Episode 63 Summary

[Tony Meade]

SESSION 63

Comment on Morgul blades:

• The terms used to describe the blades used in Crickhollow and Weathertop are described as “chill” and “pale” which are words that carry a negative connotation in Tolkien’s world.
• However, those words are also used to describe the Elvish blades carried by Gandalf and Frodo.
• Is it possible that Sauron has recovered and corrupted the craft of the Noldor of Gondolin?
• It’s possible that Sauron has imitated that craft, but it is also probably that this is what happens when a weapon is imbued with power and will by its maker.
• We are told that the Elves hate the Goblins with a cold flame of anger and hatred during the Battle of Five Armies in The Hobbit.
• Tolkien may be thinking of this when he imbues the Elvish blades with their power.
• Galadriel says that the Elves put the thought of all the love into all that they make, so they have in a similar way put their anger and hatred of the Orcs into their blades.
• It seems that Sauron has done a similar thing, imbuing his own blades with this desire to dominate and corrupt others.
• It doesn’t seem as though the blades were Elvish in origin and then corrupted; rather, these are parallel creations by Sauron and his servants.
• Other blades are said to glow, such as the barrow blades, which come from the Dúnedain of Arnor, and Narsil/Andúril itself, though these also carry a reddish glow.
• When Merry’s sword is destroyed by stabbing the Witch-king, only then are we told that there was will and power put into that sword to hurt him.
• In a different way, Anglachel also is imbued with power, but that power is dubious and is suspect according to Melian.
• In as much as we can call these “magic” weapons, they are all infused with the will of their makers, though the effect of the blades will be different because the will in them is different.
• When Tom Bombadil scatters and purifies the barrow treasure under the sun, he is removing the will and influence of the Barrow-wight from it. It was not evil in and of itself.
• Can objects truly be evil? No, but it can be cursed or imbued with an evil will, and then become an artifact of evil. The biggest example of this is the Ring.
• The Silmarils are not evil, nor imbued with evil will. People do evil things to possess or use them, but they have not been defiled themselves with evil power. They are still hallowed.

A double awakening:

• The first time Frodo awakens, he sees a vision of the protection of Strider. The firelight and locked door with Strider sitting in front of it show him that he is safe from whoever might come.
• The dream that Frodo has recaps some current or recent events. He is hearing the hoofbeats of the Black Riders and the horn in Buckland, though those are both too far away to hear naturally.
• The wind is also associated with the hoofbeats in his previous dream in the house of Tom Bombadil, but this time the wind is actively shaking the inn where he is.
• Note: Gandalf arrives in Buckland the same morning that Frodo leaves Bree, finding it in an uproar. He had arrived in the Shire the day before and spoke with Gaffer Gamgee. He will arrive in Bree the same day, only half a day at most behind Frodo’s leaving. At the moment of Frodo’s dream, therefore, he would be between Hobbiton and the river on his way to Buckland.
• The wind may be an indication of Gandalf’s presence, and it grows stronger with proximity. Frodo may interpret this wind as the Ringwraiths, as before, though this is understandable.
• Note: In the earlier drafts, the wind was explicitly associated with the Ringwraiths, even to the point that they did surround the house of Tom Bombadil just as Frodo dreamed it. However, the galloping and wind has been repurposed by Tolkien, which is typical of his revision style.
• The dream definitely seems ominous, and the shaking of the house can be connected with Frodo’s anxiety about being surrounded by enemies, which is true.
• Frodo’s anxiety is different from Fatty Bolger’s fear. Fatty’s fear is based on a direct stimulus, while Frodo’s worries are more general.
• Not knowing about the events in Buckland, Frodo would associate the sound of horns in the distance might be associated with hunting, especially for hobbits, and Frodo is being hunted.
• Horns can also be associated with war, but that would be out of the experience of hobbits.
• Frodo may believe that the horns are from his hunters alerting that they are on his trail. This is a misinterpretation, but the irony is that they announce that the hunters are driven off.
• In all Frodo’s misinterpretations, we know that the thing he fears in the dream is a good thing.
• Note: There is a parallel later with the appearance of the black ships at the Battle of Pelennor Fields, which understandable sends the people of Gondor into despair, though they contain their rescue by their allies and the return of the king.
• Note: This is one of the few times that the readers know more than the point of view characters, due to cutting away to the scene in Buckland which Frodo doesn’t witness.
• Note: The cock crowing is a recurring image, tied to the theme of day coming surely after night. This is the sixth scene that features Frodo waking up in the morning.

A breaking and entering:

• It seems as though the attackers did just as Strider expected, coming through the window.
• Butterbur seems to have not patrolled the whole inn, as he doesn’t hear any of the break-in.
• Note: The narrator interjects “so he said” in parenthesis in order to voice some implied skepticism over Butterbur’s claim. This may be a Sam-penned line added to Frodo’s text. Frodo might be too proper, but Sam is more direct.
• The description of Butterbur as sleepy makes it seem as though he has just been awakened.
• The damage done to the beds seem to partly be result of frustration by the perpetrators.
• What were Ferny and the others’ instructions? He would not have been told about the Ring.
• Note: We know from other passages that Sauron, Saruman, and the Nazgul do not tell the Orcs about the Ring and other important information.
• It does seem as though the Ringwraiths want Frodo alive, as evidenced by the use of the Morgul blade. They could’ve ordered the burglars to kill the hobbits, but this was probably a kidnapping.
• They other masters have ordered the hobbits to be brought back alive and unspoiled.
• The destruction might also be an effort to cover up the kidnapping attempt and destroy evidence. They could have searched the room and seen all the hobbits possessions gone.
• This attempt to kidnap the hobbits seems to confirm what Strider feared they would do.
• Butterbur seems to underestimate what might have happened to the hobbits, misinterpreting this as a hospitality failure and a loss of property. He may worry about his reputation.
• When Butterbur asks, “What are we coming to?”, this is a rhetorical question, even though Strider answers it by highlighting Butterbur’s lack of perspective.
• Note: Butterbur will soon see for himself how serious the situation really is, though Strider shows restraint and patience with Butterbur’s lack of experience here.
• Strider goes out of his way to look out for the safety of Bree and The Prancing Pony.
• Strider does not take the hobbits there to see what had happened, but to show the hobbits what he already knew had happened. He probably had heard the break-in as it happened.

A horse-theft to cover up a kidnapping:

• The opening of the stables once again raises the question as to what Butterbur and his folk were doing all night. The sound of the attack even awakened Frodo in the night.
• Note: Horse-thieving is one of the worst crimes against property in the premodern world.
• Ferny has shown some cunning in driving off the horses. They have removed the hobbits best means of escape from the Black Riders, possibly stranding them in Bree or slowing them down.
• Only one horse was actually stolen; this may have been stolen by the squint-eyed Southerner for his own escape from Bree after the clamor had died down.
• The release of the horses would be noisy affair. The horses would say quiet if they knew the men, but most of them didn’t. Many of the horses in Bree may be stabled there.
• Was Bob involved with the outlaws? Maybe, as he is absent when the travelers return to Bree. However, most readers would not accept that explanation.
• The outlaws would not only be afraid of being caught, but also of the consequences of their failure to carry out the Ringwraiths’ orders, so they need to accomplish something.

Strider’s silent test of the hobbits:

• Bill Ferny has managed to surprise Strider with the horse-theft, though this does not lead him to fear. Rather, he is worried about the hobbits’ response and if they will fall into despair.
• All of Strider’s thoughts are practical; he only laments the lack of a pack pony to carry food.
• Pippin and Sam show resolution in spite of themselves, and Frodo shows some resourcefulness in their response to the situation. They are showing some toughness in the hobbits.
• Note: The films seem to shy away from the hobbits’ toughness, including the listing of Hobbit meals, and keep Merry and Pippin in a hobbit walking party up until Boromir’s death.
• Merry shows typical hobbit cheeriness in the face of difficulties in celebrating a sit-down meal.
• Note: The hobbits relationship with food is often misinterpreted. They draw upon their love of good cheer and plenty to buoy them through tough moments; it is not merely gluttony. In a pre-industrial culture, like the hobbits, people spent most of their time growing food and eating it. This is a fact of life in an agrarian society, of which Shire culture is an epitome.

END OF SESSION