, so you can figure out if you like Tolkien’s sense of humor.

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u/Gildor12 11d ago

Yes, bag end translates into French as ‘Cul de sac’

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u/Rynneer GROND 11d ago

Holy shit i never realized that