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Elthir
Grey Havens
Nov 26 2012, 12:04pm
Views: 2288
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You may well be right, I'm just not sure it's certain. Beorn says that he must ask them all to send back his horse and ponies, so he certainly includes the horse in the promise. The later conversation, it seems to me, is Gandalf playing a bit with Thorin's statement: Thorin says 'sending that back' and Gandalf replies he is not sending it...
... to me 'the play' so far is between riding and sending, and 'back' or not is still in question. Thorin then focuses on the promise, which as we know was to return the horse as well, and Gandalf says: 'I will look after that. I am not sending the horse back, I am riding it.'
Well, in my opinion, the way this is phrased one doesn't necessarily have to say 'back' after riding, as it can be implied due to the first part of the sentence; but it may be that Gandalf deliberately does not say back because even if it's implied, it isn't what he means (at least at the moment).
Moreover, as you point out, Gandalf and the ponies are given 'somewhat separate' exits, so to speak, which might imply that he isn't going with the ponies, and thus 'back' to Beorn's house at the moment, and it's actually stated that he rides West -- although on that note, he had already said he had pressing business South.
And as for the ponies, which way did they begin their return? They: 'put their tails towards the Shadow of Mirkwood' and Bilbo thought he saw a 'thing like a Bear left the shadow of the trees and shambled off quickly after them.'
So while I think you interpretation is certainly valid (and even if Gandalf implied 'I am riding it (back)' he might mean at some later point), I'm not sure it's a certainty. Beorn's house was (generally) South of where the company now stood, and I think the main impact of Gandalf's words was that he was now leaving Bilbo and the Dwarves, while leaving it somewhat unclear as to how he was to keep his promise to Beorn about the horse.
At the moment you've got me leaning more toward Gandalf only technically keeping his promise. I mean he could use a horse if his business was pressing; but on the other hand the wizard himself notes that it might be dangerous to cross Beorn, if Beorn wasn't allowing Gandalf any extra room with his promise that is.
(This post was edited by Elthir on Nov 26 2012, 12:12pm)
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User
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Time
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Did Beorn know of Gandalf's mission in Hobbit?
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BeornBerserker
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Nov 19 2012, 1:42pm
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My impression...
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Otaku-sempai
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Nov 19 2012, 1:46pm
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Yes that possibility seems to be open, I agree
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Elthir
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Nov 19 2012, 6:38pm
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Another impression
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CuriousG
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Nov 19 2012, 9:49pm
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What comes to Mind is a shot in the First Scroll.
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Bombadil
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Nov 20 2012, 3:01am
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Didn't Gandalf say
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Faenoriel
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Nov 21 2012, 3:26pm
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Gandalf's horses
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Elthir
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Nov 21 2012, 4:37pm
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Gandalf didn't return the ponies to Beorn
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JohnsS29
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Nov 25 2012, 6:32am
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Bearing in mind...
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Elthir
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Nov 25 2012, 5:19pm
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The gist of it
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JohnsS29
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Nov 26 2012, 10:08am
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South or West
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Elthir
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Nov 26 2012, 12:04pm
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I still believe that...
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Otaku-sempai
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Nov 26 2012, 2:40pm
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Another factor might be...
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Elthir
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Nov 26 2012, 3:10pm
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Oh, I'm sure that Gandalf would not deliberately cross Beorn...
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Otaku-sempai
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Nov 26 2012, 3:13pm
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