Second blog of the day. I did the last one only a few hours ago.
I will assume knowledge of the Lord of the Rings books, or even films, for this blog. Since it is such a popular cultural phenomena.
Youtube: First Timers: I Don't Know If Tolkein Was Right, dated February 14th 2026:
https://youtu.be/X0z1mXXtXZU?si=kEfOkWesN0Jb53Zs
Many interesting points offered in this video. Most of this guys channel is devoted to Lord of the Rings, so many of them are highlighting something interesting in the text and often adding a somewhat philosophical take.
Originally, this was a big sticking point for me. In 'The Hobbit'. Bilbo gets lost in a cave, after escaping Goblins. Gollum, behaving and looking fully like a creature from hell. Offers to play a game of three riddles with Bilbo. If Bilbo wins, he will show Bilbo the way out. If Bilbo loses, he is eaten by Gollum.
What a sick little creature honestly. What a horrible disgusting little reptile to not offer help to someone lost in caves, and try to manipulate your way to get them to agree to being eaten instead. It did not seem sensible for me at all, for Bilbo to have spared Gollum. It didn't matter what Gandalf said about 'do you have the right/ power/ chance to give it to them?'. This is a non issue. Slice off his head and be done with it!
But more recently. I feel it is easier to capture what might have been being said here.
Firstly. The message here is NOT to falter in the face of evil. I did originally think that. The message is not that cowardice is the preferred moral choice. Why? Well, the story in general, the Lord of the Rings. Is precisely NOT about this. Frodo and the rest of them are standing up, sometimes with violence. Against evil that is completely terrifying. Evil such as the Nazgul.
To see the virtue in this path of 'mercy'. Not only to Gollum as the video shows. It might be worth expanding this idea out a little bit. Tolkien. I believe he fought in both wars. Regardless, he was alive for both wars.
For the sake of this blog we will assume the mainstream paradigm of Allies = Good and Germans/ Nazi's = Evil. Although that is probably not the whole story. But Tolkien, and people he spoke with, were probably in some very morally dicey situations as soldiers. They probably dealt with enemy soldiers, thieves, even rapists. They had to take over towns sometimes. They had to manage the towns they had taken over. Sometimes, they probably had to withdraw from those same towns. Perhaps to fight on another front.
While it might make sense with this singular, evil creature in a cave to take off his head. Expand that out to a collective situation. In any particular town. Some of these people would be real killers.
But you can't kill them all! And you can't really know, really look into their hearts, to know if they are going to change in the future. Whether the killers settle down into quiet farming life after the war ends. have kids. Loved their wives. Etc.
If you were to assume you had that god like judgement to deal out that justice. Then what would you become? Say you looked at every criminal within one of these villages you had overtaken. And you killed them all. Wouldn't you then become the monster?
It is a set of events, that, to me, doesn't make a great deal of sense when they are restricted to the things that happened in the book. But when you consider their impact on the larger society. They make complete sense.
This is a side note, but how Arwen idealises Aragorn is another thing that invading soldiers might experience. And to have the wisdom to refrain from 'partaking' would probably be the better move. The knowledge of how shallow and false Arwens feelings were. How they were based on other things. Other pains, she was trying to escape.
The only thing that is not quite fixed for me. The only thing where I still wonder at the message. Is Gollum at mount Doom. Dealing the decisive blow against the ring when Frodo failed. That the evil, weak, being was fully necessary, to fight the evil. That that incredible sense of fortune or fate, made up for Frodo's weakness.
Is there this sense of fate in such matters?
This is in the realm of things that can't be known. But I feel that the fact that Tolkien was very clear with other individuals, that if you grant mercy, even to a ridiculous extent, you are not always rewarded. They do not always fortuitously return the kindness. Sometimes they leave only misery in their wake, after the mercy you granted them. Sometimes there is literally nothing that you can objectively look at to justify the decision to have mercy on evildoers. I feel like this is deliberate and important.
All interesting things to ponder I think.


