While we continue debating whether Amazon's series is basically a 700-million-dollar fanfic or not (?), the collision between the characters of J.R.R. Tolkien and AI image generators is inevitable. After running a similar experiment with Harry Potter, software engineer Jim Clyde Monge decided to use the DALL-E 2 model to recreate part of the Fellowship of the Ring.

If you take a quick visit to the Lexica portal and search for "The Lord of the Rings", you'll see that Tolkien fans have been very busy in recent weeks. Obviously, almost all the art there is inspired by Peter Jackson's films, but with more than one algorithm floating around, it's not a bad idea to explore different interpretations of classic characters.

That's exactly what software engineer Jim Clyde Monge did. The results on Lexica are based on Stable Diffusion and are more current, but Jim shared his experience with DALL-E 2 in mid-July. These are his results.

Frodo

An AI 'Imagines' The Lord of the Rings Characters as Described in the Books
"A stout fellow with red cheeks, taller than some, and more agreeable than most. He is also said to have a cleft chin and bright, hopeful eyes. 50 years old."

No, that's not a mistake: Frodo Baggins is 49-50 years old when he sets out for Rivendell, but Elijah Wood was no older than 21 when the first film premiered. Just one of many changes made in the adaptation, and they worked better than expected.

Sam

An AI 'Imagines' The Lord of the Rings Characters as Described in the Books
"Shorter and rounder than other Hobbits, with wavy brown hair, and hands hardened from working in his garden."

The physical differences between the Samwise Gamgee of the books and Sean Astin are even more pronounced. His general description points to someone short and plump, however, Astin fully absorbed the character and did an excellent job.

Gandalf

An AI 'Imagines' The Lord of the Rings Characters as Described in the Books
"Of strong build, but shorter than other mortal men, considering his stooped back. His hair was long and white, with a matching silver beard."

More physical differences, this time with Gandalf. The books suggest he isn't that 'big' so to speak, while Sir Ian McKellen looks gigantic in every frame. There are also details that extend to his attire. Personally, I think it's the best construction from DALL-E 2.

Aragorn

An AI 'Imagines' The Lord of the Rings Characters as Described in the Books
"Thin and tall, with dark, woolly hair streaked with grey threads. His eyes match those threads, silver and piercing. The books describe him as the tallest member of the fellowship, 6.5 feet."

As a descendant of Elendil (who measured almost two and a half meters) and one of the Dúnedain, Aragorn is a walking tower. Beyond some changes in his personality, Viggo Mortensen was an absolute hit from the start.

Legolas

An AI 'Imagines' The Lord of the Rings Characters as Described in the Books
"Elven agility, very strong, and able to skillfully wield a war bow. Legolas's tall and slender figure is offset by speed and lightness."

As unbelievable as it may seem, the physical description of Legolas isn't that extensive when compared to other elves, but Orlando Bloom worked wonders in his role. The problem is that DALL-E 2 completely failed here.

In summary, for "The Lord of the Rings", I think Gandalf received the best portrait, followed by Aragorn, the hobbits, and Legolas appears far behind. Do you have access to DALL-E 2 or another algorithm? Share your results!

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