Ithilien, the garden of Gondor now
desolate
With this chapter, we have now entered the realm of Gondor, although this is
not immediately clear. Soon, of course, we find that Gondor still thinks of
Ithilien as its own.
Roman bridge, Pont-D'Asfeld-in-Briancon
The Road, Bridges, Cuttings.
The handiwork of Men of old could
still be seen in its straight sure flight and level course: now and again it
cut its way through hillside slopes, or leaped over a stream upon a wide
shapely arch of enduring masonry; but at last all signs of stonework faded,
save for a broken pillar here and there, peering out of bushes at the side, or
old paving-stones still lurking amid weeds and moss.
Heather and trees and bracken scrambled down and overhung the banks, or
sprawled out over the surface. It dwindled at last to a country cart-road
little used; but it did not wind: it held on its own sure course and guided
them by the swiftest way.
They had come to the end of a long cutting, deep, and sheer-sided in the
middle, by which the road clove its way through a stony ridge.
A. “Country cart-road”? Who uses it now?
B. Why build a road to the Morannon in the highlands of Ithilien, instead of
along the flat river plain closer to Anduin? Why spend the incredible effort
and cost, including cuts through bedrock, and stone bridges, to make it
straight and level in such difficult country?
C. How does this road compare to that other road of the Dunedain that we know
so well, the Great Road from the Shire to Rivendell? How about the old Road
from Gondor to Arnor that Boromir followed? Are any other roads in Middle-earth
engineered straight and level, with stone bridges at every river-crossing?
Roman Bridge, Ganagobie
Men of Gondor.
If they were astonished at what
they saw, their captors were even more astonished. Four tall Men stood there. …
their eyes, … 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.
D. How tall is tall, do you think? Would ‘tall’ be the first judgement a
hobbit would make about a man?
E. How would you guess these men’s Boromir-like “stature and bearing” differs
from, say, Aragorn’s – or Eomer’s – or Bard the Bowman’s?
They took off their masks now and
again to cool them, as the day-heat grew, and Frodo saw that they were goodly
men, pale-skinned, dark of hair, with grey eyes and faces sad and proud. They
spoke together in soft voices, at first using the Common Speech, but after the
manner of older days, and then changing to another language of their own. To
his amazement, as he listened Frodo became aware that it was the Elven-tongue
that they spoke, or one but little different; and he looked at them with
wonder, for he knew then that they must be Dúnedain of the South, men of the
line of the Lords of Westernesse.
F. Why would the Common Speech in Gondor be of ‘older’ manner?
G. How aware have we been up til now of the link between the Dunedain and the
Elves?
H. Does Tolkien have a “racial type” in mind for these Men of Gondor? Does it
relate to his “Roman” or “Mediterranean” geography that we are encountering in
this chapter?
Gone with the Wind.
After a while he spoke to them; but
they were slow and cautious in answering. They named themselves Mablung and
Damrod, soldiers of Gondor, and they were Rangers of Ithilien; for they were
descended from folk who lived in Ithilien at one time, before it was overrun.
From such men the Lord Denethor chose his forayers, who crossed the Anduin
secretly (how or where, they would not say) to harry the Orcs and other enemies
that roamed between the Ephel Dúath and the River.
`It is close on ten leagues hence to the east-shore of
Anduin,' said Mablung, 'and we seldom come so far afield. But we have a new
errand on this journey: we come to ambush the Men of Harad. Curse them!
'
I. These men’s ‘folk’ used to live in Ithilien. When was it lost? They never
lived there themselves: why does Denethor use only their folk?
J. Are Mablung and Damrod of ‘noble’ family?
Damrod by Montanini
History and the Haradrim.
'Aye, curse the Southrons! ' said
Damrod. ` 'Tis said that there were dealings of old between Gondor and the
kingdoms of the Harad in the Far South; though there was never friendship. In
those days our bounds were away south beyond the mouths of Anduin, and Umbar,
the nearest of their realms, acknowledged our sway. But that is long since.
'Tis many lives of Men since any passed to or fro between us. Now of late we
have learned that the Enemy has been among them, and they are gone over to Him,
or back to Him-they were ever ready to His will-as have so many also in the
East. . . . .'
` . . . said Mablung. `These cursed Southrons come
now marching up the ancient roads to swell the hosts of the Dark Tower. Yea, up
the very roads that craft of Gondor made. And they go ever more heedlessly, we
learn, thinking that the power of their new master is great enough, so that the
mere shadow of His hills will protect them . . . .'
There were ‘dealings of old’ between Harad and Gondor, but it’s been ‘many
lives of men’ since there has been any commerce.
K. Is that likely between two neighboring regions connected by both sea and
land? What kind of geopolitics is Tolkien constructing?
Damrod and Mablung seem rather arrogant, hateful, and prejudiced.
L. Is there what Paul Kocher would call a ‘Haradrim point of view’ that we
could understand? Is Sam, with his sympathy for the dead warrior, morally
superior to these two men?
Text of this
chapter
Everyone is laughing for heart's ease, now that they're in Ithilien! Join me in the Reading Room this week for a squireific topic-oriented discussion of Chapter 4, Book IV of The Two Towers: "Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit".
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