Proverbs of Middle Earth

On Sun & Shadow

Make haste while the Sun shines!
GOLDBERRY

Some things are ill to hear when the world's in shadow.
TOM BOMBADIL

The emphasis on light and darkness in Middle Earth is more than symbolism; to the characters, the physical world reflects a reality deeper than mere colour:

The Dark Lord, the Black Land, the Black Riders, the Mountains of Shadow.
The White Council, the White Rider, the White Tree, the White Lady.
The Star-Glass, the Evenstar, Gilgalad ('Starlight'), Elanor (the 'Sun-Star').

The Coming Of The Nazgûl

Under siege in Bree, and now pursued in the Wild; the hobbits' decision to engage Strider as their guide is still in the balance.  What power can this Ranger possibly have against the Black Riders?

Do not be afraid.
ARAGORN

But the hobbits do not know what the Rangers really are, nor are they aware of Aragorn's heritage: he is the foster-child of Elrond ('wisest of lore-masters'), descendent of Beren & Luthien; he has dwelt long in the company of the High; has been within sight of the Black Gate and Minas Morgul; and has served in war in the North and elsewhere (including as Thorongil in Rohan and Gondor).

Caution is one thing and wavering is another.
ARAGORN

Watch every shadow.
ARAGORN

Even beset by the Nazgul, he is not afraid, is in full control of himself, and may even have been able to avert disaster had Frodo not put on the Ring and tried to defend himself.

All blades perish that pierce the dreadful king.
ARAGORN

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 Orcs and Wargs

 The wolf that one hears is worse than the orc that one fears.
BOROMIR

Where the warg howls, there also the orc prowls.
ARAGORN

The wolf-voices are howling beneath the pass of Caradhras and prompt action is required.  Quite properly, that action is backed up with age-old (rhyming) wisdom from the two men of the Fellowship, both experienced in the perils of the Wild, giving unified advice on the need escape the impending danger.

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

Aragorn, not Strider

With the great chase across the Wold of Rohan behind him, and Minas Tirith growing ever nearer ahead, Aragorn grows both in confidence and in stature, at last allowing himself to be more than a Ranger.

He declares himself openly by name and lineage, stands forth as a leader amongst strangers, and speaks with ever-increasing authority.

Good and ill have not changed since yesteryear;
nor are they one thing among Elves and Dwarves and another among Men.
It is a man’s part to discern them.
ARAGORN
 

On the White

 

 
Gandalf's resurrection and reappearance, 'at the turn of the tide', is both a comforting return to the familiar and a step forward into the new.

Gandalf is still the 'learned lore-master' of old, quoting and inventing proverbs as he goes, but he is no longer Gandalf the Grey: he is Gandalf the White; the head of the Istari, the cornerstone of the White Council, and mover of great deeds in the resistance against Sauron.

All friends should gather together, lest each be singly destroyed.
GANDALF

He that strikes the first blow, if he strikes it hard enough,
may need to strike no more.
GANDALF

 A treacherous weapon is ever a danger to the hand.
GANDALF

Put all the rats in one trap.
GANDALF [reported by MERRY]

Where before he was limited to the role of counsellor and doer of lone deeds, Gandalf is now increasingly authoritative, taking command of others and impatient at their intransigence.   He knows that time is short and that while they deliberate, the fates of many hang by a thread.

Hope is not victory.
GANDALF

 

Wisdom with a Forked Tongue

  News from afar is seldom sooth.
THEODEN

Ill news is an ill guest.
GRIMA

Gandalf receives no welcome at all when he re-enters Meduseld.  He stands before King Theoden perceived to be a meddler, trouble-maker, and bearer of woes.  Such has been the success of Grima Wormtongue.

A name like Wormtongue cannot have been accorded without cause, and it is clear that Grima's place at the King's side (and in his ear) is no stroke of luck on his part.  He is clever, quick-witted, and far-seeing, and is one of the few examples of a character able to smear the reputation of the Wise by using their own weapons.

His sly proverbs of lore are directed at Gandalf and Galadriel, the greatest threats to Saruman's authority over the White Council and the most immediate aid available to Rohan, and it is some compliment to Wormtongue's abilities that Gandalf does not even attempt to argue with him.

Webs of deceit were ever woven in Dwimordene.
GRIMA

The wise speak only of what they know.
GANDALF
 
 
 

Mount Fang

That Gandalf gives Saruman a final chance to repent his choices and be of service in the War, after all the hurt that he had caused, shows much of Gandalf's merciful nature.  But he is not foolish; he is too well-acquainted with the deceptions of evil and the abilities of Saruman to underestimate the threat still posed.

A wild beast cornered is not safe to approach.
GANDALF

The treacherous are ever distrustful.
GANDALF

Often does hatred hurt itself.
GANDALF

The contrast between Saruman, the silk-tongued gatherer of knowledge, and Gandalf, the rough-hewn lore-master, is subtle.  Saruman is clever, but not wise; powerful, but not influential; far-seeing (especially via the palantir) but blinded by pride and greed.  In debate with Gandalf, with only the deception of his voice to hide behind, he is exposed for what he is.

Does an unarmed man come down to speak with robbers out of doors?
SARUMAN

The guest who has escaped from the roof, will think twice
before he comes back in by the door.
GANDALF

Clinging to the power of Orthanc, Saruman is left a prisoner to himself, cast from the Order but refusing to come down.

On Stumbling

Do not stumble at the end of the road.
GANDALF

 

On discovering, through Pippin, the nature and identity of the palantir, Gandalf entrusts it to Aragorn.  His warning, to the most careful of men, is not intended as a rebuke but as recognition of the grave danger the Orthanc-stone presents.

As a direct link to Barad-dur itself, it had already caused the fall of Saruman as well as contributing to his desperation and the failure of his plans.  We later see the wisdom of this warning in the case of Denethor, whom a palantir also betrayed.

Sauron's influence through the Stones, however, carries no guarantee of success for him either: stumbling is not only the preserve of the weak.

Oft evil will shall evil mar.
THEODEN

One to One with Gandalf

Let not the swift wait for the slow.
GANDALF

And with that, he is gone; Shadowfax bearing Gandalf away to Gondor with Pippin, recovering, before him.  A perfect opportunity for an inquisitive hobbit to ask questions.

This is the first time since Rivendell where a hobbit has been alone with the Wizard, and Pippin clearly enjoys the privilege, for Gandalf is in the mood to talk.

There is nothing that Sauron cannot turn to evil uses.
GANDALF

The biter bit, the hawk under the eagle's foot, the spider in a steel web!
GANDALF

 

Saruman, the palantir, and the nature of evil are the main topics at hand, and we hear Gandalf speaking, almost to himself at times, as he processes the causes, impacts and implications of recent events.

Perilous to us all are the devices of an art deeper than we possess ourselves.
GANDALF

The burned hand teaches best.
After that advice about fire goes to the heart.
GANDALF

 

Tidings of Death

Tidings of death have many wings.
FARAMIR

Night oft brings news to near kindred.
FARAMIR

Only a week has passed since Faramir, watching at night near Osgiliath, observed the passing of the funeral boat of Boromir.  He is still clearly in mourning, and questions Frodo long to discover all that he can about the Fellowship, their mission, and the death of his brother.

Surely there are many perils in the world.
FRODO

Murder will out.
FARAMIR

But although it is his right and duty to arrest the hobbits and bring them to Minas Tirith, Faramir does not leap to it.  He knows that the funeral boat was not the work of the enemy, and is content that Frodo and Sam are not either.

His works fill the heart with loathing.
FARAMIR

The Desperation of Denethor

Let all who fight the Enemy in their fashion be at one.
DENETHOR

Between the King of Rohan and the Steward of Gondor there is a unity of purpose and a juxtaposition of perspective.  Neither see much hope ahead, for their countries or themselves, but their parallel preparations contrast strongly with one another.

Much must be risked in war
DENETHOR

Having been redoubtable, Denethor is now despairing: his great knowledge and far sight show him the hopelessness of counsels or of combat; he knows that 'against the Power that has now arisen there is no victory'.  The palantir has shown Denethor what Sauron would have him see, and the darkness thickens in his thoughts.

In desperate hours gentleness may be repaid with death.
DENETHOR

Counsels may be found that are neither the webs of wizards
nor the haste of fools.
DENETHOR

Theoden, on the other hand, having already shaken off one encroaching, crippling darkness, will not have his thoughts clouded by another.  He has received the Red Arrow of summons and his purpose is now simple: to honour the oath of Eorl, to shake off fear, and to ride to death or glory, or both.  He knows little of Mordor or the history of the Ring, but the present task needs no such knowledge, only courage.

Remember old friendship and oaths long spoken.
HIRGON

In the morning counsels are best, and night changes many thoughts.
THEODEN

On and From the Drughu

Amongst the diverse races and nations of Middle Earth, there can be few cultures as wholly alien as the Woses of Druadan Forest.  A lingering remnant of an ancient house of Men, highly honoured in the past but now hunted, their unique nature gives them a distinctive perspective on the world.  Most of their proverbs, such as they are, describe themselves.

Wild men have long ears and long eyes; know all paths.
GHAN

Wild men are wild, free, but not children.
GHAN

Ghan-buri-Ghan wants no more than freedom for his people to live wild, and in his wisdom he recognises the Rohirrim as allies against the Darkness.  The short intervention of the Druedain saves Minas Tirith, but they want no reward, loving only the death of orcs and being unhindered in their simple lives.

Kill orc-folk!  No other words please Wild Men.
GHAN

Dead men are not friends to living men, and give them no gifts.
GHAN

Ironies of Evil

 It is all dark, but it is not all night.
GHAN

 

Having led the Eorlingas through the Stonewain Valley past Amon Din, Ghan bids Theoden farewell with hopeful tidings.  The murk of Mordor that has blotted out the last five days' sunlight has also protected them from detection, and is now about to shift.  As has often been noticed, works of malice regularly achieve unwanted ends.

Our Enemy's devices oft serve us in his despite.
EOMER

On Internal Division

Faramir or Theoden?  Whose life to save?  That is the choice, effectively, that faces Gandalf at the gate of Minas Tirith, upon the Witch-King removing himself to the battlefield.  In terms of a like-for-like struggle, there is no one else who can stand against the Lord of the Nine, but there is also no one to come to stand in the path of Denthor's madness and come to Faramir's aid.

Even in the heart of our stronghold the Enemy has power to strike us.
GANDALF

It seems that Gandalf chooses correctly, despite having no guess at the unlikely hand by which their foe would be struck down.

Returning to Rath Dinen from the main gate of the City is no five minute stroll.  Gandalf knew that to go up meant that he could play no further part in the battle for an hour or more, and that this delay could be grievous.

The scene he finds there, with Beregond defending his Captain's life by means of treason and manslaughter, is typical of the needless strife that Gandalf has always striven against.  That there are proverbs available for just such a moment shows the age-long commonality of the problem.

Such deeds he lover: friend at war with friend
loyalty divided in confusion of hearts.
GANDALF

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
 

On the Black Land

The Shadow... can only mock, it cannot make.
FRODO

The land of Mordor, stronghold of Sauron for five millennia, is a dreary, gasping desert (especially in Gorgoroth and Udun), void of culture, creativity, or learning.

Yet there is knowledge (albeit basic) and there is experience (albeit brutal), so the basic ingredients required for wisdoms to develop are there.  And sure enough, in our short exposure to the Orcs of Mordor, even they use proverbs.

Where there's a whip there's a will.
MORDOR ORC

Mercifully, we don't hear much more.  The majority of the thinking and talking is now being done by Sam, in spite of being the servant and despite rarely trusting his own judgement.  But his simple pragmatic dictums do the job, and keep them nudging forward.

Talking won't mend nothing.
SAM