How amazingly cool is it that we have actually drawings by JRRT to show us his thoughts about certain topics? I mean, even if he later said those sketches were not to scale or whatever. It is just a wonderful thing.

@PatrickLongblkwhtrbbt

6 ай бұрын

I think it's part of the reason characters and locations in the various adaptations are instantly recognizable. Usually, something with many adaptations looks very different in each adaptation, but the Lord of the Rings has always had a certain look to it. But whether games, films, animations, etc, LOTR is just so iconic

@scottsmith2626

8 күн бұрын

😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

@scottsmith2626

8 күн бұрын

😊

I'm sure Aragorn also made Minas Tirith more beautiful to celebrate his love of Arwen and give her a lovely place to live.

@kaiserchief9319

6 ай бұрын

this.

@lynnerose7891

6 ай бұрын

Not really. Imladris was not particularly beautiful or anything. Aragorn and Arwen cared nothing about that. That was simply a byproduct of using Mithril. And Gimli was a great friend.

It's just insane how listening to this it feels like a proper history book. Tolkien depth in world building is insane.

I think JRRT would have loved that so many people love delving into the world he created, years after it was all written. I wish he'd gotten to see the movies.

@RingsLoreMaster

6 ай бұрын

Tolkien wanted others to add to what he had been the sub-creator of. " The [myth's] cycles should be linked to a majestic whole, and yet leave scope for other minds and hands, welding paint and music and drama...."

@NuisanceMan

5 ай бұрын

I don't think he would have liked the movies, honestly.

Am I the only one who never skips the intro because of Robert's great manner of talking? I especially like the variant with "the subscribe-button around here somewhere" 😊

I like to think that in addition to making Minas Tirith into more than a mighty citadel, into a true city of beauty, eventually Osgiliath was restored to being the "Citadel of the Stars" and that even Minas Ithil was someday rebuilt so that the three cities formed a shining belt across that part of the Anduin river valley.

@markstott6689

6 ай бұрын

I'm sure that eventually, it all came to be. It's the heart of Gondor, so having three fully fortified cities across the Anduin valley makes total sense. I'd also want Faramir to build a fortress town on Cair Andros, and once the population had fully recovered from war, I would rebuild the forts on the Undeeps. 😊😊❤😊😊

@spacemissing

6 ай бұрын

Aragorn declared that Minas Morgul was to be utterly destroyed because of the evil that had dwelt there.

@markstott6689

6 ай бұрын

@spacemissing Indeed. However, in later times, it is likely a new city was built. Guarding the route to Cirith Ungol would still be necessary. There's also the possibility that Shelob still lurks up there.

@istari0

6 ай бұрын

@@spacemissing And it was for a long time uninhabited but eventually the city would be rebuilt.

@NuisanceMan

5 ай бұрын

For the new kings of Gondor, such a restoration would have had its pluses and Minases.

It's simply awesome how deep and intricate JRR carved the middle earth universe. It's so complete im beginning to think Mr Tolkien and CS Lewis actually managed to step into these alternate realities.

@neildaly2635

6 ай бұрын

If there is a Tolkien alternate reality, I would go there and never come back.

@Marin3r101

6 ай бұрын

​@@neildaly2635 how many times are you gonna spam the same comment?

@ZENmud

6 ай бұрын

​@@neildaly2635 Delete these! All but one, for goodness' sake!

@bluesbest1

6 ай бұрын

That's part of why the online game is still so popular. It's one thing to watch the world in the movies or dream about it with the books, but it's a deeper experience to _live_ it, even via an in-game avatar. And not only can you visit the big names like Bag End, Rivendell, Moria, and Minas Tirith, but you can even go north and south of Bree, visit old Elven settlements around Fornost, explore the ruins of Arnor, and even go northwest of the Misty Mountains, north of Bilbo's route to the Lonely Mountain. Of course, it only works because the developers have kept it running for 16 years, which is absurdly long for a FTP game.

@readwithDavid

6 ай бұрын

@@Marin3r101 ...this is my first time reading his comment.

I'm rereading LotR and happened to watch this video just before reading the scene where the eagle announces the defeat of Sauron to the people of Minas Tirith. I'd never fully appreciated that scene, but knowing the history in this video makes the eagle's words incredibly moving: Sing now, ye people of the Tower of Anor, for the Realm of Sauron is ended for ever, and the Dark Tower is thrown down. Sing and rejoice, ye people of the Tower of Guard, for your watch hath not been in vain, and the Black Gate is broken, and your King hath passed through, and he is victorious. Sing and be glad, all ye children of the West, for your King shall come again, and he shall dwell among you all the days of your life. And the Tree that was withered shall be renewed, and he shall plant it in the high places, and the City shall be blessed. Sing all ye people!

I've watched your videos multiple times, I get lost in your voice and the lore. Keep it up.

I just now realised that Minas Anor and Minas Ithil were named after Anarion and Isildur, instead of "just" the sun and moon And with that realisation comes the appreciation that Minas Ithil was corrupted by the craft of Sauron, just like Isildur was. Tolkien was one smart cookie.

@istari0

6 ай бұрын

Except that Isildur was never really corrupted. Even on his final journey north, he was headed to Imadris to consult with Elrond about what to do about the Ring. With enough time, he would have been corrupted but he had not fallen that far yet.

@dusanbanovic5085

6 ай бұрын

And also the cities are in regions called Anorien and Ithilien respectively.

@allthatishere

6 ай бұрын

​@@istari0Did Elrond not tell the dummy preiously to throw the ring into the fires of Mount Doom? What more council did he need than that??

@OneTrueNobody

6 ай бұрын

@@allthatishere Isildur was incapable of taking any action that would or even held the possibility of causing harm to the Ring, even placing the Ring in fire to reveal the fire-writing. That was something even Frodo couldn't bring himself to do. But Isildur *was* journeying north partly with the intention of taking the Ring to Elrond on his way to Arnor. Whether he would have had the willpower to actually hand it over when it came to it is unknown, because he never arrived. But it was potentially this decision that prompted the Ring to abandon him to die.

@istari0

6 ай бұрын

@@allthatishere That would not have changed the outcome. Even if Isildur had listened to Elrond and tried to destroy the Ring, he would have failed in the end, just as Frodo did. Elrond would have not been able to throw it into Orodruin either. Tolkien wrote in one of his letters that no one could have willingly destroyed the One Ring.

if elves were visiting i feel like elisar took a lot from how they did things in their own places of living to make it look as beautiful as he did after the war.

Mithril not only looks good, but is very, very strong. Stronger than iron and steel I think. Good choice for a huge gate!

@kaiserchief9319

6 ай бұрын

is it stronger than Vibranium?

@Daniel-rd6st

6 ай бұрын

Question is where did they get all the material from? Frodos chainmail made of mithril supposedly was worth a small kingdom! My guess is only a few elements of the gate could have been mithril, maybe just coated. Otherwise Aragorn would have bancrupted his kingdom, especially with the rebuilding effort after the war :p

@MoritzGruber7

6 ай бұрын

@@Daniel-rd6st Good question, but I think there is an answer. First, even before the victory Gondor still uses mithril for some elements of the uniform of the guards of the citadel, so, it's got some of its own resources, possibly some reserves in some vault or so. Second, it will be on best terms with the Dwarves now. But most importantly, with the Balrog out of the way thanks to Gandalf, and the Orcs scattered by the fall of their lord, the Dwarves will make *yet again* an attempt to resettle Moria. (Gimli won't be part of the expedition; he will be fond of visiting Moria every now and then once it's resettled, but *he* will settle Aglarond.) And this time, the attempt will have a lasting success. There is mithril in the mines of Moria still, Balin's company found it too; so with the mines reopened, mithril becomes once again affordable. Very expensive still of course, but no longer out of relation to everything; perhaps going into the direction of its old price (10x its weight in gold).

@countofmontechristo6507

6 ай бұрын

​@@Daniel-rd6stEspecially as Durin VII would only reclaim Kazad-dûm sometime after FA 171. Maybe there were smaller expeditions before that that might have been able to retrive some of its riches?

@christophernemeth421

6 ай бұрын

It is said Sauron had a huge cache of mithril. Maybe they recovered it after the war

I love this channel so much, keep up the good work!

Thank you for another in depth analysis. 😊 I knew about Minas Anor/Minas Ithil, but I hadn't really appreciated how the 'Tower of Guard' was built up from basically a watch tower to a walled city. They may have been twins initially, but by the time of LOTR, Minas Morgul and Minas Tirith were very different!

When the Ring was cast back into the fire, and the forces of Sauron were broken at the Morannon, a great eagle flew to Minas Tirith and sang the following: Sing now, ye people of the Tower of Anor, for the Realm of Sauron is ended for ever, and the Dark Tower is thrown down. Sing and rejoice, ye people of the Tower of Guard, for your watch hath not been in vain, and the Black Gate is broken, and your King hath passed through, and he is victorious. Sing and be glad, all ye children of the West, for your King shall come again, and he shall dwell among you all the days of your life. And the Tree that was withered shall be renewed, and he shall plant it in the high places, and the City shall be blessed. Sing all ye people!

The best representation of the shining city on the hill.

In Deep Geek is a treasure. Keep up the great vids

*the very first image with a black outer wall appears* *looks exceedingly pleased*

It's strange that Minas means tower because I'm fairly certain in Portuguese it means "mine", like a coal mine, or an excavation. Kind of the opposite of a tower.

Thank you for this! I'm glad you are still making these videos. You have a great voice and delivery for doing this 👍

@krischanlive

6 ай бұрын

I'd listen to him read the whole thing as audiobook :)

8:52 The changes he made were not just cosmetic, he made it more beautiful :D :D

@festina_lente7655

6 ай бұрын

Ya I caught that too lol

Thank you! Currently reading the Silmarillion and got excited about the mention of Minas Tirith but thought it was a very casual mention in the book.

Sounds as though Minas Tirith became THE city on the hill.

The lord of the rings 😍😍😍😍😍

It's interesting to compare Minas Tirith as a high fantasy city with one from a grittier world such as Dros Delnoch.

Would love a video on what happens to mordor in the 4th age

Thank you Robert. As always, well done.

I would have LOVED to walk in Minas Tirith when all the efforts to beautify it were, in a way, matured. The tree lined streets, that glorious Naugrim-wrought gate. And if the Lords of the City allowed it, to stand in the shade of the new White Tree. She might not have become Gondolin, but the Telcontarian Minas Tirith probably remained a showcase of earlier, more... magical days, especially after the last Ship sailed, and King Elessar died.

@grossepointemichigan

5 ай бұрын

Tolkien said that it became, under the rule of Elessar, more glorious than even the days of its first glory.

Beautiful. Thanks Robert

Cant believe i never put it together that “anor londo” from dark souls is based off tolkiens work

Considering my favorite series of yours is the traveler's guide to game of thrones; I absolutely love this video and any location/world building content.

I've always surmised that Tolkien modeled Minas Tirith after Mnt St. Michelle, a real location in France where Tolkien had fought in WW1. And it does bare a striking resemblance to the city as described in the books, and in subsequent artworks by various artists, depicting Minas Tirith.

How much I wish I could visit Mina’s tirith. Ever since the first time I saw the return of the king in cinema (I was 13) I have been absolutely obsessed with it (and any mountain-embedded man-made structure, honestly). Sadly, I had to come to terms with the fact that nothing irl will ever compare to Mina’s Tirith.

Clearly, the best rapid-transit system for Minas Tirith would have been a funicular.

I would like to hear more descriptions of the architecture of places from the books

Superb as usual 👌

The walls of Minas Tirith remind me of the Walls on Paradis Island in Attack on Titan 😅

Great Video!

Considering how Minas Tirith was built over the years I kind of like the design of it in the films. All those buildings crammed into every free square inch, extending over and sometimes being part of the defensive works themselves. Makes it look like they've just kept adding things to it over generations. Though I do wish you could see some evolution in the architecture.

“There’s a subscribe button around here somewhere.” 😂

The architecture looks mesmerizing but I gotta ask...how the heck the plumbing works in that place?

Great commentary! 👍

Please please please, could you do a video together with some illustrations of them working to rebuild Minas Tirith and results. I'd love to see Gimli and his companions fortifying the gate. I'd love to see the dynamic between elves and men in Minas. What I wouldn't do for a 9 hour film depicting life after the war of the rings.

@semi-useful5178

6 ай бұрын

Alas that Tolkien died before he could finish his sequels.

@RingsLoreMaster

6 ай бұрын

He valued synthesizing the older stories with the newer ones. And spent a great deal of time trying to.

You know what I really dislike about most depictions of Minas Tirith? That the main tower is this cathedral like thin spire. Not the actual great tower of a medieval fortification I am pretty sure JRRT imagined it as.

@grossepointemichigan

5 ай бұрын

It is described as tall and shapely, so it must have been aesthetically pleasing, not just some blocky chunk of a tower.

Lovely job!👍

Thanks to you i have finally rewatched all the lotr films and started to get more into the lore. It's much easier and more entertaining with your super engaging and informative videos. Thanks again for all you do!

@krischanlive

6 ай бұрын

The audiobook is on here too, as well as Beren&Luthien, Children of Hurin etc, check it out ;)

@zackk6819

6 ай бұрын

@@krischanlive wow thanks I didn't expect the entire audiobook to be available for free!

@krischanlive

6 ай бұрын

@@zackk6819 its read by the gollum actor too :D youre welcome!

@krischanlive

6 ай бұрын

I always download those, because they get taken down by yt often ;)

I love the images you use from Lord of the Rings Online! More fans should join us there.

I’ve always wondered if Whiterun in Skyrim was inspired by LOTR because it looks like Rohan from the outside, but has the white tree like Gondor.

I always wondered why the Minas Tirith did not have water ditch or ditch with spikes and why the gate was not at least double (or triple) gate built under one or two strong towers, which was pretty common since very old times, as the gate was usually the weakest part of any fortification.

I liked more when the videos were a little longer like 20 to 40 min, but I probably watch more now on release cuz they are shorter, either way u like the content

Very interesting and informative. I must say Tower of Guard sounds a lot more romantic than Watchtower but I'm sure the latter is more pragmatic.

So what was Aragorn’s tax policy to pay for all the repairs and upgrades to Minas Tirith? 😂

@MoritzGruber7

6 ай бұрын

I think there's a video on that by our host, but the short answer I think is "having made friends". When both Gimli and Legolas talk about offering him the service of a company each from their peoples, led by themselves, they would have taken it as an insult if you had assumed they were asking for payment. Gimli may want, or at least Aragorn will insist on giving him, reimbursement for the material he uses (the kind of service the Elves will render is less materialintensive). All of them may want the occasional feast with food and drink. But there's that. After all, if you're helping a family you're friends with move houses, you don't expect any payment beyond pizza and beer, do you?

@scribblescribble

Ай бұрын

​@@MoritzGruber7 It's now my head-canon that Minas Tirith was rebuilt in exchange for mead and salted pork. 😂

@julianb4157

27 күн бұрын

@@scribblescribble And probably a few barrels of leaf.

Have you ever done the voice for the audio books?

i would love to see a diagram of the inside of minas tirith. there must be a labyrinth behind those levels

Line of the week (so far): “There’s a subscribe button around here somewhere.”

I find it interesting how you translated it as "watchtower", but in the books it is called the Tower of Guard. Thuh Watchtower, basically. (I hate when folks read, "the" as "thee".)

@kaiserchief9319

6 ай бұрын

(I hate when folks read, "the" as "thee". ??????

What interests me the most is the walls of the city. We see this unnamed material a couple of times in the story, and clearly, it is a supremely strong construction material; the Ents pounding the material in Orthanc did basically no damage at all, which is very impressive. I think this material gives a lot of insight into the other technological marvels Numenor could produce at its zenith. I can't help but wonder if this material is some sort of magical material or if it is more scientific in nature.

Minas Anor and Minas Ithil were originally satellite forts meant to guard Osgiliath. We see this in real life, with garrisons encircling capital cities. What I really like is that founders of Gondor designed the inner kingdom around their "religion": the Two Trees and the Silmaril in the center.

Man id hate to drag groceries to the top of that place xD

I love the "drone's eye view" of Minas Tirith... but I'm trying to decide if the buildings on each tier, as represented, are "single family dwellings" or huge "apartment buildings" holding a dozen or hundred families/soldiers/workers each? In short: what is the scale? Do we know a normal population for such an epic city?... On a lighter note: Mrs "Sage Level Housewife" shoos her Sage husband out the door of an early morn, saying: "Come'on, Sage, you best get moving now! You know how congested the ramp gets by 0730! You don't want to be late again." 😂😂😂❤

@Daniel-rd6st

6 ай бұрын

I doubt. There is also the question if they built into the mountain, which i find likely. For all we know, a lot of the population, especially the poorer folk, might have lived in the mountain.

The goat

FOR GONDOR!

Any chance of a Traveller's Guide to Arda?

Here's an interesting question How different do you think the silmarillion would have been if feanor had survived And do you think he could have made his own rings of power

@dandiehm8414

6 ай бұрын

If Feanor had survived he would have kept on blindly battling Morgoth until either or Melkor was destroyed - and Feanor never had a chance.

@julianb4157

27 күн бұрын

@@dandiehm8414 Agree. One elf vs. the mightiest of the Valar? That's only going to end one way. Even adding in Feanor's kin is offset by the maiar rallied to Melkor (in the form of balrogs) plus dragons and so on.

Hopefully they planted a whole forest of those trees, considering how much value they place on them.

Does anyone else feel like Tolkien was drawing a lot of inspiration for this From Constantinople?

What’s the best large map print of middle earth? I like detail. Anyone?

2:13 2:18

2:46 Hagia Sophia.

I have always been worried about the mountains behind the city. Couldn't an enemy army just conquer those mountains and just endlessly drop stuff, burning stuff, heavy stuff, onto the city? I have the same question about Helm's Deep. It should have been either at the front of the narrow or on top of the mountains.

@_Fornad

6 ай бұрын

Both Minas Tirith and the Hornburg were further out from the mountainside than is portrayed in the films. The Hornburg for instance had a complete circle of walls around it, and Minas Tirith was on a long 'arm' stretching out from the mountainside.

4:28 You say the Nazgul "recaptured Minas Ithil". That implies that they had previously held it at one point. Did the Nazgul occupy Minas Ithil?

I take it from this video that Middle Earth: Shadow Of War's first act wasn't accurate to the source material?

Oi fuckah, sweet video 🤙

How different do you think the Lord of the Rings would Be if beleriand never sunk under the sea

Anor Western Roman empire that fell. Minas Tirith Eastern Roman empire that lived on for a millenia.

Who built the great black outer wall, and when, and... HOW?

@dandiehm8414

6 ай бұрын

The Gondorians - the same craftsmen that built Orthanc. They also worked on Helm's Deep and the Argonath. They were BUSY!

@baystated

6 ай бұрын

@@dandiehm8414 Wow they built a lot with just exiles during the time of Elendil and his sons.

Breathe, man, breathe

I D G !!!!!

@ThommyofThenn

6 ай бұрын

Is good

Ok I got a question here How many troops Minas Morgul have after the battle of Pelennor Fields? For the sake of argument let’s assume every single one under Wich King’s command was dead. Minas Morgul still a large city, must have least few thousands left. And Sauron must know there are only handful troop left in Minas Tirith and even less when they march to the black gate. He could just order one of the remaining Nazgul take command of these troops attack them

@colepreston4872

3 ай бұрын

Battle of the Pelennor Fields ends in 3-15. 3-18 set off to the Black Gate By time or by geography he can use whatever troop left in Minas Morgul attack the rear of army

@colepreston4872

3 ай бұрын

But he didn’t do anything just let Aragorn set the bridge

Do you get to the cloud district very often? Oh what am I saying, of course you don't

It's such a shame what Amazon has done with Tolkien's work. Where he spent years of his life building this world they spent years, not studying it, but breaking it down for politics. They don't see the beauty in his mind and how he built his magical worlds. Even the Harry Potter books didn't delve that deeply into world building beyond protagonists story lines.

@festina_lente7655

6 ай бұрын

Middle Earth seriously lacked transgender representation. Such a disappointment. Tolkien was overrated.

@motherlesschild102

6 ай бұрын

Not for politics- for $$ !

Minas Tirith= Constantinople.

Thirteenth!

Good old Constantinople.

Did Aragorn get any children by Arwen and if so, were they immortal beings as half-elven? If that’s the case, the human race would look to a future after Aragorn by one king with absolute power for eternity. That hardly seems healthy

@grossepointemichigan

5 ай бұрын

One son named Eldarion and at least two daughters. Aragorn's children did _not_ get to choose to be counted among the Eldar. They were mortal.

Is your voice?

If the long black outer wall, that later encircled the entire city, was built early. And to defend a wall in mediaeval times took four men for a pole length [5.03m] according to the Tribal Hildage. Where did the manpower come from, from a glorified watchtower or the vicus that grew around it? Why build a huge wall you can't man and defend? Just saying...

booga booga booga

New Ick unlocked: When they pronounce sixth as, "Sicth."

This was aggravating to watch. Tamar spent far too much time talking about Chrisean, herself, and her team when her focus should've been on JAMES

13th

69? Let me change that