LOTR Read-Along: The Fellowship of the Ring: Lothlorien

Just when I thought that Tolkien's endless descriptions couldn't get any worse...well, they got worse. After reading chapter after chapter of the constant greenery of the Shire, up to four pages describing a door on the side of the mountain and paragraphs of of the dimly lit ruins of Moria, I was not prepared for Lothlorien. And it seems like the Fellowship wasn't either. However, we do get to meet my favorite secondary character and find that he was infinitely more fleshed out in the book than in the film (you failed Peter Jackson).

With Gandalf's sudden and unexpected departure, Aragorn must get the Fellowship out of Moria and into safety. The orcs, for all their stupidity, are good at tracking and Aragorn knows full well that they won't stop hunting them down. He makes a risky decision and takes them to Lothlorian. A powerful Elven realm that is close to Legolas' own home, Mirkwood. Surrounded by monstrous silver trees, Lothlorien is vastly differently from Rivendell. 

Whereas Rivendell was built within the mountains and was a historical establishment for culture and education as well as famed for its hospitality, Lothlorien is darker, secretive and seeped within magic. The Lorien elves (also known as Silven elves, like Legolas) are more hunters than educators and tend to be more hostile, due to the growing evil the is close to their borders.

Just as Gimli gave the Fellowship an account of his ancestors and Moria, Legolas does the same for the elves. As they wander through the forest, the Fellowship are caught by three Lorien guards, Haldir and his brother, Rumil and Orophin. In spite of tensions between Gimli and the elves, Haldir and his brothers care for them and take them through the vast realm of Lothlorien.

You have no idea how long I've been waiting to post this picture

Haldir has always been my favorite secondary character in the Lord of the Rings series and so I was excited to finally read about him in the book. As expected though, his character was cut down significantly in the film and he's actually more likable in the book that he was portrayed in the first film. 

This chapter altogether was very good and you see that Lothlorien is this truly mystical forest that in spite of its beauty, the elves there have an edge of danger. Yet, after what the Fellowship has just faced back in Moria, they probably feel much safer with hostile elves than having to face the Balrog again. The descriptions of the trees where the Lorien elves live were fantastic. Seriously, these people live in tree houses! It's the ultimate childhood fantasy home.

Heidi's Questions:

• "Say not unscathed, but if you say unchanged, then maybe you will speak the truth,' said Aragorn. ...'Then lead on!' said Boromir. 'But it is perilous.' 'Perilous indeed,' said Aragorn, 'fair and perilous; but only evil need fear it, or those who bring some evil with them." 

Our current definition of fair as meaning either 'beautiful' or 'just' dates from the mid-19th century. The Old English sense of the word was associated with 'beautify' and 'appear or become clean' (which could also tie in with the later judicial definition). (And it's more than possible Tolkien knew both definitions very well, of course... but that's just an interesting brain teaser.)

The question is: what is this saying about beauty? Do you think of beauty, pure beauty -- unstained or washed clean -- as being something vivid and powerful, dangerous and feared by its enemies?

- Oh absolutely. Look at the elves for example. They are beautiful, not only in their appearance, but also in their strength and knowledge. Does that make them ultimately perfect? No, of course not. Even elves have their many faults and weaknesses. However, the orcs were formally elves. Through torture and fear, they were created into monsters. So you have to polar opposites. The beautiful elves that are just and good, and the orcs that are cruel and ugly. The beauty of a good heart and strong mind is a power that no evil can control.