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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jun 30 2022, 1:16pm
Post #26 of 42
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Today in Middle-earth
1 Lithe, 2941 (S.R. 1341) Midsummer's Eve
1. Bilbo, Gandalf and the Dwarves reach the end of their stay in Rivendell.
(determined from text)
...""They stayed long in that good house, fourteen days at least, and they found it hard to leave. Bilbo would gladly have stopped there for ever and ever—even supposing a wish could have taken him right back to his hobbit-hole without trouble....
......The master of the house was an elf-friend... ...He comes into many tales, but his part in the story of Bilbo's great adventure is only a small one, though important... ...His house was perfect, whether you liked food, or sleep, or work, or story-telling or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all. Evil things did not come into that valley....
......All of them, the ponies as well, grew refreshed and strong in a few days there. Their clothes were mended as well as their bruises, their tempers and their hopes. Their bags were filled with food and provisions light to carry but strong to bring them over the mountain passes. Their plans were improved with the best advice.""
2. Elrond examines the swords of Thorin and Gandalf, and Thorin's map.
(from Karen Wynn Fonstad, The Atlas of Middle-earth)
..."So the time came to midsummer eve, and they were to go on again with the early sun on midsummer morning.
...Elrond knew all about runes of every kind. That day he looked at the swords they had brought from the trolls' lair... "...These are not troll-make. They are old swords, very old swords of the High Elves of the West, my kin. They were made in Gondolin for the Goblin-wars. They must have come from a dragon's hoard or goblin plunder, for dragons and goblins destroyed that city many ages ago. This, Thorin, the runes name Orcrist, the Goblin-cleaver in the ancient tongue of Gondolin… …This, Gandalf, was Glamdring, Foe-hammer that the king of Gondolin once wore. Keep them well!"
..."Whence did the trolls get them, I wonder?" said Thorin looking at his sword with new interest.
..."I could not say," said Elrond, "but one may guess that your trolls had plundered other plunderers, or come on the remnants of old robberies in some hold in the mountains of the North. I have heard that there are still forgotten treasures of old to be found in the deserted caverns of the mines of Moria, since the dwarf and goblin war...."
..."...I will keep this sword in honour," [Thorin] said. "May it soon cleave goblins once again!"
..."A wish that is likely to be granted soon enough in the mountains!" said Elrond. "But show me now your map!""
..."He took it and gazed long at it, and he shook his head for if he did not altogether approve of dwarves and their love of gold, he hated the dragons and their cruel wickedness… …he grieved to remember the ruin of the town of Dale and its merry bells, and the burned banks of the bright River Running. The moon was shining in a broad silver crescent. He held up the map and the white light shone through it. "What is this?" he said. "There are moon-letters here, beside the plain runes which say 'five feet high the door and three may walk abreast.'"
..."What are moon-letters?" asked the hobbit full of excitement. He loved maps... ...and he also liked runes and letters and cunning handwriting, though when he wrote himself it was a bit thin and spidery.
..."Moon-letters are rune-letters, but you cannot see them," said Elrond, "not when you look straight at them. They can only be seen when the moon shines behind them, and… …with the more cunning sort it must be a moon of the same shape and season as the day when they were written. The dwarves invented them and wrote them with silver pens... ...These must have been written on a midsummer's eve in a crescent moon, a long while ago."
..."What do they say?" asked Gandalf and Thorin together, a bit vexed perhaps that even Elrond should have found this out first, though really there had not been a chance before, and there would not have been another until goodness knows when.
..."Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks… …and the setting sun with the last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the key-hole."
..."Durin, Durin!" said Thorin. "He was the father of the fathers of the eldest race of Dwarves, the Longbeards, and my first ancestor: I am his heir."
..."Then what is Durin's Day?" asked Elrond.
..."The first day of the dwarves' New Year," said Thorin, "is as all should know the first day of the last moon of Autumn on the threshold of Winter. We still call it Durin's Day when the last moon of Autumn and the sun are in the sky together. But this will not help us much... ...for it passes our skill in these days to guess when such a time will come again."
..."That remains to be seen," said Gandalf. "Is there any more writing?"
..."None to be seen by this moon," said Elrond, and he gave the map back to Thorin; and then they went down to the water to see the elves dance and sing upon the midsummer's eve."
1 Lithe, 3019 (S.R. 1419) Midsummer's Eve
1. Arwen comes to the City.
(from the appendices)
..."Upon the very Eve of Midsummer, when the sky was blue as sapphire and white stars opened in the East, but the West was still golden, and the air was cool and fragrant, the riders came down the North-way to the gates of Minas Tirith. First rode Elrohir and Elladan with a banner of silver... ...then came Glorfindel and Erestor and all the household of Rivendell, and after them came the Lady Galadriel and Celeborn, Lord of Lothlórien… …and with them many fair folk of their land, grey-cloaked with white gems in their hair; and last came Master Elrond, mighty among Elves and Men, bearing the sceptre of Annúminas, and beside him upon a grey palfrey rode Arwen his daughter, Evenstar of her people.
...And Frodo when he saw her come glimmering in the evening, with stars on her brow and a sweet fragrance about her, was moved with great wonder… …he said to Gandalf: 'At last I understand why we have waited! This is the ending. Now not day only shall be beloved, but night too shall be beautiful and blessed and all its fear pass away!'"
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jul 1 2022, 12:44pm
Post #27 of 42
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TIME - Midsummer's Day (July 1)
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Today in Middle-earth
Midsummer's Day, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. Gandalf, Thorin, the Dwarves and their Burglar leave Rivendell for the Lonely Mountain.
(from Karen Wynn Fonstad, The Atlas of Middle-earth)
..."The next morning was a midsummer's morning as fair and fresh as could be dreamed: blue sky and never a cloud, and the sun dancing on the water… …they rode away amid songs of farewell and good speed, with their hearts ready for more adventure, and with a knowledge of the road they must follow over the Misty Mountains to the land beyond."
Midsummer's Day, 2980 (S.R. 1380)
1. Aragorn and Arwen – A promise is born.
(from the appendices)
..."...for a season they wandered together in the glades of Lothlórien, until it was time for him to depart. And on the evening of Midsummer Aragorn, Arathorn's son, and Arwen daughter of Elrond went to the fair hill, Cerin Amroth... ...and they walked unshod on the undying grass with elanor and niphredil about their feet. And there upon that hill they looked east to the Shadow and west to the Twilight, and they plighted their troth and were glad.
...'And Arwen said: "Dark is the Shadow, and yet my heart rejoices; for you, Estel, shall be among the great whose valour will destroy it."
...'But Aragorn answered: "Alas! I cannot foresee it... ...Yet with your hope I will hope. And the Shadow I utterly reject. But neither, lady, is the Twilight for me; for I am mortal, and if you will cleave to me, Evenstar, then the Twilight you must also renounce."
...'And she stood then as still as a white tree, looking into the West, and at last she said: "I will cleave to you, Dúnadan, and turn from the Twilight. Yet there lies the land of my people and the long home of all my kin."'"
Midsummer's Day, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Gandalf meets Radagast the Brown.
(from the appendices)
..."'At the end of June I was in the Shire, but a cloud of anxiety was on my mind, and I rode to the southern borders of the little land. I had a foreboding of some danger, still hidden from me but drawing near. There messages reached me telling me of war and defeat in Gondor, and when I heard of the Black Shadow a chill smote my heart. But I found nothing save a few fugitives from the South; yet it seemed to me that on them sat a fear of which they would not speak. I...journeyed along the Greenway; and not far from Bree I came upon a traveller sitting on a bank beside the road... ...It was Radagast the Brown... ...He is one of my order, but I had not seen him for many a year.
...'"Gandalf!" he cried. "I was seeking you. But I am a stranger in these parts. All I knew was that you might be found in a wild region with the uncouth name of Shire."
...'"Your information was correct... ...But do not put it that way, if you meet any of the inhabitants. You are near the borders of the Shire now. And what do you want with me? It must be pressing. You were never a traveller, unless driven by great need."
...'"I have an urgent errand... ...My news is evil." Then he looked about him, as if the hedges might have ears. "Nazgûl," he whispered. "The Nine are abroad again. They have crossed the River secretly and are moving westward. They have taken the guise of riders in black."
...'I knew then what I had dreaded without knowing it.
..."'The Enemy must have some great need or purpose," said Radagast; "but what it is that makes him look to these distant and desolate parts, I cannot guess."
..."'What do you mean?" said I.
...'"I have been told that wherever they go the Riders ask for news of a land called Shire."
...'"THE Shire," I said; but my heart sank. For even the Wise might fear to withstand the Nine, when they are gathered together under their fell chieftain. A great king and sorcerer... ...he wields a deadly fear. "Who told you, and who sent you...?"
...'"...Saruman the White," answered Radagast. "And he told me to say that if you feel the need, he will help; but you must seek his aid at once, or it will be too late."
...'And that message brought me hope. For Saruman the White is the greatest of my order... ...has long studied the arts of the Enemy himself... ...It was by the devices of Saruman that we drove him from Dol Guldur. It might be that he had found some weapons that would drive back the Nine.
...'"I will go to Saruman," I said.
...'"Then you must go now," said Radagast; "for I have wasted time in looking for you, and the days are running short. I was told to find you before Midsummer, and that is now here. Even if you set out from this spot, you will hardly reach him before the Nine discover the land that they seek. I myself shall turn back at once." And with that he mounted and would have ridden straight off.
...'"Stay a moment!" I said. "We shall need your help... ...Send out messages to all the beasts and birds that are your friends. Tell them to bring news of anything that bears on this matter to Saruman and Gandalf. Let messages be sent to Orthanc."
...'"I will do that," he said, and rode off as if the Nine were after him.'"
Midsummer's Day, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. The Wedding of Elessar and Arwen
(from the appendices)
..."...Then the King welcomed his guests, and they alighted; and Elrond surrendered the sceptre, and laid the hand of his daughter in the hand of the King, and together they went up into the High City... ...Aragorn the King Elessar wedded Arwen Undómiel in the City of the Kings upon the day of Midsummer, and the tale of their long waiting and labours was come to fulfillment."
Midsummer's Day, 3020 (S.R. 1420)
1. Frodo resigns office of mayor, and Will Whitfoot is restored.
(from the appendices)
..."If Sam thought himself lucky, Frodo knew that he was more lucky himself; for there was not a hobbit in the Shire that was looked after with such care. When the labours of repair had all been planned and set going he took to a quiet life, writing a great deal and going through all his notes. He resigned the office of Deputy Mayor at the Free Fair that midsummer, and dear old Will Whitfoot had another seven years of presiding at Banquets."
Midsummer's Day, 3082 (S.R. 1482)
1. The death of Mistress Rose, wife of Master Samwise, on Mid-year's Day.
(from the appendices-no text)
...And in the full tale of days, Sam is again parted from one he loves. With a deep sense of fulfillment and understanding beyond words, in his grief he finds comfort and waits for a day foretold.
**With homage to Rosie and Sam with our Kimi's wonderful Passing of Mistress Rose
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Jul 1 2022, 2:53pm
Post #28 of 42
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Re: TIME - Midsummer's Day (July 1)
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July 1, 1977 (Common Era)
1. Liv Rundgren Tyler born in New York, NY.
Liv Tyler, daughter of Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler, is 45 years old today. Liv Tyler played Arwen in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
One interesting note about Midsummer's Day in Middle-earth is that Professor Tolkien seems to have originally intended the day to take place around June 23 or 24 before he developed the Shire Reckoning for The Lord of the Rings. This is one of the issues that makes it difficult to fully integrate the two works into a single legendarium that is internally consistent.
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Jul 1 2022, 4:52pm
Post #29 of 42
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One of my favourite stories, thank you, gramma! And many thanks to Kimi for crafting such a sweet story . 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jul 2 2022, 1:46pm
Post #30 of 42
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Today in Middle-earth
2 Lithe, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Gandalf after Radagast departs and before leaving for Isengard.
(not from the appendices)
..."'I stayed the night in Bree, and decided that I had no time to return to the Shire. Never did I make a greater mistake! 'However, I wrote a message to Frodo, and trusted to my friend the innkeeper to send it to him.
...'I rode away at dawn...'"
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Jul 2 2022, 7:42pm
Post #32 of 42
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Are you doing things a bit differently this year, gramma? I thought that you usually squeezed the Lithedays into the entries for June 30 and July 1 (since they're not part of either month). I seem to recall including 1 Lithe and Midyear's Day under June 30, with July 1 including 2 Lithe and (in leap years) Overlithe.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jul 3 2022, 12:54pm
Post #33 of 42
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Today in Middle-earth
1 Afterlithe, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. Gandalf and Company climb from the Valley up the Mountain.
(not from the appendices)
(from Karen Wynn Fonstad, The Atlas of Middle-earth)
..."There were many paths that led up into those mountains... ...most of the paths were cheats and deceptions and led nowhere or to bad ends... ...passes were infested by evil things and dreadful dangers. The dwarves and the hobbit... ...by the wise advice of Elrond and the knowledge and memory of Gandalf, took the right pass."
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Jul 3 2022, 8:38pm
Post #35 of 42
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I know you'll soon have it sorted, gramma, but Afterlithe is just the Shire's equivalent to the month of July. Just count 4 Afterlithe as July 4 and catch up anything you've missed.
Aren't you glad you've never bothered with Tolkien's conversion from the Shire Reckoning to the modern calendar?
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ElanorTX
Tol Eressea
Jul 4 2022, 2:32am
Post #36 of 42
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I agree with the 23-24 June version
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which, intentionally or otherwise, makes the Lithe coincide with St. John the Baptist and Midsummer Day in many European countries. Years ago I did an equivalence table.
"I shall not wholly fail if anything can still grow fair in days to come."
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Jul 4 2022, 2:03pm
Post #37 of 42
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Well, I doubt that Tolkien had even conceived of the Lithedays when he was writing The Hobbit. They were formally introduced with his innovation of the Shire calendar. It might be interesting to note that our own June 23 would have generally coincided with the hobbits' Mid-Year's Day according to Professor Tolkien's own calculations (where the Shire calendar was some nine days in advance of our own calendar).
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jul 4 2022, 5:55pm
Post #39 of 42
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July 4, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Boromir sets out from Minas Tirith.
(from the appendices)
[Boromir speaking to the Council of Elrond] "'...a dream came to my brother in a troubled sleep; and afterwards a like dream came oft to him again, and once to me.
..."'In that dream I thought the eastern sky grew dark and there was a growing thunder, but in the West a pale light lingered, and out of it I heard a voice, remote but clear, crying:
Seek for the Sword that was broken:
In Imladris it dwells;
There shall be counsel taken
Stronger than Morgul-spells.
There shall be shown a token
That Doom is near at hand,
For Isildur's Bane shall waken,
And the Halfling forth shall stand. ...'Of these words we could understand little, and we spoke to our father, Denethor... ...wise in the lore of Gondor. This only would he say, that Imladris was of old the name among the Elves of a far northern dale, where Elrond the Halfelven dwelt, greatest of lore-masters. Therefore... ...I took the journey upon myself. Loth was my father to give me leave, and long have I wandered by roads forgotten, seeking the house of Elrond, of which many had heard, but few knew where it lay.'"
Gandalf lights the sky!
 
..."The fireworks were by Gandalf: they were not only brought by him, but designed and made by him; and the special effects, set pieces, and flights of rockets were let off by him. But there was also a generous distribution of squibs, crackers, backarappers, sparklers, torches, dwarf-candles, elf-fountains, goblin-barkers and thunder-claps. They were all superb....
......There were rockets like a flight of scintillating birds singing with sweet voices. There were green trees with trunks of dark smoke: their leaves opened like a whole spring unfolding in a moment, and their shining branches dropped glowing flowers down upon the astonished hobbits, disappearing with a sweet scent just before they touched their upturned faces. There were fountains of butterflies that flew glittering into the trees; there were pillars of coloured fires that rose and turned into eagles, or sailing ships, or a phalanx of flying swans; there was a red thunderstorm and a shower of yellow rain; there was a forest of silver spears that sprang suddenly into the air with a yell like an embattled army, and came down again into the Water with a hiss like a hundred hot snakes. And... ...in honour of Bilbo... ...A great smoke went up. It shaped itself like a fountain seen in the distance, and began to flow at the summit. It sprouted green and scarlet flames. Out flew a red-golden dragon—not life-size, but terribly life-like: fire came from his jaws, his eyes glared down; there was a roar, and he whizzed three times over the heads of the crowd. They all ducked, and many fell flat on their faces. The dragon passed like an express train, turned a somersault, and burst over Bywater with a deafening explosion."
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jul 5 2022, 1:51pm
Post #40 of 42
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Here's a Book Spoiler of one of Frodo's more pleasant memories from the Quest... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From Lothlórien: The Fellowship of the Ring ..."...At the hill's foot Frodo found Aragorn, standing still and silent as a tree; but in his hand was a small golden bloom of elanor, and a light was in his eyes. He was wrapped in some fair memory: and as Frodo looked at him he knew that he beheld things as they once had been in this same place… …the grim years were removed from the face of Aragorn, and he seemed clothed in white, a young lord tall and fair; and he spoke words in the Elvish tongue to one whom Frodo could not see. "Arwen vanimelda, namarie!" ...then he drew a breath, and returning out of his thought he looked at Frodo and smiled.
...'Here is the heart of Elvendom on earth… …and here my heart dwells ever, unless there be a light beyond the dark roads that we still must tread, you and I. Come with me!' And taking Frodo's hand in his, he left the hill of Cerin Amroth and came there never again as living man."
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grammaboodawg
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Jul 6 2022, 1:34pm
Post #41 of 42
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Today in Middle-earth
July 6, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Gandalf continues his ride to Isengard.
(not from the appendices)
...[Gandalf still rides to] "the dwelling of Saruman... ...far south in Isengard, in the end of the Misty Mountains, not far from the Gap of Rohan... ...a great open vale that lies between the Misty Mountains and the northmost foothills of Ered Nimrais, the White Mountains... ...Isengard is a circle of sheer rocks that enclose a valley as with a wall, and in the midst of that valley is a tower of stone called Orthanc... ...not made by Saruman, but by the Men of Númenor long ago; and it is very tall and has many secrets; yet it looks not to be a work of craft. It cannot be reached save by passing the circle of Isengard; and in that circle there is only one gate.'"
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grammaboodawg
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Jun 28 2023, 1:30pm
Post #42 of 42
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I'm afraid the conversion won't happen with me. TIME would be let loose into the wild instead ;)
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