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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Sep 13 2020, 2:24pm
Post #26 of 49
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Today in Middle-earth
September 13, 3018 (S.R. 3018)
1. The days go by in Bag End.
(not from the appendices)
..."Autumn was well under way before Frodo began to worry about Gandalf again. September was passing and there was still no news of him. The Birthday, and the removal, drew nearer, and still he did not come, or send word."
September 13, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. Celeborn and Galadriel depart, the others set out for Rivendell.
(not from the appendices)
...[The Company lingered near the Silverlode] "...But at length all was said, and they parted again for a while, until it was time for the Three Rings to pass away. Quickly fading into the stones and the shadows the grey-cloaked people of Lórien road towards the mountain; and those who were going to Rivendell sat on the hill and watched, until there came out of the gathering mist a flash; and then they saw no more. Frodo knew that Galadriel had held aloft her ring in token of farewell. Sam turned away and sighed: 'I wish I was going back to Lórien!'"
We have been there and back again.
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don't have the strength." – Theodore Roosevelt
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Sep 14 2020, 12:22pm
Post #27 of 49
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Today in Middle-earth
September 14, 3001 (S.R. 1401)
1. A waggon is spotted on the road.
(not from the appendices)
..."Days passed and The Day drew nearer... ...At the end of the second week in September a cart came in through Bywater from the direction of Brandywine Bridge in broad daylight. An old man was driving it all alone. He wore a tall pointed blue hat, a long grey cloak, and a silver scarf. He had a long white beard and bushy eyebrows that stuck out beyond the brim of his hat. Small hobbit-children ran after the cart all through Hobbiton and right up the hill. It had a cargo of fireworks... ...At Bilbo's front door the old man began to unload: there were great bundles of fireworks of all sorts and shapes, each labelled with a large red G and the elf-rune
...That was Gandalf's mark... ...and the old man was Gandalf the wizard, whose fame in the Shire was due mainly to his skill with fires, smokes, and lights. His real business was far more difficult and dangerous, but the Shire-folk new nothing about it.... ...he was just one of the 'attractions' at the Party.
...When the old man, helped by Bilbo and some dwarves, had finished unloading, Bilbo gave a few pennies away; but not a single squib or cracker was forthcoming, to the disappointment of the onlookers.
...'Run away now!' said Gandalf. 'You will get plenty when the time comes.' Then he disappeared inside with Bilbo, and the door was shut. The young hobbits stared at the door in vain for a while, and then they made off, feeling that the day of the party would never come."
We have been there and back again.
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don't have the strength." – Theodore Roosevelt
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Sep 15 2020, 10:45am
Post #28 of 49
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Today in Middle-earth
September 15, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. The White Council continues their debate.
(not from the appendices-determined from text – The Silmarillion)
... "... Mithrandir spoke to the Council, saying:
...'…The might of the Elves and the Elf-friends is less now than of old. Soon he will be too strong... ...even without the Great Ring; for he rules the Nine, and of the Seven he has recovered three. We must strike.'"
2. Saruman agrees to an attack on Dol Guldur.
(not from the appendices-determined from text)
..."To this Curunír now assented, desiring that Sauron should be thrust from Dol Guldur, which was nigh to the River, and should have leisure to search there no longer. Therefore, for the last time, he aided the Council..."
September 15, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Gandalf isstill held captive atop Orthanc [since July 10].
(not from the appendices)
..."'...on the pinnacle of Orthanc, in the place where Saruman was accustomed to watch the stars. There is no descent save by a narrow stair of many thousand steps, and the valley below seems far away... ...I stood alone on an island in the clouds; and I had no chance of escape, and my days were bitter. I was pierced with cold, and I had but little room in which to pace to and fro, brooding on the coming of the Riders to the North.'"
September 15, 1977
1. The Silmarillion is published.
... Forty years after the publication of The Hobbit, Christopher Tolkien completed his father's work, The Silmarillion.
We have been there and back again.
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don't have the strength." – Theodore Roosevelt
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Sep 15 2020, 3:31pm
Post #29 of 49
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The White Council makes plans and begins to put them in motion.
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Today in Middle-earth
September 15, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. The White Council continues their debate.
(not from the appendices-determined from text – The Silmarillion)
... "... Mithrandir spoke to the Council, saying:
...'…The might of the Elves and the Elf-friends is less now than of old. Soon he will be too strong... ...even without the Great Ring; for he rules the Nine, and of the Seven he has recovered three. We must strike.'"
2. Saruman agrees to an attack on Dol Guldur.
(not from the appendices-determined from text)
..."To this Curunír now assented, desiring that Sauron should be thrust from Dol Guldur, which was nigh to the River, and should have leisure to search there no longer. Therefore, for the last time, he aided the Council..."
I suspect that the White Council of 2941 met either late in August or early in September; they might be well into putting their plans against Sauron in Dol Guldur into action by this time. This would be especially likely if the Council convened in Rivendell rather than someplace closer to MIrkwood Forest.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Sep 16 2020, 10:48am
Post #30 of 49
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Today in Middle-earth
September 16, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. Bilbo feels the strain.
(determined from text - referencing Karen Wynn Fonstad, The Atlas of Middle-earth)
..."Bilbo did not like being depended upon by everyone, and he wished he had the wizard at hand. But that was no use: probably all the dark distance of Mirkwood lay between them."
September 16, 3001 (S.R. 1401)
1. Bilbo begins sending invitations.
(not from the appendices)
..."Before long the invitations began pouring out, and the Hobbiton post-office was blocked, and the Bywater post-office was snowed under, and voluntary assistant postmen were called for... ...a constant stream of them going up the Hill, carrying hundreds of polite variations on 'Thank you, I shall certainly come.'
...A Notice appeared on the gate at Bag End: NO ADMITTANCE EXCEPT ON PARTY BUSINESS."
We have been there and back again.
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don't have the strength." – Theodore Roosevelt
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Sep 16 2020, 10:59am
Post #31 of 49
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Lemmie take a look at this. Thanks!
We have been there and back again.
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don't have the strength." – Theodore Roosevelt
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Sep 16 2020, 1:53pm
Post #32 of 49
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Lemmie take a look at this. Thanks!
Tolkien does tell us that the White Council met in the late summer of 2941, we don't know precisely what that means in the that region of Middle-earth in the Third Age. From The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, Part III (Durin's Folk):
In the late summer of that same year (2941) Gandalf had at last prevailed upon Saruman and the White Council to attack Dol Guldur, and Sauron retreated and went to Mordor, there to be secure, as he thought, from all his enemies.
My best guess is that the end of summer in the North might have fallen at the end of August rather than in the middle of September. If the summer solstice roughly coincided with the Lithedays following the end of June then the autumnal equinox would have been around the end of September or beginning of October which is far too late for our purposes*. In addition, mid-September leaves the Council little time in which to make their plans and take action before the date of 22 September--perhaps too little time.
*By coincidence(?), the end of September works out very well for the beginning of Autumn in Gondor with its presumably milder climate, as it does roughly coincide with the fall equinox.
#FidelityToTolkien
(This post was edited by Otaku-sempai on Sep 16 2020, 2:07pm)
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Sep 16 2020, 2:32pm
Post #33 of 49
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in the Steward's Reckoning of Gondor, the day of Yáviérë (Autumn-day; near or just after the Autumnal Equinox) fell between the months of Yavannië (September) and Narquelië (October). Similarly, the day of Tuilérë (Spring-day; near or just after the Vernal Equinox) fell between the months of Súlimë (March) and Víressë (April). Yestarë (2 Yule in the Shire Reckoning) fell approximately on the Winter Solstice. Loëndë (Mid-year's Day; also called Enderi) approximately coincided with the Summer Solstice.
If we use Tolkien's notes in Appendix D (The Calendars) then the beginning of autumn in Gondor (at least during the rule of the Stewards) fell approximately on our own 22 September. Hey! That's the birthdays of Bilbo and Frodo!
#FidelityToTolkien
(This post was edited by Otaku-sempai on Sep 16 2020, 2:45pm)
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Sep 17 2020, 12:02pm
Post #34 of 49
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Today in Middle-earth
September 17, 3001 (S.R. 1401)
1. Bilbo party preparations keep him busy.
(not from the appendices)
..."Even those who had, or pretended to have, Party Business were seldom allowed inside. Bilbo was busy: writing invitation, ticking off answers, packing up presents, and making some private preparations of his own. From the time of Gandalf's arrival he remained hidden from view."
September 17, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Gandalf is captive atop Orthanc.
(not from the appendices)
..."'Fear was ever in my heart for my friends in the Shire... ...I hoped that Frodo has set forth at once, as my letter had urged, and that he had reached Rivendell before the deadly pursuit began. And both my fear and my hope proved ill-founded. For my hope was founded on a fat man in Bree; and my fear was founded on the cunning of Sauron. But fat men who sell ale have many calls to answer; and the power of Sauron is still less than fear makes it. But in the circle of Isengard, trapped and alone, it was not easy to think that the hunters before whom all have fled or fallen would falter in the Shire far away.'"
[A little related BS from a September 26 event in Frodo's dream while in the house of Tom Bombadil... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From The Council of Elrond: The Fellowship of the Ring
... "'I saw you!' cried Frodo. 'You were walking backward and forwards. The moon shone in your hair.'
... Gandalf paused astonished and looked at him. 'It was only a dream,' said Frodo, 'but it suddenly came back to me. I had quite forgotten... ...It came some time ago; after I left the Shire, I think.'
... 'Then it was late in coming,' said Gandalf, 'as you will see.'"
We have been there and back again.
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don't have the strength." – Theodore Roosevelt
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Sep 18 2020, 1:15pm
Post #35 of 49
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Today in Middle-earth
September 18, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. The Company is still caught in Thranduil's caves.
(determined from text - referencing Karen Wynn Fonstad, The Atlas of Middle-earth)
...Bilbo continues to ponder an escape plan as he listens, watches and waits.
September 18, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Frodo prepares to leave Bag End for Crickhollow.
(not from the appendices)
..."Bag End began to be busy. Some of Frodo's friends came to stay and help him with the packing: there was Fredegar Bolger and Folco Boffin, and of course his special friends Pippin Took and Merry Brandybuck. Between them they turned the whole place upside-down."
2. Gandalf escapes from Orthanc in the early hours. The Black Riders cross the Fords of Isen.
(from the appendices)
..."'Those of you who know me will agree that I have seldom been in such need, and do not bear such misfortune well. Gandalf the Grey caught like a fly in a spider's treacherous web! Yet even the most subtle spiders may leave a weak thread.
...'At first I feared, as Saruman no doubt intended, that Radagast had also fallen. Yet I had caught no hint of anything wrong in his voice or in his eye at our meeting... ...He sought me in good faith, and so persuaded me.
...'That was the undoing of Saruman's plot. For Radagast knew no reason why he should not do as I asked; and he rode away towards Mirkwood where he had many friends of old. And the Eagles of the Mountains went far and wide, and they saw many things: the gathering of wolves and the mustering of Orcs; and the Nine Riders going hither and thither in the lands; and they heard news of the escape of Gollum. And they sent a messenger to bring these tidings to me.
...'So it was that when summer waned, there came a night of moon, and Gwaihir the Windlord... ...came unlooked-for to Orthanc; and he found me standing on the pinnacle. Then I spoke to him and he bore me away, before Saruman was aware. I was far from Isengard, ere the wolves and orcs issued from the gate to pursue me.
...'"How far can you bear me?" I said to Gwaihir.
...'"Many leagues," said he, "but not to the ends of the earth. I was sent to bear tidings not burdens."
...'"Then I must have a steed on land," I said, 'and a steed surpassingly swift, for I have never had such need of haste before."
...'"Then I will bear you to Edoras, where the Lord of Rohan sits in his halls..."'"
[league = 3 miles]
September 18, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. The Company rides to Rivendell
(not from the appendices-no text)
...Gandalf, the hobbits and Elrond with his company continue at their leisure on their journey to Rivendell as Saruman makes his way to the Shire.
September 18, 3020 (S.R. 1420)
1. The hobbits adjust.
(not from the appendices)
..."Frodo and Sam went back to ordinary attire, except that when there was need they both wore long grey cloaks, finely woven and clasped at the throat with beautiful brooches; and Mr. Frodo wore always a white jewel on a chain that he often would finger."
September 18, 3021 (S.R. 1421)
1. The family in Bag End.
(not from the appendices-no text)
...Frodo found himself watching Sam as he moved about Bag End, often with little Elanor cradled in one of his strong, weathered arms. He suddenly became aware that he had contemplated a hope, a presumption, that would comfort himself in his decision; but would it be fair to Sam? The answer was clear to him. He looked over at Rosie as she set plates and cups on the table and she looked up at him and smiled. Frodo smiled in return. "I'll fetch Sam for you, Rosie. Then I'll come help you finish with the table."
We have been there and back again.
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don't have the strength." – Theodore Roosevelt
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Sep 18 2020, 1:34pm
Post #36 of 49
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Great! Thank you! EDITING IN PROGRESS
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This is all very helpful! My posts on the White Council thread used to be earlier in the month. The change back involves several entries and big adjustments to the Google calendar, so I'm going to work on this and the changes will appear in the thread next year. Because the dates affected have already past, there are just too many posts/dates involved to do the editing for this current thread. It's a domino effect :) One thing knocks into the next.
Thank you so much for your excellent research! A+
We have been there and back again.
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don't have the strength." – Theodore Roosevelt
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Sep 18 2020, 2:29pm
Post #37 of 49
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This is all very helpful! My posts on the White Council thread used to be earlier in the month. The change back involves several entries and big adjustments to the Google calendar, so I'm going to work on this and the changes will appear in the thread next year. Because the dates affected have already past, there are just too many posts/dates involved to do the editing for this current thread. It's a domino effect :) One thing knocks into the next.
Thank you so much for your excellent research! A+
One thing to remember is that dates in the calendars of Middle-earth fall earlier on our own calendar. If we go strictly by Tolkien's estimate that Shire-dates were in advance of our own by approximately 10 days, Bilbo and Frodo's birthdays on 22 Halimath would have fallen around our own 14 September. So they would not have fallen on the first day of autumn in the Steward's Reckoning, but about a week and a half earlier. And Gondor's use of the solstices and equinoxes makes it easier for us to relate to their reckoning of the seasons.
#FidelityToTolkien
(This post was edited by Otaku-sempai on Sep 18 2020, 2:33pm)
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Sep 18 2020, 4:28pm
Post #38 of 49
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I am working strictly by our current Gregorian Calendar... so I hope your suggestions are according to that and not the other Middle-earth calendars :D
I think my head would explode if I had to do math with these!! *twitch, spasm* That would mean my entire file!!! *splat!*
We have been there and back again.
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don't have the strength." – Theodore Roosevelt
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Sep 18 2020, 4:55pm
Post #39 of 49
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I am working strictly by our current Gregorian Calendar... so I hope your suggestions are according to that and not the other Middle-earth calendars :D
I think my head would explode if I had to do math with these!! *twitch, spasm* That would mean my entire file!!! *splat!*
For your purposes, that is probably the best way to go. I just find it interesting to compare the Middle-earth dates with our own. So for your purposes, Frodo and Bilbo's birthdays are still 22 September and Autumn in Gondor starts after the end of September. Autumn in the North, though, might start around the beginning of September or even earlier (depending on which culture we are looking at).
The Calendar of Imladris reckoned Yávië (Autumn) as 10 August through 3 October on the Shire Calendar. After Yávië came the middle-days of Enderi (4 October through 6 October), followed by the season of Quellë (the Fading; from 7 October through 30 November). Winter proper was called Hrívë (1 December through 10 February).
#FidelityToTolkien
(This post was edited by Otaku-sempai on Sep 18 2020, 4:58pm)
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Sep 19 2020, 12:18am
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And I'm not sure if Tolkien came up with his date before or after his development of the Shire Calendar. That could have made a significant difference in his calculations.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Sep 19 2020, 1:01pm
Post #45 of 49
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Today in Middle-earth
September 19, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Gandalf comes to Edoras as a beggar, and is refused admittance.
(from the appendices)
..."'...[Gwaihir] set me down in the land of Rohan ere dawn... ...In Rohan I found evil already at work: the lies of Saruman...'"
...Éomer recounts:] "'Indeed since his last coming in the summer all things have gone amiss. At that time our trouble with Saruman began. Until then we counted Saruman our friend, but Gandalf came... ...and warned us that sudden war was preparing in Isengard. He said that he himself had been a prisoner in Orthanc and had hardly escaped, and he begged for help. But Théoden would not listen to him, and he went away.'"
September 19, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. The Company continues to ride toward home.
(not from the appendices-no text)
...Elrond and his people, Gandalf and the hobbits continue at their leisure on their journey to Rivendell as Saruman makes his way to the Shire.
September 19, 3020 (S.R. 1420)
1. Life seems to return to normal in the Shire.
(not from the appendices)
..."All things 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. Frodo dropped quietly out of all the doings of the Shire, and Sam was pained to notice how little honour he had in his own country. Few people knew... ...about his deeds and adventures; their admiration and respect were given mostly to Mr. Meriadoc and Mr. Peregrin and (if Sam had known it) to himself. Also in the autumn there appeared a shadow of old troubles."
September 19, 3021 (S.R. 1421)
1. Frodo quietly makes plans.
(not from the appendices)
...'"Little Elanor was nearly six months old, and 1421 had passed to its autumn, when Frodo called Sam into the study.
...'It will be Bilbo's Birthday on Thursday, Sam,' he said. 'And he will pass the Old Took. He will be a hundred and thirty-one!'
...'So he will!' said Sam. 'He's a marvel!'
...'Well, Sam... ...I want you to see Rose and find out if she can spare you, so that you and I can go off together. You can't go far or for a long time now, of course,' he said a little wistfully.
...'Well, not very well, Mr. Frodo.'
...'Of course not. But never mind. You can see me on my way. Tell Rose that you won't be away very long, not more than a fortnight; and you'll come back quite safe.'
...'I wish I could go all the way with you to Rivendell... ...see Mr. Bilbo,' said Sam. 'And yet the only place I really want to be in is here. I am that torn in two.'
...'Poor Sam! It will feel like that, I am afraid,' said Frodo. 'But you will be healed. You were meant to be solid and whole, and you will be.'"
We have been there and back again.
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don't have the strength." – Theodore Roosevelt
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Sep 20 2020, 1:44pm
Post #46 of 49
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Today in Middle-earth
[EDIT IN PROGRESS FOR 2021]
September 20, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. Gandalf at the White Council.
(not from the appendices-determined from LotR Appendix B text)
... "In the late summer... ...Gandalf had at last prevailed upon Saruman and the White Council to attack Dol Guldur, and Sauron retreated and went to Mordor, there to be secure, as he thought, from all his enemies. So it was that when the War came at last the main assault was turned southwards..."
2. The White Council assaults Dol Guldur.
(not from the appendices-determined from The Silmarillion text)
..."... they put forth their strength; and they assailed Dol Guldur, and drove Sauron from his hold, and Mirkwood for a brief while was made wholesome again."
..."But their stroke was too late. For the Dark Lord had foreseen it, and he had long prepared all his movements; and... ...his Nine Servants, had gone before him to make ready for his coming. Therefore his flight was but a feint, and he soon returned, and ere the Wise could prevent him he re-entered his kingdom in Mordor and reared once again the dark towers of Barad-dûr. And in that year the White Council met for the last time, and Curunír withdrew to Isengard, and took counsel with none save himself."
September 20, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Gandalf gains entrance to Edoras.
(from the appendices)
...Théoden commands him to go: 'Take any horse, only be gone ere tomorrow is old!'
..."'...the king of the land would not listen to my warnings. He bade me take a horse and be gone; and I chose one much to my liking, but little to his. I took the best horse in his land, and I have never seen the like of him.'"
2. It's busy at Bag End.
(not from the appendices)
..."On September 20th two covered carts went off laden to Buckland, conveying the furniture and goods that Frodo had not sold to his new home, by way of the Brandywine Bridge."
September 20, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. The Travellers are still on the road.
(not from the appendices)
...The Travellers approach the moors leading to the Valley of Rivendell as Saruman passes the borders of the Shire.
September 20, 3021 (S.R. 1421)
1. Frodo finishes his arrangements.
(not from the appendices)
..."In the next day or two Frodo went through his papers and his writings with Sam, and he handed over his keys. There was a big book with plain red leather covers... ...pages were now almost filled. At the beginning there were many leaves covered with Bilbo's thin wandering hand; but most of it was written in Frodo's firm flowing script. It was divided into chapters but Chapter 80 was unfinished, and after that were some blank leaves. The title page had many titles on it, crossed out one after another, so:
...My diary. My Unexpected Journey. There and Back Again. And What Happened After.
...Adventures of Five Hobbits. The Tale of the Great Ring, compiled by Bilbo Baggins from his own observations and the accounts of his friends. What we did in the War of the Ring.
Here Bilbo's hand ended and Frodo had written:
THE DOWNFALL
OF THE
LORD OF THE RINGS
AND THE
RETURN OF THE KING
(as seen by the Little People; being the memoirs
of Bilbo and Frodo of the Shire, supplemented
by the accounts of their friends and the learning
of the Wise.)
Together with extracts from Books of Lore
translated by Bilbo in Rivendell.
...'Why, you have nearly finished it, Mr. Frodo!' Sam exclaimed. 'Well, you have kept at it, I must say.'
...'I have quite finished, Sam,' said Frodo. 'The last pages are for you.'"
We have been there and back again.
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don't have the strength." – Theodore Roosevelt
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Otaku-sempai
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Sep 21 2020, 3:39am
Post #47 of 49
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If we look at the phase of the moon on Durin's Day, 2941 and assume Tolkien's date of 19 October, there was also a crescent moon around the time of the summer solstice, whether we assume Midsummer's Eve was on 20 June (a waning moon) or 23 June (a waxing moon). This does not work as well, though, if we are using the Shire Calendar; using the Shire Reckoning combined with the lunar phases, my best guess for Durin's Day would be about 22 October.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Sep 21 2020, 10:52am
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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)
..." '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.
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don't have the strength." – Theodore Roosevelt
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TIME - September 13
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