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Green Dragon Ping!

Hullo friends! And welcome to our new thread! As we start our story, Frodo and Sam have left the others behind and set off for Mordor alone, and the rest of the fellowship are at a crossroads.

The Two Towers

Topic for the week:
Chapter 1: The Departure of Boromir
Chapter 2: The Riders of Rohan

The Departure of Boromir:

…A mile, maybe, from Parth Galen in a little glade not far from the lake he found Boromir. He was sitting with his back to a great tree, as if he was resting. But Aragorn saw that he was pierced with many black-feathered arrows; his sword was still in his hand, but it was broken near the hilt; his horn cloven in two was at his side. Many Orcs lay slain, piled all about him and at his feet.
Aragorn knelt beside him. Boromir opened his eyes and strove to speak. At last slow words came. 'I tried to take the Ring from Frodo ' he said. 'I am sorry. I have paid.' His glance strayed to his fallen enemies; twenty at least lay there. 'They have gone: the Halflings: the Orcs have taken them. I think they are not dead. Orcs bound them.' He paused and his eyes closed wearily. After a moment he spoke again.
'Farewell, Aragorn! Go to Minas Tirith and save my people! I have failed.'
'No!' said Aragorn, taking his hand and kissing his brow. 'You have conquered. Few have gained such a victory. Be at peace! Minas Tirith shall not fall!'
Boromir smiled.
'Which way did they go? Was Frodo there?' said Aragorn.
But Boromir did not speak again.
'Alas!' said Aragorn. 'Thus passes the heir of Denethor, Lord of the Tower of Guard! This is a bitter end. Now the Company is all in ruin. It is I that have failed. Vain was Gandalf's trust in me. What shall I do now? Boromir has laid it on me to go to Minas Tirith, and my heart desires it; but where are the Ring and the Bearer? How shall I find them and save the Quest from disaster?'
He knelt for a while, bent with weeping, still clasping Boromir's hand. So it was that Legolas and Gimli found him. They came from the western slopes of the hill, silently, creeping through the trees as if they were hunting. Gimli had his axe in hand, and Legolas his long knife: all his arrows were spent. When they came into the glade they halted in amazement; and then they stood a moment with heads bowed in grief, for it seemed to them plain what had happened.
'Alas!' said Legolas, coming to Aragorn's side. 'We have hunted and slain many Orcs in the woods, but we should have been of more use here. We came when we heard the horn-but too late, it seems. I fear you have taken deadly hurt.'
'Boromir is dead,' said Aragorn. 'I am unscathed, for I was not here with him. He fell defending the hobbits, while I was away upon the hill.'
'The hobbits!' cried Gimli 'Where are they then? Where is Frodo?'
'I do not know,' answered Aragorn wearily. 'Before he died Boromir told me that the Orcs had bound them; he did not think that they were dead. I sent him to follow Merry and Pippin; but I did not ask him if Frodo or Sam were with him: not until it was too late. All that I have done today has gone amiss. What is to be done now?'
'First we must tend the fallen,' said Legolas. 'We cannot leave him lying like carrion among these foul Orcs.'
'But we must be swift,' said Gimli. 'He would not wish us to linger. We must follow the Orcs, if there is hope that any of our Company are living prisoners.'
'But we do not know whether the Ring-bearer is with them or not ' said Aragorn. 'Are we to abandon him? Must we not seek him first? An evil choice is now before us!'…

OK! We have a week now to read and discuss the first two chapters… I grouped them because chapter one is a very short chapter, and I am excited to get on our way! So come on!

'We will go now. Leave all that can be spared behind! We will press on by day and dark!'

Great - I like the way TTT opens. It gets going pretty quickly... Boromir's funeral being the only bit of "standing around and singing" we get. I'm going to insult all our Dwarves and ask why Gimli didn't even try to make up a song for Boromir, Dwarves can't sing or something? ;-)

This is the turning point for the series, where Aragorn decides to go after Merry and Pippin rather than Frodo and Sam. Now the Ringbearer has to go on alone, and the things that must come to pass in the other parts of the world will happen. There is a sense of destiny about much of LotR, and this bit is one of places where, IMO, it comes through most strongly. If, if, if - look at all the things that are set in motion here -not mentioning them for spoiler reasons - that will result in the eventual outcome.

Also, I would point out that Gimli and Legolas follow Aragorn unquestioningly; he has become the leader now and they know it. No comment on anyone else since there are no other characters to talk about here!

I've been listening to the soundtrack a LOT. I made a tape from the CD and have it on almost all the time in the van. The music is SO evocative of the actions of the film, and I am always struck by the part which I like to call "The Redemption of Boromir". He wasn't so much dismissive of the Hobbits as he was protective, I'd say. I loved the part in the movie where he's 'pretend sword fighting' with Merry and Pippin and they tackle him. He looks like he's having fun with them.

But the lure of the One Ring is just so strong, and he wants SO badly to be able to save his people, that he feels compelled to take it from Frodo. When, after Frodo puts on the Ring then disappears, Boromir realizes what he has done, he feels like a fool for falling under the spell of the Ring, and then feels responsible for Frodo running off. He is haunted by that to the end and the knowledge that Merry and Pippin have been taken by the Orcs. But he dies knowing that Aragorn feels the weight of the people of Gondor as well, so he can turn that duty over to him.

Just a few thoughts that came from listening to the music. I haven't begun reading TTT again. I'll have to pick it up tomorrow.