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 Strider

Folk are not always what they seem.
PIPPIN

A hunted man sometimes wearies of distrust and longs for friendship.
ARAGORN

Handsome is as handsome does.
PIPPIN

Aragorn is emblematic of the paradoxical nature of reality in Middle Earth: the heir of kings whose looks are against him, he fails to impress, his sword is broken, his clothes are stained and worn.  But handsome is as handsome does, as Bilbo recognised in his poem of proverbs:

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

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 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 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.

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

 

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

 

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 ...

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

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

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