Episode 242 Summary

[Tony Meade]

SESSION 242

Moving fast, and not with the wind:

• While the flight of the crows was unsettling, this incident is more mysterious and ominous.
• Gandalf seems to want Frodo to believe that nothing was in the sky, in order to keep his spirits up, though the effect on Frodo seems to belie this idea, and which Gandalf tacitly acknowledges.
• Though the primary goals of those accompanying Frodo are to keep him safe and secret, the need to keep him from falling to despair, and thus to the power of the Ring, is key to the quest.
• It seems a bit out of character for Gandalf to be jolly rather than engage in hobbitry or banter.
• Gandalf is willing to be disingenuous for the sake of cheering Frodo up, though they also fall flat.
• This may put him in tension with Aragorn, though Aragorn doesn’t contradict Gandalf openly.
• While it’s possible that a cloud at high altitude could move in a different direction to the wind at ground level, this doesn’t seem to be far away, and Frodo’s reaction makes it more unusual.
• Whatever it was, it seems to be heading south, the same direction in which the crows departed.

A shadow over the high stars:

• Note: It is possible that this is one of the Nazgûl, though it probably isn’t one of the winged steeds that we will see later in the book, as it is stated that those have not yet crossed the Anduin. When the Company finally do encounter one of the fell beasts later, they have an entirely different experience, even though they don’t know what it is at that time, either. This is confirmed by the reports of the Rohirrim of having the same experience afterwards, too.
• It was probably not a corporeal creature, as it would be obvious to the Aragorn and Frodo’s eye.
• What they feel is more like the presence of the Nazgûl, which brings a feeling of spiritual fear.
• While it is described as a shadow, it doesn’t seem to literally block the night sky, only the impression, and Frodo isn’t sure if he saw it with his eyes, or if it was just a feeling of dimming.
• If this is one of the Nazgûl, or anyone in pure spirit form, they would not be affected by wind.
• Note: The wizards do not have the same relationship with their bodies as other spiritual creatures, as they are fully incarnated like humans. This was explored in The Rings of Power, as The Stranger seems to have to wrestle with the implications of being newly embodied as a man.

The cold chill hour before dawn:

• Based on we see, especially at Crickhollow, it is at this time when the Nazgûl are most active.
• Frodo’s shivering in response to the shadow passing is similar to the fear Fatty Bolger felt.
• Note: The shadow that Frodo perceives reaching into the west when he is on Amon Hen later seems to be his experience of the searching will of Sauron and is different in quality to this, as it is much more direct and tangible, and is described in more concrete visual terms, and is peculiar to being in a place associated with far-seeing, similar to the experience of looking in the palantir.
• There is also a possibility that this is another kind of malevolent spirit, though this is unlikely.
• While Hollin was described as “wholesome” by Gandalf, it’s important that Eregion was also the place of the forging of most of the Rings of Power, particularly by Sauron himself when there.
• The nature of these kinds of threats seems more associated with Sauron than with Saruman.
• It’s also important that the Ringwraiths, once disembodied, must return to Sauron to be reembodied, but we don’t know how long that would take or when they must return to him.
• It’s possible that one or more of the Nazgûl lingered behind as scouts for benefit of the others.
• In the Council, Gandalf believed that some of the Ringwraiths had informed Sauron about the Ring, though part of the purpose of the scouts that were sent out was to search for others.
• There is also the possibility that they had been sent back out to spy on the servants of Saruman, though their limited ability to interact with the physical world would limit their effectiveness.
• Their ability to perceive the Ring is more general than an ability to know its precise location.
• Note: The most likely source of the lore that Aragorn recites about the Ringwraiths is Elrond, though it’s not clear how Elrond would know that much about them aside from direct experience in the wars. His knowledge of the One Ring would be less than Bilbo’s and Frodo’s.
• It’s possible that the Ring perceives the Ringwraiths more clearly than they can sense the Ring.
• Frodo’s particular sensitivity to the Ringwraiths seems to point to this being one of them.
• It’s not the more presence of the Nazgûl that causes Frodo to be tempted to put on the Ring, but the will of the Witch-king in particular, as he has other experiences of them without it.
• There are other times where he is tempted to put on the Ring without the Ringwraiths present.
• If this were Sauron’s Eye searching for them directly, it would mean that he now knows where they are, as it is unlikely that he would be unable to locate them with or without the palantir.
• Note: At this point in the writing process, the palantiri had not yet been invented, but once they were invented, it seemed natural that Sauron would have one of his own and use it for just this.
• There is a problem for Sauron in that he may not know where to look for the Company to start.
• Whatever passed over, Gandalf and Aragorn also felt it, as well as it’s specific direction of travel.
• It also seemed to have missed them as it moved on quickly, and did not return or linger nearby.

END OF SESSION