Great stuff. What I need is more historical background on oath-taking
etc. Obviously a servant swearing allegiance to their master happened
almost always. Jane Chance talks about the "spirit" as opposed to the
"letter" of the law. You can be a loyal servant without taking a legal
vow (as Merry did with Thengol). His loyalty to Thengol came from sheer
affection and love, and he offered his service, he did not 'swear' his
allegiance. Yet, Merry is one of the few characters that stays loyal to
allegiances to the end, even though he goes against a direct order from the
king. By the "letter" of the law he did what was wrong, but the "spirit"
of the law was
strong.
