The Balrog as the Loathly Lady from medieval literature.

[William Cloud Hicklin]

I think you're not seeing the forest for the trees. Tolkien's code was much more straightforward, direct numerology associated with his being a seer and prophet. He put it right on the fly-leaf of The Lord of the Rings, for those that have eyes to see:

THREE rings for the elven-kings under the sky
SEVEN for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone
NINE for mortal men doomed to die
ONE for the Dark Lord on his dark throne

3-7-9-1. That of course is the reverse of 1973, and Tolkien knew from his occult studies that 1973 would be the year of his death. That's just one example; every time Tolkien references number he's pointing to a prediction. The Two Towers, of course, forecast the 9/11 attacks.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by William Cloud Hicklin

I think you're not seeing the forest for the trees. Tolkien's code was much more straightforward, direct numerology associated with his being a seer and prophet. He put it right on the fly-leaf of The Lord of the Rings, for those that have eyes to see:

THREE rings for the elven-kings under the sky
SEVEN for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone
NINE for mortal men doomed to die
ONE for the Dark Lord on his dark throne

3-7-9-1. That of course is the reverse of 1973, and Tolkien knew from his occult studies that 1973 would be the year of his death. That's just one example; every time Tolkien references number he's pointing to a prediction. The Two Towers, of course, forecast the 9/11 attacks.

Clearly J.R.R.T was his time's Nostradamus. Perhaps he really had a Palantír.

[mindil]

No, Palantir is an acronym with vowels added for readability.
P.L.N.T.R. stands for Philologist, Lexicographer, Numerologist, Tolkien Reuel.

The message is that Tolkien himself was a Palantir - he was farsighted and could see from our world and time into Arda's world and time.

It also stands for "planter" because Tolkien planted the light of the two trees into the minds of many generations, illuminating the dark for our earth.

[William Cloud Hicklin]

There's yet a further level of meaning- all his life, he suffered from plantar warts.

[mindil]

Sorry, I disagree. He said outright that he was hobbit, just bigger. Hobbit feet can't get plantar warts.

[Mithadan]

Tall Ships and tall kings
Three times three.
What brought they from the foundered land
Over the flowing sea?
Seven stars and seven stones and one white tree.

Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne,

I have previously posted about the recurrence of prime numbers in Tolkien's writing. Let's see, the seven sons of Feanor? The seven rivers in Ossiriand? Not coincidence. Personally, my view is that Tolkien's repeated references to prime numbers is based upon similar practices in northern and even Greek mythology. He was striving for a sense of authenticity.

monks is not the first to seek hidden meanings, codes or numerological significance in Tolkien's writings and I doubt that monks will be the last to do so. monks has certainly dedicated some time to this. I personally lack interest in such musings and have doubts as to the degree that such analysis will yield any meaningful insight. Others here seem to harbor similar doubts. However...

If you wish to actually discuss monks' posts or the subject matter, please do so. If you do not, please feel free to focus your attentions on other threads and, by all means, start some new ones. But please remain polite and respectful.

Thank you!

[Mithadan]

And, yes, nine is not a prime. But then again, the Nine Nazgul did not prevail...

But then why was Gandalf against 13 Dwarves heading to Erebor? And the Seven Gates of Gondolin, the city with seven names, didn't do so well either...