"The Ring Goes South" (III)

Merry Christmas everyone!

The Ring has definitely gone South this morning at dusk. After two months of resting, discussing and planning, the Fellowship of the Ring has left Rivendell to accompany Frodo on his quest to destroy the Ring. The narrator tells us that they left on a day towards the end of December, but the chronology in the appendices tells us that it was won on December 25th, that is, on Christmas Day. No accident, certainly, as it is no accident that the destruction took place exactly three months later, on March 25th.

Wow! Sorry I had to stop. I'm typing with the news on the background and I was listening to an item of news about a centre for seriously ill children in Tenerife and a concert devoted to collecting funds. Guess the music the orchestra was playing. Yes! The soundtrack from The Lord of the Rings; "The Fellowship of the Ring" theme. Amazing!

"The Ring Goes South" (II)

November finishes today and the hobbits remain in Rivendell. The narrative does not go into detail about how their daily life unfolds in the time they spend there, but we know that this stay is acting as a balm in their wearied bodies and spirits, providing them with a strength that they will certainly need for the hard road ahead. Thus, over a month ago we left them talking and thinking about the past and the dangers that lay in their journey, but any anxiety that they might have had did not last long: "such was the virtue of the land of Rivendell that soon all fear and anxiety was lifted from their minds. The future, good or ill, was not forgotten, but ceased to have any power over the present. Health and hope grew strong in them, and they were content with each good day as it came, taking pleasure in every meal, and in every word and song."

The hobbits are resting, but I have kept really busy, travelling to academic meetings in Brussels and Valencia, and in a couple of days I will be travelling to France. But I have in common with them the fact that these meetings have not just been academic ones, but also an opportunity to spend time with dear friends scattered all over the world. A visit to Rouge-Cloître Abbey was quite a "Rivendelly" experience. 

An Ent?

   
No matter what a great time one is having when travelling, home is always on the horizon as the place to return. Rivendell has given Frodo the experience to meet Bilbo and Gandalf again and heal from his deadly wound, but he had only planned to take the Ring there and leave its fate in the hands of those he felt were "greater" than him. Even if he willingly offered to take the Ring and is free to back off from his offer, he must certainly miss his home, and long for his return or to spend more time in The Last Homely House East of the Sea". 

I can just imagine the magic of the changing colours of autumn in a place like Rivendell. Who would want to leave it just when winter starts? Who would not want to either stay here or go back home? Who can blame Frodo for feeling that he wished all this had not happened in his time?

Chapter 2. "The Council of Elrond" & Chapter 3 "The Ring Goes South" (I)

We have an intense day ahead of us; the Council of Elrond is meeting.

So many things we have known, so many new characters; such a scary view of the world to come has taken shape during the Council. Among such high-born people, the small hobbit, Frodo Baggins, offers himself to take the Ring to Mordor, putting himself in the hands of whoever wants to show him the Road. Sam is going to accompany him, and Merry and Pippin, ignorant of the real danger ahead, are envious of him. Nothing is decided yet, but Gandalf may also accompany them, if indeed they are finally taking the Ring. In the meantime, the prospect of resting in Rivendell is much welcome.

While the hobbits rest and get ready for their journey South, I will not be reading much, since there is only a couple of paragraphs separating this part of the narrative from the paragraph that informs us that the hobbits spend nearly two months in Rivendell. Since Rivendell is a place of learning, I will take the opportunity to dig into as many postponed books and essays as possible. But tomorrow, Brussels awaits: the 7th Biennial Conference of the European Association for the Study of Culture, Literature and the Environment. Looking forward to more learning and many, many, many meetings!

Book II. Chapter 1. "Many Meetings"

Many meetings, indeed! Frodo is safe and wakes up to hear a voice that informs him that he is in the house of Elrond and that is is the morning of October 24th. And that voice is none other than Gandalf's! Frodo feels even more so how much they needed Gandalf, now that he is close at hand. The old wizard informs him of many things: he was held captive, the wound almost killed Frodo (he was fading, close to becoming a wraith himself), the Dark Lord has many servants, and Glorfilndel is an Elf-lord of a house of princes. They are now safe in Rivendell, where a power lies to withstand that of Mordor, at least for a while, and Rivendell is the perfect place to rest, to gain strength of body and soul.

The joy of seeing again his friends safe and sounds overwhelming, but nothing can compare to what Frodo feels when he sees Bilbo at the great feast!

But there are also new meetings: Glóin, Elrond, and Arwen; and the Elves really look out of this world. After the darkness of the last episodes, the calm light, the music and the warmth at Rivendell heals us like a balm. We are going to rest here a while. But tomorrow we have a long day: The Council of Elrond is meeting.

"Flight to the Ford" (XI)

Noro lim, noro lim, Asfaloth! Don't you just love the sound of these words?

I still remember the first time I read this part from The Lord of the Rings, staying up in bed until 4 in the morning, moving to the next chapter - and the next book - just to see whether Frodo had survived, and then go to sleep after so much excitement. The Black Riders appear out of nowhere and it is thanks to Glorfindel and Asfaloth that Frodo can make it. The Black Riders attempt to control his will and, for a while, Frodo is unable to move, but Glorfindel's instructions to his horse - Noro lim, noro lim, Asfaloth - and Asfaloth's extraordinary speed and resilience save the day. I still remember visualising a weak, wounded hobbit confronting the Black Riders, ordering them to go back to Mordor "and follow me no more", and the final touch of the waters taking Riders and horses - poor horses - away.

I personally believe that the changes made in the film reduced the power of this scene. I understand that the character of Arwen needed to be further developed so that his relationship with Aragorn could  work better on screen, which would have been more difficult had she remained the "lady in waiting" of the books. However, the poignancy of a small, terrified hobbit on the brink of death, challenging the Riders despite his physical and emotional pain is completely lost when it is Arwen who rides the horse taking Frodo in his arms. 

"Go back to the Kand of Mordor and follow me no more!"

This last effort has proven too much for Frodo. After seeing Riders and horses carried away by the water, he can only faint. For the next four days, he will be sleeping, recovering at Rivendell, in the Last Homely House East of the Sea.

"Flight to the Ford" (X)

I am glad there is not much to read today because I am exhausted. And so are the hobbits, altough I have a lovely bed waiting for me, which the hobbits must really envy. They have barely slept five hours and, although revitalised by Glorfindel's drink, hobbits are no Elves and they find it difficult to keep up with his pace. So would I, mind you; so would any mortal, in fact. Frodo's pain has redoubled and he seems to be drifting into darkness; according to the narrator, he "almost welcomed the coming of night, for then the world seemed less pale and empty". To be in a world of colour and not being able to enjoy it... that's the devilish work of the Enemy of whom, by the way, there is no sign. This is most suspicious; they must be waiting somewhere to make their attack more effective. But Glorfindel must certainly be aware of that. And Asfaloth is a great, fast horse. He will soon play a decisive role.

"Flight to the Ford" (IX)

The weather has finally changed and has managed to lift the hobbits' spirits; even Frodo seems to be able to ride happily again, although the shadows of his mind keep on playing tricks. However, today we are able to ride without many worries, even allowed to rest by the stone trolls who looked so menacing until an old bird's nest is discovered behind one's ears. Sam's abilities as a poet are revealed and the menacing sound of hooves approaching the hobbits ended up being those of the horse ridden by... Glorfindel!!! Of course! Bells and Black Riders do not go well together. If you remember, Glorfindel had left Rivendell in search of Frodo nine days ago  (and no, he has no news from Gandalf) and he has finally found the walkers. He is, however, less merciful than Strider. At this time, they have not yet set up camp for the night and will be walking until dawn. The hobbits keep on marching as if in a dream. Only Strider seems to be able to match an Elf's resilience.

"Flight to the Ford" (VIII)

The clouds are still thick, but at least the rain has abated, so the hobbits won't have to put up with the humidity in their bones. The streaks of blue sky appearing behind the clouds are not enough to make up for their cheerlessness of their situation, even less so when Strider, after exploring their surroundings, realises that they have moved too far to the north and that they'll have to turn back southwards again. The going gets tough once more, and Frodo's wound becomes the main issue of conversation. Walking is particularly exhausting, and his arm remains lifeless, icy cold. Strider admits that he cannot do much for Frodo in the wilderness, that being the reason why he is so eager to reach Rivendell. If the wound is to be cured, it is in Elrond's hands that hope lies. As always, this is Strider's message to Sam: "Do not give up hope".

They lit a small fire for the night, the wind is chilly and the tree-tops seem to whisper and moan. Frodo cannot find rest; whenever he tries to sleep, the shadows of his pursuers haunt him. We must arrive soon at Rivendell if Frodo is to survive.

"Flight to the Ford" (VII)

Strider is getting anxious. We are almost ten days out from Weathertop, the rain does not stop and we're running low on provisions. As feared, the rain and the hard going are taking their toll on Frodo; his wound is unbearably painful and he is unable to sleep, imagining the black shapes of the servants of the Enemy getting closer to him. Even when he manages to drift into a short sleep and dream about his beloved Shire, the vision seems "faint and dim", and are soon replaced by black shadows. The poison of the knife is taking hold of him.

"Flight to the Ford" (VI)

I know I've said it many times: I love it when it rains. Today it's sunny and warmer again but we've had some glorious rain in the last couple of days here in Granada. I also know that, as the saying goes in Spanish, "It never rains to everyone's taste" and I imagine rain must feel very different when you're tired, wounded, pursued, and carrying a heavy burden. Such has been the lot of my friends in The Lord of the Rings today. After a windy, rainy day, they are all soaked and unable to get any fire to burn. It pains me to imagine how miserable they must feel, particularly Frodo, in so much pain! I love the rain, but I never forget what a privilege it is to be able to enjoy it, having a roof to take shelter from it when I need it. This should not be a privilege, but a right available to everyone. 

"Fligh to the Ford" (V)

Everything is calm, suspiciously calm, I would say. Strider finds it odd to find no trace of the Enemy, but the discovery of a beryl, an elf-stone, which he takes "as a sign that we may pass the Bridge", brings him hope. 

Indeed, they do cross the Bridge in safety, abandoning the Road for a safer but darker route, a "sombre country of dark trees winding among the feet of sullen hills". Instances of pathetic fallacy are prominent here, with the hobbits happy to leave the "cheerless lands", but finding themself in a new country which "seemed threatening and unfriendly". The sight of some ruins reminds Frodo of Bilbo's account and considers that they may be in the spot of his adventures with the trolls. His question concerning the builders of those ruins allows us once again to see the depth of knowledge Strider stores; nothing seems to be forgotten to an heir of Elendil, and Rivendell appears now not only as a destination to long for, but also as a place of special significance for the Ranger: "There my heart is," he tells the hobbits, "but it is not my fate to sit in peace, even in the fair house of Elrond". 

The going gets now tougher as they reach a valley, "narrow, deeply cloven, dark and silent" inhabited by "Trees with old and twisted roots". There is no clear path, and they keep on walking on this tiring area for the next two days. Therefore, I'll see you in two days' time!



P.S. The rain finally arrived in Granada yesterday and I am so happy! Everything smells delicious; walking down the forest of the Alhambra, always a pleasurable experience, was almost magical this morning! 

And the proof that autumn is officially here: the old woman selling chestnuts to the little boy in the window of "Los Italianos" ice-cream parlour. LOVE IT!

 

"Flight to the Ford" (IV)

No word coming out from Frodo yet. Given that the part devoted to narrating today's events is very short, in normal circumstances one should not be worried, but knowing that Frodo is wounded and in pain, his silence is even more eloquent. Today, the sixth day after the attack on Weathertop, we have reached the top of a slope from which we can see a prospect of hills, the Road, and two rivers, one near the Road and another one in the distance, which Strider identifies, respectively, as the Hoarwell (Mitheithel for the Elves) and the Loudwater, the Bruinen of Rivendell. We have to get back to the Road and Strider is worried about how to cross the River, pondering on the strong possibilities of finding the Enemy at the last bridge. Yet, as he very well says, let's not anticipate: "One bridge at a time". Keep on walking.

 

"Flight to the Ford" (III)

Four days without reading, just getting a summary of what happens between October 7th and today, the 11th. This is what the narrator tells us:

"Four days passed, without the ground or the scene changing much, except that behind them Weathertop slowly sank, and before them the distant mountains loomed a little nearer. Yet since that far cry they had seen and heard no sign that the enemy had marked their flight or followed them. They dreaded the dark hours, and kept watch in pairs by night, expecting at any time to see black shapes stalking in the grey night, dimly lit by the cloud-veiled moon; but they saw nothing, and heard no sound but the sigh of withered leaves and grass. Not once did they feel the sense of present evil that had assailed them before the attack in the dell. It seemed too much to hope that the Riders had already lost their trail again. Perhaps they were waiting to make some ambush in a narrow place?
"At the end of the fifth day ..." And this is where we are now. It's 22:34, I've just had an exhausting but tremendously fulfilling day, and I am joining the hobbits on their road while Matthias is preparing some dinner. It seems that, in these four days, the Enemy has given them some respite, but let us not forget, although the narrator does not dwell on that issue, that Frodo is mortally wounded; the Enemy is, in fact, somehow travelling within Frodo's body, in the shape of a splint of a cursed blade. Yet "At the end of the fifth day" we are still not given any details of how Frodo is doing, but we take it that not very well, indeed. All we know is that, "At the end of the fifth day the ground began once more to rise slowly out of the wide shallow valley into which they had descended. Strider now turned their course again north-eastwards, ...". It was too much to have Frodo wounded, I think it's fair that we can walk safey, albeit in fear. Do not despair, Strider is guiding us.

And for me.... it's dinner time! Late. I'm starving.

Interlude (or parenthesis, as you wish)

I knew I said I would be back on the fifth day, since nothing worth writing about is happening these days in The Lord of the Rings, but it's my birthday today and it so happens that, on this same day, Glorfindel left Rivendell. it was the year 3018 of the Third Age, and it was also a Sunday. Although Glorfindel barely appears later on in the narrative - in the film his role was given to Arwen - in a few days he will play a decisive role in helping Frodo cross the Ford of Bruinen. Had it not been for his horse Asfaloth, I am afraid the quest would have ended sooner, and the ending would have not been "eucatastrophic".

I like Glorfindel, and I would have liked to see more of him in The Lord of the Rings, but it's good - if only for my ego, granted - to know that he left Rivendell on my birthday :-)

"Flight to the Ford" (II)

 Things are not looking good for Frodo. He has dozed a bit but the wound causes him enormous pain, and a terrible chill has spread from the shoulder to his arm and side. Sam, Merry and Pippin anxiously wait over him. Strider returns and finds the weapon that has caused the wound; unfortunately, the blade is broken, which means that the missing fraction is in Frodo's shoulder. They cannot risk spending another night on the hill, and there is not much that Strider can do for Frodo other than force the company to continue the journey. 

However, he can alleviate his pain, if only temporarily, by applying Athelas to the wound. After singing strange words to the dagger-hilt and to Frodo, Strider throws the leaves into boiling water, and just the fragrance has a calming effect on the hobbits; on Frodo's wound it lessens both the pain and the chill, but it is not enough to make life return to his arm. It is clear that they have to leave in full daylight and that Frodo cannot walk, so the hobbits and Strider share the load while Frodo rides the pony, which makes him feel even guiltier. Three is company, true, and four even more, but it is not difficult to imagine that Frodo must feel how much happier his friends would be back home.

Athelas

The land is cheerles, the burden is heavy, and the cold voices in the distance chill their hearts. They know that the Enemy is treading on their footsteps but they cannot walk any faster. At the end of the day, Frodo's pain has just begun to wake again, and I have to leave them walking, in fear and pain, sore and heavy-hearted for four days, because it seems that they did nothing other than that during that period of time; or at least nothing that the narrator considered worth talking about. See you on the fifth day! 

"A Knife in the Dark" (VII) & Chapter 12. "Flight to the Ford" (I)

Tonight is the night that the Ring has finally revealed its power to harm Frodo; tonight Frodo has been wounded by the Black Riders and Strider fears that it may be a mortal wound, since the Riders seem to just be waiting for it to follow its course, given that they have not finished him off. In a way, the narrative has been preparing us for this incident: Strider warned the hobbits yesterday that he did not know what they would find when they reached Weathertop and, when they arrive there, what he sees disturbs him. The white flashes of light that we saw three nights ago become meaningful today, when Strider gathers from the evidence left on the site that Gandalf was there and he was attacked by - and therefore fought against - minions of the Enemy. 

Today, we have also been able to enjoy some of the vistas that Tolkien referred to when talking about the layers of history found in The Lord of the Rings,  vistas that come to the surface briefly by Sam's singing part of the song of Gil-Galad, but mostly by the stories that Strider shares with the hobbits, and which allow us to get a glimpse of this many-layered Ranger. Strider is not only knowledgeable in the ways of forests and roads, but also in old lore. In order to cheer the hobbits up, he tells them the tale of Tinúviel, which he describes as "a fair tale, though it is sad, as are all the tales of Middle-earth". We will later know why this tale is so significant for Strider. But not yet. 

I had problems "listening" to the voice of Strider singing whenever I read The Lord of the Rings until Peter Jackson's movies. Now the voice is that of Viggo Mortensen, but I found a nice musical rendition which you can listen to here.

This moment of intimate conviviality is just  the calmess before the storm; the company is finally attacked by the Riders and I am going to bed leaving Frodo seriously wounded. Despite Strider's instructions and the use of fire to repel their enemies, the Ring's power proves to strong for Frodo, who tries in vain to resist the tempation to wear it, thus making himself visible to the Riders, who easily stab him.  Frodo faints, but not before gathering strength to call O Elbereth! Gilthoniel!, attacking one of the Riders and removing the Ring. When he wakes up, Strider shares his fears about Frodo's prospect with Sam, who is devastated to think that he might die. But Strider is not easily defeated, physically or morally. On two occasions today - and not for the last time - he will remind us of the importance of not despairing, of keeping up hope. "You are not alone".

"A Knife in the Dark" (VI)

The hobbits keep on walking, guided by Strider, and this activity seems to have a beneficial effect on them; they look stronger, but considerably thinner. At night, they camp on the feet of the westward slopes of a ridge. "It was the night of the fifth of October, and they were six days out from Bree". For me, it is also the night of the fifth of October, and I just feel like sharing some time with Strider. So, here he is, leading the hobbits. Enjoy!

"A Knife in the Dark" (V)

I love the sound of the verb "plod". It's almost onomatopoeic. I reads the words "All the day they plodded along" and I can not only see the heavy gait of the walkers, but almost hear the sound of their weary feet on the ground: plod, plod, plod. Nothing much has happened apart from that "plodding along", but Strider's words as he points at Weathertop for their immediate destination are not very comforting; he fears what they may find there, being exposed to whoever might be following them. The hobbits hope that they can meet Gandalf there, but Strider is not so sure. The chances are slim; it's more likely that they miss one another. There are unfriendly creatures in the air, and the ranger once again, does not seem to sleep.

"A Knife in the Dark" (IV)

The hobbits and Strider keep plodding along; the days are tiring and the nights comfortless. They are still pestered by midges, but the Neekerbreekers have fortunately been left behind. Nothing else happens during the day worth writing about but, at night, Frodo finds it difficult to fall asleep. Strider cannot answer his question concerning the white flashes they can see in the eastern sky, but he is alert, "standing silent and watchful".

"A Knife in the Dark" (III)

The group is now out of the forest and into a more difficult path. Thankfully, no Black Riders have disturbed their walk, although one cannot say the same of the midges that keep on feeding on hobbits as they walk through Midgewater. As Sam wonders: 'What do they live on when they can't get hobbit?' There are many creatures around,noisy ones, true, but to call them "abominable"... I wouldn't go that far, particularly when there are Black Riders around... Still, I bet it's going to be difficult to sleep with all that neek-breek, breek-neek.

"A Knife in the Dark" (II)

"The next day they began to steer a steady course eastwards; and still all was quiet and peaceful".

And that is all I have to read for today, which is good, because today it was a day to spend with family: my mum's birthday! So, on October 1st, all goes well for the hobbits.

Chapter 11. "A Knife in the Dark" (I)

What a night for the hobbits, what a day for me! Well, the night has ended up well for the hobbits because they took Strider's advice and did not go back to their rooms, which the Black Riders had raided during the night. At Crickhollow, as well, Fatty Bolger raised the alarm the moment he saw tha black figures that were creeping around the house. The Enemy is powerful but for the moment, our hobbits are safe. Strider is a good companion, alert day and night, watching over the hobbits while they sleep, as Frodo has the opportunity to see when he wakes up in the night. Sadly, they cannot start as early as he had planned because they have to get at least one pony to carry their equipment, and they cannot leave Bree as secretly has he intended to. Merry, on his part, sees the glass half full: they may not be able to leave early and secretly, but at least they have time to enjoy a good breakfast! 
Guided by Strider, they leave Bree and make for Weathertop Hill, enjoying walking through the paths the Ranger chooses, even if the reason for their journey is not a pleasing one. They have been walking the whole day with "no sing and ... no sound of any other living thing all that day: neither two-footed, except birds; nor four-footed except one fox and a few squirrels".

As for me, I had a very intense but great day, starting with a magnificent, inspiring lecture-performace by Filipino-Australian writer Melinda Bobbis (I have just found a photograph which I will add below with one of the quotes that I love most of the ones she included in her talk), followed by lunch with Merlinda, her husband and my good friends and colleagues and then followed by the European Researchers' Night at the Paseo del Salón. What a day! What a great day! And what a finale! Listening and dancing to the music of Befunkbob with Eugenia and Gülüm. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

"Fog on the Barrow-Downs" (II), Chapter 9. "At the Sign of the Prancing Pony" & Chapter 10. "Strider"

Now Tolkien means business. I totally agree with my friend Carlos: if you make it to Bree, you cannot put the book down. I still remember the excitement at the change in the narrative pace the first time I read The Lord of the Rings; whenever I re-read it, I look forwart do arriving there.

But before that, the hobbits have to begin the last leg of their journey with Tom. They start the day having breakfast and receiving treasures that Tom has taken from the mound, not before putting a spell on them so that no Wight could try to take it. I love it particularly that Tom includes all sentiend beings in his incantation, provided they are kind, making the treasures "free to all finders, birds, beasts, Elves or Men, and all kindly creatures." As with Goldberry's song in the previous chapter, Tom's words have the power to conjure up images, and so, when he talks about the Men of Westernesse who forged the daggers he's given the hobbits, they "did not understand his words, but as he spoke they had a vision as it were of a great expanse of years behind them, like a vast shadowy plain over which there strode shapes of Men, tall and grim with bright swords, and last came one with a star on his brow. Then the vision faded, and they were bak in the sunlit word." Only when we go further into the narrative we'll realise that the hobbits are seeing not only the past, but also a moment in time yet to come. It is risky to say that they are seeing the future, but one can argue that they're seeing what is meant to be.

 While Tom rides with them, it is easy to share the hobbtis' feeling that nothing bad may happen to them; yet Tom cannot take the journey with them. Before leaving them, he expresses his hopes that the Riders won't follow them tonight and returns to Goldberry. They make for Bree where Sam expect to find some comfort at the sign of The Prancing Pony.

And we are finally in Bree and inside The Prancing Pony. These two episodes are certainly a tour de force in the narrative. The hobbits are in a completely alien territory, Barliman Butterbur may be a kind man, but he can do little to change the not-so-welcoming atmosphere. The hobbits feel watched... and they certainly are. Enter Strider who, according to Barliman, is not to be trusted: he's one of those Rangers, and he cannot keep his eye off the hobbits. I remember how I imagined Strider when I first read The Lord of the Rings: he had really long legs and he was not nearly as handsome as Viggo Mortensen. Hey! I'm not complaining! 

I don't know how many times the hobbits have been told to be careful, but they have not yet realised that they cannot be careful enough when carrying that treacherous Ring, which takes the first opportunity to slip into Frodo's finger while he's trying to divert everyone's attention from Merry and Pippin's careless conversation. That Strider knows that Mr Underhill is actually Mr Baggins causes uneasiness, but he seems to know what he's doing, and Gandalf's letter comes just in time to confirm the trust the hobbits are beginning to place on him. When Merry comes in bringing news of a Black Rider at the inn, Strider's presence becomes truly comforting. They have now gone to sleep.

All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

A light from the shadows shall spring;

Renewed shall be blade that was broken,

The crownless again shall be king

Chapter 8. "Fog on the Barrow-Downs" (I)

It is incredible how the way you imagine the sound of a voice can change the moment your expectations are thwarted! In the morning, the hobbits left Tom Bombadil and Goldberry, changing the welcoming nature of their home by the hostility of the Barrow-downs. Falling asleep without intending to, engulfed by the fog, Frodo finds himself separated from Merry, Pippin and Sam. To his angry and afraid "Where are you?" a voice responds with a "Here!" which, for a nanosecond, we take to be one of the hobbits' until it is described as "deep and cold," a voice "that seemed to come out of the ground". Its next "I am waiting for you!" sounds ominous. Honestly, it still gives me the creeps. Immediately afterwards, Frodo is trapped by a Barrow-wight and soon has the opportunity to experience how true Gildor's words are: "Courage is found in unlikely places." Merry, Pippin and Sam are laid out as if for a Germanic burial, and a big hand approaches the hilt of the sword that rests on their necks. Frodo feels tempted to use the Ring to run away from a certain death; even if he he knows he would mourn the death of his friends, at least he would be alive! But the courage he was so eager to find was within him all the time: he stabs at the approaching hand and his voice finds the strength to sing the song that calls Tom Bombadil to their rescue, liberating them from the Barrow-wight. For the sleeping hobbits all has been a bad dream, but Frodo has had the opportunity to find his courage and loyalty put to the test and he has passed with flying colours. Now, Bombadil will be riding with them part of their way, and that is truly comforting.

Certainly, this first part of The Lord of the Rings is a bit episodic, but let us not forget that Tolkien himself admitted to being a bit lost as to where to go as he was writing this part.

 


As for me... still enjoying my morning walks down from the forest of the Alhambra ... 

... even if some of the people I come across refuse to pose for me.

Cherchez le chat!

"In the House of Tom Bombadil" (II)

It's Goldberry's washing day, so the blessed rain prevents the hobbits from setting out and we are truly happy to spend another day under Tom and Goldberry's roof. Tolkien once again celebrates the simple pleasures of life: good food, good company, and a roof that provides shelter; indeed, simple pleasures that sadly are not available to everyone.

There is so much hinted at but ultimately indecipherable about this couple. Tom is old, older than everything that exists and the stories he tell to the hobbits go back eons ago; Tom, indeed, seems to he predates every single thing and being. His narrative is that of the history of the earth and its inhabitants. I find it interesting that he follows a chronological order, focusing on time and the events that come and go with it, while Goldberry's song is connected to place, to space. Time and space: the same thing according to quantum physics. I really must quote this part from the text, truly evocative and so revealing concerning how words in a song can create mental pictures:

"After they had eaten, Goldberry sang many songs for them, songs that began merrily in the hills and fell softly down into silence; and in the silences they saw in their minds pools and waters wider than any they had known, and looking into them they saw the sky below them and the stars like jewels in the depths. "

Tom's words also reveal how little the hobbits know about the world, even within the people in their own Shire. Farmer Maggot is more important than they had imagined:  'There's earth under his old feet, and clay on his fingers; wisdom in his bones, and both his eyes are open'. Knowledge coming not from books, but from experience, straight from the earth. Can we not read this as a celebration of matter?

We are also shocked to see that the Ring does not have any effect on Tom: he does not disappear when he wears it, and he can see Frodo when he uses it to check whether it is still his Ring. Can you imagine how much one could learn spending just a couple of evenings under Bombadil's roof? If only the hobbits could stay there, in that sheltering home, hiding the Ring forever from the clutches of the Enemy! But it cannot be. Tomorrow they will take to the road again. The quest goes on, but I want to stay here a little longer.


P.S. I have to teach a class in one minute, but I'll come back later, to post my morning encounter as I was going down the forest of the Alhambra. 
Here I am. While taking pictures of the forest...

... someone decided to cross my path.

Chapter 6. "The Old Forest" & Chapter 7. "In the House of Tom Bombadil" (I)

After the scare in the Old Forest, I am going to leave my dear hobbits sleeping peacefully in the house of Tom Bombadil. See you later.












Well, here goes the account of the day.
Merry, Pippin, Sam and Frodo have definitely left the Shire, entering the Old Forest and - to his relief - letting Fatty at Crickhollow in order to wait for Gandalf and keep up the illusion that Frodo is living there. Re-reading about the Hedge in the context of the too many borders that we continue building in order to keep away those we feel like a menace, I cannot help but remember the words that Gildor told the hobbits a couple of days ago: "The wide world is all about you: you can fence yourselves in, but you cannot for ever fence it out." It would be good for us to pay attention to Gildor. In the world in which we live, some of us have been fortunate enough not to have to leave our homeland in order to survive somewhere else. Others have not been so lucky and, desperate to have a chance to live, will jump any wall, no matter how dangerous. But the real thing is that those walls are illusory protection; no one is immune to the suffering, the pain existing in the world.

But I'm getting sidetracked. In this part of the journey, the hobbits are now beginning to taste the world outside their border. I particularly like the way nature behaves in the Old Forest, because Tolkien destroys any possible hint at pathetic fallacy and presents us a natural world that is agentive, trees that protect themselves from intruders, even if the hobbits have no intention of hurting them. The adjective that Merry uses to refer to the forest, to the trees, is queer, perfectly grasping nature's ultimate inscrutability. The trees may have grown distrustful after the great fire, but they already had their own personality before, irrespective of what humans or hobbits intended to do to them. Not only is other-than-human nature presented here as agentive, but also intentional; the trees appear to have both an individual and a collective consciousness, judging by Merry's words, who does not believe in the old stories of goblins and wolves, but, he admits, 

"the Forest is queer. Everything in it is very much more alive, more aware of what is going on, so to speak, than things are in the Shire. And the trees do not like strangers. They watch you. They are usually content merely to watch you, as long as daylight lasts, and don't do much. Occasionally the most unfriendly ones may drop a branch, or stick a root out, or grasp at you with a long trailer. But at night things can be most alarming, or so I am told. I have only once or twice been in here after dark, and then only near the hedge. I thought all trees were whispering to each other, passing news and plots along in an unintelligible language; and the branches swayed and groped without any wind."

And so, they take the hobbits precisely to the place they were avoiding to go to, the Withywindle, and they almost succeed in getting rid of them - or at least give them a good scare. It is interesting how the hobbits' loss of agency is linguistically marked, by the progressive looseness in the construction of their sentences. Pippin does not even speak but falls forward on to his knees, while Frodo hears Merry saying "It's no good. ... Can't go another step without rest. Must have nap. It's cool under the willows. Less flies!" Later, Frodo stammers: 'Wait for me, Sam. ... Must bathe feet a minute." Sam is the only one who keeps alert and able to express himself in full sentences: 'There's more behind this than sun and warm air ... I don't like this great big tree. I don't trust it. Hark as it singing about sleep now! This won't do at all!' Maybe because of his closeness to the earth, Sam is the only one who can "read" the tree's intentions. He saves Frodo from drowning, but it will require the appearance of Tom Bombadil to save Merry and Pippin.

In Tom Bombadil we find the most enigmatic character in The Lord of the Rings. Who is he? According to Golberry, "He is," but what? Who?  I am not going to enter here into the debate concerning who is he or what Tom Bombadil stands for. I simply take Goldberry and Tom as two forces of nature, who have human form but are not human. Tom's songs are different from those of the hobbits and the Elves and, when entering his house and seeing Goldberry, we seem to be in a different world. Their food includes milk, cheese, butter, cream and honey, but no dead animals, which, at least to me, connects them strongly with vegetation and life, Life, LIFE. Nourishment without cruelty to other sentient beings. I do not want to leave this house; I think I could stay here forever, and I bet the hobbits would too. However, even in the peacefulness of Tom's house, of the three hobbits, only Sam can have a dreamless sleep; Frodo, Merry and Pippin wake up from their dreams. Yet, they are soon comforted back into sleep: 'Fear nothing! Have peace until the morning! Heed no nightly noises!' 'Nothing passes doors or windows save moonlight and starlight and the wind off the hilltop.'

Good night, good night. See you tomorrow, still in Tom Bombadil's house.

Chapter 4. "A Short Cut to Mushrooms" & Chapter 5. "A Conspiracy Unmasked"

Matthias's risotto with boletus and roasted peppers

Our road today has taken up two chapters, from the woods in which the Elves left the hobbits sleeping to Crickhollow, stopping on the way at Farmer Maggot's farm, much to Frodo's chagrin. Knowing that I was going to be reading about his famous mushrooms, I've been craving them since this morning, so Matthias has been kind enough to make a risotto with boletus, much better, undoubtedly, than the mushrooms with bacon that the hobbits have for supper, since no animal was harmed to cook ours. 



The Black Riders follow hard on the hobbits' heels; in fact, they almost crossed the one who had been asking Farmer Maggot about "Baggins". We know that they are servants of the Enemy because Gildor told Frodo so; their piercing cry may chill the air and the heart, but Farmer Maggot stands no nonsense and soon dismisses him. 

This illustration may be a bit juvenile, but I like the autumnal colours and, in any case, this part of The Lord of the Rings is still very juvenile in tone.

However, even the farmer sounds a bit afraid when, on the road to the Ferry, he hears the clip-clop of hooves that end up being those of Merry's pony. In this part of the narrative, any serious tension is soon over, the narrative strategies to build the plot are still very much those of The Hobbit, and there is a predominance of a mood of conviviality that takes the form of good food and drink, good company, songs, and warm baths.  

This is the life that Frodo is giving away, embracing instead an unknown road that will surely bring him too much suffering. As far as he knows, Sam will accompany him, but at Crickhollow, the conspiracy is unmasked and Merry and Pippin announce that they will join him, while Fatty will remain at Crickhollow, pretending for a time to be Frodo. Tolkien celebrates that kind of friendship in which those who partake of it know the others so well that they know how and what they're feeling even before they open their mouths. This is the type of company Gildor advised Frodo to take with him, and these are the friends he's taking without even asking. Frodo is grateful but afraid for his friends. Tonight he has the first of his visionary dreams: the smell of the sea, a white tower. 





Let me close the day by introducing you to Mía, whom you may know from another blog of mine (, since I take care of her when her human companions, my friends Nacho and Laura are away. She's grown a bit distrustful since returning from her two-year stay in Vienna, but I will gain her confidence again.