Hands in the Barrow

Kyle Winiecki

New Member
Upon our readings of the Wight's song and the surrounding passages I noticed a somewhat focus on hands during the events in the Barrow. It first took my notice during our discussion of the Wight's song when he says "Cold be hand and heart and bone," but there is also the explicit mention of the rings on the fingers of the hobbits as well as the fact that the Wight sends an arm walking on its hand to kill the hobbits. What took my notice is that both heart and bone seems to be something that the Wight would be most interested in turning cold and turning as to like himself.

One could argue that the heart, in a certain sense, signifies the soul that he is trying to entrap, and that the bone could signify the body that goes along with that soul and these two things are connected. So why is it that "hand" is put together with these two things that are interconnected that the Wight is trying to make like himself?

It seems to me that the hand could also signify something that the Wight is trying to turn cold. Upon thinking about this I believe that hand referred to could signify the ability to craft and create things. As we know both to Tolkien personally and in the secondary world he made, the ability to create is something that is both in our nature and divine (in the sense that the ability to create is given to us by God/Eru). Why I believe the hand could signify the ability to create is that with most things that humans do to create, we in some way use our hands. I know that there are other ways to create that don't require the use of hands, but in many the use of hands is a major part and I think that is what is signified here.

If the Wight were to turn the hobbits over to his nature, he would also be turning their ability to create. Even with the Wight itself we see a twisted and corrupt form of creation. The Wight has taken the time to lay the hobbits out and dress them up in it's own twisted version of "creating" something for this "ritual" that is taking place. Also he is going to use his hand (if it is indeed "his hand") to finish off the hobbits. I don't believe it would be too far off to say that if the hobbits were turned, they would end up doing something similar to others given the chance. Also if the Wight were to turn them, it would be another instance of evil trying to make others like itself as we had discussed previously and therefore drowning out the hobbits ability to create things for good.

I am also not explicitly saying that this is what the Wight means when he is singing his song. I don't know if there is this explicit significance from the Wight singing these things or if there is different meaning behind it, but I do believe there is something to this when seeing it from the themes that underlay Tolkien's world.

These are my thoughts on this passage and the focus of hands. Is there something to this or am I just off base and there is a different significance to the hands (and even the heart and bone) that could be seen?
 
Last edited:
Back
Top