1 2 3 View All
Post #1 of 51 (2190 views)
TIME - June 26 Can't Post
1. Frodo announces his plans to leave Hobbiton
..."One summer's evening an astonishing piece of news reached the Ivy Bush and Green Dragon. Giants and other portents on the borders of the Shire were forgotten for more important matters: Mr. Frodo was selling Bag End, indeed he had already sold it�to the Sackville-Bagginses!
...'For a nice bit, too,' said some. 'At a bargain price,' said others, 'and that's more likely when Mistress Lobelia's the buyer�.'
...�Just why Mr. Frodo was selling his beautiful hole was even more debatable than the price. A few held the theory�supported by the nods and hints of Mr. Baggins himself�that Frodo's money was running out: he was going to leave Hobbiton and live in a quiet way on the proceeds of the sale down in Buckland among his Brandybuck relations. 'As far from the Sackville-Bagginses as may be,' some added."
TIME - June 27 [In reply to] Can't Post
1. Bilbo has a shadow in Rivendell.
...As he became familiar with Elrond�s House, Bilbo noticed things he missed before. He knew he was the first hobbit to visit, yet hadn�t drawn much attention as he was known by everybody� save one. He felt he was being watched. When he quickly turned to look, there was nothing but rustling of bushes or quick crunching on the path. Finally, one day he heard a woman�s soft voice behind the hedge as she led a young boy away. �Come, Estel. I know you�re curious about our new friend; but you mustn�t intrude. Perhaps Lord Elrond will introduce you someday.�
1. The time has come for Gandalf to leave.
..."Then one evening, at the end of June, soon after Frodo's plan had been finally arranged, he suddenly announced that he was going off again next morning. 'Only for a short while, I hope... ...But I am going down beyond the southern borders to get some news, if I can. I have been idle longer than I should.'
...He spoke lightly, but it seemed to Frodo that he looked rather worried. 'Has anything happened...?'
...'...Well no; but I have heard something that has made me anxious and needs looking into. If I think it necessary after all for you to get off at once, I shall come back immediately, or at least send word. In the meanwhile stick to your plan; but be more careful than ever, especially of the Ring. Let me impress on you once more: don't use it!''"
1. Expect me when you see me.
..."He [Gandalf] went off at dawn. 'I may be back any day,' he said. 'At the very latest I shall come back for the farewell party. I think, after all, you may need my company on the Road.'
...At first Frodo was a good deal disturbed, and wondered often what Gandalf could have heard�"
2. What to expect.
...Soon after Gandalf left, Sam came to work in the gardens. Frodo joined him, tilling around the potatoes and enjoying the summer's routine. They worked silently until Sam asked about Gandalf.
..."He left early this morning," said Frodo. Sam continued working deep in thought.
..."What d'you suppose he heard that made him go off all of a'sudden?" he asked. "I was thinking he'd be with us when�" he broke off, looking around before whispering, "�we're off into the wilds outside."
..."He said he'd be back by then, Sam. Don't worry," Frodo said reassuringly; but he couldn't shake his own concern.
It's time for some BS! [In reply to] Can't Post
This is a Book Spoiler that tells more of the story of the white tree and of Gondor... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From The Council of Elrond: The Fellowship of the Ring
... "'In the South the realm of Gondor long endured; and for a while its splendour grew, recalling somewhat of the might of N�menor, ere it fell. High towers... ...and strong places, and havens of many ships; and the winged crown of the Kings of Men was held in awe by folk of many tongues. Their chief city was Osgiliath, Citadel of the Stars, through the midst of which the River flowed. And Minas Ithil they built, Tower of the Rising Moon, eastward upon a shoulder of the Mountain of Shadow; and westward at the feet of the White Mountains Minas Anor they made, Tower of the Setting Sun. There in the courts of the King grew a white tree, from the seed of that tree which Isildur brought over the deep waters, and the seed of that tree before came from Eress�a, and before that out of the Uttermost West in the Day before days when the world was young.
... 'But in the wearing of the swift years of Middle-earth the line of Meneldil son of An�rion failed, and the Tree withered, and the blood of the N�men�reans became mingled with that of lesser men... ...the watch upon the walls of Mordor slept, and dark things crept back to Gorgoroth... ...evil things came forth, and they took Minas Ithil and abode in it, and they made it into a place of dread; and it is called Minas Morgul, the Tower of Sorcery. Then Minas Anor was named anew Minas Tirith, the Tower of Guard; and these two cities were even at war, but Osgiliath which lay between was deserted and in its ruins shadows walked.
... 'So it has been for many lives of men. But the Lords of Minas Tirith still fight on, defying our enemies, keeping the passage of the River from Argonath to the Sea.'"
1. Bret McKenzie born in Wellington, New Zealand.
Bret Peter Tarrant McKenzie is forty-five years old today. Happy birthday FIGWIT/Lindir!
1 Lithe, 2941 (S.R. 1341) Midsummer's Eve
1. Bilbo, Gandalf and the Dwarves reach the end of their stay in Rivendell.
...""They stayed long in that good house, fourteen days at least, and they found it hard to leave. Bilbo would gladly have stopped there for ever and ever�even supposing a wish could have taken him right back to his hobbit-hole without trouble....
......The master of the house was an elf-friend... ...He comes into many tales, but his part in the story of Bilbo's great adventure is only a small one, though important... ...His house was perfect, whether you liked food, or sleep, or work, or story-telling or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all. Evil things did not come into that valley....
......All of them, the ponies as well, grew refreshed and strong in a few days there. Their clothes were mended as well as their bruises, their tempers and their hopes. Their bags were filled with food and provisions light to carry but strong to bring them over the mountain passes. Their plans were improved with the best advice.""
2. Elrond examines the swords of Thorin and Gandalf, and Thorin's map.
..."So the time came to midsummer eve, and they were to go on again with the early sun on midsummer morning.
...Elrond knew all about runes of every kind. That day he looked at the swords they had brought from the trolls' lair... "...These are not troll-make. They are old swords, very old swords of the High Elves of the West, my kin. They were made in Gondolin for the Goblin-wars. They must have come from a dragon's hoard or goblin plunder, for dragons and goblins destroyed that city many ages ago. This, Thorin, the runes name Orcrist, the Goblin-cleaver in the ancient tongue of Gondolin� �This, Gandalf, was Glamdring, Foe-hammer that the king of Gondolin once wore. Keep them well!"
..."Whence did the trolls get them, I wonder?" said Thorin looking at his sword with new interest.
..."I could not say," said Elrond, "but one may guess that your trolls had plundered other plunderers, or come on the remnants of old robberies in some hold in the mountains of the North. I have heard that there are still forgotten treasures of old to be found in the deserted caverns of the mines of Moria, since the dwarf and goblin war...."
..."...I will keep this sword in honour," [Thorin] said. "May it soon cleave goblins once again!"
..."A wish that is likely to be granted soon enough in the mountains!" said Elrond. "But show me now your map!""
..."He took it and gazed long at it, and he shook his head for if he did not altogether approve of dwarves and their love of gold, he hated the dragons and their cruel wickedness� �he grieved to remember the ruin of the town of Dale and its merry bells, and the burned banks of the bright River Running. The moon was shining in a broad silver crescent. He held up the map and the white light shone through it. "What is this?" he said. "There are moon-letters here, beside the plain runes which say 'five feet high the door and three may walk abreast.'"
..."What are moon-letters?" asked the hobbit full of excitement. He loved maps... ...and he also liked runes and letters and cunning handwriting, though when he wrote himself it was a bit thin and spidery.
..."Moon-letters are rune-letters, but you cannot see them," said Elrond, "not when you look straight at them. They can only be seen when the moon shines behind them, and� �with the more cunning sort it must be a moon of the same shape and season as the day when they were written. The dwarves invented them and wrote them with silver pens... ...These must have been written on a midsummer's eve in a crescent moon, a long while ago."
..."What do they say?" asked Gandalf and Thorin together, a bit vexed perhaps that even Elrond should have found this out first, though really there had not been a chance before, and there would not have been another until goodness knows when.
..."Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks� �and the setting sun with the last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the key-hole."
..."Durin, Durin!" said Thorin. "He was the father of the fathers of the eldest race of Dwarves, the Longbeards, and my first ancestor: I am his heir."
..."Then what is Durin's Day?" asked Elrond.
..."The first day of the dwarves' New Year," said Thorin, "is as all should know the first day of the last moon of Autumn on the threshold of Winter. We still call it Durin's Day when the last moon of Autumn and the sun are in the sky together. But this will not help us much... ...for it passes our skill in these days to guess when such a time will come again."
..."That remains to be seen," said Gandalf. "Is there any more writing?"
..."None to be seen by this moon," said Elrond, and he gave the map back to Thorin; and then they went down to the water to see the elves dance and sing upon the midsummer's eve."
1. Arwen comes to the City.
..."Upon the very Eve of Midsummer, when the sky was blue as sapphire and white stars opened in the East, but the West was still golden, and the air was cool and fragrant, the riders came down the North-way to the gates of Minas Tirith. First rode Elrohir and Elladan with a banner of silver... ...then came Glorfindel and Erestor and all the household of Rivendell, and after them came the Lady Galadriel and Celeborn, Lord of Lothl�rien� �and with them many fair folk of their land, grey-cloaked with white gems in their hair; and last came Master Elrond, mighty among Elves and Men, bearing the sceptre of Ann�minas, and beside him upon a grey palfrey rode Arwen his daughter, Evenstar of her people.
...And Frodo when he saw her come glimmering in the evening, with stars on her brow and a sweet fragrance about her, was moved with great wonder� �he said to Gandalf: 'At last I understand why we have waited! This is the ending. Now not day only shall be beloved, but night too shall be beautiful and blessed and all its fear pass away!'"
Midsummer's Eve in T.A. 2941 -- Close enough. [In reply to] Can't Post
I strongly suspect that Tolkien originally intended Midsummer's Eve in The Hobbit to fall about a week earlier than where it occurs in the Shire calendar. This would be more consistent with the text where it seems that the company remains in Rivendell for about two to three weeks. And, of course, this was before he even devised the Shire Reckoning.
(This post was edited by Otaku-sempai on Jun 30 2021, 6:31pm)
Jul 1 2021, 10:37am
TIME - July 1 Midsummer's Day [In reply to] Can't Post
Midsummer's Day, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. Gandalf, Thorin, the Dwarves and their Burglar leave Rivendell for the Lonely Mountain.
..."The next morning was a midsummer's morning as fair and fresh as could be dreamed: blue sky and never a cloud, and the sun dancing on the water� �they rode away amid songs of farewell and good speed, with their hearts ready for more adventure, and with a knowledge of the road they must follow over the Misty Mountains to the land beyond."
1. Aragorn and Arwen � A promise is born.
..."...for a season they wandered together in the glades of Lothl�rien, until it was time for him to depart. And on the evening of Midsummer Aragorn, Arathorn's son, and Arwen daughter of Elrond went to the fair hill, Cerin Amroth... ...and they walked unshod on the undying grass with elanor and niphredil about their feet. And there upon that hill they looked east to the Shadow and west to the Twilight, and they plighted their troth and were glad.
...'And Arwen said: "Dark is the Shadow, and yet my heart rejoices; for you, Estel, shall be among the great whose valour will destroy it."
...'But Aragorn answered: "Alas! I cannot foresee it... ...Yet with your hope I will hope. And the Shadow I utterly reject. But neither, lady, is the Twilight for me; for I am mortal, and if you will cleave to me, Evenstar, then the Twilight you must also renounce."
...'And she stood then as still as a white tree, looking into the West, and at last she said: "I will cleave to you, D�nadan, and turn from the Twilight. Yet there lies the land of my people and the long home of all my kin."'"
1. Gandalf meets Radagast the Brown.
..."'At the end of June I was in the Shire, but a cloud of anxiety was on my mind, and I rode to the southern borders of the little land. I had a foreboding of some danger, still hidden from me but drawing near. There messages reached me telling me of war and defeat in Gondor, and when I heard of the Black Shadow a chill smote my heart. But I found nothing save a few fugitives from the South; yet it seemed to me that on them sat a fear of which they would not speak. I...journeyed along the Greenway; and not far from Bree I came upon a traveller sitting on a bank beside the road... ...It was Radagast the Brown... ...He is one of my order, but I had not seen him for many a year.
...'"Gandalf!" he cried. "I was seeking you. But I am a stranger in these parts. All I knew was that you might be found in a wild region with the uncouth name of Shire."
...'"Your information was correct... ...But do not put it that way, if you meet any of the inhabitants. You are near the borders of the Shire now. And what do you want with me? It must be pressing. You were never a traveller, unless driven by great need."
...'"I have an urgent errand... ...My news is evil." Then he looked about him, as if the hedges might have ears. "Nazg�l," he whispered. "The Nine are abroad again. They have crossed the River secretly and are moving westward. They have taken the guise of riders in black."
...'I knew then what I had dreaded without knowing it.
..."'The Enemy must have some great need or purpose," said Radagast; "but what it is that makes him look to these distant and desolate parts, I cannot guess."
..."'What do you mean?" said I.
...'"I have been told that wherever they go the Riders ask for news of a land called Shire."
...'"THE Shire," I said; but my heart sank. For even the Wise might fear to withstand the Nine, when they are gathered together under their fell chieftain. A great king and sorcerer... ...he wields a deadly fear. "Who told you, and who sent you...?"
...'"...Saruman the White," answered Radagast. "And he told me to say that if you feel the need, he will help; but you must seek his aid at once, or it will be too late."
...'And that message brought me hope. For Saruman the White is the greatest of my order... ...has long studied the arts of the Enemy himself... ...It was by the devices of Saruman that we drove him from Dol Guldur. It might be that he had found some weapons that would drive back the Nine.
...'"I will go to Saruman," I said.
...'"Then you must go now," said Radagast; "for I have wasted time in looking for you, and the days are running short. I was told to find you before Midsummer, and that is now here. Even if you set out from this spot, you will hardly reach him before the Nine discover the land that they seek. I myself shall turn back at once." And with that he mounted and would have ridden straight off.
...'"Stay a moment!" I said. "We shall need your help... ...Send out messages to all the beasts and birds that are your friends. Tell them to bring news of anything that bears on this matter to Saruman and Gandalf. Let messages be sent to Orthanc."
...'"I will do that," he said, and rode off as if the Nine were after him.'"
1. The Wedding of Elessar and Arwen
..."...Then the King welcomed his guests, and they alighted; and Elrond surrendered the sceptre, and laid the hand of his daughter in the hand of the King, and together they went up into the High City... ...Aragorn the King Elessar wedded Arwen Und�miel in the City of the Kings upon the day of Midsummer, and the tale of their long waiting and labours was come to fulfillment."
1. Frodo resigns office of mayor, and Will Whitfoot is restored.
..."If Sam thought himself lucky, Frodo knew that he was more lucky himself; for there was not a hobbit in the Shire that was looked after with such care. When the labours of repair had all been planned and set going he took to a quiet life, writing a great deal and going through all his notes. He resigned the office of Deputy Mayor at the Free Fair that midsummer, and dear old Will Whitfoot had another seven years of presiding at Banquets."
1. The death of Mistress Rose, wife of Master Samwise, on Mid-year's Day.
...And in the full tale of days, Sam is again parted from one he loves. With a deep sense of fulfillment and understanding beyond words, in his grief he finds comfort and waits for a day foretold.
**With homage to Rosie and Sam with our Kimi's wonderful Passing of Mistress Rose
Close enough [In reply to] Can't Post
Sounds possible; but for now, it's nested until (if) we get more details. I love how complex the timeline is... making it all so fascinating to dissect :D
Post #10 of 51 (1866 views)
TIME - June 2 2 Lithe [In reply to] Can't Post
2 Lithe, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Gandalf after Radagast departs and before leaving for Isengard.
..."'I stayed the night in Bree, and decided that I had no time to return to the Shire. Never did I make a greater mistake! 'However, I wrote a message to Frodo, and trusted to my friend the innkeeper to send it to him.
...'I rode away at dawn...'"
Jul 3 2021, 1:38pm
TIME - July 3 [In reply to] Can't Post
July 3, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. Gandalf and Company climb from the Valley up the Mountain.
..."There were many paths that led up into those mountains... ...most of the paths were cheats and deceptions and led nowhere or to bad ends... ...passes were infested by evil things and dreadful dangers. The dwarves and the hobbit... ...by the wise advice of Elrond and the knowledge and memory of Gandalf, took the right pass."
TIME - July 4th :D [In reply to] Can't Post
1. Boromir sets out from Minas Tirith.
[Boromir speaking to the Council of Elrond] "'...a dream came to my brother in a troubled sleep; and afterwards a like dream came oft to him again, and once to me.
..."'In that dream I thought the eastern sky grew dark and there was a growing thunder, but in the West a pale light lingered, and out of it I heard a voice, remote but clear, crying:
Seek for the Sword that was broken:
In Imladris it dwells;
There shall be counsel taken
Stronger than Morgul-spells.
There shall be shown a token
That Doom is near at hand,
For Isildur's Bane shall waken,
And the Halfling forth shall stand.
...'Of these words we could understand little, and we spoke to our father, Denethor... ...wise in the lore of Gondor. This only would he say, that Imladris was of old the name among the Elves of a far northern dale, where Elrond the Halfelven dwelt, greatest of lore-masters. Therefore... ...I took the journey upon myself. Loth was my father to give me leave, and long have I wandered by roads forgotten, seeking the house of Elrond, of which many had heard, but few knew where it lay.'"
Gandalf lights the sky!
..."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....
......There were rockets like a flight of scintillating birds singing with sweet voices. There were green trees with trunks of dark smoke: their leaves opened like a whole spring unfolding in a moment, and their shining branches dropped glowing flowers down upon the astonished hobbits, disappearing with a sweet scent just before they touched their upturned faces. There were fountains of butterflies that flew glittering into the trees; there were pillars of coloured fires that rose and turned into eagles, or sailing ships, or a phalanx of flying swans; there was a red thunderstorm and a shower of yellow rain; there was a forest of silver spears that sprang suddenly into the air with a yell like an embattled army, and came down again into the Water with a hiss like a hundred hot snakes. And... ...in honour of Bilbo... ...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."
(This post was edited by grammaboodawg on Jul 4 2021, 2:37pm)
Here's a Book Spoiler of one of Frodo's more pleasant memories from the Quest...for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From Lothl�rien: The Fellowship of the Ring
..."...At the hill's foot Frodo found Aragorn, standing still and silent as a tree; but in his hand was a small golden bloom of elanor, and a light was in his eyes. He was wrapped in some fair memory: and as Frodo looked at him he knew that he beheld things as they once had been in this same place� �the grim years were removed from the face of Aragorn, and he seemed clothed in white, a young lord tall and fair; and he spoke words in the Elvish tongue to one whom Frodo could not see. "Arwen vanimelda, namarie!" ...then he drew a breath, and returning out of his thought he looked at Frodo and smiled.
...'Here is the heart of Elvendom on earth� �and here my heart dwells ever, unless there be a light beyond the dark roads that we still must tread, you and I. Come with me!' And taking Frodo's hand in his, he left the hill of Cerin Amroth and came there never again as living man."
1. Gandalf continues his ride to Isengard.
...[Gandalf still rides to] "the dwelling of Saruman... ...far south in Isengard, in the end of the Misty Mountains, not far from the Gap of Rohan... ...a great open vale that lies between the Misty Mountains and the northmost foothills of Ered Nimrais, the White Mountains... ...Isengard is a circle of sheer rocks that enclose a valley as with a wall, and in the midst of that valley is a tower of stone called Orthanc... ...not made by Saruman, but by the Men of N�menor long ago; and it is very tall and has many secrets; yet it looks not to be a work of craft. It cannot be reached save by passing the circle of Isengard; and in that circle there is only one gate.'"
Jul 7 2021, 12:42pm
(Official press release)
1. ELIJAH WOOD IS FIRST TO JOIN CAST OF J.R.R. TOLKIEN'S "THE LORD OF THE RINGS" FOR NEW LINE CINEMA AND DIRECTOR PETER JACKSON
..."(Los Angeles, July 7, 1999) - Elijah Wood has been cast in the lead role of New Line Cinema's live action, special effects-packed trilogy of films based on J.R.R. Tolkien's internationally renowned fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings, it was jointly announced today by director Peter Jackson, Michael De Luca, President and Chief Operating Officer of New Line Productions, and Mark Ordesky, President of Fine Line Features.
...In joining the cast, Wood has committed to a project of unparalleled size and scope. Production on the highly anticipated serial is expected to begin by early October and principal photography will last more than a year, according to Jackson, who also serves as co-writer and co-producer of the fabled franchise.
...The three Lord of the Rings films, beginning with The Fellowship of the Rings, will be produced consecutively and shot on location in New Zealand. Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Stephen Sinclair have completed their script for Part One: The Fellowship of the Rings and additional casting is currently underway.
..."In casting this critical role, we knew we had to find an actor of great depth of range to take an audience on a journey through three movies," Jackson said. "While we looked at many good actors, it was clear from the moment that we met Elijah that we had found Frodo Baggins. He has an enormous natural ability to draw an audience into a story and the dramatic depth to hold them there."
...Set in a mythic pre-history, The Lord of the Rings tells the saga of a desperate battle against encroaching evil - a perilous quest to save humanity which falls upon the shoulders of young Frodo Baggins (Woods), who has inherited a seemingly innocent magic ring from his elderly cousin Bilbo.
...Frodo soon learns that the ring's original maker, the Dark Lord Sauron, is desperately seeking it - for it is a ring of great evil which will enable Sauron to enslave the people of this land known as Middle-earth. A hurriedly assembled fellowship of wizard, elf, dwarf and men accompany Frodo and his friends on a harrowing mission across Middle-earth in an attempt to destroy the ring by casting it into the volcanic fires in the Crack of Doom. Against them rages the monstrous power of Sauron, whose sinister emissaries ruthlessly pursue Frodo and his companions, while the omnipotent power of the ring attempts to corrupt the Fellowship from within.
...New Line picked-up the rights to Lord of the Rings from Miramax Films last August. Miramax co-chairmen Bob and Harvey Weinstein serve as executive producers of the films along with Saul Zaentz."
Si�n Clement
3 Foot 6
Here's part 1 of a 4-part Book Spoiler run that looks at the Shire and how the leaders and followers played nice together... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
From Of the Ordering of the Shire: The Fellowship of the Ring
... "The Shire was divided into four quarters, as the Farthings already referred to, North, South, East, and West; and these again each into a number of folklands, which still bore the names of some of the old leading families... ...Nearly all Tooks still lived in the Tookland, but that was not true of many other families, such as the Bagginses or the Boffins. Outside the Farthings were the East and West Marches: the Buckland and the Westmarch added to the Shire in S.R. 1462.
... The Shire at this time had hardly any 'government'. Families for the most part managed their own affairs. Growing food and eating it occupied most of their time. In other matters they were... ...generous and not greedy, but contented and moderate, so that estates, farms, workshops, and small trades tended to remain unchanged for generations.
... There remained... ...the ancient tradition concerning the high king at Fornost, or Norbury as they called it, away north of the Shire. But there had been no king for nearly a thousand years, and even the ruins of Kings' Norbury were covered with grass.... ...they attributed to the king of old all their essential laws; and usually they kept the laws of free will, because they were The Rules (as they said), both ancient and just."
It's time for some more BS! [In reply to] Can't Post
This is part 2 of a 4-part Book Spoiler run that looks at the Shire and how the leaders and followers played nice together... for a moment of Tolkien-zen.
... "It is true that the Took family had long been pre-eminent; for the office of Thain had passed to them (from the Oldbucks) some centuries before, and the chief Took had borne that title ever since. The Thain was the master of the Shire-moot, and captain of the Shire-muster and the Hobbitry-in-arms, but as muster and moot were only held in times of emergency, which no longer occurred, the Thain had eased to be more than a nominal dignity. The Took family was still� �accorded a special respect, for it remained both numerous and exceedingly wealthy, and was liable to produce in every generation strong characters of peculiar habits and even adventurous temperament. The latter qualities� �were now rather tolerated (in the rich) than generally approved. The custom endured, nonetheless, of referring to the head of the family as The Took, and of adding to his name, if required, a number: such as Isengrim the Second, for instance."
[[We're going to have a little TIME tomorrow, but pt 3 will continue on July 11]]
Jul 10 2021, 12:35pm
TIME - July 10 [In reply to] Can't Post
July 10, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Gandalf imprisoned in Orthanc
..."'Late one evening I came to the gate, like a great arch in the wall of rock; and it was strongly guarded. But the keepers of the gate were on the watch for me and told me that Saruman awaited me. I rode under the arch, and the gate closed silently behind me, and suddenly I was afraid, though I knew no reason for it. But I rode to the foot of Orthanc, and came to the stair of Saruman; and there he met me and led me up to his high chamber. He wore a ring on his finger.' '"So you have come, Gandalf,' he said to me gravely..."
...'"...Yes, I have come," I said. "I have come for your aid, Saruman the White." And that title seemed to anger him.
...'"Have you indeed, Gandalf the Grey!" he scoffed. "For aid? It has seldom been heard of that Gandalf the Grey sought for aid, one so cunning and so wise, wandering about the lands, and concerning himself in every business, whether it belongs to him or not..."
...'"...here you will stay, Gandalf the Grey, and rest from journeys. For I am Saruman, the Wise, Saruman Ring-maker, Saruman of Many Colours!" 'I looked then and saw that his robes, which had seemed white, were not so, but were woven of all colours, and if he moved they shimmered and changed hue so that the eye was bewildered.
...'"I liked white better,' I said.
...'"White!" he sneered. "It serves as a beginning. White cloth may be dyed. The white page can be overwritten; and the white light can be broken."
...'"In which case it is no longer white," said I... '
...'...He came and laid his long hand on my arm... he whispered. "... I have many eyes in my service, and I believe that you know where this precious thing now lies. Is it not so? Or why do the Nine ask for the Shire, and what is your business there?" As he said this a lust which he could not conceal shone suddenly in his eyes.
...'"Saruman," I said, standing away from him, "only one hand at a time can wield the One, and you know that well, so do not trouble to say we! But I would not give it, nay, I would not give even news of it to you, now that I learn your mind. You were head of the Council, but you have unmasked yourself at last. Well, the choices are... ...to submit to Sauron, or to yourself. I will take neither. Have you others to offer?"
...'He was cold now and perilous. "Yes," he said. "I did not expect you to show wisdom, even in your own behalf; but I gave you the chance of aiding me willingly, and so saving yourself much trouble and pain. The third choice is to stay here, until the end."
...'"Until what end?"
...'"Until you reveal to me where the One may be found..."
...'They took me and they set me alone 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 looked on it and saw that, whereas it had once been green and fair, it was now filled with pits and forges. Wolves and orcs were housed in Isengard, for Saruman was mustering a great force on his own account, in rivalry of Sauron and not in his service yet... ...I stood alone on an island in the clouds; and I had not 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.... ...I was in an evil plight. And 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.'"
..."The only real official in the Shire at this date was the Mayor of Michel Delving� �who was elected every seven years at the Free Fair on the White Downs at the Lithe, that is at Mid-summer. As mayor almost his only duty was to preside at banquets, given on the Shire-holidays, which occurred at frequent intervals. But the offices of Postmaster and first Shirriff were attached to the mayoralty, so that he managed both the Messenger Service and the Watch. These were the only Shire-services, and the Messengers were the most numerous, and� �busier of the two. By no means all Hobbits were lettered, but those who were wrote constantly to all their friends (and a selection of their relations) who lived further off than an afternoon's walk.
... The Shirriffs was the name that the Hobbits gave to their police, or the nearest equivalent that they possessed. They had� �no uniforms (such things being quite unknown), only a feather in their caps; and they were in practice rather haywards than policemen, more concerned with the straying of beasts than of people. There were in all the Shire only twelve of them, three in each Farthing, for Inside Work. A rather large body, varying at need, was employed to 'beat the bounds', and to see that Outsiders of any kind� �did not make themselves a nuisance.
... At the time when this story begins the Bounders, as they were called, had been greatly increased."
�"�the Bounders, as they were called, had been greatly increased. There were many reports and complaints of strange persons and creatures prowling about the borders, or over them: the first sign that all was not quite as it should be, and always had been except in tales and legends of long ago. Few heeded the sign� �not even Bilbo yet had any notion of what it portended. Sixty years had passed since he set out on his memorable journey, and he was old even for Hobbits, who reached a hundred as often as not; but much evidently still remained of the considerable wealth that he had brought back. How much or how little he revealed to no one, not even to Frodo his favourite nephew. And he still kept secret the ring that he had found."
1. The Company endures the Mountains.
(determined from text - referencing Karen Wynn Fonstad, The Atlas of Middle-earth)
..."Long days after they had climbed out of the valley and left the Last Homely House miles behind, they were still going up and up... ...It was a hard path and a dangerous path, a crooked way and a lonely and a long. Now they could look back over the lands they had left, laid out behind them far below. Far, far away in the West, where things were blue and faint, Bilbo knew there lay his own country of safe and comfortable things, and his little hobbit-hole. He shivered. It was getting bitter cold up here... ...Boulders... ...at times came galloping down the mountain-sides, let loose by mid-day sun upon the snow, and passed among them (which was lucky), or over their heads (which was alarming). The nights were comfortless and chill, and they did not dare to sing or talk too loud, for the echoes were uncanny, and the silence seemed to dislike being broken�except by the noise of water and the wail of wind and the crack of stone."
1. The mood of the Company goes south.
...""The summer is getting on down below," thought Bilbo, "and haymaking is going on and picnics. They will be harvesting and blackberrying, before we even begin to go down the other side at this rate." And the others were thinking equally gloomy thoughts, although when they had said good-bye to Elrond in the high hope of a midsummer morning, they had spoken gaily of the passage of the mountains... ...They had thought of coming to the secret door in the Lonely Mountain, perhaps that very next first moon of Autumn�"and perhaps it will be Durin's Day" they had said. Only Gandalf had shaken his head and said nothing. Dwarves had not passed that way for many years, but Gandalf had... ...knew how evil and danger had grown and thriven in the Wild, since the dragons had driven men from the lands, and the goblins had spread in secret after the battle of the Mines of Moria."
1. Gandalf is held prisoner atop Orthanc.
..."...a dark smoke hung and wrapped itself about the sides of Orthanc. 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.'"
2. Frodo makes his plan to leave the Hobbiton while enjoying a splendid summer in the Shire.
(not from the appendices- no text)
...Frodo walked the paths and visited the valleys and hills he had travelled so often with Bilbo, and some of his own. He'd always found solace on his wanderings, but now he felt apprehensive as he rested in a grove of trees and enjoyed the soft breeze from the West.
1. Frodo speaks with Aragorn and Arwen.
..."...Frodo went to the King as he was sitting with the Queen Arwen by the fountain, and she sang a song of Valinor, while the Tree grew and blossomed. They welcomed Frodo and rose to greet him; and Aragorn said:
...'I know what you have come to say... ...you wish to return to your own home. Well, dearest friend, the tree grows best in the land of its sires; but for you in all the lands of the West there will ever be a welcome. And though your people have had little fame in the legends of the great, they will now have more renown than many wide realms that are no more.'
...'It is true that I wish to go back to the Shire,' said Frodo, 'but first I must go to Rivendell. For if there could be anything wanting in a time so blessed, I missed Bilbo; and I was grieved when among all the household of Elrond I saw that he was not come.'
...'Do you wonder at that, Ring-bearer?' said Arwen. 'For you know the power of that thing which is now destroyed; and all that was done by that power is now passing away. But your kinsman possessed this thing longer than you. He is ancient in years now... ...and he awaits you, for he will not again make any long journey save one.'
...'Then I beg leave to depart soon,' said Frodo.
...'In seven days we will go,' said Aragorn. 'For we shall ride with you far on the road, even as far as the country of Rohan. In three days now �omer will return hither to bear Th�oden back to rest in the Mark, and we shall ride with him to honour the fallen. But now before you go I will confirm the words that Faramir spoke to you� �you are made free forever of the realm of Gondor; and all your companions likewise. And if there were any gifts that I could give to match with your deeds you should have them; but whatever you desire you shall take with you, and you shall ride in honour and arrayed as princes of the land.'
......Queen Arwen said: 'A gift I will give you. For I am the daughter of Elrond. I shall not go with him now when he departs to the Havens; for mine is the choice of L�thien... ...I have chosen, both the sweet and the bitter. But in my stead you shall go, Ring-bearer, when the time comes, and if you desire it. If your hurts grieve you still and the memory of your burden is heavy, then you may pass into the West, until all your wounds and weariness are healed. But wear this now in memory of Elfstone and Evenstar with whom your life has been woven!'
...And she took a white gem like a star that lay upon her breast hanging upon a silver chain, and she set the chain about Frodo's neck. 'When the memory of the fear and the darkness troubles you, this will bring you aid.'"
(This post was edited by grammaboodawg on Jul 15 2021, 4:10pm)
1. Tremendous Thunder-battle in afternoon. Shelter in a cave. Goblins capture them.
..."...they were sheltering under a hanging rock for the night, and Bilbo lay beneath a blanket and shook from head to toe. When he peeped out in the lightning-flashes, he saw that across the valley the stone-giants were out and were hurling rocks at one another for a game, and catching them, and tossing them down into the darkness where they smashed among the trees far below, or splintered into little bits with a bang... ...and the wind whipped the rain and the hail about in every direction, so that an overhanging rock was no protection at all. Soon they were getting drenched and their ponies were standing with their heads down and their tails between their legs... ...They could hear the giants guffawing and shouting all over the mountain-sides.
..."This won't do at all!" said Thorin. "If we don't get blown off or drowned, or struck by lightning, we shall be picked up by some giant and kicked sky-high for a football."
..."Well, if you know of anywhere better, take us there!" said Gandalf....
......they sent Fili and Kili to look for a better shelter... ...Soon Fili and Kili came crawling back, holding on to the rocks in the wind. "We have found a dry cave," they said, "not far round the next corner; and ponies and all could get inside."
..."Have you thoroughly explored it?" said the wizard, who knew that caves up in the mountains were seldom un-occupied.
..."Yes, yes!" they said, though everybody knew they could not have been long about it; they had come back too quick. "It isn't all that big, and it does not go far back..."
......As they passed under the arch, it was good to hear the wind and the rain outside instead of all about them, and to feel safe from the giants and their rocks. But the wizard was taking no risks. He lit up his wand�as he did that day in Bilbo's dining-room that seemed so long ago... ...and by its light they explored the cave from end to end.
...It seemed quite a fair size, but not too large and mysterious... ...They got out their pipes and blew smoke rings, which Gandalf turned into different colours and set dancing up by the roof to amuse them."
2. They are captured by the Goblins during the night.
..."It turned out a good thing that night that they had brought little Bilbo with them... ...he could not go to sleep for a long while; and when he did sleep, he had very nasty dreams. He dreamed that a crack in the wall at the back of the cave got bigger and bigger, and opened wider and wider... ...Then he dreamed that the floor of the cave was giving way, and he was slipping�beginning to fall down, down....
......At that he woke up with a horrible start, and found that part of his dream was true. A crack had opened at the back of the cave, and was already a wide passage. He was just in time to see the last of the ponies' tails disappearing into it. Of course he gave a very loud yell, as loud a yell as a hobbit can give, which is surprising for their size.
...Out jumped the goblins, big goblins, great ugly-looking goblins, lots of goblins... ...and they were all grabbed and carried through the crack, before you could say tinder and flint. But not Gandalf. Bilbo's yell had done that much good. It had wakened him up wide in a splintered second, and when goblins came to grab him, there was a terrible flash like lightning in the cave, and smell like gunpowder, and several of them fell dead.
...The crack closed with a snap, and Bilbo and the dwarves were on the wrong side of it! Where was Gandalf? Of that neither they nor the goblins had any idea, and the goblins did not wait to find out...
......said one of the drivers... "...Several of our people were struck by lightning in the cave, when we invited these creatures to come below; and they are as dead as stones... ...[and they had] this!" He held out the sword which Thorin had worn, the sword which came from the Trolls' lair.
...The Great Goblin gave a truly awful howl of rage when he looked at it, and all his soldiers gnashed their teeth, clashed their shields, and stamped. They knew the sword at once. It had killed hundreds of goblins in its time... ...They had called it Orcrist, Goblin-cleaver, but the goblins called it simply Biter. They hated it and hated worse any one that carried it.
..."Murderers and elf-friends!" the Great Goblin shouted. "Slash them! Beat them! Bite them! Gnash them! Take them away to dark holes full of snakes, and never let them see the light again!..."
......Just at that moment all the lights in the cavern went out, and the great fire went off poof! into a tower of blue glowing smoke, right up the roof, that scattered piercing white sparks all among the goblins... ...Suddenly a sword flashed in its own light. Bilbo saw it go right through the Great Goblin as he stood dumbfounded in the middle of his rage. He fell dead, and the goblin soldiers fled before the sword shrieking into the darkness.
...The sword went back into its sheath. "Follow me quick!" said a voice fierce and quiet; and before Bilbo understood what had happened he was trotting along again, as fast as he could trot, at the end of the line, down more dark passages with the yells of the goblin-hall growing fainter behind him. A pale light was leading them on.... ...they began to hear goblin noises and horrible cries far behind in the passages they had come through. That sent them on faster than ever, and as poor Bilbo could not possibly go half as fast�for dwarves can roll along at a tremendous pace... ...they took it in turn to carry him on their backs... ...Quite suddenly Dori, now at the back again carrying Bilbo, was grabbed from behind in the dark. He shouted and fell; and the hobbit rolled off his shoulders into the blackness, bumped his head on hard rock, and remembered nothing more."
1. Bilbo's lost in the caves
..."When Bilbo opened his eyes, he wondered if he had; for it was just as dark as with them shut. No one was anywhere near him. Just imagine his fright! He could hear nothing, see nothing, and he could feel nothing except the stone of the floor.
...Very slowly he got up and groped about on all fours... ...but neither up nor down it could he find anything: nothing at all, no sign of goblins, no sign of dwarves. His head was swimming, and he was far from certain even of the direction they had been going in when he had his fall. He guessed as well as he could, and crawled along for a good way, till suddenly his hand met what felt like a tiny ring of cold metal lying on the floor of the tunnel.... ...He put the ring in his pocket almost without thinking... ...He did not go much further, but sat down on the cold floor and gave himself up to complete miserableness... ...He could not think what to do; nor could he think what had happened; or why he had been left behind; or why, if he had been left behind, the goblins had not caught him; or even why his head was so sore. The truth was he had been lying quiet, out of sight and out of mind, in a very dark corner for a long while....
......in slapping all his pockets and feeling all round himself for matches his hand came on the hilt of his little sword---the little dagger that he got from the trolls, and that he had quite forgotten; nor do the goblins seem to have noticed it, as he wore it inside his breeches.
...Now he drew it out. It shone pale and dim before his eyes. "So it is an elvish blade, too... ...and goblins are not very near, and yet not far enough."
...But somehow he was comforted. It was rather splendid to be wearing a blade made in Gondolin for the goblin-wars of which so many songs had sung; and... ...that such weapons made a great impression on goblins that came upon them suddenly.
..."Go back?" he thought. "No good at all! Go sideways? Impossible! Go forward? Only thing to do! On we go!" So up he got, and trotted along with his little sword held in front of him and one hand feeling the wall, and his heart all of a patter and a pitter."