10 Biggest Unsolved Mysteries on Middle-earth, Ranked

The world of Arda from J.R.R. Tolkien‘s legendarium is one of the most detailed works of fantasy ever made. Across books like The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion, Tolkien detailed his world’s creation and the rise and fall of the various people, giving intricate backstories to everything from particular family lineages to the names of rivers. Thus, it’s no small wonder that his work has become the building block that all modern fantasy stories are built upon.

However, even with Tolkien’s legendary attention to detail, some details remain unanswered. This vagueness was usually by choice, as Tolkien believed that, just like real life, a fantasy world needed blank spaces to remain captivating and interesting. Still, that hasn’t stopped people from speculating and debating the answers for decades, and they won’t stop anytime soon. These are the biggest mysteries in Tolkien’s Middle-earth, unanswered questions that keep puzzling and enthralling readers decades later.

10 Where Are the Missing Palantíri?

Featured in ‘The Silmarillion,’ ‘The Unfinished Tales,’ ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,’ ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’

Crafted by the Ñoldor elves in Valinor, the Palantíri were several magic stones that could be used to see and communicate over large distances. Seven were later gifted to the men of Numinor and were taken by Elendil when his father led the faithful Numinorians to Middle-earth before their island was sunk. They were then scattered among the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor to allow the two kingdoms to communicate with one another.

Unfortunately, Sauron’s forces destroy Arnor and weaken Gondor to a shadow of its former glory. By the time of Lord of the Rings, only three Palantír are accounted for: one is held by Sauron, one by the wizard Saruman the White, and one by Denethor, the steward of Gondor. The fate of the remaining four Palantír is left ambiguous, whether they were destroyed or if unknown parties claimed them.

9 What Are the Nameless Things?

Featured in ‘The Silmarillion,’ ‘The Unfinished Tales,’ ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers’

When the world was created, many strange creatures snuck into it from the Void. The most famous of these is the giant spider-like demon, Ungoliant, who mothered Shelob before devouring herself in her endless hunger. However, many other unspeakable creatures dwell in the deep, dark corners of Middle-earth, referred to as Nameless Things.

Gandalf describes the Nameless Things as older than Sauron, meaning that they likely existed long before the One God, Eru Ilúvatar, created the angelic Maiar. For now, they seem to be content remaining deep underground, but their presence hints at a vast and terrifying reality beyond the scope of Arda. The octopus-like Watcher in the Water that attacked Frodo outside the doors to Moria may be a Nameless Thing, as even Gandalf was unsure of its origins, but this is only speculation.

8 Where is Maglor?

Featured in ‘The Silmarillion’

In The Silmarillion, the seven sons of the elven smith Fëanor join their father in swearing a terrible oath that they will kill anyone who stands between them and Fëanor’s masterpieces, the holy jewels called Silmarils. This oath leads the sons of Fëanor to perform terrible acts against their fellow elves, and by the time they finally reclaim the Silmarils, only two are left alive. Neither can touch the Silmarils due to their transgressions, prompting the eldest brother, Maedhros, to throw himself and his Silmaril into a river of lava.

Fëanor’s second son, Maglor, threw his Silmaril into the sea. According to legend, he wandered the shores of the world for centuries, singing songs of lamentation. Since elves are immortal, it’s possible that Maglor is still alive by the time of the original series, or he could have taken his life due to the weight of his grief.

7 What Happens to Dwarves When They Die?

Featured in ‘The Silmarillion,’ ‘The Unfinished Tales,’ ‘The Hobbit,’ ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,’ ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’

Unlike men and elves, who were created by Eru Ilúvatar, the dwarves of Arda were fashioned by the smith Valar, Aulë. Though Aulë overreached in his attempt to create new life, Eru Ilúvatar accepted the dwarves as his adoptive children and gave them spirits and independent thought. They were allowed to awaken second after the elves, but since they were not part of the song that made all creation, they and the elves were destined to have conflicts.

Another consequence of dwarves being adopted into Arda is that it isn’t known what happens to their souls when they die. The closest answer fans have is a legend among the dwarves that their souls go to a special resting place forged for them by Aulë. They believe that, when the world is destroyed in the final battle called the Dagor Dagorath, the dwarves will help Aulë rebuild it.

6 Where do Men’s Souls Go When They Die?

Featured in ‘The Silmarillion,’ ‘The Unfinished Tales,’ ‘The Hobbit,’ ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,’ ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’

After leading the angelic Ainur in the song of creation, Eru Ilúvatar decreed that two races, the elves and humans, would awaken and come to live in the world of Arda. Elves were to be the firstborn, and their lives would be tied to Arda’s. Thus, elves were granted immortal spirits, and should they be killed in battle, their souls would be reincarnated in the Halls of Mandos until the world ended.

Humans, on the other hand, were given the gift of death, meaning that when their short lives reached their conclusion, their spirits departed Arda for parts unknown. It is a fate that is, in some ways, envied by the elves and even the Ainur. Given that Tolkien was a devout Catholic, he likely intended for this mystery to remain vague, though he did say that the souls of men would return to partake in the second song that would remake Arda following the Dagor Dagorath.

5 The Origin of Hobbits

Featured in ‘The Silmarillion,’ ‘The Unfinished Tales,’ ‘The Hobbit,’ ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,’ ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’

Perhaps the most famous of Tolkien’s creations, hobbits, AKA halflings, are short creatures with large feet covered in woolly hair and a love for good food and the comforts of home. They did not appear in Middle-earth until the Third Age and mainly kept to their lands near the Blue Mountains. Among their skills included tremendous courage, impeccable rock-throwing, and a knack for being quiet and hiding.

Despite how much work Tolkien put into their history and culture, exactly where hobbits came from is left a bit up in the air. The most we know is that they originated as three clans called the Harfoots, Stoors, and Fallohides until they intermarried into the hobbits we know. Given that Eru did not specify hobbits in his song of creation, they may be related to humans. Then again, hobbits have vastly different appearances and lifespans, so that’s not a guarantee.

4 What Happened to Radagast?

Featured in ‘The Silmarillion,’ ‘The Hobbit,’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,’

To combat the evil of Sauron in the Third Age, the divine Valar sent five of their Maiar servants to MIddle-earth in the bodies of old men. Called the Istari, or wizards, they encouraged strength among the free people and offered guidance in times of trouble. One of their order, Radagast the Brown, took a fancy to animals and plants and thus abandoned his task to live as a shaman in the wild.

Due to his lack of screen time in the books, Radagast is one of Tolkien’s most mysterious characters, and the mystery only builds after Sauron’s defeat. Unlike Gandalf, who returns to Valinor, or Saruman, whose spirit was scattered to the winds because of his betrayal, Radagast stays in Middle-earth and keeps being a friend to nature. Considering that the Fourth Age and onward saw a decline in magic from Middle-earth, Radagast leaves the world at some point, but how and why remains unanswered.

3 What Happened to the Blue Wizards?

Featured in ‘The Silmarillion,’ and ‘The Unfinished Tales’

While five wizards were sent to Middle-earth, only three are described in detail. The remaining two are called the Blue Wizards and did not remain in the west for long, departing for the lands of Harad in the south and Rhûn in the east. Their tasks were to help the Haradrim and Easterling break free of Sauron’s control, but they were never seen or heard from again.

Tolkien went back and forth on what the Blue Wizards got up to. At one point, he said that they abandoned their tasks and established dark cults among the men of the east and south. Ultimately, he said that they not only succeeded, but thanks to their efforts, Sauron wasn’t able to bring the full force of his human allies against the west. Still, Tolkien never revealed their ultimate fate, such as if they were killed or still live in Harad and Rhûn.

2 What Happened to the Entwives?

Featured in ‘The Silmarillion,’ ‘The Unfinished Tales,’ ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’

At the insistence of Yavanna, the Valar of nature and wife of Aulë, Eru Ilúvatar created the Ents to be shepherds of the forest and protect them from the intrusions of elves, men, and dwarves. They were divided into two groups based on sex: the male Ents tended to the largest and tallest trees, while the Entwives tended to smaller ones alongside flowers. They eventually departed eastward to start new gardens, but following the defeat of Sauron at the end of the Second Age, the Ents considered the Entwives lost.

Tolkien never gave an official answer about what happened to the Entwives, wanting it to remain a mystery. The closest he came was suggesting in one of his letters that Sauron killed them in one of his scorched earth campaigns, but even then, he suggests that some may have survived and fled into the far east. It’s also possible they dwelled in the Old Forest near the Shire, but nothing can be said for certain.

1 Who or What is Tom Bombadil?

Featured in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’

No creature in Middle-earth is as confusing as the cheerful, brightly dressed man named Tom Bombadil. Dwelling in the Old Forest between the Buckland and Bree, Tom spends his days wandering the woods, singing songs, and fawning over his wife, Goldberry. He refers to himself as the eldest and claims to remember the days before there was a Dark Lord.

Tom Bombadil displays unique and mighty powers, from being able to banish evil spirits to being immune to the powers of the One Ring.

Like the fate of the Entwives, Tolkien designed Tom Bombadil to have no clear answer and to be a source of mystery and speculation in his world. Along with being the eldest, Bombadil displays unique and mighty powers, from being able to banish evil spirits to being immune to the powers of the One Ring. These unique and mysterious qualities have led to many theories as to who or what he is, from being a physical representation of the spirit of Arda to a fragment of Eru Ilúvatar himself. Alas, we don’t know for sure and probably never will.

NEXT: The 10 Strongest Middle-earth Villains, Ranked