Episode 226 Summary

[Tony Meade]

SESSION 226

What each may meet upon the road:

• Elrond not only refuses to bind the company to each other, he goes out of his way to emphasize their freedom of action, while pointing out the importance of Frodo’s quest for Mount Doom.
• It’s very important that Elrond wants them to act of their own free will, in light of the Ring’s, and Sauron’s, desire to dominate the free will of others, and he has made this clear several times.
• Note: Elrond gives his blessing to do these other things, all of which will happen in the future. It’s interesting to speculate how incidents at Parth Galen may have gone if oaths were sworn.
• The phrase “while chance allows” emphasizes the role of Providence in the choosing of paths.
• There is no clear plan aside from trying to get the Ring to Mount Doom; the rest is up to chance.
• This is linked to Elrond and Gandalf’s reliance on estel, rather than a fixed, concrete plan for this.
• Note: They have no idea how they would accomplish this goal anyway, as Denethor notes later.
• Therefore, allowing this flexibility of action allows them to find a way forward in a better manner than if they blindly bound themselves to Frodo no matter what they encounter ahead.
• Elrond makes a prediction in saying that they will find it harder to withdraw the further they go.
• Note: In The Nature of Middle-earth, Tolkien distinguishes between foretelling and forecasting, with the former being inspired by outside entities, like the Valar, and the latter being done by someone speaking from their own wisdom and experience. Elrond seems to be forecasting here.
• While making his prediction, Elrond emphasizes that none of them can really predict the future.

No oath or bond is laid:

• Therefore, Elrond says an oath is bad in this caser because it doesn’t allow for the unforeseen.
• Note: In the film, the members of the Fellowship make a great scene of pledging themselves to Frodo no matter what, but in the book, Elrond wants to avoid these kinds of pledges. Also, oaths in Tolkien’s works are often the source of many evils and evil chances, especially in The Silmarillion, which is another reason to avoid them for Elrond, who remembers those oaths.
• Swearing oaths would be, in a sense, presumptuous to assume that staying with Frodo all the way to the end is their best course of action, given how little they actually know right now.
• They are simply trusting that stepping out in faith and hope will lead them to the right path.
• Elrond seems to imply that, as difficult as it will become, they should be ready to withdraw.
• Note: Aragorn will say later that he finds it very difficult to abandon the Ring-bearer so far along.
• He wants them not to be set on any path, but to keep their options open for chance to work.
• Note: The incidents in which major choices need to be made in light of new circumstances are few, but when they occur, they are very important, such as Aragorn’s choice at Parth Galen.
• As representatives of the Free Peoples, it’s also important that they only participate voluntarily, as the symbolism of the Nine Walkers had been important in Elrond’s choosing of the Company.
• Elrond is not making this easier for them, as if they had sworn oaths, that would make their decision-making much clearer, but by leaving their part open, it makes it more complicated.
• It’s possible that Elrond’s leaving them an escape clause could be taken as his being doubtful of their courage and loyalty, but rather is foreseeing that they will meet the unexpected.
• Note: All of the Company will end up meeting unforeseen things on the road and go in directions that they never planned on taking and will test them in unexpected ways. Gandalf with the Balrog, Aragorn leaving Frodo, Gimli with Galadriel, and Boromir with the Ring are all examples.

Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens:

• Note: These are Gimli’s first words in the text, though he has been spoken about by Elrond.
• This seems to be an opposition of generalized proverbs between Gimli and Elrond, and Gimli’s choice reveals that he had taken Elrond’s words as a questioning of their hearts’ convictions.
• Gimli maybe expressing a Dwarvish desire to bypass Elrond’s Elvish hedging of their words.
• He is expressing a black & white view on loyalty, but also reveals his lack of understanding.
• Elrond’s response with another proverb seems to be spontaneous, while Gimli’s is a quote.
• There is a sense that Elrond is chiding Gimli for his lack of an open mind and flexibility.
• Gimli’s second aphorism continues this like a debate, though Elrond ends that debate by pointing out that none of them have ever done anything like this before, so no one knows.
• This is not just about courage, but about discernment in the face of new experiences. While it might be courageous to stick to one course no matter what, but not necessarily wise.
• Their wisdom is not based on knowledge of the road ahead, but in discerning what to do when the choices present themselves, and their cloak of folly is more of a reliance on Providence.
• The folly of an oath is only in the false confidence of their knowing exactly what will happen.
• Elrond seems to mean in saying a sworn oath may break one’s heart that being bound to something that one is incapable of doing will create unnecessary shame and rash actions.
• Note: This is the fate that Aragorn will save his soldiers from when they cannot face Mordor, as he has experienced this kind of choice himself when trying to decide what to do at Parth Galen. While in modern times, oathtaking and oath keeping are not taken as seriously, in Middle-earth, they are seen as binding, and have serious consequences on the characters that take them.
• Elrond is expressing that humility and flexibility are necessary in this quest, and oaths are neither humble nor flexible. He is not questioning Gimli’s courage but tempering with it wisdom.
• His last two pieces of advice are the capstones of his entire speech. Looking not too far ahead is a summary of all he has said, and also emphasizes paying attention to the present moment.
• Going with good hearts may seem like strange advice, and not particularly important, but the word “hearts” is linked to their courage after all and asks them not to go with any hesitation.
• Note: This may be pointed toward Boromir, as his heart will fail in integrity, but not in courage.
• This is also advice to not give into despair, which is especially important for Frodo with the Ring.

END OF SESSION