Episode 78 Summary

[Tony Meade]

SESSION 78

Strider and Sam confer:

• Strider isn’t showing disrespect to Merry and Pippin by not including them in this conversation. He knows that it is Sam that needs reassurance, and he needs Sam’s trust.
• Like in the Pony, Strider seeks Sam’s approval and permission, but with seriousness now.
• He also understands that Sam will have an emotional reaction to this news.
• Though Sam’s never taken the lead of the group, Sam is very much in charge of Frodo’s welfare.
• Sam is the one who was most ready to stand against the Ringwraiths before, and the one who is most ready to do it again. Therefore, Strider needs to make sure that Sam doesn’t despair.
• The hobbits have shown that they are capable to resist the Ringwraiths, and that it was much harder than the Ringwraiths anticipated, but acknowledges that not all of them were present.
• The Witch-king has chosen to divide his forces, allowing four of the nine to pursue or drive off Gandalf, as he knows that if the hobbits have Gandalf with them will make it much harder.
• This is a costly decision, and it suggests overconfidence on the part of the Witch-king.
• Does the Witch-king know who Strider really is after Weathertop? Probably not, and the story of Beren and Lúthien is well-known, so that wouldn’t give anything away about Strider’s identity.
• However, the Witch-king does take Strider seriously as someone with power for good, though there are a lot of those in the world.
• The Ring of Barahir would probably not show up in the Ringwraith’s vision. The ring itself was made of materials from Valinor, but there are not special properties associated with it.

A new respect for Frodo:

• Is Strider guessing about Frodo’s condition based on what just happened, or on other lore or experience of Morgul blades? Probably the latter, as otherwise their tactics don’t make sense.
• Strider understands that the one success of the Ringwraiths in the dell was the stabbing, and that this wounding works in their favor, so that they don’t have to come back right away.
• He partly confesses to doubting Gandalf’s words about the toughness of hobbits, though this has not been tested, and he has heard stories about Bilbo, he’s only known Bilbo in retirement.
• Note: When Aragorn is shocked to find Frodo alive after being speared in Moria, he will quote himself from this passage about being surprised again.
• The dwarves doubted Bilbo because of their feelings about hobbits, so this is understandable.
• Aside from Bilbo, there’s no reason to think that Strider or the other Rangers has interacted much with the Shire-hobbits, as they don’t know about the protection of the Rangers.
• Strider has interacted with Nob and Bob and other Bree-hobbits, but not ones from the Shire.

The two blades:

• Note: Frodo is stabbed in the back side of his shoulder, maybe near the scapula, not the front side, as was shown in the film and how many people imagine it. This would give the wound a direct line to Frodo’s heart, but with a good way to go, which makes the effect take longer. It would also make more sense of the chill spreading down both his arm and side at the same time. Also, the blade tip may have broken off because it hit bone on the way in.
• Note: The deadly chill Frodo is experiencing something similar to what the Barrow-wight had threatened with its poem. Chill is associated with evil here, and warmth with good.
• The cloak that Strider finds as evidence is a by product of Strider’s search, though he says that Frodo’s sword could not have hurt the Witch-king because it is still intact.
• Because Strider can cite this fact, it shows that he knows lore about the Witch-king. We don’t know if anyone has pierced the Witch-king before, or if this is general lore about the curse.
• Note: We don’t know the source of this lore yet, but we will later meet people who had fought the Witch-king during the wars with Angmar, and much was known about him at the time.
• The fact that the cold gleam still remains in the Morgul blade, which shows that his power and will still remain within it. The blade also seems to be single-edged, like a hunting knife.
• Why did the Witch-king drop the knife? It appears that he didn’t leave it behind on purpose, as there is still power in the blade. It’s possible that it is because the knife was damaged.
• Why is the edge of the knife notched? This doesn’t seem to be in the design, nor could it have come from Frodo’s blade. This may have come from striking bone when he stabbed Frodo.
• Is the Morgul blade purely physical, or is it a magical construct? The fact that it dissolves points to the latter, and it doesn’t seem to be on purpose. Also, the dawn causes its vanishing.
• Frodo’s sword is a physical steel sword, which has been invested with power, while it’s possible that the Morgul-blade is an extension of the power of the Witch-king.
• When the sun rises, the power that created the blade is destroyed, which then destroys the blade. It’s possible that the hilt is physical, along with its runes, but the blade is not.
• The knife’s laving seems due to the invocation of Elbereth and was dropped in the haste of the Witch-king’s retreat. He also would not have wanted this to fall into the hands of enemies.
• The splinter left in Frodo is not exposed to the sun and is continuing its intended purpose.

The Witch-king uncloaked:

• Why does the Witch-king leave the cloak behind? It is not due to any damage done to the cloak.
• This may be another indication of the haste of the Witch-king’s retreat, and simply left it behind.
• The things that Frodo saw while wearing the Ring, such as his crown and sword, seem to be incorporeal echoes of their old human forms, but only his cloak and boots were physical.

The Morgul knife lore:

• Strider does not seem to think that this knife is unique and knows something about them.
• The impression is that Morgul wounds are precedented, especially with the wars between Arnor and Angmar, and there is lore about how these wounds and weapons work.
• Note: Boromir I, Steward of Gondor, died of a Morgul wound, and it’s likely also King Eärnur.
• Note: There may be an echo of Trotter from the early drafts and his experience with the Nazgûl.
• The Ringwraiths have not been out in the open for a long time, so there may have been some time since anyone has seen them in battle, or a Morgul wound.
• It’s possible that the investment of power in these kinds of blades comes at a personal cost. This is a consistent problem with evil beings in Tolkien’s writings, and it may have weakened him.

END OF SESSION