Poems and songs were a common motif in both the novel and film versions of . In both J. R. R. Tolkien's novel and Peter Jackson's film adaptations, poems and songs were often interchangeable. For example, in the chapter "A Conspiracy Unmasked" from Tolkien's , as poetry. Jackson often set Tolkien's poetry to music to make it even more interesting and memorable. In the real world, poems and songs were some of the oldest forms of storytelling; before the invention of writing, cultures passed down their stories through oral traditions.
Poems and songs were crucial to . The characters used poetry for encouragement, mourning, celebration, and learning.
The most well-known poem in Tolkien's entire legendarium was the verse about the Rings of Power. In a memorable scene from the chapter "The Shadow of the Past" from , — which appeared on the One Ring's inscription — to Frodo: "One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them." This poem was so important to that some versions of Tolkien's novel opened with it before the main body of the text.
The characters of used poetry as a coping mechanism to deal with negative emotions. Shortly after leaving the Shire, the hobbits were overwhelmed with uncertainty and weariness about the journey ahead. To raise their spirits, Frodo recited "The Road goes ever on and on," a poem that Bilbo had taught him. In Jackson's , Gandalf and Bilbo both sang sections of this same poem. , poetry again assuaged their worries. In the chapter "A Knife in the Dark" from Tolkien's , Aragorn "began to tell them tales to keep their minds from fear.
" These tales came in the form of poems, such as the song of Beren and Lúthien.
This too appeared in Jackson's films under a different context; in the extended edition of , Aragorn sang this to himself when missing Arwen, which Frodo overheard when he woke up. Much later in the novel, Sam made up a song while in Cirith Ungol to give himself the courage to . Characters used poetry to deal not only with fear but also with grief. During Boromir's funeral at the Falls of Rauros, Aragorn and Legolas sang a lament for their fallen ally. Frodo likewise recited a lament for Gandalf following his seeming demise at the hands of the
Balrog in the Mines of Moria.
The characters of also used poetry in times of celebration. The hobbits knew many drinking songs that they often performed while dancing on tables, such as "Ho Ho Ho to the Bottle I Go" and "The Man in the Moon Stayed Up Too Late." Setting poems to a rhythm encouraged fellow patrons of the establishments to join in on the fun. These songs reflected the hobbits' jovial nature that could shine through in the rare instances they were not facing mortal peril. Hobbits were not the only characters who repeated celebratory poems. , the Gondorians composed "Long live the Halflings! Praise them with great praise!" in honor of the story's heroes.
This tradition of celebratory poetry stretches back to , in which Bilbo and the Dwarves sang many cheerful ditties like "Chip the glasses and crack the plates." Poetry allowed the characters of Tolkien's legendarium to access and convey emotions in ways that regular conversation could not.
Poetry communicated history, and it introduced the audience to new characters and cultures. Shortly after the Fellowship arrived at Lothlórien
, Legolas used poetry to teach both his companions and readers the historical context for what had befallen the realm. In the chapter "Lothlórien" from , he recounted the Lay of Nimrodel, which explained "how sorrow came upon Lothlórien, Lórien of the Blossom, when the Dwarves awakened evil in the mountains." Similarly, in the Mines of Moria, Gimli chanted the Song of Durin, a long poem outlining .
Poetry often provided characters and readers with some of the earliest exposure to Middle-earth's other cultures. At Rivendell, Bilbo spoke a poem about Eärendil the Mariner, which made Frodo envision the breadth and majesty of the Elves' culture in a new way.
While traveling to Edoras, Aragorn recited the poem "Where Now the Horse and the Rider?" His purpose was to make Legolas and Gimli think about the Rohirrim in a way that they had not before. A simpler example of poetry introducing culture came in the chapter "Treebeard" from The chapter's eponymous Ent repeated a poem to teach Merry and Pippin "the lore of living creatures," which listed the many species and races of Middle-earth.
The characters of also used poetry to pass messages to each other. The Riddle of Strider, which began with the famous line "All that is gold does not glitter," appeared multiple times throughout
. The first instance was at the end of a letter from Gandalf to Frodo read in the chapter "Strider" from . This poem , indicating to Frodo that he was trustworthy. In the chapter "The White Rider," Gandalf delivered a triad of poems from Lady Galadriel to the Fellowship that served as messages of warning and prophecy. "Where now are the Dúnedain, Elessar, Elessar?" foreshadowed Aragorn's journey through the Paths of the Dead, "Legolas Greenleaf long under tree" prepared Legolas for his future sea-longing and "Lock-bearer, wherever thou goest my thought goes with thee" urged Gimli to exercise caution.
Another example occurred when Elrond's sons brought Aragorn a message from their father, which exhorted him to remember the poem of Malbeth the Seer. This poem advised Aragorn to gain .
Poetry connected the stories and characters of . Many of , altered to show the differences in their journeys. Near the start of , Merry, and Pippin sang "Farewell we call to hearth and hall," which shared its meter, rhyme scheme, and even a few entire lines with "Far over the Misty Mountains cold" from
.
Likewise, in the aforementioned "The Road Goes Ever On and On," Frodo changed the line "pursuing it with eager feet" to "pursuing it with weary feet" since he was less optimistic about his travels than Bilbo. For Jackson's , Pippin actor Billy Boyd wrote a melody for "The Road Goes Ever on and on," to be performed during the dinner with Denethor. This connected one of the last scenes of the film trilogy with one of the earliest scenes of the novel. Aragorn's poems also connected him to other pieces of Tolkien's legendarium. He chose to recite the song of ; Beren was a mortal Man in love with the immortal Elf Lúthien, just as Aragorn was a mortal Man in love with the immortal Elf Arwen.
Poetry's significant role in stemmed from Tolkien's passion for it. Before writing his Middle-earth legendarium, Tolkien garnered attention in academic circles for his translations and analysis of ancient epic poems like . He also published books of original poetry and songs, namely and . that he even reworked classic nursery rhymes that did not meet his standards. "The Man in the Moon Stayed Up Too Late" was an iteration of "Hey Diddle Diddle" that Tolkien created for because he found the original nonsensical. Though Jackson cut this song from film trilogy, he brought it back for , sung by
Bofur at Rivendell. The use of poetry strengthened the storytelling of by creating a long-lasting narrative through lines. For example, Bilbo repeats the poem "The Road goes ever on and on" one last time near the end of the story, when on their way back home. In both the novel and the films, poetry was never dull or dry, because it captured the excitement of romance, joy, urgency, and even fear.
