# Does Middle Earth hold up to close scrutiny? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 18, 2014, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-middle-earth-hold-up-to-close-scrutiny/681647 "2014-02-18T20:33:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2014, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-middle-earth-hold-up-to-close-scrutiny/681647/61 "2014-02-20T17:43:16Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > Isn’t it also possible that elven metabolism is such that they don’t require the same daily diet as a human? Perhaps their digestive systems are 100% efficient…is there any record of an elf excreting? 😉 Pooping is Eru’s other, lesser-known Gift to Men. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2014, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-middle-earth-hold-up-to-close-scrutiny/681647/62 "2014-02-20T18:06:04Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > Thats rather overstated don’t you think? > > Tom Bombadil revealed in all his glory? To who? Four hobbits? The rest of the world still has forgotten about him. The Balrog bursts forth in mystic flames yet still the only ones to see it are the fellowship. And you certainly cannot label the Ents as waging total war, they attacked one fortress and helped relieve the seige at another, thats it. > > You only say too much happens all at once because you the reader were shown these events, but the men in Bree still haven’t a clue about Bombadil or the Balrog. Too much isn’t happening at once for them, and if the question is Middle Earth holding up to scrutiny then they are the people we should be considering, not the reader. Yes, in fact Elrond, Galdor etc had little info on who Bombadil was, and Gandalf seemed to only know a little. After the War, Gandalf does drop by and has a long talk with Tom, it is told. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-middle-earth-hold-up-to-close-scrutiny/681647.md?page=3)