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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jan 15, 1:07pm
Post #1 of 29
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TIME - January 15
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Today in Middle-earth
January 15, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. The Bridge of Khazad-dûm, and the fall of Gandalf.
(from the appendices)
..."… there came a great noise: a rolling Boom that seemed to come from depths far below, and to tremble in the stone at their feet. They sprang towards the door in alarm. Doom, doom it rolled again... ...Then there came an echoing blast: a great horn was blown in the hall, and answering horns and harsh cries were heard further off. There was a hurrying sound of many feet.
...'They are coming!' cried Legolas.
...'We cannot get out,' said Gimli.
...'Trapped!' cried Gandalf. 'Why did I delay? Here we are, caught, just as they were before. But I was not here then. We will see what----'
...Doom, doom came the drum-beat and the walls shook.
...'Slam the doors and wedge them!' shouted Aragorn. 'And keep your packs on as long as you can: we may get a chance to cut our way out yet....'
......There was a blow on the door that made it quiver; and then it began to grind slowly open, driving back the wedges. A huge arm and shoulder, with a dark skin of greenish scales, was thrust through the widening gap. Then a great, flat, toeless foot was forced through below... ...Boromir leaped forward and hewed at the arm with all his might; but his sword rang, glanced aside, and fell from his shaken hand. The blade was notched.
...Suddenly, and to his own surprise, Frodo felt a hot wrath blaze up in his heart. 'The Shire!' he cried, and springing beside Boromir, he stooped, and stabbed with Sting at the hideous foot. There was a bellow, and the foot jerked back, nearly wrenching Sting from Frodo's arm. Black drops dripped from the blade and smoked on the floor. Boromir hurled himself against the door and slammed it again.
...'One for the Shire!' cried Aragorn. 'The hobbit's bite is deep! You have a good blade, Frodo son of Drogo…!'
......but even as they retreated, and before Pippin and Merry had reached the stair outside, a huge orc-chieftain, almost man-high, clad in black mail from head to foot, leaped into the chamber... ...With a thrust of his huge hide shield he turned Boromir's sword and bore him backwards, throwing him to the ground. Diving under Aragorn's blow with the speed of a striking snake he charged into the company and thrust with his spear straight at Frodo. The blow caught him on the right side, and Frodo was hurled against the wall and pinned. Sam, with a cry, hacked at the spear-shaft, and it broke. But even as the orc flung down the truncheon and swept out his scimitar, Andúril came down upon his helm. There was a flash like flame and the helm burst asunder...
......Doom, doom went the drums in the deep....
...'...Now!' shouted Gandalf. 'Now is the last chance. Run for it!'
...Aragorn picked up Frodo where he lay by the wall and made for the stair, pushing Merry and Pippin in front of him. The others followed; but Gimli had to be dragged away by Legolas: in spite of the peril he lingered by Balin's tomb with is head bowed. Boromir hauled the eastern door to... ...it had great iron rings on either side, but could not be fastened.
...'I am all right,' gasped Frodo. 'I can walk. Put me down!'
...Aragorn nearly dropped him in his amazement. 'I thought you were dead!' he cried.
...'Not yet!' said Gandalf. 'But there is no time for wonder. Off you go, all of you, down the stairs! Wait a few minutes for me at the bottom, but if I do not come soon, go on! Go quickly and choose paths leading right and downwards.'
...'We cannot leave you to hold the door alone!' said Aragorn.
...'Do as I say!' said Gandalf fiercely. 'Swords are no more use here. Go…!'
.[.'...I am afraid Balin is buried deep [said Gandalf], and maybe something else is buried there too. I cannot say. But at least the passage behind us was completely blocked. Ah! I have never felt so spent, but it is passing. And now what about you, Frodo? There was no time to say so, but I have never been more delighted in my life than when you spoke. I feared that it was a brave but dead hobbit that Aragorn was carrying.'
...'What about me?' said Frodo. 'I am alive, and whole I think. I am bruised and in pain, but it is not too bad.'
...'Well,' said Aragorn, 'I can only say that hobbits are made of a stuff so tough that I have never met the like of it. Had I known, I would have spoken softer in the Inn at Bree! That spear-thrust would have skewered a wild boar!'
...'Well, it did not skewer me... ...though I feel as if I had been caught between a hammer and an anvil.' He said no more. He found breathing painful.
...'You take after Bilbo,' said Gandalf. 'There is more about you than meets the eye, as I said of him long ago....'
......The ranks of the orcs had opened, and they crowded away, as if they themselves were afraid. Something was coming up behind them. What it was could not be seen: it was like a great shadow, in the middle of which was a dark form, of man-shape maybe, yet greater; and a power and terror seemed to be in it and to go before it....
...'...Ai, ai!' wailed Legolas. 'A Balrog! A Balrog is come!'
...Gimli stared with wide eyes. 'Durin's Bane!' he cried and letting his axe fall he covered his face.
...'A Balrog,' muttered Gandalf. 'Now I understand.' He faltered and leaned heavily on his staff. 'What an evil fortune! And I am already weary….'
...'…Over the bridge... ...Fly! This is a foe beyond any of you. I must hold the narrow way. Fly!' Aragorn and Boromir did not heed the command, but still held their ground, side by side, behind Gandalf at the far end of the bridge. The others halted just within the doorway at the hall's end, and turned, unable to leave their leader to face the enemy alone....
...'...You cannot pass... ...I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn. Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass.'
...The Balrog made no answer. The fire in it seemed to die, but the darkness grew. It stepped forward... ...and suddenly it drew itself up to a great height, and its wings were spread from wall to wall; but still Gandalf could be seen, glimmering in the gloom; he seemed small, and altogether alone: grey and bent, like a wizened tree before the onset of a storm.
...From out of the shadow a red sword leaped flaming.
...Glamdring glittered white in answer.
...There was a ringing clash and a stab of white fire. The Balrog fell back and its sword flew up in molten fragments. The wizard swayed on the bridge, stepped back a pace, and then again stood still.
...'You cannot pass!' he said.
...With a bound the Balrog leaped full upon the bridge. Its whip whirled and hissed...
......Gandalf lifted his staff, and crying aloud he smote the bridge before him. The staff broke asunder and fell from his hand. A blinding sheet of white flame sprang up. The bridge cracked. Right at the Balrog's feet it broke, and the stone upon which it stood crashed into the gulf, while the rest remained, poised, quivering like a tongue of rock thrust out into emptiness.
...With a terrible cry the Balrog fell forward, and its shadow plunged down and vanished. But even as it fell it swung its whip, and the thongs lashed and curled about the wizard's knees, dragging him to the brink. He staggered, and fell, grasped vainly at the stone, and slid into the abyss. 'Fly, you fools!' he cried, and was gone."
2. The Company reaches Nimrodel late at night.
(from the appendices)
..."'Lothlórien!' cried Legolas. 'Lothlórien! We have come to the eaves of the Golden Wood. Alas that it is winter...'
...'...Lothlórien!' said Aragorn. 'Glad I am to hear again the wind in the trees! We are still little more than five leagues from the Gates, but we can go no further. Here let us hope that the virtue of the Elves will keep us tonight from the peril that comes behind....'
...'...Here is Nimrodel!' said Legolas. 'Of this stream the Silvan Elves made many songs long ago, and still we sing them in the North... ...All is dark now and the Bridge on Nimrodel is broken down. I will bathe my feet, for it is said that the water is healing to the weary.' He went forward and climbed down the deep-cloven bank and stepped into the stream.
...'Follow me!' he cried. 'The water is not deep. Let us wade across! On the further bank we can rest, and the sound of the falling water may bring us sleep and forgetfulness of grief.'
...One by one they climbed down and followed Legolas. For a moment Frodo stood near the brink and let the water flow over his tired feet. It was cold but its touch was clean, and as he went on and it mounted to his knees, he felt that the stain of travel and all weariness was washed from his limbs."
[league = 3 miles]
We have been there and back again.
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Meneldor
Valinor
Jan 15, 7:40pm
Post #2 of 29
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They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters, these see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep. -Psalm 107
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jan 16, 3:07pm
Post #4 of 29
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Today in Middle-earth
January 16, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. The Fellowship makes its way through Lothlórien
(not from the appendices)
..."The morning was still young and cold when the Company set out again, guided now by Haldir and his brother Rúmil. 'Farewell, sweet Nimrodel!' cried Legolas. Frodo looked back and caught a gleam of white foam among the grey tree-stems. 'Farewell,' he said. It seemed to him that he would never hear again a running water so beautiful....
......They went back to the path that still went on along the west side of the Silverlode... ...But soon Haldir turned aside into the trees and halted on the bank of the river under their shadows.
...'There is one of my people yonder across the stream... ...though you may not see him.' He gave a call like the low whistle of a bird, and out of a thicket of young trees an Elf stepped, clad in grey, but with his hood thrown back; his hair glinted like gold in the morning sun. Haldir skilfully cast over the stream a coil of grey rope, and he caught it and bound the end about a tree near the bank.
...'Celebrant is already a strong stream here, as you see... ...and it runs both swift and deep, and is very cold. We do not set foot in it so far north, unless we must. But in these days of watchfulness we do not make bridges. This is how we cross! Follow me!' He made his end of the rope fast about another tree, and then ran lightly along it, over the river and back again, as if he were on a road.
...'I can walk this path,' said Legolas; 'but the others have not this skill. Must they swim?'
...'No!' said Haldir. 'We have two more ropes. We will fasten them above the other, one shoulder-high, and another half-high, and holding these the strangers should be able to cross with care....'
......The Company passed over, some cautiously and slowly, others more easily. Of the hobbits Pippin proved the best for he was sure-footed, and he walked over quickly, holding only with one hand; but he kept his eyes on the bank ahead and did not look down. Sam shuffled along, clutching hard, and looking down into the pale eddying water as if it was a chasm in the mountains.
...He breathed with relief when he was safely across. 'Live and learn! as my gaffer used to say. Though he was thinking of gardening, not of roosting like a bird, nor of trying to walk like a spider. Not even my uncle Andy ever did a trick like that...!'
...'...Now, friends,' said Haldir, 'you have entered the Naith of Lórien... ...a spearhead between the arms of Silverlode and Anduin the Great. We allow no strangers to spy out the secrets of the Naith. Few indeed are permitted even to set foot there.
...'As was agreed, I shall here blindfold the eyes of Gimli the Dwarf. The others may walk free for a while, until we come nearer to our dwellings....'
......This was not at all to the liking of Gimli. 'The agreement was made without my consent,' he said. 'I will not walk blindfold, like a beggar or a prisoner. And I am no spy. My folk have never had dealings with any of the servants of the Enemy. Neither have we done harm to the Elves. I am no more likely to betray you than Legolas, or any other of my companions.'
...'I do not doubt you,' said Haldir. 'Yet this is our law. I am not the master of the law, and cannot set it aside. I have done much in letting you set foot over Celebrant.'
...Gimli was obstinate. He planted his feet firmly apart, and laid his hand upon the haft of his axe. 'I will go forward free... ...or I will go back and seek my own land, where I am known to be true of word, though I perish alone in the wilderness.'
...'You cannot go back,' said Haldir sternly. 'Now you have come thus far, you must be brought before the Lord and the Lady. They shall judge you, to hold you or to give you leave... ...You cannot cross the rivers again, and behind you there are now secret sentinels that you cannot pass. You would be slain before you saw them.'
...Gimli drew his axe from his belt. Haldir and his companion bent their bows. 'A plague on Dwarves and their stiff necks!' said Legolas.
...'Come!' said Aragorn. 'If I am still to lead this Company, you must do as I bid. It is hard upon the Dwarf to be thus singled out. We will all be blindfold, even Legolas... ...though it will make the journey slow and dull.'
...Gimli laughed suddenly. 'A merry troop of fools we shall look! Will Haldir lead us all on a string, like many blind beggars with one dog? But I will be content, if only Legolas here shares my blindness.'
...'I am an Elf and a kinsman here,' said Legolas, becoming angry in his turn.
...'Now let us cry: "a plague on the stiff necks of Elves!"' said Aragorn. 'But the Company shall all fare alike. Come, bind our eyes, Haldir!'
...'I shall claim full amends for every fall and stubbed toe, if you do not lead us well,' said Gimli as they bound a cloth about his eyes."
January 16, 2020
1. Christopher Tolkien sails into the West.
…Salute to Christopher Tolkien to honour him on the anniversary of his passing at the age of 95. TORn's squire shared a wonderful tribute to the son of J.R.R. Tolkien… the one who carried the torch for us all.
The Shadow of the Past: The Fellowship of the Ring … "[Gandalf] paused, and then said slowly in a deep voice: '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?'
… 'Ah!' said Gandalf. 'That is a very long story. The beginnings lie back in the Black Years, which only the loremasters now remember. If I were to tell you all that tale, we should still be sitting here when Spring had passed into Winter."
CT did his best to do that *bows deeply*
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jan 17, 1:42pm
Post #5 of 29
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Today in Middle-earth
January 17, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. The Company arrives at Caras Galadon in the evening.
(from the appendices)
..."That night the Company slept upon the ground, much to the satisfaction of the hobbits. The Elves spread... ...a pavilion among the trees near the fountain, and in it they laid soft couches; then speaking words of peace with fair elvish voices they left them. For a little while the travellers talked of their night before in the tree-tops, and of their day's journey, and of the Lord and Lady; for they had not yet the heart to look further back.
...'What did you blush for, Sam?' said Pippin. 'You soon broke down. Anyone would have thought you had a guilty conscience. I hope it was nothing worse than a wicked plot to steal one of my blankets.'
...'I never thought no such thing,' answered Sam, in no mood for jest. 'If you want to know, I felt as if I hadn't got nothing on, and I didn't like it. She seemed to be looking inside me and asking me what I would do if she gave me the chance of flying back home to the Shire to a nice little hole with—with a bit of garden of my own.'
...'That's funny,' said Merry. 'Almost exactly what I felt... ...only well, I don't think I'll say any more,' he ended lamely.
...All of them, it seemed, had fared alike: each had felt that he was offered a choice between a shadow full of fear that lay ahead, and something that he greatly desired... ...and to get it he had only to turn aside from the road and leave the Quest and the war against Sauron to others....
...'...To me it seemed exceedingly strange,' said Boromir. 'Maybe it was only a test, and she thought to read our thoughts for her own good purpose... ...I should have said that she was tempting us, and offering what she pretended to have the power to give. It need not be said that I refused to listen. The Men of Minas Tirith are true to their word.' But what he thought that the Lady had offered him Boromir did not tell.
...And as for Frodo, he would not speak, though Boromir pressed him with questions. 'She held you long in her gaze, Ring-bearer,' he said.
...'Yes... ...but whatever came into my mind then I will keep there.'
...'Well, have a care!' said Boromir. 'I do not feel too sure of this Elvish Lady and her purposes.'
...'Speak no evil of the Lady Galadriel!' said Aragorn sternly. 'You know not what you say. There is in her and in this land no evil, unless a man bring it hither himself... ...But tonight I shall sleep without fear for the first time since I left Rivendell. And may I sleep deep, and forget for a while my grief! I am weary in body and in heart.' He cast himself down upon his couch and fell at once into a long sleep.
...They remained some days in Lothlórien, so far as they could tell or remember."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jan 18, 1:59pm
Post #6 of 29
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Here is part 1 of a 4-part Book Spoiler that takes a look at what the Fellowship did after crossing Nimrodel and before reaching Caras Galadon... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From Lothlórien: The Fellowship of the Ring ..."The Company now turned aside from the path, and went into the shadow of the deeper woods... ...Not far from the falls of Nimrodel they found a cluster of trees...
... '...I will climb up,' said Legolas. 'I am at home among trees, by root or bough, though these trees are of a kind strange to me, save as a name in song. Mellyrn they are called... ...but I have never climbed in one. I will see now what is their shape and way of growth....'
... '...said Pippin, 'they will be marvellous trees indeed if they can offer any rest at night, except to birds. I cannot sleep on a perch!'
... 'Then dig a hole in the ground,' said Legolas, 'if that is more after the fashion of your kind. But you must dig swift and deep, if you wish to hide from Orcs.' He sprang lightly up from the ground and caught a branch that grew from the trunk high above his head... ...even as he swung there for a moment, a voice spoke suddenly from the tree-shadows above him.
... 'Daro! ' it said in commanding tone, and Legolas dropped back to earth in surprise and fear. He shrank against the bole of the tree.
... 'Stand still!' he whispered to the others. 'Do not move or speak!'
... There was a sound of soft laughter over their heads and then another clear voice spoke in an elven-tongue... ...the speech that the Silvan folk east of the mountains used among themselves... ...unlike that of the West. Legolas looked up and answered in the same language.
... 'Who are they, and what do they say?' asked Merry.
... 'They're Elves,' said Sam. 'Can't you hear their voices?'
...'Yes, they are Elves,' said Legolas; 'and they say that you breathe so loud that they could shoot you in the dark.' Sam hastily put his hand over his mouth... '...they say also that you need have no fear. They have been aware of us for a long while. They heard my voice across the Nimrodel, and knew that I was one of their Northern kindred... ...and afterwards they heard my song. Now they bid me climb up with Frodo; for they seem to have had some tidings of him and of our journey. The others they ask to wait ... ...to keep watch at the foot of the tree, until they have decided what is to be done.'
... Out of the shadows a ladder was let down: it was made of rope, silver-grey and glimmering in the dark, and though it looked slender it proved strong... ...Legolas ran lightly up, and Frodo followed slowly; behind came Sam trying not to breathe loudly. The branches of the mallorn-tree grew out nearly straight from the trunk, and then swept upward... ...among these they found that there had been built a wooden platform, or flet... ...the Elves called it a talan. It was reached by a round hole in the centre through which the ladder passed.
... When Frodo came... ...on to the flet he found Legolas seated with three other Elves... ...clad in shadowy-grey, and could not be seen among the tree-stems, unless they moved suddenly... ...one of them uncovered a small lamp that gave out a slender silver beam. He held it up, looking at Frodo's face, and Sam's. Then he shut off the light again, and spoke words of welcome in his elven-tongue. Frodo spoke haltingly in return.
... 'Welcome!' the Elf then said again in the Common Language, speaking slowly. 'We seldom use any tongue but our own; for we dwell now in the heart of the forest, and do not willingly have dealings with any other folk... ...But there are some of us still who go abroad for the gathering of news and the watching of our enemies, and they speak the languages of other lands. I am one. Haldir is my name. My brothers, Rúmil and Orophin, speak little of your tongue.
... 'But we have heard rumours of your coming, for the messengers of Elrond passed by Lórien... ...We had not heard of—hobbits, of halflings, for many a long year, and did not know that any yet dwelt in Middle-earth. You do not look evil! And since you come with an Elf of our kindred, we are willing to befriend you, as Elrond asked; though it is not our custom to lead strangers through our land."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jan 19, 3:16pm
Post #7 of 29
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Here is part 2 of a 4-part Book Spoiler that takes a look at what the Fellowship did before reaching Caras Galadon... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From Lothlórien: The Fellowship of the Ring ... "Frodo lay for some time awake, and looked up at the stars glinting through the pale roof of quivering leaves. Sam was snoring at his side long before he himself closed his eyes. He could dimly see the grey forms of two elves sitting motionless with their arms about their knees, speaking in whispers... ...Frodo fell asleep with the song of Legolas running in his mind.
... Late in the night he woke. The other hobbits were asleep. The Elves were gone... ...he heard a harsh laugh and the tread of many feet on the ground below... ...The sounds died slowly away, and seemed to go southward, on into the wood.
... A head appeared suddenly through the hole in the flet. Frodo sat up in alarm and saw that it was a grey-hooded Elf. He looked towards the hobbits.
...'What is it?' said Frodo.
...'Yrch!' said the Elf in a hissing whisper, and cast on to the flet the rope-ladder rolled up...
......Frodo sat and shivered in his wraps. He was thankful that they had not been caught on the ground; but he felt that the trees offered little protection, except concealment... ...He drew out Sting: it flashed and glittered like a blue flame; and then slowly faded again and grew dull. In spite of the fading of his sword the feeling of immediate danger did not leave Frodo, rather it grew stronger. He got up and crawled to the opening and peered down... ...he could hear stealthy movements at the tree's foot far below.
... Not Elves... ...noiseless in their movements. Then he heard faintly a sound like sniffing... ...something seemed to be scrabbling on the bark of the tree-trunk. He stared down into the dark, holding his breath.
... Something was now climbing slowly, and its breath came like a soft hissing through closed teeth... ...Frodo saw two pale eyes. They stopped and gazed upward unwinking. Suddenly they turned away, and a shadowy figure slipped round the trunk of the tree and vanished.
... Immediately afterwards Haldir came climbing swiftly up through the branches. 'There was something in this tree that I have never seen before... ...It was not an orc. It fled as soon as I touched the tree-stem. It seemed to be wary, and to have some skill in trees, or I might have thought that it was one of you hobbits.
... 'I did not shoot, for I dared not arouse any cries... ...A strong company of Orcs has passed. They crossed the Nimrodel—curse their foul feet in its clean water!—and went on down the old road... ...They seemed to pick up some scent, and they searched the ground for a while near the place where you halted. The three of us could not challenge a hundred, so we went ahead and spoke with feigned voices, leading them on into the wood.
...'Orophin has now gone in haste back to our dwellings to warn our people. None of the Orcs will ever return out of Lórien... ...there will be many Elves hidden on the northern border before another night falls. But you must take the road south as soon as it is fully light.'"
January 19, 2001
1. The Fellowship of the Ring peeks over the hedge.
... The first FotR trailer is officially released on the internet.
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jan 20, 3:00pm
Post #8 of 29
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Here is part 3 of a 4-part Book Spoiler that looks at what the Fellowship did before reaching Caras Galadon… for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From Lothlórien: The Fellowship of the Ring ..."'Alas for the folly of these days!' said Legolas. 'Here all are enemies of the one Enemy, and yet I must walk blind while the sun is merry in the woodland under leaves of gold!'
... 'Folly it may seem,' said Haldir. 'Indeed in nothing is the power of the Dark Lord more clearly shown that in the estrangement that divides all those who still oppose him... ...so little faith and trust do we find now in the world beyond Lothlórien, unless maybe in Rivendell, that we dare not by our own trust endanger our land. We live now upon an island amid many perils, and our hands are more often upon the bowstring than upon the harp...'
... '...the Shadow has crept northward all about us. Some speak of departing, yet for that it already seems too late... ...Even if we could come to the shores of the Sea, we should find no longer any shelter there. It is said that there are still havens of the High Elves, but they are far north and west, beyond the land of the Halflings... ...where that may be, though the Lord and Lady may know, I do not.'
... 'You ought at least to guess, since you have seen us,' said Merry. 'There are Elf-havens west of my land, the Shire, where Hobbits live.'
... 'Happy folk are Hobbits to dwell near the shores of the sea!' said Haldir... '...Tell me of these havens as we walk.'
... 'I cannot,' said Merry. 'I have never seen them. I have never been out of my own land before... ...if I had known what the world outside was like, I don't think I should have had the heart to leave it.'
... 'Not even to see fair Lothlórien?' said Haldir. 'The world is indeed full of peril... ...in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.
... 'Some there are among us who sing that the Shadow will draw back, and peace shall come again. Yet I do not believe that the world about us will ever again be as it was of old... ...For the Elves, I fear, it will prove at best a truce, in which they may pass to the Sea unhindered and leave the Middle-earth for ever. Alas for Lothlórien that I love! It would be a poor life in a land where no mallorn grew...'
... ...the company filed slowly along the paths in the wood, led by Haldir... ...They felt the ground beneath their feet smooth and soft... ...they walked more freely, without fear of hurt or fall. Being deprived of sight, Frodo found his hearing and other senses sharpened. He could smell the trees and the trodden grass. He could hear many different notes in the rustle of the leaves overhead, the river murmuring... ...and the thin clear voices of birds in the sky. He felt the sun upon his face and hands when they passed through an open glade.
... As soon as he set foot upon the far banks of Silverlode a strange feeling had come upon him, and it deepened as he walked on into the Naith: it seemed to him that he had stepped over a bridge of time into a corner of the Elder Days... ...now walking in a world that was no more. In Rivendell there was memory of ancient things; in Lórien the ancient things still lived on in the waking world. Evil had been seen and heard there, sorrow had been known... ...elves feared and distrusted the world outside: wolves were howling on the wood's borders: but on the land of Lórien no shadow lay."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jan 21, 12:28pm
Post #9 of 29
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This 4th part of a 4-part Book Spoiler of the Fellowship walking in darkness to suddenly reveal the beauty of Lothlorien... for a moment of Tolkien-zen. From Lothlórien: The Fellowship of the Ring ... "All that day the Company marched on, until they felt the cool evening come... ...Then they rested and slept without fear upon the ground; for their guides would not permit them to unbind their eyes, and they could not climb. In the morning they went on... ...walking without haste. At noon they halted... ...Frodo was aware that they had passed out under the shining Sun. Suddenly he heard the sound of many voices all around him.
...A marching host of Elves had come up silently... ...hastening toward the northern borders to guard against any attack from Moria; and they brought news... ...The marauding orcs had been waylaid and almost all destroyed; the remnant had fled westward towards the mountains, and were being pursued. A strange creature also had been seen, running with bent back and with hands near the ground, like a beast and yet not of beast-shape. It had eluded capture... ...they had not shot it, not knowing whether it was good or ill, and it had vanished down the Silverlode southward.
...'Also,' said Haldir, 'they bring me a message from the Lord and Lady of the Galadrim. You are all to walk free, even the dwarf Gimli... ...the Lady knows who and what is each member of your Company. New messages have come from Rivendell perhaps.'
... He removed the bandage first from Gimli's eyes. 'Your pardon!' he said, bowing low. 'Look on us now with friendly eyes! Look and be glad... ...you are the first dwarf to behold the trees of the Naith of Lórien since Durin's Day!'
... When his eyes were in turn uncovered, Frodo looked up and caught his breath. They were standing in an open space. To the left stood a great mound, covered with a sward of grass as green as spring-time in the Elder days. Upon it, as a double crown, grew two circles of trees: the outer had bark of snowy white... ... leafless but beautiful in their shapely nakedness; the inner were mallorn-trees of great height, still arrayed in pale gold. High amid the branches of a towering tree that stood in the centre of all there gleamed a white flet. At the feet of the trees, and... ...the green hillsides, the grass was studded with small golden flowers shaped like stars. Among them, nodding on slender stalks, were other flowers white and palest green... ...glimmering as a mist amid the rich hue of the grass. Over all the sky was blue, and the sun of afternoon glowed upon the hill and cast long green shadows beneath the trees.
... 'Behold! You are come to Cerin Amroth... ...For this is the heart of the ancient realm as it was long ago, and here is the mound of Amroth, where in happier days his high house was built. Here ever bloom the winter flowers in the unfading grass: the yellow elanor, and the pale niphredil. Here we will stay awhile, and come to the city of the Galadrim at dusk.'"
[[NOTE: We have another break in TIME next week. I'm going to continue this thread of BS beginning January 29]]
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jan 22, 1:44pm
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Today in Middle-earth
January 22, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. The Fellowship rests in Lothlórien.
(not from the appendices)
..."They remained some days in Lothlórien, so far as they could tell or remember.... ...The air was cool and soft, as if it were early spring, yet they felt about them the deep and thoughtful quiet of winter. It seemed to them that they did little but eat and drink and rest, and walk among the trees; and it was enough.
...They had not seen the Lord and Lady again, and they had little speech with any of the Elven-folk; for few of these spoke any but their own silvan tongue. Haldir had... ...gone back again to the fences of the North, where great watch was now kept since the tidings of Moria that the Company had brought. Legolas was away much among the Galadrim, and after the first night he did not sleep with the other companions, though he returned to eat and talk with them. Often he took Gimli with him when he went abroad in the land, and the others wondered at this change."
2. Gandalf battles the Balrog.
(from the appendices)
..."''Long time I fell... ...Long I fell, and he fell with me. His fire was about me. I was burned. Then we plunged into the deep water and all was dark. Cold it was as the tide of death: almost it froze my heart... ...it has a bottom, beyond light and knowledge,' said Gandalf. 'Thither I came at last, to the uttermost foundations of stone. He was with me still. His fire was quenched, but now he was a thing of slime, stronger than a strangling snake.
...'We fought far under the living earth, where time is not counted. Ever he clutched me, and ever I hewed him, till at last he fled into dark tunnels. They were not made by Durin's folk... ...Far, far below the deepest delvings of the Dwarves, the world is gnawed by nameless things. Even Sauron knows them not. They are older than he. Now I have walked there, but I will bring no report to darken the light of day. In that despair my enemy was my only hope, and I pursued him, clutching at his heel....""
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(This post was edited by grammaboodawg on Jan 22, 1:51pm)
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jan 23, 1:54pm
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Today in Middle-earth
January 23, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. Gandalf and the Balrog reach the peak of Zirak-zigil.
(not from the appendices)
..."'Thus he brought me back at last to the secret ways of Khazad-dûm: too well he knew them all. Ever up now we went, until we came to the Endless Stair.'
...'Long has that been lost,' said Gimli. 'Many have said that it was never made save in legend… …others say that it was destroyed.'
...'It was made, and it had not been destroyed,' said Gandalf. 'From the lowest dungeon on the highest peak it climbed, ascending in unbroken spiral in many thousand steps, until it issued at last in Durin's Tower carved in the living rock of Zirak-zigil, the pinnacle of the Silvertine.'"
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grammaboodawg
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Jan 24, 1:54pm
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Today in Middle-earth
January 24, 3020 (S.R. 1420)
1. Hobbiton is busy healing the hurts of Saruman.
(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...
...…In the meanwhile Bag End [is being] set in order…"
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grammaboodawg
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Jan 25, 1:58pm
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Today in Middle-earth
January 25, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. Gandalf casts the Balrog from the mountain, but passes away afterwards. His body lies on the peak.
(from the appendices)
..."'There upon Celebdil was a lonely window in the snow and before it lay a narrow space, a dizzy eyrie above the mists of the world... ...Out he sprang, and even as I came behind, he burst into new flame. There was none to see, or perhaps in after ages songs would still be sung of the Battle of the Peak.' Suddenly Gandalf laughed. 'But what would they say in song? Those that looked up from afar thought that the mountain was crowned with storm. Thunder they heard, and lightening... ...smote upon Celebdil, and leaped back broken into tongues of fire.... ...A great smoke rose about us, vapour and steam. Ice fell like rain. I threw down my enemy, and he fell from the high place and broke the mountain-side where he smote it in his ruin. Then darkness took me, and I strayed out of thought and time, and I wandered far on roads that I will not tell...'"
[Gandalf does not return to "life" for 20 days. This part of the story continues on February 14.]
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jan 26, 2:20pm
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Today in Middle-earth
January 26, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. The Fellowship rests in Lothlórien. [Having defeated the Balrog, Gandalf's body lies on the snowy peak of Celebdil]
(not from the appendices)
..."Now as the companions sat or walked together they spoke of Gandalf, and all that each had known and seen of him came clear before their minds. As they were healed of hurt and weariness of body the grief of the loss grew more keen. Often they heard nearby Elvish voices singing, and knew that they were making songs of lamentation... ...for they caught his name among the sweet sad words that they could not understand.
... Mithrandir, Mithrandir sang the Elves, O Pilgrim Grey! For so they loved to call him. But if Legolas was with the Company, he would not interpret the songs for them, saying that he had not the skill, and that for him the grief was still too near, a matter for tears and not yet for song."
Lament for Gandalf
(featured in Lothlórien)
(Solo by Elizabeth Fraser)
(Sindarin)
In gwidh ristennin
i fae narc hannen
I Lach Anor ed ardhon gwannen
Mithrandir, Mithrandir! A Randir Vithren!
U-reniathach i amar galen
I reniad lín ne môr, nuithannen
(Chorus in Quenya)
Ilfirin nairelma nauva i nauva
Ilfirin nairelma ar ullume nucuvalme
Nauva i nauva melme nóren sina naire lma
(Sindarin text)
'The bonds cut,
the spirit broken
The Flame of Anor has left this World'
Mithrandir, Mithrandir, O Pilgrim Grey!
No more will you wander the world green.
Your journey in darkness stopped.'
(Quenya text)
'Undying [is] our regret, [it] will be what will be [or 'What should be shall be']
Undying [is] our regret and yet we will cast all away,
[It] will be what will be, love for this land [is] our regret.'
Lothlórien
(performed by Elizabeth Frazer)
A Olórin i yaresse… (Olórin who once was…)
Mentaner i Numeherui (Sent by the Lords of the West)
Tírien i Rómenóri… (To guard the Lands of the East…)
Maiaron i Oiosaila, (Wisest of all Maiar,)
Manan elye etevanne (What drove you to leave)
Nórie i malanelye? (That which you loved?)
Ú-reniathach (No more will you wander)
I amar galen (The green fields of this earth
I reniad lín ne môr, nuithannen (Your journey has ended in darkness.)
In gwidh ristennin, (the bonds are sundered,)
i fae narchannen (the spirit is broken)
I Lach Anor ed ardhon gwennen. (The flame of Anor has left this world.)
Calad veleg, ethuiannen. (A great light, has gone out.)
(Choir text)
Melme nóren sina (Our love for this land)
núra ala (Is deeper that the deeps)
Eäro. (of the sea)
Ilfirin nairelma (Our regret is undying)
ullume nucuvalme. (Yet we will cast all away, rather than submit)
Nauva i nauva... (What should be shall be.)
[From former site Magpie's Nest: Credit for these lyrics and notes goes to TheOneRing.net; Language in The Lord of the Rings Movie by Galadhorn – elvish.org which is linked through TheOneRing.net; an article in Music from the Movies, number 42; Warner Brothers sheet music; Lord of the Rings Soundtrack inserts]
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grammaboodawg
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Jan 27, 2:36pm
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Here's a Book Spoiler for our very own Quickbeam... Happy Birthday, Oh Hasty One... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From Treebeard: The Two Towers ..."'Hm, hoom, here I am again,' said Treebeard. 'Are you getting weary, or feeling impatient, hmm, eh? Well, I am afraid that you must not get impatient yet. We have finished the first stage now… ...I have brought you a companion. He has an ent-house nearby. Bregalad is his Elvish name. He says he has already made up his mind and does not need to remain at the Moot. Hm, hm, he is the nearest thing among us to a hasty Ent. You ought to get on together...' ...Treebeard turned and left them.
...Bregalad stood for some time surveying the hobbits solemnly; and they looked at him, wondering when he would show any signs of 'hastiness'. He was tall, and seemed to be one of the younger Ents; he had smooth shining skin on his arms and legs; his lips were ruddy, and his hair was grey-green. He could bend and sway like a slender tree in the wind. At last he spoke, and his voice though resonant was higher and clearer than Treebeard's.
...'Ha, hmm, my friends, let us go for a walk!' he said. 'I am Bregalad, that is Quickbeam in your language. But it is only a nickname... ...They have called me that ever since I said yes to an elder Ent before he had finished his question. Also I drink quickly, and go out while some are still wetting their beards. Come with me!'
...He reached down two shapely arms and gave a long-fingered hand to each of the hobbits. All that day they walked about in the woods with him, singing, and laughing; for Quickbeam often laughed. He laughed if the sun came out from behind a cloud, he laughed if they came upon a stream or spring…. …he laughed sometimes at some sound or whisper in the trees."
  
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dernwyn
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Jan 27, 9:30pm
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It's today? Many happy returns, Quickbeam! //
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jan 28, 2:32pm
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Today in Middle-earth
January 28, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. The Fellowship rests in Lothlórien. [Having defeated the Balrog, Gandalf's body lies on the snowy peak of Celebdil]
(not from the appendices)
..."It was Frodo who first put something of his sorrow into halting words. He was seldom moved to make song or rhyme; even in Rivendell he had listened and had not sung himself... ...But now as he sat beside the fountain in Lórien and heard about him the voices of the Elves, his thought took shape in a song that seemed fair to him; yet when he tried to repeat it to Sam only snatches remained, faded as a handful of withered leaves.
When evening in the Shire was grey
his footsteps on the Hill were heard;
before the dawn he went away
on journey long without a word.
From Wilderland to Western shore,
from northern waste to southern hill,
through dragon-lair and hidden door
and darkling woods he walked at will.
With Dwarf and Hobbit, Elves and Men,
with mortal and immortal folk,
with bird on bough and beast in den,
in their own secret tongues he spoke.
A deadly sword, a healing hand,
a back that bent beneath its load;
a trumpet-voice, a burning brand,
a weary pilgrim on the road.
A lord of wisdom throned he sat,
swift in anger, quick to laugh;
an old man in a battered hat
who leaned upon a thorny staff.
He stood upon the bridge alone
and Fire and Shadow both defied;
is staff was broken on the stone,
in Khazad-dûm his wisdom died.
...'Why, you'll be beating Mr. Bilbo next!' said Sam.
...'No, I am afraid not,' said Frodo. 'But that is the best I can do yet.'
...'Well, Mr. Frodo, if you do have another go, I hope you'll say a word about his fireworks... ...Something like this:
The finest rockets ever seen:
they burst in stars of blue and green,
or after thunder golden showers
came falling like a rain of flowers. Though that doesn't do them justice by a long road.'
...'No, I'll leave that to you, Sam. Or perhaps to Bilbo. But—well, I can't talk of it any more. I can't bear to think of bringing the news to him.'"
[Tolkien, 1965 Ballantine, p. 465-466 FotR: Lord of the Rings]
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(This post was edited by grammaboodawg on Jan 28, 2:40pm)
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jan 29, 2:20pm
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Continuing to follow our Travellers in Lothlorien, here is part 1 of a 4-part Book Spoiler that takes a look at the Fellowship as they come to Caras Galadon... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From The Mirror of Galadriel: The Fellowship of the Ring ..."'Welcome to Caras Galadon!' [Haldir] said. 'Here is the city of the Galadrim where dwell the Lord Celeborn and Galadriel the Lady of Lórien. But we cannot enter here, for the gates do not look northward. We must go round to the southern side... ...the way is not short, for the city is great.'
... There was a road paved with white stone running on the outer brink of the fosse. Along this they went westward, with the city ever climbing up like a green cloud upon their left... ...as the night deepened more lights sprang forth, until all the hill seemed afire with stars. They came at last to a white bridge, and crossing found the great gates of the city... ...set between the ends of the encircling wall that here overlapped, and they were tall and strong, and hung with many lamps.
... Haldir knocked and spoke, and the gates opened soundlessly... ...of guards Frodo could see no sign. The travellers passed within, and the gates shut behind them. They were in a deep lane... ...and passing quickly through it they entered the City of the Trees. No folk could they see... ...but there were many voices, about them, and in the air above. Far away up on the hill they could hear the sound of singing falling from on high like soft rain upon leaves.
... They went along many paths and climbed many stairs... ...they came to the high places and saw before them amid a wide lawn a fountain shimmering. It was lit by silver lamps that swung from the boughs of trees, and it fell into a basin of silver, from which a white stream spilled. Upon the south side of the lawn there stood the mightiest of all the trees; its great smooth bole gleamed like grey silk, and up it towered, until its first branches... ...opened their huge limbs under shadowy clouds of leaves. Beside it a broad white ladder stood, and at its foot three Elves were seated. They sprang up as the travellers approached, and Frodo saw that they were tall and clad in grey mail... ...from their shoulders hung long white cloaks....
......One of the Elf-wardens then blew a clear note on a small horn, and it was answered three times from far above."
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grammaboodawg
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Jan 30, 2:22pm
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Here is part 2 of a 4-part Book Spoiler that takes a look at the Fellowship in Caras Galadon standing before Celeborn and Galadriel... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From The Mirror of Galadriel: The Fellowship of the Ring ..."'Here dwell Celeborn and Galadriel,' said Haldir. 'It is their wish that you should ascend and speak with them... ...I will go first... ...Let Frodo come next and with him Legolas. The others may follow as they wish. It is a long climb for those that are not accustomed to such stairs, but you may rest upon the way.'
... As he climbed slowly up Frodo passed many flets: some on one side, some on another... ...some set about the bole of the tree, so that the ladder passed through them. At a great height above the ground he came to a wide talan, like the deck of a great ship. On it was built a house, so large that almost it would have served for a hall of Men upon the earth. He entered behind Haldir, and found... ...he was in a chamber of oval shape, in the midst of which grew the trunk of the great mallorn, now tapering towards its crown...
... ...The chamber was filled with a soft light; its walls were green and silver and its roof of gold. Many Elves were seated there. On two chairs beneath the bole of the tree and canopied by a living bough there sat... ...Celeborn and Galadriel. They stood up to greet their guests, after the manner of Elves, even those who were accounted mighty kings. Very tall they were, and the Lady no less tall than the Lord; and they were grave and beautiful... ...clad wholly in white... ...the hair of the lady was of deep gold... ...the hair of the Lord Celeborn was of silver long and bright; but no sign of age was upon them, unless it were in the depths of their eyes; for these were keen as lances in the starlight, and yet profound, the wells of deep memory.
... Haldir led Frodo before them and the Lord welcomed him in his own tongue. The Lady Galadriel said no word but looked long upon his face.
...'Sit now beside my chair, Frodo of the Shire!' said Celeborn. 'When all have come we will speak together.'
... Each of the companions he greeted courteously by name as they entered. 'Welcome Aragorn son of Arathorn... ...It is eight and thirty years of the world outside since you came to this land; and those years lie heavy on you. But the end is near, for good or ill. Here lay aside your burden for a while!'
...'Welcome son of Thranduil! Too seldom do my kindred journey hither from the North.
...'Welcome Gimli son of Glóin! It is long indeed since we saw one of Durin's folk in Caras Galadon... ...today we have broken our long law. May it be a sign that though the world is now dark better days are at hand, and that friendship shall be renewed between our peoples.' Gimli bowed low."
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grammaboodawg
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Jan 31, 1:46pm
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Here is part 3 of a 4-part Book Spoiler that takes a look at the Fellowship with Celeborn and Galadriel... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From The Mirror of Galadriel: The Fellowship of the Ring ... When all the guests were seated before his chair the Lord looked at them again. 'Here there are eight... ...Nine were to set out: so said the messages. But maybe there has been some change of counsel that we have not heard. Elrond is far away, and darkness gathers between us, and all this year the shadows have grown longer.'
... 'Nay, there was no change of counsel,' said the Lady Galadriel, speaking for the first time. Her voice was clear and musical, but deeper than woman's wont. 'Gandalf the Grey set out with the Company, but he did not pass the borders of this land... ...tell us where he is; for I much desired to speak with him again. But I cannot see him from afar, unless he comes within the fences of Lothlórien: a grey mist is about him... ...the ways of his feet and of his mind are hidden from me.'
... 'Alas!' said Aragorn. 'Gandalf the Grey fell into shadow. He remained in Moria and did not escape.'
... At these words... ...the Elves in the hall cried aloud in grief and amazement. 'These are evil tidings,' said Celeborn, 'the most evil that have been spoken here in long years full of grievous deeds.' He turned to Haldir. 'Why has nothing of this been told to me before?' he asked in Elven-tongue.
... 'We have not spoken to Haldir of our deeds or our purpose,' said Legolas. 'At first we were weary and danger was too close behind... ...afterwards we almost forgot our grief for a time, as we walked in gladness on the fair paths of Lórien.'
... 'Yet our grief is great and our loss cannot be mended,' said Frodo. 'Gandalf was our guide, and he led us through Moria; and when our escape seemed beyond hope he saved us, and he fell.'
... 'Tell us now the full tale!' said Celeborn.
... Then Aragorn recounted all that had happened upon the pass of Caradhras, and in the days that followed... ...he spoke of Balin and his book, and the fight in the Chamber of Mazarbul... ...the fire... ...the narrow bridge... ...the coming of the Terror. 'An evil of the Ancient World it seemed, such as I have never seen before,' said Aragorn. 'It was both a shadow and a flame, strong and terrible.'
... 'It was a Balrog of Morgoth,' said Legolas; 'of all elf-banes the most deadly, save the One who sits in the Dark Tower.'
... 'Indeed I saw upon the bridge that which haunts our darkest dreams, I saw Durin's Bane,' said Gimli in a low voice, and dread was in his eyes.
... 'Alas!' said Celeborn. 'We long have feared that under Caradhras a terror slept... ...had I known that the Dwarves had stirred up this evil in Moria again, I would have forbidden you to pass the northern borders... ...and all that went with you. And if it were possible, one would say that at the last Gandalf fell from wisdom into folly, going needlessly into the net of Moria.'"
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grammaboodawg
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Feb 1, 2:36pm
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Here is part 4 of a 4-part Book Spoiler of the Fellowship speaking with Celeborn and Galadriel... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From The Mirror of Galadriel: The Fellowship of the Ring ... [Celeborn laments that Gandalf's decision to go into Moria was folly and he fell needlessly] "'He would be rash indeed that said that thing,' said Galadriel gravely. 'Needless were none of the deeds of Gandalf in life. Those that followed him knew not his mind and cannot report his full purpose... ...the followers are blameless. Do not repent of your welcome to the Dwarf. If our folk had been exiled long and far from Lothlórien, who of the Galadrim, even Celeborn the Wise, would pass nigh and would not wish to look upon their ancient home, though it had become an abode of dragons?
... 'Dark is the water of Kheled-zâram... ...cold are the springs of Kibil-nâla, and fair were the many-pillared halls of Khazad-dûm in Elder Days before the fall of mighty kings beneath the stone.' She looked upon Gimli, who sat glowering and sad, and she smiled. And the Dwarf, hearing the names given in his own ancient tongue, looked up and met her eyes... ...it seemed to him that he looked suddenly into the heart of an enemy and saw there love and understanding. Wonder came into his face, and then he smiled in answer.
...He rose clumsily and bowed in dwarf-fashion, saying: 'Yet more fair is the living land of Lórien, and the Lady Galadriel is above all the jewels that lie beneath the earth...!'
... ...At length Celeborn spoke again. 'I did not know that your plight was so evil,' he said. 'Let Gimli forget my harsh words: I spoke in the trouble of my heart. I will do what I can to aid you, each according to his wish and need, but especially that one of the little folk who bears the burden.'
...'Your quest is known to us,' said Galadriel, looking at Frodo. 'But we will not here speak of it more openly. Yet not in vain will it prove... ...that you came to this land seeking aid, as Gandalf himself plainly purposed. For the Lord of the Galadrim is accounted the wisest of the Elves of Middle-earth... ...a giver of gifts beyond the power of kings. He has dwelt in the West since the days of dawn... ...I have dwelt with him years uncounted; for ere the fall of Nargothrond of Gondolin I passed over the mountains, and together through ages of the world we have fought the long defeat.
... 'I it was who first summoned the White Council. And if my designs had not gone amiss, it would have been governed by Gandalf the Grey... ...then mayhap things would be gone otherwise. But even now there is hope left. I will not give you counsel... ...For not in doing or contriving, nor in choosing between this course and another, can I avail; but only in knowing what was and is, and in part... ...what shall be. But this I will say to you: your Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while all the Company is true....
......with that word she held them with her eyes, and in silence looked searchingly at each of them in turn. None save Legolas and Aragorn could long endure her glance. Sam quickly bushed and hung his head.
... At length... ...Galadriel released them from her eyes, and she smiled. 'Do not let your hearts be troubled... ...Tonight you shall sleep in peace.' Then they sighed and felt suddenly weary, as those who have been questioned long and deeply, though no words had been spoken openly.
... 'Go now!' said Celeborn. 'You are worn with sorrow and much toil. Even if your Quest did not concern us closely, you should have refuge in this City, until you were healed and refreshed. Now you will rest... ...we will not speak of your further road for a while.'
...That night the Company slept upon the ground, much to the satisfaction of the hobbits."
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Feb 2, 3:01pm
Post #22 of 29
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It's time for hogging some BS!
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In the U.S., February 2nd is Groundhog Day and the anticipation of "weather" or not Puxsutawney Phil will see his shadow! If the sun is shining and he sees his shadow, there are 6 more weeks of cold winter. If there's no shadow, we should be having an early Spring! OH THE DRAMA! Any clue of how much longer we'll have winter weather helps. I also use it as a mark of the half-way point of these cold months. All eyes are turned to Pennsylvania and his prediction. Although several other regions/states have their own groundhog predictors.
Here in Michigan, we call groundhogs "woodchucks". They are also known as marmots, mouse bears, and whistle pigs. Our fuzzy representative is named Woody the Woodchuck. On this Michigan morning, hope is renewed with the heavy overcast surrounding my home blocking any sunshine and shadows! *tosses confetti* So Spring should be here sooner than later :D
Here are some Book Spoilers that discuss the Celebrity of the Day... though really it's his badgering cousin... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From A Long-Expected Party: The Fellowship of the Ring ... "'Well yes--and no. Now it comes to it, I don't like parting with it at all, I may say. And I don't really see why I should. Why do you want me to?' he asked, and a curious change came over his voice. It was sharp with suspicion and annoyance. 'You are always badgering me about my ring; but you have never bothered me about the other things that I got on my journey.'
... 'No, but I had to badger you,' said Gandalf. 'I wanted the truth. It was important. Magic rings are--well, magical; and they are rare and curious.'"
From In the House of Tom Bombadil: The Fellowship of the Ring ... "Frodo looked at it closely, and rather suspiciously (like one who has lent a trinket to a juggler). It was the same Ring, or looked the same and weighed the same: for that Ring had always seemed to Frodo to weigh strangely heavy in the hand. But something prompted him to make sure. He was perhaps a trifle annoyed with Tom for seeming to make so light of what even Gandalf thought so perilously important. He waited for an opportunity when the talk was going again, and Tom was telling an absurd story about badgers and their queer ways—then he slipped the Ring on."
From A Journey in the Dark: The Fellowship of the Ring ... "'There must have been a mighty crowd of dwarves here at one time,' said Sam; 'and every one of them busier than badgers for five hundred years to make all this, and most in hard rock too!'"
From Helm's Deep: The Two Towers ... "'Do not judge the counsel of Gandalf, until all is over, lord,' said Aragorn.
... 'The end will not be long,' said the king. 'But I will not end here, taken like an old badger in a trap. Snowmane and Hasufel and the horses of my guard are in the inner court. When dawn comes, I will bid men sound Helm's horn, and I will ride forth. Will you ride with me then son of Arathorn? Maybe we shall cleave a road, or make such an end as will be worth a song—if any be left to sing of us hereafter.'"
We have been there and back again.
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(This post was edited by grammaboodawg on Feb 2, 3:10pm)
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Feb 3, 2:24pm
Post #23 of 29
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Here's the 1st of a 7-part journey with Frodo and Sam on the cliffs of Emyn Muil… for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
The Taming of Sméagol: The Two Towers ... "The hobbits stood now on the brink of a tall cliff, bare and bleak, its feet wrapped in mist... ...behind them rose the broken highlands crowned with drifting cloud. A chill wind blew from the East. Night was gathering over the shapeless lands before them...
......South and east they stared to where, at the edge of the oncoming night, a dark line hung, like distant mountains of motionless smoke. Every now and again a tiny red gleam far away flickered upwards on the rim of earth and sky.
...'What a fix!' said Sam. 'That's the one place in all the lands we've ever heard of that we don't want to see any closer; and that's the one place we're trying to get to! And that's just where we can't get, nohow. We've come the wrong way altogether... ...We can't get down; and if we did get down, we'd find all that green land a nasty bog, I'll warrant. Phew! Can you smell it?' He sniffed...
...'...Yes, I can smell it,' said Frodo, but he did not move... ...his eyes remained fixed, staring out towards the dark line and the flickering flame. 'Mordor!' he muttered under his breath. 'If I must go there, I wish I could come there quickly and make an end!' He shuddered. The wind was chilly... ...heavy with an odour of cold decay. 'Well,' he said, at last withdrawing his eyes, 'we cannot stay here at night, fix or no fix. We must find a more sheltered spot and camp once more; and perhaps another day will show us a path.'
...'Or another and another and another,' muttered Sam. 'Or maybe no day. We've come the wrong way.'
...'I wonder,' said Frodo. 'It's my doom... ...to go to that Shadow yonder, so that a way will be found. But will good or evil show it to me? What hope we had was in speed. Delay plays into the Enemy's hands... ...here I am: delayed. Is it the will of the Dark Tower that steers us? All my choices have proved ill. I should have left the Company long before... ...down from the North, east of the River and of the Emyn Muil, and so over the hard of Battle Plain to the passes of Mordor. But now it isn't possible for you and me alone to find a way back, and the Orcs are prowling on the east bank. Every day that passes is a precious day lost. I am tired, Sam. I don't know what is to be done. What food have we got left?'
... 'Only those, what d'you call 'em, lembas, Mr. Frodo. A fair supply. But they are better than naught… …I never thought, though, when I first set tooth in them, that I should ever come to wish for a change. But I do now: a bit of plain bread, and a mug—aye, half a mug—of beer would go down proper. I've lugged my cooking-gear all the way from the last camp, and what use has it been? Naught to make a fire with… …and naught to cook not even grass!'"
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Feb 4, 2:52pm
Post #24 of 29
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Here's the 2nd of a 7-part journey with Frodo and Sam on the cliffs of Emyn Muil… for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
The Taming of Sméagol: The Two Towers ...[Frodo bemoans] "'I wish we could get away from these hills! I hate them. I feel all naked on the east side, stuck up here with nothing but the dead flats between me and that Shadow yonder. There's an Eye in it. Come on! We've got to get down today somehow.'
...But that day wore on, and when afternoon faded towards evening they were still scrambling along the ridge and had found no way of escape.
...The bottom of the gully... ...was rough with broken stone and slanted steeply down.... ...Frodo stooped and leaned out.
...'Look!' he said... '...It's much lower here than it was, and it looks easier too.'
...Sam knelt beside him and peered reluctantly over the edge... '...Easier!' he grunted. 'Well, I suppose it's always easier getting down than up. Those as can't fly can jump... ...Ugh! How I do hate looking down from a height! But looking's better than climbing.'
...'All the same,' said Frodo... '...we had better try at once. It's getting dark early. I think there's a storm coming....'
......Frodo sniffed the air and looked up doubtfully at the sky. He strapped his belt outside his cloak and tightened it, and settled his light pack on his back; then he stepped towards the edge. 'I'm' going to try it,' he said.
...'Very good!' said Sam gloomily. 'But I'm going first.'
...'You?' said Frodo. 'What's made you change your mind about climbing?'
...'I haven't changed my mind. But it's only sense: put the one lowest as is most likely to slip. I don't want to come down atop of you and knock you off... ...no sense in killing two with one fall.'
...Before Frodo could stop him, he sat down, swung his legs over the brink, and twisted round scrabbling with his toes for a foothold. It is doubtful if he ever did anything braver in cold blood, or more unwise.
...'No, no! Sam, you old ass! ...You'll kill yourself for certain, going over like that without even a look to see what to make for. Come back!' He took Sam under the armpits and hauled him up again. 'Now, wait a bit and be patient!' he said. Then he lay on the ground, leaning out and looking down... ...light seemed to be fading quickly, although the sun had not yet set. 'I think we could manage this... ...I could at any rate; and you could too, if you kept your head and followed me carefully.'
...'I don't know how you can be so sure,' said Sam. 'Why! You can't see to the bottom in this light. What if you come to a place where there's nowhere to put your feet or your hands?'
...'Climb back, I suppose,' said Frodo.
...'Easy said,' objected Sam. 'Better wait till morning and more light.'
...'No! Not if I can help it,' said Frodo with a sudden strange vehemence. 'I grudge every hour, every minute. I'm going down to try it out...'
......Gripping the stony lip of the fall with his fingers he let himself gently down…"
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Feb 5, 1:37pm
Post #25 of 29
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Here's the 3rd of a 7-part journey with Frodo and Sam on the cliffs of Emyn Muil… for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
The Taming of Sméagol: The Two Towers ... "...Gripping the stony lip of the fall with his fingers he let himself gently down, until when his arms were almost at full stretch, his toes found a ledge. 'One step down!' he said. 'And this ledge broadens out to the right. I could stand there without a hold. I'll---' his words were cut short.
...The hurrying darkness, now gathering great speed, rushed up from the East... ...Then came a blast of savage wind... ...mingling with its roar, there came a high shrill shriek. The hobbits had heard just such a cry far away in the Marish as they fled from Hobbiton, and even there in the woods of the Shire it had frozen their blood. Out here in the waste its terror was far greater: it pierced them with cold blades of horror and despair, stopping heart and breath. Sam fell flat on his face... ...Frodo loosed his hold and put his hands over his head and ears. He swayed, slipped, and slithered downwards with a wailing cry.
...Sam heard him and crawled with an effort to the edge. 'Master, master!' he called. 'Master!' He heard no answer... ...he was shaking all over, but he gathered his breath, and once again he shouted: 'Master!' The wind seemed to blow his voice back into his throat, but as it passed... ...a faint answering cry came to his ears:
...'All right, all right! I'm here. But I can't see.'
...Frodo was calling with a weak voice... ...not actually very far away. He had slid and not fallen, and had come up with a jolt to his feet on a wider ledge not many yards lower down. Fortunately the rock-face at this point leaned well back and the wind had pressed him against the cliff... ...He steadied himself... ...laying his face against the cold stone, feeling his heart pounding. But either the darkness had grown complete, or else his eyes had lost their sight. All was black about him. He wondered if he had been struck blind. He took a deep breath.
...'Come back! Come back!' he heard Sam's voice out of the blackness above....
...' ...I can't see. I can't find any hold. I can't move yet.'
...'What can I do, Mr. Frodo?' shouted Sam, leaning out dangerously far. Why could not his master see? It was dim... ...He could see Frodo below him, a grey forlorn figure splayed against the cliff....
...'...I'm coming down to you,' shouted Sam, though how he hoped to help in that way he could not have said.
...'No, no! Wait!' Frodo called back, more strongly now... '...I feel better already. Wait! You can't do anything without a rope.'
...'Rope!' cried Sam... '...Well, if I don't deserve to be hung on the end of one as a warning to numbskulls…! You're nowt but a ninnyhammer, Sam Gamgee: that's what the Gaffer said to me often enough, it being a word of his. Rope!'
...'Stop chattering!' cried Frodo, now recovered enough to feel both amused and annoyed.... '...[Have you] got some rope in your pocket...?!'
...'...Yes, Mr. Frodo, in my pack and all. Carried it hundreds of miles, and I'd clean forgotten it!'"
We have been there and back again.
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