English fantasy writer extraordinaire J.R.R. Tolkien wrote his magnum opus, The Lord of the Rings, over many years, and his draft titles were often even more Sauron-related than the overarching title. Sauron is the Lord of the Rings himself, of course, meaning the title of the novel and movie trilogy alludes to him. But the story is about so much more than just this central villain, and the title of the novel had to capture that. That’s what makes the journey of this iconic work’s title so interesting, and Tolkien’s developing thoughts on it so important.
Tolkien’s titling of his masterwork reflects his thoughts on its central themes and most important aspects. The world of Lord of the Rings was built slowly, gradually, and over many years, so Tolkien put great consideration into every little detail, including titles and subtitles. Tolkien’s work with his editor on the titling of the novel indicates a changing journey, developing and shifting focus between heroes, villains, successes, and failures. Although Tolkien wanted to name part one of his book after Sauron, he was right to change it for a few different reasons.
Tolkien Originally Wanted To Name The Fellowship Of The Ring After Sauron
The Fellowship Of The Ring Had A Few Titles Before Being Fixed
Part one of The Lord of the Rings novel is called The Fellowship of the Ring, but it wasn’t always that way. Published in three parts between 1954 and 1955, LotR was famously adapted into Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies. Although Tolkien’s work was a cult hit in the ’60s, fueling the environmentalist movement, it only went truly global with Jackson’s movies. On the trilogy’s 2001 launch, the name The Fellowship of the Ring became inexorably linked to part one of the story for millions, marking Tolkien’s final choice of title indelibly in the public consciousness.
The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien contains much of Tolkien’s mail correspondence, including with Allen & Unwin.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring movie accepted and popularized the title suggested originally by Tolkien’s editor at Allen & Unwin. Tolkien was sending letters back and forth with Rayner Unwin, debating titles. He shared with Unwin that book one of LotR could be called The Shadow Grows or The Return of the Shadow. This darkness proved how hopeless the quest was meant to seem. Tolkien’s publisher’s suggestion of The Fellowship of the Ring ended up resonating with Tolkien, relating to the name of the book’s last chapter.
Why Tolkien’s Original Choice Wasn’t The Lord Of The Rings Book’s Final Title
Tolkien Changed His Mind On The Lord Of The Rings Titles A Few Times
Tolkien went back and forth with Rayner Unwin on book titles for The Lord of the Rings, and decided on The Fellowship of the Ring for a few reasons. Tolkien’s letter to Rayner Unwin focuses on the technicality that the last chapter of the book is called “The Breaking of the Fellowship,” and that this created a nice circularity with the book’s title. However, it was evident from the letter that Tolkien was commending his editor’s suggestion after a long meeting with him. The two had discussed the titles at length, and Tolkien was concluding in this meeting in his letter.
Tolkien contemplated The Ring Sets Out and The Ring Goes South as two subtitles separating the first volume of his novel into two parts.
Tolkien had struggled to title individual volumes for his book. In particular, he thought that it was hard for the subtitles to capture what happened in them and, at the same time, match one overarching title. Tolkien wasn’t sure that focusing on the One Ring of Lord of the Rings in the overarching title had much relation to the Fellowship. Tolkien wanted to ensure continuity and clarity for readers picking up the book for the first time. However, his editor had some good input in this department, as Tolkien admitted.
It Makes More Sense For The Lord Of The Rings’ Titles To Focus On The Story’s Heroes
The Lord Of The Rings Volume Titles Helped Make Them Classics
Tolkien chose the right title for The Fellowship of the Ring, focusing on the story’s heroes. On the whole, Tolkien made the call regarding the subtitles of his book, even though Rayner Unwin suggested the final titles of the first and last. Tolkien’s productive working relationship with Rayner Unwin had given him agency in this regard. Each member of the Fellowship in Lord of the Rings played a big part in all volumes of the novel, but they were introduced in book one. This hero focus gives the volume’s title a solid basis.
Tolkien agreed that The Fellowship of the Ring “will do” as a title, reflecting a sunnier and more optimistic outlook than his Sauron-related suggestions. Tolkien also contemplated calling the last book “The War of the Ring“ and ended up going with his editor’s suggestion of The Return of the King. Focusing on the clash between Lord of the Rings’ strongest armies in the final volume’s title was darker than focusing on Aragorn’s ascension. Unwin made the titles more uplifting overall, and it’s easy to see why that clicked with readers.
Related
I Believe Tolkien’s Unfinished Lord Of The Rings Sequel Was Secretly Trying To Set Up Morgoth’s Return
Although J.R.R. Tolkien decided against continuing with the sequel to The Lord of the Rings, it might have been setting up Morgoth’s return.
The Lord of the Rings taps into eucatastrophe for its brilliant finale, a term coined by Tolkien himself. This means that readers are convinced of a tragic ending to a dark story being about to transpire, when salvation swoops in suddenly and unexpectedly, creating a sense of elation. It is understandable for Tolkien to have leaned into more troubled titles for his three volumes, but it makes worlds of sense for him to go with the brighter options. After all, The Lord of the Rings is about hope, which is why the eucatastrophe of its ending hits so hard.
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a multimedia franchise consisting of several movies and a TV show released by Amazon titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The franchise is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s book series that began in 1954 with The Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings saw mainstream popularity with Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
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J.R.R. Tolkien
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Norman Bird, Anthony Daniels, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, Andy Serkis, Brad Dourif, Karl Urban, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Morfydd Clark, Mike Wood, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Charlie Vickers, Markella Kavenagh, Megan Richards, Sara Zwangobani, Daniel Weyman, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Lenny Henry, Brian Cox, Shaun Dooley, Miranda Otto, Bilal Hasna, Benjamin Wainwright, Luke Pasqualino, Christopher Guard, William Squire, Michael Scholes, John Hurt