When the Fellowship enters Lothlórien, it does so in grief. They have escaped Moria, but not whole. Gandalf has fallen from the Bridge of Khazad-dûm. The Company that left Rivendell as nine now walks beneath the golden trees as eight. And in Lórien, one of the wisest beings still remaining in Middle-earth receives them. This … 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
Near the end of the War of the Ring, Sauron makes a mistake so enormous that it destroys him. He looks in the wrong direction. While Frodo and Sam are moving through Mordor with the One Ring, Sauron’s attention is drawn outward—toward Aragorn, toward the Captains of the West, and toward the small army marching … 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
The scene outside the West-gate of Moria is easy to remember as a monster attack. The Fellowship arrives at a dark, stagnant pool. The old road is gone. The stream of Sirannon has been dammed or blocked, and the water now lies against the Doors of Durin. Then, as the Company struggles to enter Moria, … Read more
Most people imagine the Rings of Power as a simple bargain. Sauron appears.He offers Rings.Elves, Dwarves, and Men accept them.Then everything goes wrong. But the actual story is far more subtle than that. In the texts, Sauron does not begin by appearing as the Dark Lord of Mordor with a crown of terror and a … 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