dietlbomb
Member
The description of the encounter at the end of Flight to the Ford is clearly from Frodo's perspective. We speculated that Asfaloth may have stopped on the bank of the river because the Witch King commanded him, because Frodo probably didn't stop him, and the rest of Frodo's party was out of range.
In a few pages we will be told that Elrond ordered the river to flood and that Gandalf added the horse shapes to the crest of the wave. It doesn't say where they were standing. But we can surmise that they were in a place close enough to the encounter to instigate the flooding at a moment after Frodo had crossed the river but while the Black Riders were crossing the Ford.
How close to the Ford were Elrond and Gandalf? Frodo couldn't see anything in the normal world due to his advanced wraithification, so it's likely he wouldn't have been able to see either Elrond or Gandalf. Gandalf says, "Your friends crossed after the flood had passed and they found you lying on your face at the top of the bank, with a broken sword under you. The horse was standing guard beside you. You were pale and cold, and they feared that you were dead, or worse. Elrond's folk met them, carrying you slowly towards Rivendell." So it looks like Gandalf and Elrond weren't right there at the bank, but maybe they were on a promontory overlooking the Ford.
So maybe Asfaloth was aware of Elrond or Gandalf, who told him what to do in a way Frodo couldn't hear.
Also, maybe Frodo's last act of defiance in calling on Elbereth and Luthien was prodded by Gandalf, who has some influence over Frodo's subconscious (which we learn at Amon Hen).
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Another thing, maybe the Black Riders exclaimed "The Ring! The Ring!" because at that moment they were suddenly able to see it.
In a few pages we will be told that Elrond ordered the river to flood and that Gandalf added the horse shapes to the crest of the wave. It doesn't say where they were standing. But we can surmise that they were in a place close enough to the encounter to instigate the flooding at a moment after Frodo had crossed the river but while the Black Riders were crossing the Ford.
How close to the Ford were Elrond and Gandalf? Frodo couldn't see anything in the normal world due to his advanced wraithification, so it's likely he wouldn't have been able to see either Elrond or Gandalf. Gandalf says, "Your friends crossed after the flood had passed and they found you lying on your face at the top of the bank, with a broken sword under you. The horse was standing guard beside you. You were pale and cold, and they feared that you were dead, or worse. Elrond's folk met them, carrying you slowly towards Rivendell." So it looks like Gandalf and Elrond weren't right there at the bank, but maybe they were on a promontory overlooking the Ford.
So maybe Asfaloth was aware of Elrond or Gandalf, who told him what to do in a way Frodo couldn't hear.
Also, maybe Frodo's last act of defiance in calling on Elbereth and Luthien was prodded by Gandalf, who has some influence over Frodo's subconscious (which we learn at Amon Hen).
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Another thing, maybe the Black Riders exclaimed "The Ring! The Ring!" because at that moment they were suddenly able to see it.