This thread is for all those niggling (and quite probably unanswerable) questions with which JRRT's work is riddled. Some are ones that Tolkien left deliberately and refused to explain (like Tom Bombadil), others are due to his not being able to write down everything he had worked out, or else the information is in other publications and works that not all of us have access to (such as Unfinished Tales and The History of Middle Earth). There are also cases where, as the work grew and expanded and JRRT revised things, so he began to rethink certain ideas - such as the nature and beginnings of orcs.
Anyone and everyone is welcome to join in the debates. Whether you have theories or ideas of your own or a question that's been bugging you or there's something you just don't get, then feel free to chip in with your contribution. The more the merrier, frankly, and the more brains thrashing things through the more likely we may find some answers, or at least some clarity on certain subjects.

No question is too daft - it's only by asking that you find the answer....if there is one, of course!
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Here is a couple from me:

What did they do (if anything) with Theoden?
He was stuck in Minas Tirith for, what, three or four months before they took him back to Rohan and buried him. I can't imagine them using a coffin or casket. One imagines him on a bier, covered or shrouded perhaps.

However, would they have embalmed him? Didn't Denethor mention something about not wanting to be embalmed (or did I dream it?)? And yet, the kings just 'sleep' or choose to die - no reference (that I remember) to embalming.

Then again, even if they did embalm, would the Rohirrim have been happy about them using such a practice on their king if they themselves did not do such things?

There is also the issue that it took two weeks to transport Theoden back to Rohan - he can't have been in a mere 'natural' state all that time, surely?

And...

Where did the entwives go?

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Would a question like "Do Balrogs have wings?" count?
*shameless disregards the fact that there is a whole thread containing utterly long discussion on said question*

As for Théoden, yes, I believe they would have embalmed him and kept the body in a cool basement.... it would have been the most hygienic and dignified manner to keep his body.

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I guess it would!

And as for the Entwives?

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The Balrog - wings or no wings along with the question about Entwives have become sort of a saying for something that will never be answered for certain. I never bothered to trail through those thousands of thousands discussions online about whether Balrogs have wings.... I never cared enough. But it's good entertainment for people who have strong opinions and great knowledge of Tolkien's work!

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Its always fun to discuss and ponder about then unknown, humans love to do that!

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Don't kill me for saying this but I think these questions are completely pointless nor do they bother me at all
The Entwives would be interesting to talk about and I would guess thay have gone to the far east.

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do you think tolkien ever decided what happened to the entwives? if i leave something unsaid in my own writing it's generally because i don't know about it myself, and maybe that was the case with tolkien and the entwives. on the other hand, maybe he did know, but either deliberately didn't tell us or just never got down to writing about it.

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Probably, although I think Tolkein knew smething about Tom Bombadil that he deliberately never told us!

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^ I agree. He's kind of veiled in a shadow of mystery.

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As for me:
-I agree with you guys, what the heck happened to the Entwives???
-What color was Legolas' hair? And who was his mother?
-What happened to Elladan and Elrohir? Did they become mortal or stay immortal?
-Are Celeborn and Galadriel cousins or not? (I think this one's probably been debated to death...)
-Did Merry have kids?
-How many kids did Éowyn and Faramir have?
-How many daughters did Aragorn and Arwen have, what were their names, and what became of them?

Er...I have a very inquisitive mind. And I love these characters too much.

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My question: well, this is kinda with the movies too, but... Where did Elves having long hair and pointy ears come from?

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most of these unanswerable questions have ther own threads here anyways. as for another one, what really happened to the two wizards who went into the East?

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"This is the hour of the Shire-folk, when they arise from their quiet fields to shake the towers and counsels of the Great. Who of all the Wise could have foreseen it? Or, if they are wise, why should they expect to know it, until the hour has struck? "

Heh--it's lots of fun to speculate on the fate of Alatar and Pallando.

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Wait -- where'd you find their names?

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In Tolkien's "Of the Istari" chapter in The Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth. It's an essay that he wrote up to explain their presence in Middle-earth, and he mentioned their names in it.

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The man is 1 million percent right.Its quite fun. When gandalf said in FOTR a wizard is never late I think he didnt adhere to that quite so strictly by the time of Manwe lol.
Nah Im kidding, he arrived precisely when he meant to.

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"This is the hour of the Shire-folk, when they arise from their quiet fields to shake the towers and counsels of the Great. Who of all the Wise could have foreseen it? Or, if they are wise, why should they expect to know it, until the hour has struck? "