Episode 156 Summary

Tony Meade

Active Member
SESSION 156

Gandalf addresses the Saruman question:
  • Gandalf has already hinted at the story before and even Elrond hasn’t heard it all, so he is warning everyone in advance that he will tell the full story and it will take a long time.
  • He also affirms Galdor’s earlier questions about Saruman’s counsels and their importance.
  • Up until now, Gandalf and Elrond have avoided allowing the effect of the Ring on Bilbo to be revealed, but here it is emphasized that the Ring can tempt others even in its absence.
  • Gandalf characterizes this story as not just a Saruman story, but as part of the bigger story of the Ring itself, and important to their future deliberations about the Ring.
The tale of Gandalf’s travels:
  • It’s not clear why Gandalf leaves the Shire and then goes south at this time for news, as that land is otherwise uninhabited. He may have thought to find Aragorn or the other Rangers there.
  • There may also be hobbit bounders in the South that he would want to contact about news.
  • He may have felt that this danger was approaching from the South and wanted to meet it there.
  • Gandalf is confirming Boromir’s story, and would seem to prove that he is receiving this news from the Dúnedain of Arnor, as it seems logical that they would maintain a network in Gondor.
  • The refugees from the South that he encounters are probably not yet from Gondor, and definitely not from Minas Tirith. They seem to be fleeing from troubles in Dunland.
  • Note: The refugees from Ithilien and Minas Tirith seem to go to Lebennen instead of north.
  • Could Gandalf have his own spy network apart from the Dúnedain? Could he hear messages from birds or beasts friendly to him? He uses the passive voice and obscures their identity.
  • Note: While it’s possible that the Valar send Gandalf messages, this seems unlikely and it goes against precedent for them to do so in this way. It is also logistically possible that dedicated message riders could relay a message across the continent in the time that has elapsed. He will mention the Eagles later in the story, but he doesn’t mention them at this point in the story.
A fear of which they would not speak:
  • What fear is on these fugitives from the South? It is too early for this to be related to the appearance of the Witch-king and the defeat in Gondor, as this was only a week or so earlier.
  • Gandalf may have a theory regarding the fear that lay on the fugitives, though he doesn’t reveal it yet. This is probably a reference to encountering the Nazgûl as they searched for the Shire
  • The Nazgûl have likely accosted many people in their travels asking for the location of the Shire.
  • Note: Gollum learned about Bilbo and the Shire from Dwarves and Men when he went to the Erebor area, but only the general directions, and it was this information that Sauron extracted.
  • The Nazgûl don’t seem to be interested in keeping their presence a secret from the Wise, either.
  • The fear that sat on the fugitives seems to be a passive consequence of an encounter with the Nazgûl. However, hobbits like Gaffer Gamgee and Farmer Maggot seem to resist this fear.
  • The fact that other encounters likely happened in the wilds and battlefields, rather than the comfort of the Shire, also seems to make a difference in the strength of the reactions to them.
Meeting Radagast the Brown:
  • It seems likely that once Gandalf turns north, he is looking for Aragorn in the area of Bree. He may also be searching for more refugees in Bree to interview about news from the South.
  • Where does Radagast live now? Gandalf doesn’t assume that he is still living at Rhosgobel, and this may be related to the renewed darkening in Mirkwood.
  • Would most of the councilors know where Rhosgobel is? This seems to be a strange landmark.
  • The point seems to be to emphasize not only the long time since Gandalf has seen Radagast, but how far was from his usual location near Mirkwood, which they would all generally know.
  • This highlights how much of a strange chance this meeting between Gandalf and Radagast was.
  • Gandalf seems to be making a tangential link between this story and that of Gollum’s escape. He may be leading his listeners through his own thoughts as he wondered why Radagast was there.
END OF SESSION
 

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