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Lord of the Rings - Races

Can you name the races of these LOTR and Hobbit characters?
Quiz by Geoguy
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Last updated: November 6, 2016
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First submittedMay 7, 2014
Times taken50,979
Average score80.0%
Rating4.12
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Character
Race
Frodo Baggins
Hobbit
Legolas Greenleaf
Elf
Gimli
Dwarf
Aragorn II
Men
Gandalf
Wizard
Ugluk
Uruk-Hai
Shagrat
Orc
Smaug
Dragon
Character
Race
Gwaihir the Windlord
Eagle
Shelob
Giant Spider
Durin's Bane
Balrog
The Witch-King of Angmar
Nazgûl
Shadowfax
Mearas
Treebeard
Ent
William, Bert, Tom
Troll
+21
Level 77
May 27, 2014
ok, so my nerd is going to show here...sorta...Isn't Aragorn a Dunedain? Or is that a subclass of men? Same goes for the Nazgul. Aren't they men as well? Or was that their race before Sauron basically sucked out their soul?
+3
Level 68
May 27, 2014
Aragorn is a Dunedain, but thats a subclass, I think, same that Legolas is a Silvan elf. And you'll have to ask Tolkein about the Nazgul :-)
+10
Level 30
Nov 13, 2014
Aragorn being a Dunedain is like a human being German, its just more like species i guess including all races as humans. Nazgul are not men, because of what Sauron did to them they no longer are men because they are not living. Quote from the movie (I think) - {Frodo} "Who are they?" {Aragorn} "They are the Nazgul, Ringwraiths, neither living nor dead." This suggests a whole different race in my opinion. So in other words I am basing my statement off this quote from the movie.
+9
Level 56
May 13, 2020
It's definitely not like having a nationality as dunedain are known to live WAY longer than your usual human in this universe. A better comparison would be something like wolf and dog, 'basically' the same, but not really
+4
Level 38
Aug 10, 2020
Just a little more grammar here : Aragorn is a Dunadan (singular form), and his people are the Dunedain (plural form).
+7
Level 82
Jun 1, 2014
I wouldn't really classify the Nazgul as a "race" either, but I knew what the answer was so wasn't going to complain about it...
+2
Level 26
May 9, 2015
Nazgul is as related to men as orcs are to elves. They came from the same, but are totally different.
+17
Level 82
Aug 27, 2017
But they're not a race. There are only nine of them. They don't reproduce. They are just men who were magically turned into wraiths. It would be like... saying humans who have been mummified are a different race... or transgender people are a different race... they're still humans.
+1
Level 60
Jun 14, 2021
And the Nazgul are the beasts they ride on, not the actual Ringwraith. At least, that’s what I was getting at when i read the story
+1
Level 36
Sep 22, 2022
Yeah. Nazgul are the Evil Workers. They used to be human, but were transformed into pretty much bodiless entities of evil
+4
Level 51
Jun 1, 2014
Dunedain just means "men of the west."
+4
Level 29
Nov 13, 2015
Er Ultra Nerd here.

Smaug, William, Bert, Tom are from the hobbit not LOTR.

SORRY (-:

+4
Level 78
Sep 26, 2017
But the trolls appear in LOTR, and Smaug is mentioned. :)
+4
Level 15
Jan 6, 2020
william bert and tom are actually in the fellowship while stoned
+2
Level 81
May 13, 2020
They was gettin' hiiiigh.
+1
Level 36
May 14, 2020
In the description, it says

Name the race of these LOTR and Hobbit characters.

+2
Level 76
Feb 23, 2017
I think the Nazgul can be considered corrupted men, in a similar way that orcs are corrupted elves. It's not quite the same, since the Nazgul are obviously far more powerful, but yeah.

I can see the argument for calling them "men" though, especially since the individual Nazgul were originally men, whereas orcs/trolls etc were created over generations.

+1
Level 41
May 4, 2017
Being a Dunedain just means a long lived man being a descendant of Elendil
+2
Level 76
Feb 16, 2018
Dunedain are not the same as normal men, they are taller and can live for centuries.
+1
Level 66
Oct 1, 2022
The Dunedain is a nickname for Aragorn, like Strider. The Nazgul were originally men who were gifted the nine rings by Sauron, which slowly turned them into the Nazgul. So my son says (I have no idea).
+1
Level 60
May 28, 2014
No goblins?
+2
Level 68
May 28, 2014
Do you know any examples beside the Great Goblin, which is kind of a giveaway?
+3
Level 33
Jun 1, 2014
Goblins are the same as orcs. He just referred to them as goblins in the Hobbit and orcs in the rest of the Legendarium
+1
Level 58
Jun 1, 2014
Azog http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Azog
+1
Level 78
Jan 9, 2015
What Geoguy says. In Tolkien's world, orcs and goblins are two names for the same race.
+1
Level 68
May 28, 2019
I would agree. I have seen the movies but read Hobbit and Fellowship first. In The Hobbit, Goblin is used exclusively with one or two mentions of "hobgoblins". In the Lord of the Rings series, the term goblin is rarely used and orc is used for creatures of a similar description. I am not well versed in lore in any way, but I hope that helps clear up some confusion
+1
Level 82
Jun 1, 2014
I had to luck up Dunedain to make sure I was spelling it correctly. Then I realized you just wanted "man."
+2
Level 33
Jun 1, 2014
Great quiz, although way too easy. If you want some VERY, and I do mean very hard LotR quizzes, click on my account.
+1
Level 68
Jun 1, 2014
Interested in more LOTR quizzes? I've got a bunch of others including an entire 'Lord of the Rings by letter' series.
+2
Level 45
Jun 1, 2014
I wish you'd be more charitable on the spelling of "Uruk-Hai".
+2
Level 23
Jun 1, 2014
+1
+1
Level 54
Jun 3, 2014
+2
+1
Level 45
Jun 14, 2014
No. Shouldn't.
+1
Level 76
Jun 30, 2014
-1
+2
Level 62
Apr 7, 2016
It's pretty much phonetic.
+1
Level 54
Jun 7, 2016
+1 again
+4
Level 65
Dec 25, 2019
I think he wants Uruguay as a type-in ;)
+1
Level 74
Jun 2, 2014
That was incredibly easy...
+4
Level 11
Jun 3, 2014
I got 13/15 but still, I'm pretty sure a 'wizard' is not a race
+2
Level 82
Jun 11, 2014
in LotR it's not a profession. Gandalf and Sauruman etc are not men. They are a distinct race. Though I guess the guy above who said they are Maia or whatever is probably correct.
+4
Level 45
Jun 14, 2014
They are indeed of the Maiar. Saruman was once called Curumo or Curunír, and he served with Aulë the Smith. Gandalf was called Olórin or Mithrandir, and he was under the tutelage of Nienna, the patron of mercy. Radagast was called Aiwendil, and there were two Blue Wizards mentioned in passing, but never appearing personally, called Alatar and Pallando. Gandalf also held the third of the Elven-rings, Narya, the Ring of Fire, given to him by Círdan the Shipwright. Sauron was also a Maia, being as well with Aulë before his corruption by Melkor, or Morgoth in the Sindarin tongue, as well as his demons of flame and shadow, the Balrogs, or Úmaiar in Quenya. Maiar is also from the Quenya tongue.

Yes, I'm an LOTR geek. XD

+3
Level 23
Jun 10, 2016
Using maiar wouldn't really work though as the Balrog were also Maiar for that matter.
+1
Level 45
Nov 12, 2023
If I'm not mistaken, the wizards, the balrogs and even the eagles are all Maiar.
+1
Level 65
Dec 25, 2019
I had Vana in my mind, vaguely remember a chart/ picture that depicted all the races and how the were connected. But the word I was looking for was Valar. I think I had it mixed up with Vanir, from norse mythology. On one of my researches about the connections between Tolkien's world and norse mytholgy,

besides wouldn't a better answer for the wizards be Istari instead of Maiar?.

+1
Level 30
Nov 13, 2014
I got to say this quiz gets one important thing right. The balrog Gandalf fights in the Mines of Moria is a part of a race of balrogs. Most people think that that Balrog is a special being one-of-a-kind but truthfully that very balrog is one of the very few who survived from the early days of middle earth. No I'm not making this up, listen closely to Gandalf in the Mines of Moria scene, I think one of his sentences gives it all away.
+1
Level 62
Apr 7, 2016
I thought that was pretty clear from the balrog being described as "a balrog".
+1
Level 23
Jun 10, 2016
Well, if you ever read the books than you'd know that Balrogs are a made up race, just like Orcs, Uruks, Uruk-Hai and Trolls.

Orcs and Uruks come from Elves.

Uruk-Hai come from Orcs and Men.

Trolls come from Ents.

Last but not least, Balrogs come from Maia (Just like Gandalf, Saruman and even Sauron)

+2
Level 76
Feb 16, 2018
Technically Gandalf and Balrogs are both Maiar.
+1
Level 35
Aug 2, 2015
You should also accept Valaraukar for Balrog.
+1
Level 89
Sep 23, 2022
Sure, but why? It's just more unnecessary typing.
+1
Level 14
Apr 18, 2016
I couldnt spell Uruk Hai. Allow Uruk Kai or Urukai
+1
Level 68
Mar 2, 2017
My hairdresser's cousin is the actor who played Uruk-hai leader Lurtz. She looks a bit like him too!
+1
Level 65
Jun 3, 2016
Good quiz :) You can also try this one (with #2 available): http://www.jetpunk.com/user-quizzes/134042/tolkien-mythology-chain-quiz
+4
Level 77
Jul 10, 2016
For some reason I kept wondering what special race Tom Bombadil was but then who were William and Bert?
+3
Level 70
Sep 22, 2017
They're the three trolls the group encounters in The Hobbit
+1
Level 68
Mar 2, 2017
Cool quiz.
+1
Level 58
Jul 24, 2017
Was stumped for a minute on Gandalf. I kept trying Maiar
+3
Level 45
Sep 22, 2017
aren't uruk-hai just a class of orc?
+1
Level 75
Sep 22, 2017
You might also like my "LOTR: Who's your daddy quiz": https://www.jetpunk.com/user-quizzes/102112/lotr-whos-your-daddy
+2
Level 70
Sep 22, 2017
Numenorean is definitely a different race. They have different mental powers, live 2-3 times as long as regular men, and are generally described as being fundamentally different/superior (because of their elf blood)
+1
Level 53
Oct 1, 2017
You're on the right track, but Numenoreans (whose descendants include the Dunedain) are still considered Men. When Earendil's two sons were given the choice of being Elves or Men, Elrond chose to be an Elf while Elros chose to be a Man. Elros then became the first King of Numenor. Yet while he was a mortal, he and his descendants were in fact granted longer lives than other Men.
+1
Level 76
Feb 16, 2018
Some of them have elven blood, but I think they were mostly normal men changed by Eru as a reward for fighting Morgoth in the first age.
+1
Level 47
Sep 24, 2017
Gandalf and Durin's Bane are Ainur by race and Maiar by culture.
+2
Level 25
Jul 10, 2018
That is just not true
+1
Level 63
Dec 19, 2017
Curious - what "race" is Tom Bombadil?
+2
Level 83
Jan 20, 2018
I don't think anyone knows what Tom Bombadil is to be honest.
+7
Level 76
Feb 16, 2018
If I recall right, Tolkien states that old Tom Bombadil is a merry fellow; bright blue his jacket is, and his boots are yellow.
+4
Level 84
Feb 20, 2020
He's a hippy.
+1
Level 63
Mar 14, 2018
Way too much time, to be honest.
+1
Level 88
Apr 4, 2018
Maybe also accept "Stone Troll" for "Troll" since not every troll turns to stone in daylight (which Wiliam Bert & Tom do)
+2
Level 82
Apr 4, 2018
Harry Potter is much better ;)
+1
Level 74
Jun 10, 2018
Elrond as a half-elf could be added in here
+1
Level 25
Jul 10, 2018
Peredhil
+1
Level 25
Jul 10, 2018
Legolas' surname is not Greenleaf, it is his names translation from Sindarin, and as such is only ever used once by Gandalf as an epithet, not a name or title.
+3
Level 45
Apr 23, 2019
Great Quiz, but just to nitpick, Balrogs and wizards are not really races, but if they were, they would be the same race (Maiar or Ainur). Uruk hai are not a separate race from orcs, they are still orcs. As has been mentioned, Nazgul are not a race, they are wraiths (Just as zombies, skeletons, barrow wights, ghosts, etc. are not races).
+1
Level 25
May 28, 2019
Great. A few nitpicks though... Gandalf is a human. Wizard is an occupation. Also, aren't Nazgul former men?
+7
Level 22
Mar 19, 2020
lol gandalf aint a human
+1
Level 15
Jan 8, 2024
Gandalf is very much NOT a human. He is a maia.
+1
Level 44
Dec 23, 2019
good quiz
+2
Level 65
May 13, 2020
You forgot about shape shifters like Beorn
+3
Level 76
May 13, 2020
The Nazgul are men. If they were men when they were born (they were) they don't change their race just because they've been corrupted. It's not like orcs that are corrupted elves, but have many generations for the races to diverge.
+1
Level 74
May 13, 2020
But didn't they die? They are some sort of a ghost, I believe, but I'm not sure.
+1
Level 65
May 14, 2020
So if you die you change species? So no humans are buried at a graveyard..
+1
Level 15
Jan 8, 2024
The Nazgul are neither dead or alive.
+1
Level 74
May 13, 2020
Great quiz!
+3
Level 81
May 13, 2020
Great quiz but I feel it would be better with yellow boxes (fellow LOTR nerd)
+2
Level 65
May 14, 2020
Yes this quiz desperately needs yellow boxes. Even if you have never read or seen it you can guess most of them, just by typing common fantasy races. And just having seen a trailer can get you the other ones.. (nazgûl, ent, balrog and uruk-hai aren't standard fantasy races (though ents made their way into a lot of games)
+1
Level 44
May 14, 2020
Pretty easy...
+2
Level 40
Aug 11, 2020
It always surprises me how most people don't know about the Balrog in these quizzes :/
+1
Level 52
Apr 4, 2021
Hi, thank you for this quiz ! I just translated it into french, I hope you agree, tell me if not !
+2
Level 68
Apr 5, 2021
Awesome!
+1
Level 52
Sep 28, 2022
"Wizard" isn't a race, bruv. Gandalf is an Istar.
+1
Level 76
Mar 28, 2023
Aragorn is not a "men". He is a "man".
+1
Level 15
Jan 8, 2024
You could take Halfling for Hobbit, Elda for Elf and Mortal for Men. Also Uruk-Hai and Mearas are both subcategories. Technically Aragorn is a Peredhel (Half-Elf), as he is descended from Earendil and Elwing.