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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Mon, 12:19pm
Post #1 of 7
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TIME - March 2
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Today in Middle-earth
March 2, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. Frodo comes to the end of the Marshes.
(from the appendices)
..."At last they came to the end of the black mere... ...at length they reached firmer ground again. Gollum hissed and whispered to himself, but it appeared that he was pleased: in some mysterious way, by some blended sense of feel, and smell, and uncanny memory for shapes in the dark, he seemed to know just where he was again, and to be sure of his road ahead.
...'Now on we go!' he said. 'Nice hobbits! Brave hobbits! Very very weary, of course; so we are, my precious, all of us. But we must take master away from the wicked lights, yes, yes, we must.' With these words he started off again, almost at a trot, down what appeared to be a long lane between high reeds, and they stumbled after him..."
2. Gandalf comes to Edoras and heals Théoden.
(from the appendices)
..."'I greet you,' [Théoden] said, 'and maybe you look for welcome. But truth to tell your welcome is doubtful here, Master Gandalf. You have ever been a herald of woe. Troubles follow you like crows, and ever the oftener the worse. I will not deceive you: when I heard that Shadowfax had come back riderless, I rejoiced at the return of the horse, but still more at the lack of the rider; and when Éomer brought the tiding that you had gone at last to your long home, I did not mourn. But... ...Here you come again! And with you come evils worse than before... ...Why should I welcome you, Gandalf Stormcrow? Tell me that....'
...'...You speak justly, lord,' said the pale man sitting upon the steps of the dais. 'Why indeed should we welcome you, Master Stormcrow? Láthspell I name you, Ill-news; and ill news is an ill guest they say.' He laughed grimly...
...'...You are held wise, my friend Wormtongue, and are doubtless a great support to your master,' answered Gandalf in a soft voice. 'Yet in two ways may a man come with evil tidings. He may be a worker of evil; or he may be such as leaves well alone, and comes only to bring aid in time of need....'
...'...The courtesy of your hall is somewhat lessened of late, Théoden son of Thengel,' said Gandalf.
...'...Seldom has any lord of Rohan received three such guests. Weapons they have laid at your doors that are worth many a mortal man, even the mightiest. Grey is their raiment, for the Elves clad them, and thus they have passed through the shadow of great perils to your hall....' ...then suddenly he changed. Casting his tattered cloak aside, he stood up and leaned no longer on his staff; and he spoke in a clear cold voice.
...'The wise speak only of what they know, Gríma son of Gálmód. A witless worm you have become. Therefore be silent, and keep your forked tongue behind your teeth. I have not passed through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a serving-man till the lightning falls.'
...He raised his staff. There was a roll of thunder. The sunlight was blotted out from the eastern windows; the whole hall became suddenly dark as night... ...Only Gandalf could be seen, standing white and tall before the blackened hearth.
...In the gloom they heard the hiss of Wormtongue's voice: 'Did I not counsel you, lord, to forbid his staff...?' ...There was a flash as if lightning had cloven the roof....
...'Now Théoden son of Thengel, will you hearken to me?' said Gandalf.... '...Not all is dark. Take courage, Lord of the Mark; for better help you will not find.... ...I bid you come out before your doors and look abroad. Too long have you sat in shadows and trusted to twisted tales and crooked promptings....'"
..."'...Now, lord,' said Gandalf, 'look out upon your land. Breathe the free air again!'
...From the porch upon the top of the high terrace they could see beyond the stream the green fields of Rohan fading into distant grey….
...'It is not so dark here,' said Théoden.
...'No,' said Gandalf. 'Nor does age lie so heavily on your shoulders as some would have you think. Cast aside your prop.'
...From the king's hand the black staff fell clattering on the stones. He drew himself up, slowly, as a man that is stiff from long bending over some dull toil....
...'...Dark have been my dreams of late,' he said, 'but I feel as one new-awakened. I would now that you had come before, Gandalf. For I fear that already you have come too late... ...What is to be done?'
...'Much,' said Gandalf. 'But first send for Éomer. Do I not guess rightly that you hold him prisoner, by the counsel of Gríma, of him that all save you name the Wormtongue?'"
3. The Rohirrim ride west against Saruman.
(from the appendices)
..."'Nay, lord,' said Aragorn. 'There is no rest yet for the weary. The men of Rohan must ride forth today, and we will ride with them, axe, sword, and bow. We did not bring them to rest against your wall, Lord of the Mark. And I promised Éomer that my sword and his should be drawn together….'"
...[Théoden to Gandalf:] "'Once again you have come in time. I would give you a gift ere we go, at your own choosing. You have only to name aught that is mine. I reserve now only my sword!'
...'Whether I came in time or not is yet to be seen... ...But as for your gift, lord, I will chose one that will fit my need: swift and sure. Give me Shadowfax! He was only lent before, if loan we may call it. But now I shall ride him into great hazard, setting silver against black: I would not risk anything that is not my own. And already there is a bond of love between us.'"
4. Second Battle of Fords of Isen. Erkenbrand defeated.
(from the appendices)
...[A lone rider, Ceorl, slowly rode back toward Theoden's vanguard on the western plain] "In the last red glow… …came, a weary man with dinted helm and cloven shield. Slowly he climbed from his horse and stood there a while gasping. At length he spoke. "Is Eomer here…? …Things have gone evilly since Théodred fell. We were driven back... ...over the Isen with great loss; many perished at the crossing. Then at night fresh forces came over the river against our camp. All Isengard must be emptied; and Saruman has armed the wild hillmen... ...We were overmastered. The shieldwall was broken. Erkenbrand of Westfold has drawn off those men he could gather towards his fastness in Helm's Deep. The rest are scattered.
... 'Where is Éomer? Tell him there is no hope ahead. He should return to Edoras before the wolves of Isengard come there.'
... Théoden had sat silent, hidden from the man's sight… …now he urged his horse forward. 'Come... ...Ceorl!' he said. 'I am here. The last host of the Eorlingas has ridden forth. It will not return without battle.'
... The man's face lighten with joy and wonder. He drew himself up. Then he knelt, offering his notched sword to the king. 'Command me, lord!' he cried. 'And pardon me! I thought---'
... 'You thought I remained in Meduseld bent like an old tree under winter snow. So it was when you rode to war. But a west wind had shaken the boughs... ...Give this man a fresh horse! Let us ride to the help of Erkenbrand!'
... While Théoden was speaking, Gandalf rode a short way ahead, and he sat there alone, gazing north to Isengard and west to the setting sun. Now he came back.
... 'Ride, Théoden... ...Ride to Helm's Deep! Go not to the Fords of Isen, and do not tarry in the plain! I must leave you a while. Shadowfax must bear me now on a swift errand.' Turning to Aragorn and Éomer... ...he cried: 'Keep well the Lord of the Mark, till I return. Await me at Helm's Gate! Farewell!'
... He spoke a word to Shadowfax, and like an arrow from the bow the great horse sprang away. Even as they looked he was gone: a flash of silver in the sunset...."
5. Entmoot ends in afternoon. The Ents march on Isengard and reach it at night.
(from the appendices)
..."Bregalad was standing up erect and tense, looking back northwards towards Derndingle.
...Then with a crash came a great ringing shout: ra-hoom-rah! The trees quivered and bent as if a gust had struck them... ...then a matching music began like solemn drums, and above the rolling beats and booms there welled voices singing high and strong.
......We come, we come with roll of drum: ta-runda runda runda rom!
...The Ents were coming….'
...Bregalad, his eyes shining, swung into the line beside Treebeard. The old Ent now took the hobbits back, and set them on his shoulders again, and so they rode proudly at the head of the singing company... ...they had expected something to happen eventually, they were amazed at the change that had come over the Ents. It seemed now as sudden as the bursting of a flood that had long been held back by a dike.
...'The Ents made up their minds rather quickly, after all, didn't they?' Pippin ventured to say after some time, when for a moment the singing paused, and only the beating of hands and feet was heard.
...'Quickly?' said Treebeard. 'Hoom! Yes... ...Indeed I have not seen them roused like this for many an age. We Ents do not like being roused; and we never are roused unless it is clear to us that our trees and our lives are in great danger."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Tue, 2:37pm
Post #2 of 7
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Today in Middle-earth
March 3, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. Théoden retreats to Helm's Deep.
(from the appendices)
... "The Riders were still in the low valley before the mouth of the Coomb, when cries and hornblasts were heard from their scouts that went in front... ...Swiftly a scout rode back and reported that wolf-riders were abroad in the valley, and that a host of Orcs and wild men were hurrying southward from the Fords of Isen and seemed to be making for Helm's Deep.
... 'We have found many of our folk lying slain as they fled thither... ...And we have met scattered companies, going this way and that, leaderless. What has become of Erkenbrand none seem to know. It is likely that he will be overtaken ere he can reach Helm's Gate, if he has not already perished.'
... 'Has aught been seen of Gandalf?' asked Théoden.
... 'Yes, lord. Many have seen an old man in white upon a horse, passing hither and thither over the plains like wind in the grass... ...It is said that he went away ere nightfall towards Isengard....'
... [Théoden] '...we have no better choice than to go on, as Gandalf said, to Helm's Gate, whether Erkenbrand be there or no....'
...The rumour of war grew behind them. Now they could hear... ...the sound of harsh singing. They had climbed far up into the Deeping Coomb when they looked back. Then they saw torches, countless points of fiery light upon the black fields behind... ...Here and there a larger blaze leapt up.
...'It is a great host and follows us hard,' said Aragorn.
...'They bring fire,' said Théoden, 'and they are burning as they come, rick, cot, and tree. This was a rich vale and had many homesteads. Alas for my folk...!'
...[Aragorn] '...It grieves me to fly before them.'
...'We need not fly much further,' said Éomer. 'Not far ahead now lies Helm's Dike, an ancient trench and rampart scored across the Coomb, two furlongs below Helm's Gate. There we can turn and give battle.'"
[furlong = .125 miles or 220 yards]
2. Battle of the Hornburg begins.
(from the appendices)
..."Arrows thick as the rain came whistling over the battlements, and fell clinking and glancing on the stones. Some found a mark. The assault on Helm's Deep had begun, but no sound or challenge was heard within; no answering arrows came.
...The assailing hosts halted, foiled by the silent menace of rock and wall.... ...the Orcs screamed, waving spear and sword, and shooting a cloud of arrows at any that stood revealed upon the battlements; and the men of the Mark amazed looked out….
......Then at last an answer came: a storm of arrows met them, and a hail of stones... ...[Orcs] wavered, broke, and fled back; and then charged again, broke and charged again; and each time, like the incoming sea….
......Éomer and Aragorn stood together on the Deeping Wall. They heard the roar of voices and the thudding of the rams; and then in a sudden flash of light they beheld the peril of the gates.
...'Come!' said Aragorn. 'This is the hour when we draw swords together!'
...Running like fire, they sped along the wall, and up the steps, and passed into the outer court upon the Rock….
...'Two!' said Gimli, patting his axe. He had returned to his place on the wall.
...'Two?' said Legolas. 'I have done better, though now I must grope for spent arrows; all mine are gone. Yet I make my tale twenty at the least. But that is only a few leaves in a forest.'"
3. Ents complete the destruction of Isengard.
(from the appendices)
...[Pippin recounts] "'At dusk Treebeard came back to the gate. He was humming and booming to himself, and seemed pleased. He stood and stretched his great arms and legs and breathed deep. I asked him if he was tired.
...'"Tired..? ...tired? Well no, not tired, but stiff. I need a good draught of Entwash. We have worked hard; we have done more stone-cracking and earth-gnawing today than we have done in many a long year before... ...When night falls do not linger near this gate or in the old tunnel! Water may come through—and it will be foul water for a while, until all the filth of Saruman is washed away. Then Isen can run clean again.' He began to pull down a bit more of the wall, in a leisurely sort of way, just to amuse himself….'"
..."...It must have been about midnight when the Ents broke the dams and poured all the gathered waters through a gap in the northern wall, down into Isengard....'
...'...We took refuge in that guardroom over there; and we had rather a fright. The lake began to overflow and pour out through the old tunnel, and the water was rapidly rising up the steps. We thought we were going to get caught like Orcs in a hole; but we found a winding stair at the back of the store-room that brought us out on top of the arch. It was a squeeze to get out, as the passages had been cracked and half blocked with fallen stone near the top. There we sat high up above the floods and watched the drowning of Isengard."
4. Frodo and Sam hide from the terror in the sky.
(not from the appendices)
..."The marshes were at an end, dying away into dead peats and wide flats of dry cracked mud… …While the grey light lasted, they cowered under a black stone like worms, shrinking, lest the winged terror should pass and spy them with its cruel eyes. The remainder of that journey was a shadow of growing fear in which memory could find nothing to rest upon."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Wed, 4:01pm
Post #3 of 7
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Today in Middle-earth
March 4, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. Aragorn faces the enemy as the new day dawns.
(not from the appendices)
..."At last Aragorn stood above the great gates, heedless of the darts of the enemy. As he looked forth he saw the eastern sky grow pale. Then he raised his empty hand, palm outward in token of parley.
...The Orcs yelled and jeered. 'Come down! Come down!' they cried. 'If you wish to speak to us, come down! Bring out your king! We are the fighting Uruk-hai.... ...Bring out your skulking king!'
...'The king stays or comes at his own will,' said Aragorn.
...'Then what are you doing here?' they answered. 'Why do you look out? Do you wish to see the greatness of our army? We are the fighting Uruk-hai.'
...'I looked out to see the dawn,' said Aragorn.
...'What of the dawn...? ...We are the Uruk-hai: we do not stop the fight for night or day, for fair weather or for storm. We come to kill, by sun or moon. What of the dawn?'
...'None knows what the new day shall bring him... ...Get you gone, ere it turn to your evil.'
...'Get down or we will shoot you from the wall... ...This is no parley. You have nothing to say.'
...'I have still this to say,' answered Aragorn. 'No enemy has yet taken the Hornburg. Depart, or not one of you will be spared. Not one will be left alive to take back tidings to the North. You do not know your peril.'
...So great a power and royalty was revealed in Aragorn, as he stood there alone above the ruined gates before the host of his enemies, that many of the wild men paused, and looked back over their shoulders to the valley, and some looked up doubtfully at the sky. But the Orcs laughed with loud voices; and a hail of darts and arrows whistled over the wall, as Aragorn leaped down.
...There was a roar and a blast of fire. The archway of the gate above which he had stood a moment before crumbled and crashed in smoke and dust. The barricade was scattered as if by a thunderbolt."
2. The charge of the Riders.
(not from the appendices)
..."...sudden and terrible, from the tower above, the sound of the great horn of Helm rang out.
...All that heard that sound trembled. Many of the Orcs cast themselves on their faces and covered their ears with their claws... ...from the Deep the echoes came, blast upon blast, as if on every cliff and hill a mighty herald stood. But on the walls men looked up, listening with wonder; for the echoes did not die. Ever the hornblasts wound on among the hills... ...they answered one to another, blowing fierce and free.
...'Helm! Helm!' the Riders shouted. 'Helm is arisen and comes back to war. Helm for Théoden King!'
...And with that shout the king came. His horse was white as snow, golden was his shield, and his spear was long. At his right hand was Aragorn, Elendil's heir, behind him rode the lords of the House of Eorl the Young. Light sprang in the sky....
...'Forth Eorlingas!' With a cry and a great noise they charged. Down from the gates they roared, over the causeway they swept, and they drove through the hosts of Isengard as a wind among grass. Behind them from the Deep... ...poured all the men that were left upon the Rock. And ever the sound of blowing horns echoed in the hills."
3. Gandalf returns.
(not from the appendices)
..."There suddenly upon a ridge appeared a rider, clad in white, shining in the rising sun. Over the low hills the horns were sounding. Behind him, hastening down the long slopes, were a thousand men on foot; their swords were in their hands. Amid them strode a man tall and strong. His shield was red. As he came to the valley's brink, he set to his lips a great black horn and blew a ringing blast.
...'Erkenbrand!' the Riders shouted. 'Erkenbrand!'
...'Behold the White Rider!' cried Aragorn. 'Gandalf is come again...!'
......The hosts of Isengard roared, swaying this way and that, turning from fear to fear. Again the horn sounded from the tower. Down through the breach of the Dike charged the king's company. Down from the hills leaped Erkenbrand, lord of Westfold. Down leaped Shadowfax, like a deer that runs surefooted in the mountains. The White Rider was upon them, and the terror of his coming filled the enemy with madness. The wild men fell on their faces before him... ...Orcs reeled and screamed and cast aside both sword and spear... ...Wailing they passed under the waiting shadow of the trees; and from that shadow none ever came again."
4. Théoden and Gandalf set out from Helm's Deep for Isengard.
(from the appendices)
..."You move me, Gimli,' said Legolas. 'I have never heard you speak like this before. Almost you make me regret that I have not seen these caves. Come! Let us make this bargain--if we both return safe out of the perils... ...we will journey for a while together. You shall visit Fangorn with me, and then I will come with you to see Helm's Deep.'
...'That would not be the way of return that I should choose,' said Gimli. 'But I will endure Fangorn, if I have your promise to come back to the caves and share their wonder with me.'
...'You have my promise,' said Legolas. 'But alas! Now we must leave behind both cave and wood for a while. See! We are coming to the end of the trees...."
..."…At last the company passed through the trees... ...where the road from Helm's Deep branched, going one way east to Edoras, and the other north to the Fords of Isen. As they rode from under the eaves of the wood, Legolas halted and looked back with regret. Then he gave a sudden cry.
...'There are eyes! Eyes looking out from the shadows of the boughs! I never saw such eyes before!'
...The others, surprised by his cry, halted and turned; but Legolas started to ride back.
...'No, no!' cried Gimli. 'Do as you please in your madness, but let me first get down from this horse! I wish to see no eyes!'"
5. Frodo reaches the slag-mounds on the edge of the Desolation of the Morannon.
(from the appendices)
..."They had come to the desolation that lay before Mordor: the lasting monument to the dark labour of its slaves that should endure when all their purposes were made void; a land defiled, diseased beyond all healing—unless the Great Sea should enter in and wash it with oblivion. 'I feel sick,' said Sam. Frodo did not speak…."
..."...Suddenly Sam woke up thinking that he heard his master calling. It was evening. Frodo could not have called, for he had fallen asleep, and had slid down nearly to the bottom of the pit. Gollum was by him. For a moment Sam thought that he was trying to rouse Frodo... ...it was not so. Gollum was talking to himself. Sméagol was holding a debate with some other thought that used the same voice but made it squeak and hiss. A pale light and a green light alternated in his eyes as he spoke.…"
..."...Sam had lain still, fascinated by this debate, but watching every move that Gollum made from under his half-closed eye-lids. To his simple mind ordinary hunger, the desire to eat hobbits, had seemed the chief danger in Gollum. He realized now that it was not so: Gollum was feeling the terrible call of the Ring. The Dark Lord was He, of course; but Sam wondered who She was…"
6. Merry and Pippin try to stay high and dry.
(not from the appendices)
..."'There was a noise in the night like a wind coming up the valley. I think the Ents and Huorns that had been away came back then; but where they have all gone to now, I don't know. It was... ...morning when we climbed down and looked around again, and nobody was about. And that is about all there is to tell. It seems almost peaceful now after all the turmoil. And safer too, somehow, since Gandalf came back. I could sleep!'"
We have been there and back again.
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Otaku-sempai
Elvenhome
Wed, 10:12pm
Post #4 of 7
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These last few entries highlight some of the more interesting changes that Peter Jackson made to the story. in the book:
1. Gandalf and the Three Hunters reach Edoras on March 2. Gandalf heals King Théoden. The Rohirrim ride west against Saruman.
2. Théoden retreats to Helm's Deep on March 3 and the Battle of the Hornburg begins.
3. the battle ends in the morning of March 4. Gandalf and Théoden set out from Helm's Deep for Isengard.
In the film:
1. Gandalf and the Three Hunters reach Isengard on an unspecified date, possibly several days before March 1 (Aragorn's birthday when he should be turning 88 years old). Again, Gandalf heals Théoden.
2. Gandalf departs Edoras, telling Aragorn to look to his coming on the fifth day, at dawn. The Rohirrim set out for Helm's Deep, bringing their women, children and elderly with them, slowing travel to a slow march.
3. While repelling an attack of Warg-riders on the fourth (?) day of the march, Aragorn is sent over a cliff and is thought dead The Rohirrim reach Helm's Deep by the end of the day.
4. Aragorn is aided by the horse Brego and sights Saruman's army on his way to Helm's Deep. Reaching the fortress, he informs Théoden that the enemy will arrive by nightfall. The Battle of the Hornburg begins.
5. The fifth day. The arrival of Gandalf and reinforcements led by Éomer at dawn ends the battle.
I'm not entirely sure of the exact order of events over Day Three and Day Four, mostly in regards to the attack of the Warg-riders. I am also unsure whether the march to Helm's Deep in the film takes place before Aragorn's birthday or whether Jackson altered Aragorn's actual age.
One of these days I want to try to work out the actual timeline in the film trilogy for the War of the Ring. We have a sold date for the Council of Elrond, October 25 (hypothetically in Third Age 3001). My assumption is that the Ring is destroyed in Mount Doom on March 25, 3002. However, I'm not sure that a logical timeline for the days before that is even feasible.
“Hell hath no fury like that of the uninvolved.” - Tony Isabella
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Thu, 12:31pm
Post #6 of 7
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Today in Middle-earth
March 5, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. Théoden reaches Isengard at noon.
(from the appendices)
..."The king and all his company sat silent on their horses, marvelling, perceiving that the power of Saruman was overthrown; but how they could not guess. And now they turned their eyes towards the archway and the ruined gates. There they saw... ...a great rubble-heap; and suddenly they were aware of two small figures lying on it at their ease, grey-clad, hardly to be seen among the stones. There were bottles and bowls and platters laid beside them, as if they had just eaten well, and now rested from their labour. One seemed asleep, the other, with crossed legs and arms behind his head, leaned back against a broken rock and sent from his mouth long wisps and little rings of thin blue smoke.
...For a moment Théoden and Éomer and all his men stared at them in wonder. Amid all the wreck of Isengard this seemed to them the strangest sight. But before the king could speak, the small smoke-breathing figure became suddenly aware of them... ...He sprang to his feet. A young man he looked... ...though not much more than half a man in height... ...he was clad in a travel-stained cloak of the same hue and shape as the companions of Gandalf had worn when they rode to Edoras. He bowed very low, putting his hand upon his breast. Then, seeming not to observe the wizard and his friends, he turned to Éomer and the king.
...'Welcome, my lords, to Isengard... ...We are the door-wardens. Meriadoc, son of Saradoc is my name; and my companion, who, alas! is overcome with weariness'—here he gave the other a dig with his foot—'is Peregrin, son of Paladin, of the house of Took. Far in the North is our home. The Lord Saruman is within; but at the moment he is closeted with one Wormtongue, or, doubtless he would be here to welcome such honourable guests.'"
2. Parley with Saruman in Orthanc.
(from the appendices)
..."'Saruman, Saruman!' said Gandalf still laughing. 'Saruman, you missed your path in life. You should have been the king's jester and earned your bread, and stripes too, by mimicking his counsellors. Ah me!' he paused, getting the better of his mirth. 'Understand one another? I fear I am beyond your comprehension. But you, Saruman, I understand now too well...'"
..."'Saruman!' he cried... ...his voice grew in power and authority. 'Behold, I am not Gandalf the Grey, whom you betrayed. I am Gandalf the White, who has returned from death. You have no colour now, and I cast you from the order and from the Council.'
...He raised his hand, and spoke slowly in a clear cold voice. 'Saruman, your staff is broken.' There was a crack, and the staff split asunder in Saruman's hand... 'Go!' said Gandalf. With a cry Saruman fell back and crawled away."
3. Pippin steals the palantír.
(not in the appendices)
..."'You idiotic fool!' Pippin muttered to himself. 'You're going to get yourself into frightful trouble. Put it back quick!' But he found now that his knees quaked, and he did not dare to go near enough to the wizard to reach the bundle. 'I'll never get it back now without waking him... ...not till I'm a bit calmer. So I may as well have a look first….'
...…At first the globe was dark, black as jet... ...moonlight gleaming on its surface... ...there came a faint glow and stir in the heart of it, and it held his eyes, so that now he could not look away. Soon all the inside seemed on fire; the ball was spinning, or the lights within were revolving. Suddenly the lights went out. He gave a gasp and struggled; but he remained bent, clasping the ball with both hands. Closer and closer he bent, and then became rigid; his lips moved soundlessly for a while... ...with a strangled cry he fell back and lay still.
...The cry was piercing. The guards lept down from the banks. All the camp was soon astir.
...'So this is the thief!' said Gandalf. Hastily he cast his cloak over the globe... '...But you, Pippin! This is a grievous turn to things!' He knelt by Pippin's body: the hobbit was lying on his back, rigid, with unseeing eyes staring up at the sky. 'The devilry! What mischief has he done--to himself, and to all of us?' The wizard's face was drawn and haggard…."
4. Winged Nazgûl passes over the camp at Dol Baran; Gandalf sets out with Peregrin for Minas Tirith.
(from the appendices)
..."At that moment a shadow fell over them. The bright moonlight seemed to be suddenly cut off. Several of the Riders cried out, and crouched, holding their arms above their heads, as if to ward off a blow from above: a blind fear and a deadly cold fell on them….
...…Gandalf was gazing up, his arms out and downwards, stiff, his hands clenched. 'Nazgûl!' he cried. 'The messenger of Mordor. The storm is coming. The Nazgûl have crossed the River! Ride, ride! Wait not for the dawn! Let not the swift wait for the slow! Ride!'
...He sprang away, calling Shadowfax as he ran. Aragorn followed him. Going to Pippin, Gandalf picked him up in his arms. 'You shall come with me this time... ...Shadowfax shall show you his paces.' Then he ran to the place where he had slept. Shadowfax stood there already. Slinging the small bag which was all his luggage across his shoulders, the wizard leapt upon the horse's back. Aragorn lifted Pippin and set him in Gandalf's arms, wrapped in cloak and blanket.
...'Farewell! Follow fast..! ...Away, Shadowfax!'
...The great horse tossed his head. His flowing tail flicked in the moonlight. Then he leapt forward, spurning the earth, and was gone like the north wind from the mountains...."
..."'...Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of you inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?'
...'The names of all the stars, and of all living things, and the whole history of Middle-earth and Over-heaven and of the Sundering Seas,' laughed Pippin. 'Of course! What less?'"
5. Frodo hides in sight of the Morannon, and leaves at dusk.
(from the appendices)
..."'More Men going to Mordor,' Gollum said in a low voice. 'Dark faces. We have not seen Men like these before, no, Sméagol has not. They are fierce. They have black eyes, and long black hair, and gold rings in their ears; yes, lots of beautiful gold… …Not nice; very cruel wicked Men they look. Almost as bad as Orcs, and much bigger. Sméagol thinks they have come out of the South beyond the Great River's end... ...They have passed on to the Black Gate; but more may follow. Always more people coming to Mordor. One day all the peoples will be inside.'
...'Were there any oliphaunts?' asked Sam, forgetting his fear in his eagerness for news of strange places.
...'No, no oliphaunts. What are oliphaunts?' said Gollum.
...Sam stood up, putting his hands behind his back (as he always did when 'speaking poetry'), and began: 'Grey as a mouse, Big as a house, Nose like a snake, I make the earth shake...'"
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
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Post #7 of 7
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Today in Middle-earth
March 6, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. Aragorn overtaken by the Dúnedain in the early hours.
(from the appendices)
..."When they were some fifty paces off, Éomer cried in a loud voice: 'Halt! Halt! Who rides in Rohan?'
...The pursuers brought their steeds to a sudden stand. A silence followed... ...in the moonlight, a horseman could be seen dismounting and walking slowly forward. His hand showed white as he held it up, palm outward, in token of peace; but the king's men gripped their weapons. At ten paces the man stopped. He was tall, a dark standing shadow. Then his clear voice rang out.
...'Rohan! Rohan did you say? This is a glad word. We seek that land in haste from long afar.'
...'You have found it,' said Éomer... '...But it is the realm of Théoden the King. None ride here save by his leave. Who are you? And what is your haste?'
...'Halbarad Dúnadan, Ranger of the North I am... ...We seek one Aragorn son of Arathorn, and we heard that he was in Rohan.'
...'And you have found him also!' cried Aragorn. Giving his reins to Merry, he ran forward and embraced the newcomer. 'Halbarad!' he said. 'Of all joys this is the least expected!'"
2. Merry at Helm's Deep.
(not from the appendices)
..."Merry slept until he was roused by Legolas and Gimli. 'The Sun is high,' said Legolas. 'All others are up and doing. Come, Master Sluggard, and look at this place while you may!'
...'There was a battle here three nights ago... ...and here Legolas and I played a game that I won only by a single orc. Come and see how it was! And there are caves, Merry, caves of wonder! Shall we visit them, Legolas, do you think?'
...'Nay! There is not time,' said the Elf. 'Do not spoil the wonder with haste! I have given you my word to return hither with you, if a day of peace and freedom comes again.'"
3. Merry's moved to honour the King.
(not from the appendices)
..."'I have a sword,' said Merry, climbing from his seat, and drawing from its black sheath his small bright blade. Filled suddenly with love for this old man, he knelt on one knee and took his hand and kissed it. 'May I lay the sword of Meriadoc of the Shire on your lap, Théoden King...? ...Receive my service, if you will!'
...'Gladly will I take it,' said the king; and laying his long old hands upon the brown hair of the hobbit, he blessed him. 'Rise now, Meriadoc, esquire of Rohan of the household of Meduseld...! ...Take your sword and bear it unto good fortune!'
...'As a father you shall be to me,' said Merry.
...'For a little while,' said Théoden."
4. Théoden sets out from the Hornburg for Harrowdale. Aragorn sets out later.
(from the appendices)
..."A little apart the Rangers sat, silent, in an ordered company, armed with spear and bow and sword. They were clad in cloaks of dark grey, and their hoods were cast now over helm and head. Their horses were strong and of proud bearing, but rough-haired; and one stood there without a rider, Aragorn's own horse that they had brought from the North; Roheryn was his name…."
..."The king mounted his horse, Snowmane, and Merry sat beside him on his pony: Stybba... ...Presently Éomer came out from the gate, and with him was Aragorn and Halbarad bearing the great staff close-furled in black, and two tall men, neither young nor old... ...the sons of Elrond, that few could tell them apart: dark-haired, grey-eyed, and their faces elven-fair, clad alike in bright mail beneath cloaks of silver-grey. Behind them walked Legolas and Gimli. But Merry had eyes only for Aragorn, so startling was the change that he saw in him, as if in one night many years had fallen on his head. Grim was his face, grey-hued and weary.
...'I am troubled in mind, lord,' he said, standing by the king's horse. 'I have heard strange words, and I see new perils far off. I have laboured long in thought, and now I fear that I must change my purpose….' …He looked up, and it seemed that he had made some decision; his face was less troubled.... '...by your leave, lord, I must take new counsel for myself and my kindred. We must ride our own road, and no longer in secret. For me the time of stealth has passed. I will ride east by the swiftest way, and I will take the Paths of the Dead.'
...'The Paths of the Dead!' said Théoden, and trembled. 'Why do you speak of them?' Éomer turned and gazed at Aragorn, and it seemed to Merry that the faces of the Riders that sat within hearing turned pale at the words. 'If there be in truth such paths,' said Théoden, 'their gate is in Dunharrow; but no living man may pass it.'
...'Alas! Aragorn my friend!' said Éomer. 'I had hoped that we should ride to war together; but if you seek the Paths of the Dead... ...it is little likely that we shall ever meet again under the Sun.'
...'That road, I will take, nonetheless,' said Aragorn. 'But I say to you, Éomer, that in battle we may yet meet again, though all the hosts of Mordor should stand between.'"
5. The Fellowship breaks again.
(not from the appendices)
... 'Farewell, lord!' said Aragorn. 'Ride unto great renown! Farewell, Merry! I leave you in good hands, better than we hoped when we hunted the orcs to Fangorn. Legolas and Gimli will still hunt with me... ...but we shall not forget you.'
... 'Good-bye!' said Merry. He could find no more to say. He felt very small... ...he was puzzled and depressed by all these gloomy words. More than ever he missed the unquenchable cheerfulness of Pippin... ...the Riders set forth. They rode over the Dike and down the Coomb... ...Aragorn rode to the Dike and watched till the king's men were far down the Coomb. Then he turned to Halbarad.
... 'There go three that I love, and the smallest not the least... ...He knows not to what end he rides; yet if he knew, he still would go on.'
... 'A little people, but of great worth are the Shirefolk,' said Halbarad. 'Little do they know of our long labour for the safekeeping of their borders... ...yet I grudge it not.'
... 'And now our fates are woven together,' said Aragorn. 'And yet, alas! here we must part. Well, I must eat a little, and then we also must hasten away. Come, Legolas and Gimli! I must speak with you as I eat.'"
6. Aragorn claims his own.
(not from the appendices)
... "[Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn] went back into the Burg; yet for some time Aragorn sat silent at the table in the hall... '...Come!' said Legolas at last. 'Speak and be comforted, and shake off the shadow! What has happened since we came back to this grim place...?'
... 'A struggle somewhat grimmer for my part than the Battle of the Hornburg... ...I have looked in the Stone of Orthanc, my friends.'
... 'You have looked in that accursed stone of wizardry!' exclaimed Gimli with fear and astonishment in his face. Did you say aught to--him?' Even Gandalf feared that encounter.'
... 'You forgot to whom you speak,' said Aragorn sternly, and his eyes glinted. 'Did I not openly proclaim my title before the doors of Edoras? What do you fear that I should say to him? Nay, Gimli,' he said in a softer voice... ...the grimness left his face, and he looked like one who has laboured in sleepless pain for many nights. 'Nay, my friends, I am the lawful master of the Stone... ...I had both the right and the strength to use it... ...The right cannot be doubted. The strength was enough--barely.'
... He drew a deep breath. 'It was a bitter struggle, and the weariness is slow to pass. I spoke no word to him, and in the end I wrenched the Stone to my own will. That alone he will find hard to endure.'"
7. Pippin rides with Gandalf and comes to Edoras.
(not from the appendices)
..."…in the dawn he had seen a pale gleam of gold, and they had come to the silent town and the great empty house on the hill. And hardly had they reached its shelter when the winged shadow had passed over once again, and men wilted with fear. But Gandalf had spoken soft words to him, and he had slept in a corner... ...dimly aware of comings and goings and of men talking and Gandalf giving orders. And then again riding, riding in the night."
8. Frodo, Sam and Gollum approach the northern border of Ithilien.
(not from the appendices)
..."Frodo slept at times, deeply and peacefully, either trusting Gollum or too tired to trouble about him; but Sam found it difficult to do more than doze, even when Gollum was plainly fast asleep, whiffling and twitching in his secret dreams. Hunger, perhaps, more than mistrust kept him wakeful; he had begun to long for a good homely meal, 'something hot out of the pot.'"
There's room for a little more:
Remember our TORnsib White Gull? Here's her great response to today's TIME on March 6, 2010 looking at guidance during the Quest.
... "Merry, who, I think was portrayed as the cleverest and most intuitive of the hobbits other than Frodo, has the gentlest guidance. Pippin, probably the most clueless, has the most strict. And Frodo, who, it would seem, is the wisest, but most in need, has the least guidance. Sam has Frodo and that is all he wants, which for him, is enough. Save, perhaps, for his gaffer's instilled wisdom, which comes in very handy when needed. But, overall, there is the whole, subtle scheme of divine guidance, that uses all and empowers all."
We have been there and back again.
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