Question: Timeline and the Full Moon

Elfhelm · 04-10-2002, 02:12 AM

When Frodo, Sam, and Sméagol are outside of Morannon, the moon is three days from full. The look at the gates on Rethe 5 during the day, and it is night when the narrator says "three days from full".

The night of Rethe 6 therefore the moon is two days from full.

The night of Rethe 7 therefore the moon is one day from full.

When Frodo, Sam, and Faramir are looking at the moon from Henneth Annûn, the moon is full. They leave Henneth Annûn at dawn on Rethe 8.

In TTT it says: "Far off in the west the full moon was sinking, round and white."

But the night of Rethe 8 is the real full moon, even though it is pitch black at midnight at the stone of Erech because the moon rises after midnight.

When Pippin looks out from under Gandalf's cloak on the back of Shadowfax, it is the third night since he looked in the stone, and he wonders if Frodo and Sam are OK. He looked in the Palantir on Rethe 5, so it is the night of Rethe 8.

But it says "he did not know that Frodo from far away looked on the same moon".

And no matter how you calculate it, backwards from the Dawnless Day or forward from the confrontation with Saruman, Frodo looks at the moon on the morning of the 8th and Pippin looks at it on the morning of the 9th (because it's after midnight).

But then we have another day and night before we get to Minas Tirith on the morning of the 9th, so by that reckoning, they are looking at the moon at the same tiime.

What do think? Have I found a glitch in the timeline? Is the moon still one day from full when they actually see it? Or is it only confusing me that he says three days from full when he's before Morannon, and it's really two days from full at that time?

04-10-2002, 02:12 AM	#1
Elfhelm Marshal of the Eastmark Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 1,412	Question: Timeline and the Full Moon When Frodo, Sam, and Sméagol are outside of Morannon, the moon is three days from full. The look at the gates on Rethe 5 during the day, and it is night when the narrator says "three days from full". The night of Rethe 6 therefore the moon is two days from full. The night of Rethe 7 therefore the moon is one day from full. When Frodo, Sam, and Faramir are looking at the moon from Henneth Annûn, the moon is full. They leave Henneth Annûn at dawn on Rethe 8. In TTT it says: "Far off in the west the full moon was sinking, round and white." But the night of Rethe 8 is the real full moon, even though it is pitch black at midnight at the stone of Erech because the moon rises after midnight. When Pippin looks out from under Gandalf's cloak on the back of Shadowfax, it is the third night since he looked in the stone, and he wonders if Frodo and Sam are OK. He looked in the Palantir on Rethe 5, so it is the night of Rethe 8. But it says "he did not know that Frodo from far away looked on the same moon". And no matter how you calculate it, backwards from the Dawnless Day or forward from the confrontation with Saruman, Frodo looks at the moon on the morning of the 8th and Pippin looks at it on the morning of the 9th (because it's after midnight). But then we have another day and night before we get to Minas Tirith on the morning of the 9th, so by that reckoning, they are looking at the moon at the same tiime. What do think? Have I found a glitch in the timeline? Is the moon still one day from full when they actually see it? Or is it only confusing me that he says three days from full when he's before Morannon, and it's really two days from full at that time? __________________ cya