Bored of the Rings (BOTR) is a short satirical novel based on The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) by J.R.R. Tolkien, published in 1969 by Signet for the Harvard Lampoon.
The novel is a fairly close parody in terms of general plot, but is filled with cheap gags (the palantir as a Magic 8-Ball etc.), bad names, unsympathetic and cowardly characters and dated 1960s references.
Notable characters from Lower Middle Earth include:
- Goodgulf Greyteeth, the good wizard; "a discredited Rosicrucian" and "a 32nd Degree Mason and Honorary Shriner" (Gulf Oil slogan)
- boggies (hobbits)
- Stomper, or Arrowroot, son of Arrowshirt (Arrowshirt, a brand of men's dress shirt)
- Gimlet, son of Groin (Gimlet cocktail and Groin)
- Legolam ("leg of lamb")
- Bromosel (Used to be an indigestion relief product)
- Eorache ("ear ache")
- Tim Benzedrine (Benzedrine, a stimulant drug popular during the 1960s)
- Goddam ("God damn")
- Sorhed, the evil wizard, ruler of Fordor. ("Sore head", "four door")
- Serutan the wizard of Isinglass - (Serutan was the name of a laxative product; the product name is simply "Natures" spelled backwards
- Isinglass, a substance used in clarifying wine (see Isinglass).
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