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Not a Proper Riddle
What Bilbo, Mathoms, and 'deception' can teach us about the kind of Fan Club we're trying to build.
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Join the club to give it your rings.
Join the clubJoin the clubStory ·
What Bilbo, Mathoms, and 'deception' can teach us about the kind of Fan Club we're trying to build.
Rate this story
Join the club to give it your rings.
One of the largest challenges in creating a modern Fan Club for a world as beloved and enduring as The Lord of the Rings is pushing back against internet momentum.
You see, when online fandom started in the late 1900s (heh, makes you feel old, precious?), the world was our oyster. For the first time in human history, individuals, not entities, could reach each other in real time and enjoy the immensity of human connection across thousands and thousands of miles. And because, for the most part, people wanted to connect with other people, this world thrived. Folks found friendship, fellowship and, in some cases, lifelong connection.
A lot has happened since then.
We won't say it has all been negative, but the reality is the internet drifted away from a pathway of real human connection toward a pathway of real human competition. Competition to have the most likes, the most friends, the most... fill in the blank. Algorithms built billion-dollar businesses on top of this, and so we arrive here in 2026 with an internet which has become a place of discomfort more than comfort. A place for the individual more than the whole.
“...the internet drifted away from a pathway of real human connection toward a pathway of real human competition.”
We bring this up because even within our own team, fighting against the default internet of 2026 is hard. The pull is strong. Whether it is choosing not to keep a permanent archive of the daily Lore, or resisting the urge to make sure you can always find the quote from last week, our intent is to make the Club a living, breathing space. Like the real world, where moments matter, where precious fleeting time is honored and made more special because of its brief existence.
But there is also the ingrained competition mode every member of the internet community carries. The FOMO, the Fear of Missing Out, is real. Our Club is not built with the intent to push this button. It is built to make you aware of this part of your life, so you can weigh your own acceptance or rejection of it. Are you enjoying the experience, or feeling the pressure to keep up? The associated Mathoms are designed to encourage participation - inspire connection, not collection.
All of this is to say: if someone wants to "deceive" the system to "get" a riddle, a trivia answer, a certain Mathom, this is fine with us.
We are not here to judge how you choose to interact with this world, and we are not going to police your decisions to skirt the lines. In fact, we believe this is a theme running right through Middle-earth.
Think of Bilbo, deep under the Misty Mountains, playing the riddle game for his life. He has run out of riddles. His hand finds something in his pocket, and out slips the question: "What have I got in my pocket?" Gollum is outraged. Not fair, not fair, not a proper riddle at all. And he is right. By the ancient rules of the game, Bilbo bent the rules. Yet Bilbo walked out of the mountain, and the whole tale of the Ring turned on it. Tolkien never scolds him for it. He lets the moment stand, and lets the reader decide how they feel about it.
So when you submit a photo for a Mathom and you weren't quite qualified to earn it, don't be surprised if it goes through. (Gasp!) But maybe, before you submit, pause and ask yourself: what about this quest mattered so much that you were prepared to 'bend the rules' for it? Are you having fun? Are you performing for others? Or are you truly simply enjoying the moment to do something interesting? Our intent is for the quest to be the point (the journey, the participation), not the collected Mathom at the end. If you can, take a moment to pause with your next submission and ask yourself a few questions. No judgment from us.
We believe the pause is the whole point. The internet of 2026 never asks you to pause. We will.
Poll
If a member "bends the rules" to earn a Mathom, what should the Club do?
Voting is for members. Join the club to cast yours, or sign in.
A Diversion
Riddles in the DarkIf you didn't already know, you can play our 'Riddles in the Dark' daily within the The Official Fan Club of The Lord of the Rings.Join to play