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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Sep 9, 12:46pm
Post #1 of 10
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It's time for some BS!
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Here's a Book Spoiler that looks at events leading up to the meeting of the White Council... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From The Silmarillion: Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age ..."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... ...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... ... he went to Dol Guldur, and the Sorcerer fled from him, and there was a watchful peace for a long while. But at length the Shadow returned and its power increased... ...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... ...Curunír (that was Saruman the White) was chosen to be their chief, for he had most studied the devices of Sauron of old. Galadriel... ...wished that Mithrandir should be the Lead of the Council... ...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.
...Now the Shadow grew ever greater, and the hearts of Elrond and Mithrandir darkened. Therefore... ...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... ...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... ...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.'"
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Sep 11, 1:20pm
Post #2 of 10
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It's time for some BS! Sept 10
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Continuing the Book Spoilers that look at events leading up to the meeting of the White Council... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From The Silmarillion: Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age ... "…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,' said he, ‘that the One will ever be found again in Middle-earth. Into Anduin it fell,... ...I deem, it was rolled to the Sea. There it shall lie until the end, when all this world is broken and the deeps are removed.'
... Therefore naught was done at that time, though Elrond's heart misgave him... ...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….'
...…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... ...being found by one of the small fisher-folk that dwelt by the River... ...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 Halflings, who dwelt in the west of Eriador. And ere that day they had been held of small account by Elves and by Men, and neither Sauron nor any of the Wise save Mithrandir had in all their counsels given thought to them."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Sep 11, 1:30pm
Post #3 of 10
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It's time for some Special BS! September 11, 2001
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This is a Book Spoiler in honour and in memory of the day...for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
September 11 [ 9/11 ]
From The Stairs of Cirith Ungol: The Two Towers [Sam speaking with Frodo] "...we shouldn't be here at all, if we'd known more about it before we started. But I suppose it's often that way. The brave things in the old tales and songs... ...adventures, as I used to call them. I used to think that they were things the wonderful folk of the stories went out and looked for, because they wanted them, because they were exciting and life was a bit dull, a kind of a sport... ...But that's not the way of it with the tales that really mattered, or the ones that stay in the mind. Folk seem to have been just landed in them, usually--their paths were laid that way... ...But I expect they had lots of chances... ...of turning back, only they didn't. And if they had, we shouldn't know, because they'd have been forgotten. We hear about those as just went on--and not all to a good end, mind you; at least not to what folk inside a story and not outside it call a good end. You know, coming home, and finding things all right, though not quite the same--like old Mr. Bilbo. But those aren't always the best tales to hear, though they may be the best tales to get landed in!"
"Grief is the price we pay for love," Queen Elizabeth
   
Lest we forget
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Sep 12, 1:44pm
Post #4 of 10
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September 12, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. The White Council meets.
(not from the appendices-determined from text-Silmarillion)
..."...ever the shadow in Mirkwood grew deeper, and to Dol Guldur evil things repaired out of all the dark places of the world... ...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...'"
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Sep 13, 12:32pm
Post #5 of 10
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Today in Middle-earth
September 13, 3018 (S.R. 3018)
1. The days go by in Bag End.
(not from the appendices)
..."Autumn was well under way before Frodo began to worry about Gandalf again. September was passing and there was still no news of him. The Birthday, and the removal, drew nearer, and still he did not come, or send word."
September 13, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. Celeborn and Galadriel depart, the others set out for Rivendell.
(not from the appendices)
...[The Company lingered near the Silverlode before the Three Rings separated for the last time] "...they parted again for a while, until it was time for the Three Rings to pass away. Quickly fading into the stones and the shadows the grey-cloaked people of Lórien road towards the mountain; and those who were going to Rivendell sat on the hill and watched, until there came out of the gathering mist a flash; and then they saw no more. Frodo knew that Galadriel had held aloft her ring in token of farewell. Sam turned away and sighed: 'I wish I was going back to Lórien!'"
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Sun, 3:02pm
Post #6 of 10
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Today in Middle-earth
September 14, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. Gandalf at the White Council.
(not from the appendices-determined from LotR Appendix B text)
... "In the late summer... ...Gandalf had at last prevailed upon Saruman and the White Council to attack Dol Guldur, and Sauron retreated and went to Mordor, there to be secure, as he thought, from all his enemies. So it was that when the War came at last the main assault was turned southwards..."
September 14, 3001 (S.R. 1401)
1. A waggon is spotted on the road.
(not from the appendices)
..."Days passed and The Day drew nearer... ...At the end of the second week in September a cart came in through Bywater from the direction of Brandywine Bridge in broad daylight. An old man was driving it all alone. He wore a tall pointed blue hat, a long grey cloak, and a silver scarf. He had a long white beard and bushy eyebrows that stuck out beyond the brim of his hat. Small hobbit-children ran after the cart all through Hobbiton and right up the hill. It had a cargo of fireworks... ...At Bilbo's front door the old man began to unload: there were great bundles of fireworks of all sorts and shapes, each labelled with a large red G and the elf-rune 
...That was Gandalf's mark... ...and the old man was Gandalf the wizard, whose fame in the Shire was due mainly to his skill with fires, smokes, and lights. His real business was far more difficult and dangerous, but the Shire-folk new nothing about it.... ...he was just one of the 'attractions' at the Party.
...When the old man, helped by Bilbo and some dwarves, had finished unloading, Bilbo gave a few pennies away; but not a single squib or cracker was forthcoming, to the disappointment of the onlookers.
...'Run away now!' said Gandalf. 'You will get plenty when the time comes.' Then he disappeared inside with Bilbo, and the door was shut. The young hobbits stared at the door in vain for a while, and then they made off, feeling that the day of the party would never come."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Mon, 2:01pm
Post #7 of 10
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Today in Middle-earth
September 15, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. The White Council continues their debate.
(not from the appendices-determined from text – The Silmarillion)
..."... Mithrandir spoke to the Council, saying:
...'…The might of the Elves and the Elf-friends is less now than of old. Soon he will be too strong... ...even without the Great Ring; for he rules the Nine, and of the Seven he has recovered three. We must strike.'"
2. Saruman agrees to an attack on Dol Guldur.
(not from the appendices-determined from text)
..."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..."
September 15, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Gandalf is still held captive atop Orthanc [since July 10].
(not from the appendices)
..."'...on the pinnacle of Orthanc, in the place where Saruman was accustomed to watch the stars. There is no descent save by a narrow stair of many thousand steps, and the valley below seems far away... ...I stood alone on an island in the clouds; and I had no chance of escape, and my days were bitter. I was pierced with cold, and I had but little room in which to pace to and fro, brooding on the coming of the Riders to the North.'"
September 15, 1977
1. The Silmarillion is published.
... Forty years after the publication of The Hobbit, Christopher Tolkien completed his father's work on The Silmarillion.
September 15, 2022
1. 45th Anniversary of The Silmarillion publication in 9/15/1977.
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Tue, 4:13pm
Post #8 of 10
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Today in Middle-earth
September 16, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. Bilbo feels the strain.
(determined from text - referencing Karen Wynn Fonstad, The Atlas of Middle-earth)
..."Bilbo did not like being depended upon by everyone, and he wished he had the wizard at hand. But that was no use: probably all the dark distance of Mirkwood lay between them."
September 16, 3001 (S.R. 1401)
1. Bilbo begins sending invitations.
(not from the appendices)
..."Before long the invitations began pouring out, and the Hobbiton post-office was blocked, and the Bywater post-office was snowed under, and voluntary assistant postmen were called for... ...a constant stream of them going up the Hill, carrying hundreds of polite variations on 'Thank you, I shall certainly come.'
...A Notice appeared on the gate at Bag End: "NO ADMITTANCE EXCEPT ON PARTY BUSINESS" .
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Wed, 1:10pm
Post #9 of 10
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Today in Middle-earth
September 17, 3001 (S.R. 1401)
1. Bilbo party preparations keep him busy.
(not from the appendices)
..."Even those who had, or pretended to have, Party Business were seldom allowed inside. Bilbo was busy: writing invitation, ticking off answers, packing up presents, and making some private preparations of his own. From the time of Gandalf's arrival he remained hidden from view."
September 17, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Gandalf is captive atop Orthanc.
(not from the appendices)
..."'Fear was ever in my heart for my friends in the Shire... ...I hoped that Frodo has set forth at once, as my letter had urged, and that he had reached Rivendell before the deadly pursuit began. And both my fear and my hope proved ill-founded. For my hope was founded on a fat man in Bree; and my fear was founded on the cunning of Sauron. But fat men who sell ale have many calls to answer; and the power of Sauron is still less than fear makes it. But in the circle of Isengard, trapped and alone, it was not easy to think that the hunters before whom all have fled or fallen would falter in the Shire far away.'"
[A little related BS from a September 26 event in Frodo's dream while in the house of Tom Bombadil... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From The Council of Elrond: The Fellowship of the Ring ... "'I saw you!' cried Frodo. 'You were walking backward and forwards. The moon shone in your hair.'
... Gandalf paused astonished and looked at him. 'It was only a dream,' said Frodo, 'but it suddenly came back to me. I had quite forgotten... ...It came some time ago; after I left the Shire, I think.'
... 'Then it was late in coming,' said Gandalf, 'as you will see.'"
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
3:04pm
Post #10 of 10
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Today in Middle-earth
September 18, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. The Company is still caught in Thranduil's caves.
(determined from text - referencing Karen Wynn Fonstad, The Atlas of Middle-earth)
...Bilbo continues to ponder an escape plan as he listens, watches and waits.
September 18, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Frodo prepares to leave Bag End for Crickhollow.
(not from the appendices)
..."Bag End began to be busy. Some of Frodo's friends came to stay and help him with the packing: there was Fredegar Bolger and Folco Boffin, and of course his special friends Pippin Took and Merry Brandybuck. Between them they turned the whole place upside-down."
2. Gandalf escapes from Orthanc in the early hours. The Black Riders cross the Fords of Isen.
(from the appendices)
..."'Those of you who know me will agree that I have seldom been in such need, and do not bear such misfortune well. Gandalf the Grey caught like a fly in a spider's treacherous web! Yet even the most subtle spiders may leave a weak thread.
...'At first I feared, as Saruman no doubt intended, that Radagast had also fallen. Yet I had caught no hint of anything wrong in his voice or in his eye at our meeting... ...He sought me in good faith, and so persuaded me.
...'That was the undoing of Saruman's plot. For Radagast knew no reason why he should not do as I asked; and he rode away towards Mirkwood where he had many friends of old. And the Eagles of the Mountains went far and wide, and they saw many things: the gathering of wolves and the mustering of Orcs; and the Nine Riders going hither and thither in the lands; and they heard news of the escape of Gollum. And they sent a messenger to bring these tidings to me.
...'So it was that when summer waned, there came a night of moon, and Gwaihir the Windlord... ...came unlooked-for to Orthanc; and he found me standing on the pinnacle. Then I spoke to him and he bore me away, before Saruman was aware. I was far from Isengard, ere the wolves and orcs issued from the gate to pursue me.
...'"How far can you bear me?" I said to Gwaihir.
...'"Many leagues," said he, "but not to the ends of the earth. I was sent to bear tidings not burdens."
...'"Then I must have a steed on land," I said, 'and a steed surpassingly swift, for I have never had such need of haste before."
...'"Then I will bear you to Edoras, where the Lord of Rohan sits in his halls..."'"
[league = 3 miles]
1. September 18, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
The Company rides to Rivendell
(not from the appendices-no text)
...Gandalf, the hobbits and Elrond with his company continue at their leisure on their journey to Rivendell as Saruman makes his way to the Shire.
September 18, 3020 (S.R. 1420)
1. The hobbits adjust.
(not from the appendices)
..."Frodo and Sam went back to ordinary attire, except that when there was need they both wore long grey cloaks, finely woven and clasped at the throat with beautiful brooches; and Mr. Frodo wore always a white jewel on a chain that he often would finger."
September 18, 3021 (S.R. 1421)
1. The family in Bag End.
(not from the appendices - no text - a drabble)
...Sitting before the fire, Frodo found himself watching Sam as he moved about Bag End, often with little Elanor cradled in one of his strong weathered arms. He suddenly became aware that he had contemplated a hope, a presumption, that would comfort himself in his decision; but would it be fair to Sam? The answer was clear to him. He looked over at Rosie as she set plates and cups on the table and she looked up at him and smiled. Frodo smiled in return. "I'll fetch Sam for you, Rosie. Then I'll come help you finish with the table."
We have been there and back again.
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