Figwit
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In the Lord of the Rings movies, Figwit (Melpomaen in Elvish) is the fan-derived name for an unnamed Elf extra. Figwit's name stands for "Frodo is great… who is THAT?!?"
Figwit is seen in the first movie during the council of Elrond. He sits next to Aragorn until they all stand up to argue. After Frodo shouts "I will take it!" and everyone turns and looks at him, Figwit is standing on the far right, looking pouty. He is actually not easy to see because he is standing in the backround for a fraction of a second; a main part of the joke is that the actor is just an minor extra.
Figwit is also seen in the third movie in the scene where Arwen is leaving for the Grey Havens and has the vision about her future son Eldarion. Figwit is the one that tells her to get back with the others. His exact words: "Lady Arwen, we cannot delay!" and then "My lady!".
Figwit's rise to fame began shortly after the first movie, and some fans believe he was given dialog in the third movie because Peter Jackson was aware of the attention given to this extra. Jackson mentions the phenomenon in the commentary track on the extended version of the Return of the King DVD: the decision to give him a speaking role was developed after the scene was scripted. Originally just a random cast extra was to give the lines, but it was decided that it would be fun if the Figwit actor was brought in to deliver them.
Figwit does not appear in any of the books and was created exclusively by Peter Jackson. Because of this, there is no authentic information regarding Figwit, save he was an escort (Peter Jackson never even officially used the name "Figwit" nor does that name actually appear in the film credits or other official material). He is a popular subject in slash fiction. Figwit's card in the Lord of the Rings collectable card game gives his name as Aegnor, a name derived from the Silmarillion, but there used for another character.
"Figwit" is played by Bret McKenzie (son of actor Peter McKenzie, who played Elendil in the first film) and is credited as Elf Escort in The Return of the King.
In 2004 a 60 minute documentary on the Figwit phenomenon 'Frodo is great... Who is that?!!' [1] (http://www.enzedff.co.nz/filmsynopsis.asp?FilmID=1802&Archive=0&RegionID=1&EventID=8) was made by three Wellington filmakers, all of whom worked on the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The documentary follows Brett McKensie to the United Kingdom where he meets the fans of his trademark pout and 'elvish good looks' and features extensive interviews with fans behind various Figwit fan sites as well as Peter Jackson, Barry Osbourne, Mark Ordesky, Ian McKellen and other cast members.
After the release of The Return of the King, some Lord of the Rings fans nicknamed another seemingly-innocuous character Fidwis, an acronym for "Faramir is dead... who is SHE?!?" Fidwis appears in Minas Tirith as Faramir leads a troop of Gondorian soldiers out of the city in an attempt to retake Osgiliath. However, Fidwis's fame never reached the heights of Figwit's, likely because excitement about the Lord of the Rings died down not long after the release of the third movie.
External links
- Template:Imdb name
- Fan site (http://www.figwitlives.net/)