MYSTERIOUS WORLD: Spring 2008: The Lord of the Rings Cipher Part I: Morgoth's Ring

The Lord of the Rings Cipher Part I: Morgoth's Ring

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The shaping of Earth thus completed, the Valar then set about determining the finer details of day-to-day existence. And perhaps the most important thing to be created was a source of lasting light, because to that point the sun and the moon did not yet exist in the universe of Middle Earth, the only source of light being enormous volcanic fires that had been kindled by Melkor in the very beginning of the "Dreamtime" of Middle Earth. But now that the Valar and the Maiar had subdued the troubles and turmoils of Earth, the fires had gone out, and now the Earth was covered in darkness.

Before the sun and the moon were created, the Valar created two great lamps, and set them atop two great pillars: one in the north, and one in the south. Illuin ("sky blue") was the lamp that lit the north, and Ormal ("high gold") was the lamp that lit the south, and together these two lamps were known as "The Lamps of the Valar". Pictured is Illuin, the lamp of the north. Image from A Silmarillion Chronology.

Yavanna, the Valar Queen whose gift was in creating plants and animals, then began to fulfill the vision imparted to her in the divine song by devising and planting seeds of all kinds throughout Middle Earth. But without light, her seeds would not sprout. So, in order to bring light out of darkness and begin the next phase of the ordering of Earth, Varda, one of the Queens of the Valar whose domain was the night sky, asked Aul�, the Valar whose gift was a deep understanding of Earth and its minerals, to create two great lamps to dispel the darkness that ruled Arda. Varda then filled these lamps with exceptionally bright fire, and Manw�, her husband, the lord of the air, hallowed them and set them atop two enormously tall pillars — one in the north of Middle Earth, and one in the south. Illuin ("sky blue") was the lamp that lit the north, and Ormal ("high gold") was the lamp that lit the south, and together these two lamps were known as "The Lamps of the Valar". These two lamps provided a constant light over all of Middle Earth, so that all was lit in a continuous, changeless day. And in this light, the seeds that Yavanna planted and the animals that she had conceived through her arts multiplied and flourished over the face of Arda.¹⁹

Melkor, however, saw the Springtime of Arda and became insanely jealous, seeing his dark world not only brightly lit, but flourishing with life not of his own creation. He then gathered together those Maiar whom he had corrupted to his service, and made war on the Valar and those Maiar who remained loyal to them. From his stronghold of Utumno in the far north, dug deeply into the Earth, Melkor's hatred had radiated forth and had begun to corrupt the springtime of Arda. Running rivers became rank swamps, flourishing plants became poisonous weeds, and the animals turned on and rent each other until their blood cried out from the ground. Typically, as befits all evil, which cannot create anything good but only despoil the works of others, Melkor's presence caused nothing but corruption and death.

Not satisfied with merely corrupting the works of Yavanna, however, Melkor then went forth with his army of fallen Maiar and overthrew the lamps that Aul� had made, their downfall causing enormous destruction throughout Arda and plunging it into a second darkness. Then, while the strength of the Valar was spent in restraining and reordering their now marred creations, Melkor was able to escape back to his stronghold in the north where he hid from their wrath.

Greatly disappointed but undaunted, the Valar temporarily abandoned Middle Earth, retreating to the continent of Aman in the West, where they raised up mighty mountains to guard against the further onslaughts of Melkor. Behind this mighty defense they then created Valinor, a stronghold of righteousness where they preserved those things that were not destroyed by the downfall of the lamps, and created many things of even greater beauty besides. In time, Valinor became even more beautiful than Arda in the springtime, becoming known as the Undying Lands, where nothing ever faded, withered, or grew old.

The Two Trees of Valinor. In order to replace the lamps that were destroyed by Melkor, Yavanna devised two great seeds, and planted them in the Hill of Ezellohar, in the midst of the city of Valmar, the capitol of Valinor, in the continent of Aman, where the Valar had fled to as a last redoubt against the ruinous power of Morgoth. Under the spell-song of Yavanna, and watered by the tears of Nienna, the two trees grew rapidly. One gave off silver light, and was named Telperion, and the other gave off golden light, and was named Laurelin. The two trees only gave light to the continent of Aman, but will give light to the whole earth after the last battle when Morgoth and his allies are finally destroyed. Image from A Silmarillion Chronology.

Yet the world still lay in darkness, so another solution had to be found in order to light the world, or at least Valinor. So it came to pass there, in Aman, in the midst of blessed Valinor, in city of Valmar, on the great green hill of Ezellohar, that Yavanna invoked her greatest work: The Two Trees of Valinor — two trees so bright and so surpassingly beautiful that all the history and lore of ancient times circulated around them:

Yavanna hallowed [the hill], and she sat there long upon the green grass and sang a song of power, in which was set all her thought of things that grow in the Earth. But Nienna thought in silence, and watered the mould with tears. In that time the Valar were gathered together to hear the song of Yavanna, and they sat silent upon their thrones of council in the M�hanaxar, the Ring of Doom near to the golden gates of Valmar; and Yavanna Kement�ri sang before them and they watched.
And as they watched, upon the mound there came forth two slender shoots; and silence was over all the world in that hour, nor was there any other sound save the chanting of Yavanna. Under her song the saplings grew and became fair and tall, and came to flower; and thus there awoke in the world the Two Trees of Valinor. Of all things which Yavanna made they have most renown, and about their fate all the tales of the Elder Days are woven.
The one had leaves of dark green that beneath were as shining silver, and from each of his countless flowers a dew of silver light was ever falling, and the earth beneath was dappled with the shadows of his fluttering leaves. The other bore leaves of a young green like the new-opened beech; their edges were of glittering gold. Flowers swung upon her branches in clusters of yellow flame, formed each to a glowing horn that spilled a golden rain upon the ground; and from the blossom of that tree there came forth warmth and a great light. Telperion the one was called in Valinor, and Silpion, and Ninquel�t�, and many other names; but Laurelin the other was, and Malinalda, and Cul�rien, and many names in song beside.²⁰

So the Two Trees, Laurelin and Telperion, lit the blessed land of Aman, the mysterious island of the West — wherein dwelt righteousness, and where the darkness could not prosper.

The Two Witnesses are two powerful prophets who (re)appear in the end times, as described in Revelation 11. These prophets are generally considered to be the return of Moses and Elijah, or at least of the spirit that motivated them, as they manifest many of the supernatural abilities that were demonstrated by Moses and Elijah, such as stopping the rain, sending plagues on the earth, and even calling fire down from heaven. The two witnesses were also described as both two "lamps", and as two "trees", indicating that Tolkien's prominent placement of two lamps and two trees in The Silmarillion may have been an attempt to understand the mystery behind these two enigmatic figures. Image from Revelation Illustrated.

Strangely, to this point it would appear that Tolkien's enciphered riddle of the "two lamps" and "two trees" has never been noted by the numerous and often very insightful Tolkien commentators, many of whom are Christians, though these two lamps and these two trees were clearly intended to be equated with the "two witnesses" of the Book of Revelation — or, to be more precise, symbolic of the eternal spiritual principles that they represent. These two powerful and enigmatic figures, who are clearly associated with both lamps and trees in both the Old and New Testaments, literally appear at the center of the Book of Revelation and appear, in context, to be the holders of the keys to the secrets of the end times. If so, an understanding of the lives and destinies of these two men may hold the golden keys to the understanding of the great mystery of mysteries — the origin and destiny of mankind, and of our eternal fate.

These two ancient spirits figure prominently in the history of both Israel and the Church, which are in actuality, mysteriously, one and the same. The most prominent Old Testament mention of these two figures occurs in the book of the prophet Zechariah:

Now the angel who talked with me
came back and wakened me,
as a man who is wakened out of his sleep.
And he said to me, "What do you see?"

So I said, "I am looking,
and there is a lampstand of solid gold
with a bowl on top of it,
and on the stand seven lamps
with seven pipes to the seven lamps.

Two olive trees are by it,
one at the right of the bowl
and the other at its left."

Then I answered and said to him,
"What are these two olive trees —
at the right of the lampstand and at its left?"

And I further answered and said to him,
"What are these two olive branches
that drip into the receptacles of the two gold pipes
from which the golden oil drains?"

Then he answered me and said,
"Do you not know what these are?"
And I said, "No, my lord."

So he said,
"These are the two anointed ones,
who stand beside
the Lord of the whole earth."
( Zechariah 4:1-3, 11-14, NKJV )

In the Book of Revelation, further mention is made of two "witnesses" who are equated with the two "anointed ones" of Zechariah 4:

I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told,
"Go and measure the temple of God and the altar,
and count the worshipers there.

But exclude the outer court;
do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles.
They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.

And I will give power to my two witnesses,
and they will prophesy for 1,260 days,
clothed in sackcloth.

These are the two olive trees
and the two lampstands
that stand before the Lord of the Earth.

If anyone tries to harm them,
fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies.
This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die.

These men have power to shut up the sky
so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying;
and they have power to turn the waters into blood
and to strike the earth with every kind of plague
as often as they want.

Now when they have finished their testimony,
the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them,
and overpower and kill them.
( Revelation 11:1-7, NKJV )

These two "witnesses" literally stand "beside" God in heaven, making them, effectively, God's right- (and left-) hand men. Commentators are generally not sure who these two men are, but most competent commentators believe that these men are somehow the return of Moses and Elijah, or at least the spirits of these two exceptional prophets. This belief is based upon six basic criteria:

Both Moses and Elijah's "deaths" were unusual, as Moses did not die naturally, but his soul was "taken" by God before his body's natural force had abated ( Deuteronomy 34:5-7). Elijah did not die at all, but was translated directly into heaven via "chariots of fire" ( 2 Kings 2:11-12). The unusual departure of both men from this life very probably was meant to imply that both will eventually return;

Moses and Elijah are considered to be the most exceptional prophets of the Bible, their lives and ministries marking important turning points in Israel's history, so if anyone would return it would be them. Faithful Jews still revere Moses as the great lawgiver, and still set aside a cup for Elijah every Passover seder;

Moses and Elijah are the only prophets who had seen God face to face ( Deut. 34:10; 1 Kings 19:9-18), indicating a very high level of importance in the heavenly hierarchy;

The Transfiguration of Jesus as described in Mark 9:1-12, where Jesus briefly took on his true spiritual, "angelic" form, and Moses and Elijah appeared next to Him. This event simultaneously justified Jesus as superior to both the Law and the Prophets (as exemplified by the best examples of both), and also raised Moses and Elijah to the level of the closest personal advisors to God Himself, as an important conversation between the three apparently took place. This event is not dissimilar to an appearance of the LORD to Abraham in Genesis 18, where He was also accompanied by two unidentified men.
Image from The Dore Bible Gallery.

Moses and Elijah appeared next to Jesus in the transfiguration and spoke with Him, apparently acting as advisors of some sort ( Matt. 17:1-11). This may indicate that both men occupy a more or less equal — and very high — level in the heavenly hierarchy, perhaps second only to Jesus himself, though of course a very distant second ( Matt. 17:4-5). Elijah is also confirmed as returning in the end-times in this passage ( vv. 10-12) and thus, assumedly, Moses as well, who is paired with Elijah more than once in the Scriptures;

The powers that the two witnesses display, of sending plagues and stopping the rain, were the same powers that Moses and Elijah displayed during their ministries on earth;

Most importantly, in the Book of Malachi, Moses and Elijah are both prophesied to return at the time of the end ( Malachi 3:1; 4:4-6)

Interestingly, the LORD also appeared with two mysterious men when he visited Abraham ( Genesis 18:1-5). These two men, later identified as angels, then rescued Lot and destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with "fire from heaven" ( Genesis 18:16; 19:1-29), a power that Elijah would later display ( 2 Kings 1 ; cf. also Luke 9:54). There were also two angels in Jesus' tomb after the Resurrection when Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene ( John 20:11-18). More interestingly, in Revelation 11:8, the two witnesses are said to be somehow related to Sodom, Egypt and Jerusalem — Sodom (and Gomorrah) being the cities the two angels destroyed during the time of Abraham, Egypt being the place where Moses made his mark on history, and Jerusalem being the place where John the Baptist — who was somehow mysteriously related to Elijah ( Matthew 11:7-15) — made his. And perhaps most interestingly of all, two men appeared to the prophet Daniel and told him to "seal up" his prophecies until the time of the end:

"But you, Daniel, shut up the words,
and seal the book until the time of the end;
many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase."

Then I, Daniel, looked; and there stood two others,
one on this riverbank and the other on that riverbank.

And one said to the man clothed in linen,
who was above the waters of the river,
"How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?"

Then I heard the man clothed in linen,
who was above the waters of the river,
when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven,
and swore by Him who lives forever,
that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time;
and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered,
all these things shall be finished.

Although I heard, I did not understand.
Then I said, "My lord, what shall be the end of these things?"

And he said,
"Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up
and sealed till the time of the end.
( Daniel 12:4-9)

Could these two angels be the same two powerful spirits who have "witnessed" the unfolding of human history from the very beginning, manipulating the destiny of humanity by occasionally revealing key information at critical turning points in our history?

Predictable like clockwork, Tolkien appears to have symbolically represented these two ancient spirits — who appear to be integrally linked with the fate of mankind — with not only lamps and with trees, but also with two lords of the Valar named Irmo and Namo. And this connection is not incidental, as these two Valar are specifically set apart as a pair of powerful "brother" spirits called the F�anturi (lit., "Masters of Spirits"), in whose hands lay the fate of all of Middle Earth, both for good and for ill. Moreover, both the names and the attributes of these powerful spirits closely associate them with concepts typically attributed to Moses and Elijah, respectively:

Jachin and Boaz, the "twin towers" of Masonic philosophy. These two pillars represent night and day, mother and father, and all other dualisms of freemasonry. Their names, Jachin and Boaz, are named after the two pillars on the front of the Solomonic Temple, that had been built by Hiram Abiff, the great founder of Freemasonry. This representation is the occultic view of the twin principles that flank the Temple of God, principles that were made manifest in Moses and Elijah, and which will manifest themselves again in the end times. In the world of Middle Earth, Tolkien represents these twin principles with the Valar Irmo and Namo. Image from The Serpent and the Real Origins of Freemasonry.

Irmo: Irmo was the Vala who was in charge of the destinies of all who lived in Middle Earth, from the most powerful of the Valar to the lowliest hobbit. Irmo, which literally means "judge", was also called Mandos, "prison-fortress", after the inescapable halls of the dead to which he alone held the key. Irmo was stern and dispassionate and never forgot anything. He was the judge of the dead, and in charge of the "Halls of Mandos" where the spirits of the dead went, and knew the fate of all beings. And when he sang a prophecy about someone's destiny, or fate, his words would always come true. Thus, as a lawgiver and judge, in the mythology of Middle Earth Irmo is cognate to Moses, who gave the Law to mankind and who will also judge mankind at the end of time.

N�mo: N�mo was the Valar who was in charge of dreams, including visions and prophecy. N�mo literally means "dreamer", "master of dreams" or "visions". He was also known as L�rien, "garden", after the glorious garden that he kept, which was the most beautiful place in the world. Together, his complete name N�mo L�rien means "garden of dreams". N�mo provided a more positive counterpoint to the dour Irmo, as he kept the garden where the righteous would live after death, instead of the gloomy dungeons of Mandos wherein the wicked would be imprisoned forever. Thus, as the source of all prophecy, in the mythology of Middle Earth, N�mo is cognate to Elijah who represents the Prophets, and who will also help judge mankind at the end of time.

Together, then, Irmo and Namo prove a ready cognate to Moses and Elijah, the law and the prophets, Joachim and Boaz, bands and beauty, justice and righteousness. As the great judge of all, Irmo was associated with the day and the sun which reveals all and, by extension, the golden lamp Ormal and the golden tree Laurelin. As a master of dreams, Namo was associated with the night and the moon and by extension, the silver lamp Illuin and the silver tree Telperion. In sum, the cipher of the lamps, trees and F�anturi was meant to communicate Tolkien's understanding of the true nature of these two enigmatic spirits, the "hands of God", who appear to hold the destiny of mankind.

Notes

¹ Ethan Gilsdorf, "J.R.R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis: A Literary Friendship and Rivalry" (Literary Traveler: http://www.literarytraveler.com).

² Wikipedia, "Robert E. Howard" (Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org). Howard, whom some feel was a great inspiration to Tolkien, created an entire world that he theorized actually existed "between the time when the oceans drank Atlantis, and the rise of the sons of Aryas", which he called the Hyborean Age. Though it was fairly well fleshed out, it lacked the subtle details such as non-human races and multiple languages that Tolkien actually created almost ex nihilo. Lovecraft and Moorcock also created their own universes in which their heroes fought and strove to make their mark, but Moorcock's characters, such as the classic Elric of Melnibon�, were actually drawn purposely as anti-heroes specifically in order to contrast the writings of Tolkien and Howard.

³ Tom Shippey, J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2000).

⁴ Humphrey Carpenter, J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2000), 28-29.

⁵ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2001), 87.

⁶ Carpenter, Biography, 67, 97-98.

⁷ Carpenter, Biography, 101.

⁸ Carpenter, Biography, 83.

⁹ Bradley J. Birzer, J. R. R. Tolkien's Sanctifying Myth: Understanding Middle-Earth (Wilmington, DE: ISI Books, 2002), 23-24.

¹⁰ Carpenter, Biography, 99-101.

¹¹ J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien ed., The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1995), 144-145.

¹² Carpenter, Biography, 99.

¹³ Tolkien, The Silmarillion, 3-4.

¹⁴ One of the reasons Tolkien had F�anor the elf (q.v.) create three jewels may have been that he wanted them to symbolize the Holy Trinity — a God who was three, yet one.

¹⁵ Tolkien, The Silmarillion, 4-5. Note that Melkor was the fifteenth and greatest of the Valar, but was removed from their ranks after falling from heaven.

¹⁶ Tolkien, The Silmarillion, 6-7.

¹⁷ Text adapted from Ellie Crystal, "Ayer's Rock, Uluru" (Crystalinks: http://www.crystalinks.com/ayersrock.html). Cf. also http://www.mysteriousworld.com/Journal/2002/Autumn/Atlantis/#TheOriginsOfMan.

¹⁸ Tolkien, The Silmarillion, 10-12.

¹⁹ Tolkien, The Silmarillion, 27-28.

²⁰ Tolkien, The Silmarillion, 31.

²¹ Wikipedia, "F�anor" (Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org).

²² Wikipedia, "F�anor".

²³ Carpenter, J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography, 67, 101.

²⁴ Carpenter, J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography, 101.

²⁵ Silima may be based upon the Greek word thelema, "will", which Aleister Crowley used at length in his profane occult treatises. It was also used in the Bible to describe the "will" of God, so its function is not strictly negative in orientation. Tolkien probably intended to focus on the concept that F�anor "willed" the jewels into existence, that they were a product of his and his alone. It is also interesting to note that at the heart of Buddism is the principle of "The Three Jewels" that Buddhists look to for guidance. Could this concept actually be the memory of three actual ancient jewels which had mysterious powers? Furthermore, could these three jewels have also been one of Tolkien's inspirations for the three Silmarilli?)

²⁶ Rabbi Geoffrey W. Dennis, "Tzohar" (Encyclopedia Mythica: http://www.pantheon.org/articles/t/tzohar.html).

²⁷ Anonymous, "The Tsohar" (Encyclopedia Mythica: http://www.indyfan.com/ark/tsohar.html).

²⁸ See "The Exodus Revelation" previously in this issue for an in-depth discussion of the tsohar "firestones" and how they have played crucial roles throughout the history of mankind. It is interesting to note that the term "three jewels" is used frequently in Masonic initiations, as well as Buddhist teachings.

²⁹ J. F. Sutton, "The Atlantean Tuaoi Stone Revisited" (The Hutton Commentaries: http://www.huttoncommentaries.com/subs/Special/AtlanRec_Firestone/Tuaoi/ TuaoiRevisited.htm), edited for brevity. Note that Cayce's reference to "the entity" refers to his belief that he was able to communicate with spirit entities who had reincarnated themselves over and over again throughout history, even from the beginning of human history, so Cayce allegedly was able to find out about the past by questioning the spirit of the person asking for the "reading" where he or she was and what they were doing in the past. This was how he was allegedly able to find out so much about Atlantis — so many "entities" who had once lived in Atlantis reincarnated in the 20th century that Cayce was able to relate an enormous amount of information about that period of Earth's history.

³⁰ For more information on the mysterious firestones in the Bible, see "The Exodus Revelation" elsewhere in this issue.

³¹ Association for Research and Enlightenment A.R.E. �, Inc., "Searching for the Hall of Records in the Yucatan" (Edgar Cayce's A.R.E.: http://www.edgarcayce.org/about_ec/cayce_on/ancient/search.html)

³² Geoffrey W Burr, "Optical data storage enters a new dimension" (PhysicsWorld.com: http://physicsweb.org/articles/world/13/7/7); see also http://www.research.ibm.com/journal/rd/443/ashley.html; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_optical_data_storage; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hologram; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_storage#Optical_storage; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holographic_Versatile_Disc.

³³ See http://www.t1shopper.com/tools/calculate/ for a conversion calculator to see how large a Petabyte is.

³⁴ "Native American Legends: The Spider Woman and The Twins" (First People: http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/TheSpiderWomanandtheTwins-Hopi.html). Interestingly, in the Hopi myth of Spider Woman, the first thing she created were two twin males, P�q�nghoya and Pal�ngawhoya, which may be the Hopi version of the "two witnesses" concept discussed previously. Tolkien appears to have found some very deep correlaries in mythology, as far afield as the Desert Southwest of America. An important point to note is that Spider Woman brought life to the twins, and all plants and animals, through the use of something called a "white substance cape", which was "the creative wisdom itself". Could this be the same substance as the heavenly manna mentioned in the Bible? See "Exodus Revelation" for more on this critical subject.

³⁵ Tolkien-Online.com, "Morgoth's Ring" (Tolkien-Online.com: http://www.tolkien-online.com/morgoths-ring.html).

³⁶ Carpenter, J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography, 101.

³⁷ "Iron Crown of Lombardy" (Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Crown_of_Lombardy).

³⁸ "Lombards" (Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lombards). Cf. also

"Lombardy" (Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lombardy)

³⁹ "Iron Crown of Lombardy" (Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Crown_of_Lombardy). Cf. also

"Order of the Iron Crown" (Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Iron_Crown) and

"Charlemagne's "Iron Crown"" (Order of the Crown of Charlemagne in the United States of America: http://www.charlemagne.org/ic.html).

Charlemagne's father was named "Pippin the Short", probably where Tolkien took the name for the Hobbit "Pippin" in The Lord of the Rings. Theodolinda, the Queen of the Lombards, Germanic conquerors of northern Italy, was said to have found the crown. Was she the inspiration for Theoden of Rohan, or perhaps for Eowyn, who reigned after his death, or perhaps a combination of both? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodelinda)

⁴⁰ Carpenter, J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography, 72.

⁴¹ Carpenter, J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography, 72, 79, 83.

⁴² "E�rendil" (Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earendel).

⁴³ Jimmy Dunn, "Apophis (Apep), the Enemy of Re" (Wikipedia: http://touregypt.net/featurestories/apep.htm).

⁴⁴ "Urim and Thummim" (Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urim_and_Thummim). Interestingly, the Mormons believed that their founder, Joseph Smith, had been led by an angel to find a cache of golden plates that could only be read with what the angel called "Urim and Thummim", which Smith described as essentially a pair of silver-rimmed glasses with smooth, three-cornered diamonds for lenses. Whereas this cannot be corroborated, the idea that the Urim and Thummim were essentially a pair of glasses that could be used to decipher encoded text is a very plausible one. Click here to read more about this fascinating theory.

⁴⁵ "Urim and Thummim" (Jewish Encyclopedia: http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=52&letter=U).

⁴⁶ "Oracles of God — The Urim and Thummim" (Israel Elect of Zion: http://www.israelect.com/reference/WesleyASwift/sermons/68-11-06.htm). Note that the author appears to be a racist, so take his teachings with a large grain of salt.

⁴⁷ See "The Exodus Revelation" previously in this issue for an in-depth discussion of the tsohar "firestones".

⁴⁸ "The Palant�ri: The Stone of Osgiliath" (The Thain's Book: http://www.tuckborough.net/palantir.html#Osgiliath Stone). See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palant%C3%ADr.

⁴⁹ The seven palantiri "seeing stones" may correspond to seven mobile firestones that God uses to routinely survey the Earth and "keep an eye on things" (Zech. 4:10). One of these "eyes of the Lord" vehicles, each of which appear to be essentially a huge firestone on a square platform driven by a combination of four turbine engines ("wheels within wheels") on each corner, with suction to reduce drag (the word ayin, in Hebrew, incorrectly translated as "eyes" here, basically means "holes"), appeared in a vision to Ezekiel in Ezekiel 1. Basically, it appears that God sits on His heavenly throne and looks into the chief firestone on the heavenly Ark, which is hooked up to the seven mobile firestones, that transmit images back to Him so he can constantly survey the entire planet, just as the Kings of Gondor once used The Stone of Osgiliath in Tolkien's cipher.

⁵⁰ Tolkien, Silmarillion, 306.

⁵¹ "Dagor Dagorath" (Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagor_Dagorath).

Selected Lord of the Rings-oriented content © The J.R.R. Tolkien Estate Ltd., EA Games or New Line Cinema, and is used for didactic purposes only. The terms "Lord of the Rings Cipher", "LOTR Cipher" and all original concepts and content are all © 2007 Doug Elwell, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All Bible quotations are taken from the New Kings James Version (NKJV) unless otherwise noted.

LOTR_Cipher Links

The Tolkien Society
TheOneRing.net
TheOneRing.net: Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema Join with MGM to Produce "The Hobbit" Movie
LordOfTheRings.net: The Official Movie Site
The Hobbit: The Official Movie Blog
Watchman Fellowship: Tolkien, Fantasy and Magic
The Lost Tolkien Novel
Internet Sacred Text Archive: Sources of Lord of the Rings
The Elvish Linguistic Fellowship: Resources for Tolkienian Linguistics
Ted Nasmith: The J.R.R. Tolkien Gallery
Arwen-Undomiel.com

T R A V E L:
Bloemfontein, South Africa (Tolkien's Birthplace)
Southern Africa Places: Bloemfontein
Mangaung Local Municipality: Bloemfontein - Botshabelo - Thaba Nchu
SouthAfrica.net: Bloemfontein — Heart of the Free State
SafariNow.com: Bloemfontein
Wikipedia: Bloemfontein
Wikitravel: Bloemfontein
Wikipedia: Orange Free State
Wikipedia: South Africa

Birmingham, England (Tolkien's Childhood Years)
Wikipedia: Birmingham, England
Birmingham City Council
Birmingham City Council: The Shire Country Park: Tolkien Weekend
Visit Birmingham
Britain Express: West Midlands
Wikipedia: West Midlands
Warwickshire County Council
Heart-of-England: Best Tourist Attractions in the Heart of England
Heart-of-England: Village of Sarehole
Heart-of-England: Dormston with Bag End
Heart-of-England: Tolkien's Warwickshire
Wikipedia: Sarehole
Wikipedia: Sarehole Mill
Birmingham Picture Library: Sarehole
Birmingham City Council: Sarehole Mill (w/map)
Birmingham City Council: The Shire Country Park
Birmingham City Council: The Shire Country Park: Tolkien Weekend
Birmingham City Council: Moseley Bog Local Nature Reserve
Shire Productions: Outdoor Theatre and Dramatisations of J.R.R Tolkien's Works
The Tolkien Society: Sarehole
Virtual Brum: Tolkien's Birmingham (pictures)
Tolkien Gateway: Sarehole
Tolkien Gateway: Sarehole Mill
Wikipedia: Edgebaston
Birminghamuk.com: Voice of the West Midlands
Birminghamuk.com: Edgebaston Tourist Information
Birminghamuk.com: Photographs of Edgbaston Birmingham
Birmingham Oratory
The Birmingham Oratory: Tolkien and the Oratory

Tours (Including Locations for the Films)
TheOneRing.net: Middle-Earth Tours
NewZealand.com: Lord of the Rings Tours
New Zealand Tourism Online: Lord of the Rings Tours
The Misty Mountains (Australia)

LOTR_Cipher Books

The Lord of the Rings (50th Anniversary Edition)
J. R. R. Tolkien
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The Fellowship of the Ring, part one of J.R.R. Tolkien�s epic masterpiece, fist reached these shores on October 21, 1954, arriving, as C. S. Lewis proclaimed, "like lightning from a clear sky." Fifty years and nearly one hundred million American readers later comes a beautiful new one-volume collector�s edition befitting the stature of this crown jewel of our list. With a text fully corrected under the supervision of Christopher Tolkien to meet the author�s exacting wishes, two large-format fold-out maps, a ribbon placemarker, gilded page edges, a color insert depicting Tolkien's own paintings of the Book of Mazarbul and exceptionally elegant and sturdy overall packaging housed within an attractive slipcase, this edition is the finest we�ve ever produced.
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The Silmarillion
J. R. R. Tolkien
Rating:
The Silmarillion is J.R.R. Tolkien's tragic, operatic history of the First Age of Middle-Earth, essential background material for serious readers of the classic Lord of the Rings saga. Tolkien's work sets the standard for fantasy, and this version of the "Bible of Middle-Earth" does The Silmarillion justice, conveying all the powerful events and emotions that shaped elven and human history long before Bilbo, Frodo, Gandalf and all the rest embarked on their quests. Beginning with the Music of the Ainur, The Silmarillion tells a tale of the Elder Days, when Elves and Men became estranged by the Dark Lord Morgoth's lust for the Silmarils, pure and powerful magic jewels. Even the love between a human warrior and the daughter of the Elven king cannot defeat Morgoth, but the War of Wrath finally brings down the Dark Lord. Peace reigns until the evil Sauron recovers the Rings of Power and sets the stage for the events told in the Lord of the Rings. This is epic fantasy at its finest, thrillingly and gloriously unabridged.
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Morgoth's Ring: The Later Silmarillion, Part One
(The History of Middle-Earth, Vol. 10)
J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, ed.
Rating:
In Morgoth's Ring, the tenth volume of The History of Middle Earth and the first of two companion volumes, Christopher Tolkien describes and documents the legends of the Elder Days, as they were evolved and transformed by his father in the years before he completed The Lord of the Rings. The text of the "Annals of Aman", the "Blessed Land" in the far West, is given in full. And in writings never before published, we can see the nature of the problems that J.R.R. Tolkien explored in his later years as new and radical ideas, portending upheaval in the heart of the mythology. At this time Tokien sought to redefine the old legends, and wrote of the nature and destiny of Elves, the idea of Elvish rebirth, the origins of the Orcs, and the Fall of Men. His meditation of mortality and immortality as represented in the lives of Men and Elves led to another major writing at this time, the "Debate of Finrod and Andreth," which is reproduced here in full. "Above all," Christopher Tolkien writes in his foreword, "the power and significance of Melkor-Morgoth...was enlarged to become the ground and source of the corruption of Arda." This book indeed is all about Morgoth. Incomparably greater than the power of Sauron, concentrated in the One Ring, Morgoth's power (Tolkien wrote) was dispersed into the very matter of Arda: "The whole of Middle-earth was Morgoth's Ring." (From the book description)
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The War of the Jewels: The Later Silmarillion, Part Two
(The History of Middle-Earth, Vol. 11)
J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, ed.
Rating:
In volumes ten and eleven of The History of Middle-earth, Christopher Tolkien recounts from the original texts the evolution of his father's work on The Silmarillion, the legendary history of the Elder Days or First Age, from the completion of The Lord of the Rings in 1949 until J.R.R. Tolkien's death. In volume ten, Morgoth's Ring, the narrative was taken only as far as the natural dividing point in the work, when Morgoth destroyed the Trees of Light and fled from Valinor bearing the stolen Silmarils. In The War of the Jewels, the story returns to Middle-earth and the ruinous conflict of the High Elves and the Men who were their allies with the power of the Dark Lord. With the publication in this book of all of J.R.R. Tolkien's later narrative writing concerned with the last centuries of the First Age, the long history of The Silmarillion, from its beginnings in The Book of Lost Tales, is completed; the enigmatic state of the work at his death can now be understood. A chief element in The War of the Jewels is a major story of Middle Earth, now published for the first time — a continuation of the great "saga" of Turin Turambar and his sister Nienor, the children of Hurin the Steadfast. This is the tale of the disaster that overtook the forest people of Brethil when Hurin came among them after his release from long years of captivity in Angband, the fortress of Morgoth. The uncompleted text of the Grey Annals, the primary record of The War of the Jewels, is given in full; the geography of Beleriand is studied in detail, with redrawings of the final state of the map; and a long essay on the names and relations of all the peoples of Middle Earth shows more clearly than any writing yet published the close connection between the language and history in Tolkien's world. The text also provides new information, including some knowledge of the divine powers, the Valar. (From the book description)
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The Shaping of Middle-Earth: The Quenta, the Ambarkanta and the Annals (The History of Middle-Earth, Vol. 4)
J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, ed.
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This is the fourth volume of The History of Middle-earth, edited by Christopher Tolkien, the first two comprising The Book of Lost Tales Parts One and Two, and the third The Lays of Beleriand. It has been given the title The Shaping of Middle Earth because the writings it includes display a great advance in the chronological and geographical structure of the legends of Middle Earth and Valinor. The hitherto wholly unknown Ambarkanta, or "Shape of the World", is the only account ever given of the nature of the imagined universe, and it is accompanied by diagrams and maps of the world before and after the cataclysms of the War of the Gods and the Downfall of Numenor. The first map of Beleriand, in the North-west of Middle-earth, is also reproduced and discussed. In the "Annals of Valinor" and the "Annals of Beleriand" the chronology of the First Age is given shape; and with these are given the fragments of the translations into Anglo-Saxon made by Aelfwine, the Englishman who voyaged into the True West and came to Tol Eressea, the Lonely Isle, where he learned the ancient history of Elves and Men. Also included are the original "Silmarillion," written in 1926, from which all the later development proceeded, and the "Quenta Noldorinwa" of 1930, the only version of the myths and legends of the First Age that J.R.R. Tolkien completed to their end. As Christopher Tolkien continues editing the unpublished papers that form the bedrock from which The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion were quarried, the vastness of his father's accomplishment becomes even more extraordinary. (From the book description)
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J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography
Humphrey Carpenter
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Though he single-handedly gave a mythology to the English and was beloved by millions, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien remained refreshingly unchanged by his fame and fortune, living out his days simply and modestly among the familiar surroundings of Oxford College. Humphrey Carpenter, who was given unrestricted access to Tolkien's papers, brilliantly puts meat to the bones of the Tolkien legend in J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography, offering a well-rounded portrayal of this quiet, bookish man who always saw himself first and foremost as a philologist, uncovering rather than creating the peoples, languages, and adventures of Middle-Earth. Carpenter chronicles Tolkien's early life with a special sensitivity; after losing both parents, Tolkien and his brother Hilary were taken from their idyllic life in the English countryside to a poverty-ridden existence in dark and sooty Birmingham. There were bright points, however. A social and cheerful lad, Tolkien enjoyed rugby and was proud of his gift for languages. It was also at this time that he met Edith Bratt, who would later become his wife. Academic life — both as a student and professor — is where this biography shines. Friendship with other men played a huge part in Tolkien's life, and Carpenter deftly reveals the importance these relationships — his complex friendship with C.S. Lewis, membership in the Inklings and the T.C.B.S. — had on the development of his writing. (Review by Amazon.com)
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The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien ed.
Rating:
Scholars and fans of the great mythologist will find a rich vein of information in Humphrey Carpenter's The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien was a prodigious letter writer all his life; the sheer mass of his correspondence would give pause to even the most stalwart archivist (one shudders to think what he would have done with e-mail). But with the able assistance of Tolkien's son Christopher and a healthy dose of determination, Carpenter manages find the cream of the crop--the letters that shed light on Tolkien's thoughts about his academic and literary work, as well as those that show his more private side, revealing a loving husband, a playful friend, and a doting father. The most fascinating letters are, of course, those in which he discusses Middle-Earth, and Carpenter offers plenty of those to choose from. Tolkien discussed the minutia of his legend--sometimes at great length--with friends, publishers, and even fans who wrote to him with questions. These letters offer significant insights into how he went about creating the peoples and languages of Middle-Earth. This new edition of letters has an extensive index, and Carpenter has included a brief blurb at the beginning of each letter to explain who the correspondent was and what was being discussed. Still, we strongly recommend buying the companion volume, J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography, in order to better understand the place these correspondents had in Tolkien's life and get a better context for the letters. (Review by Amazon.com)
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J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century
Tom Shippey
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In a wonderfully readable study aimed at not just the Tolkien fan but any literate person curious about this fantasy author's extraordinary popularity, British scholar Shippey (The Road to Middle Earth) makes an impressive, low-key case for why the creator of Middle Earth is deserving of acclaim. (Recent polls in Britain have consistently put The Lord of the Rings at the top of greatest books of the century lists.) Having taught the same Old English syllabus at Oxford that his subject once did, Shippey is especially well qualified to discuss Tolkien's Anglo-Saxon sources, notably Beowulf, for the elvish languages and names used in the fiction. The author's theory on the origin of the word hobbit, for example, is as learned as it is free of academic jargon. In addition, Shippey shows that Tolkien as a storyteller often improved on his ancient sources, while The Lord of the Rings is unmistakably a work of its time. (The Shire chapters, like Orwell's 1984, evoke the bleakness of late-'40s Britain.) In treating such topics as the nature of evil, religion, allegory, style and genre, the author nimbly answers the objections of Tolkien's more rabid critics. By the end, he has convincingly demonstrated why the much imitated Tolkien remains inimitable and continues to appeal. (Review by Amazon.com)
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J.R.R. Tolkien's Sanctifying Myth: Understanding Middle-Earth
Bradley J. Birzer
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In a wonderfully readable study aimed at not just the Tolkien fan but any literate person curious about this fantasy author's extraordinary popularity, British scholar Shippey (The Road to Middle Earth) 2002 brought a bumper crop of spirituality-of-Tolkien books, no doubt fueled by the heightened interest generated by the new film series. Birzer's book differs somewhat from recent volumes on the Christian themes to be found in The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien's spirituality, says Birzer, was not generically Christian but specifically Roman Catholic: the lembas that sustains the company represents the Eucharist; Galadriel and Elbereth exemplify traits of the Virgin Mary; and the company looks to the restoration of a kingdom similar to the Holy Roman Empire. The best chapter of Birzer's study explores how Tolkien's "sanctifying myth" was informed by such Roman Catholic beliefs; Tolkien told a Jesuit friend, for example, that the trilogy was "a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision." Other chapters place Tolkien more generally within the usual canon of 20th-century Christian humanists, including his on-again, off-again friend, C. S. Lewis. Birzer is a fine writer who does a wonderful job of integrating primary sources such as letters, reminiscences and journals into his text; he also includes glimpses of unpublished materials, such as a scuttled LOTR chapter about Sam, as well as Tolkien's little-known attack on Lewis, "The Ulsterior Motive." This is, overall, a fine tribute to the man who, Birzer suggests, "resuscitated the notion that the fantastic may tell us more about reality than do scientific facts." (Review by Publishers Weekly)
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LOTR_Cipher Books

The Two Towers - Howard Shore The Lord of the Rings: Motion Picture Trilogy Soundtrack
Howard Shore
Rating:
Howard Shore's music for the massively successful The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, the first film chapter of Tolkien's Ring saga, won him the Oscar� for Best Original Score, something of a surprise given the music's ambitious scale and determinedly dark overtones, factors that handily blurred the line between typical film fantasy music and accomplished concert work.
Its sequel, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, takes the same, often Wagnerian-scaled dramatic tack, following the film's story line into even more brooding and ominous dark corners. Fellowships' Hobbit-inspired pastoralism is supplanted in Towers by rich ethnic textures that expand the musical scope of Middle-earth and the World of Men. The score's looming orchestral clouds are brightened by Shore's masterful choral writing, which infuses ancient liturgical influences with various solo turns by Isabel Bayrakdarian, indie-pop star Sheila Chandra, Ben Del Maestro, and Elizabeth Fraser.
The final chapter of Peter Jackson's sprawling adaptation of Tolkien's "Ring" trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King closes out one of the most accomplished cycles in cinema — and film music — history. As he's done for the saga's first two installments, composer Howard Shore has honed a mature, brooding orchestral masterpiece that's long on subtle shadings of mood and nuance, while eschewing the hollow bombast that's characterized all too many mainstream action and adventure films for three decades. Shore uses his preternatural understanding of orchestral timbres and their almost mystical connections with human emotions to close out this remarkable trilogy with a Wagnerian dramatic sweep, tempered by a distinctly modern, understated melodic sense that is Shore's alone.(Review adapted from Amazon.com)
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The Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship Of The Ring
(The Complete Recordings)
Howard Shore
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As fans of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy know, each film exists in two versions: the theatrical one and the extended one that appeared on DVD. This luxurious box set--which also comes with a detailed essay on the movie's musical themes — features the full extended score, so many cues not on the CDs of the individual movies are included. Granted, the majority of listeners will be perfectly happy with the shorter versions of the scores — it's a safe bet that most people can live without hearing, say, Ian McKellen's 35-second-long ditty "The Road Goes Ever On" at the beginning of "Bag End," or Viggo Mortensen's performance of his own composition, "The Song of L�thien," within the track "The Nazg�l." But if you're a completist and/or a devotee of Howard Shore's pounding tympani and overwhelming choral compositions (featured particularly prominently on disc 3, a large chunk of which is devoted to a battle scene), then this set is a dream come true. Audiophiles should note that the fourth disc, a DVD, offers the score in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. Fire up those speakers so the whole Shire can hear! (Review from Amazon.com)
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The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers
(The Complete Recordings)
Howard Shore
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Where Fellowship Of The Ring dealt with the world of joyous hobbits and magical elves, Two Towers focuses on the decaying world of men, their desperate war against Saruman and Frodo's dreary journey through marshes and woods. Some lighter hobbit material provides a couple of comedic breaks during Merry and Pippin's storyline with Treebeard and the Ents, who are represented by a very particular sound texture of wooden percussion and a specific motif, which unfortunately mostly cut from the film, but which can be heard here in full form. All in all, there are over a dozen new themes and motifs in this expanded version to fill in the blank spots for Rohan, Gondor, Fangorn, Gandalf The White and Frodo. Very noticeable, and very appropriately, in the expanded score is the extensive exploration of the Isengard material, whose 5/4 pattern is very invasive, spreads throughout the score and tries to take over other thematic material. Orchestration and composition of the theme are expanded as well, it's not as isolated as in Fellowship anymore, it feels alot more active. Connected to that is Gandalf's resurrection. In "Gandalf The White", which heavily features unused music, the White Rider theme is introduced, which sounds like a beautiful, soaring contrast to the Isengard motif. Frodo and Sam's journey, as soon as they encounter Gollum, is slowly getting dominated by his music. The Pity Of Gollum theme, already present in more conventional form in Fellowship, gets some serious workout, and not only that; Howard Shore expands it and defines a distinct Gollum sound, together with the cembalon. This hammer dulcimer is the weapon of choice for Gollum's evil "Stinker" motif, one of the many new themes for Two Towers. It can be heard prominently in "Lost In Emyn Muil" and on bassoon at the end of "The Tales That Really Matter". The set encompasses three CDs plus a DVD-audio disc featuring the score in four superior sound configurations. (Review from Amazon.com)
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The Lord Of The Rings: The Return of the King
(The Complete Recordings)
Howard Shore
Rating:
The final film in The Lord Of The Rings blockbuster trilogy features the climax of the epic journey that brought Tolkien�s world before our very eyes. The Complete Recordings series featuring the soundtrack albums have been hits and award winners. This five-disc set caps off the "complete recordings" series, which offers extensive versions of Howard Shore's score for The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Though it includes the climactic trek to Mount Doom, the overall mood is less dark than in The Two Towers. The London Philharmonic Orchestra handles the heavy lifting, with help from adult and children's choirs, and well-selected guest stars. Soprano Ren�e Fleming, for instance, lends a particularly eerie, otherworldly touch to disc 1's "The Grace of Und�miel," and disc 4's "Mount Doom" and "The Eagles." Meanwhile, flutist James Galway provides a quasi-spiritual counterbalance, a musical ray of hope on tracks such as disc 3's "The Mouth of Sauron." And of course, Annie Lennox's Academy Award�winning "Into the West" is here, incorporated in disc 4's "Days of the Ring." Finally, the fifth disc is a DVD-Audio that includes the score in super-duper surround sound. It may seem like overkill, but too much is never enough for LOTR fans — and besides, people buying this set are exactly the kind of people who own the type of equipment required to make disc 5 explode. Finally, the packaging includes new artwork and liner notes written by Doug Adams, an expert on the music from LOTR. (Review from Amazon.com)
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LOTR_Cipher Video

The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition) The Lord of the Rings - The Motion Picture Trilogy
(Platinum Series Special Extended Edition, 2004)
Rating: Osiria IV bullet
The extended editions of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings present the greatest trilogy in film history in the most ambitious sets in DVD history. In bringing J.R.R. Tolkien's nearly unfilmable work to the screen, Jackson benefited from extraordinary special effects, evocative New Zealand locales, and an exceptionally well-chosen cast, but most of all from his own adaptation with co-writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, preserving Tolkien's vision and often his very words, but also making logical changes to accommodate the medium of film. While purists complained about these changes and about characters and scenes left out of the films, the almost two additional hours of material in the extended editions (about 11 hours total) help appease them by delving more deeply into Tolkien's music, the characters, and loose ends that enrich the story, such as an explanation of the Faramir-Denethor relationship, and the appearance of the Mouth of Sauron at the gates of Mordor. In addition, the extended editions offer more bridge material between the films, further confirming that the trilogy is really one long film presented in three pieces. The scene of Galadriel's gifts to the Fellowship added to the first film proves significant over the course of the story, while the new Faramir scene at the end of the second film helps set up the third and the new Saruman scene at the beginning of the third film helps conclude the plot of the second. To top it all off, the extended editions offer four discs per film: two for the longer movie, plus four commentary tracks and stupendous DTS 6.1 ES sound; and two for the bonus material, which covers just about everything from script creation to special effects. The LOTR extended editions without exception have set the DVD standard by providing a richer film experience that pulls the three films together and further embraces Tolkien's world, a reference-quality home theater experience, and generous, intelligent, and engrossing bonus features. (Review by Amazon.com)
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LOTR_Cipher Collectibles

Lord of the Rings 24" Balrog with Sound
The most anticipated Lord of the Rings figure of all time! The Fire Demon Balrog is over 20" tall with a 3-1/2 foot wing span. Comes complete with sword and whip. This fully poseable figure includes ball jointed shoulders, bendable elbows, swivel wrists, and more. The eyes and flames on his back 'glow' with LED lights inside. (From the product description. Note that the red aura has been added for clarity against the black background and is not present in the actual product. Please read Amazon description and reviews before purchasing.)
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The Lord Of The Rings Fellowship Of The Ring 10" Sauron Deluxe
Rating:
The great evil who is seeking to rule Middle Earth has been masterfully crafted into a 10" action figure. Adorned in intricately detailed armor, Sauron features 16 points of articulation. He holds his evil mace and wears a shrouded back cape. Sauron wears "the one ring to rule them all," which is lost when his fingers are realistically severed. His eyes light up red as he electronically speaks four different phrases from the movie.
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The Lord of the Rings: The One Ring The One Ring
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One Ring to Rule Them All. One Ring to Find Them,
One Ring to Bring Them All, And in the Darkness Bind Them!
The One Ring...Isildur's Bane, the Ring of Power...forged in the fires of Mount Doom by Sauron himself! Now you, too, can be a Ringbearer, if you dare...
Bearing the Black Speech of Mordor, transcribed into beautiful, flowing Elvish script which is laser engraved, these rings are reproductions of the One Ring you have seen in the movies, and are fully licensed by New Line. The Elvish script is both inside the rings as well as outside. Displayed in a rich wood treasure box, a certificate of authenticity accompanies this recreation of the One Ring to Rule Them All from The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Now available in different sizes!
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