'My Precious' from a Hagraven
During 'A Night to Remember', a hagraven named Moira mutters 'my precious' while trying to hold onto a wedding ring the player needs, a direct callback to Gollum's obsession with the One Ring in The Lord of the Rings.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Knowledge
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Smigole Serkis and His Precious Spoon
Somewhere in Blood and Wine there's a note written by a character called Smigole Serkis, mourning the loss of his beloved golden spoon. It's a two-for-one joke, poking fun at both Gollum's alter ego Smeagol and Andy Serkis, the actor who brought him to life.
A Knife in the Dark, Twice Over
Your Dark Brotherhood initiation quest, A Knife in the Dark, shares its title with a chapter of The Fellowship of the Ring - and it's not just the name. Both involve someone very nearly being murdered in their sleep at an inn, which is about as close a callback as you can get without lifting dialogue outright.
Gandalf's Real Headache
That bit where Gandalf smacks his head on the beam in Bilbo's hobbit-hole wasn't scripted at all - Ian McKellen actually clonked his forehead for real mid-take. Peter Jackson thought he sold the pain so well he just left it in the final cut.
The Only Person Who Met Tolkien
Christopher Lee, who played Saruman, was the only person on the entire cast and crew who had actually met J.R.R. Tolkien in person. He was also a genuine superfan, rereading the whole trilogy every single year right up until his death in 2015.
Two Rings, One Secret
When the shoot wrapped, Peter Jackson quietly gave Elijah Wood and Andy Serkis each one of the actual rings used on set as a wrap gift. Both of them genuinely believed they'd been handed the only one, with no clue the other had one too.
Aragorn Wasn't Always Aragorn
Viggo Mortensen only joined the production after filming had already started, stepping in for actor Stuart Townsend just a handful of days into the shoot. He hadn't even read the books before signing on.
The Kid Who Cast Aragorn
Viggo Mortensen was on the fence about taking the role, and it was reportedly his eleven-year-old son Henry who talked him into signing on. Good call, kid.
The Fellowship's Matching Ink
Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Sean Bean, Dominic Monaghan, Sean Astin and Billy Boyd all got the Elvish word for 'nine' tattooed on themselves during the shoot, in the same script but different spots on their bodies. John Rhys-Davies, who played Gimli, was the one holdout.
Boromir's Fear of Flying
Sean Bean genuinely hated flying, so instead of taking the helicopter to remote mountain locations like the rest of the cast, he'd spend up to two hours climbing up the mountainside in full costume every morning just to avoid it.