The original trilogy of Lord of the Rings movies was receiving its flowers for the millionth time the other day, when somebody on Twitter went mildly viral for claiming that watching them would «change who you are as a person» if you watched them with the attention that they deserve.

While this might seem hyperbolic to the uninitiated, this is a very standard point of view for a loyal LOTR fan. There are few pieces of art that can claim to have moved and inspired as many as the combined works of J.R.R. Tolkien and Peter Jackson have, and that is a mighty achievement.

This is only further proven by the thriving pastime of creating, enjoying, and sharing LOTR-related memes. They may not have been a part of the original creative vision, but they give countless Middle-earth nerds out there a lot of joy on a regular basis.