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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Mar 25 2020, 10:35am
Post #1 of 52
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TIME - March 25
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Today in Middle-earth
Map of the Battle of the Black Gates from Journeys of Frodo: An Atlas of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings by Barbara Strachey.
March 25, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. The Captains of the West come to the Black Gate.
(not from the appendices)
..."No choice was left them but to play their part to its end. Therefore Aragorn now set the host in such array as could best be contrived; and they were drawn up on two great hills of blasted stone and earth that orcs had piled in years of labour... ....When all was ordered, the Captains rode forth towards the Black Gate... ...Gandalf as chief herald, and Aragorn with the sons of Elrond, and Éomer of Rohan, and Imrahil; and Legolas and Gimli and Peregrin were bidden to go also. So that all the enemies of Mordor should have a witness...
...'...Come forth! they cried. 'Let the Lord of the Black Land come forth...'
...There came a long rolling of great drums like thunder in the mountains, and then a braying of horns that shook the very stones and stunned men's ears. And thereupon the middle door of the Black Gate was thrown open with a great clang, and out of it there came an embassy from the Dark Tower... ...The Lieutenant of the Tower of Barad-dûr he was, and his name is remembered in no tale; for he himself had forgotten it, and he said; 'I am the Mouth of Sauron... ...Is there any one in this rout with authority to treat with me?' he asked. 'Or indeed with wit to understand me? Not thou at least!' he mocked, turning to Aragorn with scorn. 'It needs more to make a king than a piece of elvish glass, or a rabble such as this....'
......Aragorn said naught in answer, but he took the other's eye and held it, and for a moment they strove thus; but soon, though Aragorn did not stir nor move hand to weapon, the other quailed and gave back as if menaced with a blow...
...'...You have naught to fear from us, until your errand is done. But unless your master has come to new wisdom, then with all his servants you will be in great peril,' said Gandalf.
...'So!' said the Messenger. 'Then thou art the spokesman, old greybeard... ...I have tokens that I was bidden to show to thee—to thee in especial, if thou shouldst dare to come.' He signed to one of his guards, and he came forward bearing a bundle swathed in black cloths.
...The Messenger put these aside, and there to the wonder and dismay of all the Captains he held up first a short sword such as Sam had carried, and next a grey cloak with an elven-brooch, and last the coat of mithril-mail that Frodo had worn wrapped in his tattered garments. A blackness came before their eyes... ...their hearts were dead and their last hope gone. Pippin who stood behind Prince Imrahil sprang forward with a cry of grief.
...'Silence!' said Gandalf sternly, thrusting him back; but the Messenger laughed aloud.
...'So you have yet another of these imps with you!' he cried. 'What use you find in them I cannot guess... ...it is plain that this brat at least has seen these tokens before, and it would be vain for you to deny them now.'
...'I do not wish to deny them... ...But why do you bring them here?'
...'Dwarf-coat, elf-cloak, blade of the downfallen West, and spy from the little rat-land of the Shire... ...here are the marks of a conspiracy. Now, maybe he that bore these things was a creature that you would not grieve to lose, and maybe otherwise; one dear to you, perhaps? If so, take swift counsel... ...what his fate shall be depends now on your choice.'
...No one answered him; but he saw their faces grey with fear and the horror in their eyes, and he laughed again, for it seemed to him that his sport went well. 'Good, good... ...He was dear to you, I see. Or else his errand was one that you did not wish to fail? It has. And now he shall endure the slow torment of years... ...This shall surely be--unless you accept my Lord's terms...'
......Gandalf said, 'This is much to demand for the delivery of one servant... ...what surety have we that Sauron the Base Master of Treachery will keep his part...'
...'...Surety you crave! Sauron gives none... ...These are his terms. Take them or leave them!'
...'These we will take!' said Gandalf suddenly. He cast aside his cloak and a white light shone forth like a sword in that black place... ...Gandalf coming seized and took from him the tokens: coat, cloak, and sword. 'These we will take in memory of our friend,' he cried. 'But as for your terms, we reject them utterly. Get you gone, for your embassy is over and death is near to you. We did not come here to waste words in treating with Sauron, faithless and accursed; still less with one of his slaves. Begone...!'
2. The Host is surrounded on the Slag Hills.
(from the appendices)
..."...Down from the hills on either side of the Morannon poured Orcs innumerable. The men of the West were trapped, and soon, all about the grey mounds where they stood, forces ten times and more than ten times their match would ring them in a sea of enemies... ...Upon the one hill Aragorn stood with Gandalf, and there fair and desperate was raised the banner of the Tree and Stars. Upon the other hill hard by stood the banners of Rohan and Dol Amroth, White Horse and Silver Swan... ...But in the front towards Mordor where the first bitter assault would come there stood the sons of Elrond on the left with Dúnedain about them, and on the right the Prince Imrahil with the men of Dol Amroth tall and fair, and picked men of the Tower...
......Pippin had bowed crushed with horror when he heard Gandalf reject the terms and doom Frodo to the torment of the Tower; but he had mastered himself, and now he stood beside Beregond in the front rank of Gondor with Imrahil's men... '...I wish Merry was here...'
......the first assault crashed into them... ...a great company of hill-trolls... ...Like a storm they broke upon the line of the men of Gondor... ...At Pippin's side Beregond was stunned and overborne, and he fell: and the great troll-chief that smote him down bent over him, reaching out a clutching claw; for these fell creatures would bite the throats of those that they threw down.
...Then Pippin stabbed upwards, and the written blade of Westernesse pierce through the hide and went deep into the vitals of the troll, and his black blood came gushing out. He toppled forward and came crashing down... ...burying those beneath him. Blackness and stench and crushing pain came upon Pippin, and his mind fell away into a great darkness....'"
3. Downfall of Barad-dûr and the passing of Sauron.
(from the appendices)
..."...under the wings of the Nazgûl the shadows of death fell dark upon the earth. Aragorn stood beneath his banner, silent and stern... ...Upon the hill-top stood Gandalf, and he was white and cold and no shadow fell upon him....
......As if to his eyes some sudden vision had been given, Gandalf stirred; and he turned, looking back north where the skies were pale and clear. Then he lifted up his hands and cried in a loud voice ringing above the din: 'The Eagles are coming!'
...There came Gwaihir the Windlord, and Landroval his brother, greatest of all the Eagles of the North... ...behind them in long swift lines came all their vassals from the northern mountains, speeding on a gathering wind. Straight down upon the Nazgûl they bore, stooping suddenly out of the high airs, and the rush of their wide wings as they passed over was like a gale.
...But the Nazgûl turned and fled, and vanished into Mordor's shadows, hearing a sudden terrible call out of the Dark Tower; and even at that moment all the hosts of Mordor trembled... ...The Power that drove them on and filled them with hate and fury was wavering, its will was removed from them; and now looking in the eyes of their enemies they saw a deadly light and were afraid....
......Gandalf lifted up his arms and called once more in a clear voice. 'Stand, Men of the West! Stand and wait! This is the hour of doom.'
...And even as he spoke the earth rocked beneath their feet. Then rising swiftly up, far above the Towers of the Black Gate, high above the mountains, a vast soaring darkness sprang into the sky, flickering with fire. The earth groaned and quaked. The Towers of the Teeth swayed... ...the Black Gate was hurled in ruin...
...'...The realm of Sauron is ended!' said Gandalf. 'The Ring-bearer has fulfilled his Quest.' And as the Captains gazed south to the Land of Mordor, it seemed to them... ...there rose a huge shape of shadow, impenetrable, lightning-crowned, filling all the sky. Enormous it reared above the world, and stretched out towards them a vast threatening hand, terrible but impotent: for even as it leaned over them, a great wind took it, and it was all blown away, and passed; and then a hush fell....
......Then Gandalf, leaving all such matters of battle and command to Aragorn and the other lords, stood upon the hill-top and called; and down to him came the great eagle, Gwaihir the Windlord, and stood before him.
...'Twice you have borne me, Gwaihir my friend... ...Thrice shall pay for all, if you are willing. You will not find me a burden much greater than when you bore me from Zirak-zigil, where my old life burned away.'
...'I would bear you,' answered Gwaihir, 'whither you will, even were you made of stone.'
...'Then come, and let your brother go with us, and some other of your folk who is most swift! For we have need of speed greater than any wind, outmatching the wings of the Nazgûl.'
...'The North Wind blows, but we shall outfly it,' said Gwaihir. And he lifted up Gandalf and sped away south and with him went Landroval, and Meneldor... ...And they passed over Udûn and Gorgoroth and saw all the land in ruin and tumult beneath them, and before them Mount Doom blazing, pouring out its fire."
4. Frodo and Samwise reach the Sammath Naur.
(from the appendices)
..."The path climbed on... ...and came to the dark door in the Mountain's side, the door of the Sammath Naur... ...all Mordor lay about the Mountain like a dead land, silent, shadow-folded, waiting for some dreadful stroke.
...Sam came to the gaping mouth and peered in. It was dark and hot, and a deep rumbling shook the air. 'Frodo! Master!' he called. There was no answer. For a moment he stood, his heart beating with wild fears, and then he plunged in. A shadow followed him.
...At first he could see nothing. In his great need he drew out once more the phial of Galadriel, but it was pale and cold in his trembling hand and threw no light into that stifling dark. He was come to the heart of the realm of Sauron and the forges of his ancient might, greatest in Middle-earth; all other powers were here subdued... ...all at once there came a flash of red that leaped upward, and smote the high black roof. Then Sam saw that he was in a long cave or tunnel that bored into the Mountain's smoking cone....
......The light sprang up again, and there on the brink of the chasm, at the very Crack of Doom, stood Frodo, black against the glare, tense, erect, but still as if he had been turned to stone.
...'Master!' cried Sam.
...Then Frodo stirred and spoke with a clear voice... ...clearer and more powerful than Sam had ever heard him use, and it rose above the throb and turmoil of Mount Doom, ringing in the roof and walls.
...'I have come... ...But I do not choose now to do what I came to do. I will not do this deed. The Ring is mine!' And suddenly, as he set it on his finger, he vanished from Sam's sight. Sam gasped, but he had no chance to cry out... ...Something struck Sam violently in the back, his legs were knocked from under him and he was flung aside, striking his head against the stony floor, as a dark shape sprang over him. He lay still and for a moment all went black."
5. Gollum seizes the Ring and falls into the Cracks of Doom.
(from the appendices)
..."Sam got up... ...dazed, and blood from his head dripped in his eyes. He groped forward, and then he saw a strange and terrible thing. Gollum on the edge of the abyss was fighting like a mad thing with an unseen foe...
......The fires below awoke in anger, the red light blazed... ...Suddenly Sam saw Gollum's long hands draw upwards to his mouth; his white fangs gleamed, and then snapped as they bit. Frodo gave a cry, and there he was, fallen upon his knees at the chasm's edge. But Gollum, dancing like a mad thing, held aloft the ring with Frodo's finger still thrust within its circle. It shone now as if verily it was wrought of living fire.
...'Precious, precious, precious!' Gollum cried... ...he stepped too far, toppled, wavered for a moment on the brink, and then with a shriek he fell. Out of the depths came his last wail PRECIOUS, and he was gone.
......Sam ran to Frodo and picked him up and carried him out to the door. And there above the plains of Mordor, such wonder and terror came on him that he stood still forgetting all else, and gazed as one turned to stone... ...there came a rumble, rising to a deafening crash and roar; and the earth shook, the plain heaved and cracked, and Orodruin reeled. Fire belched from its riven summit. The skies burst into thunder seared with lightening. Down like lashing ships fell a torrent of black rain. And into the heart of the storm, with a cry that pierced all other sounds... ...the Nazgûl came, shooting like flaming bolts, as caught in the fiery ruin of hill and sky they crackled, withered, and went out.
...'Well, this is the end, Sam Gamgee,' said a voice by his side. And there was Frodo, pale and worn, and yet himself again; and in his eyes there was peace now, neither strain of will, nor madness, nor any fear. His burden was taken away. There was the dear master of the sweet days in the Shire.
...'Master!' cried Sam, and fell upon his knees. In all that ruin of the world for the moment he felt only joy... ...The burden was gone. His master had been saved; he was himself again, he was free. And then he caught sight of the maimed and bleeding hand.
...'Your poor hand!' he said. 'And I have nothing to bind it with, or comfort it. I would have spared him a whole hand of mine rather. But he's gone now beyond recall, gone forever.'
...'Yes... ...But do you remember Gandalf's words: "Even Gollum may have something yet to do?" But for him, Sam, I could not have destroyed the Ring. The Quest would have been in vain, even at the bitter end. So let us forgive him! For the Quest is achieved and now all is over. I am glad you are here with me. Here at the end of all things, Sam....'
...'...Yes, I am with you, Master,' said Sam, laying Frodo's wounded hand gently to his breast. 'And you're with me. And the journey's finished. But after coming all that way I don't want to give up yet. It's not like me, somehow, if you understand.' ...'Maybe not, Sam... ...but it's like things are in the world. Hopes fail. An end comes. We have only a little time to wait now. We are lost in ruin and downfall, and there is no escape.'
...'Well, Master, we could at least go further from this dangerous place here, from this Crack of Doom, if that's its name...'
...'...Very well, Sam. If you wish to go, I'll come,' said Frodo; and they rose and went slowly down... ...towards the Mountain's quaking feet, a great smoke and steam belched from the Sammath Naur, and the side of the cone was riven open, and a huge fiery vomit rolled in slow thunderous cascade down the eastern mountain-side.
...Frodo and Sam could go no further. Their last strength of mind and body was swiftly ebbing. They had reached a low ashen hill piled at the Mountain's foot; but from it there was no more escape....
......And so it was that Gwaihir saw them with his keen far-seeing eyes, as down the wild wind he came... ...two small dark figures, forlorn, hand in hand upon a little hill, while the world shook under them... ...And even as he espied them and came swooping down, he saw them fall, worn out, or choked with fumes and heat, or stricken down by despair at last, hiding their eyes from death.
...Side by side they lay; and down swept Gwaihir, and down came Landroval and Meneldor the swift; and in a dream, not knowing what fate had befallen them, the wanderers were lifted up and borne far away..."
6. Minas Tirith
(from the appendices)
..."And so the fifth day came since the Lady Éowyn went first to Faramir; and they stood now together once more upon the wall of the City and looked out. No tidings had yet come, and all hearts were darkened...
...'...What do you look for, Éowyn?' said Faramir.
...'Does not the Black Gate lie yonder?' said she. 'And must he not now be come thither? It is seven days since he rode away.'
...'Seven day,' said Faramir. 'But think not ill of me, if I say to you: they have brought me both a joy and a pain that I never thought to know. Joy to see you; but pain, because now the fear and doubt of this evil time are grown dark indeed. Éowyn, I would not have this world end now, or lose so soon what I have found.'
...'Lose what you have found, lord?' she answered... '...I know not what in these days you have found that you could lose. But come, my friend, let us not speak of it! Let us not speak at all! I stand upon some dreadful brink, and it is utterly dark in the abyss before my feet... ...I wait for some stroke of doom.'
...'Yes, we wait for the stroke of doom,' said Faramir. And they said no more... ...And as they stood so, their hands met and clasped, though they did not know it. And still they waited for they knew not what. Then... ...above the ridges of the distant mountains another vast mountain of darkness rose, towering up like a wave that should engulf the world, and about it lightnings flickered; and then a tremor ran through the earth, and they felt the walls of the City quiver. A sound like a sigh went up from all the lands about them; and their hearts beat suddenly again.
...'It reminds me of Númenor,' said Faramir, and wondered to hear himself speak.
...'Of Númenor?'
...'Yes,' said Faramir, 'of the land of Westernesse that foundered, and of the great dark wave climbing over the green lands and above the hills, and coming on, darkness inescapable. I often dream of it.'
...'Then you think that the Darkness is coming... ...Darkness Unescapable?' And suddenly she drew close to him.
...'No,' said Faramir, looking into her face. 'It was but a picture in the mind. I do not know what is happening. The reason of my waking mind tells me that great evil has befallen and we stand at the end of days. But my heart says nay; and all my limbs are light, and a hope and joy are come to me that no reason can deny. Éowyn, Éowyn, White Lady of Rohan, in this hour I do not believe that any darkness will endure!' And he stooped and kissed her brow...
.....And before the Sun had fallen far from the noon out of the East there came a great Eagle flying, and he bore tidings beyond hope from the Lords of the West, crying: 'Sing now, ye people of the Tower of Anor, for the Realm of Sauron is ended for ever, and the Dark Tower is thrown down.'"
7. Gondor proclaims their New Year on this date.
(not from the appendices)
[Gandalf speaking to Sam after he wakes in The Field of Cormallen]
... '...in Gondor the New Year will always now begin upon the twenty-fifth of March when Sauron fell, and when you were brought out of the fire to the King.'"
March 25, 3020 (S.R. 1420)
1. Frodo comes home.
(not from the appendices)
..."Sam stayed at first at the Cottons' with Frodo; but when the New Row was ready he went with the Gaffer. In addition to all his other labours he was busy directing the cleaning up and restoring of Bag End; but he was often away in the Shire on his forestry work... ...meanwhile Bag End had been set in order and Merry and Pippin came over from Crickhollow bringing back all the old furniture and gear, so that the old hole soon looked very much as it always had done."
March 25, 3021 (S.R. 1421)
1. Birth of Elanor the Fair, daughter of Samwise.
(from the appendices)
..."Frodo was ill again in March, but with a great effort he concealed it... ...Sam had other things to think about. The first of Sam and Rosie's children was born on the twenty-fifth of March, a date that Sam noted.
...'Well, Mr. Frodo,' he said. 'I'm in a bit of a fix. Rose and me had settled to call him Frodo... ...but it's not him, it's her. Though as pretty a maidchild as any one could hope for... ...So we don't know what to do.'
...'Well, Sam,' said Frodo, 'what's wrong with the old customs? Choose a flower name like Rose. Half the maidchildren in the Shire are called by such names, and what could be better?'
...'I suppose you're right, Mr. Frodo... ...I've heard some beautiful names on my travels, but I suppose they're a bit too grand for daily wear and tear... ...The Gaffer, he says: "Make it short, and then you won't have to cut it short before you can use it." But if it's to be a flower-name, then I don't trouble about the length: it must be a beautiful flower, because, you see, I think she is very beautiful, and is going to be beautifuller still.'
...Frodo thought for a moment. 'Well, Sam, what about elanor, the sun-star, you remember the little golden flower in the grass of Lothlórien?'
...'You're right again, Mr. Frodo!' said Sam delighted. 'That's what I wanted.'"
March 25, 2003
Tolkien Reading Day
...Launched in 2003 by the Tolkien Society, this annual event is a celebration of J.R.R. Tolkien's works. It encourages individuals, library groups, and education to engage in the study, discussion, and just plain enjoyment of life in Middle-earth... and beyond. The date of March 25 was chosen in honour of the fall of Sauron and the destruction of the One Ring.
We have been there and back again.
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Mar 25 2020, 12:25pm
Post #2 of 52
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If anyone is wondering what to read during this time of seclusion, it's the perfect time to get out the Tolkien works you haven't read in a while, or one of his biographies or other works about him! 
And I hope you don't mind, gramma, but this is such an important day and event in Middle-earth, that it seemed appropriate to start a new thread. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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Thor 'n' Oakenshield
Rohan
Mar 25 2020, 4:11pm
Post #3 of 52
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It's been a while since I've last read aloud from Tolkien's work to the rest of my family, who are all now trapped inside with me due to quarantine, so I figured this is the best possible time to channel my inner Samwise, bring out the old Red Book of Westmarch and begin from Chapter 1. 
"It is my duty to fight" - Mulan
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Mar 26 2020, 10:32am
Post #5 of 52
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Today in Middle-earth
March 26, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. The Shadow is lifted.
(from Appendix B: The Tale Of Years: The Third Age: The Great Years)
..."After the fall of the Dark Tower and the passing of Sauron the Shadow was lifted from the hearts of all who opposed him, but fear and despair fell upon his servants and allies."
2. In Minas Tirith
(not from the appendices)
..."The days that followed were golden, and Spring and Summer joined and made revel together in the fields of Gondor."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Mar 27 2020, 10:20am
Post #6 of 52
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Today in Middle-earth
March 27, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. Bard II and Thorin III Stonehelm drive the enemy from Dale.
(from the appendices - Appendix B: The Tale Of Years: The Third Age: The Great Years)
..."... a host of the allies of Sauron... ...crossed the River Carnen... ...to Dale. There... ...was a great battle at the Mountain's feet.... ...both King Brand and King Dáin Ironfoot were slain, and the Easterlings had the victory. But they could not take the Gate... ...Dwarves and Men, took refuge in Erebor, and there withstood a siege.
...When news came of the great victories in the South, then Sauron's northern army was filled with dismay; and the besieged came forth and routed them, and the remnant fled into the East and troubled Dale no more. Then Bard II, Brand's son, became King in Dale, and Thorin III Stonehelm, Dáin's son, became King under the Mountain...."
..."...Sauron might have done great evil in the North, if King Dáin and King Brand had not stood in his path. Even as Gandalf said afterwards to Frodo and Gimli, when they dwelt together for a time in Minas Tirith....
...'...I grieved at the fall of Thorin,' said Gandalf; 'and now we hear that Dáin has fallen, fighting in Dale again, even while we fought here. I should call that a heavy loss, if it was not a wonder rather that in his great age he could still wield his axe as mightily as they say that he did, standing over the body of King Brand before the Gate of Erebor...
...'...Yet things might have gone far otherwise and far worse. When you think of the great Battle of the Pelennor, do not forget the battles in Dale and the valour of Durin's Folk... ...of what might have been. Dragon-fire and savage swords in Eriador, night in Rivendell. There might be no Queen in Gondor. We might now hope to return from the victory here only to ruin and ash. But... ...averted - because I met Thorin Oakenshield one evening on the edge of spring in Bree. A chance-meeting, as we say in Middle-earth....'"
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Mar 28 2020, 12:51pm
Post #8 of 52
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Today in Middle-earth
March 28, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. Celeborn crosses Anduin; destruction of Dol Guldur begun.
(from the appendices)
..."Though grievous harm was done to the fair woods on the borders, the assaults were driven back; and when the Shadow passed, Celeborn came forth and led the host of Lórien over Anduin in many boats. They took Dol Guldur, and Galadriel threw down its walls and laid bare its pits, and the forest was cleansed."
2. Free from the land of the Shadow.
(not from the appendices—no text)
...Under the care of the King's healing hand, Frodo and Samwise rest in fair Ithilien in a deep, merciful sleep while a cloaked, bent figure sits quietly by, smoking and watching.
March 28, 3020 (S.R. 1420)
1. The Lady's gift and the Gardener's labours grace the Shire.
(not from the appendices)
..."Spring surpassed his wildest hopes. His trees began to sprout and grow, as if time was in a hurry and wished to make one year do for twenty."
2. Lobelia Sackville-Baggins passes in the Spring.
(not from the appendices)
[This first part isn't what happened today... it's just a buildup for Lobelia's post in the second part]
[November 4, 3019]
..."...she looked very old and thin when they rescued her from a dark and narrow cell. She insisted on hobbling out on her own feet; and she had... ...such clapping and cheering when she appeared, leaning on Frodo's arm but still clutching her umbrella, that she was quite touched and drove away in tears. She had never in her life been popular before. But she was crushed by the news of Lotho's murder, and she would not return to Bag End. She gave it back to Frodo, and went to her own people, the Bracegirdles of Hardbottle..."
[March 28, 3020]
..."When the poor creature died next Spring—she was after all more than a hundred years old—Frodo was surprised and much moved: she had left all that remained of her money and of Lotho's for him to use in helping hobbits made homeless by the troubles. So that feud was ended."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Mar 28 2020, 1:00pm
Post #9 of 52
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and our future in appreciation and decisions. What a world! And what a life :)
I was just "thinking" that if our now was 2 years ago, I'd most likely be stranded in NZ! *sigh* Golly! Wouldn't that be terrible? *another sigh* ;)
We have been there and back again.
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CuriousG
Half-elven
Mar 28 2020, 6:43pm
Post #10 of 52
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Not a bad place to be stranded, for sure. //
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Mar 29 2020, 6:47pm
Post #11 of 52
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March 29, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. Minas Tirith prepares.
(not from the appendices)
..."...tidings now came by swift riders from Cair Andros of all that was done, and the City made ready for the coming of the King. Merry was summoned and rode away with the wains that took store of goods to Osgiliath... ...by ship to Cair Andros; but Faramir did not go, for now being healed he took upon him his authority and the stewardship, although it was only for a little while, and his duty was to prepare for one who should replace him.
...And Éowyn did not go, though her brother sent word begging her to come to the field of Cormallen. And Faramir wondered at this, but he saw her seldom... ...and she dwelt still in the Houses of Healing and walked alone in the garden, and her face grew pale again and it seemed that in all the City she only was ailing and sorrowful."
March 29
Happy Birthday to the lovely Flower Lady of Backbencher Pub.
... On my March 2010 trip to Wellington, NZ, one of my must-do stops was The Backbencher Gastropub across the street from The Behive Parliament Building in Wellington. I snapped a picture of her…
enchanted by her diligent care of the beautiful flower boxes. When I returned to Wellington in March 2018, one of the first places I made for was The Backbencher to see if the flower boxes were still there. The Pub had suffered a devasting fire in 2012.
... Down the street as I approached the Pub, not only could I see it had been restored and there was a familiar person still diligently working on the many flower boxes. Elated… I rushed to see her closer and get another picture of her at work. She spotted me and became uncomfortable… hiding her face behind her upraised arm. I knew I needed to approach her and reassure her I was no threat. As we talked, I told her that I'd seen her 8 years earlier and was so moved by her lovely flower boxes. We struck up a long, friendly conversation that I still cherish to this day. I've sent her a birthday card each year ever since, and she writes back to me of how her flowers and she are doing. She is one of my most cherished experiences while in NZ.
We have been there and back again.
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(This post was edited by grammaboodawg on Mar 29 2020, 6:49pm)
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dernwyn
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Mar 29 2020, 9:42pm
Post #12 of 52
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"...you may find friends upon your way when you least look for it..."
Be careful when travelling to Middle-earth: you may find yourself re-living a book! 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Mar 30 2020, 11:02am
Post #13 of 52
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Today in Middle-earth
March 30, 2942 (S.R. 1342)
1. Bilbo and Gandalf rest at Beorn's home.
(determined from text-no text-drabble)
... Gandalf and Bilbo recover from their adventures in the safety of Beorn's home. There was no shortage of wonderful food, warm evenings before the huge fire in the great hall, and a chance for three great story-tellers to share their tales. But Bilbo's longing for his own chair and fire at Bag End grew. He would spend long hours in the quiet room given to him by Beorn. This is where he began his first journal and he would write page upon page of his adventures since he left the Mountain, as well as many reflective moments of the Shire.
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Mar 30 2020, 1:06pm
Post #14 of 52
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    (Peeking over at me. Very hobbity like Frodo & Bilbo hiding from the SB's ;)
Some of the pics that wouldn't load were when I spotted her in 2018 deep into her work and oblivious to the pedestrian traffic around her. There are 14 window boxes; one in each window around the building. I also found out she's the mother of the Pub's Proprietor, so she was still very shaken by the trauma of the fire. The 2nd floor hadn't been worked on yet.
You're so right! So Middle-earthy with our little Samwise working on her garden in the middle of the City. :D
We have been there and back again.
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Mar 30 2020, 1:53pm
Post #15 of 52
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Preparing to Depart from Beorn's House
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I know that we've discussed this before gramma, but by my estimate, the departure of Bilbo and Gandalf from Beorn's place was likely around this time and maybe on (or just after) the first day of the New Year in the Calendar of Imladris in early April. I'm not even sure that the elvish New Year always began on the same date in the Reckoning of Rivendell, but we know that in T.A. 3019 it fell on April 6 (Shire-date).
#FidelityToTolkien
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grammaboodawg
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Mar 30 2020, 10:49pm
Post #16 of 52
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They're not departing in this post. They're just hanging out. I moved their departure to April 9th :)
We have been there and back again.
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Otaku-sempai
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Mar 31 2020, 12:23am
Post #17 of 52
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They're not departing in this post. They're just hanging out. I moved their departure to April 9th :)
Oh, I understand that. For myself, though, I would move their departure forward a few days, providing more of a buffer for the pair's eventual arrival at Rivendell.
#FidelityToTolkien
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grammaboodawg
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Mar 31 2020, 10:23am
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Now that we have a short respite from many incredible events, let's have a 4-part visit of Gandalf and where it all began. Here's part 1 of 4 scattered through the week... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age: The Silmarillion
..."...the Shadow of Sauron and the sign of his return... ...coming out of the wastes of the East he took up his abode in the south of [Mirkwood] forest, and slowly he grew and took shape there again; in a dark hill he made his dwelling and wrought there his sorcery, and all folk feared the Sorcerer of Dol Guldur, and yet they knew not at first how great was their peril.
...Even as the first shadows were felt in Mirkwood there appeared in the west of Middle-earth the Istari, whom Men called the Wizards. None knew at that time whence they were, save Círdan of the Havens, and only to Elrond and to Galadriel did he reveal that they came over the Sea... ...it was said among the Elves that they were messengers sent by the Lords of the West to contest the power of Sauron, if he should arise again, and to move Elves and Men and all living things of good will to valiant deeds. In the likeness of Men they appeared, old but vigorous, and they changed little with the years, and aged but slowly, though great cares lay on them; great wisdom they had, and many powers of mind and hand. Long they journeyed far and wide among Elves and Men, and held converse also with beasts and with birds; and the peoples of Middle-earth gave to them many names, for their true names they did not reveal. Chief among them... ...the Elves called Mithrandir and Curunír, but Men in the North named Gandalf and Saruman. Of these Curunír was the eldest and came first, and after him came Mithrandir and Radagast, and others of the Istari who went into the east of Middle-earth, and do not come into these tales. Radagast was the friend of all beasts and birds; but Curunír went most among Men, and he was subtle in speech and skilled in all the devices of smith-craft. Mithrandir was closest in counsel with Elrond and the Elves. He wandered far in the North and West and made never in any land any lasting abode; but Curunír journeyed into the East, and when he returned he dwelt at Orthanc in the Ring of Isengard, which the Númenóreans made in the days of their power."
We have been there and back again.
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(This post was edited by grammaboodawg on Mar 31 2020, 10:23am)
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Mar 31 2020, 10:55am
Post #19 of 52
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I moved it to April 7... last stop ;) It's the only place within the timeline you mention that works in my timeline files. April 8th is a homepage entry, and I prefer not to edit/change the homepage. So this is the only place between the 6th and the 9th that works. :) We've gotta get these 2 home, fersher! Tally ho!
We have been there and back again.
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Mar 31 2020, 12:30pm
Post #20 of 52
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You didn't have to change the date on my account...
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...although I appreciate that you value my opinion. Allowing anywhere from three weeks to a month for travel time should work; and I doubt that Professor Tolkien had a specific departure date in mind. It's just that, taking into account the larger legendarium, I feel that Gandalf would have picked the New Year's Day of the Elves (April 6) as an auspicious day on which to begin a journey. Pretty much any day in early April before the tenth works pretty well, though any date too near to April 10 is cutting it close.
#FidelityToTolkien
(This post was edited by Otaku-sempai on Mar 31 2020, 12:32pm)
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Apr 1 2020, 10:43am
Post #21 of 52
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It's time for some April Fools BS!!
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Are you April Foolish enough to take on a game?
A few years ago, I did a Book Spoiler hunt on how many different ways and times and where the word "fool" was used by Professor Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Take a look at how FOOLISH it is in Middle-earth...for a moment or two of Tolkien-zen.
Can you guess which chapters any or all of these came from?
Who said the foolish word (where not shown)?
Which chapter was the most foolish?
Which chapters weren't foolish at all?
The Lord of the Rings (sans Appendices)
1. "They fool about with boats on that big river—and that isn't natural."
2. "I believe that Mad Baggins is off again. Silly old fool."
3. "Gandalf stood up. He spoke sternly. 'You will be a fool if you do, Bilbo,' he said. 'You make that clearer with every word you say."
4. "Well, as for the name, Bilbo very foolishly told Gollum himself..."
5. "Wretched fool! In that land he would learn much, too much for his comfort."
6. "Don't be a fool! What have you heard, and why did you listen?"
7. "...feeling that amazement could go no further, and quite unable to decide whether he felt angry, amused, relieved, or merely foolish."
8. "Tell me, if my asking does not seem foolish, who is Tom Bombadil?"
9. "Frodo suddenly felt very foolish, and found himself (as was his habit when making a speech) fingering the things in his pocket."
10. "Frodo felt a fool. Not knowing what else to do, he crawled away..."
11. "...why on earth did we behave so foolishly..."
12. "You have a stout heart,' he said; 'but it was foolish."
13. "He bitterly regretted his foolishness, and reproached himself for weakness of will..."
14. "Radagast the Fool!"
15. "You need not speak to me as to one of the fools that you take for friends."
16. "If this delay was his fault, I will melt all the butter in him. I will roast the old fool over a slow fire."
17. "Ass! Fool! Thrice worthy and beloved Barliman!"
18. "...if that does not shatter them, and I am allowed a little peace from foolish questions, I will seek for the opening words."
19. "Fool of a Took!' he growled. 'This is a serious journey, not a hobbit walking party."
20. "It may have nothing to do with Peregrin's foolish stone; but probably something has been disturbed that would have been better left quiet."
21. "So ended the attempt to retake Moria! It was valiant but foolish."
22. "Fly, you fools!"
23. "A merry troop of fools we shall look!"
24. "Fool! Obstinate fool! Running willfully to death and ruining our cause."
25. "...there came to his mind another thought: Take it off! Take it off! Fool, take it off! Take off the Ring!"
26. "...let Gimli the Dwarf Glóin's son warn you against foolish words."
27. "Rest while you can, little fool!"
28. "Saruman is a fool, and a dirty treacherous fool."
29. "You fools! You should have shot him. He'll raise the alarm."
30. "You went in a hurry. Did you leave anything behind?' 'I left a fool,' snarled Grishnákh."
31. "My dear tender little fools..."
32. "We keep off strangers and the foolhardy..."
33. "So the forces that he has long been preparing he is now setting in motion, sooner than he intended. Wise fool."
34. "Foolishness!' said Gandalf. 'Prudence is one thing, but discourtesy is another."
35. "That fool, Háma, has betrayed us!"
36. "But you speak like a fool. Do you think those halls are fair, where your King dwells...?"
37. "Get up, you tom-fool of a Took! Where, in the name of wonder, in all this ruin is Treebeard?"
38. "I am no fool, and I do not trust you, Gandalf."
39. "Do not be a fool. If you wish to treat with me, while you have a chance, go away, and come back when you are sober!"
40. "You have become a fool, Saruman, and yet pitiable."
41. "Unhappy fool! He will be devoured, if the power of the East stretches out its arms to Isengard."
42. "You idiotic fool!' Pippin muttered to himself. 'You're going to get yourself into frightful trouble."
43. "A fool, but an honest fool, you remain, Peregrin Took."
44. "Yet he must bear the blame. Fool! to keep it secret, for his own profit."
45. "Oh yes, you had,' said Gandalf. 'You knew you were behaving wrongly and foolishly; and you told yourself so, though you did not listen."
46. "You revealed yourself to me just now, foolishly."
47. "Silly hobbits, foolish, yes foolish! They mustn't do it!"
48. "Don't you go taking advantage of my master because his servant's no better than a fool."
49. "Not here, no. Not rest here. Fools! Eyes can see us."
50. "Foolish! Silly!' he hissed. 'Make haste!"
51. "Very foolish, very dangerous--if poor Sméagol wasn't sneaking about to watch."
52. "You fool,' snarled Shagrat. 'You've been talking very clever..."
53. "You fool, he isn't dead, and your heart knew it."
54. "...you must pardon my foolishness.' 'I do,' said Pippin. 'Though you are not far wrong."
55. "Counsels may be found that are neither the webs of wizards nor the haste of fools."
56. "... most surely not for any argument would he have set this thing at a hazard beyond all but a fool's hope..."
57. "There never was much hope,' he answered. 'Just a fool's hope, as I have been told."
58. "Maybe even your foolishness helped, my lad."
59. "The fool's hope has failed."
60. "Follow whom you will, even the Grey Fool, though his hope has failed."
61. "Why do the fools fly?"
62. "...I want to see Gandalf very much indeed. But he is no fool..."
63. "Old fool!' he said to Gandalf. 'Old fool! This is my hour."
64. "Hinder me? Thou fool. No living man may hinder me!"
65. "Nay, I have seen more than thou knowest, Grey Fool."
66. "...thou shalt see what comes to him who sets his foolish webs before the feet of Sauron the Great."
67. "Don't be a fool, Sam Gamgee,' came an answer in his own voice."
68. "You are the fool, going on hoping and toiling."
69. "... you Shirriffs look a lot of Tom-fools."
70. "I told Sharkey it was no good trusting those little fools."
71. "You are a ruffian and a fool."
72. "Miserable fool, but I am sorry for him."
73. "He has been a wicked fool, but he's caught now."
74. "...all of them except perhaps one or two rascals, and a few fools that want to be important..."
75. "He knew too little of hobbits to understand his peril. Foolishly he decided to fight."
76. "Only that fool Ted was pleased by that..."
77. "I don't believe that fool of a Pimple's behind all this."
78. "Don't waste any more words on the fool, Sam!"
79. "...if they're such fools, I will get ahead of them and teach them a lesson."
The Hobbit
1. "Bilbo, you were a fool; you walked right in and put your foot in it."
2. "Don't be a fool, Bilbo Baggins!" he said to himself, "thinking of dragons and all that outlandish nonsense at your age!"
3. "You're a fat fool, William..."
4. "...Thorin and his friends think them foolish (which is a very foolish thing to think)"
5. "Don't be a fool Mr. Baggins if you can help it..."
6. "The dwarves were inclined to grumble at this, but the wizard told them they were fools."
7. "Some of the more foolish ran out of the hut as if they expected the Mountain to go golden in the night..."
8. "Dear me, what a fool I was and am!"
9. "Staggering!" exclaimed Bilbo aloud, but what he thought inside was: "Old fool!"
10. "Never laugh at live dragons, Bilbo you fool!"
11. "The dragon is coming or I am a fool!"
12. "... not the most foolish doubted that the prophecies had gone rather wrong."
13. "Why waste words and wrath on those unhappy creatures?"
14. "Such a fool deserves to starve"
15. "Fools!" laughed Bard, "to come thus beneath the Mountain's..."
16. "You are a fool, Bilbo Baggins, and you made a great mess of that business with the stone..."
Answers on separate post...
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Apr 1 2020, 10:59am
Post #22 of 52
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Here are the locations. The page numbers may vary according to which edition you're accessing... but they're around these page numbers somewhere ;)
The Lord of the Rings – A variation of FOOL was used 79 times
The Hobbit – A variation of FOOL was used 16 times
**Which chapter was the most foolish?
.......The Lord of the Rings: The Scouring of the Shire (11 times)
.......The Hobbit – There's a tie: Inside Information (3 times) and Fire and Water (3 times)
[Tolkien, 1966 Ballantine: The Hobbit]
[Tolkien, 1965 Ballantine: The Lord of the Rings]
**Which chapters did these came from and who said them?
[Be aware that different editions may have the text falling on a different page number.]
The Lord of the Rings (sans Appendices)
1. "They fool about with boats on that big river—and that isn't natural.""
.......pg 45 I A Long-Expected Party by the Gaffer
2. "I believe that Mad Baggins is off again. Silly old fool.""
.......pg 56 I A Long-Expected Party by Rory Brandybuck
3. "Gandalf stood up. He spoke sternly. 'You will be a fool if you do, Bilbo,' he said. 'You make that clearer with every word you say.'"
.......pg 60 A Long-Expected Party by Gandalf
4. "Well, as for the name, Bilbo very foolishly told Gollum himself...'"
.......pg 89 The Shadow of the Past by Gandalf
5. "Wretched fool! In that land he would learn much, too much for his comfort.'"
.......pg 91 The Shadow of the Past by Gandalf
6. "Don't be a fool! What have you heard, and why did you listen?"
.......pg 97 The Shadow of the Past by Gandalf
7. "...feeling that amazement could go no further, and quite unable to decide whether he felt angry, amused, relieved, or merely foolish."
.......pg 150 A Conspiracy Unmasked by the Narrator/J.R.R. Tolkien regarding Frodo
8. "Tell me, if my asking does not seem foolish, who is Tom Bombadil?'"
.......pg 173 In the House of Tom Bombadil (1) by Frodo
9. "Frodo suddenly felt very foolish, and found himself (as was his habit when making a speech) fingering the things in his pocket."
.......pg 216 At the Sign of the Prancing Pony by the Narrator/J.R.R. Tolkien regarding Frodo
10. "Frodo felt a fool. Not knowing what else to do, he crawled away..."
.......pg 219 At the Sign of the Prancing Pony by the Narrator/J.R.R. Tolkien regarding Frodo
11. "...why on earth did we behave so foolishly...'"
.......pg 224 Strider by Frodo
12. "You have a stout heart,' he said; 'but it was foolish.'"
.......pg 235 Strider by Strider
13. "He bitterly regretted his foolishness, and reproached himself for weakness of will..."
.......pg 266 Flight to the Ford by the Narrator/J.R.R. Tolkien regarding Frodo
14. "Radagast the Fool!'"
.......pg 338 The Council of Elrond by Saruman
15. "You need not speak to me as to one of the fools that you take for friends.'"
.......pg 339 The Council of Elrond by Saruman
16. "If this delay was his fault, I will melt all the butter in him. I will roast the old fool over a slow fire.'"
.......pg 345 The Council of Elrond by Gandalf
17. "Ass! Fool! Thrice worthy and beloved Barliman!'"
.......pg 345 The Council of Elrond by Gandalf
18. "...if that does not shatter them, and I am allowed a little peace from foolish questions, I will seek for the opening words.'"
.......pg 400 A Journey in the Dark by Gandalf
19. "Fool of a Took!' he growled. 'This is a serious journey, not a hobbit walking party.'"
.......pg 408 A Journey in the Dark by Gandalf
20. "It may have nothing to do with Peregrin's foolish stone; but probably something has been disturbed that would have been better left quiet.'"
.......pg 408 A Journey in the Dark by Gandalf
21. "So ended the attempt to retake Moria! It was valiant but foolish.'"
.......pg 419 The Bridge of Khazad-dûm by Gandalf
22. "Fly, you fools!'"
.......pg 430 The Bridge of Khazad-dûm by Gandalf
23. "A merry troop of fools we shall look!'"
.......pg 451 Lothlórien by Gimli
24. "Fool! Obstinate fool! Running willfully to death and ruining our cause.'"
.......pg 516 The Breaking of the Fellowship by Boromir
25. "...there came to his mind another thought: Take it off! Take it off! Fool, take it off! Take off the Ring!"
.......pg 519 The Breaking of the Fellowship by the Narrator/J.R.R. Tolkien and Gandalf regarding Frodo
26. "...let Gimli the Dwarf Glóin's son warn you against foolish words.'"
.......pg 42 Riders of Rohan by Gimli
27. "Rest while you can, little fool!'"
.......pg 59 The Uruk-hai by a random Orc
28. "Saruman is a fool, and a dirty treacherous fool.'"
.......pg 61 The Uruk-hai by Grishnákh
29. "You fools! You should have shot him. He'll raise the alarm.'"
.......pg 63 The Uruk-hai presumably by Uglúk
30. "You went in a hurry. Did you leave anything behind?' 'I left a fool,' snarled Grishnákh.'"
.......pg 68 The Uruk-hai by Grishnákh
31. "My dear tender little fools...'"
.......pg 74 The Uruk-hai by Grishnákh
32. "We keep off strangers and the foolhardy...'"
.......pg 89 Treebeard by Treebeard
33. "So the forces that he has long been preparing he is now setting in motion, sooner than he intended. Wise fool.'"
.......pg 127 The White Rider by Gandalf
34. "Foolishness!' said Gandalf. 'Prudence is one thing, but discourtesy is another.'"
.......pg 147 The King of the Golden Hall by Gandalf
35. "That fool, Háma, has betrayed us!'"
.......pg 151 The King of the Golden Hall by Grima Wormtongue
36. "But you speak like a fool. Do you think those halls are fair, where your King dwells...?'"
.......pg 193 The Road to Isengard by Gimli
37. "Get up, you tom-fool of a Took! Where, in the name of wonder, in all this ruin is Treebeard?'"
.......pg 223 Flotsam and Jetsam by Gandalf
38. "I am no fool, and I do not trust you, Gandalf.'"
.......pg 239 The Voice of Saruman by Saruman
39. "Do not be a fool. If you wish to treat with me, while you have a chance, go away, and come back when you are sober!'"
.......pg 240 The Voice of Saruman by Saruman
40. "You have become a fool, Saruman, and yet pitiable.'"
.......pg 241 The Voice of Saruman by Gandalf
41. "Unhappy fool! He will be devoured, if the power of the East stretches out its arms to Isengard.'"
.......pg 242 The Voice of Saruman by Gandalf
42. "You idiotic fool!' Pippin muttered to himself. 'You're going to get yourself into frightful trouble.'"
.......pg 251 The Palantír by Pippin
43. "A fool, but an honest fool, you remain, Peregrin Took.'"
.......pg 254 The Palantír by Gandalf
44. "Yet he must bear the blame. Fool! to keep it secret, for his own profit.'"
.......pg 259 The Palantír by Gandalf
45. "Oh yes, you had,' said Gandalf. 'You knew you were behaving wrongly and foolishly; and you told yourself so, though you did not listen.'"
.......pg 260 The Palantír by Gandalf
46. "You revealed yourself to me just now, foolishly.'"
.......pg 314 The Black Gate Is Closed by Frodo
47. "Silly hobbits, foolish, yes foolish! They mustn't do it!'"
.......pg 331 Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit by Sméagol/Gollum
48. "Don't you go taking advantage of my master because his servant's no better than a fool.'"
.......pg 366 The Window on the West by Sam
49. "Not here, no. Not rest here. Fools! Eyes can see us.'"
.......pg 399 The Stairs of Cirith Ungol by Sméagol/Gollum
50. "Foolish! Silly!' he hissed. 'Make haste!'"
.......pg 402 The Stairs of Cirith Ungol by Sméagol/Gollum
51. "Very foolish, very dangerous--if poor Sméagol wasn't sneaking about to watch.'"
.......pg 412 The Stairs of Cirith Ungol by Sméagol/Gollum
52. "You fool,' snarled Shagrat. 'You've been talking very clever...'"
.......pg 444 The Choices of Master Samwise by Shagrat
53. "You fool, he isn't dead, and your heart knew it.'"
.......pg 444 The Choices of Master Samwise by Sam
54. "...you must pardon my foolishness.' 'I do,' said Pippin. 'Though you are not far wrong.'"
.......pg 40 Minas Tirith by Beregond and Pippin
55. "Counsels may be found that are neither the webs of wizards nor the haste of fools.'"
.......pg 105 The Siege of Gondor by Denethor
56. "... most surely not for any argument would he have set this thing at a hazard beyond all but a fool's hope...'"
.......pg 105 The Siege of Gondor by Denethor
57. "There never was much hope,' he answered. 'Just a fool's hope, as I have been told.'"
.......pg 107 The Siege of Gondor by Gandalf
58. "Maybe even your foolishness helped, my lad.'"
.......pg 107 The Siege of Gondor by Gandalf
59. "The fool's hope has failed.'"
.......pg 118 The Siege of Gondor by Denethor
60. "Follow whom you will, even the Grey Fool, though his hope has failed.'"
.......pg 118 The Siege of Gondor by Denethor
61. "Why do the fools fly?'"
.......pg 120 The Siege of Gondor by Denethor
62. "...I want to see Gandalf very much indeed. But he is no fool...'"
.......pg 120 The Siege of Gondor by Pippin
63. "Old fool!' he said to Gandalf. 'Old fool! This is my hour.'"
.......pg 125 The Siege of Gondor by the Witch-king
64. "Hinder me? Thou fool. No living man may hinder me!'"
.......pg 141 The Battle of the Pelennor Fields by the Witch-king
65. "Nay, I have seen more than thou knowest, Grey Fool.'"
.......pg 157 The Pyre of Denethor by Denethor
66. "...thou shalt see what comes to him who sets his foolish webs before the feet of Sauron the Great.'"
.......pg 203 The Black Gate Opens by The Messenger/The Mouth of Sauron
67. "Don't be a fool, Sam Gamgee,' came an answer in his own voice."
.......pg 266 Mount Doom by Sam
68. "You are the fool, going on hoping and toiling.'"
.......pg 266 Mount Doom by Sam
69. "... you Shirriffs look a lot of Tom-fools.'"
.......pg 346 The Scouring of the Shire by Sam
70. "I told Sharkey it was no good trusting those little fools.'"
.......pg 350 The Scouring of the Shire by a random Ruffian
71. "You are a ruffian and a fool.'"
.......pg 351 The Scouring of the Shire by Pippin
72. "Miserable fool, but I am sorry for him.'"
.......pg 352 The Scouring of the Shire by Frodo
73. "He has been a wicked fool, but he's caught now.'"
.......pg 352 The Scouring of the Shire by Frodo
74. "...all of them except perhaps one or two rascals, and a few fools that want to be important...'"
.......pg 353 The Scouring of the Shire by Merry
75. "He knew too little of hobbits to understand his peril. Foolishly he decided to fight.'"
.......pg 358 The Scouring of the Shire by the Narrator/J.R.R. Tolkien regarding the Ruffian Leader
76. "Only that fool Ted was pleased by that...'"
.......pg 361 The Scouring of the Shire by Farmer Cotton
77. "I don't believe that fool of a Pimple's behind all this.'"
.......pg 361 The Scouring of the Shire by Farmer Cotton
78. "Don't waste any more words on the fool, Sam!'"
.......pg 366 The Scouring of the Shire by Frodo
79. "...if they're such fools, I will get ahead of them and teach them a lesson.'"
.......pg 368 The Scouring of the Shire by Sharkey/Saruman
The Hobbit
1. "Bilbo, you were a fool; you walked right in and put your foot in it."
.......pg 30 An Unexpected Party by Bilbo
2. "Don't be a fool, Bilbo Baggins!" he said to himself, "thinking of dragons and all that outlandish nonsense at your age!"
.......pg 40 Roast Mutton by Bilbo
3. "You're a fat fool, William..."
.......pg 48 Roast Mutton by Bert
4. "...Thorin and his friends think them foolish (which is a very foolish thing to think)"
.......pg 59 A Short Rest by the Narrator/J.R.R. Tolkien regarding the Elves
5. "Don't be a fool Mr. Baggins if you can help it..."
.......pg 118 Queer Lodgings by Gandalf
6. "The dwarves were inclined to grumble at this, but the wizard told them they were fools."
.......pg 136 Queer Lodgings by the Narrator/J.R.R. Tolkien regarding the Dwarves
7. "Some of the more foolish ran out of the hut as if they expected the Mountain to go golden in the night..."
.......pg 188 A Warm Welcome by the Narrator/J.R.R. Tolkien regarding Lake-town residents
8. "Dear me, what a fool I was and am!"
.......pg 205 Inside Information by Bilbo
9. "Staggering!" exclaimed Bilbo aloud, but what he thought inside was: "Old fool!"
.......pg 216 Inside Information by Bilbo
10. "Never laugh at live dragons, Bilbo you fool!"
.......pg 217 Inside Information by Bilbo
11. "The dragon is coming or I am a fool!"
.......pg 235 Fire and Water by Grim-voiced fellow/Bard
12. "... not the most foolish doubted that the prophecies had gone rather wrong."
.......pg 235 Fire and Water by the Narrator/J.R.R. Tolkien regarding Lake-town residents
13. "Why waste words and wrath on those unhappy creatures?"
.......pg 240 Fire and Water by Bard
14. "Such a fool deserves to starve"
.......pg 256 A Thief in the Night by Bard
15. "Fools!" laughed Bard, "to come thus beneath the Mountain's..."
.......pg 264 The Cloud Bursts by Bard
16. "You are a fool, Bilbo Baggins, and you made a great mess of that business with the stone..."
.......pg 273 The Return Journey by Bilbo
Which chapters weren't foolish at all?
The Fellowship of the Ring
Three is Company
A Short Cut to Mushrooms
The Old Forest
Fog on the Barrow-Downs
A Knife in the Dark
Many Meetings
The Ring Goes South
The Mirror of Galadriel
Farewell to Lórien
The Great River
The Two Towers
The Departure of Boromir
Helm's Deep
The Taming of Sméagol
The Passage of the Marshes
The Forbidden Pool
Journey to the Cross-Roads
Shelob's Lair
The Return of the King
The Passing of the Grey Company
The Muster of Rohan
The Ride of the Rohirrim
The Houses of Healing
The Last Debate
The Tower of Cirith Ungol
The Land of Shadow
The Field of Cormallen
The Steward and the King
Many Partings
Homeward Bound
The Grey Havens
The Hobbit
Over Hill and Under Hill
Riddles in the Dark
Out of the Frying-Pan into the Fire
Flies and Spiders
Barrels Out of Bond
A Warm Welcome
On the Doorstep
Not at Home
The Gathering of the Clouds
The Last Stage
FOOLISH TOTALS
The Lord of the Rings – 79
The Fellowship of the Ring – 25
A Long-Expected Party (3)
The Shadow of the Past (3)
A Conspiracy Unmasked (1)
In the House of Tom Bombadil (1)
At the Sign of the Prancing Pony (2)
Strider (2)
Flight to the Ford (1)
The Council of Elrond (4)
A Journey in the Dark (3)
The Bridge of Khazad-dûm (2)
Lothlórien (1)
The Breaking of the Fellowship (2)
The Two Tower – 28
Riders of Rohan (1)
The Uruk-hai (5)
Treebeard (1)
The White Rider (1)
The King of the Golden Hall (2)
The Road to Isengard (1)
Flotsam and Jetsam (1)
The Voice of Saruman (4)
The Palantír (4)
The Black Gate Is Closed (1)
Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit (1)
The Window on the West (1)
The Stairs of Cirith Ungol (3)
The Choices of Master Samwise (2)
The Return of the King – 26
Minas Tirith (1)
The Siege of Gondor (9)
The Battle of the Pelennor Fields (1)
The Pyre of Denethor (1)
The Black Gate Opens (1)
Mount Doom (2)
The Scouring of the Shire (11)
The Hobbit – 16
An Unexpected Party (1)
Roast Mutton (2)
A Short Rest (1)
Queer Lodgings (2)
A Warm Welcome (1)
Inside Information (3)
Fire and Water (3)
A Thief in the Night (1)
The Cloud Bursts (1)
The Return Journey (1)
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
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Apr 2 2020, 12:39pm
Post #23 of 52
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Here's part 2 of a 4-part visit of Gandalf and where it all began... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age: The Silmarillion ... "Ever most vigilant was Mithrandir, and he it was that most doubted the darkness in Mirkwood, for though many deemed that it was wrought by the Ringwraiths, he feared that it was indeed the first shadow of Sauron returning; and he went to Dol Guldur, and the Sorcerer fled from him, and there was a watchful peace for a long while. But... ...the Shadow returned and its power increased; and in that time was first made the Council of the Wise that is called the White Council, and therein were Elrond and Galadriel and Círdan, and other lords of the Eldar, and with them were Mithrandir and Curunír... ...(that was Saruman the White) was chosen to be their chief, for he had most studied the devices of Sauron of old. Galadriel indeed had wished that Mithrandir should be the Lead of the Council, and Saruman begrudged them that, for his pride and desire of mastery was grown great; but Mithrandir refused the office, since he would have no ties and no allegiance, save to those who sent him, and he would abide in no place nor be subject to any summons. But Saruman now began to study the lore of the Rings of Power, their making and their history."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Apr 3 2020, 10:08am
Post #24 of 52
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Today in Middle-earth
April 3, 3005 (S.R. 1405), 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Gandalf visits in the Spring.
(not from the appendices)
..."It was early April and the sky was now clearing after heavy rain. The sun was down, and a cool pale evening was quietly fading into night...
......It was just at this time that Gandalf reappeared after his long absence. For three years after the Party he had been away. Then he paid Frodo a brief visit, and after taking a good look at him he went off again. During the next year or two he had turned up fairly often, coming unexpectedly after dusk, and going off without warning before sunrise... ...and seemed chiefly interested in small news about Frodo's health and doings.
...Then suddenly his visits had ceased. It was over nine years since Frodo had seen or heard of him, and he had begun to think that the wizard would never return and had given up all interest in hobbits."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
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Apr 4 2020, 1:09pm
Post #25 of 52
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Here's pt 3 of a 4 pt Book Spoiler where we see how Gandalf followed his instincts about Sauron... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age: The Silmarillion
... "Now the Shadow grew ever greater, and the hearts of Elrond and Mithrandir darkened. Therefore on a time Mithrandir at great peril went again to Dol Guldur and the pits of the Sorcerer, and he discovered the truth of his fears, and escaped. And returning to Elrond he said:
... 'True, alas, is our guess. This is not one of the Úlairi, as many have long supposed. It is Sauron himself who has taken shape again and now grows apace; and he is gathering again all the Rings to his hand; and he seeks ever for news of the One, and of the Heirs of Isildur, if they live still on earth....'
... ...Elrond answered: 'In the hour that Isildur took the Ring and would not surrender it, this doom was wrought, that Sauron should return.'
... 'Yet the One was lost,' said Mithrandir, 'and while it still lies hid, we can master the Enemy, if we gather our strength and tarry not too long.'
... Then the White Council was summoned; and Mithrandir urged them to swift deeds, but Curunír spoke against him, and counselled them to wait yet and to watch.
... 'For I believe not... ...that the One will ever be found again in Middle-earth. Into Anduin it fell, and long ago, I deem, it was rolled to the Sea...
... ...Therefore naught was done at that time, though Elrond's heart misgave him, and he said to Mithrandir:
... 'Nonetheless I forbode that the One will yet be found, and then war will arise again, and in that war this Age will be ended. Indeed in a second darkness it will end, unless some strange chance deliver us that my eyes cannot see.'
... 'Many are the strange chances of the world,' said Mithrandir, 'and help oft shall come from the hands of the weak when the Wise falter.'
...] Thus the Wise were troubled, but none as yet perceived that Curunír had turned to dark thoughts and was already a traitor in heart: for he desired that he and no other should find the Great Ring, so that he might wield it himself and order all the world to his will...
... ...ever the shadow in Mirkwood grew deeper, and to Dol Guldur evil things repaired out of all the dark places of the world; and they were united again under one will, and their malice was directed against the Elves and the survivors of Númenor. Therefore at last the Council was again summoned and the lore of the Rings was much debated; but Mithrandir spoke to the Council, saying:
... 'It is not needed that the Ring should be found, for while it abides on earth and is not unmade, still the power that it holds will live, and Sauron will grow and have hope. The might of the Elves and the Elf-friends is less now than of old. Soon he will be too strong for you, even without the Great Ring; for he rules the Nine, and of the Seven he has recovered three. We must strike.'
... To this Curunír now assented, desiring that Sauron should be thrust from Dol Guldur, which was nigh to the River, and should have leisure to search there no longer. Therefore, for the last time, he aided the Council, and they put forth their strength; and they assailed Dol Guldur, and drove Sauron from his hold, and Mirkwood for a brief while was made wholesome again.
... But their stroke was too late. For the Dark Lord had foreseen it, and he had long prepared all his movements; and the Úlairi, his Nine Servants, had gone before him to make ready for his coming. Therefore his flight was but a feint, and he soon returned, and ere the Wise could prevent him he re-entered his kingdom in Mordor and reared once again the dark towers of Barad-dûr. And in that year the White Council met for the last time, and Curunír withdrew to Isengard, and took counsel with none save himself."
April 4, 2004
We signed a petition to Let the Hobbit Happen. There were over over 63,000 signatures collected and taken. My Signature Confirmation for The Hobbit Petition was #2433.
http://www.petitiononline.com/hobfilm/
The Hobbit
• Author:
n/a
• Send To:
New Line Cinema, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. and United Artists
• Sponsored By:
• More Info at:
Are you the Author?
We, the undersigned, wish to make clear our strong desire to see a quality film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkiens The Hobbit. Having spent the last three years in Middle-earth, under the spell of magician Peter Jackson and the wizards of Weta Workshop, we find ourselves only wanting more. The Tale of the Ring is incomplete without the story of Its finding by Bilbo, and the other aspects of his adventure make for a captivating cinematic journey as well.
Fans know that the film rights reside with New Line, while distribution is the legal domain of MGM/United Artists. It would be heartbreaking for the fans to be denied this film, simply because of this rift in rights. Surely an agreement can be reached that will prove mutually advantageous to the studios. The phenomenol success of The Lord of the Rings trilogy clearly demonstrates that there is a huge fan base worldwide, ready to support The Hobbit in like manner - particularly if it is made by Mr. Jackson and Weta, who have proven themselves so gifted in the visual creation of a world which until now only existed on the printed page, in the art of great talents like Alan Lee and John Howe, and in the imaginations of Tolkien readers.
Please work together to eliminate this barrier to the films making and distribution. We, the fans, will make it worth your while. We are not ready to leave Middle-earth!
In addition to showing support for this project by signing this petition, fans can make their wishes known by writing a tactful, concise letter to the following persons at these addresses:
Robert K. Shaye
New Line Cinema Corporation
888 7th Avenue
New York, NY 10106
Alex Yemenidjian
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.
10250 Constellation Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Danny Rosett, EVP Marketing and Distribution
United Artists Corporation
10250 Constellation Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90067
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Apr 5 2020, 2:11pm
Post #26 of 52
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Here's the last part of a series of Book Spoilers that looks at Gandalf's achievements... for a moment of Tolkien-zen. From Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age: The Silmarillion
... "Orcs were mustering, and far to the east and the south the wild peoples were arming. Then in the midst of gathering fear and the rumour of war the foreboding of Elrond was proved true, and the One Ring was indeed found again, by a chance more strange than even Mithrandir had foreseen; and it was hidden from Curunír and from Sauron. For it had been taken from Anduin long ere they sought for it, being found by one of the small fisher-folk that dwelt by the River, ere the Kings failed in Gondor; and by its finder it was brought beyond search into dark hiding under the roots of the mountains. There it dwelt, until even in the year of the assault upon Dol Guldur it was found again, by a wayfarer, fleeing into the depths of the earth from the pursuit of the Orcs, and passed into a far distant country, even to the land of the Periannath, the Little People, the Halflings, who dwelt in the west of Eriador... ...and neither Sauron nor any of the Wise save Mithrandir had in all their counsels given thought to them.
... Now by fortune and his vigilance Mithrandir first learned of the Ring, ere Sauron had news of it; yet he was dismayed and in doubt. For too great was the evil power of this thing for any of the Wise to wield, unless like Curunír he wished himself to become a tyrant and a dark lord in his turn; but neither could it be concealed from Sauron for ever, nor could it be unmade by the craft of the Elves. Therefore with the help of the Dúnedain of the North Mithrandir set a watch upon the land of the Periannath and bided his time. But Sauron had many ears, and soon he heard rumour of the One Ring, which above all things he desired, and he sent forth the Nazgûl to take it. Then war was kindled, and in battle with Sauron the Third Age ended even as it had begun....
... ...But those who saw the things that were done in that time, deeds of valour and wonder, have elsewhere told the tale of the War of the Ring, and how it ended both in victory unlooked for and in sorrow long foreseen....
......In that last battle were Mithrandir, and the sons of Elrond, and the King of Rohan, and lords of Gondor, and the Heir of Isildur with the Dúnedain of the North. There at the last they looked upon death and defeat, and all their valour was in vain; for Sauron was too strong. Yet in that hour was put to the proof that which Mithrandir had spoken, and help came from the hands of the weak when the Wise faltered. For, as many songs have since sung, it was the Periannath, the Little People, dwellers in hillsides and meadows, that brought them deliverance...
... ...Now all these things were achieved for the most part by the counsel and vigilance of Mithrandir, and in the last few days he was revealed as a lord of great reverence, and clad in white he rode into battle; but not until the time came for him to depart was it known that he had long guarded the Red Ring of Fire [Narya]. At the first that Ring had been entrusted to Círdan, Lord of the Havens; but he had surrendered it to Mithrandir, for he knew whence he came and whither at last he would return.
... 'Take now this Ring,' he said; 'for thy labours and thy cares will be heavy, but in all it will support thee and defend thee from weariness. For this is the Ring of Fire, and... ...maybe, thou shalt rekindle hearts to the valour of old in a world that grows chill. But as for me, my heart is with the Sea, and I will dwell by the grey shores, guarding the Havens until the last ship sails. Then I shall await thee.'"
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Apr 6 2020, 10:49am
Post #27 of 52
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Today in Middle-earth
April 6, 1YT (VY 3500) Yestarë
1. The Elves' New Year.
(from QUENTA SILMARILLION: The History of the Silmarils: Of the Beginning of Days)
..."...at the sixth hour of the First Day [Yestarë], and of all the joyful days thereafter... ...Telperion ceased his time of flower; and at the twelfth hour Laurelin her blossoming. And each day of the Valar... ...ended with the second mingling of the lights, in which Laurelin was waning but Telperion was waxing. But the light that was spilled from the trees endured long, ere it was taken up into the airs or sank down into the earth... ...the dews of Telperion and the rain that fell from Laurelin Varda hoarded in great vats like shining lakes, that were to all the land of the Valar as wells of water and of light. Thus began the Days of the Bliss of Valinor; and thus began also the Count of Time."
[YT=Year of the Trees (Telperion/Laurelin) & VY=Valian Years (Years the Valar came to the world)]
April 6, 2980 (S.R. 1380)
1. Birth of Samwise Gamgee.
(from APPENDIX B: THE TALE OF YEARS (CHRONOLOGY OF THE WESTLANDS): Third Age)
...It is told that the fifth child, a son, is born to gardener Hamfast Gamgee (the gaffer) and Bell Goodchild of the Shire on this Spring day.
April 6, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. Healing in Minas Tirith.
(not from the appendices)
..."Then Faramir came and sought her, and once more they stood on the walls together; and he said to her: 'Éowyn, why do you tarry here, and do not go to the rejoicing in Cormallen beyond Cair Andros, where your brother awaits you?'
...And she said: 'Do you not know?'
...'...Two reasons there may be, but which is true, I do not know....'
...'...I do not wish to play at riddles. Speak plainer!'
...'Then if you will have it so, lady... ...you do not go, because only your brother called for you, and to look on the Lord Aragorn, Elendil's heir, in his triumph would now bring you no joy. Or because I do not go, and you desire still to be near me. And maybe for both these reasons, and you yourself cannot choose between them. Éowyn, do you not love me, or will you not?'
...'I wished to be loved by another... ...But I desire no man's pity.'
...'That I know,' he said. 'You desired to have the love of the Lord Aragorn. Because he was high and puissant, and you wished to have renown and glory and to be lifted far above the mean things that crawl on the earth. And as a great captain may to a young soldier he seemed to you admirable... ...a lord among men, the greatest that now is. But when he gave you only understanding and pity, then you desired to have nothing, unless a brave death in battle. Look at me, Éowyn!'
...And Éowyn looked at Faramir long and steadily; and Faramir said: 'Do not scorn pity that is the gift of a gentle heart, Éowyn! But I do not offer you my pity. For you are a lady high and valiant and have yourself won renown that shall not be forgotten; and you are a lady beautiful... ...beyond even the words of the Elven-tongue to tell. And I love you. Once I pitied your sorrow. But now, were you sorrowless, without fear or any lack, were you the blissful Queen of Gondor, still I would love you. Éowyn, do you not love me?'
...Then the heart of Éowyn changed, or else at last she understood it. And suddenly her winter passed, and the sun shone on her.
...'I stand in Minas Anor, the Tower of the Sun... ...and behold! the Shadow has departed! I will be a shieldmaiden no longer, nor vie with the great Riders, nor take joy only in the songs of slaying. I will be a healer, and love all things that grow and are not barren. And again she looked at Faramir. 'No longer do I desire to be a queen,' she said.
...Then Faramir laughed merrily. 'That is well... ...for I am not a king. Yet I will wed with the White Lady of Rohan, if it be her will. And if she will, then let us cross the River and in happier days let us dwell in fair Ithilien and there make a garden. All things will grow with joy there, if the White Lady comes.'"
2. Healing in Ithilien.
(not from the appendices-no text-drabble)
...Since coming to Ithilien, Merry sat with Gandalf as they watched and waited for some sign of Frodo and Sam waking. Under the care of King Elessar, they seemed to be wrapped in a safe, healing sleep. It was disturbing for Merry to see them as if they were drifting in a far away place. But his time with Pippin heartened him while his friend's strength grew daily. Merry's loneliness faded as they chattered about all they had done… making light of the grim shadows that lingered. They were already conspiring about how to sneak in their pipes and weed.
3. Meeting of Celeborn and Thranduil.
(from the appendices)
..."And on the day of the New Year of the Elves, Celeborn and Thranduil met in the midst of the forest; and they renamed Mirkwood Eryn Lasgalen, The Wood of Greenleaves. Thranduil took all the northern region as far as the mountains that rise in the forest of his realm; and Celeborn took the southern wood below the Narrows, and named it East Lórien; but all the wide forest between was given to the Beornings and the Woodmen."
April 6, 3020 (S.R. 1420)
1. The mallorn flowers in the Party Field.
(from the appendices)
..."The little silver nut [Sam] planted in the Party Field where the tree had once been... ...a beautiful young sapling leaped up: it had silver bark and long leaves and burst into golden flowers in April. It was indeed a mallorn, and it was the wonder of the neighbourhood... ...as it grew in grace and beauty, it was known far and wide and people would come long journeys to see it: the only mallorn west of the Mountains and east of the Sea; and one of the finest in the world."
2. Holiday in the Westfarthing.
(from APPENDIX D: THE CALENDARS)
..."...in the Westfarthing, especially in the country round Hobbiton Hill, there grew a custom of making holiday and dancing in the Party Field, when weather permitted, on April 6. Some said that it was old Sam Gardner's birthday, some that it was the day on which the Golden Tree first flowered in 1420."
We have been there and back again.
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Apr 6 2020, 3:04pm
Post #28 of 52
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April 6, 2942 (S.R. 1342)
Gandalf and Bilbo depart from the house of Beorn
(personal head-canon)
It was spring, and a fair one with mild weathers and a bright sun, before Bilbo and Gandalf took their leave at last of Beorn, and though he longed for home, Bilbo left with regret, for the flowers of the gardens of Beorn were in springtime no less marvellous than in high summer.
gramma and I have slightly different views on precisely when Bilbo and Gandalf might have bid farewell to Beorn, but we are both in the same ballpark. Truthfully, their departure might have been at any time between the start of April and probably no later than the tenth of the month. Any time later than that does not give them much time to reach Rivendell on May the First.
#FidelityToTolkien
(This post was edited by Otaku-sempai on Apr 6 2020, 3:05pm)
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Apr 7 2020, 10:25am
Post #29 of 52
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Today in Middle-earth
April 7, 2942 (S.R. 1342)
1. Gandalf and Bilbo depart Beorn's as the time comes to leave for home.
(determined from text)
..."It was spring, and a fair one with mild weathers and a bright sun, before Bilbo and Gandalf took their leave at last of Beorn, and though he longed for home, Bilbo left with regret, for the flowers of the gardens of Beorn were in springtime no less marvellous than a high summer."
April 7, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. Pippin rises from his sickbed.
(not from the appendices)
...[Gimli speaks his peace] "I love you, if only because of the pains you have cost me, which I shall never forget. Nor shall I forget finding you on the hill of the last battle. But for Gimli the Dwarf you would have been lost then... ...I know now the look of a hobbit's foot, though it be all that can been seen under a heap of bodies. And when I heaved that great carcase off you, I made sure you were dead. I could have torn out my beard.'"
April 7, 3020 (S.R. 1420)
1. The Shire slowly begins to look as it once did by the tireless work of the Hobbits.
(not from the appendices)
..."Sam stayed at first at the Cottons' with Frodo; but when the New Row was ready he went with the Gaffer. In addition to all his other labours he was busy directing the cleaning up and restoring of Bag End..."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
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Apr 8 2020, 10:29am
Post #30 of 52
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Today in Middle-earth
April 8, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. The Ring-bearers are honoured on the Field of Cormallen.
(from the appendices)
..."When Sam awoke, he found that he was lying on some soft bed, but over him gently swayed wide beechen boughs... ...All the air was full of a sweet mingled scent.
...He remembered that smell: the fragrance of Ithilien. 'Bless me!' he mused. 'How long have I been asleep?' For the scent had borne him back to the day when he had lit his little fire under the sunny bank; and for the moment all else between was out of waking memory. He stretched and drew a deep breath. 'Why, what a dream I've had!' he muttered... ...then he saw that Frodo was lying beside him, and slept peacefully, one hand behind his head, and the other resting upon the coverlet. It was the right hand, and the third finger was missing.
...Full memory flooded back, and Sam cried aloud: 'It wasn't a dream! Then where are we?'
...And a voice spoke softly behind him: 'In the land of Ithilien, and in the keeping of the King; and he awaits you.' With that Gandalf stood before him, robed in white, his beard now gleaming like pure snow... '...Well, Master Samwise, how do you feel?'
...But Sam lay back, and stared with open mouth... ...between bewilderment and great joy, he could not answer. At last he gasped: 'Gandalf! I thought you were dead! But then I thought I was dead myself. Is everything sad going to come untrue? What's happened to the world?'
...'A great Shadow has departed,' said Gandalf, and then he laughed, and the sound was like music... ...and as he listened the thought came to Sam that he had not heard laughter, the pure sound of merriment, for days upon days without count. It fell upon his ears like the echo of all the joys he had ever known. But he himself burst into tears. Then... ...his tears ceased, and his laughter welled up, and laughing he sprang from his bed.
...'How do I feel? ...Well, I don't know how to say it. I feel, I feel'—he waved his arms in the air—'I feel like spring after winter, and sun on the leaves; and like trumpets and harps and all the songs I have ever heard!' He stopped and he turned towards his master. 'But how's Mr. Frodo ? ...Isn't it a shame about his poor hand? But I hope he's all right otherwise. He's had a cruel time.'
...'Yes, I am all right otherwise,' said Frodo, sitting up and laughing in his turn. 'I fell asleep again waiting for you, Sam... ...I was awake early this morning, and now it must be nearly noon.'
...'Noon!' said Sam, trying to calculate. 'Noon of what day?'
...'The fourteenth of the New Year,' said Gandalf; 'or... ...the eighth day of April in the Shire reckoning. But in Gondor the New Year will always now begin upon the twenty-fifth of March when Sauron fell, and when you were brought out of the fire to the King. He has tended you, and now he awaits you. You shall eat and drink with him. When you are ready I will lead you to him.'
...'The King?' said Sam. 'What king, and who is he?'
...'The King of Gondor and the Lord of the Western Lands... ...and he has taken back all his ancient realm. He will ride soon to his crowning, but he waits for you.'
...'What shall we wear?' said Sam; for all he could see was the old and tattered clothes that they had journeyed in....
...'The clothes that you wore on your way to Mordor,' said Gandalf. 'Even the orc-rags that you bore in the black land, Frodo, shall be preserved. No silks or linens, nor any armour or heraldry could be more honourable....'
......Then he held out his hands to them, and they saw that one shone with Light. 'What have you got there?' Frodo cried. 'Can it be-----?'
...'Yes, I have brought your two treasures. They were found on Sam when you were rescued. The Lady Galadriel's gifts; your glass, Frodo and your box, Sam. You will be glad to have them safe again.'
...When they were washed and clad, and had eaten a light meal, the Hobbits followed Gandalf...
......As they came to the opening in the wood, they were surprised to see knights in bright mail and tall guards in silver and black standing there, who greeted them with honour and bowed before them...
......Frodo and Sam went forward and saw that amidst the clamourous host were set three high-seats built of green turves... ...but behind the highest throne in the midst of all a great standard was spread in the breeze, and there a white tree flowered upon a sable field beneath a shining crown and seven glittering stars. On the throne sat a mail-clad man, a great sword was laid across his knees, but he wore no helm. As they drew near he rose. And then they knew him, changed as he was, so high and glad of face, kingly, lord of Men, dark-haired with eyes of grey.
...Frodo ran to meet him, and Sam followed close... '...Well, if it this isn't the crown of all!' he said. 'Strider, or I'm still asleep!'
...'Yes, Sam, Strider,' said Aragorn. 'It is a long way, is it not, from Bree, where you did not like the look of me?'
......And then to Sam's surprise and utter confusion he bowed his knee before them; and taking them by the hand... ...he led them to the throne, and setting them upon it, he turned to the men and captains who stood by and spoke, so that his voice rang over all the host, crying: 'Praise them with great praise!'
...And when the glad shout had swelled up and died away again, to Sam's final and complete satisfaction and pure joy, a minstrel of Gondor stood forth, and knelt, and begged leave to sing... ...of Frodo of the Nine Fingers and the Ring of Doom.'
...And when Sam heard that he laughed aloud for shear delight, and he stood up and cried: 'O great glory and splendour! And all my wishes have come true!' And then he wept.
...And all the host laughed and wept, and in the midst of their merriment and tears the clear voice of the minstrel rose like silver and gold.... ...he sang to them, now in the Elven-tongue, now in the speech of the West, until their hearts, wounded with sweet words, overflowed, and their joy was like swords, and they passed in thought out to regions where pain and delight flow together and tears are the very wine of blessedness....
......there came two esquires to serve the kings... ...one was clad in the silver and sable of the Guards of Minas Tirith, and the other in white and green. But Sam wondered what such young boys were doing in an army of mighty men. Then suddenly as they drew near and he could see them plainly, he exclaimed:
...'Why, look Mr. Frodo! Look here! Well, if it isn't Pippin. Mr. Peregrin Took I should say, and Mr. Merry! How they have grown... ...I can see there's more tales to tell than ours.'
...'There are indeed,' said Pippin turning towards him. 'And we'll begin telling them, as soon as this feast is ended. In the meantime you can try Gandalf. He's not so close as he used to be, though he laughs now more than he talks.'"
2. The Ring-bearers in Ithilien.
(not from the appendices)
..."Orcs, and talking trees, and leagues of grass, and galloping riders, and glittering caves, and white towers and golden halls, and battles, and tall ships sailing, all these passed before Sam's mind until he felt bewildered... ...amidst all these wonders he returned always to his astonishment at the size of Merry and Pippin; and he made them stand back to back with Frodo and himself.... '...Can't understand it at your age!' he said. 'But there it is: you're three inches taller than you ought to be, or I'm a dwarf.'
...'That you certainly are not,' said Gimli. 'But what did I say? Mortals cannot go drinking ent-draughts and expect no more to come of them than a pot of beer.'
...'Ent-draughts?' said Sam. 'There you go about Ents again; but what they are beats me. Why, it will take weeks before we get all these things sized up...!'
... At length Gandalf rose. 'The hands of the King are hands of healing, dear friends... ...But you were to the very brink of death ere he recalled you, putting forth all his power, and sent you into the sweet forgetfulness of sleep. And though you have indeed slept long and blessedly, still it is now time to sleep again.'"
[league = 3 miles]
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
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Apr 9 2020, 10:48am
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Today in Middle-earth
April 9, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. The Ring-bearers revisit fair Ithilien.
(not from the appendices)
..."In the morning Sam and Frodo rose again in hope and peace; and they spent many days in Ithilien... ...The hobbits wandered here and there visiting again the places that they had passed before; and Sam hoped always in some shadow of the woods or secret glade to catch... ...a glimpse of the great Oliphaunt. And when he learned that at the siege of Gondor there had been a great number of these beasts but that they were all destroyed, he thought it a sad loss.
...'Well, one can't be everywhere at once, I suppose... ...But I missed a lot, seemingly.'
...In the meanwhile the host made ready for the return to Minas Tirith. The weary rested and the hurt were healed."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
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Apr 10 2020, 11:43am
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Today in Middle-earth
April 10, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. Ithilien becomes a land of rebirth.
(not from the appendices-no text)
...The hobbits recover in Ithilien among the Great Men of the West, the Elves, a Dwarf and a light-hearted Wizard while Minas Tirith prepares for the Return of the King.
...The resilience of the hobbits amazes those who have witnessed their healing since their rescue little more than three weeks before, but especially since their waking only four days ago. Together again, the hobbits thrive in this fair land.
April 10, 3020 (S.R. 1420)
1. Spring in the Shire.
(not from the appendices-no text)
...Spring in the Shire has always been one of Sam's favourite times of the year, but this year's especially grand as he watches the young trees grow, the flowers bloom and Hobbiton steadily healing from its hurts.
April 10, 1999
1. TheOneRing.net posts its first News Article!
(determined from Homepage Archives)
...While TORn will soon be officially registered… on this day, TORn split open the internet with its first Homepage News Article, "Hobbiton is Being Built" found in TORn's Homepage Archive (scroll down to the last article).
...TORn also changed the way a ground-breaking filmmaker embraced fans and gave us a voice. Peter Jackson saw the intelligence of collaborating with our TORn founders to give rise to a whole new level of creativity and synergy.
"...and their coming was like the falling of small stones that starts an avalanche in the mountains."
April 10, 2019
1. The Ghost of the One Ring is sighted.
...The first ever picture of a black hole: It's surrounded by a halo of bright gas. Katie Bouman of MIT created algorithm making it possible. The supermassive black hole at the center of M87, a giant galaxy 53 million light years away weighs 6 billion solar masses. The black hole at the center of our own galaxy is just 4 million solar masses.
["It's full of stars!" Dr. Dave Bowman, 2001: A Space Odyssey]
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
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Apr 10 2020, 2:21pm
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TORn's First Homepage Article
Hobbiton Is Being Built
4/10/99, 12:00 am EST - Xoanon
MATAMATA - A secret start has been made on the mega-budget film Lord of the Rings in the central Waikato.
The New Zealand Herald has discovered that soldiers, earth-movers and builders have been working for two weeks amid the rolling hills and trees of a private farm between Matamata and Karapiro.
All involved have been sworn to secrecy about the $260 million trilogy, and movie staff yesterday pleaded that the site be kept secret.
A spokeswoman for the film firm Three Foot Six, Sian Clement, said she was worried that movie zealots would flock to the farm if they found out about the work. "You just have to look on the Internet to see the fanatic interest."
The start of a movie set can now be seen from nearby hills. Tracks, graders, heavy machinery, Army vehicles and tents stretch up to 1km into farm paddocks.
The farm's owner, Ian Alexander, said he had been involved since October. "They just arrived out of the blue," he said. "There's been a bit of activity, a bit of action, but they've only just started doing things for real. "Mr Alexander said the set was being built on a few hectares in the corner of one of his three blocks, but he refused to give more detail. "It's all being kept very quiet," he said. "I'm just a common old cocky with a few bloody sheep running around."
The movie trilogy is based on a series of fantasy books by JRR Tolkien. They will be shot by Wellington film-maker Peter Jackson with 15,000 actors, and a bigger budget than any other movie project in the Southern Hemisphere.
It is understood that the set will include a mock-up of the village Hobbiton, central to the story. Sets will also be built at other sites. A worker for Okoroire Excavators said he visited the farm more than a week ago, but had been asked to say nothing about it. "I'm not even sure who we're working for," he said. Army and Defence Ministry staff were more secretive than a bevy of bashful hobbits. They passed all calls to a press officer, Wing Commander John Seward, who did not return the calls. The Minister of Defence, Max Bradford, earlier said that soldiers would work for two or three days as extras, and would be paid normal movie rates by producers. Fourteen soldiers staying at the Okoroire Hot Springs Hotel have been visiting the movie set for more than a week, and are expected to stay up to three weeks longer. A staff member at the hotel said: "It's very hush-hush. I don't know what the hell they're doing, and as long as they pay their bills I don't care."
[[Link to the first news item indexed in TORn's Main News Archives – April 10, 1999-April 17, 1999. Scroll down to the last article on the page. TheOneRing.net is officially registered soon after on April 26, 1999]]
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
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Apr 11 2020, 12:04pm
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Today in Middle-earth
April 11, 3018 (S.R. 1418) The Great Years
1. An evening at the Green Dragon.
(not from the appendices)
..."The conversation in the Green Dragon at Bywater, one evening in the spring of Frodo's fiftieth year, showed that even in the comfortable heart of the Shire rumours had been heard, though most hobbits still laughed at them.
...Sam Gamgee was sitting in one corner near the fire, and opposite him was Ted Sandyman, the miller's son; and... ...other rustic hobbits listening to their talk.
...'Queer things you do hear these days, to be sure,' said Sam.
...'Ah,' said Ted, 'you do, if you listen. But I can hear fireside-tales and children's stories at home...'
...'...No doubt you can,' retorted Sam, 'and I daresay there's more truth in some of them than you reckon. Who invented the stories anyway? Take dragons now.'
...'No thank 'ee,' said Ted, 'I won't. I heard tell of them when I was a youngster, but there's no call to believe in them now. There's only one Dragon in Bywater, and that's Green,' he said, getting a general laugh.
...'All right,' said Sam, laughing... '...But what about these Tree-men, these giants, as you might call them? They do say that one bigger than a tree was seen up away beyond the North Moors not long back.'
...'Who's they?'
...'My cousin Hal for one... ...He saw one.'
...'Says he did, perhaps. Your Hal's always saying that he's seen things; and maybe he sees things that ain't there.'
...'But this one was as big as an elm tree, and walking... ...seven yards to a stride, if it was an inch.'
...'Then I bet it wasn't an inch. What he saw was an elm tree, as like as not.'
...'But this one was walking, I tell you; and there ain't no elm tree on the North Moors.
...'Then Hal can't have seen one,' said Ted. There was some laughing and clapping: the audience seemed to think that Ted had scored a point.
...'All the same,' said Sam, 'you can't deny that others besides our Halfast have seen queer folk crossing the Shire... ...there are more that are turned back at the borders. The Bounders have never been so busy before.
...'And I've heard tell that Elves are moving west. They do say they are going to the harbours, out away beyond the White Towers.' Sam waved his arm vaguely... ...it was an old tradition that away over there stood the Grey Havens, from which at times elven-ships set sail, never to return....
...'...Well, that isn't anything new, if you believe the old tales. And I don't see what it matters to me or you. Let them sail! But I warrant you haven't seen them doing it; nor any one else in the Shire.'
...'Well, I don't know,' said Sam thoughtfully. He believed he had once seen an Elf in the woods, and still hoped to see more one day. Of all the legends that he had heard in his early years such fragments of tales and half-remembered stories about the Elves as the hobbits knew had always moved him most deeply. 'There are some even in these parts, as know the Fair Folk and get news of them,' he said. 'There's Mr. Baggins now... ...He told me that they were sailing, and he knows a bit about Elves. And old Mr. Bilbo knew more: many's the talk I had with him when I was a little lad.'
...'Oh, they're both cracked,' said Ted. 'Leastways old Bilbo was cracked, and Frodo's cracking. If that's where you get you news from, you'll never want for moonshine.... ...He drained his mug and went out noisily.
...Sam sat silent and said no more. He had a good deal to think about. For one thing, there was a lot to do up in the Bag End garden, and he would have a busy day tomorrow, if the weather cleared. The grass was growing fast. But Sam had more on his mind than gardening. After a while he sighed, and got up and went out...
......that evening, as Sam was walking home and twilight was fading, there came the once familiar tap on the study window.
...Frodo welcomed his old friend with surprise and great delight. They looked hard at one another.
...'All well, eh?' said Gandalf. 'You look the same as ever, Frodo!'
...'So do you,' Frodo replied; but secretly he thought that Gandalf looked older and more careworn. He pressed him for news of himself and of the wide world, and soon they were deep in talk, and they stayed up far into the night."
We have been there and back again.
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Otaku-sempai
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Apr 11 2020, 3:51pm
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April 11, 2942 (S.R. 1342) The Great Years
Bilbo and Gandalf reach the High Pass.
(not from the appendices)
At last they came up the long road, and reached the very pass where the goblins had captured them before. But they came to that high point at morning, and looking backward they saw a white sun shining over the out-stretched lands. There behind lay Mirkwood, blue in the distance, and darkly green at the nearer edge even in the spring. There far away was the Lonely Mountain on the edge of eyesight. On its highest peak snow yet unmelted was gleaming pale.
"So comes snow after fire, and even dragons have their ending!" said Bilbo, and he turned his back on his adventure. The Tookish part was getting very tired, and the Baggins was daily getting stronger. "I wish now only to be in my own arm-chair!" he said.
I was tempted to file this under the date of April 10 (or even the ninth), but this is close enough.
#FidelityToTolkien
(This post was edited by Otaku-sempai on Apr 11 2020, 3:53pm)
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grammaboodawg
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Apr 12 2020, 12:29pm
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Today in Middle-earth
As April 12th is a date of importance, I'm going to spread it out over the next few days... for a moment (and more) of Tolkien-zen.
April 12, 3018 (S.R. 1418) The Great Years (pt. 1 of 5)
1. Gandalf reaches Hobbiton.
(from the appendices)
..."...after a late breakfast, the wizard was sitting with Frodo by the open window of the study. A bright fire was on the hearth, but the sun was warm...
...Gandalf was thinking of a Spring, nearly eighty years before, when Bilbo had run out of Bag End without a handkerchief.... ...He was smoking now in silence, for Frodo was sitting still, deep in thought. Even in the light of morning he felt the dark shadow of the tidings that Gandalf had brought. At last he broke the silence.
...'Last night you began to tell me strange things about my ring, Gandalf,' he said. 'And then you stopped, because you said that such matters were best left until daylight. Don't you think you had better finish now? You say the ring is dangerous, far more dangerous than I guess. In what way?'
...'In many ways... ...It is far more powerful than I ever dared to think at first, so powerful that in the end it would utterly overcome anyone of mortal race who possessed it. It would possess him....
...'...A mortal, Frodo, who keeps one of the Great Rings, does not die, but he does not grow or obtain more life, he merely continues, until at last every minute is a weariness. And if he often uses the Ring to make himself invisible, he fades: he becomes in the end invisible permanently, and walks in the twilight under the eye of the dark power that rules the Rings... ...neither strength nor good purpose will last—sooner or later the dark power will devour him.'
...'How terrifying!' said Frodo. There was another long silence. The sound of Sam Gamgee cutting the lawn came in from the garden....
...'...You do not know the real peril yet,' said Gandalf; 'but you shall. I was not sure of it myself when I was last here; but the time has come to speak. Give me the ring for a moment.'
...Frodo took it from his breeches-pocket, where it was clasped to a chain... ...and handed it slowly to the wizard. It felt suddenly very heavy, as if either it or Frodo himself was in some way reluctant for Gandalf to touch it.
...Gandalf held it up. It looked to be made of pure and solid gold. 'Can you see any markings on it...?'
...'...No,' said Frodo. 'There are none. It is quite plain, and it never shows a scratch or sign of wear.'
...'Well then, look!' To Frodo's astonishment and distress the wizard threw it suddenly into the middle of the glowing corner of the fire....
......No apparent change came over the ring. After a while, Gandalf got up, closed the shutters outside the window, and drew the curtains. The room became dark and silent though the clack of Sam's shears... ...could still be heard faintly from the garden. For a moment the wizard stood looking at the fire; then he stooped and removed the ring to the hearth with the tongs and at once picked it up. Frodo gasped.
...'It is quite cool,' said Gandalf. 'Take it!' Frodo received it on his shrinking palm: it seemed to have become thicker and heavier than ever.
...'Hold it up!' said Gandalf. 'And look closely!' As Frodo did so, he now saw fine lines, finer than the finest penstrokes, running along the ring, outside and inside: lines of fire that seemed to form the letters of a flowing script....
...'...I cannot read the fiery letter,' said Frodo in a quavering voice.
...'No,' said Gandalf,' but I can. The letters are Elvish, of an ancient mode, but the language is that of Mordor, which I will not utter here. But this in the Common Tongue is what is said, close enough:
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them....
Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them,
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
...'...This is the Master-ring, the One Ring to rule them all. This is the One Ring that he lost many ages ago, to the great weakening of his power. He greatly desires it—-but he must not get it.'
...Frodo sat silent and motionless. Fear seemed to stretch out a vast hand, like a dark cloud rising in the East and looming up to engulf him. 'This ring!' he stammered. 'How, how on earth did it come to me?'"
[continued as BS tomorrow]
We have been there and back again.
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Otaku-sempai
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Apr 12 2020, 2:32pm
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These are only estimated travel times in any case. It should take Gandalf and Bilbo between two and three weeks to negotiate the High Pass and maybe another three days to reach Rivendell on the evening of May the First. So they probably reached the western end of the pass at the end of April 28 or in the morning of the 29th.
In case you're curious, this is how the journey plays out under the Journey rules of The One Ring Roleplaying Game (additional complications could shorten or lengthen the travel time; I allow for some extra time in the High Pass for Gandalf to look for a way to block up the goblins' Front Porch):
From Beorn’s House to Rivendell
At last they came up the long road, and reached the
very pass where the Goblins had captured them before.
This journey brings a company from the house of Beorn
to the Last Homely House on the other side of the Misty
Mountains, going across the Old Ford. It covers a distance
of 190 miles.
First leg: to the High Pass (Free Land, Border Land)
30 miles across open terrain to the Old Ford, 60 miles on
road to the mountains’ feet (3 days).
Fatigue test: 1 (any season).
Second leg: Across the High Pass (Wild Land)
60 miles across mountain path (15 days of march).
Fatigue tests: 5 (Winter), 3 (Spring),
3 (Summer), 4 (Autumn).
Fourth leg: to the Last Homely House (Border Land)
40 miles across rugged terrain (3 days of march).
Fatigue test: 1 (any season).
#FidelityToTolkien
(This post was edited by Otaku-sempai on Apr 12 2020, 2:41pm)
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grammaboodawg
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Apr 13 2020, 11:05am
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April 13- Yep... still stuck on the discussion in Bag End as the Book Spoilers continue... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
April 12, 3018 (S.R. 1418) (continued pt. 2 of 5)
1. Gandalf and Frodo at Bag End.
(from the appendices)
..."'A Ring of Power looks after itself, Frodo. It may slip off treacherously, but its keeper never abandons it. At most he plays with the idea of handing it on to some one else's care—and that only at an early stage, when it first begins to grip... ...Bilbo alone in history has ever gone beyond playing, and really done it. He needed all my help, too. And even so he would never have just forsaken it, or cast it aside. It was not Gollum, Frodo, but the Ring itself that decided things. The Ring left him.'
...'What, just in time to meet Bilbo?' said Frodo....
...' ...It is no laughing matter,' said Gandalf. 'Not for you. It was the strangest event in the whole history of the Ring so far: Bilbo's arrival just at that time, and putting his hand on it, blindly, in the dark.
...'There was more than one power at work... ...The Ring was trying to get back to its master. It had slipped from Isildur's hand and betrayed him; then when a chance came it caught poor Déagol, and he was murdered; and after that Gollum, and it had devoured him. It could make no further use of him... ...as long as it stayed with him he would never leave his deep pool again. So now, when its master was awake once more and sending out his dark thought from Mirkwood, it abandoned Gollum. Only to be picked up by the most unlikely person imaginable: Bilbo from the Shire!
...'...there was something else at work, beyond any design of the Ring-maker. I can put it no plainer than by saying that Bilbo was meant to find the Ring... ...you also were meant to have it. And that may be an encouraging thought.'
...'It is not,' said Frodo. 'Though I am not sure that I understand you. But how have you learned all this about the Ring, and about Gollum? Do you really know it all, or are you just guessing still?'
...Gandalf looked at Frodo, and his eyes glinted. 'I knew much and I have learned much,' he answered. 'But I am not going to give an account of all my doings to you. The history of Elendil and Isildur and the One Ring is known to all the Wise. Your ring is shown to be that One Ring by the fire-writing alone, apart from any other evidence... ...I expected to find it. I have come back from dark journeys and long search to make that final test. It is the last proof, and all is now only too clear...'
......A heavy silence fell in the room. Frodo could hear his heart beating. Even outside everything seemed still. No sound of Sam's shears could now be heard.
...'Yes, to Mordor,' said Gandalf. 'Alas! Mordor draws all wicked things, and the Dark Power was bending all its will to gather them there...'
...'...Wretched fool! In that land [Gollum] would learn much, too much for his comfort. And sooner or later as he lurked and pried on the borders he would be caught, and taken—for examination.... ...When he was found he had already been there long, and was on his way back. On some errand of mischief. But that does not matter much now. His worst mischief was done.
...'Yes, alas! through him the Enemy has learned that the One has been found again. He knows where Isildur fell. He knows where Gollum found his ring. He knows that it is a Great Ring... ...He knows that it is not one of the Three, for they have never been lost, and they endure no evil. He knows that it is not one of the Seven or the Nine, for they are accounted for. He knows that it is the One. And he has at last heard... ...of hobbits and the Shire.
...'The Shire—he may be seeking for it now... ...Indeed, Frodo, I fear that he may even think that the long-unnoticed name of Baggins has become important.'
...'But this is terrible!' cried Frodo. 'Far worse than the worst that I imagined, from your hints and warnings. O Gandalf, best of friends, what am I to do...? ...What a pity that Bilbo did not stab that vile creature, when he had a chance!'
...'Pity? It was Pity that stayed his hand. Pity, and Mercy not to strike without need. And he has been well rewarded Frodo. Be sure that he took so little hurt from the evil, and escaped in the end, because he began his ownership of the Ring so. With Pity.'
...'I am sorry,' said Frodo. 'But I am frightened; and I do not feel any pity for Gollum... ...He deserves death.'
...'Deserves it! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends. I have not much hope that Gollum can be cured before he dies, but there is a chance... ...he is bound up with the fate of the Ring. My heart tells me that he has some part to play yet, for good or ill... ...and when that comes, the pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many....'"
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
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Apr 14 2020, 10:30am
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Today in Middle-earth
Here's a continuation on the Book Spoiler of Gandalf and Frodo's discussion... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
April 12, 3018 (S.R. 1418) (continued pt. 3 of 5)
1. Gandalf and Frodo at Bag End.
(from the appendices)
..."Frodo drew the Ring out of his pocket again and looked at it. It now appeared plain and smooth, without mark or device that he could see. The gold looked very fair and pure, and Frodo thought how rich and beautiful was its colour, how perfect was its roundness... ...When he took it out he had intended to fling it from him into the very hottest part of the fire. But he found now that he could not do so, not without a great struggle... ...hesitating, and forcing himself to remember all that Gandalf had told him... ...with an effort of will he made a movement, as if to cast it away---but he found that he had put it back in his pocket.
...Gandalf laughed grimly. 'You see? Already you too, Frodo, cannot easily let it go, nor will to damage it. And I could not "make" you---except by force, which would break your mind.'
...'Your small fire... ...would not melt even ordinary gold. This Ring has already passed through it unscathed, and even unheated.... ...It has been said that dragon-fire could melt and consume the Rings of Power, but there is not now any dragon left on earth in which the old fire is hot enough... ...who could have harmed the One Ring, the Ruling Ring, for that was made by Sauron himself.
...'There is only one way: to find the Cracks of Doom in the depths of Orodruin... ...and cast the Ring in there, if you really wish to destroy it, to put it beyond the grasp of the Enemy for ever.'
...'I do really wish to destroy it!' cried Frodo. 'Or, well, to have it destroyed. I am not made for perilous quests. I wish I had never seen the Ring! Why did it come to me? Why was I chosen...?'
...'...You may be sure that it was not for any merit that others do not possess: not for power or wisdom, at any rate. But you have been chosen, and you must therefore use such strength and heart and wits as you have.'
...'But I have so little of any of these things! You are wise and powerful. Will you not take the Ring?'
...'No!' cried Gandalf, springing to his feet. 'With that power I should have power too great and terrible. And over me the Ring would gain a power still greater and more deadly... ...Do not tempt me! For I do not wish to become like the Dark Lord himself. Yet the way of the Ring to my heart is by pity, pity for weakness and the desire of strength to do good... ...I dare not take it, not even to keep it safe, unused. The wish to wield it would be too great for my strength. I shall have such need of it. Great perils lie before me.'
...He went to the window and drew aside the curtains and the shutters. Sunlight streamed back again into the room. Sam passed along the path outside whistling. 'And now,' said the wizard... ...'the decision lies with you. But I will always help you.' He laid his hand on Frodo's shoulder. 'I will help you bear this burden, as long as it is yours to bear. But we must do something, soon. The Enemy is moving.'"
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Apr 15 2020, 10:51am
Post #41 of 52
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Here's more Book Spoiler of that iconic meeting in Bag End with one more installment to follow... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
April 12, 3018 (S.R. 1418) (continued pt. 4 of 5)
1. Gandalf reaches Hobbiton.
(from the appendices)
..."'Well!' said Gandalf at last. 'What are you thinking about? Have you decided what to do?'
...'No!' answered Frodo, coming back to himself... '...Or perhaps, yes. As far as I understand what you have said, I suppose I must keep the Ring and guard it... ...whatever it may do to me.'
...'Whatever it may do, it will be slow, slow to evil, if you keep it with that purpose,' said Gandalf.
...'I hope so,' said Frodo. 'But I hope that you may find some other better keeper soon. But in the meanwhile it seems that I am a danger... ...to all that live near me. I cannot keep the Ring and stay here. I ought to leave Bag End, leave the Shire, leave everything and go away.' He sighed.
...'I should like to save the Shire... ...though there have been times when I thought the inhabitants too stupid and dull for words, and have felt that an earthquake or an invasion of dragons might be good for them. But I don't feel like that now. I feel that as long as the Shire lies behind, safe and comfortable, I shall find wandering more bearable: I shall know that somewhere there is a firm foothold, even if my feet cannot stand there again.
...'Of course, I have sometimes thought of going away, but I imagined... ...a series of adventures like Bilbo's or better, ending in peace. But this would mean exile, a flight from danger into danger, drawing it after me. And I suppose I must go alone... ...But I feel very small, and very uprooted, and well---desperate. The Enemy is so strong and terrible.'
...He did not tell Gandalf, but as he was speaking a great desire to follow Bilbo flamed up in his heart---to follow Bilbo, and even perhaps to find him again... ...he could almost have run out there and then down the road without his hat, as Bilbo had done on a similar morning long ago.
...'My dear Frodo!' exclaimed Gandalf. 'Hobbits really are amazing creatures... ...You can learn all that there is to know about their ways in a month, and yet after a hundred years they can still surprise you at a pinch. I hardly expected to get such an answer, not even from you. But Bilbo made no mistake in choosing his heir, though he little thought how important it would prove. I am afraid you are right. The Ring will not be able to stay hidden in the Shire much longer... ...you will have to go, and leave the name of Baggins behind you. That name will not be safe to have, outside the Shire or in the Wild."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Apr 16 2020, 10:19am
Post #42 of 52
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Well... this is the last of our special series of Book Spoilers. We've had a fresh look at the quality of Frodo Baggins (and Sam)... for our moment of Tolkien-zen.
April 12, 3018 (S.R. 1418) (pt. 5 of 5)
1. Gandalf reaches Hobbiton.
(from the appendices)
..."Suddenly he stopped as if listening. Frodo became aware that all was very quiet, inside and outside. Gandalf crept to one side of the window. Then with a dart he sprang to the sill, and thrust a long arm out and downwards. There was a squawk, and up came Sam Gamgee's curly head hauled by one ear.
...'Well, well, bless my beard!' said Gandalf. 'Sam Gamgee is it? Now what may you be doing?'
...'Lor bless you, Mr. Gandalf, sir!' said Sam. 'Nothing! ...I was just trimming the grass-border under the window, if you follow me.' He picked up the shears and exhibited them as evidence.
...'I don't,' said Gandalf grimly. 'It is some time since I last heard the sound of your shears. How long have you been eavesdropping?'
...'Eavesdropping, sir? ...begging your pardon. There ain't no eaves at Bag End, and that's a fact.'
...'Don't be a fool! What have you heard, and why did you listen?' Gandalf's eyes flashed and his brows stuck out like bristles.
...'Mr. Frodo, sir!' cried Sam quaking. 'Don't let him hurt me, sir! Don't let him turn me into anything unnatural! My old dad would take on so. I meant no harm, on my honour, sir!'
...'He won't hurt you,' said Frodo, hardly able to keep from laughing, although he was himself startled and rather puzzled. 'He knows... ...that you mean no harm. But just you up and answer his questions straight away!'
...'Well, sir,' said Sam, dithering a little. 'I heard a deal that I didn't rightly understand, about an enemy, and rings, and Mr. Bilbo, sir, and dragons, and a fiery mountain, and—and Elves, sir. I listened because I couldn't help myself, if you know what I mean. Lor bless me, sir, but I do love tales of that sort. And I believe them too, whatever Ted may say. Elves, sir! I would dearly love to see them. Couldn't you take me to see Elves, sir, when you go?'
...Suddenly Gandalf laughed. 'Come inside!' he shouted, and... ...he lifted the astonished Sam, shears, grass-clippings and all, right through the window and stood him on the floor. 'Take you to see Elves, eh?' he said, eyeing Sam closely, but with a smile flickering on his face. 'So you heard that Mr. Frodo is going away?'
...'I did, sir. And that's why I choked: which you heard seemingly. I tried not to, sir, but it burst out of me: I was so upset.'
...'It can't be helped Sam,' said Frodo sadly. He had suddenly realized that flying from the Shire would mean more painful partings than merely saying farewell to the familiar comforts of Bag End. 'I shall have to go. But'---and here he looked hard at Sam---'if you really care about me, you will keep that dead secret. See? ...if you even breathe a word of what you've heard here, then I hope Gandalf will turn you into a spotted toad and fill the garden full of grass-snakes.'
...Sam fell on his knees, trembling. 'Get up, Sam!' said Gandalf. 'I have thought of something better than that. Something to shut your mouth, and punish you properly for listening. You shall go away with Mr. Frodo!'
...'Me, sir!' cried Sam, springing up like a dog invited for a walk. 'Me go and see Elves and all! Hooray!' he shouted, and then burst into tears."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Apr 17 2020, 11:34am
Post #43 of 52
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Today in Middle-earth
April 17, 2942 (S.R. 1342)
1. Bilbo and Gandalf reach the old goblin stronghold that led Bilbo to the Ring.
(determined from text-TH: Return Journey)
..."At last they came up the long road, and reached the very pass where the goblins had captured them before… …and looking backward they saw a white sun shining over the outstretched lands. There behind lay Mirkwood, blue in the distance, and darkly green at the nearer edge even in the spring. There… …was the Lonely Mountain on the edge of eyesight. On its highest peak snow yet unmelted was gleaming pale.
..."So comes snow after fire, and even dragons have their ending!" said Bilbo, and he turned his back on his adventure. The Tookish part was getting very tired, and the Baggins was daily getting stronger. "I wish now only to be in my own arm-chair!"”
April 17, 2980 (S.R. 1380)
1. Aragorn comes to Lórien.
(Appendix A & B – determined from text)
..."'It came to pass that when Aragorn was nine and forty years of age he returned from perils in the dark confines of Mordor, where Sauron now dwelt again and was busy with evil. He was weary and he wished to go back to Rivendell and rest there... ...ere he journeyed into the far countries; and on his way he came to the borders of Lórien and was admitted to the hidden land by the Lady Galadriel.
...'He did not know it, but Arwen Undómiel was also there, dwelling again for a time with the kin of her mother. She was little changed... ...yet her face was more grave, and her laughter now seldom was heard. But Aragorn was grown to full stature of body and mind, and Galadriel bade him cast aside his wayworn raiment, and she clothed him in silver and white, with a cloak of elven-grey and a bright gem on his brow. Then more than any kind of Men he appeared, and seemed rather an Elf-lord from the Isles of the West... ...thus it was that Arwen first beheld him again after their long parting; and as he came walking towards her under the trees of Caras Galadon laden with flowers of gold, her choice was made and her doom appointed.'"
We have been there and back again.
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CuriousG
Half-elven
Apr 17 2020, 2:37pm
Post #44 of 52
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..."So comes snow after fire, and even plagues have their ending!" said Bilbo, and he turned his back on his adventure. The Tookish part was getting very tired, and the Baggins was daily getting stronger. "I wish now only to be in my own arm-chair!"” My edit.
And nice to think of "date night", falling in love, and the most powerful Elf in Middle-earth playing Gramma Match-Maker. 
...'He did not know it, but Arwen Undómiel was also there, dwelling again for a time with the kin of her mother. She was little changed... ...yet her face was more grave, and her laughter now seldom was heard. But Aragorn was grown to full stature of body and mind, and Galadriel bade him cast aside his wayworn raiment, and she clothed him in silver and white, with a cloak of elven-grey and a bright gem on his brow. Then more than any kind of Men he appeared, and seemed rather an Elf-lord from the Isles of the West... ...thus it was that Arwen first beheld him again after their long parting; and as he came walking towards her under the trees of Caras Galadon laden with flowers of gold, her choice was made and her doom appointed.'"
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Apr 17 2020, 3:20pm
Post #45 of 52
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Yeah, determining the timeline of Aragorn's movements in early 2980 is tricky. We know that he led the raid on the Corsair fleet at Umbar early in the year. Then he left the service of Ecthelion II to investigate the Mountains of Mordor before finding himself at the borders of Lórien. I agree that this seems to have been sometime in the first part of April, or even around the end of March. The raid on Umbar must have taken place while it was still technically winter (maybe in February?).
#FidelityToTolkien
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Apr 17 2020, 10:40pm
Post #46 of 52
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what kind of conversation Galadriel and Elrond had, the next time they met.
Those interfering mothers-in-law...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Apr 17 2020, 11:15pm
Post #47 of 52
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Both of those! But especially the plagues have their ending. *sigh*
Watch out for them grammas. They come fully loaded and ready to pounce!
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Apr 17 2020, 11:18pm
Post #48 of 52
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And how did Arwen handle each one? Tactics had to be different for Daddy.
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Apr 17 2020, 11:24pm
Post #49 of 52
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Could there ever have been a book in the works of either Tolkien on the life of Aragorn? And what was it like for him to live through each of those lives under different identities with the secret of his heritage buried in him. Just to know his actual timeline would be nice ;)
We have been there and back again.
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CuriousG
Half-elven
Apr 18 2020, 12:11am
Post #50 of 52
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Middle-earth conspiracy theory
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The real reason Celebrian left M-earth? She was tired of her husband fighting with her mother, and it only got worse when her mom fixed her daughter up with a mortal. Those family conflicts will drive anyone to find a safe haven.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Apr 18 2020, 11:54am
Post #51 of 52
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Today in Middle-earth
April 18, 2942 (S.R. 1342)
1. The Master of Lake-town falls to dragon-sickness.
(determined from text)
... "The old Master had come to a bad end. Bard had given him much gold for the help of the Lake-people, but being of the kind that easily catches such disease he fell under the dragon-sickness, and took most of the gold and fled with it, and died of starvation in the Waste, deserted by his companions...."
We have been there and back again.
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Apr 18 2020, 12:32pm
Post #52 of 52
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King Elessar of Gondor: A Biography
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Could there ever have been a book in the works of either Tolkien on the life of Aragorn? And what was it like for him to live through each of those lives under different identities with the secret of his heritage buried in him. Just to know his actual timeline would be nice ;)
That's a lovely thought, but I don't think either J.R.R. Tolkien or his son Christopher ever began such a book. We do get a rough outline of Aragorn's life from both Appendix A and Appendix B of The Lord of the Rings, but "The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen" (Appendix A) is light on specific dates and years.
#FidelityToTolkien
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