Episode 15 Summary

Tony Meade

Active Member
SESSION 15

Comment on the Gildor’s folk true home:
  • The line about some of their kinfolk still dwelling in Rivendell seems to imply that Gildor and his people don’t actually live in Rivendell themselves.
  • They are obviously familiar with and within Rivendell, but they don’t live there.
  • It’s not really clear where Gildor’s folk live. It could be at the Havens, or the Tower Hills.
  • The word “tarrying” has to be interpreted using the elvish perspective.
  • From the point of view of Gildor, “tarrying” could be thousands of years.
  • Gildor has been in Middle-earth since the First Age, having been part of Finrod Felagund’s people in Nargothrond.
  • All the Elves were invited to Tol Eressëa after the War of Wrath, and most plan to go, though not right away.
  • We don’t know what their timetable is, or if they are waiting for a sign or sense of preparedness that is not obvious to mortals.
Comment on Gildor’s secrecy about the Black Riders:
  • If Frodo had known what the danger was in advance, he might not have been able to move.
  • Likewise, had he known the effects of the Morgul blade, his dread would have made the effects faster and worse.
  • Frodo’s will to resist at Weathertop is very important to both avoiding a mortal wound and surviving the wound that he receives.
  • Gandalf acknowledges Frodo’s strength of will in Rivendell.
Comment on Gildor’s reluctance to take direct action to protect the hobbits:
  • Why doesn’t Gildor take the hobbits to Rivendell himself, knowing the danger they are in?
  • Note: Tolkien’s answer is linked to his way of interacting with the text, which is to be a careful reader and academic of his own text. This doesn’t seem to be as much a plot hole as something that is left unexplained.
  • Gildor’s inaction is not out of apathy, but out of a lack of complete knowledge of the situation.
  • Gildor is also showing the Frodo respect for his courage, and for his own ability to make decisions.
  • Because Frodo chooses not to reveal to Gildor information about the Ring, Gildor honors that choice.
  • Had Frodo asked for his help, Gildor likely would have said yes, but Frodo does not ask.
  • Gildor does not feel an inherent right to take charge.
  • The mettle of Hobbits could be something that the Wise have learned about after Erebor.
Comment on Gildor’s reluctance to give advice:
  • We don’t know what Gildor’s current activities are, or what his perceived role is.
  • Like Tom Bombadil, Gildor understands what he is supposed to be doing.
  • The idleness or disconnectedness of the Elves is only from a mortal perspective.
  • We don’t actually know what Gildor and his folks are really up to.
  • Tolkien emphasizes the “otherness” of the Elves, and the hobbits’ encounter with them is an introduction to the alien and uncanny.
  • Gildor emphasizes that whatever their job or purpose in this time is, it is not something that involves Hobbits very often, so it cannot be assumed that this is part of that purpose.
  • Gildor believes in Purpose, so he feels he must be clear on the purpose before acting.
  • This is related to Galadriel’s desire that “what should be shall be”.
The ways in which Gildor actually does help Frodo:
  • Gildor speaks a blessing over Frodo, and these are not empty words. This is an elvish benediction, and there is efficacy in these words. Elvish words and blessings have power.
  • Frodo will have many close encounters with dangerous beings but will escape with the help of chance. It could be that Gildor’s blessing helps with this
  • Gildor puts out the word to keep watch over Frodo to those with power to do so.
  • We meet powerful people who receive this word during Frodo’s journey who receive this news and act accordingly.
  • Gildor names Frodo elf-friend, and this changes Frodo.
  • Frodo is recognized as an elf-friend by many people, and he is given the power to invoke Elbereth on Weathertop to protect him.
  • Without these blessings Frodo might not have made it, and likewise, without allowing Frodo to learn on his own, he might not have been equipped to cope with the dangers later.
Frodo awakes in the elf-glade:
  • The fact that there is real, physical food leftover in the morning is a surprise, as is that the elves took them along with them to a feast at all.
  • The fact that the elves themselves have disappeared without a trace is not a surprise.
  • That the “fairy food” has not disappeared is unusual and goes against the fairy tale trope.
  • There is still a mystical feeling about the food. It is not simply the best food the hobbits have had, but it also has a psychological or spiritual effect.
  • The drink also seems to have a magical property, being described as like sunlight.
  • Frodo has awakened in a bed that has been formed from trees and grass, just as the hall they were feasting in the night before was also formed by trees and foliage.
  • This is a totally different experience from Frodo’s previous night sleeping outdoors.
  • The bed has a distinct smell, which is probably related to the elvish smell Bilbo described.
  • There is not a distinct line between elvish magic and nature.
Frodo thinks on Gildor’s words:
  • Frodo is reluctant to take friends with him, though not necessarily for them to come with him voluntarily.
  • Frodo seems to be imagining having to ask his friends to come with him, which he does not want to impose upon them.
  • Frodo is different from Bilbo in that he knows exactly what he would be getting his friends into by getting them involved in the matter of the Ring.
  • Sam seems to be conspiring here, keeping a watch on Frodo.
  • Pippin is still enjoying the moment, not concerned with the bigger picture.
  • Frodo is reluctant to take his friends into his confidence, the way he was unwilling with Gildor.
Sam takes his stand with Frodo:
  • Sam’s display of loyalty and willingness to go wherever Frodo goes is charming.
  • His choice of “climbing to the moon” as an example shows where he’s getting his ideas.
  • He has probably heard Bilbo’s stories and songs about the Man in the Moon.
  • Sam obviously has no clue what he is likely to encounter on this adventure, so he falls back on Bilbo’s songs and stories.
Sam’s first impression of the Elves:
  • Sam’s refrain here of “Elves, sir” is reminiscent of his previous responses to the idea of elves.
  • His choice of the word “wonderful” is specific and literal. He is “full of wonder” at the Elves.
  • He is entirely correct to understand that they are outside of his ability to judge them.
  • Frodo is not patronizing Sam when asks about his impression of the Elves. He knows that it has been Sam’s lifelong dream to meet Elves.
  • Sam is not thinking about himself and his own point of view.
  • Sam is also trying to describe the Elves using apparent contradictions, which is an attempt to put words to the ineffable and alien to himself.
  • Sam’s understanding of the elves’ underlying sadness, though we have seen them so merry all the time, shows Sam’s perceptiveness.
  • Sam may speak like a bumpkin, but he is not stupid or an uncritical thinker. He is one of the deepest and most perceptive of all the characters in the story.
  • Note: Pippin’s response is not inappropriate and may be closer to that of the Elves themselves.
  • When did Sam have his conversation with the elves?
  • Clearly, he had this talk after Frodo fell asleep, and shows that Sam was probably faking sleep.
  • The Elves clearly perceive Sam’s intent, and encourage him to follow this.
Sam’s sense of purpose:
  • Sam has already been given his personal desire in seeing the Elves, in which all of his ideas of the wonderful were tied up.
  • Now, Sam has no need of those wonderful things, and rather is unshakeable in his sense of purpose in going with Frodo.
  • This sense of purpose is parallel with Gildor’s ideas about Purpose.
  • Once Sam states his intent, Frodo now drops his notion of leaving everyone behind.
The debate over the road ahead:
  • The placement of this discussion immediately after the conversation with Sam is interesting.
  • There is a choice to make here, and it is a choice that divides them. Frodo does not want to do what Pippin wants.
  • This is an expression of Frodo’s state of mind, especially regarding the Black Riders.
  • Frodo knows this country just as well as Pippin does, but he has a different set of priorities.
  • He rejects the path that seems easiest, because it is the most dangerous. This is a pattern in Tolkien’s writing.
  • This represents Frodo beginning his quest anew following his encounter with the elves, and he chooses the harder path, which immediately pays dividends.
Frodo’s plan:
  • First, we get what Frodo intended to do and what he intended to happen.
  • They can see the whole landscape before them, so it seems as though there is a clear way.
  • They then find the path is much more difficult than they could foresee.
  • This is a very realistic depiction of cross-country travel.
A touch of elvishness:
  • This meal in the midst of the hobbits’ difficulties is a very hobbitish moment, but it is touched by a last bit of elvish magic in the drink they put in the water bottles
  • This is a sign of the blessing of the Elves.
  • These particular elves have blessed them with intoxicating drink, which makes them merry.
  • It could possibly be a form of mead, but the hobbits would be familiar with normal mead.
END OF SESSION
 

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