Best Lord Of The Rings Characters Who Don’t Exist in the Books

The stories of Tolkien are popular because of their endearing and interesting characters. With the expansion of The Lord of the Rings franchise into movies and television, there is now a whole new host of characters for viewers to know and love.

These characters might remain controversial, and they’ll never take the place of the Fellowship, but they can still carry a plot and have distinct character arcs. The franchise’s series, shows, and new movies offer a variety of new characters in various roles. Of the new characters introduced to Tolkien’s world through newer media, these are some of the most compelling.

A Plucky Halfling

Elanor Kellamark Brandyfoot, also known as Nori, was one of the main characters in Rings of Power, and her story ran parallel to the plot that involved Galadriel. Her people are the Harfoots, and in the Second Age, these were a nomadic people who would eventually settle in the west and become the Hobbits.

Nori is an endearing character because when times start to change, she rises to the occasion and tries to break the mold her family and community are making for her. She’s the one who finds and comforts the Stranger and insists that her paranoid people take them in, regardless of their mysterious origins.

5

Héra

A Shieldmaiden Of Rohan

According to the lore of the franchise, Helm Hammerhand did have a daughter, but no more is known of her existence in Tolkien’s books, not even her name. She first appeared in the video game Middle-earth: Shadow of War, which is when she finally got a name, Hera, and the title, “The Bride of Death.” The protagonist of the animated movie The War of the Rohirrim takes on several roles, which is why she’s an interesting character. She’s not just a shieldmaiden and a princess; she’s also an adventurer, war strategist, and diplomat when the situation calls for it.

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Hera is introduced as a typical upstart, but by the end of the first act of the movie, she’s survived a kidnapping and an assassination attempt. The disgruntled hill people and their equally vindictive leader don’t stop there, and Hera’s resolve is tested when their forces march on Edoras.

4

Princess Disa

Based On A Real Character

This character from Rings of Power lived in the First Age of Middle-earth, but she’s based on a real character that lived in the Third Age. Dís is the only Dwarf woman that J. R. R. Tolkien ever named, and she was the sister of Thorin Oakenshield.

Princess Disa in Rings of Power shares a similar name with Thorin’s sister, but this is a tribute to the character and not much else. She’s the wife of Durin IV and the princess of Khazad-dum, and she’s a powerful, outspoken character. She can not only speak to the stubborn men of Moria, but even to the mountain itself.

3

Tauriel

A Fierce Sylvan Warrior

In an effort to include more female roles in a male-dominated cast, the writers of The Hobbit trilogy created Tauriel, a Wood Elf from Mirkwood under the command of King Thranduil. She first appears fighting the spiders in Mirkwood, and is not only responsible for saving Thorin’s party, but also for jailing them.

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Unfortunately, the movie doesn’t give Tauriel a lot of time to refine her character beyond being the subject of a love triangle involving Fili and Legolas. She seems to know the King on a personal level, and she’s a fearsome fighter, so it would have been even better to know more of her backstory.

2

Arondir

A Fighter From The First Age

Arondir plays a pivotal role in the first season of Rings of Power as one of the few characters who seems to understand the gravity of the growing power in Mordor. His investigative travels eventually lead him east, to the lands near Mordor, where he’s caught and enslaved to build a mysterious channel that doesn’t seem to have a source or destination.

The character of Arondir is similar to a Ranger in that he’s been watching the Southlands for most of his life. He’s been trying to protect the people from the evil of Sauron, an entity that was defeated and lost, but never really destroyed. He also faces a lot of pushback from the local people, because they don’t like elves.

1

Bronwyn

On The Front Lines In Mordor

Despite the hostility of the locals, Arondir doesn’t work alone in the Southlands. He has one ally in Bronwyn, a resident of the town of Tirharad where Arondir is conducting part of his investigation. There’s a romantic connection between the two of them, but it’s kept subtle because of the local prejudice against elves. Ironically, it’s Bronwyn’s son, Theo, who is eventually revealed as the catalyst for the evolution of Mordor into a charred, barren wasteland.

Bronwyn is the one who finally succeeds in getting the townsfolk to listen to her about the impending catastrophe, but she has to carry a dismembered orc head into the local tavern to do it. The wound she suffered during this struggle proved fatal, and she died in Pelagir, but she managed to save her people and her son when she led them into Gondor.

Created by

J. R. R. Tolkien

Where to watch

HBO Max

Movie(s)

The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Video Game(s)

The Lord of the Rings Online (dupe), LEGO Lord of the Rings, The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, The Lord Of The Rings: Battle For Middle-Earth