The Lord of the Rings Expert Answers More Tolkien Questions From Twitter | Tech Support | WIRED

"Lord of the Rings Expert" wow, my middle school dream job is actually a real thing

Casual reminder that this man has a bachelor's degree in Astrophysics in addition to his B.A. in English, Masters in Philosophy, and PhD in Medieval literature.

I love that JRRT was so thorough about fleshing out the world that no one can ever 'its not that deep' you.

I was always under the impression that Sauron could not see/sense the ring unless it was actively worn by the bearer because the bearer would then be in his realm of the Wraith world. You can even see this being implied in the movies.

"Sauron has his own Air Force" is my new favourite response to the Eagle debate.

In The Hobbit a man shot a DRAGON out of the sky. Can we stop asking why the Eagles didn't want to fly over the lands of men and orcs?

That's what I think people overlook with the "just take the eagles to Mordor" argument: say they do that. As you said, Sauron would see them coming, he has amazing sight. So what do they do when they arrive, ascend Mt. Doom and enter the mountain only to see Sauron just standing there. Congrats, you just went deep into enemy territory impossibly outnumbered and gave the enemy his most devastating weapon on a silver platter.

In regard to Tom Bombadil, I always interpreted it very simply. When Goldberry is asked who Tom is, her response is “He is.” When I read that, I read it very literally. “Who is Tom Bombadil?” “HE is. That guy, right there. HE is Tom Bombadil.” Fits the vibe when Frodo asks Tom himself who he is. “Eh? Don’t you know who I am yet? I’m just Tom Bombadil, why does it need to be more complicated than that?”

This guy's excitement for talking about middle-earth is a joy to behold

"What I really need for my form is decorative non functional wings" nervous laughter of over a million MMO players

If this is correctly shown in the movie, the One Ring not only will adapt to its owner’s finger, but can also widen so that its owner loses it. Happened to Isildur.

I'm really happy that this guy is not a rabid Tolkien fan who pretends to know everything. The way he answers the questions gives me confidence in his knowledge.

While its usually said as a joke, “why didn’t the eagles fly them there” is on par with saying “why didn’t Harry just shoot Voldemort with a gun”. What a fun imaginative tale

“Tolkien thinks that Gandalf is probably right about that.” Whole series, basically ^

Here's my theory about Tom Bombadil. I read somewhere that he was essentially Tolkein's self-insert character, much like how Treebeard is C.S. Lewis, but I'm taking it a step further and saying Bombadil is literally Tolkein. Like he is present in the world as the author. Not the God, but as the author of the world who needs no mortal or immortal identity. For example when he can see Frodo with the Ring on, etc, it feels like 4th wall breaks often feel, because he is so nonchalant about casually seeing into the wraith-world. Bombadil, in the same way, feels like a 4th wall break to me, like he's Tolkein as he exists within that world.

I appreciate that he gives actual evidence of why Balrogs do not have wings. People usually just get sniffy and look down their noses at you for asking such a "stupid" question.

Frodo: Who are you? Tom Bombadil: Yes.

Sauron: "uses ring detection" - Hmmm, must be broken. It says it's right here.

Just wanted to add a couple thoughts re: Sauron being so close to the ring for so long, but unable to track it. Peter Jackson's films heavily implied (I don't remember if it was stated outright) that Sauron was only able to track the ring while it was in use. Having sat in a river for a couple millennia would thwart that tracking sense pretty soundly, I would imagine. Second part is just my own little connection, but running water has historically been used by many cultures to negate or cleanse magical properties of items, as well as blocking negative spirits and energies (eg vampires who can't cross running water). Perhaps this widespread folk tradition influenced Tolkien in some way regarding the Ring lying dormant for so long?

Please bring Cory back for more Twitter questions! He's amazing