I could certainly not find anything explicitly stating a supposed animosity. Nor could I find any passage where Elrond mentioned Thranduil or Thranduil mentioned Elrond. One of the reasons for this Fanon maybe is because people forget, or never knew that Elrond's mother is a descendent of Elu Thingol who was the king of all Sindar and the ruler of Doriath. Thranduil is, of course, a Sinda himself and his father certainly, if not he himself, was an Elf of Doriath; this is stated in the History of Galadriel and Celeborn, Unfinished Tales. In that same chapter it is also stated that Silvan Elves,

"were independent, and not disposed to place themselves under the supreme command of Gil-galad" History of Galadriel and Celeborn, Unfinished Tales

There is a lot of confusion regarding Gil-galad's parentage, if you take Fingon to be his father than he had no explicitly mentioned Sinda blood in him, but if you take Orodreth as his father than he does have Sinda blood.

"His [meaning Orodreth] children were Finduilas and Artanaro = Rodnor later called Gil-galad. Their mother was a Sindarian lady of the North. She called her son Gil-galad." The Shibboleth of Feanor, History of Middle-earth: The Peoples of Middle-earth

However, Gil-galad was the High King of the Noldor, Elrond never took that title. Make of it what you will.

Supplementary note: Claudio pointed out to me that given Bard's account of the Elven-king in the Hobbit, praising his friendship and the fact that he agreed to hold Gollum for Gandalf is indication enough that Thranduil is much more friendly and understanding than fan fiction authors make him out to be. Bard's account is given below,

" 'The Elven-king is my friend, and he has succoured the people of the Lake in their need, though they had no claim but friendship on him.' - Bard" The Gathering of the clouds, The Hobbit

According to the movie, yes, indeed Legolas's hair is blond. However, the book does not explicitly state that he was blond. The only reference to his head I found is given below:

"Frodo looked up at the Elf standing tall above him, as he gazed into the night, seeking a mark to shoot at. His head was dark, crowned with sharp white stars that glittered in the black pools of the sky behind." The great river, Lord of the rings: The Fellowship of the ring

There is a reference to his father's hair in The Hobbit,

" ...and at the head of a long line of feasters sat a woodland king with a crown of leaves upon his golden hair, very much as Bombur had described the figure in his dream." Flies and Spiders, The Hobbit

A big thanks to Claudio, who provided the following information,
There's also a mention of a random bowman of Lorien in Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the ring having golden hair. So there were some golden-haired Wood Elves in those parts, if it counts for anything. In the Quendi and Eldar essay where it does say that Sindar mainly have black hair, aside from those who are "nearer or remoter kin of Elwe" who would be silver-haired. So if Legolas were in any way related to the royals of Doriath (Celeborn calls him "cousin" in Lord of the ring, though either properly or as a random title, nobody knows) he could have silvery hair. Though also in that same Quendi and Eldar essay, in the part about the Nandor, there is no mention whatsoever about hair colour. And if Wood Elves are mainly descended from Nandor, the argument for dark-haired Sindar can only be used so far.

Tolkien wrote very little about Elladan and Elrohir. They do not have that many lines in Lord of the rings and they certainly never mention Legolas or hold conversation with him. Legolas however does mention Elladan and Elrohir. Below is what he says about them; make up your own minds about this one.

" 'And have you marked the brethren Elladan and Elrohir? Less sombre is their gear than the others', and they are fair and gallent as Elven-lords; and that is not to be wondered at in the sons of Elrond of Rivendell.' " The passing of the grey company, Lord of the rings: The return of the king

Two beliefs prevail in fandom on this matter. Firstly that elves sleep with their eyes open and secondly that elves don't sleep as we understand it but always it is a meditative trance.

On the first issue,

"Legolas already lay motionless, his fair hands folded upon his breast, his eyes unclosed, blending living night and deep dream, as is the way with Elves." The Riders of Rohan, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Note that it does not say that Legolas was asleep just that he lay motionless. This leads directly into the issue of do elves sleep as we would or do they always undertake meditative rests. Well supporting meditative rests we have,

"Only Legolas still stepped as lightly as ever, his feet hardly seeming to press the grass. leaving no footprints as he passed; but in the waybread of the Elves he found all the sustenance that he needed, and he could sleep, if sleep it could be called by Men, resting his mind in the strange paths of elvish dreams, even as he walked open-eyed in the light of this world." The Riders of Rohan, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

So, Legolas can rest just by meditating but this is not sleep as we would define it and nor does it seem to be what elves do always,

"Legolas and Gimli slept and Aragorn lay flat, stretched upon his back; but Gandalf stood, leaning on his staff, gazing into the darkness, east and west." The King of the Golden Hall, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

In the above case, without any qualifying statements, it would seem that Legolas was actually sleeping as we humans would define sleep. Did he have his eyes open? Nothing says he did and nothing says he didn't. From a purely practical point of view I would have to say he probably did have his eyes closed because this was during broad daylight and the previous quote in which he had his eyes open was during night time, but as this is my logic not Tolkien canon.

Still on the topic of whether elves sleep, we have this from The Hobbit,

It must be potent wine to make a wood-elf drowsy; but this wine, it would seem, was the heady vintage of the great gardens of Dorwinion, not meant for his soldiers or his servants, but for the king's feasts only, and for smaller bowls, not for the butler's great flagons.

Very soon the chief guard nodded his head, then he laid it on the table and fell fast asleep. The butler went on talking and laughing to himself for a while without seeming to notice, but soon his head too nodded to the table, and he fell asleep and snored beside his friend. Barrels Out of Bond, The Hobbit

Above statement seem to imply that the guard and the butler are sleeping as we would define sleep. Please also note that nothing is mentioned regarding their eyes being closed or open, keeping in mind that we are seeing this from Bilbo's prospective I will leave you to conjecture why nothing regarding their eyes are mentioned.

Lastly we have this,

" 'And I,' said Legolas, 'shall walk in the woods of this fair land, which is rest enough'" The Field of Cormallen, Lord of the rings: The return of the rings

I guess elves sleeping with their eyes open is quasi-canon since it is not very clear, but to me it seems pretty clear that elves do sleep although they seem to need less sleep than humans and also can rest in other ways than sleeping, but even elves sometimes have to curl up on a comfy bed, under a thick quilt and go to sleep.

Akin to human puberty, the period during which the Elf is willing to do it with anyone and everyone. Purely Fandom, I found no grounds in Tolkien's writing for this interpretation. Information relating to elvish maturity is found in Laws and Customs of the Eldar, History of Middle-earth: Morgoth's Ring. Keep in mind however that this was never finalised.

This is a fanon invention that has Elves, who are dying either of wounds or grief, "bond" with another Elf or man, by mingling their blood, having sex and thus getting new strength; sort of leeching life off the other and forever living like that. In this case, if one of the Elves "bonded" dies then the remaining Elf must find someone else to bond with or also die. I found no explicit or implicit grounds for this in Tolkien's writing. Still a very interesting concept. Once again Laws and Customs of the Eldar, History of Middle-earth: Morgoth's Ring holds the most information regarding elven relationships.

Believe it or not this is actually quasi-fanon of sorts. In the History of Middle Earth: Book of Lost Tales 1, it states that early on Tolkien actually had a divine spirit called Fionwe as the son of Manwe and Varda.

" 'With him was Varda the Beautiful, and she became his spouse and is Queen of the Stars, and their children were Fionwe-Urion and Erinti most lovely.' " Music of the Ainur, History of Middle Earth: Book of Lost Tales 1

Later on it would seem that Tolkien abandoned the concept of the children of Valar. The following is comentary from Christopher Tolkien on this matter,

" 'Other divine beings now appear. Manwe and Varda have offspring, Fionwe- Urion and Erinti. Erinti later became Ilmare 'handmaid of Varda' (The Silmarillion p. 30), but nothing was ever told of her (see p. 202). Fionwe, his name long afterwards changed to Eonwe, endured to become the Herald of Manwe, when the idea of 'the Children of the Valar' was abandoned. Beings subordinate to Ulmo, Salmar, Osse, and onen (later Uinen) appear; though these all survived in the pantheon, the conception of Maiar did not emerge for many years, and Osse was long numbered among the Valar. The Valar are here referred to as 'Gods' (indeed when Eriol asked 'are they Gods?' Lindo replied that they were, p. 45), and this usage survived until far on in the development of the mythology.' " Music of the Ainur, History of Middle Earth: Book of Lost Tales 1

"But for love of Elwe Singollo she took upon herself the form of the Elder Children of Iluvatar, and in that union she became bound by the chain and trammels of the flesh of Arda." Of the Ruin of Doriath, The Silmarillion

I am not going to comment further upon the above quote, I am only going to mention that Gandalf and the other Istari did have proper bodies. Bodies that needed to be fed, needed rest and could be slain. Make up your own minds about this one.

It is a fact of life that in Hollywood most folks who are short are butt of jokes. This is true even off Gimli the Dwarf and thus he became clumsy and the comic relief. In the book, however, dwarves are really shown to have excellent balance.

"Thereupon the twelve dwarves-not Thorin, he was too important, and stayed talking to Gandalf-jumped to their feet and made tall piles of all the things. Off they went, not waiting for trays, balancing columns of plates, each with a bottle on the top, with one hand" - An Unexpected Party, The Hobbit

Interesting concept but no.

"For the Orcs had life and multiplied after the manner of the Children of Iluvater;" Of the Coming of the elves, The Silmarillion

Clearly there were female orcs and it was these creatures that gave birth to orcs. Another proof of this can be found in the Lord of the rings, where Aragorn comments on half-orcs,

" 'We had many of these half-orcs to deal with at Helm's Deep.'" Flotsom and jetsam, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

How could you have half-orcs if orcs did not reproduce the same way as elves and men?

In many of the fanfiction out there elves are often portrayed to be cruel to orcs they capture and/or handle dead orcs very badly, i.e. kicking dead bodies, hacking them up etc. While these might be what many of us would do if we were in the position of the elves, who suffered greatly at the hands of the orcs, this not strict canon, in fact canon is quiet the opposite. Elves do have a code when it comes to dealing with orcs,

"But even before this wickedness of Morgoth was suspected the Wise in the Elder Days taught always that the Orcs were not 'made' by Melkor, and therefore were not in the origin evil. They might have become irredeemable (at least by Elves and Men), but they remained within the Law. That is, that though of necessity, being the fingers of the hand of Morgoth, they must be fought with the utmost severity, they must not be dealt with in their own terms of cruelty and treachery. Captive must not be tormented, not even to discover information for the defence of the homes of Elves an Men. If any Orcs surrendered and asked for mercy, they must be granted it, even at a cost." Myths Transformed, History of Middle-earth: Morgoth's Ring

As it can be seen, elves might hate their guts but it is highly unlikely, but not impossible, that they are going to torture orcs or desecrate orcish dead. Orcs on the other hand were thoroughly convinced that elves were as cruel as they were themselves,

"Few Orcs ever did [ask for mercy] so in the Elder Days, and at no time would any Orc treat with any Elf. For one thing Morgoth had achieved was to convince the Orcs beyond refutation that the Elves were crueller than themselves, taking captives only for 'amusements', or to eat them (as the Orcs would do at need)." Myths Transformed, History of Middle-earth: Morgoth's Ring

So basically elves being cruel to orcs outside of direct combat situations is fanon. I will leave you with a line, spoken by a man, that can be taken to indicate that some orcs were taken captive.

"...We gave him food and he spat on it. I have seen Orcs do so, if any were fools enough to show them mercy." the Wanderings of Hurin, History of Middle-earth: The War of the Jewels

Tolkien himself never made up his mind on what orcs were, let alone whether or not if they had souls. In The Silmarillion we have,

"But of those unhappy ones [elves] who were ensnared by Melkor little is known of a certainty. For who of the living has descended into the pits of Utumno, or has explored the darkness of the counsels of Melkor? Yet this is held true by the wise of Eressea, that all those of the Quendi who came into the hands of Melkor, ere Utumno was broken, were put there in prison, and by slow arts of cruelty were corrupted and enslaved; and thus did Melkor breed the hideous race of the Orcs in envy and mockery of the Elves, of whom they were afterwards the bitterest foes. For the Orcs had life and multiplied after the manner of the Children of Iluvatar; and naught that had life of its own, nor the semblance of life, could ever Melkor make since his rebellion in the Ainulindale before the Beginning: so say the wise. And deep in their dark hearts the Orcs loathed the Master whom they served in fear, the maker only of their misery. This it may be was the vilest deed of Melkor, and the most hateful to Iluvatar." Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor, The Silmarillion

It is known that Tolkien wanted to alter this and say that orcs were not elvish, however Tolkien never made his mind up about what orcs were if not corrupted elves. Moreover just because they are corrupted elves doesn't mean they have souls as we understand them, but Tolkien makes it pretty clear that if you don't have something resembling soul or spirit than that thing does have a will of its own. This we see with the dwarves,

"Then Aule took up a great hammer to smite the Dwarves; and he wept. But Iluvatar had compassion upon Aule and his desire, because of his humility; and the Dwarves shrank from the hammer and wore afraid, and they bowed down their heads and begged for mercy. And the voice of Iluvatar said to Aule: 'Thy offer I accepted even as it was made. Dost thou not see that these things have now a life of their own, and speak with their own voices? Else they would not have flinched from thy blow, nor from any command of thy will.'" Of Aule and Yavanna, The Silmarillion

No Valar can make souls, that's an exclusive power of Eru and unless a being has something resembling a soul they cannot do anything without the command of their masters, instinct can be thought of as some preprogrammed commands that are triggered depending on the situation. Is this the case with orcs? Were they only puppets? Apparently not,

"It is true, of course, that Morgoth held the Orcs in dire thraldom; for in their corruption they had lost almost all possibility of resisting the domination of his will.... and when Morgoth was at last removed from Arda the Orcs that survived in the West were scattered, leaderless and almost witless, and were for a long time without control or purpose." Myths Transformed, History of Middle-earth: Morgoth's Ring

It goes on to say how orcs founded petty realms and strongholds and in The Hobbit we get indirect evidence of these realms and strongholds,

"Ever since the fall of the Great Goblin of the Misty Mountains the hatred of their race for the dwarves had been rekindled to fury. Messengers had passed to and fro between all their cities, colonies and strongholds; for they resolved now to win the dominion of the North. Tidings they had gathered in secret ways; and in all the mountains there was a forging and an arming. Then they marched and gathered by hill and valley, going ever by tunnel or under dark, until around and beneath the great mountain Gundabad of the North, where was their capital, a vast host was assembled ready to sweep down in time of storm unawares upon the South." The Clouds Burst, The Hobbit

You can be sure the orcs above were not following anybody's commands but their own orcish leaders. Yet while these are clear evidence of orcs as sentient beings, they are not good proof that orcs have souls, save that in Tolkien's world sentiency and souls are sort of inseparable. To make things worse we have a whole paragraph in the Myths Transformed, History of Middle-earth: Morgoth's Ring, where Tolkien debates whether Eru would give orcs souls,

"Would Eru provide Fear for such creatures? For the Eagles etc. perhaps. But not for Orcs." Myths Transformed, History of Middle-earth: Morgoth's Ring

At this point Tolkien debates whether orcs were not some form of animals with Melkor's will in them for some semblance of free will. Beasts were, of course, the children of Yavanna and it seems to be implied that beasts did not have souls by default but Eru granted souls to certain species. So if orcs were corrupted beasts they might indeed not have souls.

Other orc originals that were considered were corrupted men (this was unworkable because orcs are older than men), corrupted Maia (this was only supposed to be the very primitive orcs but would not explain the vast quantities of orcs that were around), lastly he considered corrupted beasts. Still nothing says for sure that orcs had souls as we understand them, some capacity for free thinking sure but souls....

Again from Myths Transformed, History of Middle-earth: Morgoth's Ring,

"But Finrod [alluding to something Finrod said in the Athrabeth Finrod Ah Andreth] probably went too far in his assertion that Melkor could not wholly corrupt any work of Eru, or that Eru would (necessarily) interfere to abrogate the corruption, or to end the being of His own creatures because they had been corrupted and fallen into evil. It remains therefore terribly possible there was an Elvish strain in the Orcs. These may then even have been mated with beasts - and later Men. Their life-span would be diminished. And dying they would go to Mandos and be held in prison until the End." Myths Transformed, History of Middle-earth: Morgoth's Ring

At this point you are probably going, 'Forget about the soul what the hell were orcs?' I really, really wish I could give straight answer to that but I can't, as I can't give a straight answer to whether orcs had souls. Tolkien never got either of the questions straight in his head and as a result we, his readers, are free to draw our own conclusions. There are two things that Tolkien did seem to get straight in his head: Orcs are rational being and that orcs were not created by Melkor since he can't create life and were corrupted from either the beasts of Yavanna or the Children of Eru (Elves and men), or corrupted Maia.

In the story of Turin in Unfinished tales we see and instant when the outlaw were trying to rape a woman. There we see,

"But on a sudden he heard cries, and from a hazel-thicket a young woman ran out; her clothes were rent by thorns, and she was in great fear, and stumbling she fell gasping to the ground. Then Turin springing towards the thicket with drawn sword hewed down a man that burst from the hazels in pursuit; and he saw only in the very stroke that it was Forweg.

But as he stood looking down in amaze at the blood upon the grass, Androg came out, and halted also astounded. "Evil work, Neithan!" he cried, and drew his sword; but Turin's mood ran cold, and he said to Androg: "Where are the Orcs, then? Have you outrun them to help her?"

"Orcs?" said Androg. "Fool! You call yourself an outlaw. Outlaws know no law but their needs. Look to your own, Neithan, and leave us to mind ours."- Narn I Hin Hurin, Unfinished Tales

It seems that Turin at least thought that Orcs were capable of raping and indeed were known for it, but does that mean that all Orcs are sexual predators? That is a question more difficult to answer.

Many people have equated Celebrian torment at the hands of the Orcs to include rape, however this is inconsistent with the Laws and Customs of the Eldar which states,

"But among all these evils there is no record of any among the Elves that took another's spouse by force; for this was wholly against their nature, and one so forced would have rejected bodily life and passed to Mandos." - Laws and Customs of the Eldar, History of Middle-earth: Morgoth's Ring

Elves rejected their violated bodies if raped and so had Celebrian was raped than most likely she would die. This is something Orcs would know or soon find out so unless they wanted to kill the elf in a sadistic and twisted fashion than it is unlikely they would have raped elves. Of course if you choice to ignore the Laws and Customs than the above point is moot.

Other than that I really couldn't find anything that marked out Orcs to be particularly vicious sexual predators, than again an Orc expert I am not.

In the words of Gimli son of Gloin as he talks to Eomer,

" 'We do not speak of dwarves or children," said Gimli. 'Our friends were hobbits.'" The Riders of Rohan, Lord of the rings: The Two Towers

Hobbits are just short, their heights do not necessarily reflect their maturity. Linked to this is the idea that Hobbits are infantile.

This concept that hobbits are infantile seems to be never ending battle. No matter how many times it is pointed out that hobbits posses the full spectrum of attitudes as any other races someone inevitably writes Hobbits as infantile in his/her fic. Well Hobbits are not infantile. Here is what Tolkien said about the Hobbits and as you can see nothing about them being infantile,

"Hobbits are an unobtrusive but very ancient people, more numerous formerly than they are today; for they love peace and quiet and good tilled earth: a well-ordered and well-farmed countryside was their favourite haunt. They do not and did not understand or like machines more complicated than a forge-bellows, a water-mill, or a hand-loom, though they were skilful with tools. Even in ancient days they were, as a rule, shy of 'the Big Folk', as they call us, and now they avoid us with dismay and are becoming hard to find. They are quick of hearing and sharp-eyed, and though they are inclined to be fat and do not hurry unnecessarily, they are nonetheless nimble and deft in their movements. They possessed from the first the art of disappearing swiftly and silently, when large folk whom they do not wish to meet come blundering by; and this an they have developed until to Men it may seem magical. But Hobbits have never, in fact, studied magic of any kind, and their elusiveness is due solely to a professional skill t

For they are a little people, smaller than Dwarves: less tout and stocky, that is, even when they are not actually much shorter. Their height is variable, ranging between two and four feet of our measure. They seldom now reach three feet; but they hive dwindled, they say, and in ancient days they were taller. According to the Red Book, Bandobras Took (Bullroarer), son of Isengrim the Second, was four foot five and able to ride a horse. He was surpassed in all Hobbit records only by two famous characters of old; but that curious matter is dealt with in this book." Prologue, Lord of the Rings

This was pointed out to me by Ariel, I think I should let her sum the situation up,

OK, regardless of Peter Jackson's interpretation, Tolken's character was none of these things. He was in charge of his expedition until he became so far gone that he couldn't even move and if he had been half as 'sickly' and weak as fanon suggests, he would never have made it through everything alive! He did not rely on Sam for every movement until well into Mordor and he was still 'in charge' of himself until right before the Crack of Doom itself!

-Ariel

Note: I said I would refrain from voicing my opinions, at least consciously. I never said anything about stopping other people from voicing theirs, but this will be extremely rare. I will only do it when I see that someone feels eextremely passionately about a fanon, as is the case here.

Considering their sires are only ever mentioned in Appendix B: The tale of years, Lord of the rings I can safely say this is pure Fanon.

" 'Fool of a took!' he growled, 'This is a serious journey, not a hobbit walking party. Throw yourself in next time, and then you will be no further nuisance.'" - Gandalf; A journey in the dark, Lord of the rings: The fellowship of the ring

Other than that and the incident involving the palantir and Pippen's eagerness to talk in Bree, I can think of no other instance of what could be considered idiocy by either Merry or Pippen. However there were a number of instances when Merry and Pippin's intellect and natural gifts were clearly evident. Firstly they had uncovered Frodo's plans to leave the Shire, they found out about the Ring even when Frodo, Bilbo and Gandalf had tried to hide it,

" 'I think I could help you,' said Merry quietly, 'by telling you some of it myself.'

'What do you mean?' said Frodo, looking at him anxiously.

'Just this, my dear old Frodo: you are miserable, because you don't know how to say good-bye. You meant to leave the Shire, of course. But danger has come on you sooner than you expected, and now you are making up your mind to go at once. And you don't want to. We are very sorry for you.' " A Conspiracy Unmasked, Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the ring

Lastly it was they, on their own, who freed the Shire from the grasp of Saruman,

"The very considerable rise in the fame and fortune of the Cottons dates from this time; but at the top of the Roll in all accounts stand the names of Captains Meriadoc and Peregrin." The Scouring of the Shire, Lord of the rings: Return of the King

So, yes, fanon not canon.

Giving credit where its due, this fanon was brough to my attention by Kete and it was she who also provided the associated research. She did quite a bit of research on the topic. Here is what she sent me regarding hobbit feet in her own words,

In 'The Hobbit' the Professor gives this description:

'....they wear no shoes, because their feet grow natural leathery soles and thick warm brown hair like the stuff on their heads (which is curly)....' The Hobbit, George Allen and Unwin Edition 1978, page 12, first paragraph, line 10 ff

Do you see any reference as to their size here? Now many readers argue that especially as there is no reference to their size, we can as well assume that the feet were big. I don't think so. When describing the specifics of the Hobbits' feet their size would have been mentioned had there been anything remarkable about it, I daresay.

In 'Letters' the Professor says: 'His feet, if conveniently clad and shod by nature, were as elegant as his long, clever fingers.' The Letters of JRR Tolkien, HarperCollins Publishers Edition 1995, letter 25, page 30, last two lines

I really doubt that unproportionately large feet would have been described as ELEGANT. And:

'I picture a fairly human figure, not a kind of 'fairy' rabbit as some of my British reviewers seem to fancy: fattish in the stomach, shortish in the leg. .... The feet from the ankles down, covered with brown hairy fur.' The Letters of JRR Tolkien, HarperCollins Publishers Edition 1995, letter 27, page 35, fourth paragraph, line 1 ff

Please note that the Professor does NOT say 'biggish in the foot'. Again, when physical appearance is described no mentioning of unusual foot size. Just the FUR covering the feet is mentioned. Also in 'The Hobbit': 'The dwarves revived him, and doctored his scorches as well as they could; but it was a long time before the hair on the back of his head and his heels grew properly again.' The Hobbit, George Allen and Unwin Edition 1978, page 194, third paragraph, line 3 ff

Which shows that the foothair was nothing like that shown in the movie or most illustrations. It was like the hair on their heads, thick and curly, and it covered the whole foot from the ankles.

I certainly hope this helps all hobbit writers out there.

Once again the credit for this goes to Kete and her research skills. Hobbits are not tiny, they are small but not tiny. This is what Kete's research uncovered relating to hobbit height in her own words,

Many a writer indulges in calling them 'tiny' in every second sentence. In fact the Professor states the following:

'Their height is variable, ranging between two and four feet of our measure. They seldom now reach three feet; but they have dwindled, they say, and in ancient days they were taller. According to the Red Book, Bandobras Took (Bullroarer), ...., was four foot five and able to ride a horse. He was surpassed in all Hobbit records only by two famous characters of old; but this curious matter is dealt with in this book.' The Lord of the Rings, George Allen and Unwin Ltd. Edition 1981, Concerning Hobbits, pages 13/14, last line/last lines of first paragraph

Please note that he starts telling of Hobbits as of those living TODAY who are smaller than their forebears, so that their size range TODAY perhaps varies between two and three feet, whereas the ancient Hobbits, being taller, have perhaps varied more between three and four feet. So I made the following deductions: If Bandobras Took was 4 foot 5 tall and was surpassed only by two Hobbits, namely Merry and Pippin after the two intakes of ent-draught, they must then have been at least 4 foot 5.1, but to make calculation easier let's assume they were then 4 foot 6. In the chapter 'The Field of Cormallen' Sam observes that Merry and Pippin are at least 3 inches taller than they should be. The Lord of the Rings, George Allen and Unwin Ltd. Edition 1981, The Field of Cormallen, page 992, first paragraph, lines 7/8 As this was before the second ent-draught drinking which occured on their journey home, they were then still smaller than 4 foot 6, but had already grown 3 inches after the first intake of ent-draught. I was not able to find any hints respectively proof of how much the both have grown after their second imbibing of ent-draught, and have therefore based my calculations on another growth of 3 inches. This would make them 4 foot 3 at the Field of Cormallen - after the first but before the seond intake of ent-draught which led each to a growth of 3 inches (4.6 ./. 0.3 = 4.3). Which leads to the fact that they must have been around 4 foot (4.3 ./. 0.3 = 4.0) before the first ent-draught . In the chapter 'Strider' it is mentioned that Frodo was 'taller than some'. The Lord of the Rings, George Allen and Unwin Ltd. Edition 1981, Strider, page 183, first paragraph, line 3 I interprete this as him being at least as tall as Merry and Pippin who were by then 4 foot (before the first ent-draught), because it would be useless to use height as a distinguishing mark if he was usually accompanied by others as tall or even taller than him. This makes at least 3 outgrown males with a height of 4 feet.

As I said. Hobbits are not tiny, they are just small.

Short answer, yes they have pointy ears. Now whether this is canon is an issue I am not touching with a fifty foot pole. Why? Because the clear information on this issue comes from a letter Tolkien wrote to the Houghton Mifflin Company while describing Bilbo and not one of his published works. Now considering how many people keep telling me that they don't believe anything other than The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings is canon, I am leaving this entirely up to you.

"I picture a fairly human figure, not a kind of 'fairy' rabbit as some of my British reviewers seem to fancy: fattish in the stomach, shortish in the leg. A round, jovial face; ears only slightly pointed and 'elvish'; hair short and curling (brown). The feet from the ankles down, covered with brown hairy fur." Letter #27 to The Houghton Mifflin Company.

Short answer, yes they have pointy ears. Now whether this is canon is an issue I am not touching with a fifty foot pole. Why? Because the clear information on this issue comes from a letter Tolkien wrote to the Houghton Mifflin Company while describing Bilbo and not one of his published works. Now considering how many people keep telling me that they don't believe anything other than The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings is canon, I am leaving this entirely up to you.

"I picture a fairly human figure, not a kind of 'fairy' rabbit as some of my British reviewers seem to fancy: fattish in the stomach, shortish in the leg. A round, jovial face; ears only slightly pointed and 'elvish'; hair short and curling (brown). The feet from the ankles down, covered with brown hairy fur." Letter #27 to The Houghton Mifflin Company.

"It is plain indeed that in spite of later estrangement Hobbits are relatives of ours: far nearer to us than Elves, or even than Dwarves. Of old they spoke the languages of Men, after their own fashion, and liked and disliked much the same things as Men did. But what exactly our relation is can no longer be discovered." Prologue, The Lord of the Rings

Clearly Hobbits are descended from men, but somewhere along the line they became a race apart.

Poor Rosie, poor, poor Rosie, everyone seems to be out of to turn her into a troll. I can't help but think the butchering Rosie's character usually takes is greatly due to the fact that by in large we don't get hobbits. You see from what I understand everybody portrays Rosie as being insensitive to Sam's ordeal and as a result not really understanding him. While I don't think anybody would truly understand what any given member of the fellowship went through I don't think Rosie was being insensitive, very hobbit like in how she expressed her concern but certainly not insensitive. Below is exert from the only occation where Rosie speaks,

"He jumped down from his pony and went up the steps. They stared at him in silence. 'Good evening, Mrs. Cotton!' he said. 'Hullo Rosie!'
''Hullo, Sam!' said Rosie. 'Where've you been I They said you were dead; but I've been expecting you since the Spring. You haven't hurried have you?'
'Perhaps not,' said Sam abashed. 'But I'm hurrying now. We're setting about the ruffians, and I've got to get back to Mr. Frodo. But I thought I'd have a look and see how Mrs. Cotton was keeping, and you, Rosie.'
'We're keeping nicely, thank you,' said Mrs. Cotton. 'Or should be, if it weren't for these thieving ruffians.'
'Well, be off with you!' said Rosie. 'If you've been looking after Mr. Frodo all this while, what d'you want to leave him for, as soon as things look dangerous?'
This was too much for Sam. It needed a week's answer, or none. He turned away and mounted his pony. But as he started off, Rosie ran down the steps.
'I think you look fine, Sam,' she said. 'Go on now! But take care of yourself, and come straight back as soon as you have settled the ruffians!'" - The scourging of the Shire, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

Many have interpreted her words to being insensitive but the last line should make it clear that she isn't trying to hurt Sam's feeling. She is just being a hobbit, just as Merry was when Aragorn healed him.

"Merry smiled. 'Well then,' he said, 'if Strider will provide what is needed, I will smoke and think. I had some of Saruman's best in my pack, but what became of it in the battle, I am sure I don't know.'
'Master Meriadoc,' said Aragorn, 'if you think that I have passed through the mountains and the realm of Gondor with fire and sword to bring herbs to a careless soldier who throws away his gear, you are mistaken. If your pack has not been found, then you must send for the herb-master of this House. And he will tell you that he did not know that the herb you desire had any virtues, but that it is called _westmansweed_ by the vulgar, and _galenas_ by the noble, and other names in other tongues more learned, and after adding a few half-forgotten rhymes that he does not understand, he will regretfully inform you that there is none in the House, and he will leave you to reflect on the history of tongues. And so now must I. For I have not slept in such a bed as this, since I rode from Dunharrow, nor eaten since the dark before dawn.'
Merry seized his hand and kissed it. 'I am frightfully sorry,' he said. 'Go at once! Ever since that night at Bree we have been a nuisance to you. But it is the way of my people to use light words at such times and say less than they mean. We fear to say too much. It robs us of the right words when a jest is out of place.'"- The House of Healing, , Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

So yes, *picks up picket sign* Stop bashing Rosie!

Well I am not sure Hobbits were particularly religious. There were a couple of places where a Hobbit invoked the name of a higher power,

"At that moment Frodo threw himself forward on the ground, and he heard
himself crying aloud: O Elbereth! Gilthoniel! At the same time he struck at the feet of his enemy." - A Knife in the Dark, The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring

But Frodo is, how should I put it, a hobbit with elvish influences due to Bilbo. Biggest proof being he invokes a goddess by her elvish name. Unlike the survivors of Numenor, there is no clear elvish influence on the whole Hobbit race so I would think that they would have there own names for the Valar as I believe do the riders of Rohan and the Dwarves. They don't seem to and Tolkien does go into some detail regarding Hobbit culture in the prologue of both the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings. However I will leave this open simply because I am not 100% sure.

I am going to cut a corner with this one and give all the credit to Melian Jarvis and just copy and paste what she sent in,

There is no evidence that he was a "scholar" of anything but spoken Quenya (according to Gildor, and as this was a compliment given after hearing only a single Quenya phrase I think we may take it as meaning that Frodo was good at it, rather than that he studied it all day, every day!); other than this we know only that Frodo spoke pure Sindarin badly (when they met Haldir and his brothers in Lorien) and that he was familiar with some mode of the Tengwar other than the mode of Beleriand (at the gates of Moria he says 'I thought I knew the Elf-letters, but I cannot read these') or the Black Speech mode (on the Ring, he says 'I cannot read the fiery letters').

Frodo certainly did not make any translations, or at least any that were considered worthy of note (meaning: we're never told he translated anything). It was Bilbo who made the 'translations from the Elvish', and Bilbo who was the 'scholar' (mentioned in the Prologue). As a matter of fact, Frodo's writing a great deal post-Quest rather than getting out and about was seen by Sam as unusual and cause for concern; and Gandalf (when explaining the fire-writing on the Ring) appears to be unaware that Frodo has ever seen the Tengwar before in any form (he explains that "the letters are Elvish", etc). In short, while Frodo certainly knows some things most hobbits don't, he was not the bookish scholar often portrayed in fanfiction. (And the only thing we're told he *did* do often pre-Quest was go on walking trips.)

Okay now there are two things here. First the term man as a gender and the term man as the species. Species wise Hobbits are not men, they are hobbits. Gender wise a male hobbit can be refered to as a man, as Gandalf does with Bilbo in the following passage,

"Of course there is a mark," said Gandalf. "I put it there myself. For very good reasons. You asked me to find the fourteenth man for your expedition, and I chose Mr. Baggins. Just let any one say I chose the wrong man or the wrong house, and you can stop at thirteen and have all the bad luck you like, or go back to digging coal." An Unexpected Party, The Hobbit

O come on people! Even in the movie we see Sam and Frodo stop and make camp before reaching the Brandywine bridge near where Brandy Hall is. It is at least a days journey from Bag End to Brandy Hall.

First of all, Elves don't get sick. In Of Men, The Silmarillion it is made clear that men in general do get sick. However, you do not hear about the Edain, i.e. Beor and his people, getting sick. Mind you it doesn't mean that they didn't get sick, just that the men who first came to Beleriand are not explicitly stated to have gotten sick once they came to Beleriand. What is explicitly stated is that when the Edain removed to Numenor they didn't get sick but they lost this ability when they started worshiping Melkor (Morgoth) at Sauron's biddings as the quote below demonstrates,

"For whereas aforetime men had grown slowly old, and had laid them down in the end to sleep, when they were weary at last of th world, now madness and sickness assailed them; and yet they were afraid to die and go out into the dark, the realm of the lord they had taken; and they cursed themselves in their agony." Akallabeth, The Silmarillion

The above quote of course speaks of the Numenoreans who began worshipping Morgoth, not of those who remained true to Manwe and the other Valar; the Faithful. So did Aragorn, who was a descendant of the Faithful get sick? Nothing explicitly states that he ever got sick, but a great plague did devastate Gondor in the year 1636 (Appendix B, Lord of the rings), so the Numenorean Faithful settlers of Gondor by that time have lost their no-sickness privilege. However this happens after the civil war of the Kin-strife in the year 1432 (Appendix B, Lord of the rings). The kin-strife was a bit like the Kinslaying but in this the Northern kingdom, as far as I know, did not take part. Make of that what you will.

The last thing to consider here is can half-elves, such as Elrond, Elladan, Elrohir and Arwen, get sick. From their elvish side the answer is of course no. From their human side... well given that Tolkien linked sickness to fall from the grace of Eru I would have to say no, since none of them are said to have fallen.

Hobbits have family names that much is simple and clear. I guess the question is do Elves, Humans and Dwarves have family names

Elves,
The naming custom for Noldor, and presumably Vanyar and Aman Teleri elves, are given in the Laws and Customs of the Eldar, History of Middle-earth: Morgoth's ring,

took place at or about the end of the tenth year. In elder times the 'Chosen Name', or second name, was usually freshly devised, and though framed according to the structure of the language of the day, it often had no previous significance. In later ages, when there was a great abundance of names already in existence, it was more often selected from names that were known. But even so some modification of the old name might be made.

On the same topic Unfinished Tales has,

"It is said in an essay concerning the customs of name-giving among the Eldar in Valinor that they had two "given names" (essi), of which the first was given at birth by the father; and his one usually recalled the father's own name, resembling it in sense or form, or might even be actually the same as the father's, to which some distinguishing prefix might be added later, when the child was full-grown. The second name was given later, sometimes much later but sometimes soon after the birth, by the mother; and these mother-names had great significance, for the mothers of the Eldar had insight into the characters and abilities of their children, and many also had the gift of prophetic foresight. In addition, any of the Eldar might acquire an epesse ("after-name"), not necessarily given by their own kin, a nickname -mostly given as a title of admiration or honour; and an epesse might become the name generally used and recognised in later song and history (as was the case, for instance, with Ereinion, always known by his epesse Gil-galad)." Of Celeborn and Galadriel, Unfinished Tales

So as it can be seen Noldor elves only have given names. I cannot say for sure what the custom among the elves of Middle-earth is, but Greenleaf in Legolas Greenleaf is often mistaken for Legolas's last name. This is incorrect. Greenleaf is the meaning of Legolas. Certainly we do not hear elves such as Thranduil having a second name beyond that I really can't say. There is the Legolas Thranduilion and Thranduil Orophorion, meaning Legolas son of Thranduil and Thranduil son of Oropher, I don't know where this comes from but the son of format seems to Sindar elves use. This is pretty much all the information I have to give on elves and family/surnames.

Dwarves,
If they have a lastname in their secret tongue well than its secret. With other races they only seem to use the 'Son of' format, e.g. Gimli son of Gloin.

Men,
Aragorn son of Arathorn, Eomer son of Eomen, Boromir son of Denethor, Theodred son of Thengal, to me it seems pretty clear that men had the "Son of" format. Only in one instance is Aragorn shown to use the name of his house in the manner we would use our family names,

"Elessar Telcontar: Aragorn Arathornson Elfstone, King of Gondor and Lord of the Westlands, will approach the Bridge of Baranduin on the eighth day of Spring, or in the Shire-reckoning the second day of April. And he desires to greet there all his friends. In especial he desires to see Master Samwise (who ought to be called Fullwise), Mayor of the Shire, and Rose his wife; and Elanor, Rose, Goldilocks, and Daisy his daughters; and Frodo, Merry, Pippin and Hamfast, his sons. To Samwise and Rose the King's greeting from Minas Tirith, the thirty-first day of the Stirring, being the twenty-third of February in their reckoning." Ardalambion

However this is a letter to Hobbits, who do have family names. Aragorn might just be following the custom of the land. Like Frodo did when he met Faramir,

"Frodo son of Drogo is my name, and with me is Samwise son of Hamfast, a worthy hobbit in my service." The Black Gate is Closed, Lord of the rings: The Two Towers

The men of Bree seem to have family names so that you have Bill Ferny and Mr. Butterbar. This they most probably picked up from the Hobbits. Other than them I do not remember any instance of men using family names.

Thanks goes to Marta for not only suggesting this fanon but also for finding the information for it. Tolkien interchanges Tobacco and Pipeweed on a number of occasions.

"And a very fine morning for a pipe of tobacco out of doors, into the bargain." - An Unexpected Party, The Hobbit

"They had not been riding very long when up came Gandalf very splendid on a white horse. He had brought a lot of pocket-handkerchiefs, and Bilbo's pipe and tobacco." – Roast Mutton, The Hobbit

"After some time he felt for his pipe. It was not broken, and that was something. Then he felt for his pouch, and there was some tobacco in it, and that was something more." - Riddles in the Dark, The Hobbit

"'Thank goodness!' said Bilbo laughing, and handed him the tobacco-jar." - The Last Stage, The Hobbit

"All that could be discovered about it in antiquity was put together by Meriadoc Brandybuck (later Master of Buckland), and since he and the tobacco of the Southfarthing play a part in the history that follows, his remarks in the introduction to his Her-blore of the Shire may be quoted." - Prologue, Lord of the Rings

"He (Pippin) produced a small leather bag full of tobacco." - Flotsam and Jetsam, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Given that Tolkien was very careful with terminology I would have to say that Pipeweed is just plain Tobacco. Perhaps not the exact species of Tobacco we are used to but Tobacco none the less

There is something you should know about the undying lands. It is not the 'undying' lands as the following quote demonstrate.

"'The Doom of the World,' they said, 'One alone can change who made it. And were you so to voyage that escaping all deceits and snares you came indeed to Aman, the Blessed Realm, little would it profit you. For it is not the land of Manwe that makes its people deathless, but the Deathless that dwell therein have hallowed the land; and there you would but wither and grow weary the sooner, as moths in a light too strong and steadfast.'" - Akallabêth, The Silmarillion

Basically just because Frodo, Sam, Bilbo and Gimli are in the undying lands doesn't mean they are never going to die. If anything they would die entirely too soon. Only Eru can change intervene to change their mortality but there is not evidence to support this. In fact in his letters Tolkien makes it explicitly states that Frodo, Sam, Bilbo and Gimli do die.

"I have said nothing about it in this book, but the mythical idea underlying is that for mortals, since their 'kind' cannot be changed for ever, this is strictly only a temporary reward: a healing and redress of suffering. They cannot abide for ever, and though they cannot return to mortal earth, they can and will 'die' of free will, and leave the world (Letter 154)." And more from the Letters: "As for Frodo or other mortals, they could only dwell in Aman for a limited time - whether brief or long. The Valar had neither the power nor the right to confer 'immortality' upon them. Their sojourn was a 'purgatory', but one of peace and healing and they would eventually pass away (die at their own desire and of free will) to destinations of which the Elves knew nothing" - Letter 325

Just one last note, in Tolkien's world mortality is the ultimate gift. It cannot be withheld by the Valar and it is so precious that in Elrond's line it is extended to his children while the descendents of Elros pretty much have to abide by the decision of their ancestors. Keep this in mind while you consider the final fate of Frodo, Bilbo, Sam and Gimli.

I have been assured that in some cultures styles of braid can signify rank, clan affiliation and the likes, but as far as I know Tolkien doesn't say if any cultures in his world have the same customs.

"They smoked in silence for a while, and the sun shone on them; slanting into the valley from among white clouds high in the West. Legolas lay still, looking up at the sun and sky with steady eyes, and singing softly to himself. At last he sat up. 'Come now!' he said. 'Time wears on, and the mists are blowing away, or would if you strange folk did not wreathe yourselves in smoke. What of the tale?'" - Flotsam and Jetsam, Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers

That's the only reference I have found where an elf is not entirely happy with smoking. I have found none where in the book is there any indications of elves being repulsed by Aragorn's travelworn, dirty cloths, Gollum's less than pleasent odour etc. I really don't have much to add to this one to date.

Tolkien invented many languages for his world. Grelvish is not one of them. Apparently Grelvish or Grey Company Elvish was a language invented by a group of RPGers for their own purposes. It is very loosely based on Quenya and Sindarin, but as the inventors themselves point out, that's all. Incidentally, just to be clear there are no such thing as the Elves of the Grey Company in Tolkien's canon.

No they don't. To begin with, Quenya has always been the tongue of the Noldor, brought by them from Aman. The Teleri of Middle-earth spoke Sindarin and/or Silvan tongue and the Avari conceivably spoke their own language that evolved from proto elvish. Moreover, Thingol in Of the Noldor in Beleriand, The Silmarillion bans the use of the Quenya tongue in Beleriand. In that chapter it is further stated,

"And it came to pass even as Thingol had spoken; for the Sindar heard his word, and thereafter throughout Beleriand they refused the tongue of the Noldor, and shunned those that spoke it aloud; but the exiles took the Sindarin tongue in all their daily use, and the High Speech of the West was spoken only by the lords of the Noldor among themselves." Of the Noldor in Beleriand, The Silmarillion

In short, a Mirkwood elf would not be caught dead speaking Quenya or an elf of Lothlorien. Galadriel might be a Noldo, but they themselves were Teleri elves whose kin the Noldor slew to get the ban against their speech imposed on them in the first place.

1. Elfling: Meaning an elf child. It has been pointed out to me that -ling is an old english suffix that denotes a child. Tolkien himself used the suffix in elven-princeling, Lothlorien, Lord of the rings: Fellowship of the ring, but never in elfling. In fact the only time Tolkien refered to elf-children, he used elf-children.
   
   "Little furtive figures that in the dim light looked like elf-children in the deeps of time peering out of the Wild Wood in wonder at their first Dawn." The Uruk-Hai, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
   
2. She-elf: used in the movie but not present in the book
3. Elf-hood: refering to the male-hood of an elf. No, pure fanon.
4. Dunedan: A mistake that is sometimes used to refer to a single "Man of the West.", which by the way is DUnadan, the plural of which is DUnedain

1. Riders of Rohan: Apparently you can only have Riders of Rohan (Eorlingas) but you can't have Rider of Rohan.
2. Middle-earth: This is how it appear in the various books.
3. Rohirrim: The inhabitants of Rohan are Rohirrim. Rohans is a mistake, there is no such thing. Also note worthy is that Rohirrim was the Sindar term the people of Gondolin called people of Rohan. The people of Rohan called themselves Eorlingas.
4. Mearas: The horses of that are descendants of the Noldorin horses brought to Middle-earth from Valinor. Mearh is the singular form of the word.

1. Okay
2. Yeah
3. Bye

"The language represented in this history by English was the Westron or 'Common Speech' of the West-lands of Middle-earth in the Third Age. In the course of that age it had become the native language of nearly all the speaking-peoples (save the Elves) who dwelt within the bounds of the old kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor; that is along all the coasts from Umbar northward to the Bay of Forochel, and inland as far as the Misty Mountains and the Ephel DUath. It had also spread north up the Anduin, occupying the lands west of the River and east of the mountains as far as the Gladden Fields. At the time of the War of the Ring at the end of the age these were still its bounds as a native tongue." Appendix F, Lord of the Rings

What more is there to say?

1. Mathom: Believed to mean gift but in reality Tolkien seem to use it to mean something a Hobbit has no use for but won't throw away.
2. Weskit: It means Waist-coat. Weskit is an accent denotation. As such weskit should only be used in conversation.

This is from the movie but this is not stated in the book. In the book it is made clear that the Faithful Numenorean remnant in the North and the South have not communicated together for a long, long time. In The council of Elrond, Lord of the rings: Fellowship of the ring Boromir makes no sign that he recognizes the name of Aragon or Arathorn. In fact, he openly doubts Aragon's claim and forces Bilbo to come to his friend's defence.

No comment. But I give you the following quotes from Passing of the Grey Company, Lord of the rings: Return of the King in order for you to make up your own mind.

"The Lady Éowyn greeted them and was glad of their coming; for no mightier men had she seen than the Dúnedain and the fair sons of Elrond; but on Aragorn most of all her eyes rested." - Passing of the Grey Company, Lord of the rings: Return of the King

"She smiled on him and said: 'Then it was kindly done, lord, to ride so many miles out of your way to bring tidings to Éowyn, and to speak with her in her exile.'
'Indeed no man would count such a journey wasted,' said Aragorn; 'and yet, lady, I could not have come hither, if it were not that the road which I must take leads me to Dunharrow.'" - Passing of the Grey Company, Lord of the rings: Return of the King

"When the light of day was come into the sky but the sun was not yet risen above the high ridges in the East, Aragorn made ready to depart. His company was all mounted, and he was about to leap into the saddle, when the Lady Éowyn came to bid them farewell. She was clad as a Rider and girt with a sword. In her hand she bore a cup, and she set it to her lips and drank a little, wishing them good speed; and then she gave the cup to Aragorn, and he drank, and he said: 'Farewell, Lady of Rohan! I drink to the fortunes of your House, and of you, and of all your people. Say to your brother: beyond the shadows we may meet again!' Then it seemed to Gimli and Legolas who were nearby that she wept, and in one so stern and proud that seemed the more grievous. But she said: 'Aragorn, wilt thou go?'
'I will,' he said.
'Then wilt thou not let me ride with this company, as I have asked?'
'I will not, lady,' he said. 'For that I could not grant without leave of the king and of your brother; and they will not return until tomorrow. But I count now every hour, indeed every minute. Farewell!'
Then she fell on her knees, saying: 'I beg thee!'
'Nay, lady,' he said, and taking her by the hand he raised her. Then he kissed her hand, and sprang into the saddle, and rode away, and did not look back; and only those who knew him well and were near to him saw the pain that he bore." - Passing of the Grey Company, Lord of the rings: Return of the King

Also this one from the The King of the Golden Hall, Lord of the rings: The Two Towers
"Aragorn looked back as they passed towards the gate. Alone Eowyn stood before the doors of the house at the stair's head; the sword was set upright before her, and her hands were laid upon the hilt. She was clad now in mail and shone like silver in the sun. - The King of the Golden Hall, Lord of the rings: The Two Towers"

In the movie that impression was certainly conveyed, but not so in the book.

I think this has to do with the fact that in the movie Aragorn's age is not made clear. At the time of the War of the rings he was eighty-seven years old (Appendix B, Lord of the rings), in his eighty-seven years he had traveled far and wide and had seen more of the culture of men in the east, west, north and south than anyone, even Gandalf. He also served the King of Rohan and the Steward of Gondor before Denethor (once again Appendix B, Lord of the rings). So unless you are writing in movie verse, where in the extended edition DVD it is made clear that Aragorn does not trust men, this is fanon.

How? Why? He took the ring, yes, but that's pretty flimsy given that the ring can corrupt even Gandalf. Moreover in the Unfinished Tales, just before Isildur leaves his companions in the Gladden Fields in an attempt to escape the orcs, he tells his son,

" 'I have not yet found the strength to bend it to my will. It needs one greater than I now know myself to be. My pride has fallen. It should go to the Keepers of the Three.' " Disaster of the Gladden Fields, Unfinished Tales

I could interpret the above quote for you but I think I'll let you draw your own conclusions. To get a better impression of the Character of Isildur I recommend reading Akallabeth, The Silmarillion since it shows Isildur as he was in Numenor and also Of the rings of power, The Silmarillion as that really shows how perilous the ring really is and for a better understanding of Isildur's lasts days as a living man after he took the ring read Disaster of the gladden fields, Unfinished Tales.

It has been brought to my notice the character of Faramir is really ill-treated in many fanfictions. Specifically it is said that he is often portrayed to only be honoured out of memory of his brother, he is not equal to his brother and also that he suffers from serious self-doubt and is one step away from giving into evil. The movie is largely responsible for this... image of Faramir. Now this fanon provided me with a bit of a problem since this involves a fanon relating to character and those are very subjective. After much thought I have gone with the approach of trying to uncover what various Middle-earth persons have said of Faramir. Below is what I came up with:

" 'Ah well, sir,' said Sam, 'you said my master had an Elvish air; and that was good and true. But I can say this: you have an air too, sir, that reminds me of, of - well, Gandalf, of wisards.' " The window on the west, Lord of the rings: The Two Towers

" 'He is not as other men of this time, Pippin, and whatever be his descent from father to son, by some chance the blood of Westernesse runs nearly true in him; as it does in his other son, Faramir, and yet did not in Boromir whom he loved best.' -Gandalf " Minas Tirith, Lord of the rings: The Return of the King

" 'That will be the captain: he can master both beasts and men.' -Beregond " The siege of Gondor, Lord of the rings; The Return of the King

" 'Would that have availed to change your judgement?' said Denethor. 'You would still have done just so, I deem. I know you well. Ever you desire is to appear lordly and generous as a king of old, gracious, gentle. The may well befit one of high race, if he sits in power and peace. But in desperate hours gentleness may be repaid with death.' " The siege of Gondor, Lord of the rings; The Return of the King

"Yet between the brothers there were great love, and had been since childhood, when Boromir was the helper and protector of Faramir. No jealousy or rivalry had arisen between them since, for their father's favour or for the praise of men. It did not seem possible to Faramir that any one in Gondor could rival Boromir, heir of Denethor, Captain of the White Tower; and of like mind was Boromir. Yet it proved otherwise at the test." Appendix A, Lord of the Rings

I guess one can say that the above quote is what Tolkien himself said of Faramir since it does not come from the mouth of any other character. The following quotes were provided by Karen and my thanks goes out to her.

"And she [Eowyn] looked at him and saw the grave tenderness in his eyes, and yet knew, for she was bred among men of war, that here was one whom no Rider of the Mark would outmatch in battle." The Steward and the King, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

"It was the face of one who has been assailed by a great fear or anguish, but has mastered it and now is quiet. Proud and grave he stood for a moment as he spoke to the guard, and Pippin gazing at him saw how closely he resembled his brother Boromir -- whom Pippin had liked from the first, admirirng the great man's lordly but kindly manner. Yet suddenly for Faramir his heart was strangely moved with a feeling that he had not known before. Here was one with an air of high nobility such as Aragorn at times revealed, less high perhaps, yet also less incalculable and remote: one of the Kings of Men born into a later time, but touched with the wisdom and sadness of the Elder race. He knew now why Beregond spoke his name with love. He ws a captain that men would follow, that he would follow, even under the shadow of the black wings." The Siege of Gondor, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

I hope the above quotes give you a objective view of Faramir's character.

Aragorn has a lot of names and I mean a lot. We have Aragorn/Aragorn II, Estel, Wingfoot, Strider, Elessar, the Elfstone, the DUnadan, Envinyatar, the Renewer and a host of assumed names among which the only one we know is Thorongil, which he used when he served Denethor's father Ecthelion as well as that the than king of Rohan. Telcontar is the name of his house after he becomes king, this is also the closest thing Aragorn has to a lastname.

What you must understand is that you can't just interchange his names. Some people never knew a lot of his names and still others were only assigned to him for a specific period in his life and could not be carried to other parts of his life. Also not all his names can be used in all contexts.

For example, there is no such person as King Aragorn Elessar, King Aragorn, King Strider, King Estel etc. When Aragorn became king his name as king was King Elessar. That is what he is called whenever his kingly title is used in Lord of the Rings: Return of the king and the Lord of the Rings: Appendix. In canon the title of King is never coupled with any other name than Elessar.

In order to aid you a bit more with Aragorn's many, many, many names I have compiled the following table,

For you convinence below is the summons that Aragorn sent to the Hobbits that was scrapped from the Lord of the Rings: Appendix and is now available in the Ardalambion,

"Elessar Telcontar: Aragorn Arathornson Elfstone, King of Gondor and Lord of the Westlands, will approach the Bridge of Baranduin on the eighth day of Spring, or in the Shire-reckoning the second day of April. And he desires to greet there all his friends. In especial he desires to see Master Samwise (who ought to be called Fullwise), Mayor of the Shire, and Rose his wife; and Elanor, Rose, Goldilocks, and Daisy his daughters; and Frodo, Merry, Pippin and Hamfast, his sons. To Samwise and Rose the King's greeting from Minas Tirith, the thirty-first day of the Stirring, being the twenty-third of February in their reckoning." Ardalambion

So that's what I have on Aragorn's names

Denethor's appearance is given in a number of passages,

"Boromir, five years the elder, beloved by his father, was like him in face and pride, but in little else. Rather he was a man after the sort of King Earnur of old, taking no wife and delighting chiefly in arms; fearless and strong but caring little for lore, save the tales of old battles. Faramir the younger was like him in looks but otherwise in mind. For he read the hearts of men as shrewdly as his father, but what he read moved him sooner to pity than to scorn." Appendix A, Lord of the Rings

"Denethor II was a proud man, tall, valiant, and more kingly than any man that had appeared in Gondor for many lives of men; and he was wise also, and far-sighted, and learned in lore. Indeed he was as like to Thorongil [Aragorn] as to one of nearest kin". Appendix A, Lord of the Rings

"Denethor looked indeed much more like a great wizard than Gandalf did, more kingly, beautiful, and powerful; and older. " 'He is not as other men of this time, Pippin, and whatever be his descent from father to son, by some chance the blood of Westernesse runs nearly true in him; as it does in his other son, Faramir, and yet did not in Boromir whom he loved best." Peoples of Middle-earth - The Heirs of Elendil: Denethor II - He was the first son and third child of Ecthelion and more learned in lore than any Steward for many generations. He was very tall and in appearance looked like an ancient Numenorean." Minas Tirith, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

"It is said that he dared to use the palantir of the White Tower, which none since the kings had looked in, and so saw much of the mind of Sauron (who had the stone of Ithil), but was aged prematurely by this combat and fell into despair" Appendix A, Lord of the Rings

As you can see it seems Denethor didn't look that different from Aragorn or Boromir. So unless you say Aragorn and Boromir were also unattractive, this is fanon..

For once I know where this fanon comes from. The movie or rather the stage directions that were used to describe the reason for Denethor's animosity towards Faramir. As far as the book goes however this is a clear cut case of fanon. Because in the book it says,

"Boromir, five years the elder, beloved by his father, was like him in face and pride, but in little else. Rather he was a man after the sort of King Earnur of old, taking no wife and delighting chiefly in arms; fearless and strong but caring little for lore, save the tales of old battles. Faramir the younger was like him in looks but otherwise in mind. For he read the hearts of men as shrewdly as his father, but what he read moved him sooner to pity than to scorn." Appendix A, Lord of the Rings

As you can see Boromir and Faramir both looked like their father. Faramir's personality might have been due to his mother but certainly his looks were not a walking reminder of his mother.

"'I sat at night by the waters of Anduin, in the grey dark under the young pale moon, watching the ever-moving stream; and the sad reeds were rustling. So do we ever watch the shores nigh Osgiliath, which our enemies now partly hold, and issue from it to harry our lands. But that night all the world slept at the midnight hour. Then I saw, or it seemed that I saw, a boat floating on the water, glimmering grey, a small boat of a strange fashion with a high prow. and there was none to row or steer it.

"An awe fell on me, for a pale light was round it. But I rose and went to the bank, and began to walk out into the stream, for I was drawn towards it. Then the boat turned towards me, and stayed its pace, and floated slowly by within my hand's reach, yet I durst not handle it. It waded deep, as if it were heavily burdened, and it seemed to me as it passed under my gaze that it was almost filled with clear water, from which came the light; and lapped in the water a warrior lay asleep.

"A broken sword was on his knee. I saw many wounds on him. It was Boromir, my brother, dead. I knew his gear, his sword, his beloved face. One thing only I missed: his horn. One thing only I knew not: a fair belt, as it were of linked golden leaves, about his waist. Boromir! I cried. Where is thy horn? Whither goest thou? O Boromir! But he was gone. The boat turned into the stream and passed glimmering on into the night. Dreamlike it was and yet no dream, for there was no waking. And I do not doubt that he is dead and has passed down the River to the Sea.'- The window to the west, Lord of the Rings: Two Towers

Seems pretty clear that Faramir things he was not dreaming.

" 'No more can I say than I have said,' answered Frodo. 'Though your tale fills me with foreboding. A vision it was that you saw, I think, and no more, some shadow of evil fortune that has been or will be. Unless indeed it is some lying trick of the Enemy. I have seen the faces of fair warriors of old laid in sleep beneath the pools of the Dead Marshes, or seeming so by his foul arts."

"Nay, it was not so," said Faramir. "For his works fill the heart with loathing; but my heart was filled with grief and pity."- The window to the west, Lord of the Rings: Two Towers

I am not sure if Faramir is saying no it was no vision period or if he is saying it was not a vision sent by Sauron. I will let you draw your own conclusion.

"'Do you wish then,' said Faramir, 'that our places had been exchanged?'

'Yes, I wish that indeed,' said Denethor. 'For Boromir was loyal to me and no wizard's pupil. He would have remembered his father's need, and would not have squandered what fortune gave. He would have brought me a mighty gift.'" The Siege of Gondor, Lord of the rings: Return of the King

The above passage is undoubted the source of this fanon but I am not sure if Denethor"s words can interpreted as meaning that "Denethor wanted Faramir dead". For one thing we have Gandalf"s reassurance to Faramir,

"Gandalf it was that last spoke to Faramir ere he rode east."Do not throw your live away rashly or in bitterness,' he said. 'You will be needed here, for other things than war. Your father loves you, Faramir, and will remember it ere the end. Farewell!'" The Siege of Gondor, Lord of the rings: Return of the King

Also when Faramir is actually dying Denethor is anything but cold and distant,

"But as he did so Faramir moaned and called on his father in his dream.

Denethor started as one waking from a trance, and the flame died in his eyes, and he wept; and he said: 'Do not take my son from me! He calls for me.'" The Pyre of Denethor, Lord of the rings: Return of the king

Also Liz found this fascinating alternate draft to the above scene,

"'Yes, I wish that indeed,' said Denethor."Or no.' And then he shook his head, and rising swiftly he laid his hand upon his son's bowed head. 'Do not judge me harshly, my son,' he said quietly, 'or believe me more harsh than I am. I knew your brother well also. Love is not blind. I could wish that Boromir had been at Henneth Annun when this thing came there, only if I were sure of one thing.'

"'Sure of what, my father?'

"'That he was as strong in heart and selfless as you, my son. That taking this thing he would have brought it here and surrendered it, and not fallen swiftly under its thraldom. For, Faramir - and you too, Mithrandir, amid all your wide webs and policies - there is a third way, that is neither the folly of wizards nor the lust of warriors....'

"It is certain that there was no element of embittered banter in these words, That he was as strong in heart and selfless as you, my son."

....

And on a slip of paper he [Tolkien] wrote a brief statement of how, and why, the existing portrayal of Denethor's relations with Faramir must be changed:

The early conversation of Faramir and his father and motives must be altered. Denethor must be harsh. He must say he did wish Boromir had been at Henneth Annun - for he would have been loyal to his father and brought him the Ring. (Gandalf may correct this.) Faramir grieved but patient. Then Denethor must be all for holding Osgiliath 'like Boromir did', while Faramir (and Gandalf?) are against it, using the arguments previously given to Denethor. At length in submission, but proudly, to please his father and show him that not only Boromir was brave [he] accepts the command at Osgiliath. Men in the City do not like it.

This will not only be truer to previous situation, but will explain Denethor's breaking up when Faramir is brought back dying, as it seems.

The first part of this passage was struck through, as far as 'Faramir grieved but patient', and the second part allowed to stand; but this was then rejected also. Finally the whole was marked with a tick, when my father at length decided that this was how it should in fact be." History of Middle-earth: War of the Ring

As it can be seen Denethor didn't want ANY of his sons to die, but if he HAD to lose a son, he would have prefered it be Faramir.

This is one of those topics where my understanding is very, very weak. However, Liz seems has looked into this topic extensively and all credit goes to her.

The relevant passages she uncovered are,

"On the death of Ondoher and his sons, Arvedui of the North-kingdom claimed the crown of Gondor, as the direct descendant of Isildur, and as the husband of Firiel, only surviving child of Ondoher. The claim was rejected. In this Pelendur, the Steward of King Ondoher, played the chief part.

The Council of Gondor answered: "The crown and royalty of Gondor belongs solely to the heirs of Meneldil, son of Anarion, to whom Isildur relinquished this realm. In Gondor this heritage is reckoned through the sons only; and we have not heard that the law is otherwise in Arnor."

To this Arvedui replied: "Elendil had two sons, of whom Isildur was the elder and the heir of his father. We have heard that the name of Elendil stands to this day at the head of the line of the Kings of Gondor, since he was accounted the high king of all the lands of the Dunedain. While Elendil still lived, the conjoint rule in the South was committed to his sons; but when Elendil fell, Isildur departed to take up the high kingship of his father, and committed the rule in the South in like manner to the son of his brother. He did not relinquish his royalty in Gondor, nor intend that the realm of Elendil should be divided for ever.

Moreover, in Numenor of old the sceptre descended to the eldest child of the king, whether man or woman. It is true that the law has not been observed in the lands of exile ever troubled by war; but such was the law of our people, to which we now refer, seeing that the sons of Ondoher died childless."

To this Gondor made no answer." Appendix A, Lord of the rings

Also from Unfinished Tales,

"He [Isildur] did not relinquish his royalty in Gondor, nor intend that the realm of Elendil should be divided for ever" Disaster of the Gladden Fields, Unfinished Tales

"After the fall of Sauron, Isildur, the son and heir of Elendil, returned to Gondor. There he assumed the Elendilmir as King of Arnor, and proclaimed his sovereign lordship over all the Dunedain in the North and in the South" Disaster of the Gladden Fields, Unfinished Tales

Once again this is not a topic that I understand clearly but from the passages alone it seem clear that Tolkien intended that Aragorn"s claim to the throne of Gondor was through Isildur.

"After the days of the Kings, and the loss of Minas Ithil, there is no further mention of their open and official use. There was no answering Stone left in the North after the shipwreck of Arvedui Last-king in the year 1975. 2 In 2002 the Ithil-stone was lost. There then remained only the Anor-stone in Minas Tirith and the Orthanc-stone.

" The Palantiri, Unfinished Tales

"Actually they must normally have been used by such deputies. Each Stone had its own warden, one of whose duty it was to `survey the Stone' at regular intervals, or when commanded, or in time of need." - The Palantiri, Unfinished Tales.

Basically Denethor did have the right to use Palantiri because the stewards by simply holding the office of the steward would have been assumed to have been delegated the right to use the Palantiri.

"It is said that he dared to use the Palantir of the White Tower, which none since the kings had looked in, and so saw much of the mind of Sauron, but was aged prematurely by this combat and fell into despair." - Appendix A, Lord of the Rings.

"The breaking strain of Denethor's confrontation with Sauron must be distinguished from the general strain of using the Stone. The latter Denethor thought he could endure (and not without reason); confrontation with Sauron almost certainly did not occur for many years, and was probably never originally contemplated by Denethor." - The Palantiri,
Unfinished Tales.

So it was not using the Palatiri itself but the battle of wills with Sauron. The same can be seen in Aragorn.

" 'You forget to whom you speak,' said Aragorn sternly, and his eyes glinted. 'Did I not openly proclaim my title before the doors of Edoras? What do you fear that I should say to him? Nay, Gimli,' he said in a softer voice, and the grimness left his face, and he looked like one who has laboured in sleepless pain for many nights. 'Nay, my friends, I and the lawful master of the Stone, and I had both the right and the strength to use it, or so I judged. The right cannot be doubted. The strength was enough - barely."

He drew a deep breath. "It was a bitter struggle, and the weariness is slow to pass. I spoke no word to him, and in the end I wrenched the Stone to my own will."- The Passing of the Grey Company, Lord of the rings: The Return of the King

This is one of the fanons born from the movie. Anyone seeing the Return of the King would have noted how most of the extras playing Gondorian warriors or general city folk were a bit wooden and very lost. Certainly the soldiers seemed inapt and lacking of commanders who could take charge and rally the troops. In the movie Gandalf ends up doing all this. However in the book this is not the case.

Movie verse. In the book the dead were dismissed before Aragorn arrived in Pelennor

In the book I don't think I actually saw a single line in which Legolas even mentions Arwen

.... O come on, do I really have to say it?

Haldir is undoubtedly a border guard of Lothlorien but I don't think it is explicitly stated that the post he held is called the post of guardian. The name suits it though

Considering in The Two Towers movie he leads the contingent of Lothlorien Elves to Helm's Deep, I would have to say that in the movie verse he is a very important Elf. In the book, however, there is no indication that he is anything more than a ordinary border guard, except that he speaks the common tongue of the west, something that is rare in Lothlorien. One curious thing though, is that Haldir does say to Frodo,

"In this high place you may see the two powers that are opposed one to another; and ever they strive now in thought, but whereas the light perceives the very heart of darkness, its own secret has not been discovered. Not yet." Lothlorien, Lord of the rings: The fellowship of the ring

This would indicate that Haldir knew about Galadriel's ring, but once again we are not told how common the knowledge was within Lothlorien. Since I am feeling an urge to give my opinion on the matter, I will end this here and leave you to your own devices.