Middle-earth Journeys

It was chanted.
"That I guess is the language of the Rohirrim," said Legolas, For it is like the land itself, rich and rolling in part, and else hard and stern as the mountains. But I cannot guess what it means, save that it is laden with the sadness of Mortal Men."

Who rode with Thingol in years gone by?

The days have gone down in the west behind the hills into shadow.

Is that your answer Bruce? Or are you giving a hint? It certainly was chanted, but not by Legolas.

I'm always intrigued by your questions that appear to be at a tangent but inevitably are relevant. Who indeed rode with Thingol in years gone by?

Marilyn

It is indeed a hint for others to join in the fun. Those Dunedain genes do spell a very long career do they not?

Bruce, I think you mean Thengel, not Thingol. The former was the father of Theoden King, and Aragorn served under Thengel in the guise of Thorongil. The latter was Luthien's father, the elven King of Doriath -- WAY before Aragorn's time!

Marilyn, Aragorn chanted these lines as he, Legolas, Gimli, and Gandalf approached the city of Edoras. The line preceding the one you quoted is:

Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing?

In PJ's film, he gave portions of this lovely poem to Theoden, who recited it as he was being readied for battle.

Lindariel thanks for clearing that up, now I understand and, of course, your answer is correct

Look forward to your next question.

Marilyn

OK, let's continue the "who really said this in the book" series. This is a level one question.

In PJ's movie Galadriel tells Aragorn, "A great doom awaits you, either to rise above the height of all your fathers since the days of Elendil, or to fall into darkness with all that is left of your kin." Who says this to him in the book and where (both physical location in the story and section of the book)?

Nobody's guessed yet? Is a hint required?

OK . . . make sure you check ALL sections of the book . . . (including the Appendices) . . .

Hi Lindariel

Elrond speaks those words to Aragorn when discussing the fate of Arwen and Aragorn. Elrond tells Aragorn he will have no wife nor be bound to any woman until he has proven his worth through many years of trial.

Some thirty years later when Aragorn and Arwen plight their troth, Elrond insists Arwen shall only be the wife of the King of Gondor and Arnor. This tale ends with Aragorn choosing his time to die and finishes with Arwen's retreat to Lorien.

This comes from the Appendix A (V) A part of the tale of Aragorn and Arwen.

I love the tale of Aragorn and Arwen as I vividly remember first reading the LOTR and being bitterly disappointed at the seeemingly lack of more information (how daft was that?) of this tale and others, until I discovered the Appendices and later the Sil etc. I love how Tolkien continued into the appendices, something I have not come across another author undertaking as well

Hi Hope!

Well done. The only thing to add is that Elrond tells Aragorn this in Imladris in the fall of Aragorn's twentieth year, but that almost goes without saying.

Aragorn's twentieth year was a doozy, wasn't it? He learns the truth about his heritage; in this heady state, he meets and falls almost instantly in love with Arwen only to discover that she is several thousand years older than he and of elven descent; his mother tries to knock some sense into him; and then he discovers to his distress that his foster-father Elrond has noticed the development of his affections for Arwen, and he hears not only the words quoted above fall from Elrond's lips, but also the following, "She is of lineage greater than yours, and she has lived in the world already so long that to her you are but as a yearling shoot beside a young birch of many summers. She is too far above you." That CAN'T have been easy to hear.

It is to the credit of both Aragorn and Elrond that this difficult issue did not destroy their relationship. Perhaps Elrond learned from Thingol's lousy example.

Your turn!

Thanks Lindariel

Level one

Who sang about fifteen birds in five fir trees?

Nobody as yet?....... maybe a hint.....

They were rescued from overhead

Hope, would that be the goblins who were dancing around the trees that Bilbo, Gandalf and the dwarves had climbed into while escaping from the wolves?

You are absolutely right Airwin, well done

Your turn

I'm reading The Hobbit with my daughter, and we just read that passage, so that helped.

This is a level 1:

Who sang about "western lands beneath the sun," and where was this person at the time?

Perhaps a hint would be helpful? He was trying to save someone when he sang the song.