In this chapter, Frodo and company set out across the foreboding Barrow-downs and are, of course, snatched by the wights into danger.
When Frodo comes to after fainting, he is in a Barrow - he assumes - and is flat on his back on a stone table with his arms crossed on his chest (remember, this is a tomb after all...) Looking around, the other Hobbits on on the ground near him but it is an otherwise empty room. The others look asleep or, worse, dead!
This is an important chapter because it really does define Frodo as courageous, much moreso than he appears in the films.
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| Under the Spell of the Barrow Wights by Ted Nasmith |
Frodo's Courage
Upon looking around, Frodo at first feels frightened which is pretty understandable considering the dark tales of the Barrow-downs that have been his only experience with the region. Instead of cowering as one might expect, Frodo feels a stirring a courage and he thinks of words that Bilbo had often shared.
"There is a seed of courage hidden (often deeply, it is true) in the heart of the fattest and most timid Hobbit, waiting for some desperate danger to make it grow." Tolkien then explains how highly Gandalf and Bilbo thought of Frodo, considering him the best Hobbit in the entire Shire - which is quite high praise coming from this pair!
Frodo puts this into action as he sees a dismembered hand creep its way toward Sam. He grabs a nearby blade and hacks at the hand, keeping it away from his friends.
This is the first act of clear and expressed violence in the book and it is Frodo who does it to save his friends. I think this is significant in defining his progression as a character and as a "trendsetter" of sorts among the Hobbits.
Fear grips Frodo again, however, as he hears the terrible chanting of the barrow-wights. Once again, Frodo finds courage and begins softly signing Tom Bombadil's song to call him to the Hobbit's side. The words bolster him as he sings and by the end, Tom has arrived by breaking down a wall to the room.
Tom promptly banishes the wights through his songs, shouting them down, proclaiming that his songs are stronger songs. (Power of the voice, yada, yada, yada)
Tom's Memory
After saving the Hobbits, Tom gathers up the treasure of the Barrow and sets it upon the now sunlit hilltop for all creatures to come and take as needed. He gives the Hobbits each a sword of old Arnorian make (back when Aragorn's ancestors ruled the North) which are still quite powerful. Upon giving these Tom comments on the swords' importance "Few more remember them, yet still some go wandering, sons of forgotten kings walking in loneliness, guarding from evil things folk that are heedless"
Tom is talking about the Rangers of course! Wonder why the Shire hasn't seen any violence since wolves invaded a few centuries before? The Rangers. Why it is so strange to hear of evil things even around Bree where Hobbits have spent a good deal of time? The Rangers.
The Hobbits, or Frodo at least, also receive another vision here on the expanse of the years since the forging of their new blades. They see lines of marching men, tall and grim in bright series, and the last among them came with a star upon his brow. The reader who is familiar with the series knows that this is Aragorn, who is called Elessar (elf-stone) for the symbolic "star of Earendil" that the line of kings wore.
I only noticed this on a later read-through but this really sets up Aragorn much better than I had initially thought, and Toms words describes Aragorn, their leader, impeccably.
Tom also takes a small brooch adorned with blue stones for himself, saying "fair was she who long ago wore this on her shoulder" I took great interest in this quote when reading through this current time and thinking about who this lady was. Tom speaks of this brooch as if remembering a fond memory of ancient times. Similarly, it must have been long ago indeed if Tom is calling it long ago. This guy was there at the dawn of time remember?
I have come to two theories, each of which are plausible and there really isn't much else to help determine which one could be true
Theory 1: Luthien
The story of Beren and Luthien is one of Tolkien's best known works of the 1st Age (LOTR takes place in the 3rd Age) telling of the human Beren going through great, unbelievable tasks (like the tasks of Hercules) to be with the Elven-born Luthien.
Luthien is described as the most beautiful thing to have ever lived and her romance with Beren is the best love story that Tolkien wrote (Aragorn and Arwen are like a watered down parallel story to this). The brooch would presumably have been passed down through Luthien's descendents to her grandchildren Elros and Elrond. Elros chose to become a human, unlike his twin brother Elrond (yes, THAT Elrond) and Elros became the first King of Numenor and the ancestor to Aragorn. This brooch would have passed down the lines and eventually been in the hands of the rulers of the old Northern kingdom of Arnor when Aragorn's ancestors Elendil and Isildur ruled it. Eventually, it was lost with the rest of the Northern kingdom when the Witch-king invaded.
This theory also has some plausibility as Aragorn wears the Ring of Barahir, a legendary heirloom of his house that was traced back to Beren - Luthien's husband. I love the symbolism of the two relics being passed through the generations and one being lost represents the fall of the kingdom. When Tom recovers it, it's a sign that the dark days are done and the Return of the King is soon!
Theory 2: Noble lady of Arnor/Queen of Arnor
Similar to Theory 1, this places the brooch as an item of importance to the history of Arnor. Presumably, this brooch belonged to a noble lady, maybe even a queen, who met with Tom and Goldberry long ago before their kingdoms fell. This would perhaps fit better with the casual way that Tolkien describes the brooch without placing much importance on it.
Conclusion:
I'm going to keep thinking it belonged to Luthien. I love the parallel with the Ring of Barahir, and the ties to Tolkien's favorite female character (his wife's tombstone has the name "Luthien" engraved on it). I also think that it fits with Tom's reckoning of time (a few ages back was definitely a long time ago, even for him), and Tolkien is also not very descriptive of Glamdring, Gandalf's sword, when they find it in "The Hobbit." Glamdring was wielded by Turgon, one of the most powerful Elven kings to have lived, a fact that Gandalf surely would know since he knew the name of the sword, yet Tolkien omits it. Important historical things are not always called out explicitly by Tolkien.
In any case, I love moments like this where I can create my own reasoning for what something is and how it ties together. What do you think the brooch is?
Man, I didn't even give a second thought to the brooch. Perhaps having read Tolkien's other works, you are more prepared for subtleties like that, but I feel like I miss a lot until I come back to read your commentary. It sounds like he is going to bring it back to Goldberry: is there significance in that? Actually, what do you make of Goldberry in general? Is she an elf? Something more?
ReplyDeleteWhat I did take most out of this Chapter, adding to your analysis of Frodo's bravery, is the ever-expanding grim nature of the journey. Here we see the hobbits get the first blades. Yet, "Fighting had not before occurred to any of them as one of the adventures in which their flight would land them." As readers, we're fully aware that fighting will be necessary and important for the all of the hobbits at some point. Its what makes Tolkien such an excellent story teller. Each chapter leads to character growth, with a new challenge and a new opportunity.
Finally, I also highlighted the quote that sets up the Aragorn/Strider introduction: ""For now remember them...yet still some go wandering, sons of forgotten kings, walking in loneliness, guarding from evil folk that are heedless." This plays perfectly into Gandalf's quote later about "not all wander are lost" etc. I love that use of description. Strider may appear to everyone to be a mysterious vagabond, but he his fully aware of his duty and what is to come. Great foreshadowing.
Reading his other works helps in the sense that you feel like the world is fleshed out, and you better understand what he is writing. It's a mythology and as such, major characters recur in different stories and, unlike the real world, most action is driven by a few folks.
DeleteGreat question on Goldberry!
My thoughts: She is called "Daughter of the River" and I take this to mean she could be one of several things.
1) A Maiar like Gandalf or Saruman. Luthien's mom was a Maiar named Melian so there is a precedence for living in Middle-Earth and marrying. Melian's husband was one of the most powerful elf-lords and Goldberry's is Tom. Tom is vastly more powerful but there is a precedence.
2) A nature "spirit" of sorts, like Bombadil. This is probably more likely, with Tom existing outside the fabric of the rest of Middle-Earth, it seems natural his wife doesn't quite fit in either. Specifically, she could just a representation of that specific forest as its "soul" of sorts.
3) The spirit of the Entwives! As the Ents, the original forest guardians created by the Valar Yavanna way back in the day, are fading, Goldberry grows stronger. It never mentions that Goldberry is as old as Tom is. I'm only a little serious about this suggestion, as it assumes a lot and is not based of much, but it's a neat idea.
So overall, I think she is just a representation of the Old Forest's soul and, like Tom, is a bit outside the fabric of reality here.