Abducted by Fellowship Fridays: Book 2 Ch. 3-5

I am nearing the finish line guys!!! This is a very exciting time for me!!! 

This week I read through the 5th (or 17th) chapter, and in those 4 chapters the Fellowship of the Ring has been formed and it has also already begun to fall apart. Which is very unfortunate because they put so much effort into forming that traveling entourage!

One of the things that was the most disappointing was that the whole scene in the movie where each of the members of the fellowship step forward and offer Frodo their services, didn't actually happen in the book. Only the hobbits and Gandolf volunteer to go on the journey and then we later find out that the other various members are appointed because of their own personal motivations and/or skills.

Ultimately the Fellowship is made up of 4 hobbits (Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin), 1 ranger (Aragorn), 1 man (Boromir), 1 dwarf (Gimili), 1 elf (Legolas), and 1 wizard (Gandolf).

Once the Fellowship is formed Aragorn goes to get his sword put back together and then Bilbo gives Frodo his sword and mail shirt, and then he goes off to recite what I think will end up being my favorite poem in the entire series! I wont quote the whole thing for you, but here are my favorite lines...

I sit beside the fire and think / of how the world will be / when winter comes without a spring / that I shall ever see.
For still there are so many things / that I have never seen: / in every wood in every spring / there is a different green.
I sit beside the fire and think / of people long ago, / and people who will see a world / that I shall never know.

I love it because, so many of the poems in these books are weighed down with the language and the mythical stories that they are trying to tell. This poem is by far simpler and is merely about a guy realizing that time is passing him by. Now that Bilbo has passed the Ring onto Frodo, he is having to face the fact that it is up to Frodo to carry out the adventures that Bilbo wont be able to have himself. And without the Ring Bilbo's age may finally catch up to him as well. 

It was a very poignant moment for me and so I wanted to mention it.  But of course Biblo shouldn't have felt jealous about not getting to go on the journey because within days of setting out the Fellowship are attacked by falling rocks, snow, and so many gatherings of birds that even Hitchcock would be impressed. 

They all decide that there is nothing left for them to do and so they will have to enter the Mines of Moria.

Now, you may be asking; "what is up with this crazy Moria place?"

Well, don't worry. Some of the back story on Moria was shared during the Council of Elrond chapter, and I took notes!

Many many years ago the ancient dwarves dug the mines in Moria. They created the cities of Khazad-dum and found a great amount of treasures. The only problem being that they mined too deep and an evil was released. The dwarves were driven from the mountains and forced to leave a great deal of the treasure behind. And remember how out of the rings that Sauron gave to the dwarves, some were lost forever. Well, there was a legend that said that the lost ring of the dwarf Thror could be found in the mines of Moria.

Then, 30 years ago, a dwarf named Balin was convinced that enough time had passed that the dwarves could return now in a greater number. So he took a group of dwarves with him and they went back to Moria and to Khazad-dum. At first, they would send word back telling of all the treasure they were finding and how successful everything was turning out to be. Well, now it has been decades since they have heard anything at all and the dwarves are concerned that something has gone horribly wrong.

As eager as Gimili is to stop by Moria to check on his peeps, he is also very concerned and worried as to what they will end up finding.

And what they find turns out not to be good news.

Balin turns out to be dead for sure. The treasures that were left behind have all been plundered and the evil has continued to rise and increase.

There are orcs like you wouldn't believe and cave trolls! Even Frodo has to step up and get his fight on. Which he does with a rousing cry of "THE SHIRE!!!" right before he stabs a troll in the foot! I for one loved this moment because in the movie version Frodo can usually be found on the sidelines falling down. But in the book he really does hold his own.

The Fellowship tries to make a run for it, but fire follows in the form of a balrog!

They try to cross a bridge and Gandolf turns around to face the Balrog with a challenge...

"You cannot pass. I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udun. Go back to the Shadow! YOU CANNOT PASS!!!" 

This moment in FSM really made me laugh the first time I saw it!

This is no "Simon Says" kids game folks. How many times does he have to say it? Gandolf was being totally serious about not letting this joker pass!

The bridge breaks, the Balrog falls, and for a split second you actually think they are all going to get out of this mess alive, but then the Balrog sends up his whip to grab hold of Gandolf's knees and pulls him from the cliff and down with him.

I know that this is supposed to be sad and all, but I'm actually really excited! Now that Gandolf is dead and the rest of the Fellowship has made it out of the mountains, that means we are mere pages away from being in Lothlorien! That is my favorite part!!!

And just a reminder: next Friday will be the last post for my series of Fellowship Fridays. But the following Tuesday (September 18th) will be the kick off for Two Towers Tuesdays!

Life Lesson #5

Making an oath, especially in the spirit of friendship, is one of the most important things you will ever do. 

After the forming of the Fellowship, Elrond gives one of my favorite monologues...

"The Ring-bearer is setting out on the Quest of Mount Doom. On him alone is any charge laid...The others go with him as free companions, to help him on his way...The further you go, the less easy will it be to withdraw; yet no oath or bond is laid on you to go further than you will. For you do not yet know the strength of your hearts, and you cannot foresee what each may meet upon the road." 

Now, many of my friends know that at this point in my life I absolutely despise road-trips!  Any trip that takes over 8 maybe 12 hours and I am absolutely taking a plane! No question about it!

When I was reading this passage in the book, my first reaction was; "Hell, yeah!" I would totally be down to travelling more if I knew that if when times got hard I could hop on a plane or ditch the campsite by the side of the road for a comfy hotel room.

But, when you keep reading, Elrond and Gimili actually get into it a little bit because Gimili doesn't agree with Elronds advice.

"Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens," said Gimili.

 "Maybe,' said Elrond. 'but let him not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall."

"Yet sworn word may strengthen quaking heart," said Gimili.

And the truth is, Gimili has a point. Sometimes the act of making a declaration or taking an oath, is the one thing that will hold us together. Sometimes when we keep our declarations to ourselves, we do this because we know deep down we want to hold on to the option to back out later. But when an oath is on the line we will end up pushing ourselves past the point we were convinced would break us. And ultimately we learn that we have more strength in us, and in our friendships, then we could have ever imagined.