So in the category of “little things I’m still picking up on” - it had always kind of bothered me how Frodo got pinned to the wall by the spear, without it actually penetrating his mithril shirt. I just realized in reading this chapter that the orc held on to the spear, and it was because of that that he was pinned to the wall. Seems pretty obvious now.
For a LotR calendar back in the 70s, Tolkien made copies of the pages of the Book of Mazarbul that Gandalf read aloud - you can see them here. Given that this is Tolkien, who was known to pay attention to detail on occasion, the text on them is exactly as read by Gandalf, including partially obscured words and Ori’s hasty scrawl of “they are coming…” at the very end.
Sam continues to be awesome:
When thirteen had fallen the rest fled shrieking, leaving the defenders unharmed, except for Sam who had a scratch along the scalp. A quick duck had saved him; and he had felled his orc: a sturdy thrust with his Barrow-blade. A fire was smouldering in his brown eyes that would have made Ted Sandyman step backwards, if he had seen it.
Go Sam!
Movie comment: it’s often been wondered by fans why Sting glows, but Gandalf’s sword Glamdring (which also came from Gondolin) doesn’t glow when orcs are nearby. According to Jackson & company, they tried, but they weren’t able to get it to not look like a lightsaber so they gave up on that.
And then there’s the confrontation on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm. Another super iconic moment, and an awesome one. This is an area where I really, REALLY wish I could remember what it was like to read these books for the first time - what, exactly, did I feel when Gandalf fell? I’d love to hear from anyone who remembers their reaction to Gandalf falling into the abyss.
In case anyone has been wondering, with Durin’s Bane gone, the Dwarves of Moria do actually retake Moria some years into the 4th Age. They are lead thither by Durin VII, also known as Durin the Last, and are able to retake it. There the Dwarves are said to have dwelt until they eventually faded away and were forgotten.
Despite my comment last week about inevitably addressing them, I’m actually not going to go into any detail about balrog wings (which aren’t a thing, Tolkien was using metaphorical imagery) and the “take the eagles” theory (which is idiotic). Mostly because they bore me. My only contribution to this discussion is this, which I take any chance to post. Feel free to get into in in the comments.
Next week: there are dreams and there are flowers in Lothlórien.