The Return of the (Once and Future) King: Tolkien's Ring, Arthur's Round Table, and Unholy Grail Quests

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Notes

1. For the sake of brevity, the following abbreviations will be used throughout this discussion when referring to the trilogy: Rings (The Lord of the Rings); Fellowship (The Fellowship of the Ring); Towers (The Two Towers); and Return (Return of the King).

2. The Sarmatians were originally an alliance of nomadic Iranian tribes, which moved gradually from the Caspian Plains to Eastern Europe and threatened the Roman Empire.

3. In the featurette From Book to Vision—Designing Middle-Earth (2002), on the Rings DVD Extended Edition.

4. December 2003 for Return; July 2004 for King Arthur, directed by Antoine Fuqua.

5. The people referred to as Woads by the Romans are also described as Celts, although their appearance and geographical location have similarities to the Picts. Similarly, it is never explained as to what tribal or racial heritage the local Britons who live and work in and around the Roman forts belong.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Laura Crossley

Laura Crossley is a Lecturer in Media, Film, and Television at Edge Hill University Ormskirk, Lancashire, United Kingdom, with a doctorate in Film Studies from the University of Manchester. Her doctorial work investigated notions of nation and identity in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. Areas of interest focus on representations of British national identity in film and television, British stars and stardom and the function of nostalgia in film, and fashion in film.