# RotK inconsistency. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 28, 2004, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotk-inconsistency/266539 "2004-09-28T18:54:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotk-inconsistency/266539/1 "2004-09-28T18:54:57Z")
In FotR Frodo survived a spear that would have “Skewered a wild Boar” because of his mythril (sp?) coat. Yet in RotK Shelob (sp?) easily stabs frodo in the abdomen. I assume he was wearing the coat as he’s on a pretty risky and dangerous journey and would be silly _not_ to wear it. Is Shelob’s ‘thing’ stronger than the huge spear that frodo survived? ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotk-inconsistency/266539/2 "2004-09-28T19:16:00Z")
Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotk-inconsistency/266539/3 "2004-09-28T19:18:56Z")
It’s been a while since I’ve seen it, but I’m pretty sure Shelob stabbed Frodo in a place not covered by the mail. ISTR later in the movie we got a shot of the wound, and it was above the neckline of the shirt. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotk-inconsistency/266539/4 "2004-09-28T19:21:49Z")
> [@Fiver](#): > > ISTR later in the movie we got a shot of the wound, and it was above the neckline of the shirt. I watched it yesterday. It looked quite clear that Shelob stabbed him in the belly. I could be mistaken though. ---
**Author:** ![elfbabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b782af/32.png) [@elfbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfbabe)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotk-inconsistency/266539/5 "2004-09-28T19:23:53Z")
Yes, Frodo is wearing the mithril shirt, it’s taken off of him in the tower of Cirith Ungol. When he’s shirtless, I believe you can see a large, circular wound just above where the neckline area of his shirt would be. It looks healed, probably due to some crazy spider thing, and is distinct from the wound in the left shoulder that he took at Weathertop. Sadly, turtlenecks were out of style when Frodo’s shirt was made. (But yes, when she’s doing the actual stabbing it does look like it’s in the belly) ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotk-inconsistency/266539/6 "2004-09-28T19:26:40Z")
If so, it was pure fabrication on the part of the filmmaker. In the book, Shelob did not gore Frodo with a gigantic, harpoon-like stinger. She sneaked up behind him and deftly “tapped” him at the base of the neck with her (presumably much smaller) “paralysis stinger.” This scene irritated me. Regardless of whether Frodo were just injected with a paralyzing agent, with that enormous stinger, he would have sustained enormous internal injury. Otherwise, I suppose you could rationalize that the stinger slipped under the mithril shirt, or that the stinger was skinny enough to just slip far enough between the rings that she was able to sting him through it, but it seems like a stretch. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotk-inconsistency/266539/7 "2004-09-28T19:29:54Z")
I don’t remember seeing the wound in Cirith Ungol, but if it was above the neckline (the correct place, according to the book,) there’s a continuity problem. In the movie, it’s unmistakable. Shelob stabbed Frodo in the _belly_. I just don’t see any other possible explanation. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotk-inconsistency/266539/8 "2004-09-28T19:32:07Z")
The not-quite healed wound in his shoulder you saw at Cirith Ungol was from the Morgul blade of the Witch King, not Shelob. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotk-inconsistency/266539/9 "2004-09-28T19:37:24Z")
> [@RikWriter](#): > > The not-quite healed wound in his shoulder you saw at Cirith Ungol was from the Morgul blade of the Witch King, not Shelob. No, that was below his (left?) shoulder. I’m quite sure of that. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotk-inconsistency/266539/10 "2004-09-28T19:38:32Z")
er, yes. I didn’t notice you _say_ shoulder. :smack: The injury at Cirith Ungol which people mention is clearly in the neck. I remember seeing it. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotk-inconsistency/266539/11 "2004-09-28T19:45:08Z")
I think the wound around Frodo’s neck is caused by the “weight” of the ring on its chain, wearing into his skin. I never supposed that it was from Shelob’s attack. ---
**Author:** ![elfbabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b782af/32.png) [@elfbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfbabe)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotk-inconsistency/266539/12 "2004-09-28T19:47:35Z")
Frodo has three visible wounds - there’s one in his shoulder from Weathertop, a circular one on his upper chest/neck area that we’re theorizing is from Shelob, and abrasions around his neck from the ring. _searches for screencaps_ ---
**Author:** ![elfbabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b782af/32.png) [@elfbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfbabe)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotk-inconsistency/266539/13 "2004-09-28T19:53:00Z")
… you know, you’d think that with all of the pervy hobbit fanciers around, SOMEBODY would’ve gotten an image of this. But I can’t find one. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotk-inconsistency/266539/14 "2004-09-28T20:14:02Z")
To elfbabe - if only they had been true to the book we would have had a naked Frodo scene here. … we pervy hobbit fanciers were quite disappointed. As for the seeming Shelob inconsistency, it looks in the movie to me as if Frodo gets stung in the neck, where he is not protected by the mithril shirt. Or maybe that’s just what makes the most sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotk-inconsistency/266539/15 "2004-09-28T20:20:23Z")
> [@well he's back](#): > > To elfbabe - if only they had been true to the book we would have had a naked Frodo scene here. … we pervy hobbit fanciers were quite disappointed. If I remember correctly there was a lot of mouth kissing between the hobits in the book. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotk-inconsistency/266539/16 "2004-09-28T20:22:43Z")
Left shoulder = Morgul blade Right chest = Cave Troll (Moria–so I always thought) The book has him receiving a nasty crushing/abrasion wound which would have left a scar. But perhaps the nude scene in Cirith Ungol presents the wound too high on the chest to be related. Guess I’ll have to pick up a 6-pack & a pizza on the way home from work tonight and do some research. But the stinger/mithril always bugged me…unless Shelob was aiming lower than the hem of the shirt :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotk-inconsistency/266539/17 "2004-09-28T20:26:19Z")
> [@well he's back](#): > > To elfbabe - if only they had been true to the book we would have had a naked Frodo scene here. Unless my half-conscious memory of trousers is real, we did have a nude scene. Remember Sam saying “We can’t have you trapesing round mordor in nowt but your skin” ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotk-inconsistency/266539/18 "2004-09-28T20:34:09Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > This scene irritated me. Regardless of whether Frodo were just injected with a paralyzing agent, with that enormous stinger, he would have sustained enormous internal injury. What really irritated me is that spiders don’t have stingers!!! They inject venom through their fangs. I know, I know–Shelob is not _really_ a spider, but that doesn’t make it any better. For all intents and purposes, she **is** a giant spider and the fact that she has a stinger (in both book and movie, IIRC) is just plain wrong! ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotk-inconsistency/266539/19 "2004-09-28T20:47:29Z")
The good Professor was an enthusiastic amateur botanist, but an entomologist he was not. Not only did he give stingers to spiders, but in _Farmer Giles of Ham_, he has dragonflies stinging folks, as well. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotk-inconsistency/266539/20 "2004-09-28T20:55:52Z")
> [@elfbabe](#): > > … you know, you’d think that with all of the pervy hobbit fanciers around, SOMEBODY would’ve gotten an image of this. But I can’t find one. I’ve got one. It’s not online, but I occasionally use it as wallpaper and would be happy to e-mail to any interested parties. 🙂 > [@Lobsang](#): > > Unless my half-conscious memory of trousers is real, we did have a nude scene. Remember Sam saying “We can’t have you trapesing round mordor in nowt but your skin” Sam does say this–it’s a line from the book–but Frodo does have trousers on in the scene, and the inconsistency always bugs me. Either change the line, or take off the trousers, I say! (And I know which one _I’d_ prefer…) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotk-inconsistency/266539.md?page=2)