Abducted by Fellowship Friday: Book 2 ch. 6- 10

I started writing this post yesterday but I passed out before I could post it! My dentist has me on some pretty strong medication that makes me painfully exhausted. My point is that I apologize for this post going up a day late for those who were eagerly anticipating my last Fellowship Friday post!

Phew! Finished the first one! Feels great doesn't it?

Well, we have a lot to cover today so I should probably just jump right in.

The Fellowship have made it out or Moria (minus Gandolf) and they are helped on their way to Lothlorien by an elf named Haldir and his brothers Rumil and Orophin.

From what I could tell, Lothlorien is the woods or the land or something and the main city is called Galadhrim. And it is looked after or ruled after, however you want to see it, by Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel.

Let me take this moment to be completely honest with you and say that when I first saw this movie I totally developed a girl crush on Cate Blanchett! I mean, first of all, she is beautiful! But then she also played the character of Lady Galadriel so perfectly that I became obsessed. I used to know every one of her lines and could recite them along with her when I would watch the movie with my mom. She had a girl crush too and was reciting lines right along with me. If any of my friends wonder where my over the top obsession with memorizing films and tv comes from...yes you can blame my mother!

Anyway, Lady Galadriel comforts the Fellowship so that they are able to find peace of mind while they are staying in Galadhrim. That is until she offers Sam and Frodo a chance to look into her oh so special mirror. Sam looked into the mirror first and saw an evil spreading throughout the Shire. And then when Frodo looks, he sees a figure clocked in white that reminds him of Gandolf (I wonder who that could be), then he sees a large ship, a banner with a white tree, and then comes the Eye!

It fills Frodo with so much fear that he tries to give the Ring to Galadriel.

FUN FACT: The fact that Frodo tries to give Galadriel the Ring is actually a big deal that I didn't even understand until reading the book this time around.

Lothlorien actually gets part of its power or esscense or beauty from the Ring that Galadriel bears called Nenya. If Sauron gets back the One Ring he will be able to control Nenya, BUT if Frodo succeeds in destroying the One Ring then Nenya will loose its power and Lothlorien will in turn fade and the "tides of Time will sweep it away."

So when Frodo offers her the Ring, there is a part of Galadriel that wants it for the power it holds and there is another part that sees this to be her chance to save her land. But she turns it down because she knows that it is the right thing to do.

After all of this it becomes apparent to the Fellowship that it is time to get back to the mission at hand. When they are ready to go, they are each given a gift, boats, food, and a clock and hood.

The Fellowship makes for the river Anduin. At one point they are briefly attacked by Orcs but nothing much comes of it and they continue on their way. Then there comes a time when each member of the Fellowship has to decide their path. To head towards Minas Tirith, where Boromir's people are in need of help and it just happens to be closer to Mordor. Or to take the long way around in an effort to continue avoiding the land of men. Frodo goes off by himself in order to way his options.

The rest of the book acts out almost exactly like the movie. Frodo is off by himself, Boromir follows, he tries to convince Frodo that he could use the Ring for good, then he tries to take the Ring by force, Frodo slips on the Ring in order to get away. Then he realizes that he has to leave the Fellowship behind.

...the evil of the Ring is already at work even in the Company, and the Ring must leave them before it does more harm.

 When Boromir returns to the rest of the group and tells him what he did they all scatter in search of Frodo. Sam, of course, finds him first and insists on going with him to the end. And that is where the book ends. With Frodo and Sam going off together and the rest of the Fellowship scattered on a hill top.

Life Lesson #6

Always remember who the real enemy is.

I mentioned earlier that the Fellowship were helped on their way to Lothlorien by an Elf named Haldir and his brothers. Well, at one point he informs them that they must be blindfolded in order to continue on further.

Actually, he says that only Gimli, because he is a Dwarf, must be blindfolded, but in an act of solidarity the rest of the Fellowship is blindfolded as well. Legolas exclaims his frustration by saying that in a time like this when they are all bound together as enemies of the Enemy it is ridiculous that there are still lines drawn amongst them. And Haldir responds by saying...

...Indeed in nothing is the power of the Dark Lord more clearly shown then in the estrangement that divides all those who still oppose him.

In any battle there is nothing that one side likes more then bickering amongst the other side. In religion, in politics, in anything, if we spend all our time drawing lines and casting judgments on each other then we can't come together to tackle the real problems. We are weaker when we're fighting, we are vulnerable when we're on our own. When we spend all our time thinking of each other as the enemy, we miss out on the strength and the comradery when get by leaning on each other. 

Even with the hatred that exists between the elves and the dwarfs, Lady Galadriel welcomes Gimli warmly and speaks kindly of Moria despite the evil that was awakened there.

And the Dwarf, hearing the names given in his own ancient tongue looked up and met her eyes: and it seemed to him that he looked suddenly into the heart of the enemy and saw there love and understanding.