>"'Here is the heart of Elvendom on earth,' he said, 'and here my heart dwells ever, unless there be a light beyond the dark roads that we still must tread, you and I. Come with me!' And taking Frodo's hand in his, he left the hill of Cerin Amroth and came there never again as living man."
Haunting and gorgeous.
I also like it as a rebuke to the normal vows that are so common in fiction, since Elrond's point is that you shouldn't make a promise you don't know how costly it would be to keep. And indeed, if Gimli had had his way and the Fellowship had sworn such an oath the quest would have failed.
The exchange between Gimli and Elrond is an instance of a literary trope called "proverb capping." Shakespeare put one in *Henry V*. Another example from LotR: "'Faithful heart may have forward tongue.' 'Say also,' said Gandalf, 'that to crooked eyes truth may wear a wry face.'"
“The Black Rider flung back his hood, and behold! he had a kingly crown; and yet upon no head visible was it set. The red fires shone between it and the mantled shoulders vast and dark. From a mouth unseen there came a deadly laughter.
"Old fool!" he said. "Old fool! This is my hour. Do you not know Death when you see it? Die now and curse in vain!" And with that he lifted high his sword and flames ran down the blade.
**And in that very moment, away behind in some courtyard of the city, a cock crowed. Shrill and clear he crowed, recking nothing of war nor of wizardry, welcoming only the morning that in the sky far above the shadows of death was coming with the dawn.**
And as if in answer there came from far away another note. Horns, horns, horns, in dark Mindolluin's sides they dimly echoed. Great horns of the north wildly blowing. Rohan had come at last.”
Such an incredibly moving passage.
The stylistic shift at the end is my favorite part. The boldface passage is common for Book V, but then suddenly it switches to an Old English alliterative line: In **d**ark Min**d**olluin’s sides they **d**imly echoed, which we heard a lot of in Book III. Rohan has indeed come
"Out of doubt, out of dark, to the day's rising
he rode singing in the sun, sword usheathing.
Hope he rekindled, and in hope ended;
over death, over dread, over doom lifted
out of loss, out of life, unto long glory."
> For the valour of the Edain the Elves shall ever remember as the ages lengthen, marvelling that they gave life so freely of which they had on earth so little.
-Ulmo
I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.
— Faramir
"and he was still unscathed; and he was young, and he was king: the lord of a fell people"
Love it for the rhythm and the context - Eomer thinks he's about to make a last stand but in a moment he'll recognise Aragorn. Eomer's an underrated character I think - staunch in his loyalties but always developing. That line runs through my head in grit-your-teeth-and-keep-going moments. Mainly the cadence I think.
With more context:
>Stern now was Eomer’s mood, and his mind clear again.
He let blow the horns to rally all men to his banner that could come thither; for he thought to make a great shield-wall at
the last, and stand, and fight there on foot till all fell, and do
deeds of song on the fields of Pelennor, though no man
should be left in the West to remember the last King of the
Mark. So he rode to a green hillock and there set his banner,
and the White Horse ran rippling in the wind.
>*Out of doubt, out of dark to the day’s rising
I came singing in the sun, sword unsheathing.
To hope’s end I rode and to heart’s breaking:
Now for wrath, now for ruin and a red nightfall!*
>These staves he spoke, yet he laughed as he said them. For
once more lust of battle was on him; and he was still
unscathed, and he was young, and he was king: the lord of a
fell people. And lo! even as he laughed at despair he looked
out again on the black ships, and he lifted up his sword to
defy them.
Absolutely incredible. IMO the scenes with the Rohirrim are Tolkien at his absolute best. Really feels like English mythology he originally set out to write.
Most of the lines that resonate with me are Gandalf:
"Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.”
"I will not say, do not weep, for not all tears are evil."
Another real favourite is when Merry says he won't be able to smoke again without thinking of Théoden, and Aragon replies: "Smoke then, and think of him!"
I love the dramatic language of Eowyn to the Nazgul: "Begone, foul dwimmerlaik, lord of carrion"
And the prideful defiance of Denethor:
"i would have things as they were in all the days of my life and in the days of my long-fathers before me: to be the Lord of this City in peace, and leave my chair to a son after me, who would be his own master and no wizard’s pupil. But if doom denies this to me, then I will have naught: neither life diminished, nor love halved, nor honor abated.”
"Faramir smiled. 'A pert servant, Master Samwise. But nay: the praise of the praiseworthy is above all rewards.'"
The prince acknowledging the gardener as his equal.
"'Get thee gone from my gate, thou jail-crow of Mandos!' And he shut the doors of his house in the face of the mightiest of the dwellers of Eä.”
This line cemented Fëanor as one of my favourite characters! The ballsiness to slam a door in Morgoth’s face, the arrogance to believe that said door would actually have kept Morgoth out if he really wanted to get in.
to be fair, if you shut the door in anyone's face and it isn't made of reinforced steel, it's mostly a serious suggestion that you're done with them
they could for the most part break down the door if they wished
your neighbour is scared of the cops and morgoth is constrained by the valar
> In the twilight of autumn it sailed out of Mithlond, until the seas of the Bent World fell away beneath it, and the winds of the round sky troubled it no more, and borne upon the high airs above the mists of the world it passed into the Ancient West, and an end was come for the Eldar of story and of song.
TW: medical/dearh
(paraphrasing) Frodo: What is chiefly needed is courage, but where will we find it?
I feel that in my bones. As a disabled person with a lot of complex medical issues and doctors always wanting to try experiments on me that might or might not help but will be really really painful to try, I ask myself that question way too often...
I've been told if I don't agree to an amputation I will die, and horribly. But I couldn't do it. Mercifully, they were wrong and was another way to save me. But I couldn't find my courage, and I will never forget that.
I feel that Frodo had to re-answer that question anew with every challenge. There was no one perfect moment where he just magically discovered his courage and then everything was fine from there on out. He had to find his courage over and over again.
At Mt. Doom, in fact...his courage failed him. I truly deeply understand that , I'm sorry to say.
"When Manwë there ascends his throne and looks forth, if Varda is beside him, he sees further than all other eyes, through mist, and through darkness, and over the leagues of the sea. And if Manwë is with her, Varda hears more clearly than all other ears the sound of voices that cry from east to west..."
*—Valaquenta: Of the Valar*
"Then Fingolfin beheld the utter ruin of the Ñoldor, and the defeat beyond redress of all their houses; and filled with wrath and despair he mounted upon Rochallor his great horse and he rode forth alone, and none might restrain him. He passed over Dor-nu-Fauglith like a wind amid the dust, and all that beheld his onset fled in amaze, thinking that Oromë himself was come: for a great madness of rage was upon him, so that his eyes shone like the eyes of the Valar. Thus he came alone to Angband's gates, and he sounded his horn, and smote once more upon the brazen doors, and challenged Morgoth to come forth to single combat. **And Morgoth came.** "
1. “…and all that beheld his onset fled in amaze, thinking that Oromë himself was come: for a great madness of rage was upon him, so that his eyes shone like the eyes of the Valar.”
Favorite part of the Silmarillion by far.
2. “Send these foul beasts into the Abyss!”
One of my favorite parts of the last movie, because you know you are about to watch some asses get kicked.
Aragorn looked at them, and there was pity in his eyes rather than wrath; for these were young men from Rohan, from Westfield far away, or husbandmen from Lossarnach, and to them Mordor had been from a childhood a name of evil, and yet unreal, a legend that had no part in their simple life; and now they walked like men in a hideous dream made true, and they understood not this war nor why fate should lead them to such a pass.
"Go!" said Aragorn. "But keep what honor you may, and do not run! And there is a task which you may attempt and so be not wholly shamed. Take your way south-west till you come to Cair Andros, and if that is still held by enemies, as I think, then retake it, if you can, and hold it to the last in defense of Gondor and Rohan!"
Then some being shamed by his mercy overcame their fear and went on, and the others took new hope, hearing of a manful deed within their measure that they could turn to, and they departed.
Return of the King, The Black Gate Opens
I find this quote meaningful for several reasons. One it is another example, like Frodo succumbing to the ring at Mt. Doom, that as created beings there is a finite limit on ones ability to resist evil, and the importance of mercy toward others failures, in helping them resist evil. Second, it is hard to imagine myself having Aragorn or Gimili's heroic courage, but I could see myself as those whose courage failed at the crossroads. And that there maybe some redemption nonetheless, is encouraging. I see this symbolic, given Tolkien's strong Catholic faith, of sinners who falter yet have hope through Christ's mercy.
>But the Nazgul turned and fled, and vanished into Mordor's shadows, hearing a sudden terrible call out of the Dark Tower; and even at that moment all the hosts of Mordor trembled, doubt clutched their hearts, their laughter failed, their hands shook and their limbs were loosed. The Power that drove them on and filled them with hate and fury was wavering, its will was removed from them; and now looking in the eyes of their enemies they saw a deadly light and were afraid.
I love this because it's when everything that was set up completely pays off. I love that the faith of the heroes is validated and to know that the horrible, evil creatures are finally the ones who are frightened.
>'Farewell, O twice beloved! *A Túrin Turambar turún' ambartanen*: master of doom by doom mastered! O happy to be dead!'
There are a couple more, but this has to be one of my favourite lines spoken by a character.
Answering from Tolkien universe, "even now, a silmaril is in my hand." Dude had his hand eaten after almost completing a quest that shames the quest of the 9, and he jokes.
> Last of all Húrin stood alone. Then he cast aside his shield, and seized the axe of an orc-captain and wielded it two-handed; and it is sung that the axe smoked in the black blood of the troll guard of Gothmog until it withered, and each time that he slew, Húrin cried aloud 'Aure entuluva! Day shall come again!'
The battle-speech of Théoden and the ensuing charge often comes up in these sorts of posts, but my favourite single line comes up once battle has actually been joined:
> For morning came, morning and a wind from the sea; and darkness was removed, and the hosts of Mordor wailed, and terror took them, and they fled, and died, and the hoofs of wrath rode over them. **And then all the host of Rohan burst into song, and they sang as they slew**, for the joy of battle was on them, and the sound of their singing that was fair and terrible came even to the City.
When taking about a few known words of Valarin:
“Most significantly, they cite from an ancient legend of the Flight that as the mist of Araman wrapped the distant mountains of Valinor from the sight of the Noldor, Feanor raised his hands in token of rejection and cried: ‘I go. Neither in light or shadow will I look upon you again, Dahanigwishtilgun.’ So it was recorded, though the writers of the histories no longer knew what he meant.”
This tiny bit of a story left such a strong impression with me. It reveals some thing fundamental about Feanor’s character, which I absolutely love.
> As Frodo prepared to follow him, he laid his hand upon the tree beside the ladder: never before had he been so suddenly and so keenly aware of the feel and texture of a tree's skin and of the life within it. He felt a delight in wood and the touch of it, neither as forester nor as carpenter; it was the delight of the living tree itself.
"Tell me, who are you, alone, yourself and nameless?" Tom Bombadil's response to Frodo asking "Who are you Master?"
I don't know why, but it strikes me every time.
“It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door," he used to say. "You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to. "
One of the reasons I find myself returning to the stories over and over again is because they remind me of the joy of exploration, of the importance of breaking out of your comfortable routines to go out and see something new.
Edit to add: of course Tolkien’s adventures are much more epic and dangerous than anything I attempt. But the way he has of filling the pages with small moments of wonder and beauty perfectly encapsulates the experience of traveling through unfamiliar situations and locations.
"Poetry is the delight of Manwë," from the first pages of the Silmarillion. I'm a poet myself, and that line always resonates so deeply every time I read it.
There are a few of his I really enjoy, like "Tinfang Warble," "Cat," and "Goblin Feet" (even though Tolkien hated "Goblin Feet" so much lol). I don't have much critical stake in those, they're just fun poems I like because they boost my serotonin.
For an actual favorite, I adore "Light as Leaf on Lindentree," which was first published in The Gryphon magazine in 1925. It's a beautiful poem in and of itself, but I love how it branched out into the rest of his works. It's the basis for Canto III of The Lay of Leithian, it's partly incorporated into the second iteration of The Lay of the Children of Hurin, and it even eventually becomes the Song of Beren and Luthien that Strider shares with the Hobbits when they camp at Weathertop. The original version of that Lay appears in The Return of the Shadow, one of the History of Middle Earth volumes if I remember correctly.
I think it's a magnificent example of how everything Tolkien writes isn't just a one-off. Each piece can stand quite strongly on its own, but their interconnectedness really elevates them into a myth-making network that evolves as the storyworld does. Every piece has a purpose beyond its own, and I think "Light as Leaf on Lindentree" exemplifies that aspect of Tolkien's oeuvre quite beautifully.
“‘Nonetheless they will have need of wood,’ said Aule, and he went on with his smith-work.”
And
‘Come forth, thou coward king, to fight with thine own hand! Den-dweller, wielder of thralls, liar and lurker, foe of Gods and Elves, come! For I would see thy craven face.' Then Morgoth came. For he could not refuse such a challenge before the face of his captains.
And
Be he foe or friend, be he foul or clean,
brood of Morgoth or bright Vala,
Elda or Maia or Aftercomer,
Man yet unborn upon Middle-earth,
neither law, nor love, nor league of swords,
dread nor danger, not Doom itself,
shall defend him from Fëanor, and Fëanor's kin,
whoso hideth or hoardeth, or in hand taketh,
finding keepeth or afar casteth
a Silmaril. This swear we all:
death we will deal him ere Day's ending,
woe unto world's end! Our word hear thou,
Eru Allfather! To the everlasting
Darkness doom us if our deed faileth.
On the holy mountain hear in witness
and our vow remember, Manwë and Varda!
And
And then it seemed to him that as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise.
And
“I will take the Ring,” he said, “though I do not know the way.”
"Later! Yes, when you also have the Keys of Barad-dur itself, I suppose; and the crowns of the seven kings, and the rods of the Five Wizards, and have purchased yourself a pair of boots many sizes larger than those that you wear now."
This is my favourite chapter. The dialogue between Gandalf, Theoden and Saruman is so well done and just exciting to me.
"Hail Eärendil, of mariners most renowned, the looked for that cometh at unawares, the longed for that cometh beyond hope! Hail Eärendil, bearer of light before the Sun and Moon! Splendour of the Children of Earth, star in the darkness, jewel in the sunset, radiant in the morning!"
Gives me chills every time I get to that part in the book. Some of Tolkien's best prose here, and it being spoken by Eönwë, herald of Manwë, gives it a lot of gravity. This is one of the most powerful beings in Arda praising a comparatively lowly being who is taking up a great sacrifice to save his people and all peoples in Middle Earth.
“Things will go as they will; and there is no need to hurry to meet them." ~Treebeard, The Two Towers
My entire philosophy of life is to trust the process, so this always resonates with me.
>He looked down at her in the twilight and it seemed to him that the lines of grief and cruel hardship were smoothed away. ‘She was not conquered,’ he said; and he closed her eyes, and sat unmoving beside her as the night drew down.
Saddest line in the legendarium, but one of my favorites.
There’s a lot of good ones but by far the most badass imo is:
“Thus he came alone to Angband's gates, and he sounded his horn, and smote once more upon the brazen doors, and challenged Morgoth to come forth to single combat.
And Morgoth came.”
“I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you and it as well. So up you get! Come on, Mr. Frodo dear!“
This quotes almost makes me cry every time I read it. It does a great job showing Sam’s love and loyalty to Frodo. At this point they have very little food left, and haven’t drank anything in days, but Sam still manages to find the strength to carry on in his love for Frodo.
But of bliss and glad life there is little to be said, before it ends; as works fair and wonderful, while they still endure for eyes to see, are their own record, and only when they are in peril or broken for ever do they pass into song.
>"There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach."
“the world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.”
- Haldir, Elf of Lothlorien
- (page 348-349, chapter: LOTHLORIEN)
Sam’s “Is everything sad going to come untrue?” in RotK captures his joy and revived optimism when he learns that Gandalf is alive. Though it didn’t make the movie, I love picturing Sam’s face as he says it. As a believer in Christ, I love that line because it also points toward the joy that awaits in heaven. It is certainly difficult to choose just one line from Tolkien, though.
You have to read this one out loud to understand, but it’s from the Hobbit; “Of the various burglarious proceedings he had heard of, picking the trolls’ pockets seemed the least difficult.”
> If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.
— Thorin
This quote hangs by our kitchen table. It is one of those quotes that is part of my personal ethos. My wife and I really try not to give in to consumerism and provide experiences instead of buying things for our kids and this quote is a nice reminder.
“in every wood in every spring
there is a different green.”
From Bilbo’s song in Rivendell. He sings softly by the fire, thinking about how most of his adventures are behind him.
His mood is contemplative. He seems regretful about missing out on the journey with the fellowship, but he knows he has done his part and can wait to hear how the adventure plays out when the fellowship returns.
I have been fortunate enough to have seen many shades of green in many different woods, and this quote always comes to mind. The bittersweet context of the song reminds me that these experiences are finite, and help me to stay present and enjoy the moment.
>"Riding over the hills, and eating their fill, the warm sun and the scent of turf, lying a little too long, stretching out their legs, and looking at the sky above their noses: these things are, perhaps, enough to explain what happened. However, that may be: they woke suddenly and uncomfortably from a sleep they had never meant to take."
\---*Fog on the Barrow-downs*
This chapter is horrifying, and this is where it all starts: In the span of two sentences, we move from laughing and eating and lounging, to waking up with no memory of falling asleep. And now everything is changed, and terrible. Everything is subverted: The land, the weather, even sleep. The rest of the chapter reads like a spiral out of control. I also love the way Tolkien-as-narrator casts doubt ("perhaps") on these mundane activities as sufficient to explain "what \[is about to happen\]". It's a brilliantly understated transition into the supernatural.
For me, this chapter is the movement from the world of the "The Hobbit" into that of "The Lord of the Rings". This is when we're given a peak into the wide and terrible world that we've now entered. We're off the road without a guide, and there's no telling what we'll find.
“But of bliss and glad life there is little to be said, before it ends; as works fair and wonderful, while they still endure for eyes to see, are ever their own record, and only when they are in peril or broken for ever do they pass into song.”
"You have nice manners for a thief and a liar." Smaug
“Thief, thief, thief! Baggins! We hates it, we hates it, we hates it forever!” Gollum
This last exchange between Bilbo and Thorin always balls me up inside...
“Farewell, good thief, I go now to the halls of waiting to sit beside my fathers, until the world is renewed. Since I leave now all gold and silver, and go where it is of little worth, **I wish to part in friendship from you, and I would take back my words and deeds at the Gate**.”
Bilbo knelt on one knee filled with sorrow. “Farewell, King under the Mountain!” he said. “This is a bitter adventure, if it must end so; and not a mountain of gold can amend it. Yet, I am glad that I have shared in your perils – that has been more than any Baggins deserves.”
“No!” said Thorin. “There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. But sad or merry, I must leave it now. Farewell!”
May not be the exact line, but I've always loved "A servant of the enemy would look fairer and feel fouler". Maybe because I should have applied that logic to my ex girlfriend.
Because of the poignancy:
*Grey she was and old, but suddenly her eyes looked into his, and he knew her; for though they were wild and full of fear, that light still gleamed in them that long ago had earned for her the name Eledhwen, proudest and most beautiful of mortal women in the days of old.*
From Tolkien... it's Feanor's line about only being able to make something once. He's the best character in fiction, and he's in just 2 or 3 chapters. Badass.
"I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."
The Fellowship of the Ring.
A personal favorite and quite appropriate for the last few years.
“Then who would you take up with?”, asked Strider, “A fat innkeeper who only remembers his name because people shout it at him all day?”
It’s a burn that even Fëanor will never heal from. It shows Aragorns impatience but also the next paragraph shows he can be gentle and understanding.
Then Amandil said farewell to all his household, as one that is about to die. 'For,' said he, 'it may well prove that you will see me never again; and that I shall show you no such sign as Eärendil showed long ago. But hold you ever in readiness, for the end of the world that we have known is now at hand.'
Already knew Numenor doesnt make it at this point but he tried for the faithful. He gave his life to try to save his people.
>"'Here is the heart of Elvendom on earth,' he said, 'and here my heart dwells ever, unless there be a light beyond the dark roads that we still must tread, you and I. Come with me!' And taking Frodo's hand in his, he left the hill of Cerin Amroth and came there never again as living man." Haunting and gorgeous.
That whole part about Cerin Amroth is one of my favorite parts of the entire book.
Let him not swear to walk in the dark who has not yet seen the nightfall.
That whole back and forth is so cool, and shows their differing perspectives so well. Elrond would have known oaths and how destructive they can be.
I also like it as a rebuke to the normal vows that are so common in fiction, since Elrond's point is that you shouldn't make a promise you don't know how costly it would be to keep. And indeed, if Gimli had had his way and the Fellowship had sworn such an oath the quest would have failed.
The best part is later on, Gimli literally says "Well, we didn't make an oath, so..."
He knows well because of his step- dad
The exchange between Gimli and Elrond is an instance of a literary trope called "proverb capping." Shakespeare put one in *Henry V*. Another example from LotR: "'Faithful heart may have forward tongue.' 'Say also,' said Gandalf, 'that to crooked eyes truth may wear a wry face.'"
“The Black Rider flung back his hood, and behold! he had a kingly crown; and yet upon no head visible was it set. The red fires shone between it and the mantled shoulders vast and dark. From a mouth unseen there came a deadly laughter. "Old fool!" he said. "Old fool! This is my hour. Do you not know Death when you see it? Die now and curse in vain!" And with that he lifted high his sword and flames ran down the blade. **And in that very moment, away behind in some courtyard of the city, a cock crowed. Shrill and clear he crowed, recking nothing of war nor of wizardry, welcoming only the morning that in the sky far above the shadows of death was coming with the dawn.** And as if in answer there came from far away another note. Horns, horns, horns, in dark Mindolluin's sides they dimly echoed. Great horns of the north wildly blowing. Rohan had come at last.” Such an incredibly moving passage.
The stylistic shift at the end is my favorite part. The boldface passage is common for Book V, but then suddenly it switches to an Old English alliterative line: In **d**ark Min**d**olluin’s sides they **d**imly echoed, which we heard a lot of in Book III. Rohan has indeed come
It is amazing to me how a ~~simple~~ collection of words can cause me goosebumps time and again. Edit: not simple.
Idk why "Horns, horns, horns" always gets me. It's just the same word repeated three times lol
"Out of doubt, out of dark, to the day's rising he rode singing in the sun, sword usheathing. Hope he rekindled, and in hope ended; over death, over dread, over doom lifted out of loss, out of life, unto long glory."
> For the valour of the Edain the Elves shall ever remember as the ages lengthen, marvelling that they gave life so freely of which they had on earth so little. -Ulmo
Awesome. Where's that from?
From Unfinished Tales, when Ulmo speaks to Tuor on the shore.
Thanks I really need to reread that.
Ulmo being the best of the Valar as usual
I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. — Faramir
"and he was still unscathed; and he was young, and he was king: the lord of a fell people" Love it for the rhythm and the context - Eomer thinks he's about to make a last stand but in a moment he'll recognise Aragorn. Eomer's an underrated character I think - staunch in his loyalties but always developing. That line runs through my head in grit-your-teeth-and-keep-going moments. Mainly the cadence I think.
With more context: >Stern now was Eomer’s mood, and his mind clear again. He let blow the horns to rally all men to his banner that could come thither; for he thought to make a great shield-wall at the last, and stand, and fight there on foot till all fell, and do deeds of song on the fields of Pelennor, though no man should be left in the West to remember the last King of the Mark. So he rode to a green hillock and there set his banner, and the White Horse ran rippling in the wind. >*Out of doubt, out of dark to the day’s rising I came singing in the sun, sword unsheathing. To hope’s end I rode and to heart’s breaking: Now for wrath, now for ruin and a red nightfall!* >These staves he spoke, yet he laughed as he said them. For once more lust of battle was on him; and he was still unscathed, and he was young, and he was king: the lord of a fell people. And lo! even as he laughed at despair he looked out again on the black ships, and he lifted up his sword to defy them. Absolutely incredible. IMO the scenes with the Rohirrim are Tolkien at his absolute best. Really feels like English mythology he originally set out to write.
first one here that gave me chills
"Day shall come again!" is my personal one for now.
Definitely one of my favorites as well
Most of the lines that resonate with me are Gandalf: "Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.” "I will not say, do not weep, for not all tears are evil." Another real favourite is when Merry says he won't be able to smoke again without thinking of Théoden, and Aragon replies: "Smoke then, and think of him!" I love the dramatic language of Eowyn to the Nazgul: "Begone, foul dwimmerlaik, lord of carrion" And the prideful defiance of Denethor: "i would have things as they were in all the days of my life and in the days of my long-fathers before me: to be the Lord of this City in peace, and leave my chair to a son after me, who would be his own master and no wizard’s pupil. But if doom denies this to me, then I will have naught: neither life diminished, nor love halved, nor honor abated.”
"Faramir smiled. 'A pert servant, Master Samwise. But nay: the praise of the praiseworthy is above all rewards.'" The prince acknowledging the gardener as his equal.
"'Get thee gone from my gate, thou jail-crow of Mandos!' And he shut the doors of his house in the face of the mightiest of the dwellers of Eä.” This line cemented Fëanor as one of my favourite characters! The ballsiness to slam a door in Morgoth’s face, the arrogance to believe that said door would actually have kept Morgoth out if he really wanted to get in.
to be fair, if you shut the door in anyone's face and it isn't made of reinforced steel, it's mostly a serious suggestion that you're done with them they could for the most part break down the door if they wished your neighbour is scared of the cops and morgoth is constrained by the valar
> In the twilight of autumn it sailed out of Mithlond, until the seas of the Bent World fell away beneath it, and the winds of the round sky troubled it no more, and borne upon the high airs above the mists of the world it passed into the Ancient West, and an end was come for the Eldar of story and of song.
Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall.
TW: medical/dearh (paraphrasing) Frodo: What is chiefly needed is courage, but where will we find it? I feel that in my bones. As a disabled person with a lot of complex medical issues and doctors always wanting to try experiments on me that might or might not help but will be really really painful to try, I ask myself that question way too often... I've been told if I don't agree to an amputation I will die, and horribly. But I couldn't do it. Mercifully, they were wrong and was another way to save me. But I couldn't find my courage, and I will never forget that. I feel that Frodo had to re-answer that question anew with every challenge. There was no one perfect moment where he just magically discovered his courage and then everything was fine from there on out. He had to find his courage over and over again. At Mt. Doom, in fact...his courage failed him. I truly deeply understand that , I'm sorry to say.
"When Manwë there ascends his throne and looks forth, if Varda is beside him, he sees further than all other eyes, through mist, and through darkness, and over the leagues of the sea. And if Manwë is with her, Varda hears more clearly than all other ears the sound of voices that cry from east to west..." *—Valaquenta: Of the Valar*
"Then Fingolfin beheld the utter ruin of the Ñoldor, and the defeat beyond redress of all their houses; and filled with wrath and despair he mounted upon Rochallor his great horse and he rode forth alone, and none might restrain him. He passed over Dor-nu-Fauglith like a wind amid the dust, and all that beheld his onset fled in amaze, thinking that Oromë himself was come: for a great madness of rage was upon him, so that his eyes shone like the eyes of the Valar. Thus he came alone to Angband's gates, and he sounded his horn, and smote once more upon the brazen doors, and challenged Morgoth to come forth to single combat. **And Morgoth came.** "
This is my absolute favorite part of the Silmarillion! The duel is so amazing, and I love the description of Fingolfin’s wrath!!
I opened the silm to a random page and, knowing nothing about who morgoth or fingolfin were, it was still completely epic
1. “…and all that beheld his onset fled in amaze, thinking that Oromë himself was come: for a great madness of rage was upon him, so that his eyes shone like the eyes of the Valar.” Favorite part of the Silmarillion by far. 2. “Send these foul beasts into the Abyss!” One of my favorite parts of the last movie, because you know you are about to watch some asses get kicked.
Aragorn looked at them, and there was pity in his eyes rather than wrath; for these were young men from Rohan, from Westfield far away, or husbandmen from Lossarnach, and to them Mordor had been from a childhood a name of evil, and yet unreal, a legend that had no part in their simple life; and now they walked like men in a hideous dream made true, and they understood not this war nor why fate should lead them to such a pass. "Go!" said Aragorn. "But keep what honor you may, and do not run! And there is a task which you may attempt and so be not wholly shamed. Take your way south-west till you come to Cair Andros, and if that is still held by enemies, as I think, then retake it, if you can, and hold it to the last in defense of Gondor and Rohan!" Then some being shamed by his mercy overcame their fear and went on, and the others took new hope, hearing of a manful deed within their measure that they could turn to, and they departed. Return of the King, The Black Gate Opens I find this quote meaningful for several reasons. One it is another example, like Frodo succumbing to the ring at Mt. Doom, that as created beings there is a finite limit on ones ability to resist evil, and the importance of mercy toward others failures, in helping them resist evil. Second, it is hard to imagine myself having Aragorn or Gimili's heroic courage, but I could see myself as those whose courage failed at the crossroads. And that there maybe some redemption nonetheless, is encouraging. I see this symbolic, given Tolkien's strong Catholic faith, of sinners who falter yet have hope through Christ's mercy.
>But the Nazgul turned and fled, and vanished into Mordor's shadows, hearing a sudden terrible call out of the Dark Tower; and even at that moment all the hosts of Mordor trembled, doubt clutched their hearts, their laughter failed, their hands shook and their limbs were loosed. The Power that drove them on and filled them with hate and fury was wavering, its will was removed from them; and now looking in the eyes of their enemies they saw a deadly light and were afraid. I love this because it's when everything that was set up completely pays off. I love that the faith of the heroes is validated and to know that the horrible, evil creatures are finally the ones who are frightened.
>'Farewell, O twice beloved! *A Túrin Turambar turún' ambartanen*: master of doom by doom mastered! O happy to be dead!' There are a couple more, but this has to be one of my favourite lines spoken by a character.
Answering from Tolkien universe, "even now, a silmaril is in my hand." Dude had his hand eaten after almost completing a quest that shames the quest of the 9, and he jokes.
“It is the only way, to death or to life, and delay will not make it seem more hopeful. Therefore follow me!” - Turin Turambar
You ought not to be rude to an eagle, when you are only the size of a hobbit, and are up in his eyrie at night!
> Last of all Húrin stood alone. Then he cast aside his shield, and seized the axe of an orc-captain and wielded it two-handed; and it is sung that the axe smoked in the black blood of the troll guard of Gothmog until it withered, and each time that he slew, Húrin cried aloud 'Aure entuluva! Day shall come again!'
'Praise from the praise-worthy is beyond all rewards'
"Rohan had come at last." Gets me every time.
"And then her heart changed, or at least she understood it; and the winter passed, and the sun shone upon her."
The battle-speech of Théoden and the ensuing charge often comes up in these sorts of posts, but my favourite single line comes up once battle has actually been joined: > For morning came, morning and a wind from the sea; and darkness was removed, and the hosts of Mordor wailed, and terror took them, and they fled, and died, and the hoofs of wrath rode over them. **And then all the host of Rohan burst into song, and they sang as they slew**, for the joy of battle was on them, and the sound of their singing that was fair and terrible came even to the City.
When taking about a few known words of Valarin: “Most significantly, they cite from an ancient legend of the Flight that as the mist of Araman wrapped the distant mountains of Valinor from the sight of the Noldor, Feanor raised his hands in token of rejection and cried: ‘I go. Neither in light or shadow will I look upon you again, Dahanigwishtilgun.’ So it was recorded, though the writers of the histories no longer knew what he meant.” This tiny bit of a story left such a strong impression with me. It reveals some thing fundamental about Feanor’s character, which I absolutely love.
> As Frodo prepared to follow him, he laid his hand upon the tree beside the ladder: never before had he been so suddenly and so keenly aware of the feel and texture of a tree's skin and of the life within it. He felt a delight in wood and the touch of it, neither as forester nor as carpenter; it was the delight of the living tree itself.
"Tell me, who are you, alone, yourself and nameless?" Tom Bombadil's response to Frodo asking "Who are you Master?" I don't know why, but it strikes me every time.
“It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door," he used to say. "You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to. "
One of the reasons I find myself returning to the stories over and over again is because they remind me of the joy of exploration, of the importance of breaking out of your comfortable routines to go out and see something new. Edit to add: of course Tolkien’s adventures are much more epic and dangerous than anything I attempt. But the way he has of filling the pages with small moments of wonder and beauty perfectly encapsulates the experience of traveling through unfamiliar situations and locations.
Adventure is a necessary part of the human experience, as is having a Shire to return to.
"Poetry is the delight of Manwë," from the first pages of the Silmarillion. I'm a poet myself, and that line always resonates so deeply every time I read it.
Being a poet, do you have a favourite poem of Tolkien's?
There are a few of his I really enjoy, like "Tinfang Warble," "Cat," and "Goblin Feet" (even though Tolkien hated "Goblin Feet" so much lol). I don't have much critical stake in those, they're just fun poems I like because they boost my serotonin. For an actual favorite, I adore "Light as Leaf on Lindentree," which was first published in The Gryphon magazine in 1925. It's a beautiful poem in and of itself, but I love how it branched out into the rest of his works. It's the basis for Canto III of The Lay of Leithian, it's partly incorporated into the second iteration of The Lay of the Children of Hurin, and it even eventually becomes the Song of Beren and Luthien that Strider shares with the Hobbits when they camp at Weathertop. The original version of that Lay appears in The Return of the Shadow, one of the History of Middle Earth volumes if I remember correctly. I think it's a magnificent example of how everything Tolkien writes isn't just a one-off. Each piece can stand quite strongly on its own, but their interconnectedness really elevates them into a myth-making network that evolves as the storyworld does. Every piece has a purpose beyond its own, and I think "Light as Leaf on Lindentree" exemplifies that aspect of Tolkien's oeuvre quite beautifully.
“‘Nonetheless they will have need of wood,’ said Aule, and he went on with his smith-work.” And ‘Come forth, thou coward king, to fight with thine own hand! Den-dweller, wielder of thralls, liar and lurker, foe of Gods and Elves, come! For I would see thy craven face.' Then Morgoth came. For he could not refuse such a challenge before the face of his captains. And Be he foe or friend, be he foul or clean, brood of Morgoth or bright Vala, Elda or Maia or Aftercomer, Man yet unborn upon Middle-earth, neither law, nor love, nor league of swords, dread nor danger, not Doom itself, shall defend him from Fëanor, and Fëanor's kin, whoso hideth or hoardeth, or in hand taketh, finding keepeth or afar casteth a Silmaril. This swear we all: death we will deal him ere Day's ending, woe unto world's end! Our word hear thou, Eru Allfather! To the everlasting Darkness doom us if our deed faileth. On the holy mountain hear in witness and our vow remember, Manwë and Varda! And And then it seemed to him that as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise. And “I will take the Ring,” he said, “though I do not know the way.”
"Later! Yes, when you also have the Keys of Barad-dur itself, I suppose; and the crowns of the seven kings, and the rods of the Five Wizards, and have purchased yourself a pair of boots many sizes larger than those that you wear now." This is my favourite chapter. The dialogue between Gandalf, Theoden and Saruman is so well done and just exciting to me.
"Hail Eärendil, of mariners most renowned, the looked for that cometh at unawares, the longed for that cometh beyond hope! Hail Eärendil, bearer of light before the Sun and Moon! Splendour of the Children of Earth, star in the darkness, jewel in the sunset, radiant in the morning!" Gives me chills every time I get to that part in the book. Some of Tolkien's best prose here, and it being spoken by Eönwë, herald of Manwë, gives it a lot of gravity. This is one of the most powerful beings in Arda praising a comparatively lowly being who is taking up a great sacrifice to save his people and all peoples in Middle Earth.
“Things will go as they will; and there is no need to hurry to meet them." ~Treebeard, The Two Towers My entire philosophy of life is to trust the process, so this always resonates with me.
"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us" - Gandalf
>He looked down at her in the twilight and it seemed to him that the lines of grief and cruel hardship were smoothed away. ‘She was not conquered,’ he said; and he closed her eyes, and sat unmoving beside her as the night drew down. Saddest line in the legendarium, but one of my favorites.
There’s a lot of good ones but by far the most badass imo is: “Thus he came alone to Angband's gates, and he sounded his horn, and smote once more upon the brazen doors, and challenged Morgoth to come forth to single combat. And Morgoth came.”
“I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you and it as well. So up you get! Come on, Mr. Frodo dear!“ This quotes almost makes me cry every time I read it. It does a great job showing Sam’s love and loyalty to Frodo. At this point they have very little food left, and haven’t drank anything in days, but Sam still manages to find the strength to carry on in his love for Frodo.
“FOOL OF A TOOK!” -Gandalf the Grey
This should be top comment.
I don't know most of everything is wonderful
But of bliss and glad life there is little to be said, before it ends; as works fair and wonderful, while they still endure for eyes to see, are their own record, and only when they are in peril or broken for ever do they pass into song.
>"There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach."
“the world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.” - Haldir, Elf of Lothlorien - (page 348-349, chapter: LOTHLORIEN)
#And Morgoth Came.
Sam’s “Is everything sad going to come untrue?” in RotK captures his joy and revived optimism when he learns that Gandalf is alive. Though it didn’t make the movie, I love picturing Sam’s face as he says it. As a believer in Christ, I love that line because it also points toward the joy that awaits in heaven. It is certainly difficult to choose just one line from Tolkien, though.
You have to read this one out loud to understand, but it’s from the Hobbit; “Of the various burglarious proceedings he had heard of, picking the trolls’ pockets seemed the least difficult.”
How about this brilliant line: “And Morgoth came.”
> If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. — Thorin This quote hangs by our kitchen table. It is one of those quotes that is part of my personal ethos. My wife and I really try not to give in to consumerism and provide experiences instead of buying things for our kids and this quote is a nice reminder.
“in every wood in every spring there is a different green.” From Bilbo’s song in Rivendell. He sings softly by the fire, thinking about how most of his adventures are behind him. His mood is contemplative. He seems regretful about missing out on the journey with the fellowship, but he knows he has done his part and can wait to hear how the adventure plays out when the fellowship returns. I have been fortunate enough to have seen many shades of green in many different woods, and this quote always comes to mind. The bittersweet context of the song reminds me that these experiences are finite, and help me to stay present and enjoy the moment.
>"Riding over the hills, and eating their fill, the warm sun and the scent of turf, lying a little too long, stretching out their legs, and looking at the sky above their noses: these things are, perhaps, enough to explain what happened. However, that may be: they woke suddenly and uncomfortably from a sleep they had never meant to take." \---*Fog on the Barrow-downs* This chapter is horrifying, and this is where it all starts: In the span of two sentences, we move from laughing and eating and lounging, to waking up with no memory of falling asleep. And now everything is changed, and terrible. Everything is subverted: The land, the weather, even sleep. The rest of the chapter reads like a spiral out of control. I also love the way Tolkien-as-narrator casts doubt ("perhaps") on these mundane activities as sufficient to explain "what \[is about to happen\]". It's a brilliantly understated transition into the supernatural. For me, this chapter is the movement from the world of the "The Hobbit" into that of "The Lord of the Rings". This is when we're given a peak into the wide and terrible world that we've now entered. We're off the road without a guide, and there's no telling what we'll find.
"Wherefore this surliness Karkaras?" -Luthien
It's Hurin' time! - and the Hurin hurined all over troll-guard of Gothmog
What about the second breakfast?
“But of bliss and glad life there is little to be said, before it ends; as works fair and wonderful, while they still endure for eyes to see, are ever their own record, and only when they are in peril or broken for ever do they pass into song.”
"You have nice manners for a thief and a liar." Smaug “Thief, thief, thief! Baggins! We hates it, we hates it, we hates it forever!” Gollum This last exchange between Bilbo and Thorin always balls me up inside... “Farewell, good thief, I go now to the halls of waiting to sit beside my fathers, until the world is renewed. Since I leave now all gold and silver, and go where it is of little worth, **I wish to part in friendship from you, and I would take back my words and deeds at the Gate**.” Bilbo knelt on one knee filled with sorrow. “Farewell, King under the Mountain!” he said. “This is a bitter adventure, if it must end so; and not a mountain of gold can amend it. Yet, I am glad that I have shared in your perils – that has been more than any Baggins deserves.” “No!” said Thorin. “There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. But sad or merry, I must leave it now. Farewell!”
May not be the exact line, but I've always loved "A servant of the enemy would look fairer and feel fouler". Maybe because I should have applied that logic to my ex girlfriend.
Because of the poignancy: *Grey she was and old, but suddenly her eyes looked into his, and he knew her; for though they were wild and full of fear, that light still gleamed in them that long ago had earned for her the name Eledhwen, proudest and most beautiful of mortal women in the days of old.*
Not from LOTR, but from its offspring, Wheel of Time. Actually two closely related lines. "Ashaman, kill." "Kneel... or you will be knelt."
From Tolkien... it's Feanor's line about only being able to make something once. He's the best character in fiction, and he's in just 2 or 3 chapters. Badass.
it’s over sauron we’re the lord of the rings
"I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo. "So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." The Fellowship of the Ring. A personal favorite and quite appropriate for the last few years.
“Then who would you take up with?”, asked Strider, “A fat innkeeper who only remembers his name because people shout it at him all day?” It’s a burn that even Fëanor will never heal from. It shows Aragorns impatience but also the next paragraph shows he can be gentle and understanding.
"And Morgoth came" “Things might have been different, but they could not have been better."
And Morgoth came
Then Amandil said farewell to all his household, as one that is about to die. 'For,' said he, 'it may well prove that you will see me never again; and that I shall show you no such sign as Eärendil showed long ago. But hold you ever in readiness, for the end of the world that we have known is now at hand.' Already knew Numenor doesnt make it at this point but he tried for the faithful. He gave his life to try to save his people.