Lord of the Rings (LOTR) took the unique work of the writer J.R.R. Tolkien and transformed it into an incredible movie trilogy. For years, fans of Middle Earth said it was impossible to turn LOTR into a feature film. But director Peter Jackson, with the precious help of a very talented cast, ended up proving everybody wrong.
The LOTR movies were a major box office, and critical success, and its characters, famous lines, and main events are now the inspiration behind hundreds of Internet memes. From Legolas's impossible good-looks to Merry and Pippin's eating habits, almost every LOTR aspect turned out to be explored by an army of hilarious meme-makers. So let's sit back and enjoy the ride...
Tolkien's Creativity Was Endless
Why is Lord of the Rings such a valuable source of memes? Probably because it's a story that goes way beyond the basic plot. Sure, the main adventure is great, and most of the characters are unforgettable. But what's truly fascinating about Tolkien's books is the detail in which the Middle Earth is described.
Tolkien has not only created comprehensive maps of all the regions and original idioms. He went as far as describing the entire history of the world of Frodo and Gandalf. If you think the original LOTR books are hard-to-follow, you need to check The Silmarillion. It's an incredibly detailed document on the Middle Earth, reporting everything that has happened since the moment the Universe was created!
The Best Way to Get Through the Day
Merry and Pippin are two of the funniest and most relatable characters in Lord of the Rings. But we've always wondered: how were these two humble hobbits mentally prepared to deal with all the crazy stuff that was happening to them? The answer is... Beer!
As some of our friends in real-life, Merry and Pippin knew precisely what to do after a hard day's work. Sure, fighting the dark forces of Sauron is a bit more stressful than filing paperwork at the office. But beer is an effective recipe for curing all kinds of sore. Just remember not to drink way too much, or you'll end up losing that nagging office job!
Safe Legolas
Shooting arrows for a living is a certified way of not getting your lush blonde hair dirty during a battle. But it's also pretty useful to deal with a global pandemic. If Coronavirus decided to strike Middle Earth, it's highly likely that Legolas would be the last creature to get contaminated.
While Aragorn's sword and Gimli's ax are not compatible with social distancing rules, Legolas's arch is the best possible way to continue killing orcs without having to worry about one of them sneezing. And no, we don't think you can change our minds on that!
Changing the World, One Extra Meal at a Time
Highly inexperienced adventurers, Merry and Pippin, have some tough time in dealing with the hard day-to-day of saving the world. Like most Hobbits, they're used to the carefree life of the Shire, where the grass is always greener, and breakfast comes with... a second breakfast.
But guess what? Life in the Shire seems so good that we're now considering adopting Merry and Pippin's extravagant lifestyle in the real world. A second breakfast may not be suitable for our diets, but it sounds like a delicious idea!
"It Only Takes The Whole Sunday"!
Years before the term "binge-watching" started being thrown around, Lord of the Rings was the ultimate binge experience. Who doesn't remember spending a whole Sunday afternoon watching the original trilogy for the 5th or 6th time?
Now that The Hobbit came out, there's enough LOTR to fill-out an entire day. Start with the three original movies in the morning, and maybe you'll have time to watch all The Hobbit movies before supper. If there's a thing LOTR taught us, that's how to procrastinate.
I Made a Terrible Mistake!
Gollum is arguably the most meme-friendly character in Lord of the Rings. Perfect for illustrating feelings of overarching desire. He is also the best for representing the feeling of eating a raisin cookie by mistake.
There's nothing worse than thinking you're about to taste something sweet only to find out immediately you're eating a gross raisin cookie. Yes, raisins can be yummy and are also relatively healthy. But don't even try to convince us that they taste better than chocolate!
Saruman Approves
When it comes to choosing between the lovable Gandalf and the despicable Saruman, there's no doubt Gandalf will win. But there's a department in which Saruman will always be the best, and that's the hair department.
Saruman's impeccable white hair is the envy and the inspiration of countless boys and girls, and some get pretty close to looking as fabulous as the dark wizard. We're pretty sure Saruman's spotless white thatch was the inspiration behind Daenerys Targaryen's trademark look.
Don't Ask Dr. Google
Browsing the Internet in search of a self-diagnosis can be as scary as looking directly into the eye of Sauron. No matter how insignificant your symptoms are, Dr. Google will always tell you that you're on the verge of losing a limb or turning blind.
Lord of the Rings is filled with bad omens, often delivered by the wisest and most pessimistic characters. But compared to Dr. Google, these old souls see the glass half full. Despite what the Internet says, sometimes a cough is just a cough.
Childish Games
The characters in Lord of the Rings have very different levels of empathy. But in a world that's dominated by a flaming know-it-all eye of darkness, not even a good guy like Aragorn seems to be mentally prepared to deal with a toddler.
If you ever find yourself in need of a Middle Earth babysitter, just call Merry. Legolas and Gandalf will not shut up with the instructions, and Sam is just too emotional. As for Frodo, he probably needs some rest after all that "destroy the ring" thing.
Elves Are Just Fabulous
Have you ever noticed how in Lord of the Rings everybody is always dirty, except for Legolas? While "lesser" creatures like Aragorn and Gandalf need to take a bath after a long adventure, Legolas always looks like he just came out of a lovely day in the elvish spa.
Orc-killing, mountain-running, bow-shooting? None of these mundane activities ever messes with Legolas' perfect blonde hair and statuesque white skin. Do you still think nobody is perfect? Maybe you need to watch LOTR one more time.
Uruk-Hai Has Got Some Style
The world doesn't get any more confusing than this. When your favorite pop artist and the dreadful Uruk-Hai share the same hairstyle, what happens to all the beauty standards of our fragile Western society?
We don't know if Ariana Grande is a Lord of the Rings fan or not, but one thing's for sure: there's a six-year-old girl somewhere who has a sharp eye for the details. We grown-ups would never have the vision to look at the Uruk-Hai and think "wait a minute, is he trying to pull an Ariana?".
"Yeah Guys, I Destroyed It, No Worries"
Eleven years after the release of the first LOTR movie, allegations that Frodo had kept the One Ring started piling up across the Internet. The reason behind this conspiracy? Frodo's god-like ability to age masterfully.
Without the Ring, would Elijah Wood be able to look still like he is 20 years old? In 2020, the actor has seen a total of 39 Springs, but he still looks exactly like the young man who played Frodo way back in 2001. So yeah, he either has the Ring, or he's good at using skin creams.
Something To Learn Here
Is technology good for us? In Lord of the Rings, Legolas is still using the old bow and arrow, but he never misses a shot. In Star Wars, the soldiers of the Galatic Empire have access to the latest technology, but they have the shooting skills of a half-blind hobbler.
Maybe the Empire should focus harder on training soldiers, and less on building gigantic Death Star machines with a weak spot you can shoot at. As for Legolas, he did miss one shot in The Hobbit, as one Facebook commentator hilariously pointed out...
Alternative Ending
Well, that would be a major plot twist. After all those days of being supportive, Sam turns awry and drops Master Frodo in the burning cauldron of Mordor. That would be a gasping finale for cinema's most beloved trilogy!
Fortunately, things work out a little bit better in the movie's actual end. But this is what memes are for: to show us the world through a lens of nihilistic humor in which cohesion doesn't play a part.
Burn!
List of things humans do better than elves: growing a beard, living in a shack, and dying. List of things elves do better than humans: looking fabulous, being respectful, living in beautiful cities, shooting arrows, and not dying.
Yeah, you can make fun of Legolas for looking slightly feminine in a world ruled by virile dirty men with long beards. But in the end, Legolas will always be the guy we all wanted to be if we had the chance.
Panic Mode
It's fair to say that smartphones are becoming our most "precious" object. Our phone contains pretty much all of our personal information, so it can be scary to lose it, even if just for a second. But there's a big difference between losing your phone while alone and while with friends.
With the panic mode activated, it's all about putting the blame on someone else or falling into a spiral of desperation, depending on the situation. Either way, one thing's for sure: when it comes to our phones, we can be as crazy and emotional as Gollum himself.
Works Like Magic
The joys of being a teenager are directly connected with the pains of being a parent. Teens are way too busy text-messaging and making memes. They just don't have the time to clean their room! That's when mommy comes in to help out.
You go to school for a few hours, and when you come back, your room looks completely different. Where are all the clothes I left on the floor? Where's my leftover pizza from two days ago? It all disappeared like magic.
Where Have All the Orcs Gone?
We get it. Lord of the Rings is supposed to represent the inner fight against the evil forces that lie inside each one of us. That's why Frodo's journey is more about being able to tame his own emotions than killing orcs. But shouldn't Mordor be a more secure place?
What happened to the guards? Were they taking a break? How was it that, in the end, Gollum was still Frodo and Sam's biggest obstacle to destroying the One Ring? Maybe Sauron isn't the know-it-all we all thought he was after all...
It's Our Favorite Duo, Bro
Is there a better LOTR duo than Legolas and Gimli? As inseparable as Frodo and Sam, but without all the emotional baggage, these two make for Middle Earth's most stunning and lovable pair. And in the ever-evolving world of the Internet, they appear to be slightly "baked."
The real Legolas and Gimli would never call each other bro. They're almost always too busy chopping orcs heads off. But in the realm of online memes, there's no limit to the imagination.
Home Sweet Home!
In The Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo and the others are at one point forced to cross the ominous Mines of Moria. The place is creepy and filled with dark dangers, but Gimli loves every second of it because the Mines used to be a dwarf hotspot.
For the bunch, visiting the Mines of Moria is like going to a boring museum with that one guy who knows everything about the paintings. In the end, it doesn't matter if Gandalf almost dies... Gimli still felt like he was at Disney World.
Avoiding Responsibility
Even though this picture is not fair to Sam, it makes a good point about Lord of the Rings. In a crew with a blue-blooded warrior, a wizard, an elf, and a talented dwarf, why is it up to Frodo to do all the heavy lifting?
We know, the Fellowship separated for all the right reasons... But it sometimes feels like Frodo is wasting his youth in an emotionally-consuming quest while all of his friends are having the time of their lives killing thousands of orcs.
From an Outsider's Perspective
Visited by Merry and Pippin in The Two Towers, the Ents are amongst Middle Earth's most ancient creatures. These ancestral protectors of the forest can be described as talking trees in layman's terms, but they're so awesomely old that they can get the world around them all mixed-up.
From the Ents perspective, a biped is a biped. Hobbits and orcs both take advantage of nature and are, for that reason, essentially the same. But, of course, there's a big ecological difference between stealing some carrots and turning the world into a burning furnace.
Boys & Girls
War is a big part of Lord of the Rings, and that may help to explain why there are few female characters in Tolkien's books. But some meme-makers believe girls wouldn't like to join in on the fighting, mainly because everyone is wearing the same.
Fortunately, we're now re-evaluating most of the gender misconceptions we used to have about boys and girls. But as far as war goes, there's still this idea that girls would be a lot more interested in case the clothes were a little better. After all, these nasty orcs have zero sense of style.
Frodo Got Shoes
What to do after you save the world? You could retire to the Shire and live a peaceful life, as you've always wanted. Or... You could get a new haircut, ride an electric scooter, and buy your first pair of shoes.
After so many years of being associated with Frodo, it's only natural that Elijah Wood tried to distance himself from the character. But even when Elijah's looking this cosmopolitan, we cannot stop thinking about what's Frodo doing wearing denim and riding a scooter.
Frodo Got a Job?
It couldn't last forever. After having a lot of fun with his brand-new shoes and electric scooter, it was time for Frodo to get a real job. Like most hobbits from his area, he started working at this new start-up company called the Shire.
Life in the Shire used to be sweet and easygoing. But now it's all about getting to the office on time and making your shareholders happy. It makes you look back to the good old days of fighting giant spiders and getting swollen by the ever-consuming forces of evil.
The Occasional Thief
There's always an exception to the rule. And when it comes to stealing, Bic products are the exception. Taking something that doesn't belong to you is still frowned upon, except if it happens to be a lighter or a pen.
Bic products get lost so often that's almost common practice to take them as yours whenever you have the chance. Technically, it still counts as stealing, though, so it's better if you don't follow Bilbo's example on this one.
Actual Earth vs. Middle Earth
Ah, the joy of living in actual Earth. Now that most World Wars are gone, we finally have the time to be creative, have fun, and fall in love. Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam are still going through the horror of destroying that annoying world-dominating ring.
Can you imagine what the LOTR characters would think about inspirational quotes? Getting noticed doesn't seem like a big deal in a world where your every move is tracked by a flaming eye of evil.
Your Buddy Always Has Your Back
Whether you're trying to make it to Mordor or out of the bar, it's always good to have a loyal and trusty friend like Samwise Gamgee. After all, which one of us has never gone past the recommended beer dosage at one point in life?
Every night out with friends in college, there's always a sober and responsible Sam-type to take care of the goners. When the going gets hard, and the drinking takes its toll, it's good to have someone who will carry us on his back. That's why they call him Sam, the Brave.
They Did It!
It's one of the best lessons in Lord of the Rings. No matter how small, inexperienced, and unskilled you are, you can change the world for good if you put your mind to it. Frodo and Sam faced many challenges during their epic quest, but they fooled all expectations to achieve their goal.
Boromir said it was impossible, but guess what? Frodo and Sam did it while barefoot and with a Gollum as their guide. If two hobbits can single-handedly destroy the forces of evil, what's your excuse not to chase your dreams?