Proverbs of Middle Earth

At Weathertop

September 30 - October 6: From Bree-land through the Midgewater Marshes to Weathertop; no time for proverbs, adages or maxims of guidance.  When a wisdom-saying next emerges, it is clearly Strider the Ranger, rather than Aragorn the Royal Heir or Estel of Rivendell, who is speaking.

Fire is our friend in the wilderness.
ARAGORN

The Rangers were the Numenorean remnant in the North: landless and powerless, their majesty veiled, yet the custodians of Middle Earth's great tasks.  'Only a Ranger?'  Their wisdom was High (as Elf-friends as well as inheritors of the legacy of Westernesse) but had gained an earthy practicality, due to their lives in the Wild.

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

Introduction to Tolkien's Proverbs, pt 1

'Creating Arda'

The world described by JRR Tolkien is both broad and nuanced, displaying a breadth of variety and a depth of detail rarely, if ever, seen in literature.  The author’s tireless pursuit of a convincing ‘inner reality’ in his creation led him to delve into the history and cultures of his world, Arda, uncovering peoples, lands, adventures, and lamentations only ever known as vague hints or passing references by those who have read no more than the Lord of the Rings.

Tolkien’s hope, to provide a mythology for his beloved but legend-free England, was far more than a quest for exciting stories.  It could only be realised by the handcrafting of an entire imagined world, wherein every ingredient – from the minutiae of regional flora to the dealings of illustrious cultures and characters – gains equal significance in its contribution to a convincing whole.

Many have presumed that Tolkien wrote his tales and then constructed Arda, the World, around them, in order to add a realism and sense of depth.  But this was not the case.  Professor Tolkien’s first creative joy was the composition of original languages, a path upon which he embarked instinctively from an early age.  Several near-complete tongues were outlined during his lifetime, but no language can exist in a vacuum: as fellow-Inkling Owen Barfield observed, languages describe the cultures and priorities of their speakers, and so, using this principle, the worldviews of dead civilisations may be reconstructed although nothing more than the language survives.

Tolkien had formulated the related but independent Elven tongues of Quenya and Sindarin before he knew the peoples who used them, but he soon began to discover and identify the speakers – the Eldar and the Avari – and to find reasons for the sundering of their speech.  This is how a technical linguistic division gave birth to story, as the difference between the former and the latter groups, the elves of the Great Journey and the ‘unwilling’ who never saw Valinor, came to be described.  Tolkien’s mythology is founded on details such as these; its world was created from the bottom-up.

The Lord of the Rings is a great epic, impressive and often intimidating in its scale and scope, yet in reality it is only the final chapter of a much larger narrative: Tolkien’s vast tale of how first Valinor and finally Middle-Earth were rid of the Dark Lord, his lieutenant and creatures; of the efforts of Elves and Dwarves, Men and Hobbits, Eagles and Ents, Valar and Maiar; and of Illuvatar, the creator Himself, and how Melkor’s first rebellion in the singing of the Great Music of creation was ultimately turned to the glory of the One, as it always will be.  This, in short, is ‘the grand scheme of things’; the vast tapestry in which the words of wisdom found in this volume are mere pinpricks.  Not that pinpricks are ever insignificant: however small a single thread may be, the whole cannot exist without it.

Throughout his work and world, Professor Tolkien presented readers with a multitude of threads, any of which may be found and followed till heart’s content.  Some readers delight in Tolkien’s willingness to deal with fundamental issues of good and evil, fear and courage, and pursue that thread; while others discover in Middle-Earth a love of living things and of goodness that endures, in contrast to our technological cleverness or progress without wisdom.  Some find a critique of post-industrial society; others only a wonderful collection of heroes, villains, and many others who are neither.  These threads interweave constantly, to the honour of the craftsman.

Such is the depth of Tolkien’s sub-creation, and such is the joy of the enthusiast who, on delving deeply, discovers that further exploration is consistently rewarded, that Arda now welcomes not only one-off visitors, but also those frequent sojourners who find in its sights, sounds and smells, a deeper sense of goodness and truth than could have been expected.  Middle-Earth has illuminated our world; its truths are our truths.

[part of the Introduction, should this blog ever turn into a book]

The Treason Of Saruman

White cloth may be dyed. The white page can be overwritten;
and the white light can be broken.
SARUMAN

He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom.
GANDALF

Having reached Imladris, the hobbits finally discover why Gandalf had not been able to journey with them; of his imprisonment by the person most like him in Middle Earth, the chief of his order, the head of the White Council.  Saruman was now no longer 'the White' (see Sept 27th), and he had left the path of wisdom.

Treason has ever been our greatest foe.
GANDALF

Yet even the most subtle spiders may leave a weak thread.

GANDALF

In the account of the confrontation between the wizards, Saruman is described in all his eloquence: his phrases are rhythmic, easy on the ear, and riddled with sets of three (the Elder Days, the Middle Days, the Younger days; Elves, Men, the Wise; Knowledge, Rule, Order).  But it is significant that Saruman's argument, while logical, has a logic so twisted by the enemy that it no longer resembles wisdom.

But Gandalf cannot be shaken by Saruman's soft words.  He speaks in maxims as if quoting scripture, so rooted in his wisdom tradition that it has taken over his patterns of speech; a contrast with the proverb-free rhetoric of his senior, and a reflection (and probably cause) of his enduring goodness.

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

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.

On Gandalf the Guide

   Let the guide go first while you have one.
ARAGORN

The navigation of Moria, a personal triumph for Gandalf, is rarely remembered, paling as it does beside its ultimate cost.  But that journey in the dark, through the vast and mind-bogglingly intricate Mines, could not possibly have been accomplished without his leadership; even Gimli, the Fellowship member most at home in such deep and dark surroundings, is left utterly bewildered by the scale of Khazad-dûm.

In these circumstances, it is Aragorn - himself one of the greatest trail-finders and guides in Middle Earth - who is left to reassure the others with his confidence in the wizard's ability.

He is surer of finding the way in a blind night than the cats of Queen Beruthiel.
ARAGORN

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

Sam quotes his Gaffer

Through every stage of the Quest, Sam Gamgee is in an almost perpetual state of culture shock - everything he encounters is apparently so far outside of his experience or expectation that he is often left gaping.

Appropriately, when far from home and every kind of 'normality' - as now, in Lorien - Sam finds solidity by remembering the proverbs he learned as a child, gardening alongside his Dad.

Live and learn! as my gaffer used to say.

It's the job that's never started as takes longest to finish.
SAM

The wisdom of Middle Earth is never seen as the unique domain of the Great or the Wise - if it worked for taters in the Shire, it is applicable everywhere.

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 Rapids

No boat can live in Sarn Gebir, be it night or day.
BOROMIR

Some of the proverbs of Middle Earth are strikingly specific, to a particular context or location.  So it is that when the Fellowship, having floated down Anduin for the best part of a week, enter the Rapids earlier than expected, and by night, it takes no more than a one-line maxim from the member with most local knowledge to see them beating an immediate, hasty retreat.

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 Rohirrim

In these times the unbidden stranger finds us swift and hard.
EOMER

It is important to notice that, while Men, the people of Rohan are not the same as the Numenoreans; neither the distant Rangers of Arnor, nor their allies in Gondor.  They are strongly distinct.

A younger nation of different ethnic stock; a simpler culture, less 'high' and learned; and an impetuous and warlike national character.  They throw the Men of the West into striking contrast - the Eorlingas are the fledgling Norse to Gondor's decadent, dimished Greece or Rome.

We first meet the Rohirrim, fittingly, galloping across the Eastemnet down the trail of the Orcs they have just destroyed; brave yet suspicious, long hair flailing in the wind.   Their 3rd Marshall describes his people with proverbs as unvarnished as he.

The Men of the Mark do not lie, and therefore they are not easily deceived.
EOMER

Treebeard

Do not be hasty.
TREEBEARD

The fact that Ents (apparently) have proverbs at all is perhaps surprising.  The whole purpose of a maxim is to concisely express the wisdom of years in a few short words, and this seems anathema to the Onodrim, both in terms of their slow, steady natures and their language, which rumbles and unfolds in waves, taking a long time to say anything.

Maybe they have only appropriated the words of others - particularly of the Elves, one might surmise - but even then, it is a strange thing to find Treebeard quoting obviously 'Entish' proverbs in the Common Speech, in which language they appear at home but surely could not have been birthed.

It is easier to shout stop! than to do it.
TREEBEARD

It may be that to the Ents, no spoken language is truly their mother tongue; that the organic acts of living and growing are their 'first language', originating in the days before the Elves taught them to speak.  In that way, all other tongues, including their own, are merely means of outward expression; a translation tool, used to reflect their inner speech when outsiders find their way into Fangorn.

Sheep get like shepherd, and shepherds like sheep.
TREEBEARD

Songs like trees bear fruit only in their own time and their own way:
and sometimes they are withered untimely.
TREEBEARD

Dreams and Legends

These are indeed strange days…
Dreams and legends spring to life out of the grass.
EOMER

The Rohirrim are primarily a practical race, highly esteeming horses and courage, but relatively little else.  As with many young nations, their grasp of history or culture (beyond their own) is weak, leaving them 'wise but unlearned, writing no books but singing many songs'.  They fear Lothlorien, and do not walk in Fangorn, despite their proximity to these great stores of wisdom and experience.

 

So when the heir of the lost kings stands up out of the grassy plain, accompanied by an Elf and a Dwarf, it takes great strength of character from Eomer not to take them as prisoners, fanciful and questionable as their explanations are.

Do we walk in legends or on the green earth in the daylight?
EOTHAIN

A man may do both,
for not we but those who come after will make the legends of our time.
ARAGORN

It is to Eomer's great credit that the good choice he makes is neither in line with his orders nor his people's natural skepticism of the unknown.  We see him wrestle with the decision, then be imprisoned for it, then finally be justified.

The world is all grown strange …
How shall a man judge what to do in such times?
EOMER

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

 

On Justice and Mercy

Gollum is trapped.  Having pursued the company (or more specifically, the Ring) for over a month, through Moria to Lorien, down through Wilderland to Parth Galen, he finally catches up with Frodo and Sam as they struggle to escape the Emyn Muil.

He is at their mercy, and Sam in particular, does not feel merciful.  In many ways, it would be just to kill Gollum - as Faramir later asserts, he has done murder, and means to again - but at that moment the counsel of Gandalf returns, unbidden, to Frodo's mind.

Many that live deserve death.  And some that die deserve life ...
Be not too eager to deal out death in the name of justice ...
Even the wise cannot see all ends.
GANDALF in FRODO's mind

At the Doors of the Golden Hall

 

 Seldom does thief ride home to the stable.
ARAGORN

The role of Hama, the Door-ward of Theoden, is one of high honour and responsibility in the Mark, akin to a personal bodyguard.  It is his purpose to be both welcoming and suspicious of visitors, to divine the motives and trustworthiness of strangers before they become a more direct aid or threat to his king.

A king will have his way in his own hall, be it folly or wisdom.
GANDALF

 

The exchange of words between Hama and the four travellers is expressive of the similarities and differences between the races of Middle Earth.  Suspicion is high, offence is caused, but common ground and wisdom are nevertheless sought.  Hama is both strict (in forbidding Aragorn to bear Anduril) and lenient (in permitting Gandalf's staff), and justifies his choices with proverbs.

Every man has something too dear to trust to another.
ARAGORN

The staff in the hand of a wizard may be more than a prop for age...
Yet in doubt a man of worth will trust to his own wisdom.
HAMA

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
 
 
 

On Froward Tongue

I owe much to Eomer, said Theoden, Faithful heart may have froward tongue.

Say also, said Gandalf, that to crooked eyes truth may wear a wry face.

The Wisdom of Gollum

 

It is years - very probably centuries reaching into millennia - since Gollum was truly Smeagol and lived in community with others of his sort.  The Ring caused his estrangement from his contemporaries and drove him into isolation, into a life where It was his only joy.  And when the Precious was lost, so was he.

We are lost, lost.  No name, no business, no Precious, nothing.
Only empty.  Only hungry.
GOLLUM

 

It is a stretch to categorise anything that Gollum says as a true proverb, yet his separation from all other peoples has made him a culture apart.  In constantly, repetitiously talking to himself, little phrases of guidance have emerged; the axioms by which his dark life has been led.

More haste less speed.
GOLLUM

More difficult, not so quick; but better.
GOLLUM

Third Time

 

From the three Elven Rings to Three's Company, a triumvirate motif repeats itself throughout the history of Middle Earth.  There are the three kindreds of the Eldar, three Silmarils, and three hidden Kingdoms (of Doriath, Nargothrond and Gondolin); three houses of the Edain, three northern Kingdoms after the breakup of Arnor, and three lines of the Kings of Rohan; three Hobbit tribes, three Farthings in the Shire, and three Ages of Middle Earth.

 

On the borders of Mordor, three weary travellers also seek significance in the number, firstly when a winged Nazgul repeatedly passes overhead, then at later times when considering an extra favour to be granted along the lines of 'one good turn deserves another'.

Three times is a threat.
GOLLUM  

The third turn may turn out the best.
FRODO

Third time pays for all.
SAM

On Despair and Hope

None knows what the new day will bring him.
ARAGORN

The last host of the Eorlingas rides to Helm's Deep, and meets Ceorl of Westfold, bearing a message of woe to Eomer: turn back, there is no hope ahead.  The advance scout is similarly dispiriting.

He that flies counts every foeman twice.
SCOUT

While at first weary and in despair, the shock of meeting his king both armed for war and in doughty mood strengthens Ceorl for battle ahead.  The stronghold of Helm's Deep, ever unconquered while men defend it, adds to that renewed sense of belief.

But the coming battle, of Saruman's irresistible force crashing against the Hornburg's immovable object, drains that hope away.  It is characteristic and fitting that Aragorn, whose cradle name Estel itself means hope, should be the last whose heart is not fallen back into despair.

Oft the unbidden guest proves the best company.
EOMER

As one who has wandered so often, so far away from his hopes and destiny, it is no surprise that proverbs of hope spring naturally from his lips, since they have doubtless nourished him for years.

Dawn is ever the hope of men.
ARAGORN

 

More Dreams and Legends

 

Sam stands up, hands behind his back, for a recitation of Oliphaunt, making Frodo laugh within sight of the Black Gate.  The equivalent today might be Jabberwocky or The Hunting of the Snark, with a legendary beast set in rhyme to stir the imagination.  Hobbits never actually believed the rhyme, or anything much else that they didn't see with their own eyes.

News from Bree and not as sure as Shiretalk.
SAM

And then Sam sees one.  He knows that no one at home will believe him.

 

Far away, in the green fields of Rohan, the King has had a similar set of experiences: firstly meeting the Holbytlan, then seeing Ents; both creatures of fairy-tale and nursery-rhyme.

Songs have come down out of strange places, and walk visible under the Sun.
THEODEN

On Treasures

Received by the de facto door-wardens of Isengard, the Three Hunters have at last found their quarry and can get on with the important business of recounting their tales and reaffirming their friendship, amidst pipe smoke.

Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall.
ARAGORN

Having given his account of their kidnapping and the crossing of Rohan, Pippin receives back his elven brooch from Aragorn, who had both found the clue and kept it safe.  In returning it, a proverb is used in passing which has great bearing on the Quest as a whole, though they little know it.

One who cannot cast away a treasure at need is in fetters.
ARAGORN

As Aragorn says of the brooch, 'it is a very precious thing,' more precious probably than anything the hobbit had ever possessed.  The parallel between Pippin casting away the precious thing in his possession, and Frodo being unable to cast away the precious Ring, because it possessed him, is striking, and emphasises the 'fetters' by which the works of Sauron enslave their holders to his will.

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 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 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

 

The Wisdom of Gondor

Entering Ithilien, the Hobbits are for the first time in Gondor (albeit in land occupied by the Enemy).  The great Kingdom of the Dunedain of the South has been liberally referred to throughout the Quest, yet until now it has had only Boromir to represent it.  It would have been reasonable to presume him as an archetype for his people, yet with the entrance of his brother Faramir, a wiser, more thoughtful head on younger shoulders, that thought must be discarded.

Wise man trusts not to chance-meeting on the road in this land.
FARAMIR

We meet no one else, with the obvious exception of Gandalf, for whom proverbs are so natural a part of speech.  Very often they are unquoted, utilised but not emphasised, and thereby often unnoticed.

War must be,
while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all;
but 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

 
We are truth-speakers, we men of Gondor.
We boast seldom, and then perform, or die in the attempt.  FARAMIR

Moreover, we receive from Faramir one of the few explicit references to the means by which learning and knowledge has been passed down amongst men of one era to another, and to him in particular:

'Much is still preserved of ancient lore among the Rulers of the city that is not spread abroad...  We in the house of Denethor know much ancient lore by long tradition, and there are moreover in our treasures many things preserved:
'Books and tablets writ on withered parchments, yea, and on stone, and on leaves of silver and of gold, in divers characters.'

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

On Perils of Evil and Beauty

Living in the shadow of the Shadow has given Faramir experience aplenty, not least of the interaction of humility and courage when danger approaches.

There are some perils from which a man must flee.
FARAMIR

Such things [as mighty heirlooms] do not breed peace among confederates.
FARAMIR

Unlike Boromir, he is aware of his own weakness, despite neither lacking strength of body nor fortitude of character.  He is strong, but knows when his own strength is not enough.  Also, he knows that perils are often beautiful (as in the case of the Ring), and that even extreme beauty can be a danger to those for whom it is not intended.

It is perilous for mortal man
to walk out of the world of this Sun [into Lothlorien].
FARAMIR

On Strider, pt 2?

The hobbits' new acquaintance harks back to September 29th, and the last mysterious hooded, cloaked Ranger they had met.

Faramir appears as a southern counterpart to Aragorn: a wise, compassionate warrior, in whom the blood of Numenor runs true.  The parallels between the two characters' entries into the plot are striking:

 - the weather-beaten green-clad Rangers, faces obscured;
 - intent questioning of Frodo without revealing identity or purpose;
 - the immediate links to Gandalf at a time of his unforeseen absence;
 - Sam's strong suspicions while his guarded master longs to open up and find a friend;
 - the opportunity to take the Ring, and strength to wield it, overcome.

It is fitting then that the wisdom proverbs that flash into the hobbits' minds when faced with Faramir in Ithilien are virtually identical to those they spoke before Strider in the Prancing Pony.

Better mistrust undeserved than rash words.
NARRATOR [Frodo's thoughts]

Fair speech may hide a foul heart.
SAM

Handsome is as handsome does.
SAM

The parallels between Faramir and Aragorn continue, both in character and in fate, until the end: one takes the Paths of the Dead, the 'walks in the shadows' under the Black Breath; one becomes King, the other, Steward and Prince; both are loved by Eowyn; both marry outside of their kin; both live happily ever after ...

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

Advice and Parting

The hobbits leave Faramir with a wholly different perspective on the man, and perhaps on all men, than they had held the day before.  Far from inhibiting the Quest, their capture and the (unwitting) disclosure of their purpose has, in Sam's words, allowed the Captain of Gondor to show his quality: the very highest.

The praise of the praiseworthy is above all rewards.
FARAMIR

But Faramir does seek to counsel them; to persuade them from taking the road to Cirith Ungol, and especially from retaking Gollum as guide, though he is unable to offer any real alternative.  Sam would agree, but Frodo feels bound to Gollum and is not moved.  The advice is rejected and they head on to the Crossroads.

It seems less evil to counsel another man to break troth than to do so oneself,
especially if one sees a friend bound unwitting to his own harm.
FARAMIR

The servant has a claim on the master for service, even service in fear.
NARRATOR [reporting Frodo's thoughts]

They can only come to morning through the shadows.
NARRATOR

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

A Halfling in the Tower of the Sun

  As for valour, that cannot be computed by stature.
GANDALF

Many a doer of great deeds might say no more.
INGOLD

Gandalf is well-known in Minas Tirith, and held in more honour than in many places, but Pippin is a stranger and his whole race alien to the men of Gondor.

Even in allowing him to pass the Rammas, the guards do not seek to disguise their wonder and intrigue at this curio, and once in the streets of the city, many call out to or about the ernil i pheriannath.

Looks may belie the man - or the halfling.
DENETHOR

In offering his sword and service to Denethor, Pippin both pleases the Lord Steward and humours him, whilst additionally gaining access to the most private areas of the Citadel.  He is in way over his head, but is wise enough to know it, and Gandalf validates his decision.

Generous deed should not be checked by cold counsel.
GANDALF

In Grief

The mightiest man may be slain by one arrow.
PIPPIN

Denethor is in heartbroken mourning.  On a 'wild errand', his beloved Boromir was drawn away to the North, and Gondor's best man is now known to have been lost forever.  His body has passed down the river to the sea, his horn lies on Denethor's lap.  The Steward's bitterness is unhidden.

Be not unjust in your grief.
GANDALF

From the Farsighted

Though the Stones be lost, they say,
still the Lords of Gondor have keener sight than lesser men.
DENETHOR

Gandalf and Denethor, 'two such terrible old men', are like few others in Middle Earth.  Both are steeped in learning and legacy; both are readers of hearts and thoughts; both see far and perceive much; and few bear greater burdens of responsibility.

Denethor speaks to Gandalf as to a peer; respectful yet proud, and confident enough in his own wisdom to listen to the wizard's advice but choose not to take it.

Courage will now be your best defence.
GANDALF

When you are a dotard you will die.
GANDALF

Pride would be folly that disdained help and counsel at need.
DENETHOR

Beregond of the Guard

Beregond is the first rank-and-file man of Gondor to come into the story, and an insight into 'normal' Numenoreans.  As others in the City, he looks upon Pippin with an honest curiosity, nodding to himself as his guest's words conform to the wisdom of his people that has been handed down to him.

Men who go warring afield look ever to the next hope of food and of drink.
BEREGOND

At the table small men may do the greater deeds.
BEREGOND

Having mainly hidden behind the other hobbits' seniority until this point, becoming the nearest thing to a passenger that the Fellowship could offer, Pippin no longer has that option.  He is seen as a prince and treated not unlike one, and for the first time we are able to see the future Thain act like one.

We may stand, if only on one leg, or at least be left still upon our knees.
PIPPIN

Strange accents do not mar fair speech.
BEREGOND

On Simple Wisdom

When Pippin, who at 29 has not yet come of age, is paired with the 10 year old Bergil son of Beregond, we have no need to expect from them any great insight or understanding of the world.  Yet even they have store enough of simple proverbs to pepper their conversation.

Every little is a gain.
BERGIL

Folk are not always as they seem.
PIPPIN

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

Holdwine of the Mark

Matters of height aside, Meriadoc of the Shire is very well suited to the Rohirrim: high-hearted rather than high-minded; more courageous than complicated.  He knows his place - beside the King - but has been forbidden it.

Where will wants not, a way opens.
DERNHELM

A more kindred spirit for Eowyn would be hard to find, and her decision to break two commands, by taking both herself and the holbytla to war, is both justified and forgiven in the end.

Great heart will not be denied.
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