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Elizabeth
Gondolin
Jan 11 2008, 6:57pm
Post #1 of 12
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**Strider** 9. Things we're learning
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Merry has been missing. Just as Pippin is dozing off, he bursts in, followed by Nob, with a hairraising tale of seeing Black Riders and actually following them, which astounds Strider:
Strider looked at Merry with wonder. ‘You have a stout heart,’ he said; ‘but it was foolish.’
‘I don’t know,’ said Merry. ‘Neither brave nor silly, I think. I could hardly help myself. I seemed to be drawn somehow. Anyway, I went, and suddenly I heard voices by the hedge. One was muttering; and the other was whispering, or hissing. I couldn’t hear a word that was said. I did not creep any closer, because I began to tremble all over. Then I felt terrified, and I turned back, and was just going to bolt home, when something came behind me and I... I fell over.’
We have our first case of Black Breath!
Strider has now had an extended interview with Frodo, experienced Sam's rather rustic hostility, and Pippin's only reaction is that he's ready for bed. But now we have a hobbit who actually followed the Riders. A while back, someone recalled Gandalf's statement that "after a hundred years [hobbits] can still surprise you" and suggested that Strider is beyond being surprised by a hobbit. Now he feels wonder.
1. How is Strider's impression of hobbits evolving? Do you think Merry was brave, or foolhardy?
2. Why would Merry have been "drawn" to follow the Riders? Curiosity, or something more?
3. Why did Merry get Black Breath in this encounter while none of the hobbits were affected on Weathertop (except Frodo, of course, who was stabbed)?
Strider deduces that the Riders (or at least one Rider) came into town to meet with Bill Ferney and/or the Southerner spy, and now knows the whole tale of Frodo's performance in the common room and disappearance.
‘What will happen?’ said Merry. ‘Will they attack the inn?’
‘No, I think not,’ said Strider. ‘They are not all here yet. And in any case that is not their way. In dark and loneliness they are strongest; they will not openly attack a house where there are lights and many people -not until they are desperate, not while all the long leagues of Eriador still lie before us. But their power is in terror, and already some in Bree are in their clutch. They will drive these wretches to some evil work: Ferny, and some of the strangers, and, maybe, the gatekeeper too. They had words with Harry at West-gate on Monday. I was watching them. He was white and shaking when they left him.’
Whether brave or foolish, Merry has performed an important scouting function. And keep Strider's words in mind, because squire may ask a related question next week 
4. Assess the value of Merry's new information. How did it change their plans?
It is now clear to all that they are in dire trouble, and that Strider not only understands the situation but is prepared to deal with it. Commanding the hobbits to stay where they are (the parlor), he and Nob go to the hobbits' rooms to get their baggage. Nob even poses dummy hobbits in the beds as decoys. Barricading themselves in the parlor, they settle down for the night, and the hobbits drop off to sleep while Strider keeps watch.
"Are you frightened?"
Discussing "Strider" Jan. 6-11 in the Reading Room
Elizabeth is the TORnsib formerly known as 'erather'
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Curious
Gondolin
Jan 11 2008, 8:50pm
Post #2 of 12
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1. How is Strider's impression of hobbits evolving? Do you think Merry was brave, or foolhardy?
2. Why would Merry have been "drawn" to follow the Riders? Curiosity, or something more?
Braver than he thinks, but perhaps not as brave as Strider thinks. Merry has no appreciation of how most people react to the Nazgul, but he is also probably correct that he was drawn to rather than repelled by them.
Why was he drawn? Could it be the work of the Ring? Could it be the work of the Nazgul? Could it be Merry's own dangerous curiosity? What made him go for a walk at all when he had just warned the others about their behavior in the common room? I don't have an answer to any of these questions.
But Merry being drawn to the Black Rider reminds me of Pippin being drawn to the well in Moria, or to the palantir after one glimpse within that stone. It also reminds me of Gollum being drawn to Mordor against his will. The hobbits act foolishly in Bree, but there is a malevolent Will behind some of their foolishness, or more than one malevolent Will. If I had to guess I would say it is the work of the Nazgul and the Ring combined, working with the natural curiosity and foolishness of their intended victims, willing the hobbits to reveal themselves.
3. Why did Merry get Black Breath in this encounter while none of the hobbits were affected on Weathertop (except Frodo, of course, who was stabbed)?
Merry and Pippin threw themselves on the ground at Weathertop, and Sam was paralyzed as his Master was attacked. I would say they were affected, but since Frodo was the main focus, they did not fall into deep dreams. And perhaps their own strength of will had something to do with that. They could not help Frodo, but at least they remained awake. Note that in Faramir's case it took several close encounters, and a poisoned dart besides, before the Black Breath took effect. It seems to have a cumulative effect.
4. Assess the value of Merry's new information. How did it change their plans?
I'm not sure it changes anything. After Frodo's display in the common room, Strider had to assume the Nazgul were informed of what had happened. Merry's information just confirms what he surely would have suspected.
(This post was edited by Curious on Jan 11 2008, 8:52pm)
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Beren IV
Mithlond
Jan 12 2008, 1:45am
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This was a minor Black Breath attack
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Merry did pass out, but he was just standing there, not their focus as Curious says, and, let's look at it: he passed out only briefly and recovered on his own. The Hobbits recoil in terror at Weathertop, so I agree with Curious: they were indeed affected there. I'll bet that the Black Breath is a large part of what almost turns Frodo into a wraith at the end of Book I.
This is hardly akin to the very deadly Black Breath that Faramir, Éowyn, and Merry are later exposed to, that they are saved from only with Athelas.
Once a paleontologist, now a botanist, will be a paleobotanist
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sador
Gondolin
Jan 12 2008, 10:20pm
Post #4 of 12
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1. How is Strider's impression of hobbits evolving? Do you think Merry was brave, or foolhardy?
Definitely not foolhardy - he's not a Took!
2. Why would Merry have been "drawn" to follow the Riders? Curiosity, or something more?
Curious' theory is very intriguing - although I have my doubts. I'm not sure the Balrog exerted such a malevolent will on Pippin (in the well-scene), and if any will was exerted on him through the Palantir, it was to the good - saving Gandalf from revealing himself too early (as Gandalf himself said).
Merry is very inquisitive; even on Weathertop he shows it (when Sam felt something creeping up the dell, he didn't stop to look - Merry did), that is behind his guessing the Moria-door's heading are a riddle, he says as much in 'The Palantir', and shows it in 'A Conspiracy Unmasked' and even in 'Treebeard', he spies on Theoden in 'The Ride of the Rohirrim' and hears Ghan-buri-Ghan.
And, alone of all the Hobbits, he had no real contact with Black Riders before.
So in balance, I do believe curiosity was most of it.
3. Why did Merry get Black Breath in this encounter while none of the hobbits were affected on Weathertop (except Frodo, of course, who was stabbed)?
The Black Breath takes time. Gaffer Gamgee, Farmer Maggott, Barliman and Bill Ferny were exposed to it. I guess Merry was around too long and too close for comfort.
4. Assess the value of Merry's new information. How did it change their plans?
Well, untill my last reading I was sure Strider's guess the Riders won't attack the inn was made before Merry came in, and consequently, his information didn't affect their plans (which I thought were logical and needed even before). Now I'm not sure.
Anyway, I must think if the correcting of my misconception changes my reply to the question you hinted Squire will ask next week.
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Beren IV
Mithlond
Jan 12 2008, 11:06pm
Post #5 of 12
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and like any weapon, I think that it can be applied actively or less actively as the wraith using it wishes. The Naz do not want to kill people in Bree (yet), so they don't turn it up to lethal levels.
Once a paleontologist, now a botanist, will be a paleobotanist
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Elizabeth
Gondolin
Jan 13 2008, 12:43am
Post #6 of 12
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They didn't know Merry was there,
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and they were talking to Men (Ferny and/or the Southerner), whom they would not want to be affected. So, if there's anything deliberate about a Black Breath attack, they certainly wouldn't be doing it.
I'm not sure this was well thought through on Tolkien's part. I think he needed to have Merry affected somehow, to illustrate the danger, but couldn't dare let the Riders actually see him, and this wasn't as well tied to other instances of BB (or lack thereof).
"Are you frightened?"
Discussing "Strider" Jan. 6-11 in the Reading Room
Elizabeth is the TORnsib formerly known as 'erather'
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Jan 13 2008, 5:13am
Post #7 of 12
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to the Black Breath have actually "aided" Merry when he stabbed the Witch-king: he may have developed a bit of an "immunity" to it, which allowed him to rouse himself enough to take action when Éowyn was threatened, and then not completely collapse upon stabbing the wraith?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
"It struck me last night that you might write a fearfully good romantic drama, with as much of the 'supernatural' as you cared to introduce. Have you ever thought of it?"
-Geoffrey B. Smith, letter to JRR Tolkien, 1915
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Elizabeth
Gondolin
Jan 13 2008, 5:19am
Post #8 of 12
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"Are you frightened?"
Discussing "Strider" Jan. 6-11 in the Reading Room
Elizabeth is the TORnsib formerly known as 'erather'
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Beren IV
Mithlond
Jan 13 2008, 5:45am
Post #9 of 12
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It might be passive but suspendable
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The Black Breath obviously is something that is dangerous even in proximity to the Nazgul, but I see no reason why the Nazgul cannot turn it on and off, or at least modulate its intensity. So, in this case of talking to Ferny, it was turned down specifically to Ferny, but still up and active against anybody else who happened by. Still, it's obviously not the lethal level, or else Merry is tougher than one might expect. However, I would not expect the Naz to turn it up to deadly while in Bree anyway; they are scaring the socks off of people as is, and they might not get as much cooperation if they took the brute force approach and started killing people just yet.
I also thought about the idea that Merry's exposure here made him less susceptable later when he stabbed the WK. I could also see it making him more susceptable later on also, and arguably this seems to be the case: Éowyn's dose of the Black Breath is no worse than Merry's, and yet she and Merry wind up with more or less the same symptoms and the same condition: Athelas or death. Yet we know that Hobbits are more resistant to this sort of thing than Humans or even Dúnedain, so we would expect Merry to be a lot tougher in the Houses of Healing than Éowyn (and he is, although not by much). I think this exposure weakens him, if anything.
Now, here's a sort of a side-question: are Elves vulnerable to the Black Breath, or is this something that is only dangerous to mortals? Or, alternatively, is it something that works on all Children of Ilúvitar, in which case it would affect Elves also but not Dwarves?
Once a paleontologist, now a botanist, will be a paleobotanist
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elentari3018
Nargothrond
Jan 15 2008, 6:25am
Post #10 of 12
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We have our first case of Black Breath! Is there more about Black Breath than what happened with Eowyn, Merry and Faramir and Frodo in LotR?
Does HoMe or the Hammon and Scull Reader's Companion give more information about how it works?
Nob even poses dummy hobbits in the beds as decoys. Barricading themselves in the parlor, they settle down for the night, and the hobbits drop off to sleep while Strider keeps watch.
I wonder why the Black Riders didn't search the whole inn... but perhaps they weren't as smart at all because couldn't they have sensed the Ring was close?
I wonder how far between the parlor and the hobbit rooms it is....
I admire Merry for being so foolishly brave in this chapter because as it has been said, it really raised the alarm for Strider and the hobbits. Also, he is the only hobbit to be exposed to the Black Breath twice. Frodo on Weathertop but Merry in Bree and also when stabbing the Witch-king... There is fanfic about the after effects of the Black Breath on Merry and i just find it interesting. :)
"By Elbereth and Luthien the fair, you shall have neither the Ring nor me!" ~Frodo
"And then Gandalf arose and bid all men rise, and they rose, and he said: 'Here is a last hail ere the feast endeth. Last but not least. For I name now those who shall not be forgotten and without whose valour nought else that was done would have availed; and I name before you all Frodo of the Shire and Samwise his servant. And the bards and the minstrels should give them new names: Bronwe athan Harthad and Harthad Uluithiad , Endurance beyond Hope and Hope Unquenchable.." ~Gandalf, The End of the Third Age , from The History of Middle Earth series
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visualweasel
Nargothrond
Jan 15 2008, 6:46pm
Post #11 of 12
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We have our first case of Black Breath!
Is this an oblique reference to the Great Plagues of the Middle Ages?
Or to the coal-smoke of the Industrial Revolution?
Or there's also Joseph Conrad's Nostromo (1904), where we read:
Even now, ill as she was, ill enough to feel the chill, black breath of the approaching end, she had wished to see him. It was like putting out her benumbed [a word-choice strongly redolent of Tolkien] hand to regain her hold. But she had presumed too much on her strength. She could not command her thoughts; they had become dim, like her vision. The words faltered on her lips, and only the paramount anxiety and desire of her life seemed to be too strong her death.
Perhaps all three of these at once? I think I feel a research project coming on ...
Jason Fisher
Lingwë - Musings of a Fish
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N.E. Brigand
Gondolin
Jan 16 2008, 6:53am
Post #12 of 12
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[Merry] 'something came behind me and I...I fell over.'
- - - - -
[Nob] 'Just nigh Bill Ferny's house I though I could see something in the Road. I couldn't swear to it, but it looked to me as if two men was stooping over something, lifting it.'
Merry felt great fear at the presence of the Rider, but no worse until he was observed as he turned away, and "something came behind" him and overwhelmed him.
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We're discussing The Lord of the Rings in the Reading Room, Oct. 15, 2007 - Mar. 22, 2009!
Join us Jan. 14-20 for "A Knife in the Dark".
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