31. B2:C4 - A Journey in the Dark - [LoTR Read Along]

The Nicks take a walk in the dark as the Fellowship continues their journey. A danger in the dark is due to appear at any moment! What are those footsteps? Why can Frodo see in the dark? Why does Nick Andrew hate caves (and his brother)? All this and more in this episode of our read-along of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.

Maps

Map of Middle-earth 

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

Notes for this episode

THIS JUST IN!

THE RING IS ON THE MOVE.

EAST TOWARD THE MISTY MOUNTAINS, THEN SOUTH…

BIRDS SWOOP IN… THE EYES OF THE ENEMY ARE EVERYWHERE!

THE PASS OF CARADHRAS.  THE REDHORN GATE.  

THE FELLOWSHIP ATTEMPTS TO CLIMB OVER THE CRUEL MOUNTAIN.

SNOW PILED ON. … ... WINDS... WHIPPED.

THE HOBBITS?  ….  FREEZING

AFTER BATTLING THE MOUNTAIN FOR LONGER THAN THEY CAN BEAR OUR COMPANY RESIGNS HEADING BACK DOWN THE MOUNTAIN 

HOW WILL OUR COMPANY HANDLE DEFEAT

AND IS THERE ANOTHER WAY?

The story in this chapter

• A rest, what to do?
  • Only options are to go on… somehow
  • Or go back to Rivendell
    • Pippin perks up, Merry and Sam look hopeful
    • Aragorn and Boromir make no sign
    • Frodo troubled.
      • We cannot return without shame, unless there is no other way and we are already defeated.
        • Sam sinks back into his gloom
  • The only other path is through Moria
    • The Gap of Rohan is watched by Saruman, who has turned against the free people and to go south through Gondor will take FAR too long.
• Moria - more dangerous than the Redhorn Gate?
  • Gandalf thought this might be the way through - Aragorn did not want to go this way at least until they tried the mountain pass.
    • We see Aragorn here being very leader-like and less follower. Giving way to Gandalf.  Gandalf is their guide for the time being, not Aragorn.
      • Aragorn has definite opinions (we don’t see this in the movies as much)
  • Gimli becomes interested - all others feel dread - even the hobbits who only know it from legend and vague fear.
  • We can cover our trail and disappear for a little bit.
• Why not go south past the Gap and over the mountains into Gondor? (Boromir)
  • Things have changed in the Gap
  • The longer road would take WAY too long, it is not safe, and it is watched.
  • Going through Moria would be like going up to the dark lord’s tower itself “The name of Moria is Black.”
• Gandalf has seen some stuff… he rebutted Boromir with
  • I alone of you have been to
    • The stronghold of Sauron
    • The dungeons of the dark lord
    • Dol Guldur
• There may be Dwarves in the mines - there might be a warm welcome somewhere inside
• Who will follow me if I lead you? (Gandalf)
• “How the wind howls!” -- it's not the wind!
  • Warg attack
  • They think it's done after Gandalf declares himself to them.
  • They come back!
  • First battle scene in our narrative.
  • Gandalf steals the show… HUGE show of force and power.
• The missing falls and the stairs that go up
• The curious case of the unexpected lake
  • Stepping in the water and the ripples in the deep
• Saying goodbye to Bill
  • Repacking for the southward, warming, road
• Moon letters and drawings - ithildin
  • Durin’s marks
  • The tree of the High Elves
  • The star of the House of Feanor(PIN)
• Hacking the doors
• Fear of the water
• ‘Friend’ and ‘Snakes?’
  • The door is a riddle
  • Sam is the only one who moves to save Frodo - and is forced to choose Frodo over Bill
  • Everyone quickly gets inside
• The way back is closed - let us hope the way forward is open.
• Follow the guiding light
  • Frodo eventually realizes that he can see better in the dark than everyone except Gandalf (even Gimli!) - he/narrator attributes it to stab wound in his shoulder
• Brief rests and pauses along the way
• Pitter patter - the faint echo of footfalls.
• “I have no memory of this place” and the guard room well
  • A rock that takes a long time hit the ground
    • Tom-tap, tap-tom.

    • Tap-tom, tom-tap, tap-tap, tom.

  • Time to head back uphill
• Long march. Suddenly the walls disappeared - and they are in a vast cavernous room
• Risk a little real light.
• Spending the night, at night.
• Gimli’s song
  • Sam likes it
  • Gimli is gloomy
• The wealth of Moria was not in gold or jewels but in Mithril
  • Pretty amazing stuff
• In the morning there is light
• Through a doorway a tomb
  • Balin son of Fundin / Lord of Moria
  • He is dead. There are no dwarves to welcome them.
  • Gimli draws his hood over his face….
  • HERE ENDS THE CHAPTER

Links

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"Five Armies" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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