Do you know how many calories it takes to get from Rivendell to Mordor?
Have you ever wondered how many calories the Ring Society needed to walk from Rivendell to Mordor to destroy One Ring? Be aware that there are people who have done serious studies about this by publishing their findings in the Journal of Interdisciplinary Science Topics.
The research was led by Skye Rosetti and Krisho Manaharan of the University of Leicester, England, starting with another study that determined the amount of calories needed for each of Tolkien's races in "The Lord of the Rings." This first study showed that hobbits need 1, 800 calories daily, elves only 1, 400, men 1, 700, and dwarfs 2, 300.
However, some poetic licenses were required. In this second survey, all nine members of the Ring Society would arrive together in Mordor on a journey that lasted 92 days. In addition, Gandalf and Aragorn had their calculations done as "normal" human beings.
The result? Exactly 1, 780, 214.59 calories would be needed!
Number of Lembas
The study also went a little further and calculated the amount of lembas needed for the trip. For those who don't know, the lembas are the extremely invigorating elven rolls that the Fellowship of the Ring gained shortly before leaving Lothlorien.
The researchers concluded that each piece of lembas has exactly 2, 638.5 calories. Thus, Aragorn, Gandalf, Boromir, Legolas, Gimli, Pippin, Merry, Sam, and Frodo should have carried 675 units of the roll throughout their journey.
And your parents thinking that all that time on top of Tolkien's works or in front of the television watching the movies was in vain, wasn't it? There are people doing serious work based on fictional characters - like me, for example.
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The next time your parents tell you to stop watching your favorite movie or series, you know, say you're betting on the future and doing some research.
* Originally Posted on 09/04/2015
