It feels like one of those conversations that must have happened. Frodo Baggins and Gimli son of Glóin spend weeks together as members of the Fellowship of the Ring. They travel south from Rivendell, cross the wild lands of Eriador, attempt the Redhorn Pass, enter Moria, pass through Lothlórien, and journey down the Great River … Read more
Most readers meet Elrond as an Elf-lord. That is how he feels from the moment the story enters Rivendell. He is wise, ancient, grave, and beautiful in the way of the Elder People. His house is filled with song and memory. His words carry the weight of ages. He remembers the Elder Days, the fall … Read more
Saruman’s betrayal is often treated as a simple turn to evil. He was proud.He wanted power.He joined Sauron.He was destroyed. That summary is not wrong, but it is too small. Because Saruman was not an ignorant servant of darkness. He was not deceived in the same way as a frightened Man of the East or … Read more
Bilbo Baggins and Frodo Baggins are two of the most important hobbits in the history of Middle-earth. They are both Ring-bearers. They both live at Bag End. They both step far outside the ordinary life of the Shire. And neither of them ever marries. At first, this seems like a small detail. The story is … Read more
Most people have heard the claim: Samwise Gamgee is the true hero of The Lord of the Rings. It sounds simple. Almost too simple. Frodo carries the Ring. Aragorn returns as king. Gandalf guides the free peoples. Éowyn faces the Witch-king. Gollum, by a strange turn of pity and ruin, becomes essential at the end. … Read more
At the end of The Lord of the Rings, Frodo Baggins reaches the place where the One Ring can finally be destroyed. Not Rivendell.Not Minas Tirith.Not some battlefield where kings and captains decide the fate of the world. A dark chamber inside Orodruin. The Sammath Naur. The Chambers of Fire. This is the place where … Read more
It seems like the obvious question. If Gandalf was powerful enough to face the Balrog in Moria, if he was one of the Wise, if he understood ancient powers better than almost anyone else in Middle-earth, then why did he not simply go to the Lonely Mountain and fight Smaug himself? Why send thirteen Dwarves … Read more
At first glance, Aragorn’s reaction at the doors of Meduseld can seem surprisingly sharp. He has come to Edoras with Gandalf, Legolas, and Gimli to speak with Théoden, King of Rohan. The land is in danger. Saruman’s power is rising. Rohan itself is sick with fear and bad counsel. This should be a moment for … Read more
At first glance, Aragorn’s life seems almost impossible to explain. He is the heir of Isildur.He is descended from the kings of old.He carries the bloodline that links him to both Arnor in the North and Gondor in the South. And yet when we first meet him, he is not sitting in a white tower. … Read more
Most people remember Rohan’s stand at Helm’s Deep as a moment of impossible courage. A king rides out. A horn sounds in the deep. The dawn comes. Gandalf appears, and the strength of Saruman is broken. But the deeper question comes before any of that. Why does Gandalf think Rohan should stand and fight at … Read more