The Nicks are running across Rohan! Or at least the three hunters are. Join us as we attempt to catch up with our enemies in order to rescue our friends, but keep a wary eye out for clues, and for horsemen.
Maps
LoTRproject.com interactive map - Caution: spoilers for new readers!
Notes for this episode
- Now we see Aragorn “The greatest traveller and huntsman of this age of the world” (B1C2 - first mention)
- Orcs of different factions
-
- White Hand - Orthanc, Saruman’s Uruk Hai - Orc Men
- Northern - Misty Mountains? Gundabad? Moria
- From the East - Mordor Orcs
- Aragorn longing for Gondor
-
- We see the King waiting for his time
- Eagle! Traveling away back to the North
- First sight of the orcs they’re chasing - 12 leagues or more
-
- 1 league = 3 miles
- Spring has come to Rohan
- Hobbit evidence - the brooch
-
- (Pippin is smaller - pin)
- Debate to rest or not - Gimli and Legolas stick Aragorn with the choice
-
- “An ill chooser”, we see the angst of having had bad chance before
- We are a side-quest (paraphrase)
- Choose sleep
- Legolas, standing - do Elves sleep?
-
- Rest their minds, sleep with eyes open, blending dreams with wakefulness
- Day 1 - ran all night
- Day 2 - ran all day - debated rest, and slept
- Day 3
- Aragorn hears hoofs - riding northward - “What is happening in this land?”
- Huzzah for lembas
- Observations from the narrator seem to be from Aragorn’s POV he is noting the differences and strangeness along the way
-
- Eastemnet - used to be a place where the Rohirrim helpt their herds but now it is empty (Darkness and danger is growing)
- Eomer admits to removing all the people and animals for safety - Saruman has claimed the land, and there is war between Isengard and Rohan
- Twice 12 leagues (72 miles) ON FOOT in two days and a night!
- “There is some will that lends speed to our foes and sets an unseen barrier before us.”
-
- “The will is not behind (Sauron/Mordor) but before us.”
- “Saruman”
- Day 4 (after another rest)
- Red Dawn
- The orcs rested - thrice 12 hours between the 2 groups
- End of day 4 - moving slowly
- Day 5
- Fangorn North-west - 10 leagues
- Riders! - 105 - yellow hair - their leader is very tall - 5 leagues away - 3 empty saddles
- Wait for them to approach
- The Rohirrim
-
- Proud and willful
- True-hearted
- Generous in thought and deed
- Bold but now cruel
- Wise but unlearned
- Writing no books but singing many songs
- Long friends of Gondor
- Kin to the Bardings of Dale and the Beornings
- The horse people
- Sons or Eorl
- (Are the men of Dale from the East? Is Rohan the most successful (largest “Easterling” civilization?)
- Eomer (leader) - has a Gondorian accent when speaking the common tongue
- Eomer’s suspicions anger Gimli (Legolas)
- “No evil to Rohan, nor to its folk, neither man or horse.” (are the horses considered folk?)
- Riddermark - “Rider Land”?
- Aragorn draws his sword and names himself.
-
- Eomer immediately accepts his claim refers to him as “Lord”
- “What is the meaning of the dark words?” (The dream that sent Boromir to Rivendell)
- Eomer knows Boromir, Rohan lent him a horse, which returned riderless
- Halflings! - “Do we walk in legends?”
- Gandalf - known - has lost favor with the king
- Saruman was a friend, now there is trouble
- Shadowfax - the most precious of the king's steeds, Chief of the Mearas (the sire of their race was the great horse of Eorl) (What is this story?)
- 7 nights ago (two days before Boromir died) Shadowfax returned - wild
- Boromir’s death - “great harm is this death to Minas Tirith”
- Wingfoot I name you - 45 leagues on foot in 4 days (135 miles)
- Orcs, slain and burned
- Eomer decides what to do with the travelers - Lends them horses - gets a promise of their coming to the King
- Hasufel and Arod
- Gimli on a horse is as Sam in a boat
- The place of the great burning
- “There are some things it is better to begin than to refuse, even though the end may be dark.”
- Gimli starts a fire - have a care, cut no living wood - the tree is happy for the warmth, the forest is brooding - dangerous
- And old bend man, white cloak, wide-brimmed hat
- The horses are gone!
Links
The Nicks crack open the next named section of the LoTR story and discuss the way the story changes its narrative style and the suspense that comes with it. Boromir's departure from the Fellowship and Aragorn gets some clarity about his mission.
Maps
LoTRproject.com interactive map - Caution: spoilers for new readers!
Notes for this episode
- Aragorn on the seat of Amon Hen
- The world seems darkened, and there was nothing to see
- THE HORN OF GONDOR!
- Aragorn came too late and missed the fight
- Boromir is dying
-
- Sword: broken above the hilt
- Horn: cloven in two
- Pierced by many arrows
- The Hobbits are taken!
- Aragorn doesn’t know what to do
-
- 1 Find the Ring and the Bearer
- 2 Go to Minas Tirith as bidden by his heart and Boromir’s dying wish
- 3 Find the Halflings
- Everything he has done today is turned to ruin
- Gimli and Legolas slaying in the woods, also too late to help
- The Hobbits were bound, therefore likely still alive
- Finding the Hobbit knives
-
- Work of Westernesse
- Symbols of the enemy
-
- Strange looking orcs
- White Hand
- White ‘S’
- Not Sauron - Red Eye
- Saruman - Evil is afoot, and the west is no longer safe
- Tending the fallen.
-
- Cannot bury him
- Give him to Anduin - the River of Gondor
- Carry him back to the river - hard to do with Boromir being so large and strong
- Lay him in the boat, and made him presentable.
- Towed the boat into the water
- Let him go, and he disappeared over Rauros
-
- “Rauros roared on unchanging”
- Boromir was not seen again in Minas Tirith
- It was said that he road his boat down the river all the way to the sea.
- The song of sorrow - The “people” hearken to the winds for news of Boromir (West, South, and North)
- Only two boats a mystery
-
- No orcs
- 2 packs gone also - Sam’s for sure
- Aragorn puts the story together by Sam’s words and apparent actions
- Frodo and Sam have taken the boat across the river
- What to do?
-
- Take the last boat after Frodo
- Or follow the orcs
- The direct path to Minas Tirith is apparently no longer an option
-
- Aragorn’s personal mission is abandoned for the moment
- Aragorn finally knows what he must do - The company has played its part
-
- He must chase after the other hobbits or they will be left to torment and death.
- “My heart speaks clearly at last. The fate of the Bearer is in my hands no longer”
- “Yet we that remain cannot forsake our companions while we have strength left.”
- “We will press on by day and dark… with hope or without hope we will follow the trail of our enemies, and woe to them if we prove the swifter. We will make such a chase that will be accounted a marvel among the three kindreds: elves, dwarves, and men. Forth the three hunters!”
- His mind was, at last, made up and the hunt begins!
Links
The Nicks do their first recording in many months. This episode is a reconnecting of two friends and trying to establish a routine for the future of the podcast. The Nicks also talk briefly about Sauron's attacks in the northern parts of Middle-earth and ask if there are elves in the east.
The Nicks are joined by Erin and Aran to give their commentary while watching the extended edition of The Fellowship of The Ring (Disc 2). Cue up your copy and press play with us to listen and watch along with us in this special episode.
We are playing the Extended Edition of the Fellowship of The Ring which has scenes that were either shortened or cut from the theatrical release. This episode covers DISC 2 only.
After a short prelude, we will give a countdown as the cue for when to start the movie. The commentary is uncut and unedited and will run the full length of the film (minus some of the credits).
Thank you for listening, we hope you enjoy this special episode of Green Dragon Live.
The Nicks are joined by Erin and Aran to give their commentary while watching the extended edition of The Fellowship of The Ring. Cue up your copy and press play with us to listen and watch along with us in this special episode.
We are playing the Extended Edition of the Fellowship of The Ring which has scenes that were either shortened or cut from the theatrical release. This episode covers DISC 1 only.
After a short prelude, we will give a countdown as the cue for when to start the movie. The commentary is uncut and unedited and will run the full length of the film.
Thank you for listening, we hope you enjoy this special episode of Green Dragon Live.
The Nicks might be breaking up a bit in this episode, but it's only fitting as this is the Breaking of the Fellowship! How will the break happen? Is it physical? Or psychological? Which way will Frodo go? Who will go with him? Find out with us, live at the Green Dragon.
Maps
LoTRproject.com interactive map - Caution: spoilers for new readers!
Notes for this episode
- Sting shines blue
- Time to think, time to decide
- The group talks about what they will do
- Boromir has big plans
- Boromir cracks and nearly breaks Frodo
- Frodo Escapes up Amon Hen
- Oh The Things You’ll See - while wearing the ring of power on the seat of seeing
- Boromir rejoins the group, gives sparse news
- Aragorn is angry with him, Frodo is missing
- Aragorn tries to organize a search party (there are orcs out there after all) everyone scatters instead
- Sam knows Frodo, feels the pain of being left behind
- Frodo tries to leave
- Sam tries to catch him, but can’t swim
- Sam and Frodo get their gear and take off, the Fellowship is broken.
- Chapter's end
- Book's end - Congratulations you have made it through the Fellowship of The Ring!
Links
The Nicks discuss the journey down the great river, the speed at which our Fellowship is cutting across the landscape, and the dangers it holds on either bank. Also discussing the desire to do more recordings with less interference from real life.
Maps
LoTRproject.com interactive map - Caution: spoilers for new readers!
Notes for this episode
THEY GOT STUFF
THEY’S ON A RIVER
THEY GOTS BOATS
The Story in this Chapter:
- Floating down the river is boring
- Landscapes change
- Aragorn lets the fellowship kind of just drift along… they don’t paddle too much.
- Merry, Pippin, and Boromir | Aragorn, Frodo, and Sam | Legolas and Gimli
- Boromir acting strangely
- Sam sees eyes and strange logs floating alongside them - or is it catching up with them?
- Sam takes the watch - wakes Frodo
- Frodo sees a thing! Draws Sting and it flees!
- Aragorn wakes and says that he’s seen it too… and even tried to catch... HIM?!
- They spot an eagle high up in the sky - at the same time they are approaching the Emyn Muil on the Eastern shore - Rohan on the Western shore
- Aragorn knows rapids are coming. They catch him off guard because he’s never traveled by water through this area.
-
- Even Sam helps to paddle
- They have to turn around IN THE RAPIDS
- All together paddle!
- Paddle!
- paddle!
- Orcs! Yrch!
- Gollum’s doing?
- Twangs of bowstrings -- they hit Frodo!
- A deeper blackness in the sky
-
- Legolas shoots it down
- The orcs seem to retreat
- Fellowship reach the safety of the opposite shore, and wait out the night
- Confusion about the moon… Aragorn finally reveals that they spent a lot more time in Lorien than any of them expected. -- Winter is almost over!!!
- In the morning Aragorn and Legolas scout the portage road around the rapids
-
- It’s easy to find
- It is not as hard to carry everything as it could be.
- Boromir and Aragorn carry the boats
- Rapids (Sarn Gebir)
- BEHOLD THE ARGONATH!
- Parth Galen the grassy shore on the western side
- Nen Hithoel - the lake above Rauros
- Amon Hen - the Hill of Seeing - The Seat of Seeing - Western Shore
- Amon Lhaw - the Hill of Hearing - Eastern Shore
- Tol Brandir - The island in the middle of Nen Hithoel where none has ever set foot.
- Rauros - The great falls of the Anduin
Links
"Five Armies" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
The Nicks dive into this chapter of gift giving by asking which of the Fellowship's gifts would you steal, or what gift would you ask of Lady Galadriel? We discuss the differences between the movie gifts and the book. And, in spite of not making an actual plan, we prepare ourselves for a long trek downriver.
Maps
LoTRproject.com interactive map - Caution: spoilers for new readers!
Notes for this episode
- Summoned up to see Lord and Lady
- It's time to go.
- Celeborn talks over what lay ahead -- east is over Emyn Muil, west goes into Rohan/Fangorn and ultimately leads to Minas Tirith.
-
- Aragorn is doubtful and troubled. (Remember gandalf’s plan!)
- Celeborn offers boats - this could prolong the decision!
- The Fellowship take their own council
-
- Majority choose to go west and make for Minas Tirith.
- Aragorn is quiet.
- Boromir makes his case -- “throw away what?”
- Gifted cloaks, Lembas, and rope
- Haldir comes back to escort them out of Caras Galadhon to the waters.
- Gifted boats!
- Off down the river
- Giant swan swims closer… oh dear.
- GALADRIEL -- she sings to them with a harp.
- Lord and Lady invite them to eat together as a farewell.
- Gifts are given.
-
- Aragorn gets a sheath for Anduril and the Elfstone
- Boromir gets a golden belt
- Merry/Pippin small silver belts with a golden flower clasp
- Legolas gets a bow of the Galadhrim strung with elf hair and a quiver of arrows.
- Sam gets a small box - adorned with a G for Galadriel/Garden, filled with soil from the orchard of Galadriel blessed in the way she may.
- Gimli - what gift would a Dwarf ask of the Lady?
- Sees them off.
- Galadriel sings another song.
- The set off down the river Aragorn/Frodo/Sam, Boromir/Pippin/Merry, Legolas/Gimli -- Bromance of the story!
Other comments or observations:
The story is picking up again. Gird your loins!
Links
The Nicks get down to business by talking about the elephant in the room, this elephant being the new baby boy in Nicholas' family! Also, we meet the Lord and Lady of the Galadhrim - Celeborn, and Galadriel. Later, Galadriel shows two of our fellowship her magic mirror.
Maps
LoTRproject.com interactive map - Caution: spoilers for new readers!
Notes for this episode
OUR FELLOWSHIP HAS ENTERED THE ENCHANTED FOREST
ELVES FROM WITHIN HAVE CLEARED THE ORC SCUM WITHOUT!
OUR FELLOWSHIP HAS BEEN ENTRUSTED WITH THE SECRETS OF THE GOLDEN WOOD
WHAT WILL THEY FIND WITHIN THE CITY OF GREEN TOWERS?
WILL THE LORD AND LADY BE GRACIOUS?
HAS ANYONE PAID MIND TO BILL THE PONY?
WILL THE COMPANY’S HEARTS FALTER UNDER THE LADY’S GAZE?
The story in this chapter
- Approaching Caras Galadhon
- Long walk up
- Meeting Celeborn and Galadriel
- Testing hearts
- Rest
- Frodo starts to feel like it’s time to go
- Galadriel shows Frodo and Sam the mirror
- Sam and the mirror
- Frodo and the mirror
- Galadriel and the Ring
- Galadriel and the other Ring
- Passing the test - does everyone have to pass the test
Links
"Five Armies" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
The Nicks talk about stepping out of time in special and awe-inspiring places, as well as being too close to the special things near you. Our Fellowship makes a dash for the woods, in spite of the potential of danger within. Aragorn is forced to take the lead after Gandalf's fall, and now they take the last known road in the plan created in Rivendell.
Maps
LoTRproject.com interactive map - Caution: spoilers for new readers!
Notes for this episode
BESIEGED BY ORCS!
AN ANCIENT FOE OF FIRE AND FLAME!
THE FELLOWSHIP FLEES TO THE EASTERN GATE
GANDALF MAKES A STAND AND SACRIFICES HIMSELF FOR THE FELLOWSHIP
ARAGORN NOW LEADS…
THE DRUMS OF THE ENEMY FADE AWAY
WHAT WILL BECOME OF OUR FELLOWSHIP?
WHAT AWAITS THEM ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ONCE GLORIOUS KHAZAD-DUM?
The Story in this Chapter:
- Grieving the loss of Gandalf
-
- Need to press on.
- Rushing so quickly that they forgot that Sam and Frodo had been wounded and the company was lagging behind Aragorn and Legolas.
- Significance of the Geography
-
- They stop to look back at the peaks. Woe unto them for Caradhras having defeated them.
- Kheled-zaram - the Mirrormere - Durin’s Crown
- Entering the wood
- Silverlode - Celebrant
- Another river Nimrodel - Falls the voice of Nimrodel
-
- They take a break. Legolas sings.
- Haldir and co.
- Flets and the Galadhrim -- “Tree People”
-
- Sleeping in a flet/floor
- Passage in. but caveat. Blindfolded
- Gimli, then Legolas, then everyone. - Aragorn’s decision
- Celebrant - the crossing into the Naith of Lorien
- Cerin Amroth
- Looking to Dol Guldur - Two towers set in opposition
-
- Dol Guldur is inhabited - but by whom?
- Political News
-
- Allies being untrusting (this is the crux) (page 339 NJ copy)
- Significance of the Fellowship in Lorien and the interactions between the races
-
- A DWARF in Lorien!!!?!?!?!! ZOMG!!!
- Aragorn in Lorien
- Legolas in Lorien
- Experience/growth/etc. of the hobbits.
-
- Crossing the River Celebrant
Links
Battle Beast - I Want the World... and Everything In It
"Five Armies" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
This is a quick update from Nicholas Jon about the various things that have been happening in our world which prevents us from having a solid upload schedule. Have a quick listen. Video version originally posted on our Facebook page.
Links
The Nicks answer your questions about what Dwarf women look like, why it's hard to get into the books, why the names are so similar, the eye of Sauron, and more!
Maps
LoTRproject.com interactive map - Caution: spoilers for new readers!
Questions from listeners:
What DO Dwarf women look like? -- CHAPTER 13 The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion
Friends who like Lord of the Rings... help! I'm almost done reading The Fellowship of the Ring and am having trouble. When does something happen that draws the reader to the character? When does the singing stop? When does something of importance happen? I fully expected to like the books. Am I reading it wrong? Do I have too high of expectations? Why do so many people like it??
Why are all the names so similar?
Did the eye of Sauron ever have a physical body? And how did the eye come to exist
Why doesn't Samwise pay off Sauron with all the diamonds he got from Chester Copperpot's buried treasure?
Links
The Nicks convene at the Green Dragon very late at night to discuss the chapter The Bridge of Khazad Dum - wherein Gandalf stands toe to toe, brother vs. brother with the Balrog "Durin's Bane."
Maps
LoTRproject.com interactive map - Caution: spoilers for new readers!
Notes for this episode
OUR FELLOWSHIP STRIDES BOLDLY THROUGH DARK AND DANGEROUS CAVERNS.
WITH FEW STOPS. LESS FOOD. AND EVEN LESS LIGHT.
OUR HEROES STRUGGLE TO FIND THE PATH THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS
FEW THINGS KEEP THEM MOVING.
HOPING FOR LIGHT AGAIN
LONGING FOR WIND AGAIN
RUNNING FROM THE DARK
AND THE FEAR OF ENEMIES!
AND NOW THE TOMB OF BALIN HAS BEEN FOUND!
WILL OUR HEROES ESCAPE THIS DARK TOMB?
HAS OUR GUIDE SUCCESSFULLY BROUGHT US TO THE END?
OR HAS TRAGEDY FINALLY FALLEN ON OUR FELLOWSHIP?
The story in this chapter
It was very late when we got started, and we didn't flesh out our notes.
- The Book of Mazarbul
- Trapped!
- Cave Troll
- Frodo is NOT a stuck pig
- Something behind the door - Immensely powerful
- Run to the bridge
- A Balrog!
- You cannot pass!
- Fly you fools!
Sir Ian McKellen - How To Act: https://youtu.be/nyoWmkhRyp8
The Tragic use of the music from this scene... to sell a Superhero movie: https://youtu.be/wArmHSPIvlQ
The music from the Bridge of Khazad-dum - by Howard Shore: https://youtu.be/xDn-hc28aEw?t=5m56s
Links
"Five Armies" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
The Nicks take a walk in the dark as the Fellowship continues their journey. A danger in the dark is due to appear at any moment! What are those footsteps? Why can Frodo see in the dark? Why does Nick Andrew hate caves (and his brother)? All this and more in this episode of our read-along of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.
Maps
LoTRproject.com interactive map - Caution: spoilers for new readers!
Notes for this episode
THIS JUST IN!
THE RING IS ON THE MOVE.
EAST TOWARD THE MISTY MOUNTAINS, THEN SOUTH…
BIRDS SWOOP IN… THE EYES OF THE ENEMY ARE EVERYWHERE!
THE PASS OF CARADHRAS. THE REDHORN GATE.
THE FELLOWSHIP ATTEMPTS TO CLIMB OVER THE CRUEL MOUNTAIN.
SNOW PILED ON. … ... WINDS... WHIPPED.
THE HOBBITS? …. FREEZING
AFTER BATTLING THE MOUNTAIN FOR LONGER THAN THEY CAN BEAR OUR COMPANY RESIGNS HEADING BACK DOWN THE MOUNTAIN
HOW WILL OUR COMPANY HANDLE DEFEAT
AND IS THERE ANOTHER WAY?
The story in this chapter
- A rest, what to do?
- Only options are to go on… somehow
- Or go back to Rivendell
- Pippin perks up, Merry and Sam look hopeful
- Aragorn and Boromir make no sign
- Frodo troubled.
- We cannot return without shame, unless there is no other way and we are already defeated.
- Sam sinks back into his gloom
- We cannot return without shame, unless there is no other way and we are already defeated.
- The only other path is through Moria
- The Gap of Rohan is watched by Saruman, who has turned against the free people and to go south through Gondor will take FAR too long.
- Moria - more dangerous than the Redhorn Gate?
- Gandalf thought this might be the way through - Aragorn did not want to go this way at least until they tried the mountain pass.
- We see Aragorn here being very leader-like and less follower. Giving way to Gandalf. Gandalf is their guide for the time being, not Aragorn.
- Aragorn has definite opinions (we don’t see this in the movies as much)
- We see Aragorn here being very leader-like and less follower. Giving way to Gandalf. Gandalf is their guide for the time being, not Aragorn.
- Gimli becomes interested - all others feel dread - even the hobbits who only know it from legend and vague fear.
- We can cover our trail and disappear for a little bit.
- Gandalf thought this might be the way through - Aragorn did not want to go this way at least until they tried the mountain pass.
- Why not go south past the Gap and over the mountains into Gondor? (Boromir)
- Things have changed in the Gap
- The longer road would take WAY too long, it is not safe, and it is watched.
- Going through Moria would be like going up to the dark lord’s tower itself “The name of Moria is Black.”
- Gandalf has seen some stuff… he rebutted Boromir with
- I alone of you have been to
- The stronghold of Sauron
- The dungeons of the dark lord
- Dol Guldur
- I alone of you have been to
- There may be Dwarves in the mines - there might be a warm welcome somewhere inside
- Who will follow me if I lead you? (Gandalf)
- “How the wind howls!” -- it's not the wind!
- Warg attack
- They think it's done after Gandalf declares himself to them.
- They come back!
- First battle scene in our narrative.
- Gandalf steals the show… HUGE show of force and power.
- The missing falls and the stairs that go up
- The curious case of the unexpected lake
- Stepping in the water and the ripples in the deep
- Saying goodbye to Bill
- Repacking for the southward, warming, road
- Moon letters and drawings - ithildin
- Durin’s marks
- The tree of the High Elves
- The star of the House of Feanor(PIN)
- Hacking the doors
- Fear of the water
- ‘Friend’ and ‘Snakes?’
- The door is a riddle
- Sam is the only one who moves to save Frodo - and is forced to choose Frodo over Bill
- Everyone quickly gets inside
- The way back is closed - let us hope the way forward is open.
- Follow the guiding light
- Frodo eventually realizes that he can see better in the dark than everyone except Gandalf (even Gimli!) - he/narrator attributes it to stab wound in his shoulder
- Brief rests and pauses along the way
- Pitter patter - the faint echo of footfalls.
- “I have no memory of this place” and the guard room well
- A rock that takes a long time hit the ground
- Tom-tap, tap-tom.
-
Tap-tom, tom-tap, tap-tap, tom.
- Time to head back uphill
- A rock that takes a long time hit the ground
- Long march. Suddenly the walls disappeared - and they are in a vast cavernous room
- Risk a little real light.
- Spending the night, at night.
- Gimli’s song
- Sam likes it
- Gimli is gloomy
- The wealth of Moria was not in gold or jewels but in Mithril
- Pretty amazing stuff
- In the morning there is light
- Through a doorway a tomb
- Balin son of Fundin / Lord of Moria
- He is dead. There are no dwarves to welcome them.
- Gimli draws his hood over his face….
- HERE ENDS THE CHAPTER
Links
"Five Armies" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
The Nicks talk about getting used to crazy amounts of noise, or the lack thereof. The forming of the Fellowship of The Ring, as in the title of this volume of the novel. The preparations of the Fellowship, and the courage of the hobbits as they set forth. The lands between Rivendell and The Gap of Rohan, the mountains under which the ancient civilization of the Dwarves: Khazad-Dûm was crafted. Being beaten down by the misfortune of weather, and why you should read the next chapter in the dark! All this and more of Tolkien's world in this episode of Green Dragon Live!
Maps
LoTRproject.com interactive map - Caution: spoilers for new readers!
Notes for this episode
THIS JUST IN!
THE COUNCIL WAS DECISIVE!
THE RING MUST BE DESTROYED!
THE HALFLING STILL CARRIES THE RING
SAMWISE GAMGEE STILL GOING ALONG!
WHAT BRAVE SOULS WILL ACCOMPANY?
WHO WILL REPRESENT THE FREE PEOPLE?
WHERE ARE THE RIDERS NOW? DID THEY SURVIVE?
WHEN WILL THIS STORY CONTINUE, AND WHAT DID THEY NAME THE PONY?
The story in this chapter:
- Hobbits meet by themselves
- Merry and Pippin want to go
- “Nothing’s been decided yet” What were you all doing in there then?
- Scouts sent out to look for signs of the riders and other enemies
- Gandalf overheard a hobbit say that people of intelligence are needed -- tells Frodo that he is THINKING of coming along.
- 2 Months go by - Winter sets in. Council of Elrond October 25 - Fellowship leaves December 25
- Scouts return 8 of 9 Nazgul accounted for - scattered and sent back to Mordor, no Gollum
- Bilbo and Frodo meet one on one for the last time - Sting, Mithril coat
- Fellowship officially formed
- Gimli will represent Dwarves
- Legolas Elves
- Aragorn Men (Boromir coming too)
- Gandalf shall be the intelligence
- Frodo
- Sam - packing his things
- ...2 spots left. Elrond wants to send two from his house- Merry and Pippin interrupt. Elrond is okay with Merry, but not Pippin.
- Southward bound
- Hollin
- Aragorn starts being a Ranger!!! He notices there are no bird sounds -- odd to him. So silent that the fellowship merely talking “vibrates the ground”.
- Gandalf says that you always listen to a ranger, especially when it’s Aragorn!
- Crebain
- SPIES OF STAR WARS!
- Aragorn starts being a Ranger!!! He notices there are no bird sounds -- odd to him. So silent that the fellowship merely talking “vibrates the ground”.
- The Redhorn Gate - Over Caradhras
- The mountain defeats them.
Links
"Five Armies" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
The Nicks fall into a meme-hole, discuss the doings of Gandalf and Saruman, and finally get down to brass tacks to decide what is to be the fate of this Council... and The Ring.
THIS JUST IN!
A COUNCIL HAS GATHERED….TO COUNCIL....
ELVES, DWARVES, MEN, AND HALFLINGS TOGETHER UNDER ONE ROOF!
DELIBERATIONS ENSUE AND STORIES ARE TOLD -- INCLUDING BILBO’S!
ISILDUR’S BANE REVEALED!
WHY ARE WE HERE?
CAN ONE SIMPLY WALK INTO MORDOR, AND WHAT IS GANDALF’S STORY?
Maps
LoTRproject.com interactive map - Caution: spoilers for new readers!
Notes for this episode
Other fandom trolling memes:
The story in this chapter
- Gandalf's Tale:
- Gandalf has the longest part to tell - but he has done the most to understand the enemy, the Ring, and to set in motion the tale we now read.
- Saruman
- The Rings and their jewels or lack thereof
- Hunting for Gollum
- Saruman knew of writing upon the Ring - but what is the source of his knowledge
- Who else but Sauron held the Ring? Isildur
- That means Minas Tirith might hold a clue
- Who else but Sauron held the Ring? Isildur
- Abandoning the chase to go to Gondor!
- Denethor not very welcoming
- The scroll of Isildur describing the “fire writing” unknown language - but eleven letters
- Gandalf HAS tested the Ring
- Speaking the words of Mordor - of the Ring
- Gollum did go to Mordor
- He was forced to spill his guts about the Ring
- The servants of the enemy have been to the Shire, and now know - perhaps the enemy already knows - that the Ring is in Rivendell
- Gollum imprisoned with the Wood Elves
- Definitely still full of mischief
- Legolas speaks up in distress
- Gollum has escaped
- How so? Was it coordinated? Did he have help? Or was he just being opportunistic?
- Gollum is cunning, escapes the skill of the elves to track
- Heading to Dol Guldor
- Gandalf - Gollum may have a part to play yet - Tolkien keeps insisting on this - it must mean something
- What of Saruman?
- Drawn to Orthanc by the message of Radagast (taken advantage of my Saruman) - Tells of Nazgul
- The Nazgul keep asking for the Shire
- Saruman summons Gandalf to give him “aide”
- Radagast to send messages
- Bree - stopped at the Prancing Pony (when was all of this?)
- To Isengard - Orthanc - Built by Numenor - At the Gap of Rohan
- Fear fell on him inside Isengard
- Saruman the White or…. Many Colors
- Saruman feels that Gandalf has been hiding information in the Shire
- Saruman has contempt for Radagast … and Gandalf… and their colors
- “Saruman the Wise” “Saruman ring maker” “Saruman of many colors”
- White - can be broken - or - is perfect
- Leaving the path of wisdom
- A choice
- The world of men which we must rule
- We need power
- “WE”
- “There is no help in elves or dying Numenor”
- Join with that power - there is hope that way - and rich reward
- Join the evil way despising the many evil things biding their time to come to their true purpose.
- Knowledge, Rule, Order
- No change in designs - only in our means
- The Ruling Ring - “If WE could command that, then the power would pass to US.”
- Gandalf a prisoner of Orthanc - on the pinnacle
- A narrow stair of many thousand steps.
- In Letter 210 - Tolkien tells us that Orthanc is 500 feet tall
- In modern American building terms that is about 29 stories.
- Not huge - but massive for the surrounding area
- To take the stairs literally then - 500 feet divided by “many thousand” (5000?) works out to be approximately 1000 steps per hundred feet. - 100 steps per 10 feet or 10 steps per foot.
- Pits and forges, wolves, and orcs - Saruman is building an army - to rival Sauron
- How was this kept hidden from Gandalf when he got there? Or did it happen while he was there?
- Frodo calls back to a dream! (REVISIT PIN)
- It was late
- Radagast was true and trustworthy
- The Eagles - Gwaihir
- Rohan
- Tribute of horses - tribute of horses and many to Mordor
- It’s a lie
- Evil at work
- Shadowfax
- Tireless, swift as the flowing wind, silver by day, shade by night, light footfall, unridden, untamed,
- Gandalf reached the Shire when Frodo was in the Barrow Downs though they left the same day (Rohan, Hobbiton)
- Gaffer - changes for the worst (Needs a pin?)
- Changes already started?
- Has Saruman already started to tear it apart looking for the Ring?
- Crickhollow
- Broken into - Hope left Gandalf
- To Bree - Butterbur
- Good news - renewed hope!
- A night’s rest.
- The Nazgul’s movements
- 2 Nazgul in Bree
- 4 in the Shire
- 2 at Crickhollow
- Captain in secret south of Bree
- After the attack on Bree/Crickhollow
- Some across country Eastward
- The Captain and others along the Road
- 2 days out from Bree - Gandalf beset in the Ring of Amon Sul - Weathertop
- The Wraiths were already there.
- Closed around at night - Light and Flame!
- Gandalf fled to the North - then toward Rivendell
- Gandalf nearly 14 days to Rivendell
- Only 3 days before Frodo
- End of tale
- THE PURPOSE! - What shall we do with the Ring
- The old forest used to stretch from where it is to the other side of Isengard (Fangorn even?)
- Can we obtain help from Tom Bombadil? Send the Ring to him for safe keeping?
- The Ring has no power over him. He would forget it and throw it away
- Also, even the enemy could be held off - his country would be besieged and ultimately overthrown
- The Ring cannot be kept away by strength only 2 options
- Send it over the Sea
- They would not receive it - it belongs to Middle-earth
- Destroy it
- We have no craft that can unmake it.
- OR cast it into the deeps - where it could not be recovered.
- Only a delay tactic
- Send it over the Sea
- Gandalf wants to make an end of Sauron - not delay
- Sauron - would expect the Westward option (in or over the sea)
- He would March up the coast to the Grey Havens
- Westward road seems easiest - and therefore must be avoided
- It will be watched
- That leaves only the option to undo the Ring
- The only hope - to take the Ring to Mordor - to the fire
- Frodo felt a dead darkness in his heart
- Boromir
- Why hide and destroy?
- What if it has come to us in our great moment of need?
- Why not wield it?
- Valor needs first strength, and then a weapon.
- The Ring can be our weapon.
- Elrond
- We cannot use it
- It was made by Sauron and is his alone
- it cannot be wielded by any except those with great power of their own.
- But for them, the desire of it corrupts their heart
- Like Saruman - corrupted by the thought alone
- It is evil and dangerous
- Nothing is evil in the beginning - even Sauron.
- Boromir
- So be it Gondor will fight on
- Perhaps the sword that was broken can help
- “If the hand who wields it holds more than an heirloom but also the sinews of the kings of men”
- May the day not be delayed
- It would comfort us to know others fought also
- Gloin
- More power if the people's join together
- What of the three rings of the elves?
- They were made by the dark lord long ago
- Do they remain?
- Are they idle?
- Elrond
- We cannot speak of them
- They are not idle, but they also are not weapons
- But if Sauron regains the One all their strength would be turned to destruction
- If the One is destroyed
- Perhaps they will be freed, and be able to heal the hurts of the world
- Or perhaps they will fail and many things will fade and be forgotten
- Glorfindel
- But all the Elves are willing to take this chance!
- Back to the destruction of the Ring
- What strength have we for the finding of the fire?
- That is the path of Despair! Or Folly!
- Gandalf
- Despair
- Is only for those who see the end beyond all doubt
- Wisdom to recognize necessity when all other courses have been weighed
- Folly
- It may appear to those who cling to false hope.
- Let folly be our cloak/veil before the eyes of the enemy
- The only measure Sauron knows is Desire, “the desire for power and so he judges all hearts.”
- He does not think that anyone can refuse it, and therefore follow through with destroying it
- If we seek to destroy it - we shall put him out of reckoning
- AKA - he won’t see it coming - it’s not a possibility he thinks would ever happen
- Despair
- “This quest may be attempted by the weak with as much hope as the strong.”
- Small hands do them because they must
- While the eyes of the great are elsewhere
- (THIS IS THE CRUX OF THE PLAN!)
- Bilbo - It’s plain enough what you’re pointing at
- I started it, and I must finish it.
- Boromir nearly laughs at Bilbo
- Elrond - your part is ended
- What do you mean by “they”
- The messengers who are sent with the Ring
- Bilbo - “Exactly, and who are they to be?”
- That seems to be the only thing this Council needs to decide
- Let’s get some names together
- No one spoke - looking downcast - in deep thought
- Frodo - felt a dread or doom on him
- And an overwhelming desire to rest in peace with Bilbo in Rivendell
- “At last with an effort, he spoke and wondered to hear his words, as if some other will was using his small voice. ‘I will take the Ring.’
- [NJ - DEFINITION OF BRAVERY - the quality or state of having or showing mental or moral strength to face danger, fear, or difficulty. -- speaking up in spite of deep desires because it is the thing that must be done, or the right thing to do.]
- Elrond
- I think that this task is appointed for you, and if you do not find a way no one will.
- But it is a heavy burden
- I do not lay it on you but if you take it freely I would say that your choice is right.
- And though all the mighty elf-friends of old, Hador, Hurin, Turin, and Beren, you shall be seated among them.
- SAM! [Again eavesdropping] -- But you won’t send him off alone!
- No indeed - You at least shall go with him.
- A nice pickle we’ve landed ourselves in, Mr. Frodo.
- Frodo - felt a dread or doom on him
New Characters:
- Denethor - Steward of Gondor
- Saruman the White/Many Colored - Istari, Leader of the White Council
- Gollum (makes an appearance)
- Theoden - King of Rohan
- Shadowfax? - Lord of Horses
- Radagast the Brown - Istari, part of the White Council
Links
"Five Armies" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
The Nicks take a close look at the goings on of Middle-earth, the Council is called at a time when all the free folks happen to be represented, the tale of The Ring is told and the larger picture is starting to become clear to those present that now is the time of action, there is a chance NOW to strike against the enemy.
THIS JUST IN!
A WOUNDED HOBBIT HEALED.
WRAITH WORLD AVOIDED.
THE TIME FOR FEASTS IS OVER. THE TIME FOR TALK IS NIGH!
ELROND THE ELF LORD HOSTS A GREAT COUNCIL.
SECRETS ARE TOLD -- DECISIONS… MADE.
WHO ARE ALL THESE PEOPLE? WHAT DECISIONS WILL THEY COME TO?
AND WHAT OF THE RULING RING?
Maps
LoTRproject.com interactive map - Caution: spoilers for new readers!
Notes for this episode
- Frodo feels great! He wants to explore.
- No time for that _BELL RINGS!_
- The gathering (Many Meetings part 2)
- Boromir - A stranger unlooked for
- Gloin’s report from Erebor and Dale
- The messenger from “The Lord Sauron the Great”.
- We are gathered here uncalled and unlooked for to decide what to do.
- Elrond’s Tale (which skips millennia in the telling - see the Silmarillion)
- The long memory of Elrond
- Tells long tale of the forging of the Great Rings
- Celebrimbor
- The story of the Rise and Fall of Numenor
- Elendil the Tall, his sons Isildur and Anarion
- The rise of Gondor and Arnor
- Gil-Galad
- The Last Alliance against Sauron
- Defeat of Sauron
- Diminished, but not Destroyed
- Isildur claims the Ring as a wergild (compensation) and an heirloom of his house.
- The Rise of Gondor and Arnor
- The Fall of Arnor and the diminishment of Gondor
- The long memory of Elrond
- Confusion about the actual history of the Ring
- What is all this about trees? (white trees?)
- Boromir’s Report
- Begs leave from Lord Elrond to talk more of Minas Tirith and Gondor.
- Numenorian blood not spent - Boromir takes offense
- Smoke rises from Mount Doom
- Mordor is allied with Harad
- Ithilien overrun
- East shore of Osgiliath has been abandoned to the Enemy
- Gondor holds the line
- Only Rohan will send aide these days
- Dreams, he and his brother.
- Travels 110 days to find Rivendell and seek Elrond’s council.
- The lineage of Aragorn
- Broken Sword? Dreams? Same Sword?
- “Bring out the Ring Frodo”
- Love, loathing, fear, shame
- How do we know it is Isildur’s Bane - Boromir
- All that is gold does not glitter
- Aragorn and the Rangers and the North
- Dunadain vs. Gondor as unsung heroes
- Bilbo’s tale
- The true version
- Frodo’s tale - lots of interruptions
- Bilbo wants to talk more about it later -- great story sans interruptions
- Frodo thinks the story is still incomplete -- wants to know more about Gandalf
- Galdor the elf from Grey Havens also wants to know more
- Wants to know about Saruman
- Galdor the elf from Grey Havens also wants to know more
Links
"Five Armies" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
The Nicks wake from their slumber to find themselves in Rivendell where they must try and remember their family, meet new friends, and see old friends in a new light.
THIS JUST IN!
THE ENEMY HAS GONE TO WAR!
OPENLY DECLARING HIMSELF,
THE DECEIVER SENDS HIS 9 WRAITHS AFTER OUR HEROES.
FRODO IS WOUNDED AND ON THE BRINK.
A MYSTERIOUS ELF LORD COMES TO HIS AID.
AFTER LENGTHY PURSUIT ACROSS MILES OF COUNTRY THE SERVANTS OF THE ENEMY DRAW CLOSER THAN COMFORT ALLOWS.
NEARING RIVENDELL GLORFINDEL, THE ELF LORD, CALLS ON ANCIENT POWERS COMBAT THE ENEMY IN PURSUIT.
WILL HIS PLAN PLAY OUT?
WILL FRODO, OUR HERO, SURVIVE THE DAY?
Maps
LoTRproject.com interactive map - Caution: spoilers for new readers!
Notes for this episode
Many Meetings
- Gandalf - what happened at the Ford - the true nature of Frodo’s injury/ringwraiths - “Delayed?” - comments about Weathertop - lost time
- Sam and the Hobbits - Sam has stayed with him each of the 4 days… barely left his side.
- Pippin - “The Lord of the Ring” - Gandalf jumps on that. “Only one Lord of the Ring.”
- The banquet - A banquet fit for the high lords of old.
- Elrond - ageless. Neither young nor old. At his one side sat Gandalf, at the other Glorfindel.
- Glorfindel - a hero!
- Gandalf again - he looks like a lord of old.
- Arwen - lady Arwen. Undomiel. Evenstar. Her birth and rise mark the close of the "Elven Chapter" in Middle-earth.
- Sam wanted to wait on Frodo during the banquet. - Frodo is seated upon many fine cushions to give him the same “height”.
- Gloin - THE Gloin. Companion of Thorin Oakenshield. - He talks a lot. Very excited to find a courteous “listener” in Frodo. - They swap stories about their homelands.
- The Hall of Fire - a place of quiet and reflection… unless it's feast or banquet time. Then it’s a place of songs and stories!
- Stranger in the corner -- Bilbo! - The Ring
- Strider-Aragorn-Dunadan
- The Twins /Elladan and Elrohir, Elrond’s twin sons. Absent from the banquet
- Earendil - in the song -
- Good old hobbit-talk
- BEDTIME!
Thoughts
- “I wish you could have held out at Weathertop.”
-
- (NJ - if he had not revealed himself by way of the Ring, would they have been able to fight them off with fire without them making an attack on Frodo?)
- “There are many powers in the world, for good or for evil.”
-
- “Some are greater than I am. Against some, I have not yet been measured. But my time is coming. The Morgul-lord and his Black Riders have come forth. War is preparing!”
- (NJ - The powers of the world, their interaction with the people of the world has been greatly reduced in recent millennia. Yet we see these little hints that there is something larger happening in the story.)
- “I thought, well, that they (the Big People) were just big and rather stupid: kind and stupid like Butterbur; or stupid and wicked like Bill Ferny”
-
- “You don’t know much even about them if you think old Barliman is stupid,”
- “I have known strong warriors of the Big People who would quickly have been overcome by that splinter, which you bore for seventeen days.”
-
- (NJ - often we are reminded that there is more to the Hobbits than meets the eye)
- Ringwraiths
-
- Real horses
- Real cloaks - to give shape to their nothingness
- (NJ - nothing in the Seen, something in the Unseen)
- Fragment of the blade
-
- Frodo turning Wraith
- With the ring on - like standing halfway between the worlds
- “Those who have dwelt in the Blessed Realm live at once in both worlds, and against both the Seen and the Unseen they have great power.”
-
- Blessed Realm
- Seen and Unseen
Links
The Nicks take a break from the chapters as an interlude between Books 1 and 2. Some reflection on the story so far, and questions from our listeners!
Maps
LoTRproject.com interactive map - Caution: spoilers for new readers!
Links
The Nicks, joined by Jake, Jenni, and Eowyn get together at the Green Dragon Brew Pub in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. If your name is the Green Dragon, we're interested in testing your fare, the food, and the drink. This short episode is cut from our whole meal together and barely passes as a review.
The food was good, heavy and rich with cheese in the case of the flatbreads, but very enjoyable nonetheless. The potato wedges were delicious, with a crispy perfection. The Dragon Eggs were very good - Hard boiled eggs wrapped in sausage and deep fried - even the Nicks (who don't usually like hard boiled eggs found them delectable).The drinks were tasty, but nothing that would make the hair on your toes curl up with excitement.
The venue is standard bar restaurant, adequate but not any resemblance of a place that takes its name from Lord of The Rings. In fact, we don't know if the name is any reference to Tolkien's works. We would, however, like to go back and try some of the other pub food, the burgers for example.
Links
The Nicks, joined by Jake, Jenni, and Eowyn get together at the Green Dragon Brew Pub in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. If your name is the Green Dragon, we're interested in testing your fare, the food, and the drink. This short episode is cut from our whole meal together and barely passes as a review.
The food was good, heavy and rich with cheese in the case of the flatbreads, but very enjoyable nonetheless. The potato wedges were delicious, with a crispy perfection. The Dragon Eggs were very good - Hard boiled eggs wrapped in sausage and deep fried - even the Nicks (who don't usually like hard boiled eggs found them delectable).The drinks were tasty, but nothing that would make the hair on your toes curl up with excitement.
The venue is standard bar restaurant, adequate but not any resemblance of a place that takes its name from Lord of The Rings. In fact, we don't know if the name is any reference to Tolkien's works. We would, however, like to go back and try some of the other pub food, the burgers for example.
Links
The Nicks discuss embarrassing stories of when we were fools and couldn't remember what we did, Frodo's predicament, Glorfindel's shiny nature, slipping into the wraith world, a cavalry of waves, the geography, and history of this leg of the journey, and ending the first book on a cliffhanger.
Maps
LoTRproject.com interactive map - Caution: spoilers for new readers!
What Happened Last Time?:
The company came together in the nick of time as Strider’s usefulness came through on the first night of their acquaintance. During the night at the Prancing Pony, Black Riders stole into the rooms set aside for the Hobbits, and brutally murdered their pillows, and in the words of Tommy Boy, “Woah, that was close.” After some trouble leaving town, Strider is able to get the company lost and out of sight of the Riders while making their way to Weathertop. Seven days, one funky lightning show, and a million bug bites later and they make it to Weathertop just in time for the Black Riders to ambush them and stab Frodo with a blade from Mordor. This is bad news.
Where Are We in the Narrative?:
Our Heroes have left home and hearth behind - beyond the Shire, beyond Bree - besides Bilbo, no other Hobbit in living memory has gone so far afield as these brave, foolhardy, unnatural hobbits. Joining in with a Ranger from the North - Strider, they inch closer to Rivendell while being chased by Black Riders of Mordor. Dark times have found the company, and they will likely need help to arrive safely at Rivendell, but help in the wild is very unlikely to be found.
Notes for this episode:
FRODO:
- What happened at Weathertop?
- The Ring and his realization.
- The wound.
-
- What does it feel like
- Eventually, it all but heals up to just a white mark…???
- How does it affect him?
-
- Strider comments that the Riders wounded him in such a fashion to make him unable to resist them.
- shade/shadow over his eyes
- The world looks pale
- His friends look like shadows eventually
- Shadows in his dreams
- Another dream
GEOGRAPHY:
- Wilderness of what once was Arnor/The Kingdoms of the North
-
- Towers in the distance
- No one lives here, not anymore
- Hoarwell (river number 1)
-
- The bridge.
- The jewel.
-
- Did it fall idly, or placed intentionally? Either way, Strider is comforted.
- Trollshaws
-
- Bilbo’s story!
- Sam’s song.
-
- Talk about song…
-
- How do you read it?
- Do you read it sing-song, or actually give it a made-up melody?
- The Bruinen (Loudwater) - The Ford (river number 2)
STRIDER:
- Leadership in question… Sam doesn't trust him after he disappears post-Weathertop battle.
-
- How does he respond to this?
- What does he do to and with Frodo knowing that he was wounded by the Witch-king of Angmar?
-
- How do the hobbits respond?
- Athelas and its effects.
THE CHASE:
- Some Black Riders from behind
- Frodo hesitates - Glorfindel commands his horse to RUN!
-
- Noro lim Asfaloth, noro lim!
- Some Black Riders ahead
- Frodo gets ahead and across the ford by the skin of his teeth
- The standoff
- The “cavalry of waves”
-
- What does it mean?
- Valar?
- Intervention?
THE END OF THE FIRST BOOK:
- Our first cliffhanger…
-
- How does this compare and contrast with the literature you’re used to reading?
- How does it to the rest of the book we’ve read so far?
- Another Tolkienism...
Notable Difference(s) from Films:
- Arwen instead of Glorfindel
- Hard to determine how much time is passed even though they say it’s two weeks in the movie
Locations/Distance Traveled/Distance apart:
- Wilderness of what once was Arnor
- The Hoarwell
- Trollshaws
- The Bruinen (Loudwater) - the Ford
New Characters:
- Glorfindel
What to Watch for in the Next Chapter:
- We end on a cliffhanger! Does Frodo survive?
Links
The Nicks debate nerdy names for Nicholas' yet-to-be-born son. And the escape from Bree, march through Midgewater Marshes, and the back roads to Weathertop, and the attack on the company.
Maps
LoTRproject.com interactive map - Caution: spoilers for new readers!
Notes for this episode
What Happened Last Time?:
Our Hobbits find themselves in the company of “Strider”, one of the rangers from the North. He knows more than he lets on initially and when tension is high none other than Butterbur comes bursting in finally delivering a letter for Frodo from GANDALF that he meant to deliver months ago. Gandalf lobbies for Striders inclusion in the company, calling him by his true name “Aragorn” and the Hobbits agree to trust him. Merry finally returns from his walk after being fetched by Nobb and tells us that the Black Riders are in Bree! Strider helps them set decoys in their proper room and our hobbits drift off as night settles in and danger is closing!
Where Are We in the Narrative?:
Frodo and his companions have come all the way to Bree without the help of anyone, except Farmer Maggot and Tom Bombadil - now out of the Shire and in entirely new lands for any living Shire Hobbit save Bilbo the companions have taken on a new guide - Strider. With a little faith and a letter from Gandalf, and the almost certainty that they have no other choice their new companion plans to get them lost as soon as possible on road toward Weathertop and then toward Rivendell.
The Story in this Chapter:
- Crickhollow attacked - 3 Black Riders
-
- AWAKE ! FEAR! FIRE! FOES! AWAKE!
- Last time the Horn of Buckland was sounded was 100 years ago, the white wolves came in the Fell Winter, when the Brandywine was frozen over
- Prancing Pony infiltrated
-
- The stable emptied
- The southerner with no friends
- Buying a pony from Bill
-
- The goodness of Butterbur
- Sam hits Bill in the face with an apple… and it was a waste of an apple
- The Archet Feint / getting lost in a good way
-
- “Short cuts, long cuts”
- Midgewater Marshes (3rd day-5th day)
-
- Neekerbreekers!
- Lightning from the ground to the east (four nights out)
- The moon!
- Six days in the wilderness to get to Weathertop
- History of Weathertop
-
- Amon Sul
- No barrows… the men of the west didn’t “live” here, but they defended it against Angmar.
- It’s said that Elendil stood there watching Gil-Galad approach from the west in the days of the Last Alliance Gil Galad
- “Starlight”
- Fortnight to Rivendell
-
- How long is a fortnight? (2 weeks
- We get a bunch of the nature and limitations/ strengths of the Nazgul
- The story of Tinuviel
-
- Edith and John Tolkien's epitaphs "Beren" / "Luthien”
- We’re told a wonderful story here, but the best telling is in the Silmarillion
- Strider’s tale ends and the hobbits get up to stretch. They notice the moon rising above the hill and BOOOOM
- Weathertop is attacked - 5 Black Riders
- Un-hiding with the Ring
- The crowned wraith
-
- Approaches with a sword in one hand and a knife in the other.
-
- This hand and blade are glowing when he approaches Frodo
- Fire and ice the two blades
-
- Frodo’s blade from the barrows - forged by the men of Westernesse to fight Angmar
- The Crowned Wraith’s blade pierces with what feels like poisonous ice
- Invoking the name of Elbereth! Akin to “OH MY GOD!”
Notable Difference(s) from Films:
- Top of the hill - in the ruins vs in the dell
Locations/Distance Traveled/Distance apart:
- We leave Bree! Archet, Midgewater Marsh, Amon Sul (Weathertop)
New Characters:
- the Pony!
Info/History from Other Titles/Sources:
- Fell Winter - Tolkien Companion
What to Watch for in the Next Chapter:
- Frodo was stabbed…. What does this mean in the long-run?
Links
The Nicks discuss whether Nicholas is in love with Aragorn and whether Frodo can trust Strider, the long-expected physical description of our main character, the danger outside, and a letter that is only 3 months late.
From the A Way With Words podcast episode entitled Pig Latin - 29 January 2017 -- "Why do so many people begin their sentences with the word So? In linguistics, this is called sentence-initial so. The word So at the start a sentence can serve a variety of functions."
Maps
LoTRproject.com interactive map - Caution: spoilers for new readers!
Notes for this episode
What Happened Last Time?:
Frodo, Sam, Pippin, and Merry take their leave of Tom Bombadil at the road outside of Bree, after a short walk they arrive at the gate at night and are greeted none-too-kindly by Harry the gatekeeper who is astonished that 4 Shire-hobbits have arrived after dark. Finding the Prancing Pony, and having a pleasant dinner Merry stays behind and/or goes for a walk in the town while Frodo, Sam, and Pippin visit the common room. They are greeted warmly by the locals, and find their stories welcome, though bordering on too much info. Frodo - trying to divert attention away from too many questions - accidentally makes their position much worse and raises more questions about themselves than ever.
Where Are We in the Narrative?:
Frodo and co. have finally made it to Bree after setting out from the Shire (small delays in the Old Forest and the Barrow Downs aside.) Gandalf is still MIA and word is spreading that he is unaccounted for. A mysterious Ranger knows perhaps more than we’d like of Frodo Baggins of the Shire, and Rivendell seems a lofty distance away………………*OMINOUS*
The Story in this Chapter: (We didn't keep to our notes in the same way as other episodes)
- Words we use differently - faggot
- Strider - serious, friendly?, scared, knowledgeable, full of warnings, rascally look, quick ears, hunter, can avoid being seen, laughs, smiles, older than he looks, knows the lands from the Shire to the Misty Mountains (more?)
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- Reminds me of the CONSTANT VIGILANCE of Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody
- Overheard the hobbits on the road out of the downlands
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- Has been looking for Frodo
- Hopped the gate
- Things he says that show he knows things and/or is a friend
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- Knows Tom Bombadil
- He knows what chases them, and their number (not given)
- He knows Frodo’s first name, not just Baggins
- “The secret”
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- Later mentions the Ring, no one mentions it before.
- He speaks the verse
- Shows the broken blade
- Mentions that he learned of Frodo’s leaving the Shire from Gildor Inglorion
- Bill Ferny
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- Swarthy sneering fellow
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- Swarthy means dark skinned (additional sources #1)
- Would sell anything to anybody and make mischief for amusement
- Friendly with a Southern stranger
- Strider’s face and body language when speaking of the black riders
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- He is really afraid of them, which should scare the hobbits even more
- “You fear them, but you do not fear them enough”
- Sam - voice of reason? Caution
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- Stereotype of a vagabond
- Frodo’s leadership
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- “Caution is one thing, and wavering is another”
- Assumes that the riders have missed him.
- Before the night is over the Black Riders will have heard of Frodo
- Butterbur Arrives
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- Apologies aplenty - though weak
- First descriptions of Frodo’s physicality (it’s only chapter 10)
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- Stout, red cheeks, taller than some, fairer than most, cleft chin, perky with a bright eye.
- Frodo Baggins - Number 1 Bagshot Row - Bag End - Hobbiton in the Shire
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- Mid Year’s Day - Summer Solstice
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- We would think of this as the first day of Summer
- EncArda - Mid-year’s Day - The day that marked the middle of the year
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- Also called Loëndë, the day that fell in the middle of the year was an important feature in many of the calendars of Middle-earth. On a modern calendar, Mid-year's Day would be 22 June.
- (Additional Sources #2)
- If Gandalf is not with him - he may be in trouble
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- Trouble is not far off - the black riders
- Dogs yammering - geese screaming
- Butterbur slammed the door on them
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- They’re getting a lot of rejection
- Blocking Strider
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- Would never leave Bree
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- The idea makes him scared
- MORDOR - The Shadow in the East
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- Butterbur even more scared
- The worst news in Bree
- Story of Bilbo known in Bree - people putting it all together
- Merry is still missing
- The Letter - Post Scripts
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- Gandalf was in haste and had to add three addendums to make sure he told all
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- 1 - don’t use it again - an assumption?
- 2 - The real Strider - thanks for the poem…
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- Aragorn
- Broken sword
- 3 - Poor, poor, Butterbur
- Gandalf in great danger
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- Not just a firework maker
- Trust Strider?
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- Trust without proofs
- “The enemy has set traps for me before now”
- Wants friendship
- Pippin - Handsome is as handsome does
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- “You would die first unless you are made of sterner stuff than you look to be”
- Sam - Play-acting spy
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- “If I was after the ring” ← first-time “ring” is used this chapter
- “If by my life or death I can save you, I will”
- Enemy would “Seem fairer and feel fouler”
- The verse
- Out of Bree
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- Get lost
- Go to Weathertop
- Strider and Gandalf
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- Came back to the area in the Spring
- Sarn Ford down the Brandywine - 1st of May
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- Strider learned the original plan
- Strider is troubled about Gandalf’s absence
- Word came to Strider from elven folk of Gildor had spread the word that Gandalf was missing and that the Riders were about.
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- Also, that Frodo has left Hobbiton - but no news about leaving Buckland (success!)
- What can hold Gandalf back? - THE enemy?
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- “This business of ours will be his greatest task
- Merry finally comes in, out of breath, he just saw the black riders!
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- Strider asks for more details, Merry is hesitant (first time he’s met him!)
- Aragorn tells him he has a stout heart (dare I say surprised at him? Are they already proving more hardy than they look?), but Merry was “drawn somehow” after the Rider.
- 2 Figures - one Muttering the other whispering or hissing.
- Something knocked him over, made him feel like he had fallen into deep water. Nobb found him with two men stooped over him… he called over to them and they fled.
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- Nobb shouting is also possibly a brave thing - though he lives in a place where Man-kind and Hobbit-kind are equals - maybe not so brave as typical for him.
- Strider calls it “the black breath” and declares that the southerner is a spy, and Bill Ferny too!
- Reassures that the Riders will not openly attack a home….. Yet.
- Stay here… and do not go to your rooms… we’ll stay together and bar the door.
- Frodo catches Merry up on everything he has missed while Strider and Nobb grab their luggage.
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- Nobb is proud of creating decoys of the hobbits in their rooms.
- Pippin (at Frodo’s expense) - “Very lifelike”
- Uncommon word for Nicholas when he first read this story - “Bolster” A long thick pillow placed under other pillows to add support or bolster them.
- They block the door with a chair, Frodo draws the curtains and Strider lights a fire and sits in the chair against the door.
- “Jumped over the moon… very ridiculous of you Frodo,” comments Merry.
- Strider - “I hope so.”
- SLEEP!
Other comments or observations:
- What is the timing of the events alluded to in the chapter?
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- Gandalf met Strider - May 1
- Gandalf wrote the letter (Mid-Year - June 22)- where was Frodo?
- How many weeks has Frodo and company lost?
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- For that matter - how long has Gandalf been missing?
Notable Difference(s) from Films:
- Much shorter sequence, Nobb is not involved, nor are any southerners or spies.
- No letter from Gandalf.
- We are not told Strider’s true name this soon in the films.
Locations/Distance Traveled/Distance apart:
- Still in Bree/ The Prancing Pony
New Characters:
- Bill Ferny - The swarthy, sneering, Breelander
Info/History from Other Titles/Sources:
- https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/swarthy - Swarthy means dark skinned. If you like tall, dark and handsome men, you find a swarthy complexion attractive. Not everyone with dark skin is swarthy. The word is usually used to describe someone whose skin is weather beaten and darkened by the sun, or has an olive complexion.
- http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/m/midyearsday.html
What to Watch for in the Next Chapter:
- Back on the road with a new guide - trying to get lost in the wilderness - hoping Strider is a good guy (he is).
Links
The Nicks discuss going to the bar alone; being a stranger in a new land; Bree, the Bree-folk, and their sayings; the types people that travel through Bree and the Prancing Pony, and more!
Maps
LoTRproject.com interactive map - Caution: spoilers for new readers!
Notes for this episode:
What Happened Last Time?
The hobbits get a restful night's sleep and leave the HOTB early in the morning making way through the Barrow Downs and up back to the main road to continue on to the village of Bree. BUT ITS NOT THAT EASY. After an unplanned inside-of-the-eyelids study leaning up against a standing stone session Frodo wakes up, it's dark out and FOG IS EVERYWHERE!!! He tried to find the hobbits, gets caught by a wight, wakes up in a barrow, spots the others looking rightly terrible and, losing all hope, calls for Tom to come help using that little song. Tom saves the day by gets them out of their predicament and walks them back up to the main road.
Where Are We in the Narrative?
Our heroes are finally arriving at what we can likely call our first major checkpoint of the adventure, Bree. After shortcuts through forests and fields, disastrous dealing with menacing trees, and barrow wights, and the luck of finding a friend in Farmer Maggot and Tom Bombadil to aid them on their road: Leaving the Shire has not been as easy as they, nor Gandalf would have predicted, and going back into civilization is both a relief and a threat. Many eyes and ears prying, who knows who is friend, and who is foe?
The Story in this Chapter:
- The Breeland
- Rangers
- The Big Folk and the Little Folk
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- The Bree Folk
- “Outsiders” to the Shire Folk
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- Many outsiders?
- Dyke and Gate and the two main roads
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- “Strange as news from Bree”
- The Northern Lands are desolate - What was up there? What is there now? ANGMAR! The old capital of Arnor, Annuminas, was northwest as well, on the shores of Lake Evendim.
- Gatekeeper (Harry)
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- Suspicious of the Hobbits, and suspicious to the Hobbits
- Dark Figure over the gate
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- Strider?
- Black Rider?
- Gollum?
- Sam quails at the size of men
- Prancing Pony First Impressions
- Barliman Butterbur - thoughts?
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- short for a man - he’s a bit taller than hobbits and a bit shorter than most men
- Seems to be a master of his trade. Can talk, knows when to be quiet and unassuming, friendly and inviting
- His talk "doesn’t have no point" - he catches the Hobbits up on the basic particulars of what is happening in the inn tonight.
- Bree Sayings
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- Strange as news from Bree (East Farthing)
- It never rains, but it pours
- There’s no accounting for East and West (the Rangers and Shire Folk) - The Bree version of “Strange as news from Bree”
- Frodo, Sam, Pippin to the common room
- Merry to hang back and maybe go for a walk outside
- Bree Hobbits and names
- Frodo using geography and history which are not used in Bree much, difference in language, or maybe difference in class/education
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- Mr. Brandybuck, Mr. Took, Sam Gamgee, Mr. Underhill
- The Southerner
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- Solo?
- Part of the company come up the Greenway?
- Strider
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- Note the way he is described - physically
- Tolkien gives as little as possible to describe
- Even stranger travelers in Bree
- Frodo’s foolish action
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- The Ring - A call from outside?
- A jump over the moon - a slip - and the Ring’s opportunity to reveal itself
- A song!
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- Tolkien’s purpose in writing the types of things he did, was to give England a kind of mythology, of which it was robbed by the arrival of invaders who brought their own.
- In a little way, this is the same thing - giving us a long version of Hey Diddle Diddle
- Is Frodo a traveling magician?!
- Swarthy Breelander (Bill Ferny), Squint-eyed Southerner, and Harry the gatekeeper leave together
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- Harry and Bill both gatekeepers? (totally speculation)
- Trying to describe the scene to Barliman
- Strider uses Frodo’s proper surname and says that he put his foot in it or rather his finger
- Clearing the house
- Private meetings
Other comments or observations:
- Who climbs over the wall?
Notable Difference(s) from Films:
We are back in line with the films! Sort of. The feel of Bree is remarkably different, especially TPP.
Locations/Distance Traveled/Distance apart:
- East of the HoTB - up into the Barrow-downs, then northward toward the main road leading into the village of Bree.
New Characters:
- Everyone our hobbits encounter!
- Barliman
- Strider
- Harry at the Gate/Southerner/Breelander
What to Watch for in the Next Chapter:
- We learn more about Strider and our journey really begins.
Links: