Lord Of The Rings: 10 Things Only TRUE Fans Understand

10. Gandalf Researched The One Ring For 17 Years

When Bilbo Baggins leaves The Shire, he entrusts his magical ring to his nephew, Frodo. The wizard, Gandalf the Grey, suspects that the ring may harness dark magic and tells Frodo he must leave to research it.

After reading scrolls in Minis Tirith's library in Gondor, Gandalf's suspicions are confirmed that Frodo is in possession of The One Ring to Rule Them All. When the wizard returns to The Shire, he tells Frodo of the ring's history and begs him to leave his home before he is hunted and killed by Sauron's henchmen, the Nazgul.

In the film, it appears that Gandalf left The Shire for only a few months. According to the novel, Gandalf was researching The One Ring for a whopping 17 years!

In the film, Frodo leaves The Shire immediately after Gandalf warns him. In the book, he doesn't leave for several months since it takes a long time for Gandalf to explain the history of Sauron, and the other Rings of Power.

Of course, this little detail was left out of the movie for the sake of pacing.