Proverbs of Middle Earth

On Advice

Go not to the Elves for advice, for they will say both no and yes.
FRODO

Advice is a dangerous gift, even from the wise to the wise,
and all courses may run ill.
GILDOR

On The World

The wide world is all about you:
you can fence yourselves in, but you cannot for ever fence it out.
GILDOR

All’s well as ends well;
though perhaps we should not say that 'till we reach our own doors.
FARMER MAGGOT

September 25: The hobbits, now in Crickhollow, unmask their conspiracy and prepare to leave the Shire - their oasis is no longer any protection, and the only course of action available is the most dangerous.

Gildor's words from the previous night ring true, as, unwittingly, do those of Farmer Maggot, who was not to know just how long it would be before the hobbits finally would reach their own doors.

The Counsel of the Council

Elves may thrive on speech alone, and Dwarves endure great weariness;
but I am only an old hobbit, and I miss my meal at noon.

BILBO

 The Council of Elrond provides a fascinating opportunity to see proverbs in action.  The peoples represented all have their own wisdom traditions, some of which coincide and complement each other, and some of which don't.

Proverbs pop up regularly, used naturally and in context, illustrating the ease with which Tolkien fitted his characters within recognisable traditions.

Oft in lies truth is hidden.

GLORFINDEL

Nothing is evil in the beginning.

ELROND

The question at hand - what is this ring and what are we to do with it? - occupies those present for a whole morning.  All hear the same histories and the same reasoning, yet respond differently, according to their kind.

What was is less dark than what is to come.
DENETHOR

Despair is only for those who see the end beyond all doubt.
GANDALF

 Valour needs first strength, and then a weapon.
BOROMIR 

Only a small part is played in great deeds by any hero. 
GANDALF 

Elrond - emblematic of the combined wisdom of Elves & Men - has a key role; allowing voices to be heard and perspectives to be honoured, whilst guiding the Council toward deciding a definite course of action that seems wise, or at least necessary, to all.

The might of Elrond is in wisdom not in weapons.
BOROMIR

It is perilous to study too deeply the arts of the Enemy, for good or for ill.

ELROND

 It is wisdom to recognise necessity, when all other courses have been weighed,
though folly it may appear to those who cling to false hope.
GANDALF

Such is oft the course of deeds that move the wheels of the world:
small hands do them because they must,
while the eyes of the great are elsewhere.

ELROND

On Vows

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

"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 Gimli.

"Or break it," said Elrond.
 

On Caradhras

When heads are at a loss, bodies must serve.

BOROMIR

Let a ploughman plough, but choose an otter for swimming,
and for running light over grass and leaf, or snow - an Elf.

LEGOLAS

Haldir on the World

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 stronger.
HALDIR

Upon entering the Naith of Lorien, the Fellowship quickly become aware of an 'otherness' about the place, as if the ticking clock of the outside world has no influence within its bounds.  The distinctiveness of the Galadhrim is more than mere 'Elvishness'; the land is an unstained Eden, protected from the wider world but also estranged from it, hemmed in within unseen borders (as also was Bombadil).

 
Their guide, Haldir, is one of the few who still has dealings with the Outside.  He therefore has a rare perspective, as his life involves passing between the fallen and unfallen worlds.  His pronouncements, though arguably not proverbs per se, resonate with the poetic wisdom of the Elder Days that still lives in Lorien.

In nothing is the power of the Dark Lord more clearly shown
than in the estrangement that divides all those who still oppose him.
HALDIR

Leaving Lothlorien

The Fellowship remained in Lorien for a month, though they were not aware of the passing of time.  Unsurprisingly, the decision to leave had to be taken for them, although the Lord & Lady did present the opportunity to remain, if any so desired.

Whether they stay or go, none can be sure of peace.
CELEBORN

Maybe the paths that you each shall tread
are already laid before your feet,
though you do not see them.
GALADRIEL

The final gift-giving and farewell scene is heavy with poignancy as the Fellowship collectively realise that they are now fated to head away from stainless beauty and restful peace, and towards the dark, the dangerous, and the unknown.

Since words naturally lack at such a solemn time, the appearance of several proverbs - though this time of consolation and advice, not of wisdom and debate - lends added weight to the brevity.

Memory is not what the heart desires.
GIMLI

Alas for us all!  And for all that walk the world these after-days.
For such is the way of it: to find and lose,
as it seems to those whose boat is on the running stream.
LEGOLAS

On the Passing of Time

The passing seasons are but ripples ever repeated in the long long stream.
LEGOLAS

The 'immortality' of the Elves is a subject of endless fascination for the mortal races, usually motivated by jealousy or a lack of understanding.  Being uninhibited by old age and death, Men or Dwarves would finally achieve the scope to indulge in endless, productive action, but the Elves (especially those of the Third Age) have no such ambition.  For them, reminiscing about and preserving the light and beauty of the Elder Days - fighting 'the long defeat' in Galadriel's words - is enough.

The multicultural nature of the Fellowship, and Sam's confusion over the length of their stay in Lorien, provides a rare context in which to discuss the Elvish perspective on time.  Legolas obliges, and it is no surprise that his explanation is a string of proverbs.

Time does not tarry ever,
but change and growth is not in all things and places alike.
LEGOLAS

Yet beneath the Sun all things must wear to an end at last.
LEGOLAS

On and From the Dwarves

As a race, there appears to be some kind of existential insecurity about the Dwarves.  Throughout the quest of Erebor and, through Gimli (and to some small degree, Gloin) in the War of the Ring, they appear brash and boastful, proud to the point of conceit, and guilty of constantly showing off or seeking conflict in an attempt to appear impressive.
 

To use a comparison, it is almost as if they are the younger (or illegitimate) child of a great house, eternally in the shadow of greater siblings, and falling into the trap of brazenly trumpeting the most meagre of their triumphs to any who will listen in search of approval or praise.  Additionally, they go out of the way to point out the perceived weaknesses of their siblings, to cut them down to size.

The legs of Men will lag on a rough road,
while a Dwarf goes on, be the burden twice his own weight.
GIMLI

A plague on Dwarves and their stiff necks!
LEGOLAS

The gradual humbling of the stiff-necked Gimli over the course of the Quest is one of the most subtle and least observed character transformations in the story.  Interestingly, it is he alone whose character  is illustrated by proverbs spoken (as it were) by the Narrator.

Stone-hard are the Dwarves in labour or journey.

Dwarves make light of burden.

It is significant that, of the proverbs that Gimli uses, little or no wisdom is actually displayed.  Most are intended either to outline the greatnesses of the Naugrim or to do down other races (with the exception of Hobbits, who threaten his status little).  As such, the combined wisdom of the Dwarves is presented as being little more than (as the Scots would say) "Wha's like us?"

On the Hunt

After the successive disasters of losing Boromir, the kidnap of Merry & Pippin, and the absconding of Frodo with Sam, the Fellowship's remaining three are for a time lost in a mire of self-condemnation and despair.  They do not know what course of action to choose - or indeed, as Gimli says, if there even is a right choice - and their leader keeps repeating that 'all he has done has gone amiss'.

It is in such circumstances that the Three Hunters - and particularly Legolas and Aragorn - fall back on received wisdom to keep them moving.  The proverbs they quote are nearly all straightforward and practical, aimed to advise while protecting them from depression and self-defeat.

Let us first do what we must do.
LEGOLAS

When the great fall, the less must lead.
ARAGORN

There are some things that it is better to begin than to refuse,
even though the end may be dark.
ARAGORN

Endure the East Wind, but do not ask it for tidings.
ARAGORN

Having dealt with and mourned Boromir, and set out upon the hopeless pursuit of Merry & Pippin's captors, these proverbs become an encouragement (ie. reminding the Three that they are indeed equipped for their difficult task) and a source of hope that all is not lost.

Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall.
ARAGORN

Where sight fails the earth may bring us rumour.
ARAGORN

Keen are the eyes of the elves.
ARAGORN

Rede oft is found at the rising of the Sun.
LEGOLAS

On the Affairs of Wizards

 

Do not meddle in the affairs of Wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger.
MERRY, quoting GILDOR as quoted by SAM

Hobbits, whilst almost perennially out of their depth once outside the Shire, are quick to learn, and especially to absorb the learning of others.

The above proverb is a great example of this.  Having heard Gildor use it in the Woody End, Sam took to repeating it, and now Merry does so, warning Pippin about the palantir.  The warning is not heeded, and their hopes nearly betrayed.

Peril comes in the night when least expected.
GANDALF

On Anonymous Valour

Although the cultures (and accompanying wisdom traditions) of Middle Earth are diverse and often at odds with one another, there are many cases of overlap and of full agreement; an encouragement when faced with difficult choices.

Deeds will not be less valiant because they are unpraised.
ARAGORN

Follow what may, great deeds are not lessened in worth.
LEGOLAS

On Haste

It is not only Treebeard who abjures unnecessary speediness.  His absence of haste is a necessary facet of the long, slow life of the Ents, as they remain in rhythm with the things for which they have responsibility.  Other races have more practical reasons to warn against it.

The hasty stroke goes oft astray.
ARAGORN

For all the days of his wandering life, Aragorn has been a study of patience; aware of his goals and high destiny from an early age, yet unable to do more than slowly plod in their direction.

 

A hasty act on his part could have been injurious to all, and yet, when the time comes (eg. having seen the pressing need of Gondor in the palantir), he is not slow to respond.  He has learned when to act and when to wait.

The Eldar, for their part, have a completely different relationship to the passing of time, and Legolas' reference to wonder is telling; warning against the disenchantment of purely practical activity and urgency.  Finding rest in memory rather than sleep, Elves are Middle Earth's contemplatives, drinking in the world around them, and shaping it slowly and humbly.

Do not spoil the wonder with haste.
LEGOLAS

Kingsfoil

Do not despise the lore that has come down from distant years;
for oft it may chance that old wives keep in memory
word of things that once were needful for the wise to know.
CELEBORN

Aragorn has entered Minas Tirith, though not of his own choice; he is come because a serving woman remembered an old proverb in her witterings and weepings beside the fading body of Faramir.

The hands of the king are the hands of a healer.
IORETH

 

The Houses of Healing are houses of learning and lore, as well as care-filled tenderness.  Here, as well as anywhere in Middle Earth (bar, perhaps, Elrond's house), physical healing can be administered to the injured or sick.

But the Black Shadow, brought on by proximity to the Nazgul, is no wound of body, and no cure is known, despite the clues held in old rhymes of lore.

When the black breath blows
and death's shadow grows
and all lights pass
Come Athelas!  Come Athelas!
Life to the dying
In the king's hand lying!
HERB-MASTER
 

Scorning Prudence

A great victory has been won, a great city saved, a great foe vanquished, but in the sober light of day these deeds look set to be eclipsed by even greater defeat, the destruction of all good things, and the permanent dominion of the Enemy.  For the captains of the West, all they have to cling to is 'just a fool's hope'.

Oft hope is born, when all is forlorn.
LEGOLAS [quoted by GIMLI]

They choose the only path by which they can possibly aid the destruction of Sauron: to seek battle before the Black Gate; to walk open-eyed into a trap; to engage the Eye long enough that Frodo and Sam may slip unnoticed toward the Fire.  But they know full well that their plan, however noble, in all probability seals their own destruction.

To waver is to fall.
ARAGORN

Follow what may, great deeds are not lessened in worth.
LEGOLAS

Amongst such courageous but hopeless counsels, proverbs prove weak.  For proverbs are prudent, sensible, and worn into shape by constant use; yet the present need is for foolish, innocent, uncalloused hope.  In many ways, the Wise have been forced to become like hobbits.