![]() He, his family and followers, were literally carried by a great wave to the shores of Middle-earth. Elendil, whose very name means elf-friend, had remained faithful to that friendship when Sauron had seduced Númenor to the worship of Morgoth. Gil-galad was the last great elven king in Middle-earth, capable of raising an army to fight the Dark Lord in all his power in open battle. Later the story will be told about them that will draw attention to both of these qualities but the hobbits will never draw attention to themselves in this regard.īut what of the other heroes that are mentioned in the pages about which we are thinking here? What of Gil-galad and Elendil? They were kings of Elves and of Humankind who were confronted by the might of Sauron at the end of the Second Age. It is not because of their wisdom or might. Why this should be is unknown to either them or anyone else. As Gandalf said to Frodo in the sitting room at Bag End it would appear that, first, Bilbo, and then Frodo, were meant to have the Ring. But I expect that they had lots of chances, like us, of turning back, only they didn’t.”Īnd it is upon Weathertop, with the first view of snowcapped mountains ahead of him and long leagues of open country between him and the horizon, that Frodo longs to be safe at home, longs to be able to turn back, wishes “bitterly that his fortune had left him in the quiet and beloved Shire.” Strider Approaches Weathertop with Frodo and Merryįrodo and his companions have been landed in a story that is quite simply much too big for them. ![]() Folk seem to have been landed in them, usually- their paths were laid that way, as you put it. But that’s not the way of it with the tales that really mattered, or the ones that stay in the mind. ![]() I used to think that they were things the wonderful folk of the stories went out and looked for, because they wanted them, because they were exciting and life was a bit dull, a kind of sport, as you might say. Frodo: adventures, as I used to call them. “The brave things in the old tales and songs, Mr. Later in the story, after he has had much more experience of adventure, Sam will reflect on this with Frodo. I expect that they had lots of chances, like us, of turning back, only they didn’t ![]() A holiday, by comparison, is a distraction from our regular routine. Those who try to sell us a holiday will brand the experience as an adventure but a true adventure is something in life in which the end is uncertain. Who, upon setting out on a great journey, can possibly know all that lies ahead? Modern life seems to require the elimination of as much risk and unpredictability as possible. There are moments in any great venture in which its sheer scale becomes all too much. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R Tolkien (Harper Collins 1991) pp 180-84 ![]()
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