Skip to main content

tolkiens legendarium - Why did Fellowship of the Ring stay in Lothlorien for so long?


When the fellowship of the ring left Lothlorien, Sam commented on the position of the moon and questioned how long they had stayed in Lothlorien. Aragorn replied to Sam as follows:



The old moon passed, and a new moon waxed and waned in the world outside, while we tarried there. And yestereve a new moon came again. Winter is nearly gone.




-The Fellowship of the Ring, Book II, Chapter IX


Moreover, "What is the timeline for The Lord of the Rings trilogy?" indicates the fellowship remained in Lothlorien approximately a month. Since it seems that the fellowship had a somewhat urgent quest to complete, why had they "tarried" in Lothlorien?



Answer




While the company may have appeared to have "tarried" as their time in Lothlorien wore on, an earlier draft on the topic suggests that they themselves hadn't aged.



The Coy. [Company] stays in Lórien for many days. They cannot count the time, for they do not age in that time, but outside in fact 30 days goes by.


They cannot count the time, for they themselves do not age or only very slowly. Outside in fact about 30 days passes.
The History of Middle-earth - Volume XII: The Peoples of Middle-earth, Chapter VI: Tale of Years




This may have been the same in the published Legendarium, however at the time Tolkien meddled with the idea that some form of time manipulation by Galadriel may have prevented the ageing of the lands of Lothlorien


This idea is supported by Celeborn in The Mirror of Galadriel (the chapter):



It is eight and thirty years of the world outside since you came to this land; and those years lie heavy on you. But the end is near, for good or ill. Here lay aside your burden for a while!
The Fellowship of the Ring - Book II, Chapter 7: The Mirror of Galadriel



Celeborn speaks of two very interesting things here, the first being that the years in "the world outside" seem to be different to those recorded in Lothlorien, again suggesting that time passes differently. Furthermore, he suggests that Aragorn can set his burden aside for a while, suggesting that Lothlorien seems like an ancient spa resort, where one forgets their pains and worries.


When asking about Gandalf, Legolas gives us a little more insight into the magical affects of Lothlorien




At first we were weary and danger was too close behind and afterwards we almost forgot our grief for a time, as we walked in gladness on the fair paths of Lórien.
ibid.



A final point on why the company stayed so long is to replenish and recover after the loss of Gandalf.



you should have refuge in this City, until you were healed and refreshed. Now you shall rest, and we will not speak of your further road for a while.
ibid.



The time spent in Lorien was beneficial to the Company and the gifts they received proving instrumental in their success.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

story identification - Animation: floating island, flying pests

At least 20 years ago I watched a short animated film which stuck in my mind. The whole thing was wordless, possibly European, and I'm pretty sure I didn't imagine it... It featured a flying island which was inhabited by some creatures who (in my memory) reminded me of the Moomins. The island was frequently bothered by large winged animals who swooped around, although I don't think they did any actual damage. At the end one of the moomin creatures suddenly gets a weird feeling, feels forced to climb to the top of the island and then plunges down a shaft right through the centre - only to emerge at the bottom as one of the flyers. Answer Skywhales from 1983. The story begins with a man warning the tribe of approaching skywhales. The drummers then warn everybody of the hunt as everyone get prepared to set "sail". Except one man is found in his home sleeping as the noise wake him up. He then gets ready and is about to take his weapon as he hesitates then decides ...

harry potter - Did Dolores Umbridge Have Any Association with Voldemort (or Death Eaters) before His Return?

I noticed that Dolores Umbridge was born during the first Wizarding War, so it's very likely she wasn't a Death Eater then (but she is pretty evil -- who knows?). After that Voldemort was not around in a way that could affect many people, and most wouldn't know he was planning to rise again. During that time, and up through Voldemort's return (in Goblet of Fire ), did Umbridge have any connection with the Death Eaters or with Voldemort? Was she doing what she did on her own, or was it because of an association with Voldemort or his allies? Answer Dolores Umbridge was definitely not a good person. However, as Sirius points out, "the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters". Remember that he also says that he doesn't believe Umbridge to be a Death Eater, but that she's evil enough (or something like that). I think there are two strong reasons to believe that: Umbridge was proud to do everything according to the law, except when she trie...

aliens - Interstellar Zoo story

I vaguely remember this story from my childhood: it was about an interstellar zoo that came to Earth with lots of bizarre and unusual species, and humans would file through and gape at all the crazy looking creatures from other planets. The twist came at the end when the perspective shifted to the other side of the bars and we discovered that the "creatures" were traveling through space on a kind of safari. They thought they were the visitors and we were the animals. Neither side knew that the other side thought they were the zoo creatures. Answer Got it. Zoo, by Edward D. Hoch. Published in 1958. Link to Publication History Link to PDF