Some weapons in Middle-earth seem almost too remarkable to fail. Angrist was one of them. Forged by Telchar of Nogrod, the famed Dwarven smith, the knife was so keen that iron could be cut by it as though it were green wood. It eventually came into Beren’s possession, and deep beneath Thangorodrim he used it … Read more
Mount Doom is visible from astonishing distances. Once Frodo and Sam reach the eastern side of the Anduin, their destination is no longer some vague point beyond the horizon. Orodruin stands inside Mordor, rising above the Plateau of Gorgoroth, and everything depends upon reaching its fire. That makes an obvious question surprisingly important: why do … Read more
Rohan looks simple from a distance: a king in a golden hall, horsemen on an open plain, horns calling warriors to battle. But that image hides a practical problem. Most of the kingdom was not Edoras. The Rohirrim occupied a broad country stretching from the Isen eastward toward the Anduin, with inhabited valleys beneath the … Read more
At the Grey Havens, Frodo leaves Samwise Gamgee something almost as important as Bag End. He leaves him the book. The manuscript begun by Bilbo and continued by Frodo contains the record of adventures that have already become history: Bilbo’s journey, the War of the Ring, and the experiences of those who carried the burden … Read more
When Aragorn examines the Orcs slain around Boromir, one detail changes the meaning of the entire attack. The dead are not all alike. Some appear to have come from the northern mountains. But four larger Orc-soldiers carry equipment Aragorn does not recognize: broad-bladed swords, bows shaped more like those of Men, iron helmets bearing a … Read more
When Peregrin Took arrives in Minas Tirith, he is still recognizably the wandering hobbit who left the Shire: curious, impulsive, frequently hungry, and accustomed to travelling among companions rather than living under military discipline. Then Denethor accepts his service. Soon Pippin is wearing black and silver, bearing the emblems of Gondor, learning passwords from a … Read more
When Frodo meets Galadriel in Lothlórien, he encounters someone who seems almost beyond ordinary history. She is the Lady of the Golden Wood, one of the oldest and most formidable Elves remaining in Middle-earth, a bearer of one of the Three Rings, and a living memory of lands and peoples that vanished thousands of years … Read more
When ships appear on the Anduin during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, the defenders of Gondor do not wait to identify their crews. They see the sails. Black sails are moving north upon the river, and almost immediately men cry out that the Corsairs of Umbar have come. To those watching from Minas Tirith, … Read more
When Frodo and Sam awaken after the destruction of the Ring, they do not wake in Minas Tirith. They wake in Ithilien. That geographical detail is easy to overlook because “The Field of Cormallen” is remembered for reunion, celebration, and the extraordinary honour paid to two hobbits who expected to die on Mount Doom. But … Read more
Open a map of Middle-earth from the time of Frodo and look west of the Blue Mountains. There is almost nothing there. Now read the stories of the First Age. Suddenly that emptiness fills with kingdoms. Doriath lies beneath its enchanted borders. Nargothrond is hidden beside the Narog. Gondolin stands concealed among the Encircling Mountains. … Read more