Last year was the 20th anniversary of the release of the first of Peter Jackson‘s three critically acclaimed films based on J.R.R. Tolkien‘s epic fantasy masterpiece, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The Fellowship of the Ring, the first movie of the trilogy based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s well-known books, was released in 2001.
While this technically makes the LOTR movies part of Generation Z, in Internet Time, they are actually quite old. So it comes as a bit of a surprise that Lord of the Rings memes have endured and are even experiencing a recent rebirth.
Some of the memes are timeless, some are relevant to the present, and yet others make humor out of the juxtaposition of depressing LOTR moments with pictures from corny blogs or the use of LOTR imagery in modern memes.
We’ve gathered some of the best Lord of the Rings memes on the web to celebrate. There’s going to be a lot of walking, so maybe these will keep you occupied during the tiresome, protracted trip!
15. Legolas And Gimli Aren’t The Stars Of The Show
Despite being masterpieces, the movies aren’t totally true to the books, as diehard LOTR fans are aware.
In reality, since the books cover much more than what the movies depict, if Peter Jackson had followed the books, viewers would have access to more than three movies.
Because of this, fans made the LOTR meme based on the well-known moment in which Master Windu informs Anakin Skywalker that he can join the Jedi Council, but they won’t give him the rank of Jedi Master.
Legolas and Gimli were sadly given minimal roles in the films, so insignificant that they have no bearing on the story.
In order to see them shine, fans should read the books because they present them in a more heroic light.
14. Rules Don’t Always Apply To Elves
It is well known that Tolkien frequently changed established plots or rules to permit “dead” characters to come back to life. This is known as “retconning.”
Glorfindel, an elf lord who oversaw the House of the Golden Flower, was one of the characters that Tolkien retconned.
When he removed his designation as a Blue Wizard, Tolkien rewrote the laws in Glorfindel’s favor.
The second incident involved Glorfindel, who died while battling a Balrog but was unexpectedly revived moments afterward.
Nowhere in Tolkien’s works is there any mention of the possibility of returning to Middle Earth for those who defeat a Balrog, contrary to the theories of ardent admirers.
13. Why Walk Straight Into Mordor?
The various routes the Fellowship of the Ring had to take to get to Mordor is one of the most often raised objections among LOTR fans.
As fans can see from the Eagles LOTR meme in this post, using the Eagles wasn’t an option.
The Fellowship had four options for traveling to Mordor: Isenmouthe or Morannon Nargil Pass, Khand, or Rhûn, or Morgul Pass (Cirith Morgul)
The meme for this article also offers the Fellowship the chance to travel to Mordor on the renowned Magic School Bus.
However, it appears that the Fellowship of the Ring will have to resort to traveling to Mordor on foot the old-fashioned way unless Ms. Valerie Frizzle is a strong Maiar.
12. Are You Ready To Parley?
Unquestionably, one of the most epic conflicts in the LOTR trilogy was the Battle of Helm’s Deep (or Battle of the Hornburg for the diehard fans).
Fans of Tolkien got to witness an epic nighttime fight between the good elves of Rohan and the Fangorn Forest and the evil forces of Isengard and Dunland.
However, the battle wasn’t as impressive in the books as in the movies.
Because of how often he spoke, Aragorn was accused of abusing the practice by the Orcs. Aragorn, too speaks aloud about the splendor of the morning.
Of course, there was a fierce battle after that long sermon, but it couldn’t possibly compare to the combat viewers watched in the films, hence this hilarious LOTR meme.
11. Theoden Spoke Too Much
Throughout the films, Gram (Wormtongue) greatly controlled Theoden, but once Gandalf the White released him from the trap, Theoden regained his throne as King of Rohan.
Though Theoden’s remarks were important in the fight for Helm’s Deep, they did add a little complexity to the conflict.
Theoden asked Sarauman’s men, “Is that all you have to offer?!” when the Rohirrim appeared to have won the conflict.
However, at that very moment, Saruman’s army unleashed its full power, forcing them to flee.
Due to the idea that Helm’s Deep would be at peace if Theoden had kept his lips shut, this is one of the funniest Lord of the Rings memes.
10. A Father’s Favorite Son
Denethor II continued to disparage Faramir’s efforts even after he had established himself as a deserving son, especially after finding out that Boromir had died.
As a result, enthusiasts rapidly produced a meme that true Tolkien aficionados could only understand.
Boromir represents the LOTR trilogy in the meme, the Hobbit trilogy by Faramir, and Denethor II represents the fandom.
And without a doubt, the fan base prefers the LOTR films since they were more faithful to Tolkien’s novels than The Hobbit movies, which substituted different characters who weren’t originally a part of the tale for key characters.
9. Cut The Middle Man And Use The Great Eagles
Why didn’t Gandalf utilize the Great Eagles to transport Frodo and The Ring to Mordor is a question that new fans of The Lord of the Rings series have frequently posed.
This is a typical query, given that Gandalf did call them forth numerous times, including by dispatching three Great Eagles to save Sam, Frodo, and (possibly?) Gollum.
The Great Eagles only get involved when they wish to, as was the case during the events of The Hobbit (book version) when Wargs and Goblins surrounded the dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf. This is something that those who have read the books are aware of (even though The Hobbit movie showed that Gandalf summoned them). One of the finest Lotr memes if you ask us.
8. Ready To Sit For 11 Hours Straight?
The Lord of the Rings trilogy is known for its length, but the average LOTR fan is unaware that the Extended Edition adds many extra scenes that weren’t included in the films’ theatrical releases.
For instance, the theatrical edition of Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring was 2 hours, 58 minutes, but the extended version is 3 hours, 48 minutes!
This meme refers to the fact that seeing a movie in theatres is like only seeing half of it. Thus fans who are aware of the Extended Edition can understand it!
If Peter Jackson had added more scenes like the Army of the Dead, fans could only speculate how long the film might have been.
7. What Happened To Aragorn’s Toes?
Even though this Lord of the Rings meme is widely known, some people, particularly more recent LOTR fans, are still confused by it.
This meme takes its cue from a scene in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers where Viggo Mortensen’s Aragorn kicks an Uruk-Hai helmet and shouts in annoyance.
Additionally, he actually shattered two of his toes while kicking the helmet, contrary to what the audience believed he was doing.
Additionally, Viggo’s traumatic injury provided viewers with a scene that felt authentic. One of the finest Lotr memes if you ask us.
6. Stick To The Book
Even though this meme is self-explanatory, only ardent Lord of the Rings fans who have read the book may truly grasp its actual meaning.
Actually, Peter Jackson made significant artistic license with the version of The Hobbit tale that appeared in the trilogy.
That’s possibly the key explanation for why The Hobbit has three independent movies despite having only 310 pages in the book (19 chapters).
Thorin’s death is a fantastic illustration of how many movie scenes were added as fillers and significantly changed from the original story.
5. The Eye Sees All
Throughout the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Gandalf cautions Frodo against using The Ring because Sauron’s Eye can detect it and halt their mission to destroy it.
Despite Gandalf’s caution, Frodo repeatedly dons The Ring, which frequently causes issues for the Fellowship.
It’s interesting to note that Sauron doesn’t learn that Frodo is the ring’s owner until Gollum informs him.
At that time, Sauron dispatched the Nazguls, who were notorious for riding Fellbeasts (creatures bred by Sauron to challenge the Great Eagles). This surely is one of the best Lord of the rings memes.
4. For Frodo!
This meme comes in a variety of forms, but they all feature Aragorn charging headlong into battle.
The fundamental idea behind this meme is that Aragorn runs bravely (and suddenly!) in the direction of the Army of Sauron without letting the others know the specifics of his battle strategy.
However, Aragorn is naturally assisted by his friends and the formidable Army of the West, made up of soldiers from Gondor and Rohan, in the books and the film adaptations (the latter being an ancient and mighty race of Men).
3. Samwise Gamgee Was The True Hero
The Lord of the Rings trilogy depicted Samwise Gamgee’s courage and cunning, although the book version was slightly different (perhaps some of the many skills Hobbits share).
Since viewers observed how often he assisted Frodo in continuing his quest to destroy the Ring, Peter Jackson developed that concept further throughout the LOTR trilogy.
Frodo eventually finished the quest and made it back home safely, owing to Sam.
Because of this, the meme depicts Sam as constituting 99.9% of the Fellowship’s power.
2. Mordor Isn’t Open To Visitors
This meme depicts the scenario in which Boromir warns the Council of Elrond that “one does not just go into Mordor” since orcs and other dark forces, including Sauron, keep watch over it.
In this meme variation, he is arguing that one cannot merely watch one of the Lord of the Rings films, which is accurate given that any serious fan of the series will see all three installments.
The fact that Sam and Frodo could only approach by getting past Sauron’s forces proves that Boromir was correct.
They still had to battle Shelob and the other orc guards.
1. Hobbits Need Their Second Breakfast
When Pippin was shocked that Aragorn would not pause for a late breakfast, LOTR fans couldn’t help but laugh.
Merry then informs him that Aragorn might not be aware that Hobbits eat six meals daily (breakfast, second breakfast, elevens, luncheon, afternoon tea, and dinner).
Even though supper and dinner are technically the same meal, Merry recounts seven meals in Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring.
However, meals are crucial to the Hobbits, particularly Merry, and Pippin, who probably kept eating their second breakfast even after the War of the Ring. This is one of the best Lord of the Rings memes.
