LoTR Discussion project; Book IV Chapters 3 and 4

[BeardofPants]

Chapter III: The Black Gate is Closed

Mordor, and adjacent lands, courtesy of Karen Fondstad's, "The Atlas of Tolkien's Middle-earth".

The chapter opens with their trek to Mordor finally over, as the black of night turned slowly into day. The desert and the marshes had been left behind. To the west of Mordor rose Ephel Duath, and to the north lay Ered Lithui, both barren, and gloomy. The two swung north towards each other, ending in the embrace of Cirith Gorgor - the haunted pass, and entrance into Mordor. High cliffs guarded this entrance, along with the Teeth of Mordor, two towers built in the distant past by the Men of Gondor, after the fall of Sauron, "... they were built by the Men of Gondor in their pride and power, after the overthrow of Sauron and his flight, lest he should seek to return to his old realm. But the strength of Gondor failed, and men slept, and for long years the towers stood empty. Then Sauron returned. Now the watch-towers, which had fallen into decay, were repaired, and filled with arms, and garrisoned with ceaseless vigilance. ... each window was full of sleepless eyes." The entrance of the pass was barred with a rampart of stone, within which was a single gate of iron, "... and upon its battlement sentinels paced unceasingly." With day-break came the fallow sun, and a cry of trumpets, sounding from the distant reaches of Mordor, signaling the changing of the guard from night to day.

An interesting on-going theme in Lord of the Rings is that Sauron very seldom seems to build, or create new buildings, but rather, seems to corrupt and defile buildings of his enemies. Do you think this is related to what Tolkien said about the Enemy not being able to create life, only pervert?

A conversation followed with Sam longing for the comforts of home, and Frodo determined to enter into Mordor through this pass. Gone was the cowering and fear; Frodo now stood resolute and firm in his decision. However, Gollum proposed another way into Mordor, a secret way. Darker, and more difficult to find, and Sam's hope to ride the party of Gollum would come to no avail... at least, not yet. Frodo accepted Gollum's help, but reminded him that he was in danger... not from the danger that they all shared, but the danger made from swearing on Precious - that already the Ring was twisting him. Interestingly, in a seemingly foreshadowing manner, Frodo talked about how if in the end, Gollum decided to betray his promise to the Ring, Frodo could put on the ring and:

Originally Posted by Frodo

...command you... even if it were to leap from a precipice or to cast yourself into the fire. And such would be my command.

Do you think this was foreshadowing of Smeagol's Doom? Was his Death tied to his promises to the Ring in such a literal fashion?

This speech surprised both Sam and Smeagol - it would appear that both had assumed that Frodo's kindness bestowed a certain measure of blindness, and for a while after that, the only words to come out of Gollum's mouth was, "nice master". However, out of his hysterical ramblings, Frodo was able to ascertain that there was a more hidden way into Mordor, if a traveller was to follow the road south, that followed the western wall of Mordor. Eventually, the traveller would come to a junction, with the southern route leading ever onwards to the South, and the western road leading to Osgiliath. Gollum went on to tell of the left path that led to the old fortress, and of the stories that he used to hear when he was a hobbit child, sitting by the banks of the Great River, in the willow-lands.

The Great River is mentioned, otherwise known as the Anduin River. What land do you think he is referring to by "willow-lands"? Is it safe to assume from this description that Gollum comes from Stoor stock? (Since the Stoors were the last to cross the Misty Mountains into Eriador).

Gollum then talked about the tales that came out of the South:

Originally Posted by Gollum

...about the tall Men with the shining eyes, and their houses like hills of stone, and the silver crown of their King and his White Tree : wonderful tales. They built very tall towers, and one they raised was silver-white, and in it there was a stone like the Moon, and round it were great white walls. O yes, there were many tales about the Tower of the Moon.

"... a stone like the Moon." Presumably the ithil-stone, one of the Palantiri. This was likely captured by Sauron in the Third Age by his Nazgul lieutenants, and used to capture the minds of Denethor and Saruman. Do you think this stone survived the fall of Barad-dur? Does the fall of the ithil tower directly mirror that of the fall of Isildur, the builder of the Tower?

Gollum details how the tall tower has been conquered long ago by the Enemy, and is, "not nice now, not beautiful", a terrible place - beyond the tower lies the old road which goes ever on upwards until it reaches the dark pass at the top, then it crawls down into Gorgoroth. He also tells the Hobbits about the Silent Watchers : that the the road into Mordor is watched. However, the power of Sauron is not so great that He can constantly watch all routes into Mordor, and Gollum is careful to explain that for the present, Sauron's Eye is turned to the Greater Danger in the North, that their only hope is to trust that Sauron is not being as vigilant in the South, where He perceives the conquered realms as more impervious to enemy advance. Gollum also tells of:

Originally Posted by Gollum

... a little path leading up into the mountains; and then a stair, a narrow, stair, O yes, very long and narrow. And then more stairs. And then... a tunnel, a dark tunnel; and at last a little cleft, and a path high above the main pass.

Frodo is, however, inordinately dubious, and ponders that perhaps Gollum didn't so much escape from Mordor using this route, but was allowed to escape. It is also interesting that when Sam asks Gollum if the way is guarded, he fancies that he sees a green gleam in Gollum's eye, and whilst Gollum muttered under his breath, he did not reply to Sam's question directly.

Was it Gollum's promise to the Ring that prevented him from answering this question directly, or something else? It is interesting to note that even when Frodo manages to draw him out about the way being guarded, there is always something that apparently stops Gollum from being truthful - later on in this passage, he is presumably in a sulk because of being accused of being a liar, and manages to further dodge any questions of the pass being guarded.

cont...