Misconceptions about stories that bother you

[Eamar]

Pretty sure she died one year after Aragorn passed away due to a broken heart. It's pretty tragic because Elrond was right, he grew old, he passed away, and she was left alone until her time came.

Oh yes that's true, it's just that she doesn't really count as an Elf at that point for the purposes of trying to establish how Elves can die under normal circumstances. She would have eventually died anyway.

But yes, it is tragic. That story's in the Appendices in the books, and I remember the first time I read it, just flicking through the Appendices, reading about languages and stuff and then BOOM - completely heartbreaking story. I cried so much.

 

[Casual Shinji]

The Undying Lands are protected by the Valar (basically the gods), who way outrank Sauron (a Maia). When the men of Numenor tried to reach the Undying Lands (spurred on by Sauron, incidentally), the Valar sank the entire island and killed all of its inhabitants, including Sauron's physical body.

Oh okay, thanks!

I always wondered what the hell the deal with that was.

 

[Thaluikhain]

And as for the Lord of the Rings: Giant flying birds flying into a barren wasteland with a giant Eye that watches everything...Sauron would bring his whole army down on them in seconds. The whole point of only sending nine walkers was to move in secret and keep the quest hidden, because as we saw, the more people who know about it, the worse it gets.

Well, the Eagles did fly in at the end, and beat up Sauron's own flying monsters.

OTOH, as for the Hobbit, yeah. It'd just take them asking the Eagles for help, and the dwarfs saying no. Or, to fit the theme, Thorin getting mad and refusing further help from people who didn't stop Smaug destroying his home, even if it makes no sense.