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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jan 12 2015, 3:06am
Post #1 of 28
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TIME - January 11
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Today in Middle-earth
January 11, 3019 (S.R. 1419) pt.2
1. Snow on Caradhras.
(from the appendices)
..."Gandalf halted. Snow was thick on his hood and shoulders; it was already ankle-deep about his boots.
...'This is what I feared... ...What do you say now, Aragorn?'
...'That I feared it too,' Aragorn answered, 'but less than other things. I knew the risk of snow, though it seldom falls heavily so far south, save high up in the mountains. But we are not high yet; we are still far down, where the paths are usually open all the winter.'
...'I wonder if this is a contrivance of the enemy,' said Boromir. 'They say in my land that he can govern the storms in the Mountains of Shadow... ...He has strange powers and many allies.'
...'His arm has grown long indeed,' said Gimli, 'if he can draw snow down from the North to trouble us here three hundred leagues away.'
...'His arm has grown long,' said Gandalf.
......The wind whistled and the snow became a blinding blizzard. Soon even Boromir found it hard to keep going. The hobbits... ...toiled along behind the taller folk, but it was plain that they could not go much further, if the snow continued. Frodo's feet felt like lead. Pippin was dragging behind. Even Gimli, as stout as any dwarf could be, was grumbling as he trudged.
...The Company halted suddenly, as if they had come to an agreement without any words being spoken. They heard eerie noises in the darkness round them. It may have been only a trick of the wind... ...but the sounds were those of shrill cries and wild howls of laughter. Stones began to fall from the mountain-side, whistling over their heads, or crashing on the path beside them. Every now and again they heard a dull rumble, as a great boulder rolled down from hidden heights above.
...'We cannot go further tonight,' said Boromir. 'Let those call it the wind who will; there are fell voices on the air, and these stones are aimed at us.'
...'I do call it the wind,' said Aragorn. 'But that does not make what you say untrue. There are many evil and unfriendly things in the world that have little love for those that go on two legs... ...yet are not in league with Sauron, but have purposes of their own. Some have been in the world longer than he.'
...'Caradhras was called the Cruel, and had an ill name,' said Gimli... '...when rumour of Sauron had not been heard in these lands.'
...'It matters little who is the enemy, if we cannot beat off his attack,' said Gandalf.
...'But what can we do?' cried Pippin miserably. He was leaning on Merry and Frodo, and he was shivering.
...'Either stop where we are, or go back,' said Gandalf. 'It is no good going on.....'
...'...And it is no good going back while the storm holds,' said Aragorn. 'We have passed no place on the way up that offered more shelter than this cliff-wall we are under now.'
...'Shelter!' muttered Sam. 'If this is shelter, then one wall and no roof make a house.'"
[league = 3 miles]
Hobbit: BotFA Geeky Observation List draft #3
6th draft of TH:AUJ Geeky Observation List - November 28, 2013
4th draft of TH:DOS Geeky Observation List - May 15, 2014
"There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West."
I'm SO HAPPY these new films take me back to that magical world!!
TIME Google Calendar
TORn's Geeky Observations Lists for LotR and The Hobbit
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jan 12 2015, 11:53am
Post #3 of 28
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Today in Middle-earth
January 12, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. Snow on Caradhras—it's unrelenting!
(from the appendices)
..."A great sleepiness came over Frodo; he felt himself sinking fast into a warm and hazy dream. He thought a fire was heating his toes, and out of the shadows on the other side of the hearth he heard Bilbo's voice speaking. I don't think much of your diary... ...Snowstorms on January the twelfth: there was no need to come back to report that!
...But I wanted rest and sleep, Bilbo, Frodo answered with an effort, when he felt himself shaken, and he came back painfully to wakefulness. Boromir had lifted him off the ground out of a nest of snow.
...'This will be the death of the halflings, Gandalf,' said Boromir. 'It is useless to sit here until the snow goes over our heads. We must do something to save ourselves.'
...'Give them this,' said Gandalf, searching in his pack and drawing out a leathern flask. 'Just a mouthful each—for all of us. It is very precious. It is miruvor, the cordial of Imladris. Elrond gave it to me at our parting. Pass it round!'
...As soon as Frodo had swallowed a little of the warm and fragrant liquor he felt a new strength of heart, and the heavy drowsiness left his limbs. The others also revived and found fresh hope and vigour...
......though they had brought wood and kindlings by the advice of Boromir, it passed the skill of Elf or even Dwarf to strike a flame that would hold amid the swirling wind or catch in the wet fuel... ...reluctantly Gandalf himself took a hand. Picking up a faggot he held it aloft for a moment, and then with a word of command, naur an edraith ammen!, he thrust the end of his staff into the midst of it. At once a great spout of green and blue flame sprang out, and the wood flared and sputtered.
...'If there are any to see, then I at least am revealed to them... ...I have written Gandalf is here in signs that all can read from Rivendell to the Mouths of Anduin.
...'...If Elves could fly over mountain, they might fetch the Sun to save us,' answered Gandalf. 'But I must have something to work on. I cannot burn snow.'
...'Well,' said Boromir, 'when heads are at a loss bodies must serve... ...The strongest of us must seek a way. See! Though all is now snow-clad, our path... ... turned about that shoulder of rock down yonder. It was there that the snow first began to burden us. If we could reach that point, maybe it would prove easier beyond. It is no more than a furlong off, I guess.'
...'Then let us force a path thither, you and I!' said Aragorn.
...Aragorn was the tallest of the Company, but Boromir, little less in height, was broader and heavier in build. He led the way, and Aragorn followed him... ...and were soon toiling heavily. In places the snow was breast-high, and often Boromir seemed to be swimming or burrowing with his great arms rather than walking.
...Legolas watched them for a while with a smile upon his lips, and then he turned to the others. 'The strongest must seek a way, say you? But I say: let a ploughman plough, but choose an otter for swimming, and for running light over grass and leaf, or over snow—an Elf.'
...With that he sprang forth nimbly, and then Frodo noticed... ...though he had long known it, that the Elf had no boots, but wore only light shoes, as he always did, and his feet made little imprint in the snow.
...'Farewell!' he said to Gandalf. 'I go to find the Sun!' Then swift as a runner over firm sand he shot away, and quickly overtaking the toiling men, with a wave of his hand he passed them, and sped into the distance, and vanished round the rocky turn."
[furlong = .125 miles or 220 yards]
Hobbit: BotFA Geeky Observation List draft #3
6th draft of TH:AUJ Geeky Observation List - November 28, 2013
4th draft of TH:DOS Geeky Observation List - May 15, 2014
"There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West."
I'm SO HAPPY these new films take me back to that magical world!!
TIME Google Calendar
TORn's Geeky Observations Lists for LotR and The Hobbit
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Eruvandi
Tol Eressea
Jan 12 2015, 3:52pm
Post #5 of 28
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That last bit always makes me smile
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The part about Legolas walking on the snow, I mean. Tolkien had such a great way of weaving little humorous moments like that into an otherwise serious story.
Thanks for posting Gramma! 
Happy Hobbity New Year! :D
(This post was edited by Eruvandi on Jan 12 2015, 3:55pm)
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swordwhale
Tol Eressea
Jan 12 2015, 5:10pm
Post #6 of 28
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running on snow: this is one of my favorite bits in the entire epic
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I go to find the sun!
One of my friends said she always wanted to be able to walk on snow.
When I was a kid, we often had deep snow that would crust, and I could do just that, walk on it like magic... then BOOM! You'd fall through to your eyeballs.
While the scene here is humorous, a kind of subtle, British humor of another age, it's also a lovely bit of spiritual insight. Getting the Fellowship out of danger on the mountain takes Gandalf's fire, Boromir and Aragorn's sheer bulldozing ability, and...
..Legolas?
It was after many readings that I saw that he is lightness of spirit here. His ability to run over the snow isn't a lack of weight, it is a spiritual lightness. His humor is spiritual lightness. His "I go to find the sun!" is hope. And when the Mighty are bogged down, he tells them it is only a few yards yet to go. Hope, lightness of spirit. That's what gets them all through in the end.
When I was a kid I built snow forts and snow horses and threw myself on my Lightning Guider down a ridiculously flat driveway. Or rode the aluminum saucer (or an old washing machine lid) down a drift in the backyard. My dad built a sleigh for the pony, and I shanghaied our goat into pulling the aluminum saucer.
It wasn't until I was much older, and found myself living with some Siberian huskies that I really learned about snow.
It is legendary that the arctic peoples have about a gazillion words for various kinds of snow. Because whether it's hard or soft, mushy or icy, has a nice base or not, whether you'd sink straight through, whether it sticks to the runners like musk ox poop... all those things affect your ability to travel, to hunt, to survive.
I'm sure anyone who skis knows these things too. I tried my friends' cross country skis once... couldn't get my toes to bend that way. Went snowboarding once, and understand why people are amused by it (I learned to fall down well).
I will stick to the dogsled (one dog and a kicksled is a viable option for most people). With two or three dogs of medium size, you can run on top of the snow... or at least on a nice trail of a few inches of dry, crisp snow. If it is melty and mushy and just above freezing, your runners will goop up and go nowhere. If it is to your knees, four enthusiastic dogs will break trail nicely. If it is to your hips, you'll need a snowmobile to mash down the trail so your dogs don't vanish. I ran mine on a trail like that at a sledding meet, and when teams met, one of you pulled off to the side... which meant slurping up to your hips in squshy snow while your dogs floated on top laughing at you.
And yes, one of them is named Legolas.
"Judge me by my size, would you?" Max the Hobbit Husky.
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Aunt Dora Baggins
Immortal
Jan 12 2015, 9:55pm
Post #7 of 28
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when we're hiking on a crust of four-foot-deep snow in the mountains (which happens several times each winter.) Even Uncle Baggins, who is not really a fan though he's seen the movies, often remarks on it.
I enjoyed your post very much.
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"For DORA BAGGINS in memory of a LONG correspondence, with love from Bilbo; on a large wastebasket. Dora was Drogo's sister, and the eldest surviving female relative of Bilbo and Frodo; she was ninety-nine, and had written reams of good advice for more than half a century."
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"A Chance Meeting at Rivendell" and other stories
leleni at hotmail dot com
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jan 13 2015, 10:41am
Post #10 of 28
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Today in Middle-earth
January 13, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. Attack by Wolves in the early hours.
(from the appendices)
..."'Since our open attempt on the mountain-pass our plight has become more desperate, I fear. I see now little hope, if we do not soon vanish from sight for a while, and cover our trail. Therefore I advise that we should go neither over the mountains, nor round them, but under them. That is a road at any rate that the Enemy will least expect us to take....' [said Gandalf]
......The hobbits said nothing. Sam looked at Frodo. At last Frodo spoke. 'I do not wish to go... ...but neither do I wish to refuse the advice of Gandalf. I beg that there should be no vote, until we have slept on it. Gandalf will get votes easier in the light of the morning than in this cold gloom. How the wind howls...!'
......Suddenly Aragorn leapt to his feet. 'How the wind howls! ...It is howling with wolf-voices. The Wargs have come west of the Mountains!'
...'Need we wait until morning then?' said Gandalf. 'It is as I said. The hunt is up! Even if we live to see the dawn, who now will wish to journey south by night with the wild wolves on his trail?'
...'How far is Moria?' asked Boromir.
...'There was a door south-west of Caradhras, some fifteen miles as the crow flies, and maybe twenty as the wolf runs,' answered Gandalf....
...'...I wish I had taken Elrond's advice,' muttered Pippin to Sam. 'I am no good after all. There is not enough of the breed of Bandobras the Bullroarer in me: these howls freeze my blood. I don't ever remember feeling so wretched.'
...'My heart's right down in my toes, Mr. Pippin,' said Sam. 'But we aren't eten yet, and there are some stout folk here with us. Whatever may be in store for old Gandalf, I'll wager it isn't a wolf's belly.'"
2. The Company reaches the West-gate of Moria at nightfall.
(from the appendices)
..."'Well, here we are at last!' said Gandalf. 'Here the Elven-way from Hollin ended. Holly was the token of the people of that land... ...they planted it here to mark the end of their domain; for the West-door was made chiefly for their use in their traffic with the Lords of Moria. Those were happier days, when there was still close friendship at times between folk of different race, even between Dwarves and Elves.... ...The doors are shut and hidden, and the sooner we find them the better. Night is at hand...!'
...'...I once knew every spell in all the tongues of Elves or Men or Orcs, that was ever used to such a purpose. I can still remember ten score of them without searching in my mind... ...The opening words were Elvish, like the writing on the arch: that seems certain.'
...He stepped up to the rock again, and lightly touched with his staff the silver star in the middle beneath the sign of the anvil. Annon edhellen, edro hi amine! Fennas nogothrim, lasts beth lammen!
he said in a commanding voice. The silver lines faded, but the blank grey stone did not stir.
...Many times he repeated these words in different order, or varied them. Then he tried other spells, one after another, speaking now faster and louder, now soft and slow. Then he spoke many single words of Elvish speech. Nothing happened... ...the doors stood fast.
...Again Gandalf approached the wall, and lifting up his arms he spoke in tones of command and rising wrath. Edro, edro! he cried, and struck the rock with the staff. Open open! he shouted, and followed it with the same command in every language that had ever been spoken in the West of Middle-earth. Then he threw his staff on the ground, and sat down in silence.
...At that moment from far off the wind bore to their listening ears the howling of wolves. Bill the pony started in fear, and Sam sprang to his side and whispered softly to him.
...'Do not let him run away!' said Boromir. 'It seems that we shall need him still, if the wolves do not find us. How I hate this foul pool!' He stooped and picking up a large stone he cast it far into the dark water.
...The stone vanished... ...at the same instant there was a swish and a bubble. Great rippling rings formed on the surface out beyond where the stone had fallen, and they moved slowly towards the foot of the cliff.
...'Why did you do that, Boromir?' said Frodo. 'I hate this place, too, and I am afraid. I don't know of what: not of wolves, or the dark behind the doors, but of something else. I am afraid of the pool. Don't disturb it...!'
...'...Why doesn't Gandalf do something quick?' said Pippin.
...Gandalf took no notice of them. He sat with his head bowed, either in despair or in anxious thoughts. The mournful howling of the wolves was heard again. The ripples on the water grew and came closer; some were already lapping on the shore.
..."With a suddenness that startled them all the wizard sprang to his feet. He was laughing! 'I have it!' he cried. 'Of course... ...Absurdly simple, like most riddles when you see the answer.'
...Picking up his staff he stood before the rock and said in a clear voice: "Mellon!"
...The star shone out briefly and faded again. Then silently a great doorway was outlined, though not a crack or joint had been visible before. Slowly it divided in the middle and swung outwards inch by inch...
......He strode forward and set his foot on the lowest step. But at that moment several things happened. Frodo felt something seize him by the ankle, and he fell with a cry. Bill the pony gave a wild neigh of fear, and turned tail and dashed away along the lakeside into the darkness. Sam leaped after him, and then hearing Frodo's cry he ran back again, weeping and cursing. The others swung round and saw the waters of the lake seething, as if a host of snakes were swimming up from the southern end.
...Out from the water a long sinuous tentacle had crawled... ...Its fingered end had hold of Frodo's foot, and was dragging him into the water. Sam on his knees was now slashing at it with a knife.
...The arm let go of Frodo, and Sam pulled him away, crying out for help. Twenty other arms came rippling out....
...'...Into the gateway! Up the stairs! Quick!' shouted Gandalf leaping back. Rousing them from the horror that seemed to have rooted all but Sam to the ground where they stood, he drove them forward.
...They were just in time. Sam and Frodo were only a few steps up, and Gandalf had just begun to climb, when the groping tentacles writhed across the narrow shore and fingered the cliff-wall and the doors...."
3. Gollum begins to trail the Ring-bearer.
(from the appendices)
..."Frodo began to hear... ...something else; like the faint fall of soft bare feet. It was never loud enough, or near enough, for him to feel certain that he heard it; but once it had started it never stopped, while the Company was moving. But it was not an echo, for when they halted it pattered on for a little all by itself, then grew still."
Hobbit: BotFA Geeky Observation List draft #3
6th draft of TH:AUJ Geeky Observation List - November 28, 2013
4th draft of TH:DOS Geeky Observation List - May 15, 2014
"There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West."
I'm SO HAPPY these new films take me back to that magical world!!
TIME Google Calendar
TORn's Geeky Observations Lists for LotR and The Hobbit
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swordwhale
Tol Eressea
Jan 13 2015, 5:36pm
Post #11 of 28
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This must be one of our archetypal fears, the unseen in the Deep.
I've dived in zero vis water, where you can see your gauges when you hold them up to your mask... or not (that's called visibility inside the mask). I've dived at night, in the cold of a December lake. You carry light, and have buddies, and you know the biggest thing there is the legendary Really Big Muskellunge, but it is still cold and dark and creepy.
I've paddled over dark water, over murky water, in the dark, alone, with only a lighthouse to guide me (Tom's Cove, Assateague Light, Virginia). In that dark cove, anything could surface. to the south was Wallops Island's NASA base, and the sea, and all the sea holds. The cove is shallow, but sharks don't need much water....
Once a pair of fins surfaced right at the end of my paddle blade. The water was murky enough that I couldn't see anything of the creature the fins were attached to, but they were the size of dinner plates, and that made the shark about the size of my 18' kayak...
...until I noticed all the fins I saw were in pairs... and belonged to cownosed rays.
Everyone I've taken snorkelling, or kayaking, is afraid of deep water. Of dark water. Of murky water.
It hides things. Things that could eat you.
Tolkien nailed a deep seated fear in the Watcher. It doesn't matter that we know that octopuses are harmless, that giant squid are fascinating (and only a problem if you are a sperm whale trying to eat one), and that even an 18' shark wouldn't really be interested in eating a plastic kayak.
Dark water is full of mysteries, and fear.
As for the wolves, we live in an age when it is Wolf who is in trouble from the interference of Man with Nature. Tolkien is echoing another time and viewpoint that is not only no longer needed, but is actually deadly to our balance with Nature. I'm glad that he at least dubbed them wargs, and that the films also designed them differently from real wolves... wargs as a corruption, by the forces of Evil, of the natural creation, Wolf.
"Judge me by my size, would you?" Max the Hobbit Husky.
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dernwyn
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Jan 13 2015, 11:57pm
Post #13 of 28
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What an awesomely creepy depiction of dark, murky water! 
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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swordwhale
Tol Eressea
Jan 14 2015, 3:05am
Post #14 of 28
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...yup, been there, done that... I recommend some guided tours (choose your guide carefully)...
"Judge me by my size, would you?" Max the Hobbit Husky.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jan 14 2015, 10:56am
Post #15 of 28
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Today in Middle-earth
January 14, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. During the night and into the day in Moria.
(not from the appendices)
..."Pippin felt curiously attracted by the well. While the others were unrolling blankets and making beds against the walls of the chamber, as far as possible from the hole in the floor, he crept to the edge and peered over... ...Moved by a sudden impulse he groped for a loose stone, and let it drop. He felt his heart beat many times before there was any sound. Then far below... ...there came a "plunk," very distant, but magnified and repeated in the hollow shaft.
...'What's that!' cried Gandalf. He was relieved when Pippin confessed what he had done; but he was angry, and Pippin could see his eye glinting. 'Fool of a Took!' he growled. 'This is a serious journey, not a hobbit walking party. Throw yourself in next time, and then you will be no further nuisance. Now be quiet!'
...Nothing more was heard for several minutes; but then there came out of the depths faint knocks: tom-tap, tap-tom.... ...They sounded disquietingly like signals of some sort; but after a while the knocking died away and was not heard again.
...'That was the sound of a hammer, or I have never heard one,' said Gimli.
...'Yes,' said Gandalf, 'and I do not like it. It may have nothing to do with Peregrin's foolish stone; but probably something has been disturbed... ...better left quiet. Pray, do nothing of the kind again! Let us hope we shall get some rest without further trouble. You, Pippin, can go on the first watch, as a reward,' he growled, as he rolled himself in a blanket.
...Pippin sat miserably by the door in the pitch dark; but he kept on turning round, fearing that some unknown thing would crawl up out of the well. He wished he could cover the hole, if only with a blanket, but he dared not move or go near it, even though Gandalf seemed to be asleep.
...Actually Gandalf was awake, though lying still and silent. He was deep in thought, trying to recall every memory of his former journey in the Mines, and considering anxiously the next course that he should take; a false turn now might be disastrous. After an hour he rose up and came over to Pippin.
...'Get into a corner and have a sleep, my lad,' he said in a kindly tone. 'You want to sleep... ...I cannot get a wink, so I may as well do the watching.'
...'I know what is the matter with me,' he muttered, as he sat down by the door. 'I need smoke! I have not tasted it since the morning before the snowstorm.'
...The last thing that Pippin saw, as sleep took him, was a dark glimpse of the old wizard huddled on the floor, shielding a glowing chip in his gnarled hands between his knees. The flicker for a moment showed his sharp nose, and the puff of smoke.
...It was Gandalf who roused them all from sleep. He had sat and watched all alone for about six hours... '...And in the watches I have made up my mind,' he said. 'I do not like the feel of the middle way; and I do not like the smell of the left-hand way: there is foul air down there, or I am no guide. I shall take the right-hand passage. It is time we began to climb up again.'"
Hobbit: BotFA Geeky Observation List draft #3
6th draft of TH:AUJ Geeky Observation List - November 28, 2013
4th draft of TH:DOS Geeky Observation List - May 15, 2014
"There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West."
I'm SO HAPPY these new films take me back to that magical world!!
TIME Google Calendar
TORn's Geeky Observations Lists for LotR and The Hobbit
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jan 15 2015, 10:24am
Post #16 of 28
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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, 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]
Hobbit: BotFA Geeky Observation List draft #4
6th draft of TH:AUJ Geeky Observation List - November 28, 2013
4th draft of TH:DOS Geeky Observation List - May 15, 2014
"There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West."
I'm SO HAPPY these new films take me back to that magical world!!
TIME Google Calendar
TORn's Geeky Observations Lists for LotR and The Hobbit
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jan 16 2015, 6:00pm
Post #17 of 28
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Today in Middle-earth
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."
Hobbit: BotFA Geeky Observation List draft #4
6th draft of TH:AUJ Geeky Observation List - November 28, 2013
4th draft of TH:DOS Geeky Observation List - May 15, 2014
"There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West."
I'm SO HAPPY these new films take me back to that magical world!!
TIME Google Calendar
TORn's Geeky Observations Lists for LotR and The Hobbit
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jan 17 2015, 2:18pm
Post #18 of 28
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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."
Hobbit: BotFA Geeky Observation List draft #4
6th draft of TH:AUJ Geeky Observation List - November 28, 2013
4th draft of TH:DOS Geeky Observation List - May 15, 2014
"There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West."
I'm SO HAPPY these new films take me back to that magical world!!
TIME Google Calendar
TORn's Geeky Observations Lists for LotR and The Hobbit
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hatster
Rohan
Jan 18 2015, 4:46am
Post #19 of 28
(1114 views)
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I've often wondered if I had been offered that choice
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I've often wondered if I had been offered that choice--between "a shadow full of fear" and home and hearth, which my hobbity soul would take. Such a hard choice.
Hey gramma! good to see you still here timing away!
The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jan 18 2015, 2:16pm
Post #21 of 28
(1110 views)
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Today in Middle-earth
January 18, 2942 (S.R. 1342)
1. Bilbo, Gandalf and Beorn finally arrive at Beorn's house.
(determined from text & no text)
..."...by mid-winter Gandalf and Bilbo had come all the way back, along both edges of the Forest, to the doors of Beorn's house; and there for a while they both stayed."
...After travelling from the Lonely Mountain for over 6 weeks covering more than 480 miles, Gandalf and Bilbo begin to enjoy their winter refuge with Beorn. When they approached the home from the north, they could see smoke rising from the chimney and a warm glow from the windows. Clearly Beorn's wonderful animals knew their master was returning and had everything made ready.
January 18, 2007
Waiting for The Hobbit to be resolved and New Line to stop making trouble.
Wouldn't you LOVE to see this in a film!? ;)
Hobbit: BotFA Geeky Observation List draft #4
6th draft of TH:AUJ Geeky Observation List - November 28, 2013
4th draft of TH:DOS Geeky Observation List - May 15, 2014
"There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West."
I'm SO HAPPY these new films take me back to that magical world!!
TIME Google Calendar
TORn's Geeky Observations Lists for LotR and The Hobbit
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hatster
Rohan
Jan 18 2015, 6:19pm
Post #22 of 28
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You are going for the last big (until the remakes start!) party this year! Been thinking of you too! And a big hobbity hug to you in return! Wish I could have really given that to you. As it was I only made the opportunity available to you :-(. So good seeing you here!
The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning.
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entmaiden
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Jan 18 2015, 10:36pm
Post #23 of 28
(1105 views)
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So great to see you around these parts - been way too long!
Hope all is well with you.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jan 19 2015, 10:24am
Post #24 of 28
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Over the next few days, let's look at some Book Spoilers of how Sauron regained his power… for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From OF THE RINGS OF POWER AND THE THIRD AGE: The Silmarillion
..."Thus the Exiles of Númenor established their realms in Arnor and in Gondor; but ere many years had passed it became manifest that their enemy, Sauron, had also returned. He came in secret… …to his ancient kingdom of Mordor beyond the Ephel Dúath, the Mountains of Shadow, and that country marched with Gondor upon the east. There above the valley of Gorgoroth was built his fortress vast and strong, Barad-dûr, the Dark Tower; and there was a fiery mountain in that land that the Elves named Orodruin. Indeed for that reason Sauron had set there his dwelling long before, for he used the fire that welled there from the heart of the earth in his sorceries and in his forging; and in the midst of the Land of Mordor he had fashioned the Ruling Ring. There… …he brooded in the dark, until he had wrought for himself a new shape; and it was terrible… …his fair semblance had departed for ever when he was cast into the abyss at the drowning of Númenor. He took up again the great Ring and clothed himself in power; and the malice of the Eye of Sauron few even of the great among Elves and Men could endure.
...…Sauron prepared war against the Eldar and the Men of Westernesse, and the fires of the Mountain were wakened again. Wherefore seeing the smoke of Orodruin from afar, and perceiving that Sauron had returned, the Númenóreans named that mountain anew Amon Amarth, which is Mount Doom."
January 19, 2001
... The first FotR trailer is officially released on the internet.
Hobbit: BotFA Geeky Observations List draft #4
6th draft of TH:AUJ Geeky Observations List - November 28, 2013
4th draft of TH:DOS Geeky Observations List - May 15, 2014
"There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West."
I'm SO HAPPY these new films take me back to that magical world!!
TIME Google Calendar
TORn's Geeky Observations Lists for LotR and The Hobbit
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Jan 19 2015, 2:42pm
Post #25 of 28
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Do you remember it taking SO LONG to download that trailer?
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I think the website with the trailer "broke" a couple of times, there was so much activity! 
And we were all so blown away by it...
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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