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grammaboodawg
Immortal
May 27 2018, 11:24am
Post #1 of 46
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TIME - May 27
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Today in Middle-earth
May 27, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. The escort of Arwen leaves Lórien.
(from the appendices-no text)
...Arwen is leaving Lothlórien to travel to Minas Tirith via Edoras along with Elrond (Lord of Rivendell), Galadriel and Celeborn (Lady and Lord of the Galadrim), Glorfindel and Erestor (Elrond's chief counsellor), and other members of the household of Rivendell.
May 27, 3020 (S.R. 1420)
1. Spring in the Shire.
(not from the appendices-no text)
...The hobbits of the Shire enjoy the fairest spring they can remember while continuing to heal the hurts caused by Sharkey and his brute-squad.
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
May 28 2018, 10:58am
Post #2 of 46
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Today in Middle-earth
May 28, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. The road swings southeast through open country. Ahead are the hills of the Trollshaws.
(from Karen Wynn Fonstad, The Atlas of Middle-earth)
..."Mostly it had been as good as May can be, even in merry tales, but now it was cold and wet. In the Lone-lands they had to camp when they could, but at least it had been dry. ..."To think it will soon be June," grumbled Bilbo as he splashed along behind the others in a very muddy track. It was after tea-time; it was pouring with rain, and had been all day; his hood was dripping into his eyes, his cloak was full of water... ...the others were too grumpy to talk. "And I'm sure the rain has got into the dry clothes and into the food-bags," thought Bilbo. "Bother burgling and everything to do with it! I wish I was at home in my nice hole by the fire, with the kettle just beginning to sing!" It was not the last time that he wished that!"
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
May 28 2018, 11:06am
Post #3 of 46
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It's time for some Memorable BS!
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In honour of Memorial Day... for veterans, the military and their families throughout the world... lest we forget. From The Return Journey: The Hobbit
..."They buried Thorin deep beneath the Mountain, and Bard laid the Arkenstone upon his breast.
..."There let it lie till the Mountain falls!" he said. "May it bring good fortune to all his folk that dwell here after!"
Upon his tomb the Elvenking then laid Orcrist, the elvish sword that had been taken from Thorin in captivity. It is said in songs that it gleamed ever in the dark if foes approached, and the fortress of the dwarves could not be taken by surprise." From The King of the Golden Hall
..."At the foot of the walled hill the way ran under the shadow of many mounds, high and green. Upon their western sides the grass was white as with a drifted snow: small flowers sprang there like countless stars amid the turf.
...'Look!' said Gandalf. 'How fair are the bright eyes in the grass! Evermind they are called, Simbelmynë in this land of Men, for they blossom in all the season of the year, and grow where dead men rest.... ...We are come to the great barrows where the sires of Théoden sleep.'
...'Seven mounds upon the left, and nine upon the right,' said Aragorn. 'Many long lives of men it is since the golden hall was built.'
...'Five hundred times have the red leaves fallen in Mirkwood in my home since then,' said Legolas, 'and but a little while does that seem to us.'
...'But to the Riders of the Mark it seems so long ago... ...that the raising of this house is but a memory of song, and the years before are lost in the mist of time. Now they call this land their home... ...their own, and their speech is sundered from their northern kin.' Then he began to chant softly in a slow tongue unknown to the Elf and Dwarf; yet they listened, for there was a strong music in it.
...'That, I guess, is the language of the Rohirrim,' said Legolas; 'for it is like to this land itself; rich and rolling in part, and else hard and stern as the mountains. But I cannot guess what it means, save that it is laden with the sadness of Mortal Men.'
...'It runs thus in the Common Speech,' said Aragorn... Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing? Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing? Where is the hand on the harp string, and the red fire glowing? Where is the spring and the harvest and the tall corn growing? They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow; The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow. Who shall gather the smoke of the dead wood burning, Or behold the flowing years from the Sea returning?
Thus spoke a forgotten poet long ago in Rohan... ...So men still sing in the evening.'"
From The Houses of Healing: The Return of the King
..."Then Aragorn laid his hand on Merry's head, and passing his hand gently through the brown curls, he touched the eyelids, and called him by name. And when the fragrance of athelas stole through the room... ...suddenly Merry awoke, and he said:
...'I am hungry. What is the time?'
...'Past supper-time now,' said Pippin; 'though I daresay I could bring you something, if they will let me.'
...'They will indeed,' said Gandalf. 'And anything else that this Rider of Rohan may desire... ...in Minas Tirith, where his name is in honour.'
...'Good!' said Merry. 'Then I would like supper first, and after that a pipe.' At that his face clouded. 'No, not a pipe. I don't think I'll smoke again.'
...'Why not?' said Pippin.
...'Well,' answered Merry slowly. 'He is dead. It has brought it all back to me. He said he was sorry he had never had a chance of talking herb-lore with me. Almost the last thing he ever said. I shan't ever be able to smoke again without thinking of him, and that day, Pippin, when he rode up to Isengard and was so polite.'
...'Smoke then, and think of him!' said Aragorn. 'For he was a gentle heart and a great king and kept his oaths; and he rose out of the shadows to a last fair morning. Though your service to him was brief, it should be a memory glad and honourable to the end of your days.'
...Merry smiled. 'Well then,' he said, 'if Strider will provide what is needed, I will smoke and think.... ...Pippin remained behind. 'Was there ever any one like him?' he said. 'Except Gandalf, of course. I think they must be related. My dear ass, your pack is lying by your bed, and you had it on your back when I met you. He saw it all the time, of course. And anyway I have some stuff of my own. Come on now! Longbottom Leaf it is. Fill up while I run and see about some food. And then let's be easy for a bit. Dear me! We Tooks and Brandybucks, we can't live long on the heights.'
...'No, I can't; at least not yet. But at least we can know about them now, and honor them. It is best to love what you are fitted to love, I suppose: you must start somewhere and have some roots, and the soil of the Shire is deep. Still there are things deeper and higher, and not a gaffer could tend his garden in what he calls peace but for them, whether he knows about them or not. I am glad I know about them, a little. But I don't know why I am talking like this. Where is that leaf? And get my pipe out of my pack, if it isn't broken.'"
From The Field of Cormallen
..."Frodo and Sam were led apart and brought to a tent, and there their old raiment was... ...set aside with honour; and clean linen was given to them. Then Gandalf came and in his arms, to the wonder of Frodo, he bore the sword and the elven-cloak and the mithril-coat that had been taken from him in Mordor. For Sam he brought a coat of gilded mail, and his elven-cloak all healed of the soils and hurts that it had suffered; and then he laid before them two swords.
...'I do not wish for any sword,' said Frodo.
...'Tonight at least you should wear one,' said Gandalf.
...Then Frodo took the small sword that had belonged to Sam.... '...Sting I gave to you Sam,' he said.
...'No, master! Mr. Bilbo gave it to you, and it goes with his silver coat; he would not wish anyone else to wear it now.'
Frodo gave way; and Gandalf, as if he were their esquire, knelt and girt the sword-belts about them, and then rising he set circlets of silver upon their heads. And when they were arrayed they went to the great feast; and they sat at the King's table with Gandalf, and King Éomer of Rohan, and the Prince Imrahil and all the chief captains; and there also were Gimli and Legolas... [and all paused for]... the Standing Silence..."
..."'And I,' said Legolas, ' shall walk in the woods of the fair land, which is rest enough.
To the Sea, to the Sea! The white gulls are crying, The wind is blowing, and the white foam is flying. West, west away, the round sun is falling. Grey ship, grey ship, do you hear them calling, The voices of my people that have gone before me? I will leave, I will leave the woods that bore me; For our days are ending and our years failing. I will pass the wide waters lonely sailing. Long are the waves on the Last Shore falling, Sweet are the voices in the Lost Isle calling, In Eressëa, in Elvenhome that no man can discover, Where the leaves fall not: land of my people for ever!'
And so singing Legolas went away down the hill."
From Many Partings
..."Often long after the hobbits were wrapped in sleep they would sit together under the stars, recalling the ages that were gone and all their joys and labours in the world, or holding council, concerning the days to come. If any wanderer had chanced to pass, little would he have seen or heard, and it would have seemed to him only that he saw grey figures, carved in stone, memorials of forgotten things now lost in unpeopled lands. For they did not move or speak with their mouth, looking from mind to mind and only their shining eyes stirred and kindled as their thoughts went to and fro."
From The Scouring of the Shire
..."At last all was over. Nearly seventy of the ruffians lay dead on the field, and a dozen were prisoners. Nineteen hobbits were killed, and some thirty were wounded. The dead ruffians were laden on waggons and hauled off to an old sand-pit nearby and there buried: in the Battle Pit.... ...The fallen hobbits were laid together in a grave on the hill-side, where later a great stone was set up with a garden about it. So ended the Battle of Bywater, 1419, the last battle fought in the Shire, and the only battle since the Greenfields, 1147, away up in the Northfarthing. In consequence, though it happily cost very few lives, it has a chapter to itself in the Red Book, and the names of all those who took part were made into a Roll, and learned by heart by Shire-historians. The very considerable rise in the fame and fortune of the Cottons dates from this time; but at the top of the Roll in all accounts stand the names of Captains Meriadoc and Peregrin."
From The Grey Havens
..."'Where are you going, Master?' cried Sam, though at last he understood what was happening.
...'To the Havens, Sam,' said Frodo.
...'And I can't come.'
...'No, Sam. Not yet anyway, not further than the Havens. Though you too were a Ring-bearer.... ...Your time may come. Do not be too sad, Sam. You cannot always be torn in two. You will have to be one and whole, for many years. You have so much to enjoy and to be, and to do.'
...'But,' said Sam, and tears started in his eyes, 'I thought you were going to enjoy the Shire, too, for years and years, after all you have done.'
...'So I thought too, once. But I have been too deeply hurt, Sam. I tried to save the Shire, and it has been saved, but not for me. It must often be so, Sam, when things are in danger: some one has to give them up, lose them, so that others may keep them. But you are still my heir: all that I had and might have had I leave to you. And also you have Rose, and Elanor; and Frodo-lad will come, and Rosie-lass, and Merry, and Goldilocks, and Pippin; and perhaps more that I cannot see. Your hands and your wits will be needed everywhere. You will be the Mayor... ...as long as you want to be, and the most famous gardener in history; and you will read things out of the Red Book, and keep alive the memory of the age that is gone, so that people will remember the Great Danger and so love their beloved land all the more."
From The Lord of the Rings: Appendix A. III: "Durin's Folk" ..."So it was that after Azanulbizar the Dwarves dispersed again. But first with great labour they stripped all their dead, so that Orcs should not come and win there a store of weapons and mail. It is said that every Dwarf that went from that battlefield was bowed under a heavy burden. Then they built many pyres and burned all the bodies of their kin. There was a great felling of trees in the valley, which remained bare ever after, and the reek of the burning was seen in Lórien.*"
..."* Such dealings with their dead seemed grievous to the Dwarves, for it was against their use; but to make such tombs as they were accustomed to build (since they will lay their dead only in stone not in earth) would have taken many years. To fire therefore they turned, rather than leave their kin to beast or bird or carrion-orc. But those who fell in Azanulbizar were honoured in memory, and to this day a Dwarf will say proudly of one of his sires: 'he was a burned Dwarf', and that is enough."
We have been there and back again.
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Attalus
Lorien
May 28 2018, 9:14pm
Post #4 of 46
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 I always liked that line about "a burned Dwarf."
We are the fighting Uruk-Hai! We slew the great warrior! Well, yeah, first he killed a bunch of us and another whole lot of Mauhúr's lads, and we had to shoot enough arrows into him to drop a Mûmak. But we got him!
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
May 29 2018, 10:27am
Post #5 of 46
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Today in Middle-earth
May 29, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. The weather turns trollish; and the Company realizes Gandalf is missing.
(from Karen Wynn Fonstad, The Atlas of Middle-earth)
..."...Soon it was nearly dark.... ...Not until then did they notice that Gandalf was missing. So far he had come all the way with them, never saying if he was in the adventure or merely keeping them company for a while. He had eaten most, talked most, and laughed most. But now he simply was not there at all!
..."Just when a wizard would have been most useful, too," groaned Dori and Nori (who shared the hobbit's views about regular meals, plenty and often).
...They decided in the end that they would have to camp where they were.... ...They moved to a clump of trees, and though it was drier under them, the wind shook the rain off the leaves, and the drip, drip, was most annoying. Also the mischief seemed to have got into the fire. Dwarves can make a fire almost anywhere out of almost anything, wind or no wind; but they could not do it that night....
...There they all sat glum and wet and muttering, while Oin and Gloin went on trying to light the fire, and quarrelling about it. Bilbo was sadly reflecting that adventures are not all pony-rides in May-sunshine, when Balin, who was always their look-out man, said: "There's a light over there...!'
..."...Now it is the burglar's turn... ...You must go on and find out all about that light, and what it is for, and if all is perfectly safe and canny," said Thorin to the hobbit. "Now scuttle off, and come back quick, if all is well. If not, come back if you can! If you can't, hoot twice like a barn-owl and once like a screech-owl, and we will do what we can."
...Off Bilbo had to go, before he could explain that he could not hoot even once like any kind of owl any more than fly like a bat. But at any rate hobbits can move quietly in woods, absolutely quietly.... ...he got right up to the fire—for fire it was—without disturbing anyone. And this is what he saw.
...Three very large persons sitting round a very large fire of beech-logs. They were toasting mutton on long spits of wood, and licking the gravy off their fingers... ...Also there was a barrel of good drink at hand, and they were drinking out of jugs.
...But they were trolls... ...Even Bilbo, in spite of his sheltered life, could see that...
..."...Mutton yesterday, mutton today, and blimey, if it don't look like mutton again tomorrer," said one of the trolls.
..."Never a blinking bit of manflesh have we had for long enough," said a second....
......After hearing all this Bilbo ought to have done something at once. Either he should have gone back quietly and warned his friends that there were three fair-sized trolls at hand in a nasty mood, quite likely to try toasted dwarf, or even pony, for a change; or else he should have done a bit of good quick burgling.... ...Of the various burglarious proceedings he had heard of picking the trolls' pockets seemed the least difficult, so at last he crept behind a tree just behind William.
......Bilbo plucked up courage and put his little hand in William's enormous pocket. There was a purse in it, as big as a bag to Bilbo. "Ha!" thought he warming to his new work as he lifted it carefully out, "this is a beginning!"
...It was! Trolls' purses are the mischief, and this was no exception. "'Ere, 'oo are you?" it squeaked, as it left the pocket; and William turned round at once and grabbed Bilbo by the neck....
..."...Blimey, Bert, look what I've copped!" said William.
..."What is it?" said the others coming up.
..."Lumme, if I knows! What are yer?"
..."Bilbo Baggins, a bur—a hobbit," said poor Bilbo, shaking all over, and wondering how to make owl-noises before they throttled him.
..."A Burrahobbit?" said they a bit startled. Trolls are slow in the uptake...."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
May 29 2018, 10:47am
Post #6 of 46
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that something as simple as "a burned Dwarf" has precious meaning.
Thanks :)
We have been there and back again.
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Attalus
Lorien
May 29 2018, 6:13pm
Post #7 of 46
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...as it might have been said of a British WWII vet, "He followed the pipes at Alamein." Aeschylus had carved on his tomb that he was a veteran of Marathon while making no mention of his success as a playwright.
We are the fighting Uruk-Hai! We slew the great warrior! Well, yeah, first he killed a bunch of us and another whole lot of Mauhúr's lads, and we had to shoot enough arrows into him to drop a Mûmak. But we got him!
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
May 30 2018, 10:31am
Post #8 of 46
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Today in Middle-earth
May 30, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. Gandalf keeps the trolls arguing until dawn.
(from Karen Wynn Fonstad, The Atlas of Middle-earth)
...""No sooner did Tom see Balin come into the light than he gave an awful howl. Trolls simply detest the very sight of dwarves (uncooked)... ...before Balin, who was wondering where in all this commotion Bilbo was, knew what was happening, a sack was over his head, and he was down.
..."There's more to come yet," said Tom, "or I'm mighty mistook. Lots and none at all, it is," said he. "No burra-hobbits, but lots of these here dwarves... ...As each dwarf came up and looked at the fire, and the spilled jugs, and the gnawed mutton, in surprise, pop! went a nasty smelly sack over his head, and he was down. Soon Dwalin lay by Balin, and Fili and Kili together, and Dori and Nori and Ori all in a heap, and Oin and Gloin and Bifur and Bofur and Bombur piled uncomfortably near the fire...
......Thorin came last—and he was not caught unawares. He came expecting mischief, and didn't need to see his friends' legs sticking out of sacks to tell him that things were not all well... ...he jumped forward to the fire, before they could leap on him. He caught up a big branch all on fire at one end; and Bert got that end in his eye before he could step aside... ...Bilbo did his best. He caught hold of Tom's leg—as well as he could, it was thick as a young tree-trunk—but he was sent spinning up into the top of some bushes, when Tom kicked the sparks up in Thorin's face.
...Tom got the branch in his teeth for that, and lost one of the front ones... ...But just at that moment William came up behind and popped a sack right over Thorin's head and down to his toes. And so the fight ended. A nice pickle they were all in now: all neatly tied up in sacks, with three angry trolls (and two with burns and bashes to remember) sitting by them, arguing whether they should roast them slowly, or mince them fine and boil them, or just sit on them one by one and squash them into jelly: and Bilbo up in a bush, with his clothes and his skin torn, not daring to move for fear they should hear him....
......It was just then that Gandalf came back. But no one saw him. The trolls had just decided to roast the dwarves now and eat them later---that was Bert's idea, and after a lot of argument they had all agreed to it.
..."No good roasting 'em now, it'd take all night," said a voice. Bert thought it was William's.
..."Don't start the argument all over again, Bill," he said, "or it will take all night."
..."Who's a-arguing?" said William, who thought it was Bert that had spoken.
..."You are," said Bert.
..."You're a liar," said William; and so the argument began all over again. In the end they decided to mince them fine and boil them...
..."...No good boiling 'em! We ain't got no water, and it's a long way to the well and all," said a voice. Bert and William thought it was Tom's....
......And so the argument began all over again, and went on hotter than ever, until at last they decided to sit on the sacks one by one and squash them, and boil them next time.
..."Who shall we sit on first?" said the voice....
..."...Now stop it!" said Tom and Bert together. "The night's getting' on, and dawn comes early. Let's get on with it!"
..."Dawn take you all, and be stone to you!" said a voice that sounded like William's. But it wasn't. For just at that moment the light came over the hill, and there was a mighty twitter in the branches. William never spoke for he stood turned to stone as he stooped; and Bert and Tom were stuck like rocks as they looked at him. And there they stand to this day all alone, unless the birds perch on them; for trolls... ...must be underground before dawn, or they go back to the stuff of the mountains they are made of, and never move again....
..."...Excellent!" said Gandalf, as he stepped from behind a tree, and helped Bilbo to climb down out of a thornbush. Then Bilbo understood. It was the wizard's voice that had kept the trolls bickering and quarrelling, until the light came and made an end of them....
......They searched about, and soon found the marks of trolls' stony boots going away through the trees. They followed the tracks up the hill, until hidden by bushes they came on a big door of stone leading to a cave.... ...among an untidy litter of plunder, of all sorts from brass buttons to pots full of gold coins standing in a corner. There were lots of clothes, too, hanging on the walls—too small for trolls, I am afraid they belonged to victims—and among them were several swords of various makes, shapes, and sizes. Two caught their eyes particularly, because of their beautiful scabbards and jewelled hilts.
...Gandalf and Thorin each took one of these; and Bilbo took a knife in a leather sheath. It would have made only a tiny pocket-knife for a troll, but it was as good as a short sword for the hobbit.
..."These look like good blades," said the wizard, half drawing them and looking at them curiously. "They were not made by any troll, nor by any smith among men in these parts and days; but when we can read the runes on them, we shall know more about them.""
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
May 31 2018, 12:14pm
Post #9 of 46
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A Book Spoiler to honour the fallen in battle... for a moment of Tolkien-zen. From The Riders Of Rohan: The Two Towers
..."At last as the afternoon was waning they came to the eaves of the forest, and in an open glade among the first trees they found the place of the great burning: the ashes were still hot and smoking. Beside it was a great pile of helms and mail, cloven shields, and broken swords, bows and darts and other gear of war... ...not far from the river, where it came streaming out from the edge of the wood, there was a mound. It was newly raised: the raw earth was covered with... ...turves: about it were planted fifteen spears.
...Aragorn and his companions searched far and wide about the field of battle, but the light faded and evening soon drew down, dim and misty. By nightfall they had discovered no trace of Merry and Pippin.
...'We can do no more,' said Gimli sadly. 'We have been set many riddles since we came to Tol Brandir, but this is the hardest to unravel. I would guess that the burned bones of the hobbits are now mingled with the Orcs'. It will be hard news for Frodo, if he lives to hear it; and hard too for the old hobbit who waits in Rivendell. Elrond was against their coming.'
...'But Gandalf was not,' said Legolas.
...'But Gandalf chose to come himself, and he was the first to be lost.... ...His foresight failed him.'
...'The counsel of Gandalf was not founded on foreknowledge of safety, for himself or for others,' said Aragorn. 'There are some things that it is better to begin than to refuse, even though the end may be dark.'"
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jun 1 2018, 10:25am
Post #10 of 46
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Today in Middle-earth
June 1, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. The Company enters the woods.
(from Karen Wynn Fonstad, The Atlas of Middle-earth)
..."[Gandalf, Bilbo and the Dwarves] leave early and make haste. They enter the woods and continue east on road through the trees. Their road and the woods run into the valley on north as they pass an out-thrust 'toe' of a hill. They make camp near the valley from the north."
Since this is so short, let's see how hobbits like to camp... for a moment of Tolkien-zen From Three Is Company: The Fellowship of the Ring
... "Leaving the road they went into the deep resin-scented darkness of the trees, and gathered dead sticks and cones to make a fire. Soon they had a merry crackle of flame at the foot of a large fir-tree and they sat round it for a while, until they began to nod. Then... ...they curled up in their cloaks and blankets, and were soon fast asleep... ...A few creatures came and looked at them when the fire had died away. A fox passing through the wood on business of his own stopped several minutes and sniffed.
... 'Hobbits!' he thought. 'Well, what next? I have heard of strange doings in this land, but I have seldom heard of a hobbit sleeping out of doors under a tree. Three of them! There's something mighty queer behind this.' He was quite right...
... ...The morning came, pale and clammy. Frodo woke up first, and found that a tree-root had made a hole in his back, and that his neck was stiff. 'Walking for pleasure! Why didn't I drive?' he thought, as he usually did at the beginning of an expedition... '...Wake up, hobbits!' he cried. 'It's a beautiful morning!'
... 'What's beautiful about it?' said Pippin, peering over the edge of his blanket with one eye. 'Sam! Get breakfast ready for half-past nine! Have you got the bath-water hot?'
... Sam jumped up, looking rather bleary. 'No, sir, I haven't, sir!' he said.
... Frodo stripped the blankets from Pippin and rolled him over, and then walked off to the edge of the wood... ...When he returned Sam and Pippin had got a good fire going. 'Water!' shouted Pippin. 'Where's the water?'
... 'I don't keep water in my pockets,' said Frodo.
... 'We thought you had gone to find some,' said Pippin, busy setting out the food, and cups. 'You had better go now.'
... 'You can come too,' said Frodo, 'and bring all the water-bottles.' There was a stream at the foot of the hill. They filled their bottles and the small camping kettle at a little fall where the water fell a few feet over an outcrop of grey stone. It was icy cold; and they spluttered and puffed as they bathed their faces and hands.
... When their breakfast was over, and their packs all trussed up again, it was after ten o'clock, and the day was beginning to turn fine and hot. They went down the slope, and across the stream where it dived under the road, and up the next slope, and up and down another shoulder of the hills; and by that time their cloaks, blankets, water, food, and other gear already seemed a heavy burden."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jun 2 2018, 10:52am
Post #11 of 46
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Here's part 1 of a 2-part Book Spoiler of the Dwarves camping out... for a moment of Tolkien-zen. From Roast Mutton: The Hobbit
... "Soon it was nearly dark. The winds broke up the grey clouds, and a waning moon appeared above the hills between the flying rags. Then they stopped, and Thorin muttered something about supper, "and where shall we get a dry patch to sleep on?"
... Not until then did they notice that Gandalf was missing. So far he had come all the way with them, never saying if he was in the adventure or merely keeping them company for a while. He had eaten most, talked most, and laughed most. But now he simply was not there at all!
... "...Just when a wizard would have been most useful, too," groaned Dori and Nori...
... They decided in the end that they would have to camp where they were... ... they knew that they soon would have to camp regularly... ...it seemed a bad wet evening to begin on... ...the wind shook the rain off the leaves, and the drip, drip, was most annoying. Also the mischief seemed to have got into the fire. Dwarves can make a fire almost anywhere out of almost anything, wind or no wind; but they could not do it that night, not even Oin and Gloin, who were specially good at it...."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
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Jun 3 2018, 12:49pm
Post #12 of 46
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Here's part 2 of a 2-part Book Spoiler of the Dwarves camping out... for a moment of Tolkien-zen. From Roast Mutton: The Hobbit
... "...one of the ponies took fright at nothing and bolted. He got into the river before they could catch him; and before they could get him out again, Fili and Kili were nearly drowned... ...all the baggage that he carried was washed away off him. Of course it was mostly food, and there was mighty little left for supper, and less for breakfast.
... There they all sat glum and wet and muttering, while Oin and Gloin went on trying to light the fire, and quarrelling about it. Bilbo was sadly reflecting that adventures are not all pony-rides in May-sunshine, when Balin, who was always their look-out man, said: "There's a light over there!' There was a hill some way off with trees on it, pretty thick in parts. Out of the dark mass of the trees they could now see a light shining, a reddish comfortable-looking light...
... ...When they had looked at it for some while, they fell to arguing. Some said "no" and some said "yes." Some said they could but go and see, and anything was better than little supper, less breakfast, and wet clothes all the night."
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grammaboodawg
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Jun 4 2018, 11:33am
Post #13 of 46
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Here is the first of two Book Spoilers that look at the description of Tom Bombadil's house... for a moment of Tolkien-zen. From In the House of Tom Bombadil: The Fellowship of the Ring
...[As the Hobbits followed Bombadil from the River] "It became difficult to follow the path, and they were very tired... ...Strange furtive noises ran among the bushes and reeds on either side of them; and if they looked up to the pale sky, they caught sight of queer gnarled and knobbly faces that gloomed dark against the twilight, and leered down at them from the high bank and the edges of the wood. They began to feel that all this country was unreal, and that they were stumbling through an ominous dream that led to no awakening.
... Just as they felt their feet slowing down to a standstill, they noticed that the ground was gently rising. The water began to murmur... ...the river flowed over a short fall. Then suddenly the trees came to an end and the mists were left behind. They stepped out from the Forest, and found a wide sweep of grass welling up before them. The river, now small and swift, was leaping merrily down to meet them...
... ...The grass under their feet was smooth and short, as if it had been mown or shaven. The eaves of the Forest behind were clipped, and trim as a hedge. The path was now plain before them, well-tended and bordered with stone. It wound up on to the top of a grassy knoll... ...and there, still high above them on a further slope, they saw the twinkling lights of a house. Down again the path went, and then up again, up a long smooth hillside of turf, towards the light. Suddenly a wide yellow beam flowered out brightly from a door that was opened. There was Tom Bombadil's house before them, up, down, under hill. Behind it a steep shoulder of the land lay grey and bare, and beyond that the dark shapes of the Barrow-downs stalked away into the eastern night..."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
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Jun 6 2018, 10:53am
Post #15 of 46
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Today in Middle-earth
June 6, 2942 (S.R. 1342)
1. Gandalf and Bilbo retrace their journey.
(determined from text)
..."At each point on the road Bilbo recalled the happenings and the words of a year ago—it seemed to him more like ten—so... ...he quickly noted the place where the pony had fallen in the river, and they had turned aside for their nasty adventure with Tom and Bert and Bill.
...Not far from the road they found the gold of the trolls, which they had buried, still hidden and untouched. "I have enough to last me my time," said Bilbo, when they had dug it up. "You had better take this, Gandalf. I daresay you can find a use for it."
..."Indeed I can... ...But share and share alike! You may find you have more needs than you expect."
...So they put the gold in bags and slung them on the ponies.... ...After that their going was slower, for most of the time they walked. But the land was green and there was much grass through which the hobbit strolled along contentedly. He mopped his face with a red silk handkerchief—no! not a single one of his own had survived. He had borrowed this one from Elrond—for now June had brought summer, and the weather was bright and hot again."
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Otaku-sempai
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Jun 6 2018, 1:27pm
Post #16 of 46
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"...[For] now June had brought summer..."
So, does this indicate that the Hobbits reckon summer as falling only from the start of June to the end of July (with the Lithedays at mid-summer)? Is the narrator being metaphorical? Or is the term 'mid-summer' a misnomer, with the season possibly lasting through the month of August?
"I may be on the side of the angels, but do not think for one second that I am one of them." - Sherlock
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grammaboodawg
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Jun 7 2018, 3:34am
Post #17 of 46
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I've always interpreted the phrase of June to signal the beginning of summer-like weather and so handkerchief-worthy temps ;)
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Otaku-sempai
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Jun 7 2018, 4:54am
Post #18 of 46
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I've always interpreted the phrase of June to signal the beginning of summer-like weather and so handkerchief-worthy temps ;)
You may be right, but I suspect that Tolkien was being literal here. Tolkien did note in LotR Appendix D ("Shire Calendar"): "The seasons...had no exact definitions," so they may have been reckoned by such specific events as the budding of the trees, the appearance of the first berries, or the first hard frost or snowfall.
"I may be on the side of the angels, but do not think for one second that I am one of them." - Sherlock
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grammaboodawg
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Jun 7 2018, 11:20am
Post #19 of 46
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Today in Middle-earth
June 7, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. The Company begins to feel the pressure.
(determined from text)
..."The road now runs due east. With few provisions, they hurry along and can see ruins on hilltop to the north. South of the Road, a ravine of the Bruinen comes close. The Road then turns NE as they pass a valley from the north and camp.
...They did not sing or tell stories... ...They had begun to feel that danger was not far away on either side. They camped under the stars, and their horses had more to eat than they had; for there was plenty of grass, but there was not much in their bags, even with that they had got from the trolls."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
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Jun 8 2018, 11:52am
Post #20 of 46
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This is a Book Spoiler that looks at the suspense of hoofbeats heard on dangerous roads... for a moment of Tolkien-zen. From Three Is Company: The Fellowship of the Ring
... "The hoofs drew nearer. They had no time to find any hiding-place better than the general darkness under the trees; Sam and Pippin crouched behind a large tree-bole, while Frodo crept back a few yards towards the lane. It showed grey and pale, a line of fading light through the wood. Above it the stars were thick in the dim sky, but there was no moon.
... The sound of hoofs stopped. As Frodo watched he saw something dark pass across the lighter space between two trees, and then halt... ...The black shadow stood close to the point where they had left the path, and it swayed from side to side. Frodo thought he heard the sound of snuffling. The shadow bent to the ground, and then began to crawl towards him...
... ...the desire to slip on the Ring came over Frodo; but this time it was stronger... ...almost before he realized what he was doing, his hand was groping in his pocket. But at that moment there came a sound like mingled song and laughter. Clear voices rose and fell in the starlit air. The black shadow straightened up and retreated...
... '...Elves!' exclaimed Sam in a hoarse whisper. 'Elves, sir!' He would have burst out of the trees and dashed off towards the voices, if they had not pulled him back.
... 'Yes, it is Elves,' said Frodo. 'One can meet them sometimes... ...I am thankful that they do! You did not see, but that Black Rider stopped just here and... ...As soon as he heard the voices he slipped away.
... 'What about the Elves?' said Sam, too excited to trouble about the rider. 'Can't we go and see them?'
... 'Listen! They are coming this way,' said Frodo."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
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Jun 9 2018, 11:50am
Post #21 of 46
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And then there's this Book Spoiler that looks at the suspense of hoofbeats heard on dangerous roads... for a moment of Tolkien-zen. From Flight to the Ford: The Fellowship of the Ring
... "They were beginning to look out for a place off the Road, where they could camp for the night, when they heard a sound that brought sudden fear back into their hearts: the noise of hoofs behind them. They looked back, but they could not see far because of the many windings and rollings of the Road. As quickly as they could they scrambled off the beaten way and up into the deep heather... ...on the slopes above, until they peered out from among the bushes, they could see the Road... ...some thirty feet below them. The sound of hoofs drew nearer. They were going fast, with a light clippety-clippety-clip. Then faintly... ...they seemed to catch a dim ringing, as of small bells tinkling.
... 'That does not sound like a Black Rider's horse!' said Frodo, listening intently. The other hobbits agreed hopefully... ...but they all remained full of suspicion. They had been in fear of pursuit for so long that any sound from behind seemed ominous and unfriendly...
......Clearer and nearer now the bells jingled, and clippety-clip came the quick trotting feet. Suddenly into view below came a white horse, gleaming in the shadows, running swiftly. In the dusk its headstall flickered and flashed, as if it were studded with gems like living stars the rider's cloak streamed behind him, and his hood was thrown back; his golden hair flowed... ...in the wind of his speed. To Frodo it appeared that a white light was shining through the form and raiment of the rider, as if through a thin veil.
... Strider sprang from hiding and dashed down towards the Road, leaping with a cry through the heather; but even before he had moved... ...the rider had reined his horse and halted, looking up towards the thicket where they stood. When he saw Strider, he dismounted and ran to meet him calling out: Ai na vedui Dúnadan! Mae govannen! His speech and clear ringing voice left no doubt in their hearts: the rider was of the Elven-folk. No others that dwelt in the wide world had voices so fair to hear."
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jun 10 2018, 12:11pm
Post #22 of 46
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And here's another Book Spoiler that looks at the suspense of hoofbeats... for a moment of Tolkien-zen. The Riders Of Rohan: The Two Towers
..."Stooping [Aragorn] roused the Dwarf. 'Come! We must go... ...The scent is growing cold.'
...'But it is still dark,' said Gimli. 'Even Legolas on a hilltop could not see them till the Sun is up.'
...'I fear they have passed beyond my sight from hill or plain, under moon or sun,' said Legolas.
...Where sight fails the earth may bring us rumours,' said Aragorn. 'The land must groan under their hated feet.'
...He stretched himself upon the ground with his ear pressed against the turf. He lay there motionless, for so long a time that Gimli wondered if he had swooned or fallen asleep again.... ...At last he rose, and now his friends could see his face: it was pale and dawn, and his look was troubled.
...'The rumours of the earth is dim and confused,' he said. 'Nothing walks upon it for many miles about us. Faint and far are the feet of our enemies. But loud are the hoofs of the horses. It comes to my mind that I heard them, even as I lay on the ground in sleep, and they troubled my dreams: galloping, passing in the West. But now they are drawing ever further from us riding northward. I wonder what is happening in this land!'"
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
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Jun 11 2018, 10:38am
Post #23 of 46
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And here's one more Book Spoiler that looks at the suspense of hoofbeats... for a moment of Tolkien-zen. The White Rider: The Two Towers
... "...Gandalf... lifting up his head he gave a long whistle. So clear and piercing was the note that the others stood amazed to hear such a sound come from those old bearded lips. Three times he whistled; and then faint and far off it seemed to them that they heard the whinny of a horse borne up from the plains... ...They waited wondering. Before long there came the sound of hoofs, at first hardly more than a tremor of the ground perceptible only to Aragorn as he lay upon the grass, then growing steadily louder and clearer to a quick beat.
... 'There is more than one horse coming,' said Aragorn...
... '...There are three,' said Legolas, gazing out over the plain. 'See how they run! There is Hasufel, and there is my friend Arod beside him... ...there is another that strides ahead: a very great horse. I have not seen his like before.'
... 'Nor will you again,' said Gandalf. 'That is Shadowfax. He is the chief of the Mearas, lords of horses... ...Does he not shine like silver, and run as smoothly as a swift stream? He has come for me: the horse of the White Rider. We are going to battle together.'
... Even as the old wizard spoke, the great horse came striding up the slope towards them; his coat was glistening and his mane flowing in the wind of his speed. The two others followed, now far behind. As soon as Shadowfax saw Gandalf, he checked his pace and whinnied loudly; then trotting gently forward he stooped his proud head and nuzzled his great nostrils against the old man's neck....
... ...Soon the other horses came up and stood quietly by, as if awaiting orders. 'We go at once to Meduseld, the hall of your master, Théoden,' said Gandalf, addressing them gravely. They bowed their heads."
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grammaboodawg
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Jun 12 2018, 1:17pm
Post #24 of 46
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Today in Middle-earth
June 12, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. The Company comes near to Rivendell.
(determined from text)
... "They continue northeast. The road still hugs feet of the Trollshaws, cross a small stream, then bends more northeast. The steep ravine of the Bruinen also runs east-northeast not far to the south. They continue east-northeast along the road... ...The road begins to run gently downhill with much grass on sides."
We have been there and back again.
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Otaku-sempai
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Jun 12 2018, 2:41pm
Post #25 of 46
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The Company approaches Rivendell
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I see that we're in agreement that Karen Wynn Fonstad, in her Atlas of Middle-earth, placed the arrival of the company at Rivendell a bit too early (on June 4). I suspect she was basing her figures on the traditional historical date of about June 24 (Gregorian calendar) for midsummer.
They stayed long in that good house, fourteen days at least, and they found it hard to leave.
Tolkien wrote that the company departed Rivendell on the morning of midsummer. If we can assume that this represents Midyear's Day in the Shire Reckoning (the middle of the three Lithedays, not counting the leapyear day of Overlithe) then that tells us that they could have arrived at the Last Homely House no later than June 17--possibly several days before that.
"I may be on the side of the angels, but do not think for one second that I am one of them." - Sherlock
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