The delay allows Gollum, who has been tracking the fellowship since Moria, to catch up with them. Gollum, recall, owned the Ring for centuries before losing it to Bilbo. It was difficult enough for Bilbo to part with it - it has proven impossible for Gollum.
Though Gollum is able to track them down, Sam and Frodo see him and attack. They are able to defeat him - but he surrenders before they kill him. Unwilling to commit murder, Frodo offers a deal: If Gollum will lead them out of Emyn Muil, they will let him live. But Gollum takes the deal a step further, swearing to serve "the master of the Precious." He is now bound to Frodo. And thus Gollum, AKA Sméagol, is tamed.
This chapter has a couple of instances of Elven Magic, an important aspect throughout our text that we've generally skimmed over. The Creative Wizard never explicitly explains how Elven magic works (he believed stories were better when some things remained unexplained), and so it is difficult to delve too deeply into it. But just because information is sparse doesn't mean Elven magic is impossible to understand. Indeed, what little the text says of Elven magic can, if all these details are brought together, tell a coherent - if still incomplete - story.
The main magical subject of this chapter is the Elvish rope the hobbits use when climbing the cliffs. The rope is from Lorien - Galadriel gave it to Sam. Here are the magical things it does:
- Frodo, having fallen suddenly while climbing, cannot see. Whether he is temporarily blinded or in an impenetrable darkness is left unclear. Sam lowers down to Frodo. The text says "The darkness seemed to lift from Frodo's eyes, or else his sight was returning. He could see the grey line as it came dangling down, and he thought it had a faint silver sheen."
- Sam ties the rope so they can both climb down a cliff. When they're down, he realizes the rope is now stuck, tied at the top of the cliff, and must be left behind. After some despair, he yanks the rope once "as if in farewell." To his surprise, the whole rope comes tumbling down the rock wall. Sam says "I think the rope came off itself - when I called."
- Gollum cannot bear the touch of the rope when it is tied around him. "'It hurts us, it hurts us,' hissed Gollum. `It freezes, it bites! Elves twisted it, curse them! Nasty cruel hobbits! That's why we tries to escape, of course it is, precious. We guessed they were cruel hobbits. They visits Elves, fierce Elves with bright eyes. Take it off us! It hurts us.'"
The rope clearly has magical qualities. Well, magic may be the wrong word. The Elves don't consider it magic. In Fellowship, Galadriel says this to Sam when she shows him and Frodo her mirror:
"For this is what your folk would call magic. I believe; though I do not
understand clearly what they mean; and they seem also to use the same
word of the deceits of the Enemy. But this, if you will, is the magic of Galadriel."
Gandalf does magic. He speaks spells. The Elves don't do this. That rope is shining, but there isn't an Elf around for miles. It seems the Elves, and the things they create, are magic. Legolas can see significantly farther than anyone else in the Fellowship because, well, I'm not sure how to explain it, and neither does this post. It's just true.
I think the best comparison is to the agents in the Matrix. The agents aren't magical. They're strength doesn't come from knowledge or skills - it comes from their existence. They can manipulate everything within the Matrix because they are part of it. Perhaps the Elves are like this, too.
To quote author Robert A. Heinlein, "One man's 'magic' is another man's engineering." The Elves may be in touch with Middle Earth in a way the other races are unable to be. When leaving Lorien, Galadriel gives Frodo a phial which "caught the light of Erandil's star." This isn't a metaphor. Somehow the star (or at least it's light) is contained in that phial. At least, I think.
I wonder if, to the Elves, all the other races are just lacking. The Elves aren't better - the others are just worse. That could explain their disdainful view of most mortals, even those who are "good guys". It's like that person who is such an expert in something they don't even realize how dismissive they are to novices. It doesn't even occur to them anymore that their level of knowledge is exceptional.
The Elves are leaving Middle Earth. I am becoming convinced this is good. The Elves have overstayed their welcome and will come into conflict with the others. The Quest succeeds largely because of other races - and that they work together. The Elves cannot help but get in the way.
An obvious difference between the Elves and the Agents are that the Agents are evil - they exist to enforce the Matrix. The Elves are good, but perhaps they are too good. The Elves see all progress as undermining Middle Earth's essential properties. For only slightly different reasons, it is impossible for the Agents and the Elves to coexist with autonomous humans.
The agents see human autonomy as a threat to their rule. The Agents keep down the humans so they do not become free. Conflict is inevitable, and only one side can remain.
The Elves see human autonomy as inherently worse than what they could come up with. It might be difficult to sit by and watch Middle Earth, in their perception, fade. Conflict is inevitable, and only one side can remain.
The Elves, caught between their own perfection and yet a desire to care for Middle Earth's future, realize they must leave. As noted above, a time for cooperation among Middle Earth's peoples is coming, and the Elves are too superior for that. They need to leave, and they know it.
But when the Elves leave, they will take their magic, their engineering, their deep knowledge of the workings of Middle Earth with them. Starlight will remain in the sky, out of reach. There will be no more Rings of Power. Human monarchs will make errors inconceivable for an Elvish ruler. But that's the price of social progress. Starlight is nice and all, but cooperation and equality is more practical. The Elves will take their engineering, but Middle Earth will persevere.
I will leave you with a question that has been bouncing around my head all week. Social progress is a moral good. But we also know that the Elves are, truly, better than all the other races on Middle Earth. Is it possible to be "better" but also morally worse? If so, what does it mean that to achieve morality we must, at least sometimes, diminish ourselves?
Like this project? Want to learn more? Want exclusive access to behind-the-scenes content? Go to my Patreon site and see how you can become a part of the action!
To quote author Robert A. Heinlein, "One man's 'magic' is another man's engineering." The Elves may be in touch with Middle Earth in a way the other races are unable to be. When leaving Lorien, Galadriel gives Frodo a phial which "caught the light of Erandil's star." This isn't a metaphor. Somehow the star (or at least it's light) is contained in that phial. At least, I think.
I wonder if, to the Elves, all the other races are just lacking. The Elves aren't better - the others are just worse. That could explain their disdainful view of most mortals, even those who are "good guys". It's like that person who is such an expert in something they don't even realize how dismissive they are to novices. It doesn't even occur to them anymore that their level of knowledge is exceptional.
The Elves are leaving Middle Earth. I am becoming convinced this is good. The Elves have overstayed their welcome and will come into conflict with the others. The Quest succeeds largely because of other races - and that they work together. The Elves cannot help but get in the way.
An obvious difference between the Elves and the Agents are that the Agents are evil - they exist to enforce the Matrix. The Elves are good, but perhaps they are too good. The Elves see all progress as undermining Middle Earth's essential properties. For only slightly different reasons, it is impossible for the Agents and the Elves to coexist with autonomous humans.
The agents see human autonomy as a threat to their rule. The Agents keep down the humans so they do not become free. Conflict is inevitable, and only one side can remain.
The Elves see human autonomy as inherently worse than what they could come up with. It might be difficult to sit by and watch Middle Earth, in their perception, fade. Conflict is inevitable, and only one side can remain.
The Elves, caught between their own perfection and yet a desire to care for Middle Earth's future, realize they must leave. As noted above, a time for cooperation among Middle Earth's peoples is coming, and the Elves are too superior for that. They need to leave, and they know it.
But when the Elves leave, they will take their magic, their engineering, their deep knowledge of the workings of Middle Earth with them. Starlight will remain in the sky, out of reach. There will be no more Rings of Power. Human monarchs will make errors inconceivable for an Elvish ruler. But that's the price of social progress. Starlight is nice and all, but cooperation and equality is more practical. The Elves will take their engineering, but Middle Earth will persevere.
I will leave you with a question that has been bouncing around my head all week. Social progress is a moral good. But we also know that the Elves are, truly, better than all the other races on Middle Earth. Is it possible to be "better" but also morally worse? If so, what does it mean that to achieve morality we must, at least sometimes, diminish ourselves?
The Lord of the Rings: An Ethical Guide is a Patreon-supported project. Thank you to all those who have contributed.
Like this project? Want to learn more? Want exclusive access to behind-the-scenes content? Go to my Patreon site and see how you can become a part of the action!
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