Episode 259 Summary

[Tony Meade]

SESSION 259

Going to find the Sun:

• When Legolas comments on what Boromir said previously, he seems to address the whole group as mortals and non-Elves when he uses the word “you”, separating himself away from the rest.
• Legolas seems genuinely amused, regarding them affection and patience rather than with scorn.
• Note: He will later comment on the rest of the Company as “children”, as he is thousands of years older than all of them, possibly even Gandalf, and sees them as relative newcomers.
• Even though he is responding to Gandalf’s irritable words, Legolas does so with playfulness.
• This delighted tone is reminiscent of the Elven songs in Rivendell and Mirkwood in The Hobbit.
• Unlike the way that Gandalf himself would have responded, Legolas makes jokes without insults.
• This cheekiness extends to a wave to Aragorn and Boromir as they work to clear the snow path.
• By waving at them, he includes them in the joke about the conversation they could not hear.
• While Legolas could have saved himself without their help, he could not have saved them all, and he is willing to help the Company save themselves by scouting ahead of the trail breakers.

A gleam of good hope:

• Note: While not brought up often, people in Middle-earth consistently talk about the Sun as female, which is a reference to the solar Maia Arien, as well as to Germanic traditions.
• Legolas extends the joke about the Sun, while putting the snowstorm in perspective against the whole scope of Middle-earth and offers estel to the hobbits who were in despair over the snow.
• His talk of the blue fields of the South is a reference to the Sun being in the south during winter.
• Legolas does the opposite of making a mountain out of a molehill by diminishing Caradhras to a “hillock”, which is also a quaint expression as it is archaic and implies the age of the mountain.
• This is a form of hobbitry directed at the landscape itself, and this is designed to lift their spirits.
• Talking about the snow as a mere wreath reduces the snowfall to a decoration for the mountain.
• He then shifts from estel to amdir, telling them about what he has seen down the trail ahead.
• The capitalization of “Strong Men” continues his playing up the efforts of Aragorn and Boromir.
• When they came to the drift, it was over their heads, and they would have no way of knowing how far the snow continued at that depth since they cannot see over it, nor ahead of it.
• It is likely that they are completely soaked through and freezing cold from digging through the snow at this point, as they are most likely wearing all cloth and leather, which gets wet quickly.
• All of this would lead them to despair, which is why Legolas is able to bring them good cheer.
• In reference to the width, Legolas probably means a fortress wall rather than a thin modern one.
• Legolas implies that the snow was thrown up intentionally in an effort to prevent their escape.
• Note: Since the hobbits are not suffering from frostbite, it is improbable that the hobbits are barefoot on the mountain now, though Legolas is playing on the knowledge that hobbits typically go barefoot in normal circumstances to make the comment about cooling their toes.
• While the snow was described as a death shroud before, here Legolas describes it as a coverlet.
• Legolas has stepped into the role of morale-raiser since Gandalf is not in the mood right now.
• This is parallel to Boromir stepping up to take physical action to aid the escape of the Company.

The time dragged on:

• The fact that an hour passed before Legolas returned to report would add to their despair.
• The clouds are given malicious intent in the way that they are described as lowering over them.
• Only the hobbits, along with Gandalf and Gimli, are left alone to face the new oncoming storm.
• There is an awareness of the futility of a battle against a snow-covered mountain during winter, and they are powerless in the same way that Merry and Pippin were against Old Man Willow.
• It’s important that while this is a break in the snow, it is not the end of the mountain’s malice.
• Aragorn and Boromir trying to clear the path is an act of desperation that might prove fatal.
• Legolas doesn’t talk about the time that he has spent away aside from alerting the Men when he returned, but not what he did before that, though it’s implied that he stayed to help assist them.
• It’s clear that Legolas only returned with Aragorn and Boromir when the trail was safe to do so.
• His overall goal was to bring hope to both the Men digging the path and to the others waiting.
• The word “despair” when dealing with the snow is not used lightly, as that can prove deadly.
• Note: While it’s possible that Aragorn already knew Legolas from Mirkwood, the film depiction makes this explicit, which sets up Legolas as an insider rather than an outsider to the circle. The fact that Aragorn brought Gollum to Mirkwood shows that he at least knew how to get there, and therefore most likely had been there at least once before. However, there doesn’t seem to be any textual evidence in dialogue or action that Aragorn and Legolas had a prior relationship. In terms of adaptation, it is subtle and easy accept, as it doesn’t directly contradict the text.

END OF SESSION