Episode 107 Summary

[Tony Meade]

SESSION 107

Hobbit irrepressibility:

• Is Pippin trolling Gandalf for a reaction? It’s possible, as this is something he might do in other circumstances, but it’s more likely that he sees this as fun banter and give it back to Gandalf.
• Note: Pippin will struggle again for the right song for the occasion in Minas Tirith when Denethor asks him to sing. Pippin’s limited knowledge of the outside world makes it hard for him to choose appropriate songs, especially in places that are elevated, like Rivendell and Minas Tirith.
• Note: Hobbits don’t really sing songs like the Elves’ “tralalalally” song in Rivendell, and the narrator of The Hobbit acknowledges that this sounds silly, especially to the hobbit ear. Hobbits are happy singing songs that are purely for fun, but the lyrics of the Hobbit songs are not nonsensical, whereas the “tralalalally” song is a series of random statements of observations. Hobbit songs make logical sense around a central theme, and often tell narrative stories. It’s likely that some of the songs are traditional Shire songs, while others are clearly Bilbo originals.
• It’s possible that Pippin also feels that none of the songs he knows can express his happiness.
• Pippin gives a double dose of hobbitry in teasing Frodo about malingering until food is served, but also acts as if Frodo’s waking in time for this meal was a coincidence for a joke.
• It’s Merry who informs Frodo that the meal is in fact a feast in his honor, awaiting his recovery.
• Merry and Pippin are acting as a tag team to increase the humor, taking both sides of the joke.

Lords of dignity and power:

• Gandalf is seated in a place of honor at Elrond’s side, which may be surprising to the hobbits. Glorfindel’s place is understandable given his status, but Gandalf is shown to be their peer.
• Note: In Tolkien’s essay, “On Fairy-stories”, he notes that one of the benefits of these tales is what he calls “Recovery”, which is looking at familiar things in an unfamiliar environment, which allows us to appreciate them anew, like trees after Old Man Willow. This is similar to what happens when Frodo sees Gandalf juxtaposed as a peer of the Elf-lords; he sees someone he knows well in a new context, and sees him in a new way, and with new aspects highlighted.
• It’s clear that Elrond understands more about Gandalf and his role than almost everyone else.
• Note: This new image of Gandalf is also for the benefit of the readers, who may be familiar with Gandalf from The Hobbit. Tolkien has been growing Gandalf’s role and importance throughout the writing of The Lord of the Rings, and put in Frodo’s place, we are also asked to see Gandalf anew, and not like the “little old man” from the earlier story, but as someone with gravity. Though Gandalf’s identity as one of Maiar is not fully formed yet, the seed for it is planted here.
• Elrond’s role in tales is only hinted at, as none of the other stories about him have been told to us aside from The Hobbit. We know that he was in the Last Alliance, but not what he did.
• Note: Even in The Silmarillion, we get very little in terms of tales about Elrond. He is much more important as a concept than a character. We know things about his background, but little of his deeds. His role is primarily as a convergence in the genealogies of the lords of Elves and Men.
• This doesn’t mean that Frodo and Sam have heard many stories about Elrond that we haven’t.
• Frodo is being affected by the wonder of seeing Elrond is parallel to Bilbo’s experience at the same table and finding out that his sword was also connected to the legends of Gondolin.
• Note: Frodo’s wonder goes beyond merely being starstruck by a celebrity or meeting a long-dead historical figure. Elrond is a figure of legend, as if he were a myth shown in its reality. This may be more like meeting figures like King Arthur or Merlin and seeing them as they really were.
• Glorfindel’s role has been clear from his first appearance, so this is not a revelation of him, but it is the pairing with Elrond and Gandalf that reveals more about them.
• The hobbits of the younger generations after Bilbo would appreciate Gandalf more than the older ones who see him as an object of both interest and suspicion.
• However, even the younger generations would see Gandalf as a normal part of their lives, and less as a person of wonder.
• There is a sense in which Gandalf is somewhat “uncloaked” here, though it is different from in Bag End where he put forth his power. Here, it is more about a revelation of his true self.

Gandalf described anew:

• Note: Tolkien doesn’t often give detailed physical descriptions of his characters, but Gandalf was one of the most clearly described in The Hobbit. The description here adds new details.
• It’s interesting that Gandalf’s height is shown to be less than the Elf-lords, as this matches with the “little old man” description, but his broad shoulders are in contrast to that image.
• Gandalf’s comparison is to an archetypical wise king, not any particular king. The wisdom is tied to his apparent age, such as his hair and beard, but his physical strength makes him look kingly.
• There is no sense of frailty in Gandalf’s age, which is shown with the broad shoulders.
• This is the first time that Gandalf is being seen by these hobbits in relation to other Big People. Frodo’s picture of Gandalf expands when seen next to other people, even though he is shorter.
• Gandalf probably spends most of his time in the Shire stooped to move inside Hobbit houses and talking to much shorter people, where here, Frodo can see him in his natural stature.
• One of the things that is also emphasized is Gandalf’s sense of power and authority, like a king.
• Note: While Gandalf is often thought of in the role of Merlin, here is also compared to Arthur.
• Gandalf is known to have a bit of a temper, but here this is shown in the description of his eyes.
• Fire imagery is used in relation to Gandalf, but here it is explicitly connected to his personality.
• Gandalf’s aged face has always been there, it is seen in new context with these other trails.
• All the other traits of Gandalf are silver, grey, or white, so his dark eyes are shown in contrast.
• While there is not an explicit hint that Gandalf’s eyes light up with fire, that is implied as true.
• Note: Even among immortals like Gandalf, we can see that they can age with care and sorrow. One example is Thingol, who becomes aged like an old man after the death of Lúthien.
• Note: These descriptions are really about impressions and feelings of wonder, and less about physical details. They are designed to convey something about the person’s character and spirit.

Glorfindel at his rest:

• The only physical descriptions that we get are hair color, height, and posture. All the other details are of personal qualities, and his voice.
• Glorfindel’s young face is important in contrast with his ancientness, but the other details are more about outward expressions of internal qualities, such as his fearlessness.
• Note: Glorfindel’s youth may be retroactively attributed to his re-embodiment after his death.
• The overall impression of Glorfindel from this description is primarily about his beauty.

Notes on the use of the word “fair”:

• What does Tolkien mean by the word “fair” in this context? In older usages, it is often associated with light coloring, such as hair or skin, as opposed to simple beauty.
• In Dracula, the three vampire women are described as two that are dark, and one that is fair, meaning their coloring, though they were all beautiful.
• However, while Tolkien uses this meaning, he also uses “fair” in the more modern sense of “beautiful” in other places when not specifically applied to physical features like hair.
• When Frodo is described as “fairer than most” it is a compliment on his looks compared to other hobbits, and it is also used in contrast with “foul” when describing Strider in Bree.
• Note: Tolkien’s word choices are often different between his various works, such as between The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, because of the difference in tone and genre. Therefore, when studying word usage, it is important to first look at it within the context of that specific work, and not the whole corpus.
• Tolkien sometimes uses the word “fair” in both senses, but we have to determine which is the primary one meant by context.
• In the context of inanimate things and landscapes, we can assume that “fair” means “beautiful”.

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[Tony Meade]

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Glorfindel’s fearlessness:

• The joy that is attributed to Glorfindel’s fearlessness is a window into the nature of Tolkien’s Elves. His fearlessness is not defiant or solemn but is paired with an enjoyment of the world.
• Note: There is a parallel to Tulkas, who laughs in battle and takes joy in physical combat.
• Glorfindel’s fearlessness may also be rooted in his experience of death, having faced the worst.
• Note: This is a different kind of fearlessness than is expressed through Tom Bombadil. While both are rooted in joy, Tom’s is unassuming, while Glorfindel’s is explicitly lordly.

Glorfindel uncloaked:

• The description of Glorfindel’s eyes does not reveal physical details like color, but on what they reveal about Glorfindel as a person.
• The word “keen” here means “sharp”. We have seen this in the way that he was able to see things about Frodo’s condition that the others couldn’t see.
• The brightness of his eyes seems to relate to the joy described earlier, as if it shines through.
• Glorfindel’s bright eyes are also in contrast to Gandalf’s dark eyes described earlier. The words used to describe Glorfindel’s eyes are outwardly focused, while Gandalf’s are inwardly directed.
• This relates to the difference between Glorfindel’s power being out in the open for all to see, while Gandalf’s is cloaked and hidden. He will sometimes reveal it, like the way his eyes burn.
• The simple meaning of the beauty of his voice is related to his overall physical beauty, but its comparison with music, within Tolkien’s world, implies that it contains creative power.
• Note: In Rob Inglis’ unabridged recording, he tends to give all of the Elves very high voices, which is incorrect. The only exception is Galadriel, to express her deep voice for a female elf.
• That wisdom sits upon Glorfindel’s brow shows that he is used as vessel of this wisdom that he has gained from outside himself. He lays no claim to own that wisdom or to have generated it.
• The description of the wisdom on his brow compares it to wearing a crown or it sitting a throne.
• Glorfindel’s youthful appearance is contrasted with his wisdom, like a joining of opposites.
• Note: This is a moment in the story where the rhetorical level reaches one of its highest points.
• Coming after the personification of wisdom sitting on his brow, the parallel is shown with the strength in his hand, as if he were wielding a strength that was given to him from outside.
• The difference is that strength is something given to be wielded, while wisdom is something to which one submits and is guided.

The face of Elrond:

• There is an element of the Goldilocks place being occupied by Elrond, as Gandalf is described with age and Glorfindel’s with youth. Elrond is both neither and a combination of both.
• Elrond’s description also includes the elements of both Gandalf and Glorfindel’s attributes.
• The pairs of opposites often associated with Elves are shown here, such as gladness and sorrow.
• How are Elrond’s memories written on his face? Are these with physical lines on this face? It’s not clear if these are facial details or if this is an overall impression or expression on the face.
• The use of the word “though” after describing his ageless face implies that those memories show in contrast to the agelessness. This might imply that these are visible features, like lines.
• This use of the pairs of opposites is an attempt by the narrator to describe something that defies description. It forces the reader to try to imagine something more than a physical description.
• In addition to the pairs of opposites usually used to describe Elves, Elrond is also a combination of Elf and Man, which then adds in another category of pairs of opposites combined.
• Note: The simile used to describe Elrond’s hair is one among only three others used in all these descriptions, but the one used to describe Gandalf like a legendary king compares him to a mythical concept. Normally, similes are comparisons to things familiar to the reader.
• Elrond’s circlet of silver, when set against his dark hair like shadows, evokes a crescent moon. With the starlight seen in his eyes, his whole aspect is associated with the night sky.
• His description is an epitome of the essence of all the things associated with elvishness.
• There is a contrast shown between Glorfindel and Elrond in that of day and night imagery.

Elrond and the eventide of the Elves:

• Just as Elves are associated with twilight, Elrond is associated with the twilight of the Elves.
• Arwen is even more explicitly associated with the final nightfall of the Elves, though this is very much associated with Elrond’s character from the earliest Silmarillion writings.
• Elros was a late creation in order to fulfill a desire to also have Elrond as king of Númenor.
• Arwen was an even later creation who appears at the end of the story when Aragorn needed to be married, but the epithet Evenstar was quickly associated with her.
• As Tolkien developed her, she becomes a similar counterpart in this divide between Elves and Men as Elrond and Elros had been.
• Just as Elros chose to be a Man while Elrond became an Elf, Elrond stands at the end of the time of the Elves while Arwen stands as the beginning of the time of Men.
• Astronomically speaking, the Evenstar is also the Morningstar, as both are the planet Venus, which, metaphorically speaking, is the representation of the goddess of love.
• This description of Elrond was written long before the creation of Arwen, so she becomes a statement on the concept already associated with her father.

The Venerable Elrond:

• The use of the word “venerable” implies a level of respect afforded to Elrond due to his long life, his deeds, and his acquired wisdom. Venerability is usually associated with old age.
• In another pair of opposites, he is not old, but strong and hale. He is at his physical prime.
• “Venerable” is usually a word associated with Men and especially with the kings of Men.
• Note: Someone like Théoden, an old king, is usually the kind of person described as venerable.
• Note: The word “Venerable” also used as an official title for someone in Catholic tradition who is afforded great respect but who has not been canonized as a Saint. The most famous example in the English tradition is the Venerable Bede.
• There is a distinction between the kingly simile used for Gandalf and the one used here. Gandalf’s is more distant and mythic, while Elrond’s is closer to real human experience.
• Gandalf’s king description insists on wisdom, while Elrond’s is more about experience of time.
• The use of “crowned with many winters” is a metaphor within the simile, with the winters being the thing with which he is being honored. It doesn’t seem to say that he has white or grey hair.
• Since this is metaphorical, it adds to the idea that Elrond is both young and old simultaneously.
• Note: The only other character described as “venerable” in the rest of the story is Dain, who is explicitly very old for a Dwarf-king.
• Note: This association with winters is a callback to Elrond’s description as “kind as Christmas” in the original edition of The Hobbit. Later, this was changed to “kind as summer”.
• Unlike Glorfindel’s description where strength was a third-party element, Elrond’s strength is his own. Glorfindel is not described as a warrior, where Elrond is explicitly compared to a warrior.
• Elrond is also described as a tried warrior, which is in contrast to his image of a lore master now. These experiences of war may be related to the untold stories of him from the past.
• Note: Elrond’s role as the herald of Gil-galad is clearly more than being a messenger, as he survives the battle with Sauron at Mount Doom. Like Eonwë was the herald of Manwë, and also the greatest in arms in all of Arda, Elrond was clearly a great warrior in his past.
• At the end of Elrond’s description, we are reminded that he is the distillation of all things of both Elves and Men, as has been his role all along.

END OF SESSION