Two topics discussed in the "Council of Elrond" but not thoroughly explored are Saruman's fall from wisdom and the nature of the Eagles that seem to crop up in convenient plot corners.Fall of SarumanThis will be a longer post during the read through of Two Towers when we dive deeper into Saruman and have some more … Continue reading Lore Deep Dive: Saruman’s Fall and the Eagles
Tolkien Goes Meta
While rereading "Council of Elrond" on my flight this morning to double check my accuracy, I find a line that I had previously glossed over.At the Council, Frodo tells everyone of his time with the Ring. All the way from Bilbo's disappearance to the Council. When he is finished, Bilbo encourages him and insists that … Continue reading Tolkien Goes Meta
Book 2 Chapter 2: The Council of Elrond Part 1
"Council of Elrond" is one of, if not the, longest chapters in The Lord of the Rings and is chock full of information. Besides setting up the entire rest of the story plotwise, it also delves into several characters, revealing interesting information and history.This Part 1 will focus on the attendees of the Council and Part … Continue reading Book 2 Chapter 2: The Council of Elrond Part 1
Book 2 Chapter 1: Many Meetings
My brief pause in writing came at a perfect moment in the story. Frodo has just collapsed on the banks of the Bruinen and witnessed the Nazgul being swept away. After this moment, he is rescued by the folk of Rivendell and Elrond begins healing him. It's quite some time, many days, later that he … Continue reading Book 2 Chapter 1: Many Meetings
Gimli, Galadriel, and the Importance of Her Gift
Two quick housekeeping notes:1) Yes, I've been terrible at posting recently. I'll get better. Have quite the backlog of notes I can power through.2) This is not in sequential order. I found it surfing along some of my Tolkien discussion forums and thought it was important enough to share.Enjoy!SourceAsk any questions in the comments and … Continue reading Gimli, Galadriel, and the Importance of Her Gift
Deus ex Glorfindel
While we don't have an Elven princess rolling in on a white horse to save the day, we have an immensely powerful Elf-lord from the First Age who finds the party and guides them back towards Rivendell. Glorfindel is a character who also appears in the Silmarillion where he is a lord of Gondolin, the … Continue reading Deus ex Glorfindel
Book 1 Chapter 12: Flight to the Ford
Flight to the Ford is a cat and mouse game through the Trollshaws, a lawless and rugged land west of Rivendell. This 17 day adventure from the night of Frodo's stabbing to his healing at Rivendell is condensed into 5 minutes and a wonderful Deus ex Arwen to save the day.Granted, a powerful elf on a … Continue reading Book 1 Chapter 12: Flight to the Ford
Morgoth and the 1st Age
After Brandon's comment on my "Knife in the Dark" post, I realized that I've neglected to provide any background on an important, if rarely mentioned character - Melkor, the original big bad guy whom the Elves call Morgoth or "Black Foe".First thing to understand is that the Valar are divided into two "castes" for lack … Continue reading Morgoth and the 1st Age
Chapter 11: A Knife in the Dark
This chapter is a long one and covers quite a bit of ground. For simplicity's sake, I've divided the chapter into 3 sections.Fire on Weathertop by Ted NasmithThe Riders in BucklandThe first part of the chapter brings us back to Crickhollow and Fatty Bolger, who is still pretending that Frodo is holed up there to … Continue reading Chapter 11: A Knife in the Dark
Chapter 10: Strider
Chapter 10 is where we really dive into the character of Strider and get to know who this mysterious person is. But, like most of Tolkien's major characters, we're left with as many questions as answers.At the Sign of the Prancing Pony by Ted NasmithLet's start with a quick run-down of the chapter:Hobbits return to … Continue reading Chapter 10: Strider
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