Bored of the Rings: The 1969 Parody of El Señor de los Anillos

“This ring, and no other, is the work of the Elves, who would sell their mother to have it back. Sovereign of Mortals, of Turnip Greens and of Ham; if you wear it on your finger, you'll be the flashiest of all. One Ring that holds an Omnipotent Power: whatever you command, it will do precisely. If you break it or melt it, it cannot be repaired; if you find it, send it to Saurion (shipping already paid)” Thus begins Bored of the Rings, the 1969 parody of "El Señor de los Anillos".

I recall that a few years ago I came across an article dedicated to a Russian novel inspired by the Lord of the Rings trilogy, titled The Last Ringbearer. And as a great follower of Tolkien's work, my curiosity led me to read this book thanks to its premise as an informal sequel that focuses on telling the story from the perspective of the residents of Mordor.

While there isn't much to highlight about that novel (personally, I didn't think it was a big deal), I did become interested in what other similar works are out there. And one of the most interesting is Bored of the Rings, the 1969 parody of "El Señor de los Anillos".

Bored of the Rings, the 1969 Parody

Written by Henry N. Beard and Douglas C. Kenney, Bored of the Rings was published in 1969 (fourteen years after the release of The Return of the King). Taking advantage of the success of the trilogy, this novel follows the story established by Tolkien but with a comedic style. To begin with, both the names of the characters and places were parodied, most alluding to commercial brands and celebrities of the time. Once again, the plot follows the Fellowship led by the wizard Goodgulf Greyteeth (Gandalf the Grey) to destroy the ring carried by Frito Bugger (Frodo Baggins) and thus save the world from the dark land of Fordor (Mordor).

Believe it or not, Bored of the Rings was very successful upon publication, with several editions over the years and being translated into Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, and Spanish (titled El Sopor de los Anillos in 2001). It even has an English audiobook version, narrated by Rupert Degas and produced by Orion Audiobooks, released in 2013.

But the best (or worst, depending on how you see it) came with the release of Bored of the Rings: The Trilogy, directed by Glenn Millar in 2005. This delirium had some changes to adapt to modern times, such as the name Ganj-alf the Green (Gandalf the Green, alluding to marijuana), but maintaining the comedic and absurd essence of the novel. If you love the Tolkien universe, absurd humor, and are looking to have a good time, then don't think twice and start reading Bored of the Rings right away.