Twenty-three years ago, the first installment of the Lord of the Ringsfilm trilogy debuted in theatres, setting off a cultural phenomenon that still resonates to this day. In a country still reeling from the September 11 attacks, Americans fell in love with J. R. R. Tolkien’s fantasy realm of Middle-earth with its noble human heroes, ethereal elves, stalwart dwarves, and down-to-earth hobbits. People related to the epic struggle of good versus evil and found…