Episode 165 Summary

[Tony Meade]

SESSION 165

Fear and hope proved ill-founded:

• There is an ironic equivalence made between Barliman Butterbur and Sauron, as they represent Gandalf’s hope and his fears, both of which weigh on Gandalf’s mind.
• There is also a self-deprecatory comment on the strength of hope in associating it with Butterbur, but it is seemingly disrespectful of Sauron by making this equivalence.
• What makes the connection is that Gandalf underestimates their competence in their tasks, though their tasks are in measure to their power and standing in the world.
• Butterbur does manage to deliver his letter, and Sauron doesn’t obtain the Ring.
• Gandalf seems to have already considered that Saruman was lying about the Nazgûl to get him to Isengard but has rejected that on the basis of evidence he had before he came there.
• At this point, the Nazgûl have already passed through the Gap of Rohan before Gandalf passed through it, as he had heard stories from that area before he arrived in Isengard.
• Note: Tolkien was very specific about the timeline of the story and labored long over the dates.

On the folk coming up from the South:

• Since very few people travel through the Gap of Rohan, it’s unlikely that the rumors of them would precede them very far, unless those carrying them have traveled very quickly.
• It’s not clear who the refugees that Gandalf and the hobbits encounter are or where they are from, nor why are they traveling north and what they are escaping, though we can speculate.
• It’s possible that these peoples come from small, independent settlements not closely affiliated with the major nations of the West, like the woodmen before the events of The Hobbit.
• The fact that they are specifically from the south points to the western fiefs of Gondor that didn’t have access to the coasts and thought traveling north would be the safer choice.
• The rivers would probably be partly navigable by pirates or raiders, perhaps like the Corsairs of Umbar and so would threaten the people far inland from the coasts.

On the Uruk-hai of Isengard:

• However, Saruman’s presence in that area may also present a threat to the peoples nearby.
• While Saruman seems to have taken great trouble to hide this from Gandalf and the Council, and is still deceiving Rohan, he may be openly warlike towards Dunland, including recruiting.
• Since the Dunlendings and Rohirrim are hostile towards each other, and separated by the landscape, it may be possible to use the lack of communication to Saruman’s advantage.
• The breeding of the Uruk-hai is evidence that Saruman has been building his forces for some decades, as their creation and preparation would be a multi-generational project.
• Note: While the genesis of Orcs was not fully settled in Tolkien’s lifetime, he was very clear that they bred biologically in the same way as Men and Elves, and that they could be autonomous.
• It’s also unclear where Saruman obtained the Orcs that started his breeding process, though the autonomous clans in the Misty Mountains, and it is there that he could have bred them secretly.
• The fact that these Orcs are loyal to Saruman against Sauron, and that he has created two new sub-species of half-orcs and goblin men, means that he would have had to take many years.

Tidings by the way that could not be mistaken:

• These Orcs and their allies would then be responsible for driving any unaffiliated people north. The movement of these refugees seems to be recent phenomenon, as a later ripple effect.
• They don’t seem to be fleeing the Nazgûl, as their appearance would be too brief to create a mass migration, though their encounters with the Ringwraiths have been on the road itself.
• Note: The squint-eyed southerner’s claims that many people would be coming up the road soon points to a planned expansion of Isengard’s power by Saruman, as he needs it to rival Sauron.
• If Saruman is expanding his power to the West, how does Gandalf not know about it? It doesn’t seem to be Dunlendings that Gandalf met, but those refugees who were displaced by them.
• These kinds of migrations and are also not uncommon, as various unrests all over the world have been discussed in the Council prior to Glóin’s tale, and this would just be one more unrest.
• Note: The lack of clarity about Rohan’s loyalty shows how little was known about events there.
• Saruman is clearly inserting spies among the refugees to help him increase his power westward.
• The Nazgûl may have had direct encounters, but even only passing sightings would cause panic.
• Since Gandalf attributes these rumors to the Nazgûl after hearing of them, he would not necessarily attribute the trouble to any other cause, and therefore not suspect Saruman.

Still less than fear makes it:

• By referring to the Hobbits as his “friends in the Shire”, this is a further endorsement of them by Gandalf to the Council and brings up the possibility that the Riders faltered in the Shire.
• Gandalf has made this whole journey on the premise that Saruman could help him oppose the Nine together, which he can’t do on his own, and he never suspects that the hobbits could.
• By Boromir’s own testimony, the armies of Gondor could not abide the Witch-king on the battlefield, so that they could be driven away by the Hobbits of Buckland surprises everyone.
• It’s not clear that the Council understands the effect of proximity to Mordor on their power.
• The Nazgûl haven’t been in Eriador since the wars between Arnor and Angmar centuries before.
• Gandalf acknowledges that the Hobbits of the Shire turned out to be able to take care of themselves, which increases his sense of estel hope, so the struggle is about his amdir hope.

In the circle of Isengard, trapped and alone:

• Is Gandalf actually being weakened in the circle of Isengard? It seems likely that Saruman is putting forth his power to lower Gandalf hope, and exert his will upon Gandalf.
• Saruman wants Gandalf to “see reason” and this is how he thinks he can make Gandalf do that.
• Gandalf freely admits that he is not indomitable, which was part of his reason to refuse the Ring.
• The concept of estel is not founded on reason, but on trust in spite of all surrounding evidence.
• Why doesn’t Gandalf just lie to Saruman? Partly because of the means vs. ends question, using the Enemy’s tools, but also because Gandalf understands that Saruman would know a lie.
• Note: In Tolkien’s stories, there are no incidents in which a direct lie is used as means to an end without consequences. Characters take advantage of others’ misunderstandings, but don’t lie. Even when Frodo has to prevaricate to Gollum at the pool, he feels uncomfortable about it. fact that Bilbo had lied about how he acquired the Ring is held up as an aberration.

END OF SESSION