What Really Happened?

I am going to start a thing on here, where I just make tie-ins and comparisons between the book and movie. So...if there are any movie scenes that you want me to break down with a comparison to the book, or try to find the inspirations and origins of the lines, let me know. A lot of the dialogue that you can look at and not have found at that spot in the book, is actually present elsewhere. The writers used as much of Tolkien's actual writing as they could, and the franken-lines are kind of fun to track down in the books.

For starters:

I: In the movie, at Helm's Deep, Theoden says something along the lines (pun intended) of: Saruman's arm will have grown long indeed if he thinks he can reach us here.

In the book:

Referring to Sauron, not Saruman:

"'His arm has grown long indeed,' said Gimli, 'if he can draw snow down from the North to trouble us here three hundred leagues away.'"

II: You know that part where Legolas talks about the Crebain from dunland? Well in the book, in the chapter The Ring Goes South, Sam and Aragorn on on the watch, and Aragorn (not Legolas) wakes Gandalf up to tell him about the crebain. 

III: In the movie, Gimli wants to go to Moria, and Gandalf REALLY doesn't. In the Book, Gandalf thought they should try Moria, and Aragorn didn't want to, so they attempted Caradhras, but were eventually driven down. So Aragorn agreed to go through Moria, as Gandalf had originally said they should, but says to Gandalf:

"And I say to you: if you pass the doors of Moria, beware!"

IV: In the movies, there is a surprise warg attack on the company fleeing from Edoras to Helm's Deep. While the book has no such attack in it, and it is quite the little twist, the fellowship is hunted by wargs in The Fellowship of the Ring, on their way from Caradhras to the Gate of Moria. 

 

The Battle for Helm's Deep

March 3, 3019 TA

Theoden retreats to Helm's Deep to assist Erkenbrand.

"'Erkenbrand of Westfold has drawn off those men he could gather towards his fastness in Helm's Deep. The rest are scattered.'"

And then they arrive to find that Erkenbrand didn't make it to Helm's deep, and no one is entirely sure what became of him.

"At Helm's Gate, before the mouth of the Deep, there was a heel of rock thrust outward by the northern cliff. There upon its spur stood high walls of ancient stone, and within them was a lofty tower. Men said that in the far-off days of the glory of Gondor the sea-kings had built here this fastness with the hands of giants."

Then the battle for Helm's Deep begins.

"Branched lightning smote down upon the eastward hills. For a staring moment the watchers on the walls saw all the space between them and the Dike lit with white light: it was boiling and crawling with black shapes, some squat and broad some tall and grim, with high helms and sable shields. Hundreds and hundreds more were pouring over the Dike and through the breach. The dark tide flowed up to the walls from cliff to cliff. Thunder rolled in the valley. Rain came lashing down."

Then we must not forget the rivalry at Helm's Deep between Legolas and Gimli. I can just see Legolas standing there smugly caring for his knife and gloating.

"The elf was wetting his long knife. There was for w while a lull in the assault, since the attempt to break in through the culvert had been foiled.
    'Twenty-one!' said Gimli.
    'Good!' said Legolas. 'But my count is now two dozen. It has been knife-work up here.'"

Ha ha, Legolas, knife-work. Veeeeerrrry funny. 

"'That must be my hope,' said Legolas. 'But I wish that he had come this way. I desired to tell Master Gimli that my tale is now thirty-nine.'
   'If he wins back to the caves, he will pass your count again,' laughed Aragorn. 'Never did I see an axe so wielded.'
   'I must go and seek some arrows,' said Legolas. 'Would that this night would end, and I could have better light for shooting.'"

While this is happening, the Ents are busy at Isengard. I had forgotten, until I was rereading just now, that the entire fall of Isengard was done in flashback. 

Narrated by Pippin. I love the addition of the saucepan comparison at the end, its so hobbity. 

"'Isengard began to fill up with black creeping streams and pools. They glittered in the last light of the Moon, as they spread over the plain. Every now and then the waters found their way down into some shaft or spouthole. Great white steams hissed up. Smoke rose in billows. There were explosions and gusts of fire. On great coil of vapour went whirling up, twisting round and round Orthanc, until it looked like a tall peak of cloud, fiery underneath and moonlit above. And still more water poured in, until at last Isengard looked like a huge flat saucepan, all steaming and bubbling.'"

 

(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.)

The White Rider; The Dead Marshes

THE DAY

March 1, 3019 TA

Entmoot continues.

"'Hm, ha, hey, my Pippin!' he said, and the other Ents all stopped their chant. 'You are a hasty folk, I was forgetting; and anyway it is wearisome listening to a speech you do not understand. You may get down now. I have told your names to the Entmoot, and they have seen you, and they have agreed that you are not Orcs, and that a new line shall be put in the old lists. We have got no further yet, but that is quick work for an Entmoot. You and Merry can stroll about in the dingle, if you like. There is a well of good water, if you need refreshing, away yonder in the north bank. There are sill some words to speak before the Mooth really begins. I will come and see you again, and tell you how things are going.'"

I have just realized, flipping through in search of quotes, that Lord of the Rings is actually not that long. It seemed so much more imposing the first time I read it, and that has sort of stayed with me ever since, but really, its not so bad.

Frodo, Sam, and Gollum begin the passage of the Dead Marshes.

"In a chill hour they came to the end of the water-course. The banks became moss-grown mounds. Over the last shelf of rotting stone the stream gurgled and fell down into a brown bog and was lost. Dry reeds hissed and rattled though they could feel no wind."

Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli meet Gandalf the White. 

"His hair was white as snow in the sunshine; and gleaming white was his robe; the eyes under his deep brows were bright, piercing as the rays of the sun; power was in his hand. Between wonder, jow, and fear they stood and found no words to say."

And then they meet Shadowfax.

"...a great horse came striding up the slope towards them; his coat was glistening and his mane flowing in the wind of his speed."

Faramir sets out from Minas Tirith to go to Ithilien. 

 

(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.)

The Falls of Rauros

THE DAY

February 25, 3019 TA

Now then, after the Argonath, they arrive at the falls of Rauros and Tol Brandir.

“At the far southern end rose three peaks. The midmost stood somewhat forward from the others and sundered from them, an island in the waters, about which the flowing River flung pale shimmering arms. Distant but deep there campe up on the wind a roaring sound like the roll of thunder heard far away. ‘Behold Tol Brandir!’ said Aragorn…”

To the right of Tol Brandir is Amon Hen, and the lawn of Parth Galen is at the feet of Amon Hen.

“Aragorn led them to the right arm of the River. Here upon its western side under the shadow of Tol Brandir a green lawn ran down to the water from the feet of Amon Hen.”

They spend the night here, and of course one must not forget that Gollum has been tracking them since Moria. I have noticed that a lot of Aragorn’s lines in the book were given to Legolas in the movie. This does not particularly bother me, because to me it is more important that things get said at all, then who ends up saying them. But it’s interesting to point out that Aragorn and Legolas were switched up a little in the movies. In the books, it tended to be Aragorn who explained where they were and told the hobbits what they were seeing. Legolas was quieter and more reserved and mysterious. In the movies, Aragorn is the broody one, and Legolas the explainer. One of Legolas’ lines at Parth Galen in the movie is “a shadow and a threat has been growing in my mind” or something to that effect. In the book:

“’Why are you waking?’ asked Frodo. ‘It is not your watch.’‘I do not know,’ answered Aragorn; ‘but a shadow and a threat has been growing in my sleep. It would be well to draw your sword.’”

Another thing that occurred on this day was the first battle of the Fords of Isen. Today is the day that Theodred, son of Theoden King, was killed. Quite tragic that. 

THE YEAR

3007

Appendix B, The Tale of Years 3007 “Brand son of Bain becomes King in Dale. Death of Gilraen.”

Bain being Bard’s son from The Hobbit. Gilraen being Aragorn’s mother.

 

Attack at Sarn Gebir

THE DAY

February 23rd 3019 TA

The attack at Sarn Gebir is not to be confused with the more notable attack later on at Parth Galen.
This Sarn Gebir was ended rather abruptly by Legolas, but also offered the first glimpse of one of the Nazgul on their winged beasts. 

“’Elbereth Gilthoniel!’ sighed Legolas as he looked up. Even as he did so, a dark shape, like a cloud and yet not a cloud, for it moved far more swiftly, came out of the blackness in the South, and sped towards the Company, blotting out all light as it approached. Soon it appeared as a great winged creature, blacker than the pits in the night. Fierce voices rose up to greet it from across the water. Frodo felt a sudden chill running through him and clutching at his heart; there was a deadly cold, like the memory of an old wound, in his shoulder. He crouched down as if to hide.Suddenly the great bow of Lorien sang. Shrill wen the arrow from the elven-string. Frodo looked up. Almost above him the winged shape swerved. There was a harsh croaking scream, as it fell out of the air, vanishing down into the gloom of the eastern shore. The sky was clean again. There was a tumult of many voices far away, cursing and wailing in the darkness, and then silence. Neither shaft nor cry came again from the east that night.”

THE YEAR

3004

Appendix B, The Tale of Years 3004 “Gandalf visits Frodo in the Shire, and does so at intervals during the next four years.”

 

Caras Galadhon

The Day

January 17th 3019

“Suddenly they came out into the open again, and found themselves under a pale evening sky pricked by a few early stars. There was a wide treeless space before them, running in a great circle and bending away on either hand. Beyond it was a deep fosse lost in soft shadow, but the grass upon its brink was green, as if it glowed still in memory of the sun that had gone. Upon the further side there rose to a great height a green wall encircling a green hill thronged with mallorn-trees taller than any they had yet seen in all the land. Their height could not be guessed, but they stood up in the twilight like living towers. In their many-tiered branches and amid their ever-moving leaves countless lights were gleaming, green and gold and silver. Haldir turned towards the Company. ‘Welcome to Caras Galadhon!’ he said.”

Following Gandalf’s fall in Moria, the fellowship, now led by Aragorn, made their way to Lothlorien, seeking aid from the elves that dwelt there. On the 17th, in the evening, the company reached Caras Galadhon. Before that, however, they encountered Haldir, and spent the night in the trees, at which point this adorableness happened:

“Pippin wen on talking for a while. ‘I hope, if I do get to sleep in this bed-loft, that I shan’t roll off,’ he said.‘Once I do get to sleep,’ said Sam, ‘I shall go on sleeping, whether I roll off or no. And the less said, the sooner I’ll drop off, if you take my meaning.’”

Caras Galadhon is the city in which Celeborn and Galadriel live. Who, I must say, are considerably more friendly in the book than the movie made them out to be. In the movie, they are rather reserved and cold, and Haldir isn’t even willing to lead the fellowship to Caras Galadhon until Aragorn argues with him about it.

In the book, the elves are very friendly and nice, and when when they first meet Celeborn:

“’Sit now beside my chair, Frodo of the Shire!’ said Celeborn. ‘When all have come we will speak together.’”

For the purposes of this post, I skimmed through the chapters “Lothlorien and The Mirror of Galadriel” in hopes of finding a few outstanding quotes to use. Alas, the entire thing is one big amazing quote, and I have had to choose only a few more pertinent ones to pop in here. But in general, I plan on working future posts of this sort around actual quotes from Tolkien. His language and his words are just as important as the story itself, and the two should not be parted.

THE YEAR

For this, I shall just give a direct quote, as I couldn’t really think of any easier way to explain what happened.

Appendix B >> The Tale of Years
c. 3000 The shadow of Mordor lengthens. Saruman dares to use the palantir or Orthanc, but becomes ensnared by Sauron, who has the Ithil-stone. He becomes a traitor to the Council. His spies report that the Shire is being closely guarded by the Rangers.

 

The Council of Elrond

THE DAY: The Council of Elrond

October 25th, 3018 TA, The Council of Elrond. Okay, so this is the longest chapter in the book, I love it, but I know that a lot of people find it slightly boring. The point being, I have no idea how to talk about it in this post. But it was a pivotal moment. Now, in the movie, the nine companions thing just sort of happens...but in the book, there is a lot of time passing before that. Seeing as the council is October 25th and they did not leave Rivendell until December 25th (Christmas day! The savior set out to save us, as Frodo and the Fellowship set out to save Middle Earth. It would take Jesus 33 years to complete his journey, though, and Frodo only 13 months. Exactly one 3rd though) So, at the council, Frodo agrees to take the Ring, and Gandalf decides to go with him. After a bit, Elrond decides that there should be nine companions, so he takes a look at all the people there, and chooses seven more. Gimli the Dwarf to represent all Dwarves. Legolas to represent his people, and in a way, all elves. Gandalf, because Gandalf is very powerful, because he is a Wizard and represents them, because he would have gone anyway, regardless of what Elrond decided. And because he is Gandalf. Boromir to represent Gondor and the Race of Men (he thinks) and Aragorn, to represent Gondor and the Race of men..wait a minute....

Samwise because Gandalf urged him too, and because Sam would not be parted from his master, and because Sam would have gone anyway...(he and Gandalf...tsk tsk tsk). 

And, in the book, Gandalf and Elrond (long after the actual council) argued about the last two companions. And it was a close shave for Merry and Pippin. But they got in. And THUS was born the Fellowship. But I can see why Sir Peter Jackson did what he did, because lets face it, when you make a movie, you HAVE to shorten and cut some things. Especially things like the Council of Elrond. 

THE YEAR

2984 TA

Ecthelion II dies, and Denethor II becomes Steward of Gondor. Not very interesting. I don't like Denethor. 

THE MOST POWERFUL THING IN HELM'S DEEP

There are many powerful moments in the Movie rendition of The Battle of the Hornburg. Many symbolic and beautiful moments

First, the elves come. Help out of the blue, completely unexpected and unlooked for. A last alliance of elves and men. Heroic, yes. Wonderful, yes. But that is not what made the battle what it was. 

There is something in that whole battle sequence that links it all together and makes it beautiful, heroic, brave, powerful, meaningful. 

It could be the love between Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli. It could be the moment when Haldir dies in Aragorn's arms. Perhaps it is when Aragorn and Theoden gather the rest of the Rohirrim and ride out to die in glory and fight the hopeless fight. It could be the love and loyalty of Eomer when he returns to save the man who banished him from his home. It could be the hope and light of Gandalf returning. The bravery of the men behind the walls. 

But even when you put all that together, you really just have a lot of fighting and death and no hope. Because there is still a big question. 

Why?

Why are the men behind the walls so brave?

Why did Aragorn and Theoden ride out?

Why did Eomer return?

Why were the men prepared to fight until they all died?

There could be many reasons. And there are many reasons. But the one that unites them all. That makes the battle more than a bunch of men and orcs killing each other. One thing that explains it all. 

And that is the women and children hiding in the caves.

These men are fighting for their wives, children, sisters, brothers, mothers, grandmothers. They are fighting for the people. Willing to die to defend the people. Brave for the people they are protecting. 

Peter Jackson captured this perfectly, but frequently cutting from the battle, to the women and children. Terrified, weeping, hiding in the caves and listening to their loved ones die.