The best Lord of the Rings memes showcase the humorous spirit of the franchise’s fandom. The vast and fantastical realms created by author JRR Tolkien have captured the imaginations of readers since the books first hit shelves in the 1950s. Decades later, director Peter Jackson brought Middle-earth to life on the big screen as a blockbuster film series, and Tolkien’s legendary vision found a bigger audience in the new millennium. Besides entertaining readers and viewers alike, The Lord of the Rings has also inspired the creativity of fans and resulted in truly hilarious memes.
Despite being a fantasy story of epic proportions, the Lord of the Rings the franchise isn’t without its humor, and fans often revel in a chance to poke fun at the silverier side of Middle-earth and the inconsistencies in the story. Memes regarding The Lord of the Rings transcend simply spoofing the books and movies, and many famous moments from the films have influenced the larger world of memes in general. The funniest Lord of the Rings memes not only appeal to fans of the franchise but those who like a good laugh in general. Here is a spotlight on some of the best.
12 The Face Of Sauron
Though the presence of Sauron was felt all throughout the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the full face of the elusive villain was never seen. Instead, as this cleverly spoofs meme, fans were treated to the eyes and mouth of the big bad, which resulted in the humorously spooky visage. Taking liberties from the books, the mouth of Sauron was a truly creepy figure in the movies, but when combined with Sauron’s eyes it becomes goofy. Sauron’s full identity was explored in another Lord of the Rings media, but fans of the main trilogy were left to ponder just what the character might look like.
11 What About Second Monitor?
Bringing one of the funniest moments from The Lord of the Rings into the real world, this meme brilliantly takes the Hobbits’ fascination with eating and expands it to fit day-to-day life. Second breakfast is a staple of Hobbit culture and inspires one of Merry and Pippin’s most iconic lines (“What about second breakfast?“), but here it becomes a perfect Lord of the Rings meme for those who use a second computer monitor. Similar to how a Hobbit absolutely needs to eat a second breakfast, a second monitor is an indulgent must-have for many gamers and those who often multitask for work.
10 Gandalf’s Magic Trick
Parodying the iconic moment in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers when Gandalf returns from his brush with death, this meme pokes fun at how easily bamboozled the rest of the Fellowship is by Gandalf’s trickery. Despite the fact that Gandalf is a powerful wizard, the meme posits that all it takes to impress the likes of Aragorn is a simple disconnected finger gag. For characters who usually take themselves quite seriously, the hilarious Lord of the Rings meme lovingly knocks them down a peg.
9 Will Turner Or Legolas?
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Credit: u/TheMeisterofMemes
Large franchises like The Lord of the Rings share actors with other blockbuster series, and this meme brilliantly combines Orlando Bloom’s two biggest roles into one. Though the debate rages as to which Orlando Bloom character is his best, the meme seems to suggest that the only difference between Legolas and Will Turner from Pirates of the Caribbean is a large flagon of rum. What makes the meme so funny is that it combines two massive movie fandoms together with a nice dose of early 2000s nostalgia.
8 Sam Is Worthy
While most of the funniest Lord of the Rings memes make silly jokes about the franchise, this one featuring Sam and the MCU’s Thor has a lot to say about the underrated Hobbit. By showing Sam lifting Mjolnir, the meme is saying that he is worthy of its mighty power, and that hearkens back to the integral role he plays in Frodo’s journey to destroy the ring. Transcending their loyalty, Sam is the real MVP of the Fellowship when he physically carries Frodo and the ring on the last leg of their journey to Mordor.
7 Heavily Armed Legolas
Absurdity is often the key to the best Lord of the Rings memes, and the picture of Legolas holding a powerful gun is as ridiculous as it gets. The meme works on multiple levels because it spoofs several aspects of the books and movies in one simple panel. First, the meme comments on the bloated length of Tolkien’s three novels. At the same time, it’s also joking about how everything could have been solved much quicker if Legolas had a sniper rifle instead of a bow. What the meme doesn’t make clear is whether he would have unlimited bullets in the same way he always seemed to have unlimited arrows.
6 Bounty Hunters In Middle-earth
Fandom crossover is nothing new, and this is brilliant Lord of the Rings meme incorporates the Star Wars franchise and makes commentary on the overwhelming popularity of The Mandalorians. Even though Star Wars the media was becoming over-saturated since Disney’s takeover of Lucasfilm, resulting in too many projects and a few disappointing movies, the meme points out that the Disney Plus original series couldn’t be refused, even by fans who’d grown tired of the franchise .
5 Waiting A Long Time
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credit: u/grizzledreaction
Rewatching the films of The Lord of the Rings is a regular event for the most die-hard fans of the franchise, and this meme blends several formats and franchises to spoof that fact. Calling upon the characters of Peggy Carter and Steve Rogers from the MCU, the meme points out the fact that Steve Rogers wouldn’t be able to watch the movies for a long time after he traveled back to his original time. While the future had its conveniences for Captain America, as the meme jests, it was his favorite film franchise that he would miss the most.
4 The Power Of The Potato
Samwise Gamgee’s love of potatoes is well established in the world of The Lord of the Rings, and this meme proves that the beloved Hobbit is forever linked with spuds. Drawing from a real-life occurrence of someone using the conductive abilities of potatoes to power a video game, the meme puts a clever twist on Sam’s famous potato speech in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Even if someone has no connection to The Lord of the Ringsthe meme is absurd enough to be hilarious on its own.
Plenty of the best Lord of the Rings memes are parodies of famous moments from the movies and books, but rarely does a meme actually lampoon the idea of memes in general. Using a behind-the-scenes photo of Frodo and Sam from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring this image gets meta by turning the viewer into the subject in a sidesplitting role reversal. What makes the picture all the funnier is the intentional use of backward lettering which requires a bit of deciphering before the joke becomes clear.
2 HRAAAH!
Not all funny Lord of the Rings memes need to be clever or thoughtful, and sometimes they can simply recontextualize a moment from the film to make it humorous. Using the opening scene of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring as a template, the meme spoofs other memes by simply replacing the faces and words with Bilbo’s nightmarish visage when he attacked Frodo over the ring. Many fans of The Lord of the Rings have memories of being frightened by that odd jump scare, and the meme makes a playful mockery of that scene.
1 Gandalf’s Automatic Light
Though The Lord of the Rings takes place in the fantastical realm of Middle-earth, fans have always found ways of tying it to real life through the use of memes. This meme uses repetition and surprise to make the audience laugh, as the repeated image is broken by a sudden change. Chances are, the viewer of the meme has been in the same situation as described by the meme’s caption, and the use of Gandalf makes the seemingly mundane moment all the more epic.