The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún by J. R. R. Tolkien

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): Many years ago, J.R.R. Tolkien composed his own version of the great legend of Northern antiquity, recounted here in The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún.

In the Lay of the Völsungs is told the ancestry of the great hero Sigurd, the slayer of Fáfnir, most celebrated of dragons; of his awakening of the Valkyrie Brynhild, who slept surrounded by a wall of fire, and of their betrothal; and of his coming to the court of the great princes who were named the Niflungs (or Nibelungs), with whom he entered into blood-brotherhood.

In scenes of dramatic intensity, of confusion of identity, thwarted passion, jealousy, and bitter strife, the tragedy of Sigurd and Brynhild, of Gunnar the Niflung and Gudrún his sister, mounts to its end in the murder of Sigurd, the suicide of Brynhild, and the despair of Gudrún.

The Lay of Gudrún recounts her fate after the death of Sigurd, her marriage against her will to the mighty Atli, ruler of the Huns (the Attila of history), his murder of her brothers, and her hideous revenge.

MY OPINION:

The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún was a demanding but rewarding read for me. Tolkien’s poetic retelling of Norse stories is beautiful and the accompanying texts provide plenty of interesting information.

Tolkien’s poems are written in alliterative half verse in 8-line stanzas. Resembling the form of Eddaic poetry, they also capture its spirit. The emphasis is on seizing individual moments, with only a very general feel of the story in the background.

Therefore, the additional texts, especially the introduction, are helpful for the understanding of Tolkien’s poems. Tolkien’s son Christopher provides an extensive commentary and analysis of both poems, using his father’s notes for his lectures on Norse literature.

The supplementary texts sound somewhat dry and require a lot of focus. There is a lot of information and hypothesising on linguistics, etymology, history and mythology – from Norse and Germanic to Old English, drawing parallels between various texts. Some references to possible origins of Tolkien’s ideas for The Lord of the Rings and his other works are also included.

On the whole, The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún is far from being an epic narrative similar to The Lord of the Rings. However, the two poems once again reveal Tolkien’s masterly skill of handling words and are a delightful read. The additional texts are slow and somewhat tedious, but as a linguist I appreciate the data they provide.

RECOMMENDATION: The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún is not a leisurely read. If you expect an absorbing epic narrative such as The Lord of the Rings you will be disappointed. Otherwise, it is a great book for those who are interested in Nordic and Germanic tradition and literature.

The Journey Ends Once More

This is my September follow-up post for LOTR Read-Along hosted by Lorren at The Story Girl. It includes SPOILERS.

 

Once again, I have come to the end of The Lord of the Rings. In September, I read Book Six, the final part of this marvellous work, which brings the story to an amazing conclusion.

Book Six could be divided in three parts: fulfilling the Quest, reckoning of scores, and finally, returning to normal life.

a)     Fulfilling the Quest  

The first three chapters of Book Six are the darkest part of the LOTR and full of despair as the reader accompanies Frodo and Sam through dangerous, suffocating, lifeless wastelands of Mordor to The Cracks of Doom to destroy the Ring.

Yet, despite the hopelessness of their mission, their exhaustion, and suffering, Frodo and Sam go on as long as they have the slightest drop of strength left. What really enables them to go on and fulfil their quest is their bond of friendship that gives them strength. The loyalty and care Sam displays is incredible and utterly touching.

One of the most emotional parts is when Sam finally realises that after their task is done there will be no return for them. He quarrels with himself, a part of him wanting to give up, lie down and sleep. Yet, Sam refuses to give up. He knows they must make a sacrifice for the good of the world even if they don’t live to see the outcome. As Tolkien puts it:

“He knew all the arguments of despair and would not listen to them. His will was set, and only death would break it.”

Personally, I draw a lot of encouragement from this particular part of the LOTR. It teaches me that anything can be accomplished if we don’t give up. It also teaches us that we should persist in doing good deeds for the sake of doing/being good alone, even though it seems pointless, even though there seems to be no reward.

b)     The reckoning of scores

Chapters Four to Seven are about the aftermath of the War of the Ring. Those who are too deep in evil to change are destroyed. Those who repent are forgiven and given a chance to build a new life. The deserving get what they worked towards, and the fellowship is reunited. I liked how Aragorn after he becomes a king is not affected by power; he remains benevolent and gracious and does not get the smallest bit pretentious.

Besides all the war and statehood business, at the end there is finally time for friends, family and love. One of my favourite parts of the book is short, but sweet, courtship between Faramir and Éowyn.

c)     Returning to normal

Actually, there is returning to normal and there is not. While most people can return to their normal peaceful life, there are some who, marked by their experience, cannot.

The hobbits return home, finding out they still have work to do. But as Gandalf says they “will need no help. [They] are grown up now. Grown indeed very high,” they are among the great and Gandalf has no fear for any of them.

They live up to that statement soon, as they deal with Saruman and his Men. Frodo acts as a mediator, trying to spare as many lives as possible, for “It is useless to meet revenge with revenge: it will heal nothing” – a lesson worth remembering in any place and at any time.

Another memorable lesson is that we do not always get what we should. As much as it grieves Sam that amidst all the prosperity gained through Frodo’s actions Frodo himself does not enjoy much honour among his countrymen, Frodo knows there must be a price for everything. As he says “It must often be so […] when things are in danger: someone has to give them up, lose them, so that others may keep them.” He tried to save the Shire and succeeded, but not for himself. Yet Frodo’s reward and consolation is to sail to the Uttermost West with the Elves and leave the Middle-Earth to its own destiny.

I did not read the appendices this time around. I had read them before, however, and I really enjoyed all the additional information provided there: the history of the Middle-Earth, the events following the War of the Ring, the family trees, and as a linguist I appreciated the explanation about the languages Tolkien created.

I will still probably go trough the appendices again in the future, but I will enjoy them slowly. I am planning to (re)read The Silmarillion as the fourth book of this read-along, which will more than cover pre-LOTR history, anyway.  

About Inspiration after a Battle Won but the War not yet

This is my August follow-up post for LOTR Read-Along hosted by Lorren at The Story Girl. It includes SPOILERS.

I read to the end of Book Five. This is the part when events slowly start to resolve, the truth about many things comes out, and the characters prove their strength. Though this part is quite dark, Tolkien is a master of juxtaposing the horror and suffering side by side with nobility, gracefulness and beauty. He transfers the reader into the midst of the Battle of the Pelennor fields just as easily as enabling the reader listening to a small talk of an elderly woman in the Houses of Healing.

There is a lot of inspiration for leading a good, moral, brave life in the LOTR, and these six chapters are no exception. In Denethor Tolkien portrays a politician whose main goal is to keep his position of authority at all costs. I can see many of today’s politicians in him – just struggling for power and not doing the job entrusted to them, which would be taking care of what is good for the people.

Aragorn, on the other hand, presents the very opposite. He is primarily concerned about stopping Sauron and saving the people from suffering. He puts the benefit of others before his own. Thus, he does not want to start strife over the rule of Gondor while they still have to fight Sauron. He postpones claiming his rights until after the war if it ends favourably, in order to bring his allies together and try to ensure a better future for the people of the Middle Earth.

Besides Aragorn, another character worth looking up to is Eówyn. As a woman in a patriarchal society, Eówyn is pushed into the background. She is supposed to sit at home, take care of the household, and wait for the men to return. But she has “a spirit and courage at least the match” of men, so she goes out there and does great deeds. She does not let herself be told what she can or cannot do. She shows it is worth fighting for what you believe you can do and that we should not let other people discourage us from doing what we feel we are able to do.

There could be a lot more said about these final chapters of book five, but I think the above are the most important things. I said it many times, also in previous posts, what an inspiration the LOTR is for me. What about you? What in the LOTR inspires you in your life? Or, if not the LOTR, is there any other book that inspires you living as best as you can and achieving what you want?

Lessons, Visuals, and Quotes – The Return of the King (Chapters 1 – 4)

This is my July follow-up post for LOTR Read-Along hosted by Lorren at The Story Girl. It includes SPOILERS.

I (re)read the first four chapters of The Return of the King. I am not in a good mood for elaborated writing today, so let me do this a little differently (don’t I do it differently every month?).

Without delay, here are some things we can learn from these four chapters (take them as seriously as you think fit):

a)     Call for help before you need it. The beacons of Gondor are lit early because it is no use calling for help when you are already besieged.

b)     Do not tell a ruler about the person who might replace him. Gandalf warns Pippin not to mention Aragorn to Denethor.

c)     Do not be selfish, and do not think only about here and now. Gandalf reproaches Denethor for only thinking about Gondor and the present. 

d)     Do not believe strangers and do not take people at face value. Pippin instructs Bergil not to judge people by their look or by what they say.

e)     Be kind to the little people. Even if they seem insignificant they may save the day. Théoden treats Merry with respect and kindness, which, as is seen later on, is well repaid.

f)      If you know someone needs help, you better help them yourself. Aragorn cannot send any help to Gondor, therefore, he must go there himself.

g)     “Do not spoil wonder with haste.” Take your time for the beautiful things in life – Legolas refuses to visit Aglarond in a hurry.

h)     Do not let a pretty lady deter you from your path. Ask Aragorn. A heartless man. No tears can move him.

i)      Do not make promises you do not intent to keep – they will hold you beyond death. The Sleepless Dead know. Imagine waiting an age to be able to rest in peace.

j)      Sleep it over. Hard decisions or anything that might trouble you. “In the morning counsels are best, and night changes many thoughts,” says Théoden.

k)     Do not complain about being hungry – your host might be offended. Denethor is not pleased with Pippin’s appetite.

l)      Do not undermine evil - it creeps unnoticed where you least expect it. See Denethor’s demise – he thinks he is smart, watching the Enemy’s moves, whereas the Enemy poisons his mind. 

m)   Do not do the dirty work by yourself – rather use the minions. That is the rulers’ philosophy – at least Sauron’s and Denethor’s.

n)     Animals know better. A cock crows in Minas Tirith, sensing dawn before the people, not giving a hoot about the Lord of the Nazgȗl. 

Additionally, I want to share top five most striking images from these chapters:

1. Tower of Echtelion – “glimmering like a spike of pearl and silver, tall and fair and shapely” 

2. The Throne of the Kings of Men – “upon a dais of many steps was set a high throne under a canopy of marble shaped like a crowned helm; behind it was carved upon the wall and set with gems an image of a tree in flower” 

3. The Pelennor fields – “dotted into the distance with farmsteads and little walls, barns and byres […], many roads and tracks crossed the green fields” and “away down in the valley bottom, five leagues or so […] the Great River […] grey and glittering” 

4. The Púkel-men – “stones that had been carved in the likeness of men, huge and clumsy-limbed, squatting cross-legged with their stumpy arms folded on fat bellies” 

5. Grond – “a huge ram, great as a forest tree a hundred feet in length, swinging on mighty chains […,] its hideous head, founded of black steel, was shaped in the likeness of a ravening wolf; on it spells of ruin lay”

 And finally, a few memorable quotes:

v    “The rule of no realm is mine, neither of Gondor nor any other, great or small. But all worthy things that are in peril as the world now stands, those are my care. And for my part, I shall not wholly fail of my task, though Gondor should perish, if anything passes through this night that can still grow fair or bear fruit and flower again in days to come. For I also am a steward. Did you not know?” – Gandalf revealing a little bit about himself.

v    “Denethor sat in a grey gloom, like an old patient spider, Pippin thought,” - what a comparison!

v    “Here was one of high nobility […] one of the Kings of Men born into a later time but touched with wisdom and sadness of the Elder Race […,] a captain that men would follow” – Pippin about Faramir.

v    “Let us remember that a traitor may betray himself and do good that he does not intend.” – Gandalf on Gollum.

v    “King of Angmar long ago, Sorcerer, Ringwraith, Lord of the Nazgȗl, a spear of terror in the hand of Sauron, shadow of despair.” – Gandalf’s scary description of the chief Nazgȗl.

The listings are random and not at all complete, feel free to add anything you would like. 

The War Begins

This is my June follow-up post for LOTR Read-Along hosted by Lorren at The Story Girl. It includes SPOILERS.

 

The War of the Ring begins in the West. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli help the Rohirrim in the Battle at Helm’s Deep, and Merry and Pippin make friends with the Ents. Together they remove the threat of Saruman.

Tolkien’s depiction of the battle is epic and detailed, and the readers feel as if they were watching it from close by. There are some great symbolic events, let me just point out the cleansing of Isengard by water of the river Isen. The purifying power of water is another Christian trait Tolkien uses in his work.

Meanwhile, the real Quest continues in the East. Frodo and Sam journey to Mordor. And since they would not get far on that part of the journey without Gollum, I, insolent as I am (*she winks*), think it best to let Gollum describe the journey by himself. I think it would sound somewhat like this:

¨We’ve caught up with them, my Precious, yess, we did. Those nassty thieves, thieves, they stole it, from us. We wants it back, we does, it’s ours, ours, my Precious. Cruel hobbits, they jumps on us like cats on poor mices, they hurt us, my Precious. We are so alone, and hungry, and they ties us, we knows they are cruel, they visit Elves, fierce Elves with bright eyes.

“Masster, kind Masster takes mercy on us. Nice hobbits, they don’t hurt us. We promise, we swear, we swear on the Precious. We swear to do what he wants, never to let Him have it.

“Sméagol helps, I take nice hobbits safely through the marshes, through nice thick mists. Sméagol is starving. He can’t eat hobbit food, dust and ashes, Elves made it, he can’t eat that.

“Then Wraiths came, Wraiths on wings, White Face shows us to them. Wraiths see us, they tell him everything. He sees, He knows. We are afraid. Must take the Precious. But we promised, we promised not to let him have it. If he gets the Precious, he will eat us all, gollum, gollum. Must take it. But not for Him. It’s ours, ours.

“The Black gate is closed, but we knows other, more secret way to Mordor. We come to nice land, we catch us nice food. The nassty, suspicious hobbit wants us to catch some food. We brings them rabbits, juicy young rabbits. Stupid fat hobbit cooks the rabbits, spoils nice meet.

“Tricksy hobbits, they find new friends, they leave us and go with their new friends. False Masster betrays us, gollum. We want some fish, only some fish for poor, hungry Sméagol, and they say death. Cruel Man asks questions we don’t want to answer.

“Nassty Men let us go. Nice Masster goes with us. We found it, we knows it, the path across the mountains. She is there, always hungry, she helps us. Gollum brings nice meat. When she throws away clothes and bones, perhaps we finds it, the Precious, gollum.

“They have lights, terrible lights. Curse them, gollum. The nasty suspicious hobbit fight us, jumps us with the sword, yes, my Precious. We run my Precious, but we will come back. We will find the Precious. It’s ours, ours, gollum.”

Have I overdone it?

Personally, I believe Gollum is one of the most fascinating characters Tolkien created. He is overcome with evil, but deep down inside him, there is still some good which resurfaces if given a chance. Gollum hates the Enemy and is afraid of him, therefore he would do anything to stop the Enemy from getting the Ring. Yet, the Ring’s command over him is so strong he cannot resist it. All he wants is to get back his Precious and this is what eventually leads his actions.

In the last part of The Two Towers, Tolkien introduces Faramir, one of my favourite characters in the book. Faramir is a friend to Frodo, found where the least expected. He is honourable, just, wise, and stronger in heart than his brother. He helps Frodo as much as he can.

Also, Tolkien puts another one of his beautiful settings in Ithilien. Hennenth Annȗn, a sanctuary of people of Gondor is a cave behind a waterfall, called Window of the Sunset. Through it one can see sparkling setting of the Sun and the Moon. This image is one of the last beautiful visions of the West before the War unleashes from the East.

Ready for the First Battle

This is my May follow-up post for LOTR Read-Along hosted by Lorren at The Story Girl. It includes SPOILERS.

Well, there we are, crisscrossing Rohan, getting ready to take down Saruman. Just a little short ride to Helm’s Deep, where we encamp, then let them come and get us, if they can. After all, Helm’s Deep has never been conquered when defended by Men. Ha!

All, right, now seriously. I haven’t read as much of the Two Towers as I had hoped to (but I have read whole lot of other things, of course). I have come through Chapter Six of Book Three and the Rohirrim host is riding to Helm’s Deep to meet the armies of Isengard.

Last month, Lorren suggested a few interesting discussion points considering Gandalf and his rebirth, the Ents, and the Rohirrim and their culture. I decided to make a few comments on each of those points in this post.

Gandalf is widely recognised among Tolkien researchers as one of Christ-like figures in The LOTR (others being Frodo and Aragorn). As Christ, Gandalf dies and resurrects. The Gandalf before death is more human-like and weaker than the one after. He is sent back for a short while with new powers to help the peoples standing against Sauron.

Gandalf, formerly the Grey – that is the average, indefinable figure – is now the White, a clearly defined opponent to the Black. As Christ, Gandalf has to endure his own Calvary in order to later reveal his power. Gandalf is not recognised by his companions when they meet again in Fangorn, which is similar to Christ not being recognised by his disciples on the way to Emmaus. These parallels have probably come very naturally to Tolkien, since he was a devout Catholic indeed.

Tolkien was much disillusioned by the Industrial Revolution and its effects on nature as well as on people. He gave nature its own voice through the Ents. Ents are giant tree-shepherds who walk and talk. They represent a sheer force of nature. Nature is impartial, it does not take sides in wars or favour nations, and it can be benevolent and cruel to everyone alike. Therefore, Treebeard is on nobody’s side, because nobody is on his side. Yet, nature can be destructive to those who do not respect it, as it can be seen in the fall of Isengard.

The first people who find themselves at war in The LOTR are the Rohirrim, the people living on the wide plains of Rohan and at the foot of the White Mountains. They are horse-masters, they love their horses as much as their families. Rohirrim are great warriors, “proud and wilful, but they are true-hearted, generous in thought and deed; bold but not cruel, wise but unlearned, writing no books but singing many songs.” They are friends of the people of Gondor. “They do not lie, and therefore they are not easily deceived.” Though simple on the outside, the Rohirrim have rich tradition both spiritually and materially (the king’s hall is thatched with gold).

I think I have read somewhere that Tolkien shaped the Rohirrim after the traits of Germanic and partly perhaps Slavic tribal tradition. This is reflected in Germanic sounding names, such as Herugrim and Mundburg, whereas Meduseld sounds Slavic. Living in a Slavic country with a strong Germanic tradition, I feel quite close to the Rohirrim and their life.

Overall, Rohirrim are an interesting people, so are the Ents, and I really enjoy reading about them, as I discover something new each time. But this is generally the case with The LOTR. No matter how many times you read it, you can still discover something new to think about.

Looking Forward to The Two Towers

This my April follow-up post for LOTR Read-Along hosted by Lorren at The Story Girl and it contains SPOILERS.

    

I was really looking forward to The Two Towers. There are some fabulous parts of in any case fabulous book. However, as long as thirty days of April may seem to be, they rushed past me without reading a page of this book. So, instead of recapping the nought of what I haven’t read, I want to just point out my favourite parts of The Two Towers I am still looking forward to read.

There is a wonderful piece of poetry in the beginning, Lament for Boromir. These verses particularly touch me:

"What news from the North, O mighty wind, do you bring to me today?

What news of Boromir the Bold? For he is long away."

'Beneath Amon Hen I heard his cry. There many foes he fought.

His cloven shield, his broken sword, they to the water brought.

His head so proud, his face so fair, his limbs they laid to rest;

And Rauros, golden Rauros-falls, bore him upon its breast."

"O Boromir! The Tower of Guard shall ever northward gaze

To Rauros, golden Rauros-falls, until the end of days.

Next, Treebeard and the Ents are amazing characters. It is easy to imagine trees speaking and thinking through Tolkien’s writing.

The Rohan parts are gripping, unveiling a whole new people but still leaving enough mystery to make the reader yearn to learn more.

I cannot not mention the newly introduced Faramir, whom I find to be one of the most sympathetic characters in the LOTR.

And then, Gollum. The villain and the victim in one, you can hate him but you have to love him at the same time. His cunningness is abominable and admirable at the same time, and I cannot but feel sorry for him on several occasions. His best part, however, is his way of speaking, which is written so well I can actually hear him. Here I must say the filmmakers did a good job. The cinematic Gollum speaks just as I imagined when reading the book.

That’s it. Now, I must stop looking forward to it and get on with reading, I guess. 

The Fellowship is Finished!

Literally. My March follow-up post for the LOTR Read-Along, hosted by Lorren at The Story Girl, contains SPOILERS.

The last part of The Fellowship of the Ring is one of my favourite parts of The Lord of the Rings. Escaping the orcs of Moria, the fellowship finds refuge in Lothlórien, an enchanted forest from where no one comes out unchanged. There is “the heart of Elvendom on earth” where ancient things still live and time passes differently.

There is a lot of poetry included in this part of book, hinting at ancient people and events, which makes a reader more and more curious about the Elves and their history. I enjoyed the poetry very much. The following sadly beautiful verses particularly speak to me:

I sang of leaves, of leaves of gold, and leaves of gold there grew:

Of wind I sang, a wind there came and in the branches blew.

Beyond the Sun, beyond the Moon, the foam was on the Sea,

And by the strand of Ilmarin there grew a golden Tree.

Beneath the stars of Ever-eve in Eldamar it shone,

In Eldamar beside the walls of Elven Tirion.

There long the golden leaves have grown upon the branching years,

While here beyond the Sundering Seas now fall the Elven-tears.

O Lórien! The Winter comes, the bare and leafless Day;

The leaves are falling in the stream, the River flows away.

O Lórien! Too long I have dwelt upon this Hither Shore

And in a fading crown have twined the golden elanor.

But if of ships I now should sing, what ship would come to me,

What ship would bear me ever back across so wide a Sea?

Lórien is ruled by Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel. Galadriel is a strong, wise woman, a High Elf from ancient times and she is a likable character, although she is surrounded by an aura of mystery. 

The Company gets time to rest and regain their strengths back in Lórien, but is also tested, because Galadriel can read their secret wishes and tests what would they do if she made those wishes possible to come true.

Nevertheless, accordingly to the Elves’ custom, the Company does not get advice. They are left to make their decisions on their own. In Lórien and after leaving it, a reader witnesses Aragorn weighing between going with Frodo till the end of his Quest or with Boromir to help defend his rightful kingdom. Aragorn never doubts his strength or his rights as the heir of Elendil. However, I think this weighing between the possible roads was probably mistakenly interpreted as Aragorn doubting in himself by the LOTR film trilogy makers, which resulted in presenting Aragorn a weak exile who refuses to follow his fate, and I disliked that.

There is also great example of a paradox between what people say and do. Boromir calls men such as himself true in their hearts, men who cannot be corrupted by the Ring. Yet, it is him who actually is influenced by the Ring, desiring it to the extent which makes the Fellowship fall apart in the end. This is an illustration about how evil wants to convince people it does not exist, which is its greatest victory.

However, even though the Fellowship ends up scattered, the road goes on. So, I’m looking forward to The Two Towers and continued battle between good and evil. Even though it is all happening in a remarkably strange, invented world, I like the LOTR because of the realistic lessons I can draw inspiration from to help me face the harsh present world.   

Where’s the Fellowship?

This is a follow-up on LOTR Read-Along and contains SPOILERS. So, where's the Fellowship?

Right, here we are outside the Moria gates.

Oooops! One fellow missing.

Lots and lots of tears falling.

Orcs on our heels.

And the Fellowship is … stuck.

I’d planned to go a bit slower since I’d been way ahead of schedule reading almost through the Fellowship of the Ring in January. But how much did I read? Nothing. Not one page. Mission more than accomplished. 

I’d also planned to read the translation alongside the English version. Did I? Of course not.

Fortunately, I can get to Rauros in less then two hours, so unless there is a major orc, pardon, work attack, I’ll be there by the end of March.

Some Extra Thoughts on The Fellowship of the Ring

Recently, I’ve read some posts from my fellow bloggers concerning The Lord of the Rings, in particular The Fellowship of the Ring, which provoked some thoughts I absolutely need to put down in writing just for the sake of my peace of mind.

Firstly, I feel old. I mean, I managed to read the books before the film trilogy came out. It is quite a shock for me to realise that some people first heard of LOTR in its film version and only later read the book. It is also interesting because they see LOTR from a different perspective.

This is the closest to how I imagine Bag End to look like. 

I first read the book, then saw the films and am totally in favour of the book. Nevertheless, there are a lot of good things about the films, one of them the great way of bringing orcs to life. You can read more about that here.

Next, as many other people I find the Old Forest – Bombadil – Barrow Wights a bit slow because of all the sleeping and resting. But, these parts are a perfect demonstration of Tolkien’s ability to create atmosphere, his language itself creates the suffocating and sleepy mood of the Old Forest, the peacefulness of Bombadil’s house, and gloomy and fearful air of the Barrow-downs.

Someone said the Bombadil and Barrow-downs chapters are pointless. They may seem such, I admit, especially on the first reading. However, Bombadil is a very important person of great strength behind his foolish and careless appearance. In addition, if the hobbits never passed the Barrow-downs, where would Marry get his sword, “a work of Westernesse”, the only blade which could deal “that foe a wound so bitter, cleaving the undead flesh, breaking the spell that knit his unseen sinews to his will” (The Return of the King, The Battle of the Pelennor Fields)?  

In addition, there are many allusions not understandable to a first-time reader, which can be as several people pointed out nonetheless enjoyable. Such allusions are clarified if a reader makes the effort through the Appendices at the end of LOTR and / or reads The Hobbit and The Silmarillion.

Now when I got these reflections down in black and white I can spend the rest of the day peacefully. Please, don’t blame me for trying to be smart about the theme, but I just couldn’t resist sharing my thoughts.

Out of Darkness

There was a lot of walking, but I have at least come out of the dark for now. It’s all about The Lord of the Rings. I am participating in LOTR Read-Along, hosted by Lorren at The Story Girl.

Reading LOTR again is for me as taking a walk down the familiar path one more time. I stop on the favourite parts to enjoy the view, hurry through some plainer gaps, marvelling at rediscovered beauties here and then.

It is wonderful to follow this story of loyalty, friendship and self-sacrifice, to read about strong characters that always retain their integrity in the fight against evil.

I enjoy very much the pieces of poetry and Tolkien’s wonderful language and feel my will strengthened by some of his great morals. Here is one of my favourites:

“Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For not even the very wise can see all ends.”

So, here I am, just finished journeying in the dark on page 432 out of 531 of The Fellowship of the Ring and am on the way leading closer to the lands of the Enemy… 

Lord of the Rings Read-Along

Irena kindly directed me to Whitney’s post at She Is Too Fond of Books about this fabulous Lord of the Rings Read-Along hosted by Lorren at The Story Girl. I would probably never find it by myself, so thanks to Irena for reminding me and to Whitney for posting about it and, of course, to Lorren for the idea.

As a huge, huge Tolkien fan, I am joining in, naturally. I have read and re-read the Lord of the Rings and some other Tolkien’s books several times, but I will love it once more.

Here is the schedule:

January - March 31, 2011: The Fellowship of the Ring

April - June 30, 2011: The Two Towers
July - September 30, 2011: The Return of the King
October - December 31, 2011: Any other book by or about Tolkien!