Middle-earth Misconceptions

[Boromir88]

This idea came up while I've been doing some prep for my Lord of the Rings DnD campaign. (Which if acceptable, I might post a campaign diary on the forums - maybe in Middle-earth Mirth? Mithadan?) I was looking into the lore on Beruthiel and her cats (the little that we have) and was surprised to find out she actually hated her cats. I always assumed the "cats of Queen Beruthiel" that she employed as spies and almost everyone seemed to avoid, at least Beruthiel loved her cats. I had this impression she was in a loveless marriage and was the "old, lonely cat lady." But no, she's even more evil, because she hated cats. She only captured them to torment them and make them her slaves.

One from the movies that's always ground my gears is the "Scottish dwarf" used as comic relief. This doesn't seem to be strictly a Peter Jackson thing, more of a generic modern fantasy stereotype that all dwarves are Scottish and comical. That doesn't mean that Tolkien's dwarves didn't have humorous moments, but what I most associate with their history is bitter-sweet and one of decline. Dwarves make great works of craftsmanship, have it taken from them, they go to war to reclaim what was taken, and usually they win but at a great cost. Their story is not comical at all (and from my understanding one of Tolkien's biggest problems with how Disney depicted the dwarves in "Snow White.")

What are your "Middle-earth Misconceptions?" Anything you thought was true for the longest time and were surprised to find out, that it was not true? Any misconceptions from others, because of the movie adaptations or Amazon show that kind of (or even seriously) annoy you?

[Bêthberry]

I used to think that the chapter "The Scouring of the Shire" referred to the ransacking of it by Sharkey and his ruffians and minions. However, thinking more about the chapter, and particularly its absence from the Jackson movie, caused me to realise that scouring really referred to the cleansing that Frodo and the Hobbits had to do to rid the Shire of Sharkey's influence.

Not often that an omission by Jackson could lead to correcting a misconception of the book.

[Mithalwen]

Until the films came out, I thought the hair on hobbit feet was on the soles...

[Mithadan]

Dredging deep into my memory, I can come up with initial impressions of Middle Earth that turned out to be incorrect.

I read The Hobbit before I was even aware that LoTR existed. So, I viewed the book as a stand-alone story and not part of an extended history (which, of course, was what JRRT initially intended). I recall having the impression that Elves were otherworldly ethereal beings that were silly and either chaotic folk that engaged in mischief or were actually hostile to men. This is not unlike other mythical races, sprites, etc. This impression was probably a combination of the myths I had been exposed to via westernized fairy tales and how Tolkien presented the Elves ("Tra la la lally" and the ill-tempered and secretive Elves of Mirkwood).

[Computer Idiot]

Yes, Star trek used "Scotty" as the comic relief guy with his scottish accent remarks. Very similar, except he was not a dwarf. That was 1966 , so they may have stolen it from LOTR. I had no idea LOTR was written so long ago.

[Snowdog]

I'm not sure if it was a misconception or a misunderstanding. When I first read Lord of the Rings, in the chapter 'Window of the West' there is the reference of the blood of Westernesee in reference to Faramir. Of course I had no clue about Numenor or their lineage and such. It wasn't until I fine-combed the appendices that I started to figure it out.