Throughout this chapter, I was bracing myself for Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn to find evidence of the hobbits' deaths. I'm glad there's still hope! I quite like Pippin...he's the spunkiest of all the LOTR characters.
The Riders of Rohan sound pretty cool. Found all the male posturing rituals somewhat tiresome, but I -loved- the way Gimli immediately leapt to Galadriel's defense when he thought her name was being besmirched. You go, Gimli!
Fascinating to see the obvious hostility between the Riders of Rohan and the Company turn into Eomer breaking his own people's law by allowing the Company to pass through the land without the official go-ahead, and even lending them prized horses.
I'm immensely curious about the old man in the wide-brimmed hat that makes an appearance at the end. Is it Saruman? Aragorn pointed out that he had a hat, not a hood, as Eomer described. Could this be Gandalf's ghost? OR IS GANDALF MAYBE STILL ALIVE SOMEHOW????!!!Ok, so I'm stretching things somewhat. Why would Gandalf OR his ghost want to steal their horses, anyway?
If anything bad has happened to Pippin and Merry, I'm going to be really upset.
Oh wait...I just glimpsed Pippin's name in the first paragraph of the next chapter, woohoo! Must keep reading...
Replies: 12 comments
Ah, I can see you're hooked. You'll find a lot to enjoy in the next few chapters... and I wouldn't dream of saying more than that.
Posted by Aelfscyne @ 2001 May 18 06:53 PM EST
I'm really enjoying this site, and since I've been meaning to reread the trilogy for a while now (just to get them in again before the movie), I think I'm going to have to start them up again pretty soon, because I've been reminded of what I've been missing. This is actually one of my favorite chapters...go figure I'm a long distance runner...I love the way the search for the hobbits inspires the last of the fellowship.
Posted by Prophecy @ 2001 May 18 07:49 PM EST
Well, something bad has happened to Merry and Pippin; they have been kidnapped and orc drugged through Rohan! But that doesn't mean they are dead!
You'll get to meet some of the orcs in the next chapter - not a nice group! For a little of that pre-history you love so much ;-) orcs are a creation of the great evil "lord" Morgoth - who was Sauron's master. He bred orcs in mockery of elves, in fact he used caprured elves that he tortured and twisted into these evil beings.
Posted by Charly @ 2001 May 18 08:50 PM EST
I've been waiting for you to get to these chapters, Debbie. The male posturing does get a bit heavy here, but I love so much else about Book III that I've come to just take it as one of the bumps on an engrossing journey.
In this and the previous chapter we see the real growth of the bond between Legolas and Gimli that ultimately becomes one of the most beautiful things in these books. We also begin to see the important development of Aragorn into a leader who is so compelling, others forget their differences to follow him. He has gone anonymously for (if I'm doing my math right) over 80 years and chooses, of all places, the plains of Rohan to declare his identity and birthright.
Yet, plainly, birth isn't all. Aragorn must earn his place and LOTR tells of his attempt to do so. As Book 2, ch. 3 observes ambiguously before the Fellowship sets off from Rivendell: "Aragorn sat with his head bowed to his knees; only Elrond knew fully what this hour meant to him."
Posted by Tish @ 2001 May 18 09:48 PM EST
Debbie:
Wow! It looks as though you've been thoroughly drawn into the Good Professor's glorious yarn. It's great to see!
It really is a deeply beautiful work and I find that, although I don't read it each and every year as some do, it still somehow manages to be with me always. It has seemingly planted itself firmly in the deepest part of my being, at the risk of sounding overly dramatic. In all seriousness, I can actually feel the effect of 'augmentation' that it has had on me spiritually. In our modern world so full of spiritually sterile, purely material stimuli, this is something very special to experience - which, I believe, is precisely why this book is so very dear to so many. You may find yourself being swept up in the pure richness of the plot right now (which is great in and of itself), but I will be very surprised if, by the story's end, you don't feel something deeper - a very subtle kind of change or 'growth' deep within yourself. This is the real magic of "The Lord of the Rings"!
Thanks for providing such a wonderful forum for us addicts and have a great time with the rest of the book!
Posted by Ken @ 2001 May 18 09:52 PM EST
I'd like to add to the thanks on behalf of the throng from theonering.net. Your site has become a must see for me daily. What a cool idea! Like many others, I first read LOTR when I was quite young and wish I could somehow read it again for the first time. So it's very exciting to hear what you have to say about each chapter.
What's especially cool is that I was reading FOTR when I found this site. It's been great reading it and then looking at your comments along the way. I am continually surprised and intrigued by what you have to say, and excited for you to dicover all of LOTR.
Posted by Phil @ 2001 May 18 11:47 PM EST
The other thing that struck me as I read this chapter again today (yup, I'm re-reading the book again one chapter ahead of Deb as she goes along :)) was how beautifully Tolkien adds subtle touches to make each race fascinating and unique to themselves. I really noticed this with Legolas in this chapter, the far-sight, the difference in sleep and rest habits from Aragorn and Gimli, just the sense of "other-worldliness" about him, if that makes sense in a saga about another world :). Very elven, very compelling. And I agree that the friendship between Legolas and Gimli is one of the most beautiful developments in LOTR.
I agree with Ken, too, that LOTR was one of those books that had the ability to subtly change my perspective on life forever. In fact, you're coming up fast on a couple of chapters that so enchanted me the first time I read them that I never saw the world in quite the same way again afterwards. But more on that when you get there... :)
Posted by Allison @ 2001 May 19 12:15 AM EST
...and Debbie takes a deep breath and plunges onwards... finding it a bit easier going now?
Posted by Rallas @ 2001 May 19 03:49 AM EST
*sigh*
i can't help saying [again] that i am delighted by your responses to the book! oh, and please somebody gag me before i give out anything on the plot! =]
Posted by yiorgos @ 2001 May 19 04:52 AM EST
No hints!
*happy to gag everyone who feel they can't cope... :-D*
But in some cases it's already to late I'm afraid...
I do hope Debbie,that you'll get to find the wonder of LotR yourself. And as wonders go, this is a big one! :-)
Best regards,
Martin - The AntiSpoiler Police
Posted by Martin @ 2001 May 19 06:41 AM EST
Hey Debbie, I am so glad you are enjoying the books so far! I came across your site here, with a link from TheOneRing.net, and I have to say that it is such a joy to hear from someone who is reading the books for the first time. I try to read the books about once a year, but it is never as magical as it was to read it the first time. Not to say I don't enjoy it as much now, but to read it the first time and not know what is going to happen on the next page is so awesome.
Well I think I have wasted enough of your reading time. May I suggest lots of coffee, so you can read 4 or 5 chapters a day? Maybe that's a little over the top, but I do look forward each day to reading your posts.
Posted by AJ Martinez @ 2001 May 19 07:22 AM EST
The Riders of Rohan are an echo from the old northern sagas like Beowulf that Tolkien specialized in during his "other life" (if it can be considered separate) as an Oxford professor. Their speech patterns and social structure are obviously influenced by northern cultures, but you caught one of the more subtle bits -- the fact that Eomer has a certain amount of independance to make his own decisions, even though he is under command of his lord, IF he is willing the take the consequences. I've always liked that!
Posted by Janet Croft @ 2001 May 21 09:11 AM EST
