|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
grammaboodawg
Immortal
Sep 21 2018, 11:49am
Post #1 of 17
(21422 views)
Shortcut
|
TIME - September 21
|
Can't Post
|
|
Today in Middle-earth
September 21, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. Bilbo makes a discovery.
(determined from text - referencing Karen Wynn Fonstad, The Atlas of Middle-earth)
..."One day, nosing and wandering about, Bilbo discovered a very interesting thing: the great gates were not the only entrance to the caves. A stream flowed under part of the lowest regions of the palace, and joined the Forest River some way further to the east, beyond the steep slope out of which the main mouth opened....
......When the barrels were empty the elves cast them through the trapdoors, opened the water-gate, and out the barrels floated on the stream…"
...For some time Bilbo sat and thought about this water-gate, and wondered if it could be used for the escape of his friends, and at last he had the desperate beginnings of a plan…."
2. Bilbo and the Dwarves escape in the afternoon.
(from Karen Wynn Fonstad, The Atlas of Middle-earth)
..."…Bilbo heard the king's butler bidding the chief of the guards good-night.
..."Now come with me," he said, "and taste the new wine that has just come in. I shall be hard at work tonight clearing the cellars of the empty wood, so let us have a drink first to help the labour."
...…When he heard this Bilbo was all in a flutter, for he saw that luck was with him and he had a chance at once to try his desperate plan. He followed the two elves, until they entered a small cellar and sat down at a table on which two large flagons were set. Soon they began to drink and laugh merrily…. …Then in crept the hobbit. Very soon the chief guard had no keys…
...First he unlocked Balin's door… "You must follow me! We must all keep together and not risk getting separated. All of us must escape or none, and this is our last chance. If this is found out, goodness knows where the king will put you next, with chains on your hands and feet too, I expect. Don't argue, there's a good fellow!"
...Then off he went from door to door, until his following had grown to twelve… … At last after much blundering they came to Thorin's dungeon, far down in a deep place and fortunately not far from the cellars.
..."Upon my word!" said Thorin, when Bilbo whispered to him to come out and join his friends, "Gandalf spoke true, as usual. A pretty fine burglar you make, it seems, when the time comes. I am sure we are all for ever at your service, whatever happens after this. But what comes next?"
...Bilbo saw that the time had come to explain his idea, as far as he could...
..."...We shall be bruised and battered to pieces, and drowned too, for certain!" they muttered. "We thought you had got some sensible notion, when you managed to get hold of the keys. This is a mad idea!"
..."Very well!" said Bilbo very downcast, and also rather annoyed. "Come along back to your nice cells, and I will lock you all in again, and you can sit there comfortably and think of a better plan—but I don't suppose I shall ever get hold of the keys again, even if I feel inclined to try."
...That was too much for them, and they calmed down. In the end, of course, they had to do just what Bilbo suggested…
...…They soon found thirteen [casks] with room enough for a dwarf in each. In fact some were too roomy, and as they climbed in the dwarves thought anxiously of the shaking and the bumping they would get inside, though Bilbo did his best to find straw and other stuff to pack them in as cosily as could be managed in a short time....
.......Bilbo suddenly discovered the weak point in his plan... ...he was not in a barrel himself...
......Now the very last barrel was being rolled to the doors! In despair and not knowing what else to do, poor little Bilbo caught hold of it and was pushed over the edge with it. Down into the water he fell, splash! into the cold dark water with the barrel on top of him.
...He came up again spluttering and clinging to the wood like a rat, and lay on the top spread out to keep the balance as best he could."
3. At dusk Bilbo the barrel-packed dwarves reach the huts of the Raft-men.
(from Karen Wynn Fonstad, The Atlas of Middle-earth)
... "...the hurrying water of the Forest River swept all the company of casks and tubs away to the north bank... ...On the shallow shore most of the barrels ran aground, though a few went on to bump against the stony pier.
...There were people on the look-out on the banks. They quickly poled and pushed all the barrels together into the shallows… …counted them… …roped them together and left them till the morning. Poor dwarves! Bilbo… …slipped from his barrel and waded ashore, and then sneaked along to some huts that he could see near the water's edge. He no longer thought twice about picking up a supper uninvited if he got the chance… …and he knew only too well what it was to be really hungry… …Also he had caught a glimpse of a fire through the trees, and that appealed to him with his dripping and ragged clothes clinging to him cold and clammy."
September 21, 3001 (S.R. 1401)
1. Party preparations are in full swing.
(not from the appendices)
..."The tents began to go up. There was a specially large pavilion, so big that the tree that grew in the field was right inside it, and stood proudly near one end, at the head of the chief table. Lanterns were hung on all its branches. More promising still (to the hobbits' mind): an enormous open-air kitchen was erected in the north corner of the field. A draught of cooks, from every inn and eating-house for miles around, arrived to supplement the dwarves and other odd folk that were quartered at Bag End. Excitement rose to its height.
...Then the weather clouded over. That was on Wednesday the eve of the Party. Anxiety was intense..."
September 21, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Gandalf meets Shadowfax.
(from the appendices)
pg 344 I
..." 'There is one among them that might have been foaled in the morning of the world. The horses of the Nine cannot vie with him... ...swift as the flowing wind. Shadowfax they called him. By day his coat glistened like silver; and by night it is like a shade, and he passes unseen. Light is his footfall! Never before had any man mounted him...'"
2. Frodo continues to anticipate Gandalf's return.
(not from the appendices)
..."Frodo became really anxious, and kept a constant look-out for Gandalf."
September 21, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. They return to Rivendell.
(from the appendices)
..."At last one evening they came over the high moors, suddenly as to the travellers it always seemed, to the brink of the deep valley of Rivendell and saw far below the lamps shining in Elrond's [home]... ...filled with light and song for joy at Elrond's homecoming.
...First of all, before they had eaten or washed or even shed their cloaks, the hobbits went in search of Bilbo. They found him all alone in his little room. It was littered with papers and pens and pencils; but Bilbo was sitting in a chair before a small bright fire. He looked very old, but peaceful, and sleepy.
...He opened his eyes and looked up as they came in. 'Hullo, hullo! ...So you've come back? And tomorrow's my birthday, too. How clever of you! Do you know, I shall be one hundred and twenty-nine? And in one year more, if I am spared, I shall equal the Old Took. I should like to beat him; but we shall see.'"
2. Saruman comes to the Shire.
(from the appendices)
..."You made me laugh, you hobbit-lordlings, riding along with all those great people, so secure and so pleased with your little selves. You thought you had done very well out of it all, and could now just amble back and have a nice quiet time in the country.... ...but you must go dangling after him, dawdling and talking, and riding round twice as far as you needed. "Well," thought I, "if they're such fools, I will get ahead of them and teach them a lesson. One ill turn deserves another."
September 21, 3021 (S.R. 1421)
1. Frodo and Samwise set out from Hobbiton.
(from the appendices)
..."...they set out together, Frodo on the pony that had borne him all the way from Minas Tirith, and was now called Strider: and Sam on his beloved Bill. It was a fair golden morning, and Sam did not ask where they were going: he thought he could guess."
September 21, 1937
1. The Hobbit is published.
..."In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit."
...In the early 1930's, J.R.R. Tolkien found a blank page on one of his students' school papers he was correcting and wrote this first line of what would become one of the greatest fantasy stories written. Once a bedtime story for his young children, the Professor eventually penned his tale of the adventures of a Hobbit, Dwarves, Elves and a Dragon into a book.
...The first edition of The Hobbit was published by George Allen & Unwin, Ltd. of London in 1937 with 1,500 prints. To date, it has been published in 40 different languages. Tolkien's world of Middle-earth eventually expanded into The Lord of the Rings.
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
|
|
|
grammaboodawg
Immortal
Sep 22 2018, 5:22am
Post #2 of 17
(21387 views)
Shortcut
|
Today in Middle-earth
September 22, 2890 (S.R. 1290)
1. Bilbo born in the Shire.
(from APPENDIX B: THE TALE OF YEARS (CHRONOLOGY OF THE WESTLANDS): Third Age-no text)
...Bungo Baggins and Belladonna Took celebrate the birth of their only child, "Bilbo Baggins of Hobbiton, the Shire."
September 22, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. Bilbo and the barrels reach Lake-town just after sunset.
(from Karen Wynn Fonstad The Atlas of Middle-earth)
..."...a barrel was cut loose by Bilbo and pushed to the shore and opened. Groans came from inside, and out crept a most unhappy dwarf. Wet straw was in his draggled beard; he was so sore and stiff, so bruised and buffeted he could hardly stand or stumble through the shallow water to lie groaning on the shore....
..."Well, are you alive or are you dead?" asked Bilbo quite crossly... "...Are you still in prison, or are you free? If you want food, and if you want to go on with this silly adventure---it's yours after all and not mine---you had better slap your arms and rub your legs and try and help me get the others out while there is a chance!"
..."Well! Here we are!" said Thorin. "And I suppose we ought to thank our stars and Mr. Baggins. I am sure he has a right to expect it, though I wish he could have arranged a more comfortable journey. Still---all very much at your service once more, Mr. Baggins. No doubt we shall feel properly grateful, when we are fed and recovered. In the meanwhile what next?"
..."I suggest Lake-town," said Bilbo. "What else is there...?"
September 22, 2968 (1368)
1. Birth of Frodo in the Shire.
(from APPENDIX B: THE TALE OF YEARS (CHRONOLOGY OF THE WESTLANDS): Third Age-no text)
...Drogo Baggins and Primula Brandybuck celebrate the birth of their only child, "Frodo Baggins of Buckland, the Shire."
September 22, 3001 (S.R. 1401)
1. A long expected party!!
(not from the appendices)
[Bilbo is eleventy-one and Frodo is thirty-three]
..."The sun got up, the clouds vanished, flags were unfurled and the fun began.
...Bilbo met the guests (and additions) at the new white gate in person. He gave away presents to all and sundry....
......There were three official meals: lunch, tea, and dinner (or supper). But lunch and tea were marked chiefly by the fact that at those times all the guests were sitting down and eating together. At other times there were merely lots of people eating and drinking—continuously from elevenses until six-thirty, when the fireworks started.
...The fireworks were by Gandalf: they were not only brought by him, but designed and made by him; and the special effects, set pieces, and flights of rockets were let off by him. But there was also a generous distribution of squibs, crackers, backarappers, sparklers, torches, dwarf-candles, elf-fountains, goblin-barkers and thunder-claps. They were all superb. The art of Gandalf improved with age….
...…And there was also one last surprise, in honour of Bilbo, and it startled the hobbits exceedingly, as Gandalf intended. The lights were out. A great smoke went up. It shaped itself like a fountain seen in the distance, and began to flow at the summit. It sprouted green and scarlet flames. Out flew a red-golden dragon—not life-size, but terribly life-like: fire came from his jaws, his eyes glared down; there was a roar, and he whizzed three times over the heads of the crowd. They all ducked, and many fell flat on their faces. The dragon passed like an express train, turned a somersault, and burst over Bywater with a deafening explosion.
...'That is the signal for supper!' said Bilbo. The pain and alarm vanished at once, and the prostrate hobbits leaped to their feet..."
......After the feast (more or less) came the Speech. Most of the company were, however, now in a tolerant mood, at that delightful stage which they called 'filling up the corners'. They were sipping their favourite drinks, and nibbling at their favourite dainties, and their fears were forgotten. They were prepared to listen to anything, and to cheer at every full stop.
...'My dear People,' began Bilbo, rising in his place. 'Hear! Hear! Hear!' they shouted, and kept on repeating it in chorus… …[he] left his place and went and stood on a chair under the illuminated tree. The light of the lanterns fell on his beaming face; the golden buttons shone on his embroidered silk waistcoat. They could all see him standing, waving one hand in the air, and the other was in his trouser-pocket.
...'My dear Bagginses and Boffins, he began again; and my dear Tooks and Brandybucks, and Grubbs, and Chubbs, and Burrowses, and Hornblowers, and Bolgers, Bracegirdles, Goodbodies, Brockhouses and Proudfoots.'
...'ProudFEET!' shouted an elderly hobbit from the back of the pavilion. His name, of course, was Proudfoot, and well merited; his feet were large, exceptionally furry, and both were on the table.
...'Proudfoots, ' repeated Bilbo. 'Also my good Sackville-Bagginses that I welcome back at last to Bag End. Today is my one hundred and eleventh birthday: I am eleventy-one today!'
'Hurray! Hurray! Many Happy Returns!' they shouted, and they hammered joyously on the tables... ...This was the sort of stuff they like: short and obvious.
...'I hope you are all enjoying yourselves as much as I am.' Deafening cheers. Cries of YES (and NO)… '...I have called you all together for a Purpose.' Something in the way that he said this made an impression. There was almost silence, and one or two of the Tooks pricked up their ears.
...'Indeed, for Three Purposes! First of all, to tell you that I am immensely fond of you all, and that eleventy-one years is too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable hobbits.' Tremendous outburst of approval.
...' 'I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.' This was unexpected and rather difficult. There was some scattered clapping, but most of them were trying to work it out and see if it came to a compliment.
...'…Secondly, to celebrate my birthday.' Cheers again. 'I should say: OUR birthday. For it is, of course, also the birthday of my heir and nephew, Frodo. He comes of age and into his inheritance today….'
...'…It is also, if I may be allowed to refer to ancient history, the anniversary of my arrival by barrel Esgaroth on the Long Lake; though the fact that it was my birthday slipped my memory on that occasion. I was only fifty-one then, and birthdays did not seem so important. The banquet was very splendid, however, though I had a bad cold at the time, I remember, and could only say "thag you very buch". I now repeat it more correctly: Thank you very much for coming to my little party...'
...'…Thirdly and finally, he said, 'I wish to make an ANNOUNCEMENT… …I regret to announce that—though, as I said, eleventy-one years is far too short a time to spend among you—this is the END. I am going. I am leaving NOW. GOOD-BYE!'
...He stepped down and vanished. There was a blinding flash of light, and the guests all blinked. When they opened their eyes Bilbo was nowhere to be seen."
2. Bilbo's ready to go.
(not from the appendices)
..."Bilbo drew his hand over his eyes. 'I am sorry,' he said. 'But I felt so queer. And yet it would be a relief in a way not to be bothered with it any more. It has been so growing on my mind lately. Sometimes I have felt it was like an eye looking at me. And I am always wanting to put it on and disappear, don't you know; or wondering if it is safe, and pulling it out to make sure. I tried locking it up, but I found I couldn't rest without it in my pocket…. …And I don't seem able to make up my mind.'
...'Then trust mine,' said Gandalf. 'It is quite made up. Go away and leave it behind. Stop possessing it. Give it to Frodo, and I will look after him.'
...Bilbo stood for a moment tense and undecided. Presently he sighed. 'All right,' he said with an effort. 'I will.' Then he shrugged his shoulders, and smiled rather ruefully. 'After all that's what this party business was all about, really: to give away lots of birthday presents, and somehow make it easier to give it away at that same time. It hasn't made it any easier in the end, but it would be a pity to waste all my preparations. It would quite spoil the joke.'
...'Indeed it would take away the only point I ever saw in the affair,' said Gandalf."
September 22, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Bilbo and Frodo's birthdays.
(not from the appendices)
..."Thursday, his birthday morning, dawned as fair and clear as it had long ago for Bilbo's great Party. Still Gandalf did not appear. In the evening Frodo gave his farewell feast: it was quite small, just a dinner for himself and his four helpers; but he was troubled and felt in no mood for it. The thought that he would so soon have to part with his young friends weighed on his heart...
...…The four younger hobbits were, however, in high spirits and the party soon became very cheerful in spite of Gandalf's absence…
...…When they had sung many songs, and talked of many things they had done together, they toasted Bilbo's birthday, and they drank to his health and Frodo's together according to Frodo's custom. Then they went out for a sniff of air, and glimpse of the stars, and then they went to bed. Frodo's party was over, and Gandalf had not come."
2. The Black Riders reach Sarn Ford at evening; they drive off the guard of Rangers.
(from the appendices-no text)
...A presence of old crept through the forest which the Ranger felt long before he heard the sound of galloping hoofs. With a rush, five Black Riders swept over him as he stood in the defence. Yet in the end he yielded to their force, feeling it prudent to alert his brethren and prepare for the battle they long sensed would come.
3. Gandalf overtakes Shadowfax.
(from the appendices)
..."I took the best horse in his land, and I have never seen the like of him.... ...Never had any man mounted him, but I took him and I tamed him..."
September 22, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. The hundred and twenty-ninth birthday of Bilbo and Frodo's fifty-first birthday.
(not from the appendices)
..."After the celebration of Bilbo's birthday the four hobbits stayed in Rivendell for some days, and they sat much with their old friend, who spent most of his time now in his room, except at meals. For these he was still very punctual as a rule, and he seldom failed to wake up in time for them. Sitting round the fire they told him in turn all that they could remember of their journeys and adventures."
2. Sharkey in the Shire.
(not from the appendices)
..."'…since Sharkey came it's been plain ruination.' [tells Farmer Cotton]
...'Who is this Sharkey?' said Merry. 'I heard one of the ruffians speak of him.'
...'The biggest ruffian o' the lot, seemingly,' answered Cotton. 'It was about last harvest, end o' September maybe, that we first heard of him. We've never seen him, but he's up at Big End; and he's the real Chief now, I guess. All the ruffians do what he says; and what he says is mostly: hack, burn, and ruin; and now it's come to killing. There's no longer even any bad sense in it. They cut down trees and let 'em lie, they burn houses and build no more…. …They're always a-hammering and a-letting out a smoke and a stench, and there isn't no peace even at night in Hobbiton. And they pour out filth a purpose; they've fouled all the lower Water, and it's getting down into the Brandywine. If they want to make the Shire into a desert, they're going the right way about it. I don't believe that fool of a Pimple's behind all this. It's Sharkey, I say.'"
September 22, 3020 (S.R. 1420)
1. Bilbo's hundred and thirtieth birthday. Frodo's fifty-second birthday.
(from the appendices-no text)
...There was a quiet gathering of friends and family at Bag End. Merry, Pippin, Rosie, Sam and Frodo enjoyed food, drink and song in front of the fire. At the end of the evening, as is Frodo's custom, they drank to Bilbo and Frodo's health. Laughter followed as stories of Bilbo's adventures were shared while Frodo fell silent and gazed into the flames.
September 22, 3021 (S.R. 1421)
1. They meet the Last Riding of the Keepers of the Rings in Woody End.
(from the appendices)
..."They camped in the Green Hills, and on September the twenty-second they rode gently down into the beginning of the trees as afternoon was wearing away.
...'If that isn't the very tree you hid behind when the Black Rider first showed up, Mr. Frodo!' said Sam pointing to the left. 'It seems like a dream now.'
...It was evening, and the stars were glimmering in the eastern sky… …Sam was silent, deep in his memories. Presently he became aware that Frodo was singing softly to himself, singing the old walking-song, but the words were not quite the same. Still round the corner there may wait
A new road or secret gate;
And though I oft have passed them by,
A day will come at last when I
Shall take the hidden paths that run
West of the Moon, East of the Sun.
And as if in answer, from down below, coming up the road out of the valley, voices sang: A! Elbereth Gilthoniel!
silivren penna míriel
o menel aglar elenath,
We still remember, we who dwell
In this far land beneath the trees
The starlight on the Western Seas.
...Frodo and Sam halted and sat silent in the soft shadows, until they saw a shimmer as the travellers came towards them.
...There was Gildor and many fair Elven folk; and there to Sam's wonder rode Elrond and Galadriel. Elrond wore a mantle of grey and had a star upon his forehead, and a silver harp was in his hand, and upon his finger was a ring of gold with a great blue stone, Vilya, mightiest of the Three. But Galadriel sat upon a white palfrey and … …seemed to shine with a soft light. On her finger was Nenya, the ring wrought of mithril, that bore a single white stone flickering like a frosty star. Riding slowly behind on a small grey pony, and seeming to nod in his sleep, was Bilbo himself.
......Bilbo woke up and opened his eyes. 'Hullo, Frodo!' he said. 'Well, I have passed the Old Took today! So that's settled. And now I think I am quite ready to go on another journey. Are you coming?'
...'Yes, I am coming.' said Frodo. 'The Ring-bearers should go together.'"
September 22, 3082 (S.R. 1482)
1. Sam leaves for the Havens.
(from the appendices)
[at ninety-nine years of age] "...Master Samwise rides out from Bag End. He comes to the Tower Hills, and is last seen by Elanor, to whom he gives the Red Book afterwards kept by the Fairbairns. Among them the tradition is handed down from Elanor that Samwise passed the Towers, and went to the Grey Havens, and passed over Sea, last of the Ring-bearers."
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
|
|
|
cats16
Half-elven
Sep 22 2018, 7:13pm
Post #3 of 17
(21320 views)
Shortcut
|
And a happy birthday to our heroes.
Join us every weekend in the Hobbit movie forum for this week's CHOW (Chapter of the Week) discussion!
|
|
|
grammaboodawg
Immortal
Sep 23 2018, 1:50pm
Post #4 of 17
(21301 views)
Shortcut
|
Today in Middle-earth
September 23, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. The Dwarves and Bilbo come to Lake-town.
(determined from text – referencing Karen Wynn Fonstad, The Atlas of Middle-earth)
..."[The] dwarves were brought into the town amid scenes of astonishing enthusiasm. They were all doctored and fed and housed and pampered in the most delightful and satisfactory fashion. A large house was given up to Thorin and his company; boats and rowers were put at their service; and crowds sat outside and sang songs all day, or cheered if any dwarf showed so much as his nose."
September 23, 3001 (S.R. 1401)
1. After a long expected party!!
(not from the appendices)
..."Then a number of other people came (without orders)... ...By mid-day, when even the best-fed were out and about again, there was a large crowd at Bag End, uninvited but not unexpected.
...Frodo was waiting on the step, smiling, but looking rather tired and worried. He welcomed all the callers, but he had not much more to say than before... ...'Mr. Bilbo Baggins has gone away; as far as I know, for good.' Some of the visitors he invited to come inside, as Bilbo had left 'messages' for them.
...Inside in the hall there was piled a large assortment of packages and parcels and small articles of furniture. On every item there was a label tied....
......Frodo had a very trying time that afternoon. A false rumour that the whole household was being distributed free spread like wildfire; and before long the place was packed with people who had no business there, but could not be kept out...
...'...It's time to close the shop, Merry,' Frodo said. 'Lock the door, and don't open it to any one today, not even if they bring a battering-ram.' Then he went to revive himself with a belated cup of tea.
...He had hardly sat down, when there came a soft knock at the front-door. 'Lobelia again most likely,' he thought. 'She must have thought of something really nasty, and have come back again to say it. It can wait.'
...He went on with his tea. The knock was repeated, much louder, but he took no notice. Suddenly the wizard's head appeared at the window.
...'If you don't let me in, Frodo, I shall blow your door right down your hole and out through the hill.'"
September 23, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Four Riders enter the Shire before dawn. The others pursue the Rangers eastward, and then return to watch the Greenway.
(from the appendices)
...[Gandalf]"'So I stayed [in Bree] that night, wondering much what had become of the Riders... ...But in the night... ...Five at least came from the west, and they threw down the gates and passed through Bree like a howling wind...'
... '...it seems clear to me that this is what happened. Their Captain remained in secret away south of Bree, while two rode ahead through the village, and four more invaded the Shire... ...when these were foiled in Bree and at Crickhollow, they returned to their Captain with tidings, and so left the Road unguarded for a while... ...The Captain sent some eastward straight across country, and he himself with the rest rode along the Road in great wrath.'"
2. A Black Rider comes to Hobbiton at nightfall, Frodo leaves Bag End.
(from the appendices)
..."...Frodo was going on foot... ...for pleasure and a last look at the Shire as much as any other reason—was to walk from Hobbiton to Bucklebury Ferry, taking it fairly easy.
...'I shall get myself a bit into training, too,' he said, looking at himself in a dusty mirror in the half-empty hall. He had not done any strenuous walking for a long time, and the reflection looked rather flabby, he thought....
...'...It's going to be a fine night,' he said aloud. 'That's good for a beginning. I feel like walking. I can't bear any more hanging about. I am going to start, and Gandalf must follow me.' He turned to go back, and then stopped, for he heard voices, just round the corner by the end of Bagshot Row. One voice was certainly the old Gaffer's; the other was strange, and somehow unpleasant. He could not make out what it said, but he heard the Gaffer's answers, which were rather shrill. The old man seemed put out...
...'...I am sick of questions and curiosity about my doings...' (Frodo thought). He had half a mind to go and ask the Gaffer who the inquirer was; but he thought better (or worse) of it, and turned and walked quickly back to Bag End...
...'...Sam!' he called. 'Sam! Time!'
...'Coming, sir!' came the answer from far within, followed soon by Sam himself, wiping his mouth. He had been saying farewell to the beer-barrel in the cellar...
......Frodo shut and locked the round door, and gave the key to Sam. 'Run down with this to your home, Sam!' he said... '...Well, now we're off at last!' said Frodo. They shouldered their packs and took up their sticks, and walked round the corner to the west side of Bag End. 'Good-bye!' said Frodo, looking at the dark blank windows. He waved his hand, and then turned and (following Bilbo, if he had known it) hurried after Peregrin down the garden-path..."
3. Gandalf having tamed Shadowfax rides from Rohan.
(from the appendices)
[Gandalf addressed the Council about Shadowfax] "'Shadowfax they called him... ...speedily he bore me... ...I set out from Rohan... ...when [Frodo] set out from Hobbiton.'"
September 23, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. The hobbits enjoy their time with Bilbo in the comfort of Imladris.
(not from the appendices-no text)
...It became quite a talent of the four to overlap stories, expand on events, and share comments while Bilbo's face turned from one to the other. Puffing slowly on his pipe, he would occasionally close his eyes, abruptly grunt in understanding or gasp startled; but he wouldn't ask questions until that tale had been told. He knew from experience that a year's worth of adventure would be full of stories to come alive in the telling and that this needed to flow from the teller as it will. Gandalf joined them later, but was careful not to influence the tale until sharing his version later.
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
(This post was edited by grammaboodawg on Sep 23 2018, 1:51pm)
|
|
|
grammaboodawg
Immortal
Sep 24 2018, 11:39am
Post #5 of 17
(21286 views)
Shortcut
|
Today in Middle-earth
September 24, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. Bilbo nurses a bad cold as he and the Dwarves enjoy the hospitality and praise of Lake-town.
(determined from text)
September 24, 3001 (S.R. 1401)
1. Gandalf leaves unexpectedly.
(not from the appendices-tiny no text)
...Frodo began to recover from the excitement and fury of the Party and distribution of gifts. Gandalf had once again come and gone the night before in his usual rush. "'Good-bye now! Take care of yourself! Look out for me, especially at unlikely times! Good-bye!'
...Frodo saw him to the door. He gave a final wave of his hand, and walked off at a surprising pace; but Frodo thought the old wizard looked unusually bent, almost as if he was carrying a great weight. The evening was closing in, and his cloaked figure quickly vanished into the twilight. Frodo did not see him again for a long time."
September 24, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Gandalf crosses the Isen.
(from the appendices-no text)
...Shadowfax raced across the vast leagues between the land of the Rohirrim and the Northern Realm. Gandalf reached the River Isen as the hobbits leisurely made their way across the Shire.
[league = 3 miles]
2. The Hobbits cross the Shire.
(not from the appendices)
..."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. 'And all my beautiful feather beds are sold to the Sackville-Bagginses!' ... He stretched. '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."
[Later that day]
..."...They had been jogging along again for an hour or more when Sam stopped a moment as if listening. They were now on level ground, and the road after much winding lay straight ahead through grassland sprinkled with tall trees...
...'...I can hear a pony or a horse coming along the road behind,' said Sam.
...They looked back, but the turn of the road prevented them from seeing far. 'I wonder if that is Gandalf coming after us,' said Frodo; but even as he said it, he had a feeling that it was not so, and a sudden desire to hide from the view of the rider came over him.
...'It may not matter much,' he said apologetically, 'but I would rather not be seen on the road—by anyone... ...let's get out of sight!'
......Frodo hesitated for a second; curiosity or some other feeling was struggling with his desire to hide. The sound of the hoofs drew nearer. Just in time he threw himself down in a patch of long grass behind a tree...
......Round the corner came a black horse, no hobbit-pony but a full-sized horse; and on it sat a large man, who seemed to crouch in the saddle, wrapped in a great black cloak and hood, so that only his boots in the high stirrups showed below; his face was shadowed and invisible.
...When it reached the tree and was level with Frodo the horse stopped. The riding figure sat quite still with its head bowed, as if listening. From inside the hood came a noise of someone sniffing to catch an elusive scent; the head turned from side to side of the road.
...A sudden unreasoning fear of discovery laid hold of Frodo, and he thought of his Ring. He hardly dared to breathe, and yet the desire to get it out of his pocket became so strong that he began slowly to move his hand..."
3. They meet Gildor and the High Elves travelling through the Shire.
(not from the appendices)
..."The song ended. 'And now to bed! And now to bed' sang Pippin in a high voice.
...'Hush!' said Frodo. 'I think I hear hoofs again.'
...They stopped suddenly and stood as silent as tree-shadows, listening. There was a sound of hoofs in the lane... ...coming slow and clear down the wind. Quickly and quietly they slipped off the path, and ran into the deeper shade under the oak-trees.
...'Don't let us go too far!' said Frodo. 'I don't want to be seen, but I want to see if it is another Black Rider.'
...'Very well!' said Pippin. 'But don't forget the sniffling!'
...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...
...The sound of hoofs stopped. As Frodo watched he saw something dark pass across the lighter space between two trees, and then halt. It looked like the black shade of a horse led by a smaller black shadow. 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.
...Once more the desire to slip on the Ring came over Frodo; but this time it was stronger than before... ...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 in the Woody End. They don't live in the Shire, but they wander into it in Spring and Autumn, out of their own lands away beyond the Tower Hills.... ...Listen! They are coming this way,' said Frodo. 'We have only to wait….'
...…Before long the Elves came down the lane towards the valley.... ...the hobbits could see the starlight glimmering on their hair and in their eyes... ...They were now silent, and as the last Elf passed he turned and looked towards the hobbits and laughed.
...'Hail, Frodo!' he cried. 'You are abroad late. Or are you perhaps lost?' Then he called aloud to the others, and the company stopped and gathered round.
...'This is indeed wonderful!' they said. 'Three hobbits in a wood at night! We have not seen such a thing since Bilbo went away. What is the meaning of it?'
...'...we seem to be going the same way as you are. I like walking under the stars. But I would welcome your company.' [said Frodo]
...'But we have no need of other company, and hobbits are so dull,' they laughed. '...I am Gildor,' answered their leader, the Elf who had first hailed him. 'Gildor Inglorion of the House of Finrod... ...Come now, Frodo, tell us what you are doing. For we see that there is some shadow of fear upon you.'
...'O Wise People!' interrupted Pippin eagerly. 'Tell us about the Black Riders!'
...'Black Riders?' they said in low voices. 'Why do you ask about Black Riders?'
...'Because two Black Riders have overtaken us today, or one has done so twice' said Pippin, 'only a little while ago he slipped away as you drew near.'
...The Elves did not answer at once, but spoke together softly in their own tongue. At length Gildor turned to the hobbits. 'We will not speak of this here... ...We think you had best come now with us. It is not our custom, but for this time we will take you on our road, and you shall lodge with us tonight, if you will.'
...'O Fair Folk! This is good fortune beyond my hope,' said Pippin. Sam was speechless. 'I thank you indeed, Gildor Inglorion,' said Frodo bowing. 'Elen síla lúmenn omentilmo, a star shines on the hour of our meeting.' he added in the high elven-speech.
...'Be careful, friends!' cried Gildor laughing. 'Speak no secrets! Here is a scholar in the Ancient Tongue. Bilbo was a good master. Hail, Elf-friend!' he said, bowing to Frodo. 'Come now with your friends and join our company! You had best walk in the middle so that you may not stray….'
...…Sam could never describe in words, nor picture clearly to himself, what he felt or thought that night, though it remained in his memory as one of the chief events of his life. The nearest he ever got was to say: 'Well, sir, if I could grow apples like that, I would call myself a gardener. But it was the singing that went to my heart, if you know what I mean.'"
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
|
|
|
grammaboodawg
Immortal
Sep 25 2018, 10:26am
Post #6 of 17
(21259 views)
Shortcut
|
Today in Middle-earth
September 25, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. Sauron appears in Mordor
(not from the appendices)
[Mordor!!] "That name the hobbits only knew in legends of the dark past, like a shadow in the background of their memories, but it was ominous and disquieting. It seemed that the evil power in Mirkwood had been driven out by the White Council only to reappear in great strength in the old strongholds of Mordor. The Dark Tower had been rebuilt... ...From there the power was spreading far and wide, and away far east and south there were wars and growing fear. Orcs were multiplying again in the mountains. Trolls were abroad, no longer dull-witted, but cunning and armed with dreadful weapons. And there were murmured hints of creatures more terrible than all these, but they had no name."
September 25, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. The hobbits come to Maggot's Farm.
(not from the appendices)
..."'I know these fields and this gate!' [Pippin] said. 'We are on old Farmer Maggot's land. That must be his farm away there in the trees.'
... 'One trouble after another!' said Frodo, looking nearly as much alarmed as if Pippin had declared the lane was the slot leading to a dragon's den....
... 'What's wrong with old Maggot?' asked Pippin. 'He's a good friend to all the Brandybucks. Of course he's a terror to trespassers, and keeps ferocious dogs—but after all, folk down here are near the border and have to be more on their guard.'
... 'I know... ...I am terrified of him and his dogs. I have avoided his farm for years and years. He caught me several times trespassing after mushrooms, when I was a youngster at Brandy Hall. On the last occasion he beat me, and then took me and showed me to his dogs. "See, lads," he said, "next time this young varmint sets foot on my land, you can eat him…'
...…Suddenly as they drew nearer a terrific baying and barking broke out, and a loud voice was heard shouting: 'Grip! Fang! Wolf! Come on, lads!'
...Frodo and Sam stopped dead, but Pippin walked on a few paces. The gate opened and three huge dogs came pelting out into the lane, and dashed towards the travellers, barking fiercely…. …Through the gate there now appeared a broad thick-set hobbit with a round red face. 'Hallo! Hallo! And who may you be, and what may you be wanting?' he asked.
... 'Good afternoon, Mr. Maggot!' said Pippin.
...The farmer looked at him closely. 'Well, if it isn't Master Pippin--Mr. Peregrin Took, I should say!' he cried, changing from a scowl to a grin...
...…Pippin introduced the other two to the farmer. 'Mr. Frodo Baggins,' he said. 'You may not remember him, but he used to live at Brandy Hall.' At the name Baggins the farmer started, and gave Frodo a sharp glance. For a moment Frodo thought that the memory of stolen mushrooms had been aroused, and that the dogs would be told to see him off. But Farmer Maggot took him by the arm.
...'Well, if that isn't queerer than ever!' he exclaimed. 'Mr. Baggins is it? Come inside! We must have a talk… …What do you think that funny customer asked me?' "…Have you seen Baggins?" he asked in a queer voice, and bent down towards me. I could not see any face, for his hood fell down so low; and I felt a sort of shiver down my back. But I did not see why he should come riding over my land so bold."
...'"Be off!" I said. "There are no Bagginses here. You're in the wrong part of the Shire. You had better go back west to Hobbiton--but you can go by road this time...."'
...…Maggot looked at [Frodo] thoughtfully. 'Well, I see you have ideas of your own,' he said. 'It is as plain as my nose that no accident brought you and that rider here on the same afternoon; and maybe my news was no great news to you, after all. I am not asking you to tell me anything you have a mind to keep to yourself; but I can see you are in some kind of trouble. Perhaps you are thinking it won't be too easy to get to the Ferry without being caught?'
...'I was thinking so... ....I am afraid we must be going. Thank you very much indeed for your kindness! I've been in terror of you and your dogs for over thirty years, Farmer Maggot, though you may laugh to hear it. It's a pity: for I've missed a good friend....'
...'You'll be welcome when you come,' said Maggot. 'But now I've a notion… …after a bit of supper, I'll get out a small waggon, and I'll drive you all to the Ferry. That will save you a good step, and it might also save you trouble of another sort.'
...Frodo now accepted the invitation gratefully, to the relief of Pippin and Sam.
... …They reached the entrance to the Ferry lane at last…. …They were just beginning to scramble out, when suddenly they heard what they had all been dreading: hoofs on the road ahead. The sound was coming towards them….
...'…You'd better be hidden, Mr. Frodo,' said Sam anxiously. 'You get down in the waggon and cover up with blankets, and we'll send this rider to the rightabouts!' He climbed out and went to the farmer's side. Black Riders would have to ride over him to get near the waggon.
...Clop-clop, clop-clop. The rider was nearly on them.
...'Hallo there!' called Farmer Maggot. The advancing hoofs stopped short. They thought they could dimly guess a dark cloaked shape in the mist, a yard or two ahead.
...'Now then!' said the farmer... 'Don't you come a step nearer! What do you want and where are you going?'
...'I want Mr. Baggins. Have you seen him?' said a muffled voice...."
2. The Conspiracy Unmasked
(not from the appendices)
..."'It's coming out in a minute,' whispered Pippin to Merry. Merry nodded.
...'Well!' said Frodo at last, sitting up and straightening his back, as if he had made a decision. 'I can't keep it dark any longer. I have got something to tell you all. But I don't know quite how to begin.'
...'I think I could help you,' said Merry quietly, 'by telling you some of it myself.'
...'What do you mean?' said Frodo, looking at him anxiously.
...'Just this, my dear old Frodo: you are miserable, because you don't know how to say good-bye. You meant to leave the Shire, of course. But danger has come on you sooner than you expected, and now you are making up your mind to go at once... ...We know the Ring is no laughing matter; but we're going to do our best to help you against the Enemy.'
...'The Ring!' said Frodo, now completely amazed...
...'...we formed our own conspiracy... ...You are not a very easy nut to crack, and Gandalf is worse. But if you want to be introduced to our chief investigator, I can produce him.'
...'Where is he?' said Frodo, looking round, as if he expected a masked and sinister figure to come out of a cupboard.
...'Step forward, Sam!' said Merry; and Sam stood up with a face scarlet up to the ears. 'Here's our collector of information! And he collected a lot, I can tell you, before he was finally caught. After which, I may say, he seemed to regard himself as on parole, and dried up.'
...'Sam!' cried Frodo, feeling that amazement could go no further... '...It all depends on what you want,' put in Merry. 'You can trust us to stick to you through thick and thin—to the bitter end. And you can trust us to keep any secret of yours—closer than you keep it yourself. But you cannot trust us to let you face trouble alone, and go off without a word. We are your friends, Frodo. Anyway: there it is. We know most of what Gandalf has told you. We know a good deal about the Ring. We are horribly afraid—but we are coming with you; or following you like hounds....'
...'And after all, sir,' added Sam, 'you did ought to take the Elves' advice. Gildor said you should take them as was willing, and you can't deny it.
...'I don't deny it,' said Frodo, looking at Sam, who was now grinning. 'I don't deny it, but I'll never believe you are sleeping again, whether you snore or not. I shall kick you hard to make sure.'"
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
|
|
|
grammaboodawg
Immortal
Sep 26 2018, 10:25am
Post #7 of 17
(21216 views)
Shortcut
|
Today in Middle-earth
September 26, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. The Old Forest.
(from the appendices)
..."It was dark and damp. At the far end it was closed by a gate of thick-set iron bars. Merry got down and unlocked the gate, and when they had all passed through he pushed it to again. It shut with a clang, and the lock clicked. The sound was ominous.
...'There!' said Merry. 'You have left the Shire, and am now outside, and on the edge of the Old Forest.'"
..."...Sam sat down and scratched his head, and yawned like a cavern. He was worried. The afternoon was getting late, and he thought his sudden sleepiness uncanny. 'There's more behind this than sun and warm air,' he muttered to himself. 'I don't like this great big tree. I don't trust it. Hark at it singing about sleep now! This won't do at all...!'
......he heard two noises; one loud, and the other soft but very clear. One was the splash of something heavy falling into the water; the other was a noise like the snick of a lock when a door quietly closes fast.
...He rushed back to the bank. Frodo was in the water close to the edge, and a great tree-root seemed to be over him and holding him down, but he was not struggling. Sam gripped him by the jacket, and dragged him from under the root; and then with difficulty hauled him on to the bank. Almost at once he woke, and coughed and spluttered.
...'Do you know, Sam... ...the beastly tree threw me in...!'
...They went round to the other side of the tree, and then Sam understood the click that he had heard. Pippin had vanished. The crack, by which he had laid himself, had closed together, so that not a chink could be seen. Merry was trapped: another crack had closed about his waist; his legs lay outside, but the rest of him was inside a dark opening, the edges of which gripped like a pair of pincers.
...Frodo and Sam beat first upon the tree-trunk where Pippin had lain. They then struggled frantically to pull open the jaws of the crack that held poor Merry. It was quite useless.
...'What a foul thing to happen!' cried Frodo wildly. 'Why did we ever come into this dreadful Forest?'"
2. Frodo comes to Bombadil.
(from the appendices)
..."[Frodo] ran along the path crying help! help! help...
......Suddenly he stopped. There was an answer, or so he thought; but it seemed to come from behind him, away down the path further back in the Forest. He turned round and listened, and soon there could be no doubt: someone was singing a song; a deep glad voice was singing carelessly and happily, but it was singing nonsense: Hey dol! merry dol! ring a dong dillo! Ring a dong! hop along! fal lal the willow! Tom Bom, jolly Tom, Tom Bombadillo!
...Half hopeful and half afraid of some new danger, Frodo and Sam now both stood still. Suddenly out of a long string of nonsense-words (or so they seemed) the voice rose up loud and clear and burst into this song...
......Frodo and Sam stood as if enchanted... ...suddenly, hopping and dancing along the path, there appeared above the reeds an old battered hat with a tall crown and a long blue feather stuck in the band. With another hop and a bound there came into view a man, or so it seemed... ...stumping along with great yellow boots on his thick legs, and charging through grass and rushes like a cow going down to drink....
...'...Help!' cried Frodo and Sam running towards him with their hand stretched out.
...'Whoa! Whoa! Steady there!' cried the old man, holding up one hand, and they stopped short, as if they had been struck stiff. 'Now, my little fellows, where be you a-going to, puffing like bellows? What's the matter here then? Do you know who I am? I'm Tom Bombadil....'"
3. Frodo dreams of Gandalf's capture while in the House of Bombadil.
(not from the appendices)
..."In the dead night, Frodo lay in a dream without light. Then he saw the young moon rising; under its thin light there loomed before him a black wall of rock, pierced by a dark arch like a great gate. It seemed to Frodo that he was lifted up, and passing over he saw that the rock-wall was a circle of hills… …within it was a plain, and in the midst of the plain stood a pinnacle of stone, like a vast tower but not made by hands. On its top stood the figure of a man. The moon as it rose seemed to hang for a moment above his head and glistened in his white hair as the wind stirred it. Up from the dark plain below came the crying of fell voices, and the howling of many wolves. Suddenly a shadow, like the shape of great wings, passed across the moon. The figure lifted his arms and a light flashed from the staff that he wielded. A mighty eagle swept down and bore him away. The voices wailed and the wolves yammered."
September 26, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. They rest in Rivendell
(not from the appendices)
..."...The four hobbits stayed in Rivendell for some days, and they sat much with their old friend, who spent most of his time now in his room, except at meals. For these he was still very punctual as a rule, and he seldom failed to wake up in time for them."
September 26, 3021 (S.R. 1421)
1. The Company rides to the Grey Havens.
(not from the appendices-no text)
...Dread lay on Sam's heart. Despite the enchanting songs of the Elven-company as they made their way, the endless miles weighed heavier on him with each step. Yet when Sam would anxiously look over at Frodo riding beside him, he couldn't deny a peace on his friend's face that he hadn't seen since their return.
Happy Birthday, Mom :) I miss you
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
|
|
|
grammaboodawg
Immortal
Sep 27 2018, 10:38am
Post #8 of 17
(21188 views)
Shortcut
|
Today in Middle-earth
September 27, 3001 (S.R. 1401)
1. Bilbo crosses the Shire
(not from the appendices-no text)
...Bilbo makes his way to Rivendell as Frodo and Hobbiton recover from the Long-Expected Party. Bilbo's mysterious disappearance, followed by Gandalf's, became the frenzied topic of conversation at the Green Dragon and every other pub and fence in the Shire.
September 27, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Gandalf crosses Greyflood.
(from the appendices)
..."Ever as I came north I heard tidings of the Riders, and though I gained on them day by day, they were ever before me."
2. In the house of Tom Bombadil.
(not from the appendices)
..."'Good morning, merry friends!' cried Tom, opening the eastern window wide. A cool air flowed in; it had a rainy smell. 'Sun won't show her face much today, I'm thinking.... ...Forget the nightly noises! Ringa ding dillo del! derry del, my hearties! If you come soon you'll find breakfast on the table. If you come late you'll get grass and rain-water!'
...Needless to say—not that Tom's threat sounded very serious—the hobbits came soon, and left the table late and only when it was beginning to look rather empty.
......Frodo stood near the open door and watched the white chalky path turn into a little river of milk and go bubbling away down into the valley. Tom Bombadil came trotting round the corner of the house waving his arms as if he was warding off the rain—and indeed when he sprang over the threshold he seemed quite dry, except for his boots...
...'This is Goldberry's washing day,' he said, 'and her autumn-cleaning. Too wet for hobbit-folk—let them rest while they are able! It's a good day for long tales, for questions and for answers, so Tom will start the talking.
...He then told them many remarkable stories, sometimes half as if speaking to himself, sometimes looking at them suddenly with a bright blue eye under his deep brows... ...As they listened, they began to understand the lives of the Forest, apart from themselves, indeed to feel themselves as the strangers where all other things were at home...
......Then suddenly he stopped, and they saw that he nodded as if he was falling asleep. The hobbits sat still before him, enchanted... ...Whether the morning and evening of one day or of many days had passed Frodo could not tell. He did not feel either hungry or tired, only filled with wonder... ...He spoke at last out of his wonder and a sudden fear of that silence:
...'Who are you, Master?' he asked.
...'Eh, what?' said Tom sitting up, and his eyes glinting in the gloom. 'Don't you know my name yet? That's the only answer. Tell me, who are you, alone, yourself and nameless? But you are young and I am old. Eldest, that's what I am... ...Tom was here before the river and the trees; Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn. He made paths before the Big People, and saw the little People arriving. He was here before the Kings and the graves and the Barrow-wights. When the Elves passed westward, Tom was here already, before the seas were bent. He knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless—before the Dark Lord came from Outside...'
......'Show me the precious Ring!' he said suddenly in the midst of the story: and Frodo, to his own astonishment, drew out the chain from his pocket, and unfastening the Ring handed it at once to Tom.
...It seemed to grow larger as it lay... ...on his big brown-skinned hand. Then suddenly he put it to his eye and laughed. For a second the hobbits had a vision both comical and alarming, of his bright blue eyes gleaming through a circle of gold. Then Tom put the Ring round the end of his little finger and held it up to the candlelight. For a moment the hobbits noticed nothing strange about this. Then they gasped. There was no sign of Tom disappearing!
...Tom laughed again, and then he spun the Ring in the air—and it vanished with a flash. Frodo gave a cry—and Tom leaned forward and handed it back to him with a smile.
...Frodo looked at it closely, and rather suspiciously... ...He was perhaps a trifle annoyed with Tom for seeming to make so light of what even Gandalf thought so perilously important. He waited for an opportunity when the talk was going again... ...then he slipped the Ring on. Merry turned towards him to say something and gave a start, and checked an exclamation. Frodo was delighted (in a way)... ...He got up and crept quietly away from the fireside towards the outer door.
...'Hey there!' cried Tom, glancing towards him with a most seeing look in his shining eyes. 'Hey! come Frodo, there! Where be you a-going? Old Tom Bombadil's not as blind as that yet. Take off your golden ring! Your hand's more fair without it. Come back! Leave your game and sit down beside me! We must talk a while more, and think about the morning. Tom must teach the right road, and keep your feet from wandering.'
......Then he taught them a rhyme to sing, if they should by ill-luck fall into any danger of difficulty the next day. Ho! Tom Bombadil, Tom Bombadillo! By water, wood and hill, by reed and willow, by fire, sun and moon, harken now and hear us! Come, Tom Bombadil, for our need is near us!"
September 27, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. The Travellers are still on the road.
(not from the appendices-no text)
...The hobbits rest with Bilbo in Rivendell.
September 27, 3021 (S.R. 1421)
1. The Company rides to the Grey Havens.
(not from the appendices)
[.. "Elrond and Galadriel rode on; for the Third Age was over, and the Days of the Rings were passed, and an end was come to the story and song of those times. With them went many Elves of the High Kindred who would no longer stay in Middle-earth; and among them, filled with a sadness that was yet blessed and without bitterness, rode Sam, and Frodo, and Bilbo, and the Elves delighted to honour them.
[.. Though they rode through the midst of the Shire... ...all the night, none saw them pass, save the wild creatures; or here and there some wanderer in the dark who saw a swift shimmer under the trees, or a light and shadow flowing through the grass as the Moon went westward."
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
(This post was edited by grammaboodawg on Sep 27 2018, 10:39am)
|
|
|
grammaboodawg
Immortal
Sep 28 2018, 1:38pm
Post #9 of 17
(21144 views)
Shortcut
|
Today in Middle-earth
September 28, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. Thorin and Company enjoy their stay in Lake-town.
(determined from text – referencing Karen Wynn Fonstad, The Atlas of Middle-earth – no text)
..Bilbo nurses a bad cold as he and the dwarves continue to enjoy the hospitality and praise of Lake-town's inhabitants. The hobbit was about as comfortable staying in a man-built house hovering over the water as he was in the eagles' eyrie. After the nearly disastrous ride down the river atop an unstable barrel, he was anxious for the dwarves to finish their business here and leave for the mountain. Even with the prospect of facing the worm Smaug, he wanted to get on with what they came to do and return to his own cozy hole under the hill.
September 28, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Gandalf reaches Sarn Ford.
(from the appendices)
[As Shadowfax goes through his paces, Gandalf races for Hobbiton from Rohan to intercept Frodo... fearing the worst.
..."I reached the Shire when Frodo was on the Barrow-downs, though I set out from Rohan only when he set out from Hobbiton."
2. The Hobbits captured by a Barrow-wight.
(from the appendices)
..."...they woke suddenly and uncomfortably from a sleep they had never meant to take... ...The hobbits sprang to their feet in alarm, and ran to the western rim. They found that they were upon an island in the fog. Even as they looked out in dismay towards the setting sun, it sank before their eyes into a white sea, and a cold grey shadow sprang up in the East behind...
......Their going was very slow. To prevent their getting separated and wandering in different directions they went in file, with Frodo leading. Sam was behind him, and after him came Pippin, and then Merry. The valley seemed to stretch on endlessly....
...'Come on! Follow me!' Frodo called back over his shoulder, and he hurried forward. But his hope soon changed to bewilderment and alarm. The dark patches grew darker but they shrank; and suddenly he saw, towering ominous before him and leaning slightly towards one another like the pillars of a headless door, two huge standing stones. He could not remember having seen any sign of these in the valley, when he looked out from the hill in the morning.... ...His pony reared and snorted, and he fell off. When he looked back he found that he was alone: the others had not followed him.
...'Sam!' he called. 'Pippin! Merry! Come along! Why don't you keep up?' There was no answer. Fear took him, and he ran back past the stones shouting wildly: 'Sam! Sam! Merry! Pippin!' The pony bolted into the mist and vanished. From some way off, or so it seemed, he thought he heard a cry: 'Hoy! Frodo! Hoy!' ...Then a cry that sounded like help, help! that trailed off into a long wail suddenly cut short. He stumbled forward with all the speed he could towards the cries; but the light was now gone, and clinging night had closed about him...
......To his right there loomed against the westward stars a dark black shape. A great barrow stood there.
...'Where are you?' he cried again, both angry and afraid.
...'Here!' said a voice, deep and cold, that seemed to come out of the ground. 'I am waiting for you!'
...'No!' said Frodo; but he did not run away. His knees gave, and he fell on the ground.... ...Then suddenly he knew that he was imprisoned, caught hopelessly; he was in a barrow. A Barrow-wight had taken him, and he was probably already under the dreadful spells of the Barrow-wights about which whispered tales spoke.
...As he lay there, thinking and getting a hold on himself, he noticed all at once that the darkness was slowly giving way: a pale greenish light was growing round him. It did not at first show him what kind of a place he was in, for the light seemed to be coming out of himself, and from the floor beside him, and had not yet reached the roof or wall. He turned, and there in the cold glow he saw lying beside him, Sam, Pippin, and Merry. They were on their backs, and their faces looked deathly pale; and they were clad in white. About them lay many treasures... ...Swords lay by their sides, and shields were at their feet. But across their three necks lay one long naked sword...
......At first Frodo felt as if he had indeed been turned into stone by the incantation... ...But the courage that had been awakened in him was now too strong... ...he seized a short sword that lay beside him, and kneeling he stooped low over the bodies of his companions. With what strength he had he hewed at the crawling arm near the wrist, and the hand broke off; but at the same moment the sword splintered up to the hilt....
......All at once back into his mind, from which it had disappeared with the first coming of the fog, came the memory of the house down under the Hill, and of Tom singing. He remembered the rhyme that Tom had taught them. In a small desperate voice he began: Ho! Tom Bombadil! and with that name his voice seemed to grow strong: it had a full and lively sound, and the dark chamber echoed as if to drum and trumpet. Ho! Tom Bombadil, Tom Bombadillo! By water, wood and hill, by the reed and willow, By fire, sun and moon, harken now and hear us! Come, Tom Bombadil, for our need is near us!
......There was a loud rumbling sound, as of stones rolling and falling, and suddenly light streamed in, real light, the plain light of day. A low door-like opening appeared at the end of the chamber beyond Frodo's feet; and there was Tom's head (hat, feather, and all)... '...Come, friend Frodo!' said Tom. 'Let us get out on to the clean grass! You must help me bear them.' Together they carried out Merry, Pippin, and Sam... ...To Frodo's great joy the hobbits stirred, stretched their arms, rubbed their eyes, and then suddenly sprang up. They looked about in amazement, first at Frodo, and then at Tom standing large as life on the barrow-top above them...
......For each of the hobbits he chose a dagger, long, leaf-shaped, and keen, of marvellous workmanship, damasked with serpent-forms in red and gold. They gleamed as he drew them from their black sheaths, wrought of some strange metal, light and strong, and set with many fiery stones... '...these blades were forged many long years ago by Men of Westernesse: they were foes of the Dark Lord, but they were overcome by the evil king of Carn Dum in the Land of Angmar. Few now remember them,' Tom murmured, 'yet still some go wandering, sons of forgotten kings walking in loneliness, guarding from evil things folk that are heedless.'
...The hobbits did not understand his words, but as he spoke they had a vision as it were of a great expanse of years behind them, like a vast shadowy plain over which there strode shapes of Men, tall and grim with bright swords, and last came one with a star on his brow. Then the vision faded..."
September 28, 3021 (S.R. 1421)
1. The Company rides to the Grey Havens.
(not from the appendices-no text)
...Sam was quiet as he rode beside Frodo who was also silent and reflective. The terrain was changing and there was a scent of the sea in the air. Sam struggled with the thoughts of what to say or do to try and change Frodo's purpose, but he knew his master's mind was set. Thinking back he considered how for months he failed to recognize Frodo's pain and discontent as signs that there was no hope of healing for him in the Shire.
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
(This post was edited by grammaboodawg on Sep 28 2018, 1:39pm)
|
|
|
grammaboodawg
Immortal
Sep 29 2018, 12:01pm
Post #10 of 17
(21126 views)
Shortcut
|
Today in Middle-earth
September 29, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. The company of Thorin recovers in Lake-town.
(determined from text)
... "...within a week they were quite recovered, fitted out in fine cloth of their proper colours, with beards combed and trimmed, and proud steps. Thorin looked and walked as if his kingdom was already regained and Smaug chopped into little pieces.
...... the dwarves' good feeling towards the little hobbit grew stronger... ...There were no more groans or grumbles. They drank his health, and they patted him on the back, and they made a great fuss of him; which was just as well, for he was not feeling particularly cheerful. He had not forgotten the look of the Mountain, nor the thought of the dragon, and he had besides a shocking cold... ...his speeches at banquets were limited to "Thag you very buch.""
September 29, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Frodo reaches Bree at night.
(from the appendices)
..."...Even from the outside the inn looked a pleasant house to familiar eyes... ...Over the door was painted in white letters: The Prancing Pony by Barliman Butterbur.... ...Frodo went forward and nearly bumped into a short fat man with a bald head and a red face... '...Half a minute, if you please!' shouted the man over his shoulder, and vanished into a babel of voices and a cloud of smoke. In a moment he was out again, wiping his hands on his apron.
...'Good evening, little master!' he said, bending down. 'What may you be wanting?'
...'Beds for four, and stabling for five ponies, if that can be managed. Are you Mr. Butterbur?'
...'That's right! Barliman is my name! Barliman Butterbur at your service! You're from the Shire, eh...? ...Hobbits!' he cried. 'Now what does that remind me of...?'
......The landlord hovered round for a little, and then proposed to leave them. 'I don't know whether you would care to join the company, when you have supped,' he said... '...We don't get Outsiders—travellers from the Shire, I should say, begging your pardon...'
......Frodo, Pippin and Sam decided to join the company. Merry said it would be too stuffy. 'I shall sit here quietly by the fire for a bit, and perhaps go out later for a sniff of the air. Mind your Ps and Qs, and don't forget that you are supposed to be escaping in secret...'
......As soon as the Shire-hobbits entered, there was a chorus of welcome from the Bree-landers. The strangers, especially those that had come up the Greenway, stared at them curiously.... ...Sam and Pippin, where were now feeling quite at home, and were chatting gaily about events in the Shire....
......Suddenly Frodo noticed that a strange-looking weather-beaten man, sitting in the shadows near the wall, was also listening intently to the hobbit-talk. He had a tall tankard in front of him, and was smoking a long-stemmed pipe curiously carved. His legs were stretched out before him, showing high boots of supple leather that fitted him well, but had seen much wear and were now caked with mud. A travel-stained cloak of heavy dark-green cloth was drawn close about him, and in spite of the heat of the room he wore a hood that overshadowed his face; but the gleam of his eyes could be seen as he watched the hobbits.
...'Who is that?' Frodo asked, when he got a chance to whisper to Mr. Butterbur...
...'Him?' said the landlord... ...cocking an eye without turning his head. 'I don't rightly know. He is one of the wandering folk—Rangers we call them. He seldom talks: not but what he can tell a rare tale when he has the mind. He disappears for a month, or a year, and then he pops up again. He was in and out pretty often last spring; but I haven't seen him about lately. What his right name is I've never heard: but he's known round here as Strider. Goes about at a great pace on his long shanks...' ...Frodo found that Strider was now looking at him..."
2. Gandalf visits the Gaffer.
(from the appendices)
..."But fear grew in me as I rode. Ever as I came north I heard tidings of the Riders, and though I gained on them day by day, they were ever before me. They had divided their forces... ...some remained on the eastern borders, not from the Greenway, and some invaded the Shire from the south. I came to Hobbiton and Frodo had gone; but I had words with old Gamgee. Many words and few to the point. He had much to say about the short-comings of the new owners of Bag End... ...I gathered at last that Frodo had left Hobbiton less than a week before, and that a black horseman had come to the Hill the same evening. Then I rode on in fear..."
September 29, 3021 (S.R. 1421)
1. They come to the Grey Havens.
(from the appendices)
..."...they came to the Far Downs, and to the Towers, and looked on the distant Sea; and so they rode down at last to Mithlond, to the Grey Havens in the long firth of Lune.
...As they came to the gates Círdan the Shipwright came forth to greet them... ...and he looked at them and bowed, and said: 'All is now ready.'
...Then Círdan led them to the Havens, and there was a white ship lying, and upon the quay… …stood a figure robed all in white awaiting them. As he turned and came towards them Frodo saw that it was Gandalf; and on his hand he wore the Third Ring, Narya the Great, and the stone upon it was red as fire. Then those who were to go were glad, for they knew that Gandalf also would take ship with them."
2. Frodo and Bilbo depart over the Sea with the Three Keepers.
(from the appendices)
..."But Sam was now sorrowful at heart, and it seemed to him that if the parting would be bitter, more grievous still would be the long road home alone. But even as they stood there, and the Elves were going aboard, and all was being made ready to depart, up rode Merry and Pippin in great haste. And amid his tears Pippin laughed.
...'You tried to give us the slip once before and failed, Frodo... ...This time you have nearly succeeded... ...It was not Sam, though, that gave you away this time, but Gandalf himself!'
...'Yes,' said Gandalf; 'for it will be better to ride back three together than one alone. Well, here at last, dear friends, on the shores of the Sea comes the end of our fellowship in Middle-earth. Go in peace! I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil.'
...Then Frodo kissed Merry and Pippin, and last of all Sam, and went aboard; and the sails were drawn up, and the wind blew, and slowly the ship slipped away... ...the light of the glass of Galadriel that Frodo bore glimmered and was lost. And the ship went out into the High Sea and passed on into the West...
......to Sam the evening deepened to darkness as he stood at the Haven; and as he looked at the grey sea he saw only a shadow on the waters... ...There still he stood far into the night, hearing only the sigh and murmur of the waves on the shores of Middle-earth, and the sound of them sank deep into his heart. Beside him stood Merry and Pippin, and they were silent.
...At last the three companions turned away, and never again looking back they rode slowly homewards; and they spoke no word to one another until they came back to the Shire, but each had great comfort in his friends on the long grey road."
3. The end of the Third age.
(from the appendices)
..."...The Third Age was over, and the Days of the rings were passed, and an end was come of the story and song of those times. With them went many Elves of the High Kindred who would no longer stay in Middle-earth..."
......at last on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water. And then it seemed to him that as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise.
weaver honoured 9/29/16
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
|
|
|
dernwyn
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Sep 29 2018, 6:55pm
Post #11 of 17
(21098 views)
Shortcut
|
It can't have been...time is passing much, much too quickly...
While poking through my file of quizzes and games for last week, I opened up some which weaver and I had worked together on, long ago. It's comforting knowing that some of her thoughts and ideas are still here, with me, and here on TORn, with all of us. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
|
|
|
grammaboodawg
Immortal
Sep 30 2018, 12:20pm
Post #12 of 17
(21041 views)
Shortcut
|
Today in Middle-earth
September 30, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Crickhollow and the Inn at Bree are raided in the early hours.
(from the appendices)
..."...enemies were in Buckland, some strange invasion from the Old Forest. And they lost no more time. FEAR! FIRE! FOES!
...The Brandybucks were blowing the Horn-call of Buckland, that had not sounded for a hundred years, not since the white wolves came in the Fell Winter, when the Brandywine was frozen over. FEAR! FIRE! FOES!
...Far-away answering horns were heard. The alarm was spreading.
...The black figures fled from the house. One of them let fall a hobbit-cloak on the step, as he ran. In the lane the noise of hoofs broke out, and gathering to a gallop, went hammering away into the darkness. All about Crickhollow there was the sound of horns blowing, and voices crying and feet running. But the Black Riders rode like a gale to the North Gate. Let the little people blow! Sauron would deal with them later...
......In the early night Frodo woke from deep sleep, suddenly, as if some sound or presence had disturbed him. He saw that Strider was sitting alert in his chair: his eyes gleamed in the light of the fire... ...Frodo soon went to sleep again; but his dreams were again troubled with the noise of wind and of galloping hoofs...
......As soon as Strider had roused them all, he led the way to their bedrooms. When they saw them they were glad that they had taken his advice: the windows had been forced open and were swinging, and the curtains were flapping; the beds were tossed about, and the bolsters slashed and flung upon the floor... '...We will leave at once,' said Strider. 'Never mind about breakfast: a drink and a bite standing will have to do. We shall be packed in a few minutes....'
......The ponies had vanished! The stable-doors had all been opened in the night, and they were gone... ...Strider sat silent for a while, looking at the hobbits, as if he was weighing up their strength and courage. 'Ponies would not help us to escape horsemen,' he said at last, thoughtfully, as if he guessed what Frodo had in mind. 'We should not go much slower on foot, not on the roads that I mean to take. I was going to walk in any case. It is the food and stores that trouble me.... ...How much are you prepared to carry on your backs?'
...'As much as we must,' said Pippin with a sinking heart, but trying to show that he was tougher than he looked (or felt). 'I can carry enough for two,' said Sam defiantly...'
......No horse or pony was to be got for love or money in the neighbourhood—except one: Bill Ferny had one that he might possibly sell. 'A poor old half-starved creature it is,' said Bob; 'but he won't part with it for less than thrice its worth, seeing how you're placed, not if I knows Bill Ferny...'"
2. Frodo leaves Bree.
(from the appendices)
... "...They said goodbye to Nob and Bob, and took leave of Mr. Butterbur with many thanks... ...Sam was chewing an apple thoughtfully. He had a pocket full of them... '...Apples for walking, and a pipe for sitting,' he said. 'But I reckon I'll miss them both before long...' ...Over the hedge another man was staring boldly... '...Morning, Longshanks!' he said. 'Off early? Found some friends at last?' Strider nodded, but did not answer.
...'Morning, my little friends!' he said to the others. 'I suppose you know who you've taken up with? That's Stick-at-nought Strider, that is! Though I've heard other names not so pretty. Watch out tonight! And you, Sammie, don't go ill-treating my poor old pony! Pah!' He spat again.
...Sam turned quickly. 'And you, Ferny,' he said, 'put your ugly face out of sight, or it will get hurt.' With a sudden flick, quick as lightning, an apple left his hand and hit Bill square on the nose. He ducked too late, and curses came from behind the hedge. 'Waste of a good apple,' said Sam regretfully, and strode on."
3. Gandalf comes to Crickhollow, and reaches Bree at night.
(from the appendices)
... " '...I came to Buckland and found it in uproar, as busy as a hive of ants that has been stirred with a stick. I came to the house at Crickhollow, and it was broken open and empty; but on the threshold there lay a cloak that had been Frodo's. Then for a while hope left me, and I did not wait to gather news, or I might have been comforted; but I rode on the trail of the Riders. It was hard to follow, for it went many ways... ...But it seemed to me that one or two had ridden towards Bree; and that way I went, for I thought of words that might be said to the innkeeper.' "Butterbur they call him," thought I. "If this delay was his fault, I will melt all the butter in him. I will roast the old fool over a slow fire..."
...'So overjoyed was I by the news that I got out of him, when he stopped quaking, that I embraced the old fellow... ...I learned that you had gone off that morning with Strider....' '"Ass! Fool! Thrice worthy and beloved Barliman!" said I. "It's the best news I have had since midsummer: it's worth a gold piece at the least. May your beer be laid under an enchantment of surpassing excellence for seven years!"'"
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
|
|
|
grammaboodawg
Immortal
Sep 30 2018, 12:42pm
Post #13 of 17
(21041 views)
Shortcut
|
weaver was the one who gave us Founders Day and so many wonderful moments and games that are a staple of our Community. Her wit, dedication and humour are missed so much; but you're right... it is comforting to know she'll always be here with us :)
*big hug*
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
|
|
|
grammaboodawg
Immortal
Oct 1 2018, 10:31am
Post #14 of 17
(21014 views)
Shortcut
|
Today in Middle-earth
October 1, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. It was nearing time to leave.
(determined from text-no text)
...Bilbo was finally over his cold. While Thorin and the Dwarves seemed in no rush to get underway, he grew restless to finally leave for the Lonely Mountain forever looming in the distance. He longed for the comfort of his hole under the hill and familiar surroundings.
October 1, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Gandalf leaves Bree.
(from the appendices)
..."'So I stayed there that night, wondering much what had become of the Riders; for only of two had there yet been any news in Bree, it seemed. But in the night we heard more. Five at least came from the west, and they threw down the gates and passed through Bree like a howling wind; and the Bree-folk are still shivering and expecting the end of the world. I got up before dawn and went after them....
......it seems clear to me that this is what happened. Their Captain remained in secret away south of Bree, while two rode ahead through the village, and four more invaded the Shire. But when these were foiled in Bree and at Crickhollow, they returned to their Captain with tidings, and so left the Road unguarded for a while except by their spies. The Captain sent some eastward straight across country, and he himself with the rest rode along the Road in great wrath.'"
2. But where's he leadin' us? [Aragorn makes for Weathertop]
(not from the appendices)
..."Whether because of Strider's skill or for some other reason, they saw no sign and heard no sound of any other living thing... ...they began to steer a steady course eastwards; and still all was quiet and peaceful."
October 1, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. The hobbits rest with Bilbo in Rivendell.
(not from the appendices-no text)
...Bilbo never tired of watching the hobbits' awe with every new discovery as he guided them to another garden or workshop. Sam was delighted to finally learn how to make elven rope.
October 1, 3021 (S.R. 1421)
1. The Hobbits ride home from the Havens.
(not from the appendices)
..."...they rode slowly homewards; and they spoke no word to one another until they came back to the Shire, but each had great comfort in his friends on the long grey road."
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
|
|
|
grammaboodawg
Immortal
Oct 2 2018, 11:25am
Post #15 of 17
(20880 views)
Shortcut
|
Today in Middle-earth
October 2, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. The hobbits and Strider leave Chetwood.
(not from the appendices)
..."...they came out of the Chetwood. The land had been falling steadily, ever since they turned aside from the Road, and they now entered a wide flat expanse of country, much more difficult to manage. They were far beyond the borders of the Bree-land, out in the pathless wilderness, and drawing near to the Midgewater Marshes.
...The ground now became damp, and in places boggy... ...and wide stretches of reeds and rushes filled with the warbling of little hidden birds. They had to pick their way carefully to keep both dry-footed and on their proper course. At first they made fair progress, but as they went on, their passage became slower and more dangerous. The marshes were bewildering and treacherous, and there was no permanent trail even for Rangers to find through their shifting quagmires. The flies began to torment them, and the air was full of clouds of tiny midges that crept up their sleeves and breeches and into their hair.
...'I am being eaten alive!' cried Pippin. 'Midgewater! There are more midges than water!'
...'What do they live on when they can't get hobbit?' asked Sam, scratching his neck."
October 2, 3020 (S.R. 1420)
1. Sam enjoys being home in his Shire.
(not from the appendices)
..."All thing now went well, with hope always of becoming still better; and Sam was as busy and as full of delight as even a hobbit could wish. Nothing for him marred that whole year, except for some vague anxiety about his master."
October 2, 3021 (S.R. 1421)
1. Sam's long ride home from the Havens.
(not from the appendices-no text)
...Sam's mind wandered as he rode silently next to Pippin. He thought of the time that had passed since their return from Rivendell. Frodo seemed healed and at peace during their long stay with Bilbo in Imladris, but since they left that realm, Sam knew he suffered from unrest. Why would Frodo hide from him the depth of his wounds? There must have been something he could have done to ease his burden.
October 2, 1980
Tolkien's Unfinished Tales first published.
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
|
|
|
grammaboodawg
Immortal
Oct 3 2018, 1:45pm
Post #16 of 17
(20794 views)
Shortcut
|
Today in Middle-earth
October 3, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. He (Gandalf) is attacked at night on Weathertop.
(from the appendices)
..."'I galloped to Weathertop like a gale, and I reached it before sundown on my second day from Bree—and they were there before me. They drew away from me, for they felt the coming of my anger and they dared not face it while the Sun was in the sky. But they closed round at night, and I was besieged on the hill-top, in the old ring of Amon Sűl. I was hard put to it indeed: such light and flame cannot have been seen on Weathertop since the war-beacons of old.'"
[He left clues:]
..."'...I should say,' answered Strider, 'that [the marks] stood for G3, and were a sign that Gandalf was here on October the third... ...It would also show that he was in a hurry and danger was at hand, so that he had no time or did not dare to write anything longer or plainer. If that is so, we must be wary.'
...'I wish we could feel sure that he made the marks, whatever they may mean,' said Frodo. 'It would be a great comfort to know that he was on the way, in front of us or behind us.'"
2. Into the wild...and into the marshes.
(not from the appendices)
..."...They spent a miserable day in this lonely and unpleasant country. Their camping-place was damp, cold, and uncomfortable; and the biting insects would not let them sleep. There were also abominable creatures haunting the reeds and tussocks that from the sound of them were evil relatives of the cricket (wetas?). There were thousands of them, and they squeaked all round, neek-breek, breek-neek, unceasingly all the night, until the hobbits were nearly frantic....
......Though the neekerbreekers had been left behind, the midges still pursued them. As Frodo lay tired but unable to close his eyes, it seemed to him that far away there came a light in the eastern sky: it flashed and faded many times. It was not the dawn, for that was still some hours off.
...'What is the light?' he said to Strider, who had risen, and was standing, gazing ahead into the night.
...'I do not know,' Strider answered. 'It is too distant to make out... ...like lightning that leaps up from the hilltops.'
...Frodo lay down again, but for a long while he could still see the white flashes, and against them the tall dark figure of Strider, standing silent and watchful. At last he passed into uneasy sleep."
October 3, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. Sam and Frodo feel the call to leave.
(not from the appendices)
..."'Well, Mr. Frodo, we've been far and seen a deal, and yet I don't think we've found a better place than this. There's something of everything here, if you understand me: the Shire and the Golden Wood and Gondor and Kings' houses and inns and meadows and mountains all mixed. And yet... ...I feel we ought to be going soon. I'm worried about my gaffer, to tell you the truth.'
...'Yes, something of everything, Sam, except the Sea,' Frodo had answered; and he repeated it now to himself: 'Except the Sea.'"
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
|
|
|
grammaboodawg
Immortal
Oct 4 2018, 10:54am
Post #17 of 17
(20770 views)
Shortcut
|
Today in Middle-earth
October 4, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Gandalf leaves Weathertop and rides to Rivendell.
(from the appendices)
..."'At sunrise I escaped and fled towards the north. I could not hope to do more. It was impossible to find you... ...and it would have been folly to try with all the Nine at my heels. So I had to trust to Aragorn. But I hoped to draw some of them off, and yet reach Rivendell ahead of you and send out help. Four Riders did indeed follow me, but they turned back after a while and made for the Ford, it seems. That helped a little, for there were only five, not nine, when your camp was attacked.'"
October 4, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. The hobbits reach the end of their rest in Rivendell.
(not from the appendices)
..."When nearly a fortnight had passed Frodo looked out of his window... ...suddenly he knew that he must go, and say good-bye to Bilbo.... ...He had a feeling that it was time he went back to the Shire. Sam shared it....
...In the evening they went to say good-bye to Bilbo. 'Well, if you must go... ...I am sorry, I shall miss you. It is nice just to know that you are about the place. But I am getting very sleepy.' Then he gave Frodo his mithril-coat and Sting, forgetting that he had already done so; and he gave him also three books of lore that he had made at various times, written in his spidery hand, and labelled on their red backs: Translations from the Elvish, by B. B.
...To Sam he gave a little bag of gold. 'Almost the last drop of the Smaug vintage... ...May come in useful, if you think of getting married, Sam.' Sam blushed.
...'I have nothing much to give to you young fellows,' he said to Merry and Pippin, 'except good advice.' And when he had given them a fair sample of this, he added a last item in Shire-fashion: 'Don't let your heads get too big for your hats... ...you are going to find hats and clothes expensive.'
...'But if you want to beat the Old Took,' said Pippin, 'I don't see why we shouldn't try and beat the Bullroarer.'
...Bilbo laughed, and he produced out a pocket two beautiful pipes with pearl mouth-pieces and bound with fine-wrought silver. 'Think of me when you smoke them... ...The Elves made them for me, but I don't smoke now.' And suddenly he nodded and went to sleep for a little; and when he woke up again he said: 'Now where were we? Yes, of course, giving presents. Which reminds me: what's become of my ring, Frodo, that you took away?'
...'I have lost it, Bilbo dear,' said Frodo. 'I got rid of it, you know.'
...'What a pity!' said Bilbo. 'I should have liked to see it again. But no, how silly of me! That's what you went for, wasn't it: to get rid of it? But it is all so confusing...'"
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
|
|
|
|
|
