February 29, 3019 – Meeting Treebeard and Gollum

Welcome to the first “problem” day of this project. If it were a leap year, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but this year it is.

The calendar Tolkien went by for the story was Shire Reckoning. Each month had 30 days in it, including February. So both today and tomorrow will have an extra post. There’s no other way to reconcile this, so hang in there!

Sam and Frodo (Part One)

“‘Did you see them again, Mr. Frodo?’ asked Sam,” (Book Four, Chapter 1 – The Taming of Smégol)

Sam and Frodo slept under an overhanging rock, and by morning Sam was asking Frodo if he saw any sign of Gollum. Frodo hadn’t. They had spent the previous day trying to get down from a high cliff in the Emyn Muil, and the bulk of this day was spent doing the same.

Towards evening, as Sam was climbing down to a lower ledge, they heard the cry of a Nazgûl. This was probably the same Nazgûl that was at Sarn Gebhir with Grishnákh (who was dead by this point). Perhaps the cry was the Nazgûl learning of Grishnákh’s failure.

While this freaked Sam out, it nearly did Frodo in. As Sam was trying to get him to come to, it began to storm. And this is where Sam remembered that he had rope with him. Though he had forgotten to bring rope along for the journey, the folk of Lórien supplied their own just for Sam.

The storm passed, but it was nearly dark. Before night fully set in, with the aide of Sam’s rope, the pair were down and out of the Emyn Muil. They thought they’d have to leave the rope behind (the realization of which caused Sam to lightly curse “Noodles!”), but it came undone seemingly on its own.

They couldn’t find any shelter, so they simply made camp on the ground near a boulder at the base of the cliff. The moon rose and against the cliff face, they saw Gollum “like a nasty crawling spider on a wall.”

Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas

“As before Legolas was first afoot, if indeed he had ever slept.” (Book Three, Chapter 2 – The Riders of Rohan)
As Frodo and Sam scrambled out of the Emyn Muil, off to the east, Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas continued their tracking of the Orcs who captured Merry and Pippin.

They walked all morning, reaching the Downs of Rohan at 11am. According to Tolkien’s notes, the Orcs had rested in this same spot at 9pm two nights before (Feb 27th).

The trio rested here as well for a short time, and then were back at it. They had come 85 miles since the Fellowship had splintered. Marching through the day, they covered another 25 miles before reaching the northern end of the Downs. They made camp.

Merry and Pippin (and Treebeard)

(“The sounds had died away.” Book Three, Chapter 3 – The Uruk-hai)
Merry and Pippin had been thus far spared in the battle that took place between the Orcs and the Riders of Rohan. That morning, around 7am, the Riders attacked in earnest.

As for Merry and Pippin, one untied the other and they scurried away into the woods. It took the Riders three hours to round up the Orcs. None survived. Uglúk, the head Uruk-hai, was killed by Éomer, the Third Marshal of the Mark.

The two Hobbits continued into the woods. Merry was worried about food, though they had some spare lembas in their packs. Just as they were about to figure out which way to go next, they saw what they thought was sun peeping through the trees.

They walked for a long time and finally came to a cliff and a natural stair.

It was here they met Treebeard the Ent. He liked their “nice little voices,” and they reminded him of something he couldn’t remember. The Hobbits were taken aback, but not afraid. They ask him his name, and though he tells them “Treebeard,” he’s hesitant to give them his full name. “Now that would be telling! Not so hasty. And I am doing the asking. You are in my country.”

Treebeard learned about Hobbits. The Hobbits learned about the Ents (sort of), and it was a lovely introduction. He mentions Gandalf, wondering what he’s up to, Saruman too with his Orcs. The Hobbits speak of Gandalf in the past tense, even saying that he “has fallen out” of the story. Treebeard simply replies “well I do not know what to say.”

Fair enough, but Treebeard had seen Gandalf just two days before. Both had apparently recognized each other – or at least, Treebeard had recognized Gandalf. It’s not clear exactly why the Ent didn’t tell the Hobbits about the meeting, but who really knows the ways of Ents?

After a bit more talk, Treebeard takes the Hobbits in his arms and carries them to his home. Along the way, he tells them about Fangorn Forest and more about Ents, about history. It took them about nine hours (according to Tolkien’s extensive notes on ent-strides).

When they arrived at his home, they told him their story thus far. Treebeard concluded that they were something “very big” going on, and was most interested in Gandalf and Saruman. Again, still no mention that he saw Gandalf two days before. Though he wasn’t on a side, per se, he was against Orcs, especially the Orcs of Saruman, who did “not care for growing things, except as far as they serve him for the moment.”

He had known that Saruman was doing something to Orcs to make them worse, more like wicked Men. He had resolved to go to war against them, and the Hobbits were to help. But first, much more talk (and some singing) of ent-wives.

After that, it was time to sleep.

Sam and Frodo (Part Two: Enter Gollum)

Just after dark, just after they made camp, Sam and Frodo saw Gollum crawling down the cliff. He had likely heard their voices and was coming towards them.

They tried to keep quiet so that he might not be able to find them, but when Gollum fell, Sam sprang out and was all over him. Gollum bit him and tried to get his hands around his throat. Sam head-butted him. Frodo followed with Sting drawn, and threatened to slit Gollum’s throat.

Gollum collapsed away from Sam with a whimper and begged not to be killed. Sam and Frodo had a quick debate about whether to kill him, but Gandalf’s words came back to Frodo –

‘Many that live deserve death. And some die that deserve life. Can you give that to them? Then be not too eager to deal out death in the name of justice, fearing for your own safety. Even the wise cannot see all ends.’

With that, and after a lot of back and forth, Frodo offers to bring Gollum along with them. It was clear they couldn’t sleep, so after a bit of a rest, they tied Sam’s rope to Gollum’s ankle. The elvish rope burned him, and Frodo agreed to remove it if Gollum promised “to be very very good.” He swore on the Ring, well by it. He wept and bit as his ankle.

They set off again, walking through the night. A very changed Gollum leading them.

Faramir

(Book Four, Chapter 5 – The Window on the West)
Around midnight, Faramir, the younger brother of Boromir, the brother who had many dreams of the sword of Elendil, was by the Anduin near Osgiliath.

He later related:
‘Then I saw, or it seemed that I saw, a boat floating on the water, glimmering grey, a small boat of a strange fashion with a high prow, and there was none to row or steer it.’

It was the boat in which Aragorn and company had placed Boromir’s body following the battle with the Orcs on February 26th, three days before.

‘A broken sword was on his knee. I saw many wounds on him. It was Boromir, my brother, dead. I knew his gear, his sword, his beloved face.’

Though Faramir noticed that his brother was without his horn, he was able to see the belt given to Boromir in Lothlórien.

‘And I do not doubt that he is dead and has passed down the River to the Sea.’

Boromir’s bier had floated 225 from the site of his death to Osgiliath. At this rate, the remaining 350 miles to the Great Sea would be covered by March 5th.

February 28, 3019 – The Orcs Pursued by Rohan

Welcome to the ante-penultimate day of February – the 28th day, 3019 of the Third Age (we’ll get to all of that in a bit). For now, let’s start to end February with look-see at what’s going on.

Sam and Frodo

“It was the third evening since they had fled from the Company” – (Book Four, Chapter 1 – The Taming of Smégol)

We find the Hobbits atop a cliff trying to figure out how to get down. I’ve been there, and it’s just frustrating. They had apparently been there all day, and maybe even most of yesterday. But the story picks up with them towards evening.

They stared at the “oncoming night”. In the distance they could see red flickers of Mount Doom erupting. Mordor – the one place they did not want to go.

Frodo reasons that it is his “doom” (here, meaning destiny) to go into Mordor. He laments that he didn’t leave the Fellowship before he did.

Giving up for the day, the slept under the shelter of a jagged rock.

Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas

“Before dawn was in the sky he woke and rose.” (Book Three, Chapter 2 – The Riders of Rohan)

The three of them had walked all night, finding the five dead Orcs just before daybreak. When they woke, it was to despair. Aragorn was certain the Orcs who had kidnapped Merry and Pippin were long gone.

Before they set out, Aragorn put his ear to the ground and could hear nothing of the Orcs, but instead horses. The riders of Rohan (though Aragorn didn’t seem to know this).

Regardless, they were back on the trail before sunup, practically running all the way. The snacked upon lembas to keep up their strength.

According to Karen Wynn Fonstead’s Atlas of Middle-earth, these three traveled 36 miles in twelve hours time. That’s not bad, especially after being in a boat for so long.

They finally halted a dusk, even more worried that the Orcs were outrunning them. Aragorn was tired – more tired than normal. He figured that there was “some will that lends speed to our foes and sets an unseen barrier for us.” Saruman.

Merry and Pippin (and the Orcs)

“He came back to the waking world and found it was morning.” (Book Three, Chapter 3 – The Uruk-hai)

Pippin woke and was greeted by an Orc who threw him some stale bread and dried meat. He ate the bread only. The Orcs were fighting again. Some wanted to continue east, others wanted to turn south.

Uglúk told the Northern Orcs that if they wanted to leave, they could. They did. While the Uruk-hai out of Isengard were under Uglúk, and the Orcs from Mordor were until Grishnákh, the Northern Orcs seemed to have no leader. Their departure meant that for now, it was just Uglúk’s band.

Uglúk’s Orcs with Merry and Pippin start at dawn. and travel until 10:00am. Along the way, they are seen by Éomer and his riders of Rohan. They make a turn towards Fangorn and stop for a rest.

During this rest (around 10:30), they spot the Riders. They also see Grishnákh’s and his Orcs coming up from Sarn Gebir.

The reunion of Uglúk and Grishnákh isn’t exactly flowers and rainbows and the former believes the latter drew the Riders of Rohan to them. Uglúk also riffs on the Nazgúl (which is pretty badass).

Both bands of Orcs legged it so quickly that they soon overtook the Nornthern Orcs. They were very close to Fangorn at this point. All the while, the Riders of Rohan were gaining on them.

Towards evening the Riders caught up to the straggling Orcs. By nightfall, the main body of Orcs was still untouched. They seized some high ground and were besieged by the Riders. A few Orcs tried to escape. Most were killed.

In preparing for the coming battle, Uglúk ordered a guard placed on the Hobbits. They were to be killed if the Riders broke through. Through the night, small bands of Men crept close to the Orc lines and killed a few here and there. This really freaked out the Orcs and Uglúk had to “stop a stampede.”

During this, Grishnákh himself came to the Hobbits and began looking for the Ring. He knew a Hobbit had it, but wasn’t sure which one. Pippin made a few “gollum, gollum” sounds, while Merry tempted Grishnákh with the thought of having he Ring for himself, and tried to get him to untie their legs.

Grishnákh dragged the Hobbits away from the lines and drew his sword. This sent an arrow from Rohan through his hand. With his yelp, another Rider drove a spear into him. The Riders did not see the Hobbits, and they were safe.

Reinforcements sent from Isengard attacked the Riders, and a general melee broke out. In this fray, Merry and Pippin thought it good to escape – mostly by crawling. The sun would soon be up and soon the Riders were attack in earnest.

Gríma Wormtongue

Gríma Wormtongue, a disguised emissary and servant of Saruman, arrived at Edoras in September. He had enthralled King Théodin. It was because of Wormtongue that the King sent Gandalf away back when the wizard first met Shadowfax.

On this date, Wormtongue’s spies returned to Edoras with the news that Éomer had disobeyed orders from Théodin. Wormtongue told the King, who was enraged.

February 27, 3019 – Almost Everyone is After the Orcs

Well folks, we’ve done it. We’ve made it all the way through Fellowship of the Ring. From here on out Tolkien abandoned linear storytelling and had several threads going on at once. There’s every chance I’ll miss something, so if you catch it, let me know! I’ll try to include everything I can, even if it’s small.

Today, February 27, 3019, is the first full day of the broken Fellowship. I’ll try to establish a pattern. I think Frodo and Sam should come first. Then Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli. Then Merry and Pippin. Then anybody else. This will have to change from time to time, but I’m going to try to maintain this. I’ll also try to provide references to the text where I can. Here we go!

Sam and Frodo

(Book Four, Chapter 1 – The Taming of Smégol)
Tolkien yadda-yadda’d his way through whatever Sam and Frodo did this day. In fact, when we return to them (after all of the Third Book), he jumps in at the “third evening since they had fled from the Company.” That’s tomorrow. today is the second day.

For the most part, it seems, they were trying to figure out how to get themselves down a cliff in the eastern Emyn Muil.

Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas

“There in the still cool hour before dawn they rested for a brief space.” (Book Three, Chapter 2 – The Riders of Rohan)

Aragorn couldn’t figure out which they they might have gone – north to Fangorn or to Isengard or south to the Entwash? They picked north.

Their decision was a good one, and soon they came upon five dead Orcs. But they couldn’t tell how they were killed. A quick look told them that these were all northern Orcs. There must have been a fight between them and other Orcs.

They found the trail once again and were on their way. By sunrise, they were on the East Wall of Rohan, the end of the Emyn Muil.

On their way down, Legolas sees and Eagle – likely Gwaihir, who was sent by Gandalf to scout the area. Both he and Aragorn see the Orcs below them, thirty-six or so miles away.

They reached the bottom and were able to make a better pace. Before long, Aragorn stopped, saw Hobbit footprints and found Pippin’s brooch. With this, they were able to deduce that Pippin, at least, was alive.

Through the afternoon and into evening, they continued their pursuit. But by evening, they were worn out and needed to rest. They did so hoping that the Orcs would rest as well.

Merry and Pippin (and the Orcs)

(Book Three, Chapter 3 – The Uruk-hai)
For much or even all of the day, both Merry and Pippin were out of it as the Orcs traveled onward. According to Tolkien’s notes, they are 47 miles ahead of Aragorn and company. By 9pm, they reach the South end of the Downs.

The Hobbits were carried or ran the entire distance.

As for Grishnákh and his Orcs from Mordor, they reached Sarn Gabir late on this day, and met another (different) Nazgúl who had just come from Sauron. His orders were to tell Grishnákh to pursue Uglúk. They recross the Anduin in an efford to intercept the Uruk-hai.

Gandalf

We’ll learn later that on this day, Gandalf saw Treebeard. This was (apparently) the day after wrestling with Sauron inside Frodo’s mind.

He saw Treebeard “striding among the trees, and I think he saw me, for he paused; but I did not speak, for I was heavy with thought and weary after my struggle with the Eye of Mordor, and he did not speak either, nor call my name.”

Éomer

While we have yet to meet Éomer in the story, he is active in the timeline. Éomer was the Marshal of the Mark, a rider of Rohan and future King of Rohan.

You’ll remember yesterday, shortly after when Saruman’s Orcs killed five northern Orcs, a scout of Rohan was seen on a hill. This scout reported back to Éomer.

And on this day, according to the Tale of Years, “Éomer against Théoden’s orders sets out from Eastfold about midnight to pursue the Orcs.”

February 26, 3019 – The Fellowship Breaks

Welcome to what’s arguably the most important date of the entire story – February 26, 3019. This is going to be an incredibly long one. Buckle up.

Book Two, Chapter 10: The The Breaking of the Fellowship
“The day came like fire and smoke.”

The Choice

After breakfast, Aragorn called the company together. They had a choice to make. Should they go with Boromir to Minas Tirith to fight on the side of Gondor? Should they go for Mordor together? Or should they split up and do a little from Column A, a little from Column Be? Haste was necessary as Aragorn believed that Orcs might be on their side of the river (according to Tolkien’s notes on Orc movements, his suspicions were founded).

Ultimately, Aragorn considered the choice to be Frodo’s to make. “I cannot advise you. I am not Gandalf…” Frodo was on his own. Nobody had any idea what Gandalf would do here, or even if he had a plan this far down the line.

Frodo requested an hour alone to think about it. Sam thought the decision was “plain as a pikestaff,” but couldn’t speak up. Boromir’s eyes followed Frodo.

Frodo and Boromir

Frodo left the company and climbed the path to Amon Hen. Sitting on a rock, he thought about his decision, but could come to no conclusion. Boromir arrived shortly after and startled Frodo from his thoughts.

Here, Boromir used the justification of protecting Frodo from Orcs as a reason why he followed him. It made sense, in a way, but why so close, Bor? He then confesses that he’s uneasy and needs to talk to Frodo. This is strange.

Frodo admits that he’s known what to do from the start, but he’s afraid. At first it seemed like Boromir was arguing simply to go to fight with Minas Tirith. But then Frodo brought up the Ring and Boromir seized on it. After a little hemming and hawing, he asked Frodo if he could see it again.

After a little reasonable hesitation on Frodo’s part, Boromir basically flipped out. “The Ring would give me power of Command,” he says, imagining his victories over the Orcs. “And all men would flock to my banner!”

Frodo was clearly taken aback, but his resolution is even more clear now. After a bit of back and forth, Boromir’s temptation overtakes him in his own hamfisted sort of way. “It is not yours save by unhappy chance. It might have been mine. It should be mine. Give it to me!”

In fear, Frodo puts on the Ring. Boromir’s anger boils over, but after Frodo leaves his sight, and he falls, he wept at his own words. “A madness took me, but it has passed.”

Frodo’s Vision

Frodo ran to the summit of Amon Hen and saw a vision: war everywhere. Orcs everywhere.

“And suddenly he felt the Eye.” And the Eye, Sauron, was searching for him, feeling for him. Frodo knew that soon Sauron would know exactly where he was. He was losing all sense of himself.

But then a voice – the voice of Gandalf – blasted through: “Take it off! Take it off! Fool, take it off! Take off the Ring!”

Gandalf battled with Sauron within Frodo’s mind. After this moment, Frodo was free to choose on his own. Gandalf had beaten Sauron back just enough to allow for Frodo to take off the Ring.

In his notes, Tolkien related: “On a hillin Fangorn [Gandalf] wrestles in thought with the Eye of Mordor, sand save Frodo from yielding.”

And then came Frodo’s decision. “I will go alone. At once.” While he could trust some, like his Hobbit friends and Aragorn, Boromir was right out.

He put on the Ring again and vanished.

The Fellowship and the Plans to Be

Maenwhile, the rest of the Fellowship were in a circle talking about what to do next. They knew that Frodo had to go to Mordor and were basing their talk about that ultimate decision. Would they all go or only some?

Aragorn wanted Sam, Gimli and himself to accompany Frodo. Boromir, Legolas, Merry and Pippin should go to Minas Tirith.

Speaking of Boromir, this is when the Fellowship noticed that he was gone. While Sam was suspicious as hell, nobody seemed to care. Besides, it had been longer than an hour and Frodo had not yet returned.

Boromir’s Back

Boromir returned and told the Fellowship a very tame version of the events between himself and Frodo. The Hobbits flip out. Aragorn wanted to form pairs for searching, but they were already off looking for their friend. Boromir, following Aragorn’s command, chased after Merry and Pippin, while Aragorn followed Sam. Legolas and Gimli

It’s really here, searching for Frodo, that the Fellowship physically breaks.

Sam

‘Whoa, Sam Gamgee!’ he said aloud. ‘Your legs are too short, so use your head!’

After Sam flips out, he calms himself down and reasons out what to do. He reasons that Boromir wouldn’t lie outright, but lie through omission. Boromir must have said something to frighten Frodo enough to put on the Ring. But he was also angry at Frodo for leaving without him.

‘Where to? Off East. Not without Sam? Yes, without even his Sam. That’s hard, cruel hard.’ This is one of the saddest lines in the whole book (a book full of sad lines). It’s one of the only lines that gets me right *here*. … Hold on, I think I have something in my eye… there. Got it. Anyway.

Again with reason, Sam looks to the boats. Frodo would need his gear and to cross the river. Running back to the boats, he saw one slipping itself into the river. He jumped for it, missed, and was helped up by Frodo, his friend.

Almost immediately, Sam was down for the trip to Moror with just Frodo. By the time they shoved off for good, Frodo was glad to have Sam with him. They crossed the river together.

Here is where Fellowship of the Ring ends, but our day does not end with it.

The Battle

While Sam was getting his gear from the shore, he heard a commotion in the woods. The commotion was the start of the battle. Aragorn, who had gone after Sam up the hill (before Sam turned back) heard Boromir’s horn. The battle had begun.

Off in the far distance, Boromir’s brother, Faramir, also heard the horn.

The Orcs under both Uglúk (out of Isengard) and Grishnákh (out of Mordor) had tracked the Fellowship down the river and attacked while Boromir was chasing after Merry and Pippin. The Orcs didn’t seem to want to fight the Hobbits, even after Merry had chopped off a few arms.

Boromir entered the fray and took out a bunch of Orcs, saving the Hobbits. Soon they were attacked again by nearly 100 Orcs. It was clear they were trying to take out Boromir. They shot Boromir through the body quite a few times before capturing the two Hobbits.

When Aragorn found Boromir, he was close to death. Boromir confessed that he tried to take the Ring and felt that his death was his punishment for that.

Boromir had taken out around twenty Orcs before succumbing to their arrows. When Legolas and Gimli reappeared, they also have killed a fair share.

Since the battle was over, they decided to build a bier for Boromir. It might seem a bit beside the point, however. Though they couldn’t know where Frodo was, they did know that the Orcs had taken Merry and Pippin. Legolas and Aragorn are great trackers, yet their concern for Boromir’s dead body held them back.

They argued a bit about the best way to honor his grave, but quickly decided to just put him in a boat and cast him off into the River (and in the falls).

CSI: Parth Galen

The three remaining members of the Fellowship then combed the battleground looking for clues. They found that the Orcs disarmed the Hobbits, but wouldn’t take their weapons with them.

Legolas picked up arrows, noticing that they were longer than normal Orc arrows. Aragorn noticed that many of the Orcs weren’t the kind of Orcs from Mordor. He could tell that some were northern orcs, and some were from the Misty Mountains, but some were of another kind.

This other Orcs were starkly different. Even their weaponry was more like those used by Men than Orcs. Their shields bore a white hand, and an Elvish “S” rune was on their helms. These were the Orcs under Uglúk, commanded by Saruman out of Isengard, and soon Aragorn figured this out.

Legolas noticed that one of the boats was gone, and there was no sign of Orcs being there.

Merry and Pippin with the Uruk-hai

When they were captured, both of the Hobbits were knocked out. They came to in the evening. One of the Orcs threatened Pippin, cursing the Isengard Orcs and the orders not to kill the Hobbits.

Throughout the Orc camp around them, they could hear Orcs of various bands talking about killing or not killing the Hobbits.

We learn that this was an argument between Uglúk and Grishnákh. Uglúk and his “Uruk-hai” from Isengard were ordered to bring the prisoners alive to Saruman. Grishnákh, under Sauron in Mordor wanted to take them to Barad-dûr (Lugbúrz, as he called it).

The Orcs fought and kind of forgot about the Hobbits for a bit. One of the Orc bodies fell near Pippin, who uses an exposed knife blade to saw through the ropes around his wrists. He was already planning his escape.

After the fight in which five Northern Orcs were killed, Uglúk’s band led the way toward Isengard. Along the way, they saw a scout of Rohan, and knew they would soon be found out. The scout would report to Éomer before dawn.

The fight caused Grishnákh and his Orcs from Mordor to leave the company. They headed north to Sarn Gebir. Uglúk continues into Rohan, moving towards Fangorn.

To move faster, the Orcs unbound the Hobbits and made them walk on their own. At a rest, Pippin tried to escape, but he was immediately caught. He removed a broach from his cloak and tossed it onto the ground in hopes that someone would soon find it.

I’m starting a daily map to give you a *very* general idea of where everyone is. I’ll still have the more specific maps, of course.

Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli in Pursuit

After a somewhat short funeral where they cast the boat into the water, Aragorn looked over their camp and quickly deduced that Sam had gone with Frodo. Gimli and Legolas couldn’t understand why Frodo fled, but Aragorn knew of Boromir’s last words, though he kept that a secret.

It was here that Aragorn decided to follow the Orcs even though they had “already lost precious hours.” It’s not clear how long the funeral lasted, but hours seems like a whole hell of a lot of time wasted. According to Tolkien’s notes, the battle happened at noon and the pursuit didn’t start until 4pm.

They hid the boat and tracked the Orcs on foot.

‘With hope or without hope we will follow the trail of our enemies. And woe to them, if we prove the swifter! We will make such a chase as shall be accounted a marvel among the Three Kindreds: Elves, Dwarves, and Men. Forth the Three Hunters!’

They followed well into the night until the trail was lost.

February 25, 3019 – Arrival near Amon Hen

Welcome to February 25, 3019 of the Third Age. Today is a day of choices for the Fellowship. They’ve known this all along. Once reaching Parth Galen, they’d have to figure out where to next and how.

Book Two, Chapter 9: The Great River
“As soon as it was fully light they started. Already the fog was thinning.”

The Anduin River between Sarn Gabir and Nen Hithoel (the lake before the Falls of Rauros) had cut deep into the Emen Muil.

‘Before the travellers lay a wide ravine, with great rocky sides to which clung, upon shelves and in narrow crevices, a few thrawn trees.’

Before long, the river narrowed and became swifter, the boats faster. But soon they were before the Argonath, the Pillars of the Kings – the likenesses of Isildur and Anárion, “silent wardens of a long-vanished kingdom.” They were built by Rómendacil II, the 19th King of Gondor, some 1750 years prior to our story.

After passing the Argonath, the peak atop the island of Tol Brandir (the Tindrock) could be seen. to the right was Amon Hen. They would camp below it at Parth Galen.

We’re told that “They could go no further without choice between the east-way and the west. The last stage of the Quest was before them.”

After establishing camp, Frodo pulled his sword Sting from its scabbard. The edges were lightly glowing which indicated Orcs were “not very near, and yet too near.” Aragorn hoped that they were on the other side of the river. He had never heard of Orcs at Amon Hen before.

Whatever decisions they would make, they could make the following day.

The First Battle of the Fords of Isen

I don’t want to get into this too much. If you’re interested in all the details, they are available in Unfinished Tales.

Long story short – Saruman wanted to conquer Rohan, but knew that he had to take out not only Éomer (King Théoden’s nephew), but also Thóedred, his son. Both were against his servant and spy Gríma Wormtongue. Once they were done away with, Rohan would be his.

The first battle was a tactical loss for Saruman and Isengard. But Saruman’s entire purpose was to kill Théodred. He ordered that his best warriors to focus their attention on him. In the midst of battle, one of the giant Orcs had been able to get close enough to kill the King’s son.

With that, the forces of Isengard retreated easily back to their stronghold. Rohan held the battlefield at the end of the day, but the purpose of the battle was not the field, but the field commander – Théodred – who lie dead where he was slain.

A Quick Gandalf Aside

Gandalf had left Lórien on February 20th. For this day, Tolkien wrote in his notes that “Gandalf reaches Fangon; sends Gwaihir to spy out lands for news.”

And that is all.

February 24, 3019 – Who Can Resist a Good Portage?

Welcome to February 24, 3019 of the Third Age. For the Fellowship, the night previous was a rough one. After suffering an Orc attack, the must have known they were being hunted.

Book Two, Chapter 9: The Great River
“When the day came the mood of the world about them had become soft and sad.”

The woke up to fog and immediately began arguing about where they were going. Earlier on the river-journey, we’re told that they all had this in mind, but were collectively putting it off to a later date. That later date is nowish.

Boromir wanted to “abandon these cockle-boats” and head to Minas Tirith. This was, incidentally, exactly what the Orcs under Grishnákh believe the entire Fellowship will do.

Aragorn offered some good reasons to not travel over-land to Minas Tirith. Boromir reminded him that the Enemy held the eastern bank of the River and of Rauros Falls – what was the plan for dealing with them?

Aragorn, with a bit of sass, reminded Boromir of the North Stair – a great path carved out by the Númenórians a long ass time ago. But the Falls were still a day or two off. They could worry about that then. For now, the Sarn Gebhir rapids were today’s issue.

While Boromir was totally not down for this idea, Aragorn suggested portage and portage it was. Boromir relented with some macho boasting, agreeing to go with them, but only to the “tall isle” (Tol Brandir).

Later that day, Aragorn and Legolas set out to find a pathway along the river. This seems like a big deal, but Tolkien “yadda-yadda”s it away with: “The task proved hard indeed, yet in the end it was done.”

With that bit of portage-ing, they made camp at the southern end of the rapids.

It drizzled some that night. The next morning, they’d be off again.

February 23, 3019 – Attacked by Orcs on the Anduin

Welcome to February 23, 3019! Today the Fellowship gets attacked by Orcs! Goodness, let’s dive in.

Book Two, Chapter 9: The Great River
“The next day the country on either side began to change rapidly.”

The next day the country on either side began to change rapidly.

Pre-Attack

With the Orcs knowing the location of the Fellowship, and with a Nazgûl en route, they’re probably pretty sure of themselves. And why wouldn’t they be?

As for the Fellowship, on the morning of this date, they saw the land finally changing around them. All around were thorns and brush, with rocky hills beyond. This was the “grey hill country of the Emyn Muil, the southern march of Wilderland.”

They had seen few birds on their river journey thus far. But now they were plentiful.

As the sun was setting, Aragorn was watching the skies and saw what he thought was a large bird. Legolas pegged it at a hunting eagle. This worried his as it was far from the mountains.

Of course, what they couldn’t know was that this supposed eagle was actually the Nazgûl summoned by Grishnákh.

The Attack

It was not incredibly difficult to track the company as they floated down the Anduin. They were on a set path and the Orcs could almost predict exactly when they would pass a landmark.

This is how they set themselves up at the rapids and just waited for the Fellowship to show themselves. They knew their prey was traveling by night and that the rapids would be tough to traverse in the darkness.

As soon as they came into the swifter currents, the Orcs attacked. Most of their arrows flew high, but “one smote Frodo between the shoulders.” It was, however, “foiled by his hidden coat of mail.”

More arrows and more near misses! Seeing they were Orcs, Sam blamed Gollum, but Gollum was innocent in this one.

Just before the rapids dashed them against the rocks, the Fellowship paddled their way into the calmer waters in the middle, and finally made their way to the other side, where the Orcs (and unknown to the Fellowship) Nazgûl could not go.

Speaking of the Nazgûl, Legolas saw that hunting eagle again, and seems to have recognized it for what it was. With an “Elbereth Gilthoniel!” he rose.

Across the river, as the Nazgûl swooped down, the Orcs cheered it on. Frodo’s wound began to ache, and Legolas took his shot.

Soon after, “there was a tumult of many voices far away, cursing and wailing in the darkness, then silence.” He had taken out a Nazgûl with he magic (but not magic) bow and arrow given to him in Lórien.

The Fellowship made their way up the western shore and stopped without making a formal camp.

For them, “the night passed silently.”

The same cannot be said for the Orcs. After a bit of wound-licking Grishnákh crossed the Anduin and moved south looking for the Fellowship. According to Tolkien’s notes, he believed them to be headed for Minas Tirith.

Meanwhile…

But wait, there’s more!

In a coming chapter, we learn that Shadowfax, Gandalf’s horse that he tamed from Rohan, returned to the Rohirrim on this day. A week from now, Éomer will say to Aragorn: “Seven nights ago Shadowfax returned; but the king’s anger is not less, for now the horse is wild and will let no man handle him.”

But that is still not all. We learn in Book Five, Chapter Three: “The Muster of the Dead” that the Dead Men out of the Dark Years began their journey to meet Aragorn “in the moonless nights but little while ago”. The date isn’t clear, and this, as Aragorn pointed out, was the new moon. There’s a good chance, anyway.

And just one more thing: Gollum. In his notes, Tolkien supposed this of Gollum: “Unable to follow by water, Gollum in terror of Orcs makes his way to Eastern Emyn Muil by east bank.”

As we know, Gollum will find Sam and Frodo again, but that won’t be until the 26th.

That’s it for now! See you tomorrow.

February 22, 3019 – New Moon or Not New Moon, Let’s Party!

Greetings and welcome to February 22, 3019 of the Third Age. The Fellowship is still floating down the Anduin, traveling by night in the hopes to avoid Gollum.

Tolkien tells us that “time passed without event until the seventh day.” Today is that Seventh Day, so let’s see what the event is!

The daytime itself offered nothing of interest. The sky was gray, the wind was from the East, and there was a clearing around dusk.

The Event

The only event of the Seventh Day was this:

There the white rind of the new Moon could be seen glimmering in the remote lakes. Sam looked at it and puckered his brows.

That’s it. The next line is “The next day the country on either side began to change rapidly.”

So basically we have a new moon and Sam’s puckered eye brows. I suppose that’s an event.

Even so, the next day, Aragorn will Man-splain to Sam that “well, actually, it wasn’t really the new moon, the new moon was on the 23rd you stupid Hobbit.” Or something like that.

So the event is Sam mistaking the basically new moon for the actual new moon.

Big day.

Behind the Scenes with the Orcs

Thought he probably wasn’t, it’s possible that Tolkien was referencing the Orcs. That last we heard about the two companies of the Enemy led by Uglúk and Grishnáhk, they had been driven to the east shore of the Anduin by the Rohirrim. That was on February 10th. Since then, they seem to have stuck to that side of the river.

In his notes (as published in Hammond & Scull’s Reader’s Companion), there were parties of Orc scouts searching for the Fellowship. On this day, they finally track them down.

With this news, Grishnákh from Mordor summons a Nazgûl. The catch was that Sauron would not allow the Wraith to cross to the west side of the Anduin.

This could get interesting. See you tomorrow.

February 20, 3019 – And Now By Night

Welcome to February 20, 3019 of the Third Age. We’re in montage mode, and will soon take a couple of writing days off before going full speed ahead! Yesterday we saw the Fellowship dealing with creepy Boromir and a quick Gollum sighting. Aragon was worried that Gollum might inform the Enemy about their location.

At Aragorn’s bidding they paddled now for long spells, and the banks went swiftly by. But they saw little of the country, for they journeyed mostly by night and twilight, resting by day, and lying as hidden as the land allowed. In this way the time passed without event until the seventh day.

The “seventh day” is the 22nd, which is when we’ll pick back up with the Fellowship. Enjoy your two days off.

But first a quick aside. In his notes, Tolkien wrote that “Gandalf leaves Lórien and flies south, borne by Gwaihir.”

Fly, wizard man, fly.

Camera: Argus/Cosina STL1000 (c1970)
Film: Fuji Super F Series 250D (8562); x08/2000; 100iso

February 19, 3019 – Creepy Boromir and a Gollum Encounter

Welcome to February 19, 3019 of the Third Age! It’s more river floating today!

Book Two, Chapter 9: The Great River
“In the next day or two, as they went on…”

This Feeling of Insecurity

Tolkien is somewhat in montage mode here, combining two days into one (for a paragraph). While the Fellowship had been content to just float with the current of the river, now four days out of Lothlórien, “they took to their paddles and hastened forward.”

A chilly wind blew from the east – remember, it was February. Each of them were busy with their own thoughts.

A Peek into Their Minds

Tolkien here gives us a rare glimpse into the thoughts of a few of the Fellowship.

Legolas was frolicking under the stars, running around under the beech trees in the summer.

Gimli was thinking about gold and Galadriel’s hair and if he could make a gold box or something to put Galadriel’s hair into. Kinda weird, but okay.

Sam was getting more used to being a boat, but wasn’t super thrilled about it.

Merry and Pippin, however, were not having a good time.

Creepy Ass Boromir

“Boromir sat muttering to himself, sometimes biting his nails, as if some restlessness or doubt consumed him.”

I am very familiar with how unbelievably creepy this is. There is a guy at work who will sort of whisper/mutter to himself. You can’t make out the words, but you can hear the cadence. Sometimes, when you’re talking to him, after replying to what you said, he’ll repeat your own words under his breath several times in a whispery muttering. It sounds like something out of a horror movie and is indescribably unsettling.

So yes, Boromir, you’re creeping everyone out. To heighten the discomfort, Pippin saw in Boromir “a queer gleam in his eye, as he peered forward gazing at Frodo.”

We’ll find out later the struggle which Boromir was facing – the draw of the Ring, which was consuming him.

It’s Gollum!

As the sun was setting, Sam was getting sleepy. He thought he saw something floading behind Gimli’s boat, but then it was gone. A log with eyes?

That night in camp, Sam told Frodo about it. At first, Sam thought he had a dream about a log with eyes.

Frodo admitted that he had seen something following them back in Moria. And also near Lórien. Both figured out that it was probably Gollum.

But into the night, Gollum was seen again. He got to within a yard or two of Frodo. Seeing this, Frodo drew Sting and faced Gollum head on. The weird little guy slipped back into the water with a bit of a hiss. He then floated on down stream.

All this commotion woke Aragorn, who said that he had noticed Gollum since Moria, but didn’t say anything. He had tried to catch Gollum a couple of times, but it didn’t work. Aragorn warned that Gollum was dangerous. He was worried that he would tell the Enemy where they were.

Of course, he couldn’t know that Gollum had done this before. But that was nearly a month ago. Gollum likely didn’t want to deal with Uglúk again, and the chances of him just wandering back to the Enemy were slim.

Since they probably couldn’t catch him, they would try to lose him.

Camera: Imperial Savoy
Film: Ilford Pan F Plus