Episode 111 Summary

Tony Meade

Active Member
SESSION 111

Comment on Tolkien’s use of foreshadowing:
  • Tolkien often uses foreshadowing of major events in order to build up anticipation, as opposed to narrative surprises. This opens the reader’s mind to the possibilities of what is coming.
  • In this case, we are invited to imagine what else is going on in the world beyond Frodo’s quest.
  • We will be shown that all the of people who come to the Council have momentous news for their lands and interests that each of them believes is of paramount importance.
  • We are also teased with subjects in this chapter that will be revealed fully in the next.
  • Note: When Tolkien arrived at this place in the composition, he wasn’t fully aware of the next steps the story would take. He would work that out through the writing of the Council.
A tale of great labors:
  • Glóin’s talk about secrets that were lost was primarily due to them dying from Smaug’s attack, their exile, and in the war with the orcs, without passing on their knowledge.
  • Note: This is another example of Tolkien’s overall theme of decline, which was a widely accepted medieval idea who saw themselves as lesser than their classical ancestors. We see this idea expressed in both Rohan and Gondor. To a certain degree, Tolkien believed this himself, as he didn’t see increasing technology an inherently good thing, but he was not as adamant about the superiority of earlier peoples as medieval scholars.
  • Rare exceptions to this sense of decline are Glóin’s examples of exceeding their ancestors in stonework, and in the rebuilding of the kingdom of Dale, which is better than the old Dale.
  • It’s interesting that Glóin points to Dale first, a city of Men, as examples of Dwarven craft. Only after this does he begin talking about the works in Erebor, but without announcing so.
  • Bilbo called Erebor a “darksome hole”, but it has been renovated beyond what Thorin described.
  • The culture of Erebor seems to have changed, as the architecture seems to be more outward-facing and interested in engaging with the outside world, with the new terraces and towers.
  • Glóin hints that there is something like a canal system in Dale, comparable to perhaps Venice. This may be a connection to Esgaroth’s history on the water.
  • However, Glóin downplays all these accomplishments compared to the loss of their skill in metalwork, only saying that it is a show that they’ve not been idle.
  • When the Dwarves first arrived in Erebor, they were fixated on the treasure. The halls of Erebor would have still held the feeling of big caves, and they seem to want to change that.
  • Glóin seems to emphasize their humility in not trying to exceed their fathers in skill.
  • There seems to be an invitation to praise the Dwarves, while looking humble at the same time.
  • Note: In an historical parallel, medieval people started to feel on par with classical peoples after they started to build on the same scale. Before that, Roman architecture would inspire awe.
  • The fact that the current Dwarves still hold metalwork in higher prestige than stonework shows that the culture hasn’t changed, but they have lost things like the original materials and skills.
  • It was also clear in The Hobbit that magic was involved in making the more special metal objects in the past, and it may be that the magical knowledge was lost more than material and skills.
Frodo in Bilbo’s stories:
  • Frodo’s response shows that what he is primarily thinking of while listening to Glóin is Bilbo.
  • He remembers Bilbo’s stories, which is everything that he knows about Dale and Erebor.
  • Glóin’s smile is clearly in shared affection of Bilbo, but also in the secret that Bilbo is there.
  • It’s not clear who’s idea it was to make Bilbo’s presence in Rivendell a secret, though it might have been Gandalf or Bilbo himself. Either way, the idea of leaving it as a surprise is fitting.
  • One piece of evidence in favor of Gandalf is that the hobbits wanted to surprise him on the road when the first heard the Black Rider, so this is the kind of thing that goes on between them.
  • Also, Bilbo will not make much of the reveal later, although this could be Bilbo being distracted.
  • It may be Bilbo’s chair in which Frodo is sitting, as there wouldn’t be many hobbit-sized chairs there, and Bilbo may want to absent himself from the feast in order to allow Frodo his moment.
  • Gandalf makes sure that he is there to see Bilbo and Frodo reunited, and it seems as though everyone has deliberately kept silent for the delight of seeing Frodo surprised.
  • This is an even more benevolent conspiracy than the one hatched in the Shire by his friends.
  • Why did Glóin refer to Bilbo in the past tense, as though he were dead or gone? He may simply be referring to the time when Frodo lived with Bilbo before he left the Shire.
  • Bilbo is also a figure of Glóin’s past, and they have that in common and share fond memories.
  • Note: Even if Bilbo sent a letter to Frodo from there, there’s no guarantee it would reach him.
  • Frodo follows Glóin’s own tone concerning their works in Erebor and uses that to emphasize how much he would like to see Bilbo instead.
  • Frodo is currently surrounded by the sights and sounds and people from Bilbo’s stories.
(continued below)
 

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(continued)

Into the Hall of Fire:
  • Gandalf emphasizes that falling asleep in the hall is something likely to happen, which is him hinting at Bilbo before Frodo catches sight of him, in order to draw Frodo’s attention to him.
  • Note: It might also be part of the effect of enchantment that Elvish song causes among mortals, as this is known from other folklore concerning Faerie, such as the story of Rip Van Winkle.
  • Frodo is also recovering from a serious injury, so Gandalf might be gently reminding him to rest.
  • It’s an odd statement that Frodo questions if people were ever ill in Rivendell given his condition when he arrived, but he may mean that the healing in Rivendell would prevent further illness.
  • It is important that no one rises until Elrond and Arwen rise, and they all follow in due order, which points to a clear sense of hierarchy and order, and a precedence based on social rank.
  • This points to the fact that Elvish society is not egalitarian, just as he asked Gildor about his lord.
  • This movement to the Hall of Fire is like a royal court, which may surprise some modern readers.
  • Note: Egalitarianism is not really relevant in Middle-earth societies. Even the Valar and the Maiar have a due order and hierarchy based on native power and other personal qualities. It seems as though it is only the villain characters who seek to promote themselves against the wishes of the hierarchy. Melkor, Saruman, and even Maeglin are shown to do this. Modern Americans may have more discomfort with this idea than people in the England of the past.
  • On what is social rank based in Elvish society? It could be based on age, powers, or other things.
  • Note: Many readers may think of Rivendell as more of a communal society, as they don’t have a king in Elrond, but this passage shows us that, at least on formal occasions, rank still holds sway.
An echo of the Cottage of Lost Play:
  • In Tolkien’s earliest works from The Book of Lost Tales, Eriol encounters a Hall of Tales inside the Cottage of Lost Play. The Hall of Fire in Rivendell seems to be an echo of that earlier concept.
  • In that original concept, the listeners to the stories were children, which isn’t literally true here, but there is a childlike quality about the lack of chairs in the room.
  • Either everyone must stand, aside from Elrond, which is very formal, or must sit on the floor.
  • The only other seat explicitly mentioned is the stool upon which the sleeping figure is sitting.
  • The lack of tables means that this is not the same atmosphere as a mead hall, and there seems to be little eating or drinking in this hall. There’s no mention if there are other chairs present.
  • Note: It’s possible that there are chairs placed up against the walls, such as an Edwardian ball.
  • There seems to be a single great fire in a single great hearth which is the focus of the room.
  • This hearth would be in the middle of the room in a rectangle, so that it heats the whole hall.
  • There also seems to be a “come and go as you like” atmosphere, which would mean that majority of the room would be open to allow people to move about freely.
  • Since the people of Rivendell gather here on high days, the room would have a large capacity. There may also be concurrent activities going on in the room at these gatherings.
  • This may be not be officially considered a high day because they have just had a formal feast in Frodo’s honor, though this might also be an exception and is a compliment to Frodo.
  • Note: In The Silmarillion, high days and festivals were often when outside attacks happened.
  • Note: Using the term “holidays” in the modern sense is not really appropriate when speaking of the Elves, as this is a Christian term meaning “holy day”. However, we do know that there are festivals in both Middle-earth and Valinor based on the cycle of the seasons, as we see these in both The Silmarillion and The Hobbit. Momentous events often happen during these festivals. An interesting exception is Durin’s Day, which seems to be a more astronomical event.
Another mysterious cloaked figure:
  • Once people enter the room, there is a sense that the due order observed in the procession becomes less orderly and more informal, and people gather in groups around the room.
  • There seems to be more of a sense of camaraderie and celebration once they enter the hall.
  • Is the pillar that the upon which the sleeping figure is propped one of the main pillars?
  • There is a funny parallel in the cloaking between the figure here and the figure of Strider in the Prancing Pony, but the difference is that Strider had been vigilant while this one is asleep.
  • The stool would certainly be a low one, both for a small person and for safety’s sake.
  • Note: Frodo’s wondering if this figure is ill is related to his absence at the feast, though the plainness of the fare served by Elves is relative, considering the food they received from Gildor.
  • The fact there is always a fire, but little other light, implies that there are no outside windows.
  • There would be many other places for the Elves to see the sky and nature outside, so this would be a place set aside from all of this. It may be something like a meditation chamber.
  • Note: This may be an echo of the time before the Sun and Moon, when there was only starlight.
  • Note: Bilbo does not seem prepared to surprise Frodo here, but his absence at the feast may also be to avoid distracting him from the full experience of a feast in Rivendell at Elrond’s table.
END OF SESSION
 

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