One of the best things about the LOTR is that it is big enough for lore to develop alongside the lore of the work itself.

There are just too many backstories behind it to ignore them when you are deep in an obsession with all things Lord of the Rings. For example, there are the infamous stories of things that happened behind the scenes during the filming, such as Viggo Mortensen sacrificing a couple of toes during the creation of The Two Towers, or kissing Billy Boyd to lighten the mood during Aragorn’s coronation scene in The Return of the King (also, apparently Liv Tyler still hasn’t seen all of the movies in full). There are plenty of bits and pieces just like this that only enrich yet another rewatch.

Perhaps this is a part of the reason that Tolkien fans are so keen to add to the series that they know and love by indulging in amusing memes that poke fun at their favorite scenes and characters. It is a testament to the strength of the work that it has withstood all these years of making silly jokes about it. There are two Middle-earths for those who love LOTR to enjoy: the worlds built up in the books and the movies, and the one that is parodied with love on the internet. While Tolkien’s most famous creation would undoubtedly have great longevity without the memes, it can’t be denied that they help it out in that department. They are also a testament to how many people love and enjoy what he wrote for us.