The red metal of their young and greedy swords

Jim Deutch

Well-Known Member
I'm still behind in the Exploring TLOTR series, but I'm trying to catch up! I have two comments on this passage from Tom Bombadil's tales to the Hobbits:
The Fellowship of the Ring said:
Kings of little kingdoms fought together, and the young Sun shown like fire on the red metal of their new and greedy swords.

First, this is not Cardolan. It refers to the "red metal" of their swords. It's not the "red-stained [with blood] metal". These swords are RED! They're made of COPPER! This is pre-Iron Age! Way before Cardolan or Númenor. Definitely. This also links up -- loosely -- with the Stonehenge/"stone-rings" correspondence, though I think Stonehenge is Neolithic, from before even copper was used.

I am also intrigued by "fought together". It does not say "fought among themselves"; it leaves entirely open who they were fighting, or who was fighting who, but almost seems to imply that in these fights, they were allies, fighting together, perhaps against Fell Creatures and similar Evils. But I'm not so certain of this one...
 
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