The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring whisked viewers away on an incredible journey into the expansive world of Middle Earth as it weaved the tale of a young Hobbit named Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) whose life changed forever after inheriting an unexpected object from his Uncle Bilbo (Ian Holm) — a gold ring with a very dark history.
From its star-studded cast to its amazing set design and unforgettable special effects, the Lord of the Rings trilogy undoubtedly redefined the possibilities of what an epic fantasy franchise could be. Premiering in 2001, the first movie of the original trilogy grossed more than $868 million worldwide at the time of its theatrical release. It went on to earn 13 Academy Award nominations and snagged four wins for Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, Best Makeup, and Best Original Score.
A huge part of what made The Fellowship of the Ring and the subsequent films such phenomenal adaptations was Peter Jackson and the rest of the production team’s noteworthy attention to detail. While not everything in J.R.R. Tolkien’s lengthy and meticulously detailed book series could be expected to make it into the films — with some key moments skipped entirely or altered, like Tom Bombadil and Goldberry or Glorfindel’s rescue of Frodo (Elijah Wood) from the Nazgûl — Jackson still made a clear effort to include countless nods to smaller elements from the original text.
It Showed Elves’ Unique Ability to Walk on Snow
One such detail was the elves’ aptness for moving swiftly and quietly, leaving very little trace that they had ever been there at all. This includes walking easily on top of snow, rather than sinking into it.
“Legolas watched them for awhile with a smile upon his lips, and then he turned to the others. ‘The strongest must seek a way, say you? But I say: let a ploughman plough, but choose an otter for swimming, and for running light over grass and leaf, or over snow–an Elf.’
With that he sprang forth nimbly, and then Frodo noticed as if for the first time, though he had long known it, that the Elf had no boots, but wore only light shoes, as he always did, and his feet made little imprint in the snow.”
This particular skill is demonstrated by Legolas, who can be seen easily walking on top of the deep snow in a storm, while the rest of the group struggles to traverse the Pass of Caradhras.
‘Fellowship of the Ring’ Has Hobbit Lore Galore
Jackson made it a point to share details of Hobbit traits mentioned in the book for the purpose of truly immersing the audience into the world, even if some of the facts weren’t heavily relevant to the plot. In The Fellowship of the Ring, Tolkien says that Hobbits “have a passion for mushrooms, surpassing even the greediest likings of Big People.” The chapter “A Short Cut to Mushrooms” is referenced in the beginning of the movie when Peregrin “Pippin” Took (Billy Boyd) and Meriadoc “Merry” Brandybuck (Dominic Monaghan) run into Frodo and Samwise “Sam” Gamgee (Sean Astin) after stealing vegetables from Farmer Maggot.
Additionally, in the prologue for The Fellowship of the Ring, Tolkien clarifies that Hobbits have a deep appreciation for memorizing family history.
“All hobbits were, in any case, clannish and reckoned up their relationships with great care. They drew long and elaborate family-trees with innumerable branches. In dealing with hobbits it is important to remember who is related to whom, and in what degree.”
While the exact moment from the film isn’t in the book, Pippin illustrates this unique Hobbit fact while speaking with a patron at the Prancing Pony Inn as he tells them that Frodo is his “second cousin, once removed on his mother’s side” and his “third cousin twice removed on his father’s side.”
Christopher Lee’s Passion for ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Was Helpful During Filming
Tolkien was a talented linguist, who not only spoke a number of languages fluently — which are said to have included dead ones such as Latin, Old English, and Old Norse — but he also created new ones for his books. Due to many of the names and words in the series being from these never-before-heard languages, he wrote appendices with detailed pronunciations. Late actor Christopher Lee, who played the role of Saruman, was an avid Lord of the Rings enthusiast and was dedicated to upholding canon throughout filming. Though some fans have called out small discrepancies in pronunciation, it’s been reported that Lee made efforts to correct how his fellow costars articulated names and locations so that they were more accurate to the books.
In an early 2000s interview with The Independent, he also spoke out about getting the chance to meet Tolkien at a pub in the 1950s — a moment that helped spur on his excitement and commitment to playing his iconic role decades later.
“I was there having a beer, and I was completely overcome when he walked in. I had already started reading the books and thought, ‘This man has created a unique form of literature — one of the great works of all time.’ While I was filming The Lord of the Rings, I thought about what he would have thought all the time, and hope he would have approved. I’m still an enormous fan — I read The Lord of the Rings every year.”