23. B1C11 - A Knife in the Dark - [LoTR Read Along]

The Nicks debate nerdy names for Nicholas' yet-to-be-born son. And the escape from Bree, march through Midgewater Marshes, and the back roads to Weathertop, and the attack on the company.

Maps

Map of Middle-earth 

LoTRproject.com interactive map - Caution: spoilers for new readers!

Notes for this episode

What Happened Last Time?:

Our Hobbits find themselves in the company of “Strider”, one of the rangers from the North. He knows more than he lets on initially and when tension is high none other than Butterbur comes bursting in finally delivering a letter for Frodo from GANDALF that he meant to deliver months ago.  Gandalf lobbies for Striders inclusion in the company, calling him by his true name “Aragorn” and the Hobbits agree to trust him.  Merry finally returns from his walk after being fetched by Nobb and tells us that the Black Riders are in Bree!  Strider helps them set decoys in their proper room and our hobbits drift off as night settles in and danger is closing!

Where Are We in the Narrative?:

Frodo and his companions have come all the way to Bree without the help of anyone, except Farmer Maggot and Tom Bombadil - now out of the Shire and in entirely new lands for any living Shire Hobbit save Bilbo the companions have taken on a new guide - Strider. With a little faith and a letter from Gandalf, and the almost certainty that they have no other choice their new companion plans to get them lost as soon as possible on road toward Weathertop and then toward Rivendell.

The Story in this Chapter:

• Crickhollow attacked - 3 Black Riders
• • AWAKE ! FEAR! FIRE! FOES! AWAKE!
  • Last time the Horn of Buckland was sounded was 100 years ago, the white wolves came in the Fell Winter, when the Brandywine was frozen over
• Prancing Pony infiltrated
• • The stable emptied
  • The southerner with no friends
• Buying a pony from Bill
• • The goodness of Butterbur
• Sam hits Bill in the face with an apple… and it was a waste of an apple
• The Archet Feint / getting lost in a good way
• • “Short cuts, long cuts”
• Midgewater Marshes (3rd day-5th day)
• • Neekerbreekers!
• Lightning from the ground to the east (four nights out)
• The moon!
• Six days in the wilderness to get to Weathertop
• History of Weathertop
• • Amon Sul
  • No barrows… the men of the west didn’t “live” here, but they defended it against Angmar.
  • It’s said that Elendil stood there watching Gil-Galad approach from the west in the days of the Last Alliance Gil Galad
  • “Starlight”
• Fortnight to Rivendell
• • How long is a fortnight? (2 weeks
• We get a bunch of the nature and limitations/ strengths of the Nazgul
• The story of Tinuviel
• • Edith and John Tolkien's epitaphs "Beren" / "Luthien”
  • We’re told a wonderful story here, but the best telling is in the Silmarillion
• Strider’s tale ends and the hobbits get up to stretch. They notice the moon rising above the hill and BOOOOM
• Weathertop is attacked - 5 Black Riders
• Un-hiding with the Ring
• The crowned wraith
• • Approaches with a sword in one hand and a knife in the other.
  • • This hand and blade are glowing when he approaches Frodo
• Fire and ice the two blades
• • Frodo’s blade from the barrows - forged by the men of Westernesse to fight Angmar
  • The Crowned Wraith’s blade pierces with what feels like poisonous ice
• Invoking the name of Elbereth!  Akin to “OH MY GOD!”

 

Notable Difference(s) from Films:

• Top of the hill - in the ruins vs in the dell

Locations/Distance Traveled/Distance apart:

• We leave Bree!  Archet, Midgewater Marsh, Amon Sul (Weathertop)

New Characters:

• the Pony!

Info/History from Other Titles/Sources:

1. Fell Winter - Tolkien Companion

What to Watch for in the Next Chapter:

• Frodo was stabbed…. What does this mean in the long-run?

Links

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Special thanks to our friend Harry Murrell for the use of his music. Listen to more and subscribe to his channel here.