Middle-earth Journeys

Isn't Mr. Lee's wonderful illustration, above, so thought-provoking? Gollum looming over the whole proceedings . . .

Perhaps everyone would like to refresh our memories of the Council of Elrond by rereading "The Great Years Calendar" series of reflections.

It's such a brilliant illustration of the dark shadow hanging over everyone at the Council! For all the greatness of the people there, they are overshadowed by the evil they face and the difficulty of the task.

I think this whole chapter brings a growing sense of awe at what lies ahead in the book. Tolkien starts peeling back the layers, showing more and more or what lies behind and around the story we are reading. I admit that by this time in the book I was gripped as never before. I went from reading a good tale to knowing that I had a whole world in my hands!

Yes Iolanthe and the layering includes many of the other races of ME. The Dwarves, several races of men including the Dunadan and other realms of Elves. I remember feeling like Middle-earth was truly an earth full of people after reading this chapter.

I must admit it has been ages since I've read this particular chapter and have plans to do so now we're discussing it. Thanks for the reminder Merry of the Calendar entry.

It is this chapter that first gave the hobbits, and the reader, the sense of history so important to Tolkien--the surety that this tale does not really stand alone, but is part of a greater story. To make people see the history being done in front of them is so difficult--what a historian Tolkien would have made with his gift for a tale!

The Elves refer to the various ages of Middle Earth as the Long Defeat. The time has come once again to face what has been their doom since the burning of the ships. Although the Elves mostly used their craft for good it was the smithery of Celebrimbor who fashioned not only the rings but the fate of all Middle Earth.
The theme of mastery contrasted to measure cannot be ignored. The wise know that no one can master the One Ring, nor can it be hidden forever from the sight of Sauron. The only alternative is to seek the One Ring's destruction in the fires of Mount Doom. The Dark Lord would never think that anyone would be strong enough to resist the ring's call, and it would mean the end of Elvedom on Middle Earth.
"I will do this, though I do not know the way" is the most powerful of all statements. Frodo informs us all that courage is not faith in one's powers but to one's commitment for the task that was appointed.
On the shortest day of the longest night was hope carried among the least of Middle Earth.

That's very profound, Bruce: 'not faith in one's powers but to one's commitment for the task that was appointed'. I think that's one of the biggest keys to Sauron's downfall. Everything was about power, it was the only thing he wanted and the only thing he feared in others, so who better to be overlooked and to bring him down than one of the most powerless. But committment to the task, that dogged determination of the Hobbits was something he would never reckon with. That one phrase:

'I will take the Ring,' he said, 'though I do not know the way'.

is the fulcrum of the whole book, with the whole Council, after hours of talk, falling into a profound silence before he speaks as though waiting for that moment when the balance changes.

Another aspect that blinds radical evil is its lack of loving connections to others and to virtues that sustain one's soul. Sauron enslaves and has the fear of retribution motivate his thralls. There is no sense of self other than the all powerful and as such they are only agents of Sauron's will.

Yes, bruce, it's a great irony, isn't it, that this great strength is Sauron's weakness and his undoing?

Iolanthe: 'fulcrum of the whole book' -- Yes! I hadn't thought of it that way before, but you're right. And it's so simple.

Look: the last time I posted here was nearly eight years ago!

I've been reading LOTR again--love it!--and I keep being struck by new things I hadn't noticed before. This time, as I was reading the scene wherein Frodo says, 'I will take the Ring . . .', I noticed that Tolkien tells us beforehand that Frodo sort of intended not to volunteer and that is seemed to be someone else's will that prompted him to speak those words. So what does he mean here? Whose will does he mean here?

Hello, j'ai posté un message relatant la source d'inspiration du personnage d'Aragorn et je ne le retrouve pas, l'avez-vous reçu?

I did see your post, Michka, and left a brief response. I think it's in the 'Favorite Passages' thread.

Merry wrote:Look: the last time I posted here was nearly eight years ago!

I've been reading LOTR again--love it!--and I keep being struck by new things I hadn't noticed before. This time, as I was reading the scene wherein Frodo says, 'I will take the Ring . . .', I noticed that Tolkien tells us beforehand that Frodo sort of intended not to volunteer and that is seemed to be someone else's will that prompted him to speak those words. So what does he mean here? Whose will does he mean here?

Huh, I hadn't noticed that myself. Someone else swayed Frodo to take the ring? I'll have to go back and read that chapter.

I'm wondering if this ties into your thought of the Valar giving those in the fellowship some power of insight or foresight into events. You'd mentioned Pippin seeing Strider following the signs to find them was they were being brought to Isengard.

I'm wondering that, too, Philipa. I need to do some studying up on that topic before responding to your other post. Tolkien doesn't beat us over the head with the theme that the Valar are helping out. It's pretty subtle. But there are a lot of places that at least imply that. One of them is the sudden shifting of the wind that removes the darkness out of Mordor and speeds Aragorn's arrival during the attack on Minas Tirith.

Anyway, I'm going to sift through Tolkien's letters to see if he says anything outright on this. Happily, we have a snow day and I don't need to go to school today--not that every day hasn't been a snow day since December here! So I'll have some time.