20 Amazing Lord of the Rings Facts You Probably Never Knew
- Craftorb
- 4 days ago
- 8 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Welcome, fellow adventurer! Here at Craftorb, we spend our days swimming in fandoms, sketching hobbit-sized ideas, and arguing (politely) about whether Tom Bombadil is secretly the most powerful being in Middle-earth. So naturally, we love diving into the deep cuts of Tolkien lore, the little-known facts, quirks, and behind-the-scenes secrets that make Middle-earth feel so alive. And yes, when we’re not debating lore, we’re usually designing a few Middle-earth-inspired mugs and gifts for fellow fans.
Whether you’re the kind of fan who can recite the entire Council of Elrond scene from memory, or you just love the films and want to explore the stories behind them, you’re in the right place. In this post, we’re uncovering 20 of the most obscure Tolkien secrets, the kind of lore nuggets that slip past even dedicated lore-masters.
So tighten your elven bowstring, grab a second breakfast, and let’s journey into the hidden corners of Middle-earth together. Second breakfasts are, after all, a Craftorb team tradition.
Some stories lie on the surface of Middle-earth, songs sung in the halls of Minas Tirith, fireside tales told by hobbits with full bellies. And then there are deeper stories, older than the lamplit scrolls of Rivendell, older than the first drafts penned in a professor’s study in Oxford.
These are not the stories of films, nor even the ones found in the appendices of The Lord of the Rings. These are the secrets beneath the secrets, the quiet revelations Tolkien left buried like hidden palantíri across fifty years of notes, drafts, and abandoned ideas.
Come then, traveller. Keep your hood up and your footsteps quiet. For tonight, we unseal twenty forgotten truths from the vaults of Arda.
1. Frodo Was Originally a 50-Year-Old Wooden-Shoed Hobbit Named “Bingo”
Before Frodo Baggins ever walked the Green Hill Country, Tolkien conceived the hero of his new “Hobbit sequel’’ as Bingo Bolger-Baggins. He wore wooden shoes, hosted parties, and had none of the gravitas of the Ring-bearer we know.
It took Tolkien years to discover that Bingo wasn’t the one meant to save the world; Frodo was.
2. Aragorn Was Once a Hobbit
In the earliest drafts, the mysterious ranger in the corner of The Prancing Pony was not a long-lived Dúnedain at all.
He was a weather-beaten Hobbit named “Trotter.”
And yes, he wore wooden shoes that clacked when he walked.
Only much later did Tolkien realise that the future King Elessar could not be so small.
3. Sauron Was Once a Divine Blacksmith Who Loved Order More Than Power
Many know Sauron began as a Maia named Mairon. Few know his original obsession wasn’t domination, it was perfection.
He aligned with Morgoth not out of fear, but because Morgoth offered him the one thing he desired above all: a perfectly structured world, free of chaos.
So, Evil began with tidiness, apparently! It’s the kind of meticulous attention to detail that any fan might admire, whether arranging their library, dark armies, or even their morning coffee!
4. Middle-earth’s Moon Was Originally a Vessel Piloted by a Man
Before Tolkien settled into the mythos we know, one of his earliest worldbuilding drafts described the Moon as: A great silver ship, sailed across the sky by a lonely mariner.
This was proto-Eärendil, long before he gained a star. In an abandoned tale, the moon-mariner accidentally dropped moonlight onto Middle-earth, creating fireflies.
5. Galadriel Rebelled Against the Valar Long Before the Silmarils Even Existed
Contrary to the published Silmarillion, Tolkien later rewrote Galadriel’s motivations: She didn’t sail out of vengeance, pride, or because of Fëanor.
She left because her heart hungered for lands unshaped, a realm where she might rule something of her own making.
She sought Middle-earth before the Noldor even dreamed of rebellion.
6. The Ents Were Created Because Tolkien Hated a Shakespeare Scene
Tolkien despised the idea in Macbeth that the prophecy “Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come” turned out to be soldiers carrying branches.
He called it “cheating.” So he vowed to write a world where trees really did march, and thus the Ents awoke.
7. The Ring Has No Canonical Physical Size
Tolkien left contradictory notes about the One Ring’s appearance. In some drafts, it grows and shrinks. In others, only the wearer’s perception changes. In yet others, it is explicitly of fixed size.
Canonically? It’s a mystery. On purpose.
Tolkien wanted the Ring to feel wrong, even in description. Perhaps that’s why fans often find themselves drawn to little tokens of Middle-earth, simple reminders of the story’s magic, whether tucked on a desk or hung on a wall.
8. There Was Once a Time When Orcs Were Not Created by Morgoth
In one abandoned myth version, orcs were not corrupted Elves or twisted Men, they were beasts that imitated the speech of their masters.
Tolkien scrapped this because it made their moral status too ambiguous, but he was never fully satisfied with any explanation.
9. Gandalf Feared the Balrog Because of a Far Older Enemy
When Gandalf confronts Durin’s Bane on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm, he knows exactly what he faces.
Why the fear?
Because in earlier ages, Gandalf, then Olórin, served under the Vala Manwë, who waged centuries of war against Morgoth’s legions. Olórin had seen Balrogs unbound by time, fire without skin, terror without form.
Durin’s Bane was not the first Balrog he met. It was simply the first he met while wearing a frail mortal body. It’s no wonder fans of Gandalf seek out little reminders of his wisdom and courage, small tokens of Middle-earth that bring the wizard’s presence into everyday life.
10. The Shire Was Nearly Invaded by Werewolves
Tolkien toyed with an early plot where werewolves from the North, servants of the Necromancer, began creeping into Eriador.
Their attacks would have forced the Hobbits out of their complacency much earlier.
He later replaced them with the creeping dread of Black Riders.
11. Sam Was Originally the Hero of the Entire Story
Tolkien declared in multiple letters: “The chief hero, in my eyes, is Samwise.”
This wasn’t metaphorical. Sam was originally drafted as the primary protagonist, meant to carry the emotional and moral centre of the narrative.
Frodo carried the Ring. Sam carried the soul of the book.
12. There Was Meant to Be a Sequel Where Evil Resurged
Tolkien wrote a partial sequel called The New Shadow, set 100 years after Aragorn’s death.
It explored:
Secret cults in Gondor
A resurgence of Sauron-worship
Children playing at Orcs
He abandoned it because it was too bleak, and because he believed evil always returns, but not always with dragons.
13. The Dwarves’ Secret Language Was So Private, Tolkien Refused to Publish It
Khuzdul, the dwarven tongue, is barely shown in the books because Tolkien modelled it on Semitic languages and treated it with the same cultural sacredness.
He intentionally hid most of the vocabulary.
Even in his notes, it is one of the least-developed languages, on purpose.
14. Helm Hammerhand Might Have Been a Semi-Mythical Berserker
Some Rohirric legends describe Helm as going barehanded into battle, untouched by blade or frost.
But in one lost note, Tolkien hints that the tales are exaggerated:
“Helm was great among Men, but not more than a man.”
He intentionally left us to wonder how much of Helm’s story is truth, and how much is campfire boasting.
15. Gandalf’s Return Was Not Resurrection, It Was Reforging
When Gandalf the Grey fell, he did not simply die. He was unmade, then “sent back” by Eru himself.
His new body was not merely a healed version; it was a recreated vessel, reshaped to hold more of his true Maia nature. A reforged sword in the shape of a man.
That sense of renewal, of returning stronger than before, is something we like to carry into our own mornings, one thoughtful sip at a time.
16. Tom Bombadil Was Almost Cut, Not for Being Strange, But for Being Too Powerful!
Tolkien considered removing Bombadil not because he was odd, but because:
He made the Ring irrelevant.
The Ring had no power over him. He could break the story’s tension with a single shrug.
A godlike figure who made evil look small had no place in a narrative of creeping dread.
But Tolkien loved him too much to let him go.
17. A Fifth Hobbit Was Nearly Added to the Fellowship
At one stage, Tolkien considered sending Fatty Bolger, the hobbit who stayed behind in the Shire, on the quest. In early drafts, Fatty travelled as far as Bree before Tolkien realised he didn’t quite fit the tone.
He went home, and history moved on without him.
18. Elvish Immortality Has One Hidden Catch
Elves do not die of old age, but they can die of grief, a condition Tolkien called “fading.”
A broken heart can end an immortal life.
In fact, this is the quiet reason Elves depart Middle-earth: the very land is dying around them, and they feel every wound more deeply than mortals ever could.
19. Smaug Was Not the Last Dragon
In a late note, Tolkien wrote: “Not all the dragons are gone.”
This implies that somewhere in the unknown corners of the East, beyond the Sea of Rhûn, past the last pages of the legendarium, there were still dragons sleeping beneath starlight.
The world after the War of the Ring was not as safe as we imagine.
20. The Final Secret: Middle-earth Is Our Earth
Many fans know Tolkien said Middle-earth is our world in an ancient epoch.
But few realise the secret hidden in the name.
“Middle-earth” doesn’t mean “middle of the map.”
It comes from the Old English *middan-geard*: the world of mortal Men, bordered by lands both heavenly and hellish.
Middle-earth is not a place in time. It's the human condition.
Closing the Vault
These twenty secrets, pulled from forgotten drafts, dusty linguistic notes, and abandoned myth cycles, remind us of a truth Tolkien himself lived by: “The tale grows in the telling.”
Middle-earth was never static.
• It shifted like the light of Laurelin and Telperion.
• It breathed.
• It evolved.
• It hid truths in the folds of time.
For fans, that’s the magic of The Lord of the Rings: the world feels alive, as if it exists just beyond the pages, waiting for us to step inside. Every character, every corner of the Shire, every shadow in Mordor carries a story that sparks wonder, curiosity, and endless debate. We love how Tolkien didn’t just tell a story; he created a universe, rich with languages, history, and heart.
Let these secrets be your map. There are always more doors to open.
At Craftorb, we share that same love for Tolkien’s world. Every piece we create is uniquely designed by fans, inspired by the stories, characters, and moments that make Middle-earth feel alive. Our items are thoughtfully crafted here in the UK, with attention to detail and quality, so each one is a little treasure you won’t find on Amazon. If you want to explore these creations and bring a piece of Middle-earth magic into your own home, just follow the path here.
We hope you’ve enjoyed wandering through these hidden corners of Tolkien’s world as much as we have. Middle-earth is full of mysteries, and we’d love to hear your thoughts. Did any of these secrets surprise you? Do you have your own lesser-known Tolkien treasures to share? Feel free to leave a comment and add your own discoveries to the conversation.
If you are into the fantasy genre and play DnD, you might also be interested in this blog.
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