The Window on the West

March 7 3019 TA

Frodo is taken by Faramir.

"All had swords at their sides, and were clad in green and brown of varied hues, as if the better to walk unseen in the glades of Ithilien Green gauntlets covered their hands, and their faces were hooded and masked with green, except for their eyes, which were very keen and bright. At once Frodo thought of Boromir, for these Men were like him in stature and bearing, and in their manner of speech."

He tells them of seeing Boromir's funeral boat.

"'There I saw, o it seemed that I saw, a boat floating on the water, glimmering grey, a small boat of a strange fashion with a high prow, and there was none to row or steer it. 'An awe fell on me, for a pale light was round it. But I rose and went to the bank, and began to walk out into the stream, for I was drawn towards it. Then the boat turned towards me, and stayed its pace, and floated slowly by within my hand's reach, yet I durst not handle it. It waded deep, as if it were heavily burdened, and it seemed to me as it passed under my gaze that it was almost filled with clear water, from which came the light; and lapped in the water a warrior lay asleep.'A broken sword was on his knee. I saw many wounds on him. It was Boromir, my brother, dead. I knew his gear, his sword, his beloved face. One thing only I missed: his horn. One thing only I knew not: a fair belt as if it were of linked golden leaves, about his waist.'"

They are taken to Henneth Annun.

"They stood on a wet floor of polished stone, the doorstep, as it were, of a rough-hewn gate of rock opening dark behind them. But in front a thin veil of water was hung, so near that Frodo could have put an outstretched arm into it. It faced westward. The level shafts of the setting sun behind beet upon it, and the red light was broken into many flickering beams of ever-changing colour. It was as if they stood at the window of some elven tower, curtained with threaded jewels of silver and gold, and ruby, sapphire and amethyst, all kindled with an unconsuming fire."

And Aragorn arrives at Dunharrow at nightfall, and are welcomed by Eowyn and they tell her of all that had happened at Helm's Deep. Aragorn informs her of his plan to take the Paths of the Dead.

"'What do you fear, lady?' he asked. 

       'A cage,' she said. 'To stay behind bars, until use and old age accept them, and all change of doing great deeds is gone beyond recall or desire.'"

 

(Lest there should be any confusion or matter of rights and whatnot, all quotes in this post are from The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien, unless otherwise mentioned. There may be slight errors, misspellings, or alternate punctuation in the quotes, and if you notice such, please inform me so that I can speedily remedy them. But I think the fact that I made this blog proves that I would never intentionally change something of Tolkien's in the transcribing of it.)