Recent content by Robert Brown

"For of this summons came many woes that after befell; yet those who hold that the Valar erred, thinking rather of the bliss of Valinor than of the Earth, and seeking to wrest the will of Ilúvatar to their own pleasure, speak with the tongues [read tongue] of Melkor." It seems to me, that this...

I would be careful of basing any theory on the messenger being the Mouth of Sauron. That identification is not supported by the text. It's much more likely, that it's a Ringwraith. I think the ban on speaking his name is more likely to be something that was in effect before the Necromancer...

Very behind with my Silmfilm sessions ... Just dropping for posterity a note to say at least one person got the Professor's Horse and his Boy reference there at the end.

Now that I'm caught up I hope to return to Weathertop one last time, as we are not yet in the next chapter after its being the climax of the previous one. You have often said that Tolkien was a great rereader, able to approach his stories from outside them. These paragraphs published in the...

Merrys Dreme in an earlier draft is recounted by him saying only "I begin to remember. I thought I was dead -- but don't let us speak of it". I tend to agree that this is not a positive dream sent to Merry, though it may lead to greater strength in the face of despair. It is a dream of Angmar...

" Sam could get hold of the Ring. Frodo betrayed by Gollum and taken by orcs (?) to Minas Morgol.(5) They take his ring and find it is no good; they put him in a dungeon, and threaten to send him to Baraddur. How can Sam get hold of Ring? He keeps watch at night and hears Gollum muttering to...

Orome returns with news about the increase in monstrous beasts. Aule has seen the multiplicity of forms under Yavanna's power and himself attempts to create soldier 'beasts', intended initially with only animalish intelligence, but overreaches in the moment and tries to create sapient...