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| The Way Home by Lindelea | 4 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| KathyG | Reviewed Chapter: 17 on 7/20/2025 |
| Aww, so Bill gives his thanks to the stream they have followed, I see. So, the Mearas are capable of understanding human speech. Interesting! I wonder where Bill and Shadowfax will stop for the night. Author Reply: Part of the fun of putting this story together was reading everything I could find on Shadowfax and the Mearas! I'm not sure if all Mearas can understand human speech, but it may be so. Éomer says at one point, For the sire of their race was the great horse of Eorl that knew the speech of Men. In Appendix A, Tolkien tells the story of Léod, "a tamer of wild horses", his son Eorl, who became the first King of the Mark, and the great horse Felaróf, the first of the mearas to be tamed. Here, too, Felaróf is described as understanding the speech of Men, and he and his descendants are said to be as long-lived as Men and that they would bear no rider save the King of the Mark or his sons. From Gandalf's interactions with Shadowfax, the horse appears to be highly intelligent and seems to understand human speech like his forebear. According to the Tolkien Gateway website (apparently summarized from a list of sources): Shadowfax was described to have a silvery-grey coat which was only visible by day, and seldomly visible by night. He was capable of understanding human speech. As chief of the Mearas, and by extension all horses, he possessed unrivaled speed, strength, intelligence, and endurance, capable of running faster than the wind in comparison to all other steeds, outrunning the Nazgul's horses and equaling the speeds of the winged Fell Beasts, as well as outrun an arrow in flight, and travel over great distances almost entirely without need for rest, and as mentioned above, he had immensely strong willpower and courageousness, enough so to stand up to The Witch-King of Angmar before the gate of Minas Tirith. (https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Shadowfax) (I am astonished at his being able to "outrun an arrow in flight" and would love to know what source that bit of information came from!) | |
| Lady Forlong | Reviewed Chapter: 17 on 7/20/2025 |
| "Pick up your blessings after you've tripped over them." I'm going to have to remember that one. And I get the feeling that Bill is going to need to remember it too, maybe more than once on this journey. Author Reply: Sometimes life just seems to work that way. Pippin has the right of it, in remembering to count his blessings even in the midst of troubles. And as you have observed, Bill still has a long way to go. Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to share your thoughts! | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 17 on 7/19/2025 |
| For the first time, it occurs to me that a Wizard might be capable of feeling loneliness at times. Is that part of the reason why he took pity on me and gave me the Voices That's a wonderful insight. Ohhh, Bill is going to need such a thorough brushing at journey's end. What a marvelous experience that will be. Author Reply: I love the idea of a thorough brushing! He will definitely need one, being shaggy as an old dog on his arrival in Bree. Thanks! | |
| Larner | Reviewed Chapter: 17 on 7/19/2025 |
| Bill does well to listen and learn from Shadowfax while they are together. Love the farewell to the Gate Stream. Author Reply: I'm glad Bill's farewell to the stream worked. He is definitely a product of the company he keeps/has kept. (Even belonging to Bill Ferny provided many valuable lessons, such as patience and perseverance and problem-solving; that said, I firmly believe that people like Ferny shouldn't be allowed to own animals.) Thanks! | |