Book 2 Chapter 4: Journey in the Dark - "The Wild West of Middle-Earth"

A Journey in the Dark is like "A New Hope" of chapters. The Rebels (Fellowship) are a bit down and out after being thwarted in their plans (Path over Caradhras and the capture of Princess Leia aboard the Tantive IV) There's a bit of soul searching and naval gazing before being forced to commit to a path that will really define the rest of the story (Burning of the Lars' Farm in Star Wars, and the entrance to Moria being blocked by the Watcher).

There's a lot of tension building and from the title itself, it's clear that things will not go well for the party.

Road to Moria

After fleeing down the mountain, defeated, a council is held by the Fellowship and Gandalf quickly outlines the two options before them: go back defeated, or continue on through other means. Only Sam, Merry, and Pippen seem excited about the chance of returning. Frodo quickly quenches this simply stating that they "must go on". Frodo, perhaps alone apart from Gandalf, knows the true weight of the Ring.

With that in mind, there are two options: journey south through the Gap of Rohan or go through the halls of the former Dwarven kingdom of Khazad-Dum or Moria. The Gap of Rohan is very narrow and adjacent to Saruman which everyone agrees would be a bad path to take. However, Moria does not seem much more appealing.

Boromir compares Moria (which is Elvish for "Black Pit" by the way) to the tower of Sauron himself in its dark and wicked reputation. Gandalf is very quick to refute that. He alone of the party has been to a fortress of the Enemy (Dol Guldor) and he knows that Sauron is the most formidable enemy currently imaginable.

Also, both Gandalf and Aragorn have made the trek through Moria before so it is not a wholly untrodden path. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, Aragorn warns Gandalf. "It is not of the Ring, nor of us others that I am thinking now, but of you Gandalf. And I say to you, if you pass the doors of Moria, beware."

I don't think Aragorn is particularly magically gifted with foresight but this prophecy is pretty clearly fulfilled in the following chapter. Similar to how Frodo received visions of Gandalf earlier in the book, I think this is a sort of "divine spark" that Aragorn receives. Tolkien is pretty blatant in that all forms of "magic" flow from the divine and that these visions are what the Valar or Eru Illuvatar (God) himself wants them to see.

But Gandalf wants none of that crap, and so they push towards Moria.

But the path is pretty rough. They are surrounded and attacked by packs of Sauron's wargs and Gandalf is forced to use a Word of Command again to summon fire and frighten away the Wargs.

Once again, Gandalf decides that if he does not tap into a "cheat code", they will all perish. I think the films gloss over just how damn dangerous and rough this journey was in favor of nearly indestructible adventurers swashbucklin' through Middle-Earth. Not that this wasn't entertaining but Gandalf is literally an angel and has to resort to a higher power to pull them through the darker points.

I think this is very important to Tolkien in both his personal view of "higher powers" and for replicating an "authentic" mythological vibe. Personally, Tolkien was always adamant about the power of religion and it played a huge role in his personal life. His closest friend was fellow professor and noted Christian author C.S. Lewis and Tolkien is not shy that Christianity deeply affected his work both directly and indirectly. Within the context of Middle-Earth, "higher powers" often play a pivotal role in shaping the destiny of heroes. In Greek mythology, most stories are literally about the Gods messing around with mortals and directly changing their lives. Tolkien is tapping into this tradition by having Gandalf, a minor deity in his own right, play such a direct and powerful role.

Essentially, he is saying that some things are beyond the mortal races, and that's okay.

The Door

I think the "Watcher in the Water" is one of the cooler and weirder things in Middle-Earth since it is a creature unmentioned in any of Tolkien's other works, unlike Balrogs, Dragons, or Orcs, and instead stands on its own: a mystery like Tom Bombadil, not meant to be solved.

Password into Moria by Ted Nasmith

Gandalf remarks that there are "older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world" as the Fellowship approaches Moria. I think its clear that he means that the deepest depths of places like Moria contain things that no one can really comprehend. Later in the chapter, Gandalf comments that the lower levels of Moria are flooded, which could allow such a creature to escape a subterranean prison (perhaps the lake the Gandalf/Durin's Bane fall into?). Perhaps the creature fled because of Durin's Bane? Maybe or maybe not, but it's plausible and I like to think that there is only room for one real big bad guy in Moria at a time.

Also notable when the Fellowship enters Moria, is that no one really feels a sense of dread. Its understood that Moria is a FREAKIN' HUGE PLACE! It spans the length of a mountain change and goes up and down several levels. There's no possible way that Gandalf, Gimli, or anyone else could possibly say if Gimli's cousin Balin successfully resettled a portion of Moria because it might take days to even reach the other side. 

I think this is significant because Moria is sort of the "Wild West" of Middle-Earth. It's unknown around each corner if law or chaos will rule and there's a real sunovabitch who runs around in the lawlessness of the lower levels (Durin's Bane). Balin (Gimli's cousin and Bilbo's friend from "The Hobbit") is playing The Sheriff and resettling the lawless land. 

Mithril!

While walking through Moria, Gandalf comments that the wealth of Khazad-Dum was not in gems or gold, but in  mithril, a substance that is like Kevlar in protection and diamond in preciousness. Gandalf remarks that Bilbo received a full suit of Mithril mail from Thorin as a present for retaking Erebor. Gimli is astonished at the gift, as mithril is both incredibly rare and valuable, even for kings. 

No one else in the party knows that Bilbo gave Frodo that magnificent armor but Frodo is thinking deeply about it. Frodo wonders if Bilbo knew about how valuable mithril was when he gave the armor to Frodo. Frodo eventually decides that Bilbo did know and consciously chose to give Frodo the mail any way.

This is very significant and one of the reasons that Frodo is carrying the Ring instead of anyone else. The Hobbits are unique among the mortal races in being able to fathom giving away personal power, wealth, and glory. Gimli can't imagine Thorin giving away such a gift, Elrond is afraid to touch the Ring, and Boromis tries to take the Ring later. Frodo (and the other Hobbits) are the only ones who care about each other more than power over their fellows. This virtue alone is the crux of the entire story and the real strength of Hobbits. The humblest of the races offers the most to their salvation.

Conclusion

This chapter has some other cool parts, especially in the description of Moria itself. Even after reading the books several times and watching the films, I still marvel at the size and grandeur of Moria. It's like if Buckingham Palace was the size of Vermont and each room had a unique story to tell. 

Just imagine all the cool things the dwarves left in there!

My favorite part of Moria that is often overlooked is that the Dwarves built God damned skylights into the inner halls! Thousands of feet through sheer rock, the Dwarves cut straight paths that allow natural light to enter the dark halls. It seems like such a small accomplishment when Tolkien throws it in casually near the end of the chapter, but it really speaks to the grandeur of Khazad-Dum.

Reread this chapter and think about how Moria was constructed in the first place. It was the "Garden of Eden" for Dwarves (where Durin first woke at the dawn of time), and the first Dwarven kingdom.

The Dwarves had millenia to construct Moria. Even after centuries of occupation, Khazad-Dum remains, in my opinion, the most marvelous and spectacular single location in Middle-Earth.

Chapter 4: Shortcut to Mushrooms

Chapter 4 is a quick read of a chapter, nestled in between the refreshing evening with the Elves and before Frodo and company makes it to Buckleberry Ferry and their "freedom". This is a bit shorter of a post and I wanted to introduce an important theme of the entire series that makes an early appearance here: the power of voice.

Leaving the Shire by Ted Nasmith

The next morning after the party with the Elves, Pippen is in an extraordinarily good mood considering the circumstances. He had a rather strange day what with Dark Riders and a full day of walking and hasn't slept in a proper bed in several nights. Why, he doesn't even have beer, a fact he bemoans in Chapter 4. Granted, Pippen knows much less about whats going on and the true danger than Frodo and Sam, but his cheer is a strong contrast to Frodo who wakes up troubled and concerned.

This marks the first time that Frodo tries to get his friends to leave him.

Sam seems to understand what Frodo is trying to get at and rejects him firmly. He relays an interesting exchange with the Elves from the night before.

" 'Don't you leave him!' they said to me, 'Leave him!' I said, 'I never mean to. I am going with him, if he climbs to the Moon and if any of those black riders try to stop him, they'll have Sam Gamgee to reckon with!' "

First, this is important because it is one of the earlier instances of "oaths" or promises making their appearance. Words are very powerful in Tolkien's world (which makes sense, being a linguist and language scholar and all) and spoken words can carry weight of their own. Think Gandalf speaking to bring down the Chamber of Mazarbul in Moria, or Grima Wormtongue using his voice to manipulate the King. It's not simple political persuasion, it's actual control.

The power of voice is a strong theme in old Norse mythology and Tolkien uses his research in that area to tie in these traditional elements. It's pretty similar to Skyrim where the Nord characters revere those who can use the Dragon Shouts, essentially, those who can command the world with their voice. This is an old Nordic trope and Tolkien hits it throughout the series.

Oaths, and promises, are of a similar vein and it's important to take note when they are made, by whom, and how they are kept.

Another important piece of this conversation is how Sam comments that he doesn't really have an interest in seeing Elves, Dragons, or Mountains anymore. He wants to continue because he feels like he must. He claims that he feels a sense of duty and there is something that he needs to do before the end. A pretty solid turnaround from the starry eyed boy from a chapter ago. Remember, Sam is a young-guy still. Late teens in terms of human development while Frodo is probably closer to early 30's in this regard. Important to keep in mind.

Tolkien's choice of language and writing style varies throughout the book. In these early chapters, its more casual. He drops parenthetical asides referencing whats really going on such as "Sam claimed his pack was too light (it wasn't)." which is a feature not really seen in later chapters. In Chapter 3, he even writes a paragraph of the inner monologue of a fox who happened to be walking by. In generally, it feels like a children's book that is growing darker and darker with each chapter, which I think is by design.

Chapter Two: The Shadow of the Past part 1 - The Hobbits

Chapter Two is one of my favorite chapters in the entirety of the Lord of the Rings saga because it really is where the story kicks off. Chapter 1 has some nice exposition and a pleasant party, but Chapter Two is where we dig into the character of Frodo and start to see him, and his friends, as a contrast to the older, stodgier Hobbits of the first chapter.

Hobbiton by Ted Nasmith

 

I think I'm going to spend this chapter looking at the two biggest Hobbit characters in the book, Frodo and Sam, followed by a second post looking at one of the most mysterious, yet powerful characters, the One Ring, which will be posted tomorrow!

Frodo 

Frodo is the young nephew of Bilbo introduced in the first chapter. Frodo is an orphan and we've discussed the interested position he has as the eldest of Bilbo's cousins and the role of the "elder" in a group. Chapter Two really fleshes out what Frodo is before the journey and highlights just how different he was compared to his neighbors and even his friends. As an aside about Frodo's friends, he is introduced with his circle of friends who are Meriadoc and Peregrin (who are well known characters) and the less known Folco Boffin and Fredegar (Fatty) Bolger. Fredegar gets a good amount of attention in the next few chapters and is one of the least heralded heroes of the saga but one who played an absolutely crucial part. Samwise Gamgee is NOT mentioned as a friend of Frodo's despite being of a similar age as Pippin and living in the same hill as Frodo. Sam, after all, is Frodo's employee and NOT his friend. The clear language in this chapter establishes that they were on good terms with each other, but not oft drinking buddies or old comrades.

It's important to note that Frodo is aggressively pushed as an atypical Hobbit, much the opposite way Bilbo was presented in The Hobbit. Bilbo is a very reluctant adventurer and relishes casual days smoking pipe weed and walking through the gardens. Frodo, having grown up on Bilbo's tales, has a sense of wonder that is matched by his companions, atypical Hobbits themselves!

Tolkien writes that Frodo is oft seen wandering the Shire by night, alone, staring up at the stars and lost in thoughts. He surrounded himself with odd characters as well. The respectable Hobbits of the Ivy Bush Inn whispered about queer Mr. Frodo as he was "Often he was seen walking and talking with the strange wayfarers that began at this time to appear in the Shire". I would think they mean Men in this instance as Elves and Dwarves are mentioned individually elsewhere in the section (and Frodo speaks frequently with them as well!) and new men in the Shire likely mean early scouts of Saruman, although this is nothing more than a personal hunch.

Sam 

As I mentioned before, its significant that Sam is not mentioned as a specific friend of Frodo. He is of a lower social class, his father being Bilbo's longtime gardener, and drinks with the fellow laborers of town like Ted Sandyman the miller while Frodo carouses with Merry Brandybuck, the heir to Buckland, and Pippin Took, the heir of Great Smials and the title of Thane of the Shire. Frodo is hanging out with Shire nobility (and as a Baggins with a Took for a mother and a Baggins/Brandybuck father, a noble himself)while their workers gossip about them in pubs.

When we are properly introduced to Sam, he is telling his drinking mates about tales he's heard from the northernmost reaches of the Shire - giants have been seen and there are Elves going through the woods again! He frequently references the tales of Mr. Bilbo and laments how Bilbo left so he can no longer hear the stories. Sam is a simple man, enchanted by the unknown and mystery that Bilbo presented. When Gandalf insists that Sam accompany Frodo at the end of the chapter, Sam is overjoyed. HE GETS TO SEE THE ELVES! He literally jumps for joy at the chance to live out one of Mr. Bilbo's stories and is anxious to leave the Shire behind.

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I think the most significant of the Hobbit's characteristics is that these Hobbits represent a new generation very different than the previous ones. These Hobbits grew up on Bilbo's tales of adventure and have a deeply ingrained sense of curiosity, wondering what else there is besides gentle rolling hills and fine pipe-weed to the world. Sam is the most wide-eyed child-like over this (probably because he, and Pippen, are essentially kids when this starts) but all of the main Hobbits are different in that they are intrigued by adventure and do not shy away from the possibility of it. This is a REMARKABLE difference than 50 years prior when Bilbo ran out of town without his handkerchief.