Galadriel Gardner
· 27 December 2022
· Chapter 1: Why I've Accepted the Appearance of Movie-Frodo
Hello, Larner! I was formerly Queen Galadriel... more grown up now. 😊 The screen name had to change, and nearly everything I ever wrote is also being removed to be polished or completely rewritten, or consigned to eternal secrecy in the case of the most irredeemably youthful!
I also find myself revisiting favorite authors and have wanted to reread and catch up on your work for some time. This image of Frodo is so engrained in my consciousness now, thanks largely to how influential your writing has been to me, that I can't recall if I ever had another picture of him. I appreciate your elaboration on the several definitions of 'fair' here. The only thing that truly irks me about the movie portrayals, not just of Frodo but of all the hobbits, is that I have yet to discover if Tolkien intended for their ears to be pointed, as they were in the film characters. Gollum's, however, are not pointed, and I don't think the Harfoots' are either in the new "Rings of Power" series. These small details matter! 😆 Perhaps that was a trait that emerged over time.
Thank you for these reflections and for the depth of the sub-universe you have contributed to Tolkien fandom. Thank you for the constant encouragement you always gave to me, even when my own scribblings deserved it very little, if at all. Your writings, and you yourself, had more subtle positive influence than you could guess.
Tallis
· 3 October 2016
· Chapter 8: On Leadership within Middle-earth and the Benefits of the Fellowship of the Ring
Hello my dear Larner :)
I want to thank you warmly for your new essay and for another (was it the 3d?) dedication - I'm so honored. :) I did not find it earlier so I'll read it now. Its q. interesting for my tastes as Tolkien fan couse I'm interested mostly in the questions of power, politics and law - esp in Tolkien writings but also in any kind of fan's writings.
Greetings from your fan :)
Tallis Keeton
Freyalyn
· 2 September 2016
· Chapter 8: On Leadership within Middle-earth and the Benefits of the Fellowship of the Ring
Another excellent essay - thank you.
Author's reply
Thank you, Freyalyn!
Andrea
· 11 October 2015
· Chapter 7: Travellers in Four Elements
That was very interesting and insightful! Thank you very much.
And I just wanted to add that the Christian meaning of "caritas" is "charity". Like in the commandment "Love your neighbour as yourself!".
Think of Frodo's reaction to Saruman at the steps of Bag End. That is pure Christian "caritas"!
Author's reply
And I thank you, Andrea. Oh, yes, Frodo Baggins has indeed learned empathy and caring beyond the norm. He could put himself in Saruman's place and wished that the Wizard could know similar healing.
Antane
· 8 October 2015
· Chapter 7: Travellers in Four Elements
I love this and the points made so poignantly about Frodo being both autumn and winter and caritas, which would fit Sam as well. Pippin could be spring's celebration of a return to life and energy after winter, or he could be the joy of summer with its long and warm days that are so wonderful and full of light and cheer. He is great for the virtue of hope as is Sam.
Namarie, God bless, Antane :)
Author's reply
Both Frodo and Sam embody hope, each in his own manner, as does Aragorn as well, not to mention Gandalf, of course.
Pippin could indeed be the Hobbit for All Seasons, but I love to think of him as the one who is simply growing into his role, more so than the others do.
Thanks so for the comments--you know how much I appreciate them!
Periantari
· 2 October 2015
· Chapter 7: Travellers in Four Elements
What an insightful and wonderful essay! To compare the hobbits to the four seasons is intriguing and very well thought of. I think both you and Tallis have good points about which hobbit represents what season with both reasoning pretty well on point.
Several great lines from the essay:
He is the hope and endurance seen in evergreens, the courage of new life stirring personified by the first snowdrops pushing through the melting snow.
Winter def has too meanings and with your reasoning, i think it does make sense. I do think that PIppin is fire for he is the most inquisitive, energetic one and Tolkien did nto write too much that he was ever really down unless it was in the Pyre of Denethor chapter which we see that is the lowlight of the Quest along with the orc capture in "The Urukhai".
I like Sam to be Autumn as well ...he can also be Spring for he does represent harvest as well as springing back from a horrible ordeal in Mordor.
Sam, who’s suppressed his education under Bilbo and Frodo so as to remain the rather rustic individual expected of his birth, parentage, and social status, now finds himself realizing that those stories of Elves he so loved as a child are not just stories but history, and that he and his Master are involved in the extensions of that very history of which he’d read and heard throughout his life. I liked this line a lot and find it true that he keeps himself down to earth and that now he's also part of history as well and it's probably boggles his humble mind but he is. (Also, you meant 13 children right? for you only put 12)
Frodo does lose the most and that is why i am so attached to him and his sorrow. The Quest took away innocence, took away his happiness forever. And i think there is some Tolkien in there too for he's never the same after WWI which he fought and suffered from. PTSD is very real and it's unfortunate that the "Shire is saved but not for him." IN that way, i think he is winter season for i do feel like winter is more of a slow, dead season even though the major holidays are also there. That is a matter of perspective i guess.
Interesting thoughts about when their birthdays lie for you do not get a particular date for Merry and Pippin so it's interesting to think that their personalities and perceived seasons can give a hint to when their birthdays are.
I agree with the perceived values for the hobbits. They all represent something good and i'm so glad for this essay to have a new appreciation for all of them. <3
Thank you.
Author's reply
Tallis has read many of the comments on this essay, and is honored others think as she does. Thank you from both of us! We do love our Hobbits!
KathyG
· 2 October 2015
· Chapter 1: Why I've Accepted the Appearance of Movie-Frodo
Well, Aragorn wasn't exactly ignored, although Rankin and Bass did ignore his relationship to the hobbits. Legolas and Gimli, on the other hand, were left completely out!
Author's reply
Like I said, I do tend to shudder at the Rankin-Bass animated version. Their adaptation of The Hobbit was better, although I found their depictions of Bilbo and Gandalf rather unattractive. It's too bad that the artists who did the Bakshi version were all so unequal in their depictions and the manner in which they animated the film. Plus that the financial support was pulled after the first film was done but before the whole project could be completed was a distinct disappointment at the time.
KathyG
· 1 October 2015
· Chapter 2: Brothers Found
Bilbo Baggins, apparently following in the footsteps of his remarkable maternal grandfather, old Gerontius Took [1, 24], had developed an appreciation for the history of the greater world, an appreciation that was undoubtedly increased by his adventure to the Lonely Mountain and back. It is most likely that on his return he wanted to learn more, and that he looked to both Gandalf and Elrond to satisfy his curiosity and thirst for more information. [1, 2] That part of the reason he wished to take Frodo as his ward and protégé was so as to foster similar interests in the younger Hobbit is very likely. So it is also likely that Frodo was also interested in all things Elvish when young, and had this appetite both encouraged and filled by his new guardian. In this way it is likely that Bilbo had given Frodo as thorough an education in the history both of the Shire and of the world Outside as it was possible to give a Hobbit of the Shire, preparing him for his own journey in a unique manner.
Bilbo ended up doing the very same things for Samwise Gamgee. Sam was taught to read and write (as well as math, most likely); he was also interested in all things Elvish; and his own appetite was both encouraged and filled by his father's employer. He ended up receiving his own thorough education of the Shire and of the world Outside.
Author's reply
I so agree, Kathy. And I suspect that Frodo also had a hand in Sam's education.
In the end Sam became as singular a Hobbit as Frodo, although in his own way.
KathyG
· 1 October 2015
· Chapter 1: Why I've Accepted the Appearance of Movie-Frodo
Frodo was also illustrated in the 1980 Rankin-Bass TV movie, The Return of the King. Apparently, his looks in that film are not as familiar to Tolkien fans as they are in the Bakshi film (more's the pity).
Author's reply
I fear I tend to suppress Rankin-Bass's version of The Return of the King, as so much of it makes me shudder. Even Sam's monologue of the images the Ring tries to plant in his mind, although almost straight from the book, feels contrived and lacks immediacy. And Pippin and Merry are ridiculous! Aargh! And to basically ignore Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas--that was flatly criminal.
As for the reason given for Frodo to be granted the right to go to the Undying Lands--even louder Aargh!
Only the song "Where there's a whip there's a way" does stick with one, doesn't it?
Antane
· 14 October 2014
· Chapter 6: The Anatomy of the Ring-bearer
Heartbreaking essay on our dearest hobbit - branded as the Ring's slave - whoa. One of the interesting pictures from the Fellowship movie is the reflection of the fiery letters on Frodo's cheek - as though he is indeed branded, the Ring burned into his soul. I've recently finished an essay on Frodo's PTSD and relating it to The Sea-Bell, my favorite poem and a devastating one, that I hope to get published. I've thought recently whether there is any truth to one of his Took ancestors taking a 'fairy' wife - it could explain his 'elvish air' and the Second Sight that gifted him. I can't remember if it was only in a fic or from the Professor that some Tooks had the Sight. I know I've read it somewhere. Of course, these could be direct gifts from Iluvatar also without the intervention of a strain of Elvish blood. I thought also that maybe his March 13 illnesses are not tied to Shelob's sting but to the loss of the Ring - it is gone forever and now all is dark and empty - no mention of the sting still bothering him. Is he truly still mourning the loss even then or just having a vivid flashback to the time he woke in the Tower and it was gone? I always thought the former but wonder now if it was latter. I would love to know your thoughts!
Namarie, God bless, Antane :)
Author's reply
I don't know how I managed to fail to respond to this comment, Antane. Certainly several writers have explored the possible nature of that hinted at "fairy wife," although so far I've not played with the idea.
Shelob's bite marked the entrance of Frodo to Mordor itself, as the loss of the Ring heralded the return to the living lands. Just as Frodo's distress during his return home appears to have begun on the anniversary of the blow at Weathertop and does not appeared to have fully resolved itself until the anniverary of the encounter with the Nine at the Ford, followed by the entrance to Rivendell and the beginning of his recovery under Elrond's care, so it appears that the entire period of their exposure to Mordor itself appears to have been replayed in Frodo's mind as being part of the loss of the Ring. I suspect that throughout the whole of that anniversary period from the attack by Shelob to the bite from Gollum he would have felt distress, with Tolkien himself indicating that he was especially vulnerable on the anniversary of the spider bite and probably with a second crisis on the anniversary of the loss of the Ring. And I suspect that Frodo both knew flashback memories of the great distress endured in Torech Ungol as well as mourning the Ring.
Thanks so for your patience with me.
MlleGigi
· 16 September 2014
· Chapter 6: The Anatomy of the Ring-bearer
It's interesting that you believe the trauma (both physical and psychological) which Frodo suffered on his way to and through Mordor potentially could have tempted him to consider suicide -- as you may already know, you're not the first writer of Tolkien fan fiction to suggest this. Perhaps you're already acquainted with the stories of JoDancingTree which are hosted on this site (especially "Another Way Of Leaving" in which she portrays Frodo not only contemplating suicide but actually coming up with a plan to do so, only to be mercifully interrupted in the midst of carrying it out). If you have not read her stories, I cannot recommend them highly enough. I particularly like "The Queen's Orc" which is a sequel to "Another Way Of Leaving" even though it focuses on an original character -- even though Frodo does not appear in that story, he's nevertheless still very much a part of it because the main character was profoundly affected and influenced by his friendship with Frodo.
Author's reply
Yes, I've read "The Queen's Orc" and several others of JoDancingTree's stories, and I credit her influence in several of my works. I especially like her works where Frodo follows Radagast. I know several of us have considered that at times Frodo might have felt suicidal, although I suspect that a good deal of it was due to inability to sleep properly as a result of migraines, nightmares, and so on. As I have him explaining to Galadriel, there were simply times when the pain and tension were so great he was so tempted just to see it ended as swiftly and painlessly as possible.
Thanks so!
Freyalyn
· 12 September 2014
· Chapter 6: The Anatomy of the Ring-bearer
What a gorgeous little essay, and expressing so many of my own thoughts too. Thank you.
Author's reply
I'm so glad that you appreciate it and agree with it, Freyalyn. Thank you!
Queen Galadriel
· 1 February 2014
· Chapter 5: The Not-so-Simple Samwise Gamgee
I love this! Of all the characters in LOTR, I think I most personally identify with Frodo and Sam for a lot of reasons. I love your portrayal of Sam in your stories. I've been considering the idea of reworking my idea of a Sam-centric story that I'd started in A Gardener's Tale, and if I can just get done with my current project or work out a way to do both at once without letting the lighter fanfic be a distraction from the heavier original work, this piece will certainly be a help.
Author's reply
I know what you mean. Trying to balance writing and necessary repairs and redoing isn't always easy as once again I find myself having to do major cleanup after someone else.
I do so hope that you can manage to balance your original writing and fanfiction. I know it's easier sometimes to throw off a single short story than to continue on with a heavy epic such as Stirring Rings.
And I am so pleased you appreciate not only the way I portray Sam but this analysis of his character.
Thank you so, my Lady!
Antsne
· 12 September 2013
· Chapter 5: The Not-so-Simple Samwise Gamgee
A thoughtful and loving tribute to our dear Sam! I, too, love the image of him giving Faramir 'sauce' in the book. :) i think the Ring had no idea what it was up against when it challenged Sam to claim it. It would have succeeded in the end as it did with Frodo and would have with anyone, but Sam's love for his treasure is what saves him. My favorite part in the TTT movie is the attack on Sam at Osgiliath. Even with a sword at his throat held by the one he most loves, he still loves without skipping a beat and there is that loving, forgiving smile in the Tower that says so much without saying a word just as his smile in Houses of Healing express so much and their parting at the Grey Havens and hugging in the boat at the end FOTR. The movies excelled in showing this beautiful and pure love story in all its glory just as Frodo celebrated it in his reverent tribute to his friend of friends in the Red Book. Sam and Frodo were both filled with grace. He truly was Samwise in the sense that everyone recognizes. Three cheers for him!
Namarie, God bless, Antane :)
Author's reply
Yes, Sam was worthy of the honor all showed him, including the honor given him by the one he thought of always as his Master. Thank you so, Antane!
Teresa
· 7 September 2013
· Chapter 5: The Not-so-Simple Samwise Gamgee
I quite agree Larner --- Sam was never a simple character. He might have seemed so to those who first met him or who preferred not to seriously consider who and what a person truly was in total. But then, many people don't bother to look below the surface of someone they meet to find the truth of the matter. Sam does come into his own on the quest as the others do, and when he returns to the Shire he is well prepared for his future role. But as you say, he was working towards that from his childhood onwards; and his parents, Bilbo and Frodo did their best to help him onward. The Gaffer might have felt that one should stay within one's class; but he respected the affection that grew between Frodo and Sam. There are indications that he was close to Bilbo, though their relationship was on a more formal basis. Perhaps if he had shared Bilbo's journey he'd have lightened up a bit, but he was willing to speak up whenever someone slandered the Baggins family. I think too that of the parents dealing with the Travellers' return the Gaffer handled it best at first. He just wanted to know if his son had given satisfaction and finished his mission as planned. Then he wanted to know if Sam and company would deal with the mess in the Shire. Once he was assured of those matters then he could wait for more details on everything. Pragmatic and practical, that's the Gaffer. It's that foundation that Sam brings to the quest and it supports his imagination, his actions, and his choices. It's not only Frodo that Sam stood by, but each member of the group. I'd like to think that one reason the Ring had such a hard time with subverting the company was the fact that all of them wanted to help each other and the rest of Middle Earth so much. Who know, maybe Boromir held out all those months because of that connection with the others. Sam's "plain hobbit sense" and unstinting care for the party as a whole could have buffered the Ring's malice as much as Frodo's direct wrestling did. As always, your essay has given me new ideas to consider about one of my favorite books and characters! Many thanks for posting this! :)
Author's reply
I agree so. The group cohesiveness served to help Boromir hold out against the Ring's call to the last, and only when the group went a bit loopy worrying about what Frodo might choose to do, possibly seeking to deny them the chance to stand by him in the end, did the Ring manage to slip in through the cracks and disrupt Boromir's integrity sufficiently to encourage him to act upon his fears rather than his honor.
And Sam was there by them all until the moment he knew he must stand by his Master first and foremost, and the others must from that moment on see to their own needs. But if someone hadn't stood by Frodo in that final assault on Mordor's borders, it would have been all over for all the world.
shirebound
· 7 September 2013
· Chapter 5: The Not-so-Simple Samwise Gamgee
It’s unlikely that a person would be considered for the post of Mayor unless he was first a land-holder.
What an interesting point. I hadn't thought of that before.
Author's reply
Ownership of land was considered important throughout most of Britain and Europe's history, after all, as was true also in the colonies that sprang up in North America and the United States as well; therefore I'm reasonably certain that this was probably the norm in the Shire, too.
Thanks so, Shirebound!
shirebound
· 7 September 2013
· Chapter 4: On the Nature of Tol Eressëa
I've done a lot of research on Tol Eressëa for my own stories, and never tire of thinking -- and reading -- about a certain hobbit's life there. I'm ever-grateful to the Professor not just for what he reveals, but what he leaves up to us to fill in. We're all able to write about the Lonely Isle as a place of canon, yet a place still able to be gently molded by our own imaginings.
Thank you for this thoughtful piece.
Author's reply
I agree, and I rejoice that we have also been invited by the Master himself to add to the world of Arda that we know primarily because he gave us its outline!
And thank you so for your response to the essay.
Antane
· 17 August 2012
· Chapter 4: On the Nature of Tol Eressëa
I do wish we knew more about Frodo's time there - just that tantalizing glimpse to know that he made it safely and that's all - but it does make fanfic fun to imagine what it was like. There would be no reason to have brought Frodo there and have him suffer such loss of those he still loved so deeply if he would be killed immediately by the air so I agree there must be some buffer there to allow for peace and healing to take place. Tolkien is clear in his Letters (can't remember which one right off) that it would be Frodo and Bilbo's own choice as to when to die so of course Frodo would wait for his Sam to come. How long they lasted after that I don't know. An interesting, informative essay!
Namarie, God bless, Antane :)
Author's reply
And I thank you so, Antane. I too believe that Frodo would do his best to remain for Sam's arrival, as you know, although I sincerely doubt Bilbo would wish to remain that long--probably just long enough to be certain that Frodo's own healing was working well, and that Frodo could look again toward feeling whole and capable of joy.
Thanks so!
Ainariel
· 30 August 2011
· Chapter 3: Pick a Hero
I thoroughly enjoy little snippets like these - to get a chance to "see" an author's thoughts on a subject they write!
The topic you touched on in this essay is perhaps the reason I am so smitten with Tolkien's work. While the story itself is full of the fantastic - hobbits, elves, dwarves, ents, etc - it also parallels our world. There are heroes all around us, everywhere...and villians, too. A single, solitary figure can seldom alter the course of history - more often, it is the masses - everyday heroes each doing their own part - that enact the change we wish to see.
Author's reply
I'm so glad that this has spoken to so many! Yes--all must in the end work together to see the battle won, and not just the one with the big, shiny sword or with the magic token in his pocket. And through the labor of all they come to the proper end.
Andrea
· 30 August 2011
· Chapter 3: Pick a Hero
So, this is one epic that draws us into it by providing at least one hero, great or small, with whom each reader can identify
That's it, exactly! And it is indeed "at least one hero" for the reader to pick.
I found more than one :-)
Author's reply
I think most of us do, Andrea! Heh! Even the animals tend to draw us in, I find. How many of us find ourselves looking forward to each new chapter of Lindelea's look at the quest from Bill's point of view, after all, or thrilling when Asfaloth carries Frodo to safety and when Shadowfax shows up?
Freyalyn
· 30 August 2011
· Chapter 3: Pick a Hero
Fascinating and erudite essay, as I would expect from you. I especially enjoyed the first chapter, and your thoughts on Frodo's seeming. I have thought of the parallels between Aragorn and Frodo before.
Author's reply
And thank you so, Freyalyn. I was honored when Inzilbeth and Cairistiona asked me to provide the essay on the comparison and relationship between Aragorn and Frodo; and the others just seemed to write themselves.
Kitty
· 24 May 2010
· Chapter 2: Brothers Found
All that sounds completely right to me, but then, I'm so familiar with your work (much of which I have read many times) that it is to be expected that everything you said here seems familiar and true.
Anyway, though I know how you think, it's great to see all your thoughts on the matter collected in this one place instead of strewn throughout your work.
Author's reply
Again, thanks so very much for the reflections on what I've written, Kitty! It's always a joy to find that I've brightened your day. And it's always a joy to hear from you. I was so glad that Inzilbeth and Cairistiona wanted this essay, giving me the excuse to write it!
Kitty
· 24 May 2010
· Chapter 1: Why I've Accepted the Appearance of Movie-Frodo
Tolkien's descriptions of persons certainly left something to be desired in comparison to the ones of the country. I always wondered why Imrahil, being a relatively minor character, was better described than Legolas, for example.
Yes, from the bit that was mentioned dark hair for Frodo is likely, though I admit that, being German, I learned 'fair' as a synonym for 'blonde'. But the Elves were described as the 'fair folk', and as we know, only (or mainly?) the Vanyar used to be blonde, so I learned early on that at least for Tolkien fair doesn't say much about the hair colour. And as you point out, it can mean 'fair of character' as well.
I know that many didn't like Elijah as Frodo, but I do, too; he does fit the description of outward appearance and character we have very well.
Author's reply
So I've heard repeatedly over the years, that in the German translation they indicated Frodo was blond in spite of the brown mat used to simulate his hair.
"Fair" has several meanings in English, after all.
I felt that for the most part Elijah Wood fit the part perfectly!
Armariel
· 2 May 2010
· Chapter 2: Brothers Found
Very interesting apologia......although to me, no explanation was necessary:):)
~~~~~{~@
Author's reply
Thanks so, Armariel. I was honored to be asked to write this by Inzilbeth and Cairistiona.
Inzilbeth
· 1 May 2010
· Chapter 2: Brothers Found
You've done a great job here, Larner, and I'm so grateful to you for allowing me to post it.
Author's reply
Thanks so much for giving me the chance to write this, Inzilbeth!