Lord of the Rings: QUESTIONS FOR NERDS

[AChimp]

I'll answer the ones that I know the answer to off-hand.

Originally Posted by James

-Gandalf was grey/white, and Saruman was white/many-colored. I read that two other wizards were blue. What was the color of the last wizard, and what did the colors mean?

The colours corresponded to the rank within the order. Not many of the other wizards are mentioned in the books. Gandalf refers to Radagast the Brown in The Hobbit, if I remember correctly. White is the highest rank, which is why Saruman was the "head of the order," gray is second in command, etc.

Why did the ringbearers leave for the Undying Lands? Was it to prevent Sauron's influence from remaining in Middle-Earth, or was it an act of compassion for the anguish they've lived with? Wouldn't bringing Sauron's influence into the Undying Lands be a problem?

It had something to do with being in contact with magic, I think (not really sure). Sauron was completely destroyed at the end of RotK.

The head orc in RotK was pink and deformed. From my understanding, he was only mentioned once in the books, and never even specified as being an orc. Is there any reference in the books that would hint at where the design or potential backstory could be in the character? An orc/human hybrid or something?

Hmm... I don't think that this is really an important point. I believe they just made him look different so that he would stand out and everyone could point to him and say, "he's the leader."

What would have happened if someone poked Sauron in the eye?

The person who did the poking would die.

What IS the "Scouring of the Shire?" I understand it's the mechanization of the land or something, but what is the story behind it and how does it happen?

It has to do with Wormtongue's revenge. He basically gets a a huge mob of evil men to raid and pillage the Shire. The hobbits are a bunch of pussies and don't fight back until Sam gets back and shit. He convinces the hobbits to fight and they beat the men, bringing about a new era of hobbit bad-assness.