Wouldn’t it have been great to see Mirrormere in ‘Fellowship of the Ring?’
From 2001 to 2003, Sir Peter Jackson released his Lord of the Rings trilogy of films based on the acclaimed work by J. R. R. Tolkien. The movies were massive critical and financial successes, walking away with seventeen Academy Awards and helping to change the public perspective on fantasy films. To this day, the Middle-earth trilogy maintains a powerful grip on popular culture thanks to its unique aesthetic, phenomenal cast, and gorgeous landscape shots of New Zealand.
When adapting a work as rich and detailed as Tolkien’s, it’s natural that not every location will survive the switch between mediums. Though this is understandable, some of these places offered more detailed looks at Middle Earth or were the location for important conversations and events that furthered the plot. These are every major book location missing from the Lord of the Rings movies, landmarks and dwellings that could’ve further enriched Jackson’s take on Middle-earth.
9 Wellinghall
Should’ve Appeared in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers’ (2002)
After escaping their Uruk Hai captors, the hobbits Meriadoc Brandybuck (Dominic Monaghan) and Peregrin Took (Billy Boyd) flee into the ancient Fangorn Forest. Here, they meet Treebeard (John Rhys Davies), the oldest of the ancient tree shepherds known as Ents. They inform Treebeard of the actions of the fallen wizard, Saruman (Sir Christopher Lee), which leads to the Last March of the Ents as they go to war against the orcs of Isengard.
Before calling the Entmoot in the book, Treebeard brings Merry and Pippin to his home of Wellinghall, a beautiful creation made from trees forming a roofless hall in a stone cave, with a stream of water creating a curtain between the outside and inside. There, Treebeard gives the hobbits Ent-draught to drink, causing them to grow and become the tallest hobbits ever recorded. Wellinghall’s omission is understandable to keep the pacing dire, and the hobbits drink the Ent-draught in the extended edition, but it still offered an interesting look at the lives of the Ents by showing what one of their houses looks like.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
- Release Date
- December 18, 2002
- Director
- Peter Jackson
- Cast
- Bruce Allpress , Sean Astin , John Bach , Sala Baker , Cate Blanchett , Orlando Bloom
- Runtime
- 179 minutes
- Writers
- J.R.R. Tolkien , Fran Walsh , Philippa Boyens , Stephen Sinclair , Peter Jackson
8 The Eyrie of the Eagles
Should’ve Appeared in ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ (2012)
During their journey to the Lonely Mountain, Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), Gandalf the Grey (Sir Ian McKellen), and thirteen dwarves are chased up pine trees by worgs and orcs led by Azog the Defiler (Manu Bennett). Though the company tries to fight back, they are eventually forced off the cliffside. Fortunately, they are rescued by giant eagles, who take them to the other side of the Misty Mountains.
While The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey ends with the eagles depositing the heroes, in the book, they are taken to their eyrie high on the mountaintops, where they provide the company with food while Gandalf negotiates with their leader for further transportation. Since the films removed the eagle’s ability to speak, it’s understandable why this location was cut. However, the lack of speech from the eagles is a contributing factor to their perceived status as plot holes in the films since they cannot explain their reasons for only helping part of the way.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
- Release Date
- December 14, 2012
- Director
- Peter Jackson
- Cast
- Martin Freeman , Ian McKellen , Richard Armitage , Ken Stott , Cate Blanchett , Ian Holm , Christopher Lee , Hugo Weaving , James Nesbitt , Elijah Wood , Andy Serkis
- Runtime
- 169 minutes
- Writers
- Fran Walsh , Philippa Boyens , Peter Jackson , Guillermo del Toro
7 Drúadan Forest
Should’ve Appeared in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’ (2003)
As the forces of Mordor prepare to attack Minas Tirith, the capital city of Gondor, Pippin lights a signal fire that leads to the lightning of a series of beacons. The fires eventually reach the kingdom of Rohan, Gondor’s ally, which had recently survived an invasion from Saruman. Honoring the alliance, King Théoden (Bernard Hill) musters his riders and travels south to save the city.
To avoid being spotted by the orcs in the book, Théoden and his riders travel through Drúadan Forest, a stretch of wildwood inhabited by tribesmen known as the Drúedain. Théoden meets with their chief, Ghân-buri-Ghân, who shows the Rohirrim a safe path in exchange for their promise to respect the boundaries of the woods and aid them in driving away the orcs. While not a major loss, the absence of the Drúedain is unfortunate because it denies audiences the chance to see another faction of men and see the politics of Middle Earth in action.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
- Release Date
- December 17, 2003
- Director
- Peter Jackson
- Cast
- Noel Appleby , Alexandra Astin , Sean Astin , David Aston , John Bach , Sean Bean
- Runtime
- 201 minutes
- Writers
- J.R.R. Tolkien , Fran Walsh , Philippa Boyens , Peter Jackson
6 The Old Forest
Should’ve Appeared in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’ (2001)
During the Second Age, a great forest stretched across Middle Earth, where the Elves taught the trees how to wake up and talk to one another. Unfortunately, it got destroyed during the wars with Sauron (Alan Howard) and was felled by human expansion, but a small section survived near the borders of the Shire. It is called the Old Forest by the hobbits, who built a barrier hedge to keep the moving trees from entering their lands.
Since Fangorn also fulfills the role of an ancient forest brimming with magic, it’s understandable why Jackson removed this section, even if it is disappointing. It offers Frodo (Elijah Wood), Sam (Sean Astin), Merry and Pippin their first taste of adventure and the dangers of the world outside the Shire and helps to highlight how inexperienced the heroes are. At the least, the extended edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers includes a scene where Merry and Pippin run into a sentient tree that nearly kills them, which references Old Man Willow, an evil willow tree from the Old Forest.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
- Release Date
- December 19, 2001
- Director
- Peter Jackson
- Cast
- Elijah Wood , Ian McKellen , Orlando Bloom , Sean Bean , Alan Howard , Sean Astin , Andy Serkis , Viggo Mortensen
- Runtime
- 178 minutes
5 Farmer Maggot’s House
Should’ve Appeared in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’ (2001)
Perhaps the most wasted character in the Lord of the Rings movies is Farmer Maggot (Cameron Rhodes), a hobbit farmer who wishes to tend to his land in peace. In the movies, he is shown chasing after Merry and Pippin when they steal his crops, and then later points a Nazgul towards Hobbiton when it asks about “Baggins.” Meanwhile, the book paints Maggot as perhaps one of the bravest individuals in the books, and his home offers the hobbits a moment of rest before the next leg of the journey.
Over dinner, Maggot tells Frodo, Sam, and Pippin about his encounter with a black rider, who offered him gold for information about Frodo; rather than accept, Maggot refused him and threw him out of his land. He then personally escorts the younger hobbits to Buckleberry Ferry so they can meet up with Merry in Buckland, despite how dangerous the roads are. Maggot’s homestead offered a chance to see the hospitality among hobbits and remind Frodo of the average, everyday people of Middle Earth that he would be saving by taking the One Ring to Mordor.
4 Buckland
Should’ve Appeared in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’ (2001)
While most might assume hobbits only live in the Shire, there is a small, independent community called Buckland found on the east side of the Brandywine River and bordered by the Old Forest. Inhabited mainly by the Brandybuck family, the community is less isolated than the Shirefolk and always ready for a fight. Frodo originally grew up in Buckland until his parents died in a boating accident, and he moved to Hobbiton to live with his uncle, Bilbo.
Buckland’s absence in the films streamlines Frodo’s departure from the Shire. In the books, rather than just leave home with his supplies and a walking stick, Frodo covers his tracks by selling his house at Bag End and moving to Crickhollow, allowing him to slip away into the Old Forest unseen. Had Buckland been included in the movies, it would have been a fun chance to show the differences between the two communities of hobbits and give some more characterization to Merry.
3 Mirrormere
Should’ve Appeared in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’ (2001)
During the journey to Mordor, the fellowship is forced to pass through the Mines of Moria, leading to a showdown with a demonic Balrog and Gandalf’s death. Shortly after escaping the mines, Gimli (John Rhys Davies) realized that they were close to Mirromere, a dark and deep lake shaped like a spearhead. Gimli takes Frodo and Sam with him to look upon the lake, where they see the crown of King Durin.
Including Mirromere might have killed some of the dramatic tension following Gandalf’s death, but it is one of the most beautiful moments for Gimli and gives some insight into dwarven culture. Gimli sings The Song of Durin, a somber ballad about the history of the first dwarf king, Durin, and how the dwarves wait for his return. Without this scene or other examples of his love of the natural world, the movie version of Gimli is left to be little more than comic relief.
2 Tom Bombadil’s House
One of the Most Powerful Beings in Middle Earth
In the book, after nearly dying to Old Man Willow, the hobbits are rescued by Tom Bombadil, a mysterious little man who loves to sing and dance. He invites them back to his home and introduces them to his wife, Goldberry. Despite his unassuming appearance, Tom is one of the most powerful characters in The Lord of the Rings and is completely immune to the tempting power of the One Ring itself.
Tom Bombadil is consistently cut from Lord of the Rings adaptations because of how little he moves the plot forward, but he remains one of Middle Earth’s most enigmatic and fascinating characters. He is an example of how not everything needs to be explained in a story and that there are forces at play who do not care for power or control and rather wish to live a life free of evil. Interestingly, Tolkien also used Tom to show the dangers of such a philosophy, since if Tom were to be given the One Ring for safekeeping, he would likely forget about it or just not understand the importance of it, thus dooming the world.
1 The Barrow-Downs
Should’ve Appeared in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’ (2001)
After leaving Tom Bombadil’s house, the hobbits cross the Barrow Downs, which had long been the burial place for the men of the north. Following wars with the Witch King of Angmar (Lawrence Makoare and Andy Serkis) that destroyed the kingdom of Arnor, evil spirits called Barrow Wights inhabited the region. One of these wights lures the hobbits into its tomb and nearly kills them.
The Barrow-Downs are one of the most atmospheric and suspenseful moments in the trilogy. The imagery of Sam, Merry, and Pippin sleeping with a blade across their throats while a pale hand reaches for it is genuinely terrifying, but it offers Frodo his first chance to be heroic when he saves their lives. The hobbits also obtain enchanted swords from the barrows built specifically to kill the Nazgul, which Merry uses to stab the Witch King in the leg in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, setting him up for Éowyn (Miranda Otto) to finish.
This article was originally published on collider.com