How Many Lord Of The Rings Characters Can You Name?
- by Ben Sherlock
- – on
- in Movies and TV
As far as movie adaptations of novels go, Peter Jackson’s big screen version of JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy is about as epic as they come. All three movies were huge box office hits, a smash at the Oscars, and won over every single critic in the world with their sweeping visuals and big battle sequences and attention to character development. They’re brilliant movies, but they’re certainly not easy to watch. If you’re going to sit through the entire trilogy, then you need to really commit to it. Unhook the phone line, close all the drapes, turn off all the lights, and spend an entire day watching them. In total, these movies are like ten hours long – and that’s before you get into Jackson’s different extended cuts of all of them. Over the course of those ten or so hours, we’re introduced to a huge cast of characters of a bunch of different races. There are hobbits, orcs, dwarves, elves, ents, you name it. Only the world’s biggest fan of The Lord of the Rings trilogy has seen it enough to remember all of these characters. Take this quiz to see how many of them you can name!
Who is this skilled archer?
This character is a masterful archer who holds the official title of the Prince of the Woodland Realm. He carries around a Mirkwood bow, and later the Bow of the Galadhrim, since he’s one of the most skilled archers in Middle earth, and all great artists need a great instrument to play with. He also, just for safe keeping, carries around a huge knife for short range combat. He’s played by Orlando Bloom in the movie trilogy. Who is he?
Who is this Lady of Rivendell?
This character is played by the great Liv Tyler in Peter Jackson’s movie trilogy. Tyler is a staple of nerdy sci-fi movies, since she was also in The Incredible Hulk and Armageddon. She has the power of telepathy, which is always cool. She is the Lady of Rivendell and she now holds the title of the Queen of the Reunited Kingdom. She is also half elf and half human, so she is fluent in Elvish. Who is this Lady of Rivendell?
Who is this dwarf?
This dwarf character is proficient in the use of battle axes and he’s become poster boy for the dwarves in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He is the son of Glóin and he’s played by the great actor John Rhys Davies in the three Peter Jackson helmed movies. This dwarf character currently holds the title of the Lord of the Glittering Caves in the canon. What is the name of this iconic dwarf character from The Lord of the Rings series?
Who is this wizard?
This beloved wizard character played by the wonderful Ian McKellen has appeared in all of Peter Jackson’s Middle earth movies, with a major role in each one. He’s famous for his wise quotes, like “A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to.” The character has been known as both “the Grey” and “the White,” and he belongs to the species of the Maia. What is the name of this wizard character from The Lord of the Rings?
Who is this short lived Sean Bean character?
Sean Bean characters don’t tend to last very long, and that’s exactly what happened to his character in The Lord of the Rings, who was killed off after not too long at all. This character is made fun of in the Seth Rogen comedy The Interview, in which James Franco tells Rogen, “You’re no longer Samwise to my Frodo – you’re ____,” and when Rogen says he doesn’t know who that is, Franco says, “That’s such a ____ thing to say.” Who is this short lived Sean Bean character?
Who is this Ranger of the North?
This character is the son of Arathorn and has belonged to both the Rangers of the North and the Fellowship of the Ring organizations. He’s played by the great Viggo Mortensen, who is now better known for roles in darker indie pieces like A History of Violence and Captain Fantastic and Eastern Promises. The character fought in the Battle of Helm’s Deep and the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. What is the name of this Ranger of the North character?
Who is this villain?
This guy is one of the main antagonists in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, so it’s only fitting that he is played in the movie version by Christopher Lee. See, Christopher Lee is an actor who is well versed in playing villainous roles, having brought the infamous Bram Stoker vampire foe Dracula to the big screen back in the day and also Count Dooku in the prequel trilogy of the Star Wars movies. Who is this iconic villainous character?
Who is the Lady of Light?
JRR Tolkien’s writings could be criticized for a lack of female characters, but at least the few female characters that are in his books are strong female characters. This one, who Cate Blanchett played in the movies, is the Lady of pretty much everything. She’s the Lady of Light, the Lady of the Galadhrim, the Lady of the Wood, and the Lady of Lórien. She’s one of the most iconic characters in all of Middle earth. Who is the Lady of Light?
Who is this half elf turned elf?
This half elf eventually decided he wanted to live out his days as a full on elf – an easy decision to make, since elves are immortal. He’s played by Hugo Weaving, who is no stranger to playing iconic pop culture characters. He also played the villainous role of Agent Smith in The Matrix trilogy, where he became known for his pronunciation of “Mr. Anderson,” and Red Skull in Captain America: The First Avenger (but not Infinity War – he was replaced for that one). Who is this character?
Who is this giant spider?
This huge spider is one of the final obstacles that Sam and Frodo face on their journey to destroy the One Ring in Mount Doom. Peter Jackson based his movie depiction of this big spider on one of the huge terrifying species of spider that used to terrorize him during his childhood in New Zealand. They have some really scary spiders over there, but it did give us a classic movie monster in the form of this LOTR character. Who is this giant spider?
Who is this hobbit?
This little hobbit character is the main protagonist of the entire Lord of the Rings story, as we follow his journey to get the One Ring to Mount Doom. He’s played by Elijah Wood, who has since gone on to become a star of weird, darkly funny projects, like the FX comedy show Wilfred and the Netflix movie I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore (which has a wordy title but is a good movie). Who is this hobbit character?
Who is this villain?
This guy is the true villain. He’s known as the Necromancer and he was even mentioned as far back as The Hobbit. By the time The Lord of the Rings begins, he is the Lord of Mordor and the Lord of the Earth and the Dark Lord and the Lord of Barad-dûr and the Lord of Gifts and even the Lord of the Rings – he’s the Lord of a lot of stuff. He can shapeshift and he’s as strong as Superman and he belongs to the same race as Gandalf. Who is he?
Who is this shrivelled, precious-seeking hobbit?
This character isn’t some horrible race of goblin or something like that. What a lot of people don’t realize is that he’s actually a hobbit who got all shrivelled up in his pursuit of the One Ring, which corrupted him and ruined his life. He now spends his days crawling around, looking for “my precious.” Andy Serkis’ portrayal of this character broke new ground in CGI technologies and motion capture. What is the name of this shrivelled, precious seeking hobbit?
Who is this ent?
This character is said to be the oldest ent of them all. He is a tree and he’s fourteen feet tall and he is essentially Groot before there was Groot. He was the big talking tree character who soaked up the scenery and stole the scenes from the other characters before Groot was doing that in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. He lives in the ancient Forest of Fangorn. What is the name of the eldest of the ent species?
Who is this hobbit?
The actor Dominic Monaghan is now best known for playing the role of Charlie, the drug addicted rock star, on the long running adventure drama series Lost on ABC, about a bunch of plane crash survivors on a mysterious remote island. But before all that, he played a major role in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. What is the name of this hobbit who accompanies the other hobbits on their journey with the Fellowship of the Ring?
Who is this shieldmaiden?
This character is one of the noble women of Rohan and she is also a shieldmaiden. She was played by Miranda Otto, who was also in The Thin Red Line and What Lies Beneath and also played the ex wife of Tom Cruise’s character in the Steven Spielberg alien invasion movie War of the Worlds. This character appears in the second movie, The Two Towers, and the third movie, The Return of the King. What is this shieldmaiden character’s name?
Who is this Ring-bearer?
This guy was the one who cut the One Ring out of Sauron’s hand and had the pleasure of wearing it until he was brought down and killed by a bunch of orcs. This character’s name literally means “devoted to the moon,” and a late note added to the books lists his height as seven feet tall. He is played by Harry Sinclair in both the first and third chapters of the movie trilogy by Peter Jackson. Who is this Ring-bearer?
Who is Galadriel’s husband?
This character is the husband of Galadriel, with whom he rules over Lothlorien. He was the father of Celebrían and therefore the father in law of Elrond and therefore the grandfather of Arwen and Elladan and Elrohir. Point is, this guy is related to a lot of the important characters in this fictional Middle earth universe. This character’s name means “tall, silver tree” in one of the many languages that JRR Tolkien invented. What is the name of the character?
Who is the King of Rohan?
The King of Rohan in The Lord of the Rings trilogy is played by Karl Urban, who has also been in the Star Trek movies and played 2000 AD’s Judge Dredd in the hard R rated reboot, so he’s famous among the geek community. Funnily enough, this character’s name literally translates as “horse famous.” So, does that mean they are famous among the horse community or they are a famous horse? Anyway, the real question is, what is this character’s name?
Who is this hobbit?
Sean Astin, the actor who played this hobbit in The Lord of the Rings movies, was in the last season of Stranger Things, but it was hard to shake his image as a hobbit from the Peter Jackson movie trilogy. A lot of people have noted the underlying homoeroticism of the relationship between this character of his good friend “Mr. Frodo,” but it is never made overtly clear in the movies themselves. What is the name of this hobbit character?
Who is this manipulative sycophant?
This character’s real name is Grima, which sounds like a female name, but he is actually a male. His name is taken from an old Icelandic word (or it might be from Old English) that means “specter” or “mask” or “helmet.” It also has links to the modern day word “grim,” which is sometimes used to mean “ugly.” He’s a liar and a manipulator and a sycophant and he’s based on the Beowulf character Unferth. Who is this manipulative sycophant?
Which villain’s eye is this?
The Dark Lord decided to represent himself as a fiery eye that stands tall above Mordor sometime during the Second Age and the Third Age. He’s the big bad villain of the whole The Lord of the Rings trilogy and this eye is the symbol that represents him to everybody. If the clouds part in just the right way over the skies of Mordor, then you can just about make out the eye in the distance. Which villain’s eye is this?
Who leads the Nazgul?
The Nazgul are also known as the Ringwraiths (or the Black Riders or the Dark Riders or the Nine Riders or just the Nine or whatever – they have a bunch of different names) and this guy is their leader. He is also known by the names “the Lord of the Nazgul” and “the Black Captain.” He is the primary servant of the Dark Lord, known to us as Sauron, and he is therefore in pursuit of the Fellowship of the Ring. Who leads the Nazgul?
Who is Sam’s wife?
The woman who would eventually become the wife of Samwise Gamgee was actually just a good friend of his throughout his childhood. It wasn’t until he went off to fight in the War of the Ring and prove himself that she suddenly decided to think of him romantically. When he got home, they got married and had a grand total of thirteen children: Elanor, Frodo, Rose, Merry, Pippin, Goldilocks, Hamfast, Daisy, Primrose, Bilbo, Ruby, Robin, and Tolman. What’s her name?
Who is this hobbit?
This hobbit is yet another one of the poor little hobbit kids from The Shire to get swept up in the Fellowship of the Ring’s quest to destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom. It’s not something he was ever planning on, but in the end, it changed him for the better. What is the name of this hobbit character who joined the Fellowship of the Ring on their quest in The Lord of the Rings trilogy?
Who is this poor sap?
This poor guy was the third bearer of the One Ring and he was related to Smeagol, before Smeagol fell in love with the Ring and demanded that he give it to him as a “birthday present.” Then Smeagol ended up killing him for it and becoming the shrivelled up little guy they call Gollum, after becoming entranced by the powers of the One Ring. He would never be the same again after he got his hands on the Ring. Who is this?
Who is this tall character?
According to JRR Tolkien’s difficult to understand language, this guy’s height is “more than man high by nearly half a ranga.” This character didn’t just appear in The Lord of the Rings trilogy – he was in a bunch of Tolkien stories, like Unfinished Tales and The Silmarillion. He was known as “the Tall” and “the Faithful” and “the Fair.” He’s a good guy. He was the father of Isildur and Anarion. What is the name of this Lord of the Rings character?
Who is the High King of the Noldor?
Upon poring through the lining notes alongside JRR Tolkien’s writings, fans have discovered that he considered making this character the son of the Fingon. Whether or not this is a true fact is highly disputed among the fans, as some studies would have you believe that he is, whereas some of the writers of those studies have admitted to making certain mistakes in the writing of them. Either way, he’s here now. What is the name of this LOTR character?
Who is this character who was slain in battle?
This character had quite a life. His mother had died in childbirth, so it already started off with tragedy and intrigue. And then he grew up with his cousin and became a fighter. This character was unfortunately killed in the First Battle of the Fords of Isen, so it all ended far too soon and ended with tragedy, too. His whole life was tainted by death. In the movies, he’s played by New Zealand actor Paris Howe Strewe. Who is he?
Who is this hobbit?
This character is the whole reason that the quest to destroy the One Ring kicks off in the first place. In fact, he had his own adventure with the ring (and with the Company of Dwarves and with a gold smuggling dragon named Smaug) in an earlier story (or later, if you’re only going off the movies) entitled The Hobbit. He plays a small role in The Lord of the Rings, but it is an important one. Who is this hobbit?
What army is this?
This glowing green ghostly, spectral army were also in the book, but in the book, they had a different name. In the book, they’re the Dead Men of Dunharrow. In the movie, their king spouts the following little poem: “The way is shut. / It was made by those who are Dead. / And the Dead keep it. / The way is shut.” In the book, he also adds on: “Until the time comes.” What is the name of this army?
Who is the Captain of the King’s Guard?
This character is in charge of protecting the King of Rohan from danger, which is a pretty big responsibility, especially during the tumultuous times of the War of the Ring. He has other responsibilities, too, which doesn’t help. He’s the guy who comes out to meet Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli at the door when they first arrive at Meduseld. We only ever get to see him in the second one, The Two Towers. Who is the Captain of the King’s Guard?
Who is the King of Rohan?
This guy is not only the King of Rohan, but he is also the Lord of the Mark. In the Peter Jackson directed movie trilogy, Bernard Hill is the actor who took on this role and he played it brilliantly. A lot of people are mean to this character – he needs to have thick skin. In the extended cut of The Return of the King, the third movie, Saruman insults this poor guy and calls him “a lesser son of greater sires.” Who is the King of Rohan?
Who is the Third Marshal of the Mark?
This character assumes the role of the Third Marshal of the Mark and he appears in both the second chapter of the trilogy, The Two Towers, and the third one, The Return of the King. The character was also featured in another book by JRR Tolkien called Unfinished Tales, which was finished and published by other people after he had died. He’s played by Bruce Phillips. Who is the Third Marshal of the Mark in The Lord of the Rings trilogy?
Who is this Man of Rohan?
This character is played by an actor named Bruce Hopkins in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. His name is taken from an Old English word that means “old man,” and that’s because his whole thing is being old. His name ends with “the Old” when he’s being referred to. Alexander is Alexander the Great, but this guy isn’t “the Great,” he’s “the Old.” What is the name of this older gentleman from The Lord of the Rings?