And there it is. Definitive proof that the noble elves in The Lord of the Rings can be traced back to that saucy red Muppet Elmo.

We have Emil Johansson to thank for revealing this in his Lord of the Rings Family Tree Project. The massive undertaking is still under construction but includes over 600 characters and figureheads from the epic fantasy series. You can find all of the main characters there, but Johansson is gladly accepting assistance for the lesser known characters.

Saruman, Sauron, and Gandalf have their place near the top, right under Eru Ilúvatar, while you can find Elrond, Galadriel and company more towards the middle. Hobbits and humans are around the bottom middle. A search for Samwise Gamgee will put you right down in the midst of them, along with teaching you the names of all twelve of the children he and Rose Cotton had, the poor woman. (Twelve children, many of them named after Sam’s still-living friends, which isn’t creepy at all.)

Cheers to Johansson for the amazing effort involved! If you’re looking for more fun with Tolkien’s universe, you can read along with Kate Nepveu’s exhaustive analytical Lord of the Rings readthrough.

Stubby the Rocket is the mascot of Tor.com and is descended from the Tor Shipyards circa 5502, or 1952, or not. Something like that. It’s hard to tell because the dedication plaque is dirty and also all the time travel.