If you were looking for a Lord of the Rings meme to spice up your Friday, then you’ve come to the right place. One Middle Earth mainstay took to Reddit to express a fan theory that has been seemingly overlooked for over 20 years. More than that, the darker ramifications of a concept like that have left LoTR fans holding back tears.
If you needed a quick refresher on Peter Jackson’s epic saga: At the end of The Return of the King, after Frodo and Sam have destroyed the ring, Smeagol/Gollum has died, and all hope seems lost for our wayward heroes — the Great Eagles arrive to save the day, and shepherd the little Hobbits away from danger. Except now, the fact that three Eagles showed up makes more sense.
Sending two is justified, obviously, because Frodo and Sam both needed a lift, but the third Eagle ends up going home empty- handed all because poor old Smeagol fell into a pool of lava. Ouch. The point is that Gandalf sent three Eagles because even after all the unspeakable evil, he thought that Smeagol could have been redeemed. …We’re not crying, you’re crying.
Yet it’s Gandalf and co.’s undeniable optimism in the face of supreme evil that makes The Lord of The Rings so captivating in the first place. As a film franchise, as a book series, these tales of adventure encapsulate the human experience in a way only fantasy can — and reveals to readers the simple truth that with a kind heart and perseverance, anything can be overcome.