The Lord of the Rings - - I - The Fellowship of the Ring The Film - The book: some differences - - - - - - Why This page? To put it shortly: "... I am a pedant devoted to accuracy, even in what may appear to others unimportant matters." J. R. R. Tolkien, The letters of J. J. R. Tolkien, Ed. Houghton Mifflin, 2000 (letter 294). I may put it longer later. This page merely consists of a not too detailed list of differences made between scenes taken from the film "The Fellowship of the Ring", by Peter Jackson and the equivalent scenes taken from the book of the same title, by J. R. R. Tolkien. Quite free of any comments, it should be not too bugging to read, for "non/anti-Tolkien purists" that is. Indeed, comments are not here to be found nor to be added later : their elaboration are left to the care of the reader's own mind. It was put together with the assistance of the dvd of the theatre release of the film, of a script of the "extended version" found here, and of a recent Ballantine Books edition of the book. It is divided into paragraphs titled after the corresponding chapters of the book. - - - - - - Prologue: The film: A few lines are said in Elvish and translated: "The world is changed, I feel it in the water, I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air." Then Galadriel, tells that "it began with the forging of the great rings", she tells about the treachery of Sauron who forged the master Ring, of the last alliance of Men and Elves against him, of his defeat, of how Isildur took the Ring and of his death, and the loss of the Ring and its finding by Gollum and then by Bilbo. In the extended version, Bilbo then tells a bit about Hobbits and the Shire. The book: The prologue tells of Hobbits, their ways, of the Shire and its history, and of the finding of the ring by Bilbo. The words told in Elvish at the very beginning of the film are a line by Treebeard at the end of "The Return of The King": "the world is changing: I feel it in the water..." (book VI, chapter 6) A long-expected party: Gandalf arrives in the Shire, Frodo joins him and jumps in his cart. Frodo says that Bilbo "is up to something," as Gandalf doesn't answer him, he adds: "all right then, keep your secrets". Bilbo has told Frodo he'll leave after the party, although Frodo hopes he won't. Kids come running after the cart and Gandalf offers them a little preview of his fireworks. The kids who run after the cart get no fireworks, to their great disappointment; Gandalf tells them "You will get plenty when the time comes". At the end of the birthday party, Bilbo puts on his ring and disappears, to the astonishment of everyone, even Gandalf seems surprised. Frodo is "in the know" about the disappearance Bilbo has planned, as well as Gandalf. As he comes back from the party, Bilbo finds Gandalf already inside his house. Gandalf arrives once Bilbo has changed clothes and finished his last preparatives, including putting his ring and his will in an envelope he's addressed to Frodo. Gandalf asks Bilbo is he's going to leave the ring to Frodo. Bilbo says "I am leaving everything to [Frodo]". Gandalf asks: "The ring as well? You agreed to that, you remember." During their discussion, as Bilbo's reluctance to leave the Ring and anger towards Gandalf is growing, Gandalf ends up telling Bilbo he's not trying to rob him but to help him. Bilbo brakes down and go and hug Gandalf. Gandalf tells Bilbo he's not trying to rob him but to help him. Bilbo draws his hand over his eyes and say he's sorry. Bilbo lets the ring fall on the ground before walking outside. Gandalf has Bilbo put the envelope on the mantelpiece, but Bilbo accidentally let it fall and Gandalf picks it up to put it in place himself. Gandalf leaves Bag End that very night. In Mordor, a voice screams "Shire! Baggins!" and nine Black Riders ride out of Minas Morgul. Gandalf finds a description of the One Ring in the archives of Minas Tirith. The Black Riders arrive in the Shire and Gandalf is then back at Bag End. Gandalf leaves the following day. 17 years pass by between the birthday party and the final return of Gandalf with all the information about the ring that he had gone to search for. The shadow of the past: Frodo and Sam come back to the Hill after having spent the evening at an inn with their friends. Inside his house, Frodo finds Gandalf. One evening, just as Sam is walking home from the Green Dragon inn, Gandalf arrives at Bag End, where he's welcomed by Frodo. Gandalf asks about the ring. Frodo finds it in a trunk, still in its envelope. Gandalf throws the envelope in the fire, then gives the ring to Frodo and asks him if he sees anything. At first, no inscription shows and Frodo says he can't see anything, and for a second Gandalf seems relieved, until Frodo finally says he sees them. The next morning, they have a discussion about the Ring. Gandalf asks Frodo: "Give me the Ring for a moment". Frodo has the ring in his pocket, clasped to a chain hanging from his belt. He gives it to him, with some reluctance, and Gandalf holds it during a moment before putting it in the fire. The inscriptions appear as soon as the Ring is taken out of the fire, later Gandalf said he expected to find them. Gandalf tells Frodo he's to leave right away and Frodo gets ready to do so. It takes about 5 months to Frodo to arrange his leaving of the Shire: so that it would go unnoticed, he sells Bag End and Merry helps him find a new house near the border of the Shire. Gandalf hears some noise coming from outside. He grips at Sam and throws him vigorously on a table. Sam explains he was cutting the grass. Of course, as it's night outside, Gandalf doesn't believe him : "A little late for trimming the verge". Frodo and Gandalf have their discussion about the ring in the morning, while Sam is working in the garden. When Gandalf realizes someone is hiding under the window, he pulls Sam up by an ear and questions him: Sam explains he was "trimming the grass-border under the window", Gandalf argues it's been some time since he last heard the sound of his shears. Finally he grabs him by the shoulders and gently lifts him inside. They leave in the morning, but Gandalf doesn't come with Frodo and Sam: he has said he has to go and ask for Saruman's advice, and that they will have to meet him in Bree. Gandalf leaves the Shire more than two months after his arrival, "to get some news". Frodo and Sam are alone on their journey to leave the Shire. Frodo makes the trip with Sam and Pippin, while Merry waits for them at Frodo's new house. In the extended version, the hobbits see Elves passing by on the road. They keep out of sight and the Elves don't see them. Later, Sam says to Frodo that Gandalf told him: "Don't you lose him, Samwise Gamgee", and Sam adds "and I don't mean to." The Hobbits hear and see Elves approaching and end up spending the all evening in their company. Later, Sam tells Frodo the Elves said to him "Don't you leave him!" to which Sam answered "Leave him! I never mean to." Gandalf arrives in Isengard and meets Saruman the White. Saruman wants Gandalf to join Sauron with him, Gandalf refuses. They fight and Saruman throws Gandalf up onto the top of the tower of Orthanc. There is no news of what happens to Gandalf after his leaving of the Shire, until the Council of Elrond, in Rivendell, when he tells of how and why he decided to go see Saruman, of how he found him no longer "the White" but "of Many Colours", and where "they" took him and "they" set him alone on Orthanc after he refused an alliance with him. A short cut to mushrooms: Frodo and Sam meet up with Pippin and Merry in the field of the furious farmer Maggot. They flee from him down onto a path where they find mushrooms. Frodo, Sam and Pippin meet Maggot who offers them supper and a basket of mushrooms. On that path, Frodo gets suddenly scared, and tells them to get off the road, having the sensation something bad is coming their way. Before the meeting with Maggot, on the road, Sam hears the sound of hoofs coming their way. They get out of sight for Frodo is sick of his "doings being noticed and discussed." They hide under the roots of a tree. The Black Rider approaches and gets off his horse, sniffing. Frodo looks sort of hypnotized : he's about to put on the Ring when Sam stops him. Merry throws a bag to distract the Black Rider, and they run away. As the Black Rider is standing near by, sniffing, Frodo -who's hiding alone, apart from the others- is ceased by fear and hardly dares to breathe, the desire to put the ring on is so strong that he begins to move his hands towards his pocket but then the rider leaves. They arrive at the Bucklebury ferry, chased by a Black Rider and get in the ferry just in time to escape him. After super, the farmer Maggots takes them to the ferry in his cart, a rider arrives: it's Merry, who's comes from Frodo's new house, across the river, to meet them. They see a black shadow on the landing-stage they've just left once they've reached the other shore. At the sign of the Prancing Pony: The four hobbits arrive in Bree, in the pouring rain. (After the ferry, the get to Frodo's new house, where Merry explains to Frodo they already know everything about his "secret" plan to leave the Shire, thanks to Sam who's been spying for them, and that they already know a lot about the Ring as well. The four of them leave together, making their way through the Old Forest, where they meet Tom Bombadil, and have some adventures -some of which leads them to be given swords by Bombadil- before arriving at Bree by night, as white stars are shining. They go to the Prancing Pony as Bombadil has recommended them the place.) As they arrive, the landlord, Butterbur, tells them "there is such a crowd already in the house tonight as there hasn't been for long enough. It never rains but it pours, we say in Bree". As they arrive, Frodo asks the landlord, to tell Gandalf they've arrived; the man doesn't seem to be very familiar with the name. Later, Butterbur comes to tell Gandalf is a good friend of his. Sam tells Frodo someone has been staring at him since they've arrived. Frodo asks about the stranger to Butterbur who says: "He's one of them rangers. Their dangerous folk, they are, wandering the wild" and he adds the man is known as "Strider". Worried, Frodo starts fiddling with his ring, getting sort of hypnotized by it again, hearing a strange voice repeating the name "Baggins". Frodo notices a man observing the hobbits. He asks about him to Butterbur: he gets his name and learn the man, Strider, is a mysterious ranger. Finally, Strider invites Frodo to come to his table. Frodo goes to him and Strider tells him he should watch for what his friends are talking about. Frodo finally hears Pippin pronouncing the name of Baggins, as he is talking about Frodo to some folks. He runs to his friend, wanting to stop him but falls, the ring springs in the air, falls back and slips onto his finger. Invisible, Frodo sees the Eye for the first time and hears the voice of Sauron until he takes off the Ring. Frodo then realizes Pippin is telling of Bilbo's birthday party, of the speech and is about to get to the vanishing part of the story. Encouraged by Strider, he decides to create a diversion: he jumps on a table, fiddling with the ring in his pocket, and starts singing. When he comes to a line that goes: "The cow jumped over the moon", he illustrates the words by leaping in the air. There the ring slips on his finger as he falls off the table. Invisible, Frodo crawls away and takes off the Ring. Strider: Strider vigorously drags Frodo to a room. Strider have a conversation with Frodo in the common-room, then asks to have a quiet word later, which Frodo accepts. They end up talking in a parlour. Merry, Pippin and Sam brake in, ready to fight and defend their friend. Strider takes out his sword in defence against the intruders. Pippin and Sam are with Frodo all along. At some point, Strider, who's given them his real name, Aragorn, takes out his sword to show it to them: it is broken a foot below the hilt. A knife in the dark: As they've left Bree and are following Strider, Merry asks: "How do we know this Strider is a friend of Gandalf?" Gandalf had left a message at the Prancing Pony, for Frodo, telling how to recognize Aragorn. Sam asks: "But where is he leading us?" Strider answers: "To Rivendell, Master Gamgee, to the house of Elrond." Frodo was decided to go to Rivendell all along, following Gandalf's instruction. On Weathertop, Strider unwraps four swords and gives them to the hobbits. The hobbits were armed since some of their adventures with Tom Bombadil. At night, Frodo wakes up to find Sam, Merry and Pippin eating by a fire. He stamps it off but too late: the Black Riders have seen it and are arriving. When they arrive at Weathertop in the afternoon, Merry and Frodo follow Strider to the top and they all stand there in plain view for a while, watching the surroundings, until Frodo sees black specks moving far below along the road: the Black Riders. Later, Strider decides to lit up a fire, in case of need, for defence. The Hobbits retreat to the centre of the ruin, stand back to back, five Black Riders enter the ruin, and approach, their swords pointing at them. Sam tries to fight them: he gets tossed aside. Merry and Pippin step in front: they get pushed away. Frodo drops his sword, backs away and falls down; he finally pulls the Ring out of his pocket and puts it on. The Black Rider leader tries to take it but Frodo pulls it away. The Wraith seems angry that Frodo has denied him and stabs him in the shoulder. Strider attacks the Black Riders, with both fire and sword, Frodo takes the ring off. The hobbits and Strider, face together the Black Riders, mere shadowy forms; as they approach, Merry and Pippin are overcome by fear and throw themselves down to the ground, Sam shrink at Frodo's side. Frodo puts the ring on and is then able to see the enemies and their swords. Frodo manage to take his own sword out, he throws himself forward to the ground and strikes at the foot of the closest Riders who strikes and wounds him in return; then Frodo sees Strider making his move with a torch in each hand, and he takes off the Ring. Strider picks up the sword that the Black Rider left behind, but the blade dissolves into dust: "He's been stabbed with a Morgul blade. This is beyond my skill to heal. He needs elvish medicine." Strider says few have the skills of healing to match with such evil weapons but that he will do what he can. Gandalf is seen still prisoner on Orthanc. Gandalf has already escaped from Orthanc and was on Weathertop some time before the hobbits and Strider got there. Flight to the ford: After some more journeying, they stop by the Trolls rocks. Aragorn finds a healing weed, Athelas, chews some and put it on Frodo's wound. Aragorn finds the Athelas the very night Frodo is wounded; he puts it in boiling water, which he uses to bathe Frodo's wound. Arwen meets them there, and rides away to Rivendell with Frodo, who's so sick he can't walk or do anything anymore. An Elf called Glorfindel meets them at some point and they travel with him towards Rivendell, Frodo on the Elvish-horse. Soon it seems the Black Riders are after them, and the pursuit seems to last long, until Arwen finally crosses the river, border of the Elvish realm; there she commands the water so that it comes to rise violently in the form of white horses and sweeps away the riders. They're almost at the river when the Black Riders appear. Glorfindel's horse, following his master's order, carries Frodo across the river. Once on the other side, Frodo has still enough strength to take his sword out, holding it up, and tell the Black Riders they won't have the ring. When the Riders try to cross the water, it rises violently and sweeps them away. It is said later that the river was commanded by Elrond, the white horses shapes were Gandalf's touch. Many meetings: In Rivendell, Gandalf and Elrond are talking together. Elrond: "The line of Kings is broken. (...) [Men] are scattered, divided, leaderless", Gandalf argues: "There is one who could unite them. Who could reclaim the throne of Gondor"; Elrond: "He turned from that path a long time ago. He has chosen exile." Then Boromir and Strider are seen together by the Sword that was Broken. Boromir finally says about it: "No more than a broken heirloom.", and leaves. Arwen arrives and says to Aragorn: "Why do you fear the past? You are Isildur's heir, not Isildur himself. You are not bound to his fate", to which Aragorn replies: "The same blood flows in my veins, the same weakness." During the Council, Elrond comes to say about the line of Kings ["the heirs of Valendil"] that their lordship passed. Later, he reveals the identity of Aragorn, who says about the Broken Sword that "it has been treasured by [Elendil's] heirs when all other heirlooms were lost; for it was spoken (...) that it should be made again when the Ring (...) was found. (...) I am but the heir of Isildur, not Isildur himself. (...) Isildur's bane is found. (...). The Sword shall be reforged. I will come to Minas Tirith." The Council of Elrond: The Council gathers Men, Elves, Dwarves, Gandalf and Frodo. Aragorn is dressed as a lord. The council gathers several Elves, two dwarves, two Men (Aragorn and Boromir), Gandalf, Frodo, who sits besides Elrond, and Bilbo. Aragorn is dressed in his worn clothes of ranger. Elrond starts: "(...) You've been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor." All those people have come to Rivendell at the same time, "by chance as it may seems", says Elrond. Elrond asks Frodo to "bring forth the Ring", and Frodo puts it on a stand. In the extended version, Boromir soon reaches out for it but is stopped by Elrond. Gandalf asks Frodo to bring out the Ring and to hold it up: Frodo does so for a moment. When Boromir discovers who is the man he calls a "ranger", Aragorn, the heir to the throne of Gondor, he says -with a rather disdainful look- that Gondor needs no king. Aragorn, once his identity revealed, finally asks Boromir if he wishes "for the House of Elendil to return to the land of Gondor", Boromir answers that he "was not sent to beg any boon (…). Yet (…) the Sword of Elendil would be a help beyond our hope". He looks at Aragorn with doubt. Elrond says that the Ring must be taken to Mordor, to be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom, and that one of them must do it; a big arguing takes place about how to do such a thing and about who should do it. Frodo finally makes himself heard: "I will take the Ring to Mordor, though I do not know the way." After it's been decided the Ring should be taken to Mount Doom and destroyed, there's a long silence as no one seems to know who shall take it. Frodo finally brakes this silence: "I will take the ring, though I do not know the way." Soon Sam runs in, saying Frodo won't go anywhere without him, he's quickly followed by Merry and Pippin. Sam runs in, saying to Elrond: "But surely you won't send him off alone, Master?" And Elrond answers "You at least shall go with him." At the end of the council, the fellowship happens to be counting 9 members, as some sort of coincidence: "Nine companions. So be it. You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring.", says Elrond. It takes more than a month to Elrond to decide who will be the members of the fellowship and that they shall be 9, in opposition to the 9 Ringwraiths. Reluctant at first and encouraged by Gandalf, he finally accepts Merry and Pippin as members of the company. After the council, Bilbo offers his mithril coat to Bilbo and as Frodo is about to try it on, Bilbo sees the Ring and asks to hold it again. Frodo refuses: he goes to button his shirt back up and Bilbo transforms into a frightening and greedy sort of creature for an instant, lashing out for the Ring. Frodo steps back and looks at him in disbelief, scared and confused. The evening before the council, Bilbo tells Frodo he "would just like to see [the Ring] for a moment". Frodo draws it out, Bilbo put out his hand, so Frodo draws back the Ring. Then a "shadow" seems to fall between them, and through it, not only Frodo finds himself "eying a little wrinkled creature with a hungry face and bony groping hands", he also feels "a desire to strike him". The Ring goes south: In the extended version, Frodo reluctantly leads the way out of Rivendell and asks: "Mordor, Gandalf, is it left or right?" Gandalf and Aragorn lead the way. Gandalf comes to tell them about the course of their journey: through the Gap of Rohan, then east to Mordor. Gimli says they could pass through the Mines of Moria. Gandalf refuses : "No, (...) unless I had no other choice". Birds, crebain, come flying over them: Gandalf says it's "spies of Saruman. The passage south is being watched. We must take the pass of Caradhras." Gandalf tells them that it is for the Dimrill Dale that they are making, that they shall reach it by climbing the pass of the Redhorn Gate [the pass of Caradhras]. Once the crebain have flown over them, they understand the land "is being watched", and "so is the Redhorn Gate". It is not said whose spies they are. Later, Aragorn and Gandalf discuss of their course: the path of the Redhorn Gate is Aragorn's choice. He says he does not trust the Gap of Rohan since Gandalf's news of Saruman. Gandalf mentions an other "dark and secret way", but Aragorn doesn't want to speak of it yet. As they're climbing a snowy mountain, Frodo falls, the Ring and the chain to which it hangs fall as well in the snow. Boromir picks up the chain. Aragorn has to tell him to give it back to Frodo as he seems about to grasp the Ring. It's only after they've left Lothlorien that Boromir's behaviour and the way he looks at Frodo obviously change in a worrying way. Further up in the mountain, they find themselves in a storm. Legolas says he hears "a fell voice on the air." Gandalf adds "It's Saruman", Aragorn: "He's trying to bring down the mountain." Gandalf tries to command the mountain to "sleep", without success, as Saruman, shown on top of Orthanc, is commanding it to "wake up". As snow is falling more and more while they're climbing up, Aragorn says it seldom falls so heavily so far south. Boromir wonders if it's "a contrivance of the Enemy", as it's said he "can govern the storms" in Mordor. Then they hear "eerie noises", like "shill cries and wild howls of laughter" and stones began to fall from the mountain-side around them. Boromir goes: "(…) there are fell voices on the air, and these stones are aimed at us." Aragorn: "There are many evil and unfriendly things in the world that (...) yet are not in league with Sauron." Boromir says they "must get off the mountain! Make for the Gap of Rohan". Aragorn argues it's "too close to Isengard". Gimli suggests the Mines of Moria. Gandalf finally says "Let's the Ringbearer decide." And Frodo chooses the mines. The discussion about the way they should chose takes place after they've given up climbing up the pass and already gone down the mountain a bit: Gandalf: "There is a way we may attempt. I thought from the beginning (…) that we should try it. (…) Aragorn was against it. (...) The road that I speak of leads to the Mines of Moria." Aragorn: "The road may lead to Moria, but how can we hope that it will lead through Moria?" Boromir suggests the Gap of Rohan, Gandalf argues it's too close to Isengard. Both Gandalf and Aragorn have already gone through the mines, Gandalf adds: "There's even a chance that Dwarves are there." Later they're attacked by wolves and they have no other choice than to go for the Mines to escape from them. A journey in the dark: They arrive at the doors of the Mines. Gandalf reads the inscription above the doors; Merry asks what it means and Gandalf explains: "Oh, it's quite simple! If you are a friend, you speak the password, and the doors will open." As Merry asks what it means, Gimli answers: "It's plain enough, if you are a friend, speak the password, and the doors will open, and you can enter." While Gandalf tries to figure out what the password is, Aragorn and Sam unload the pony. Sam sadly says "Bye bye" to him as he leaves. Before starting to find the password, Gandalf has asked them to get ready to enter the Mines and to "say farewell to [their] good beast of burden." It makes Sam angry and distressed. Gandalf reassures him and tells "words of guard" to the pony, so he may go safe. Merry and Pippin throw rocks in the water. Aragorn stops them, telling them not to "disturb the water." Boromir throws a rock in the water. Frodo tells him: "Why did you do that, Boromir (...)? I am afraid of the pool. Don't disturb it!" As Gandalf has sat down after having tried a number of passwords, Frodo goes "It's a riddle. Speak "friend" and enter! What's the Elvish word for friend?" Gandalf answers: "Mellon" and the doors open. Gandalf sits down after having tried a number of words of commands, suddenly he springs to his feet, laughing: "I have it! (…) Absurdly simple, like most riddles when you see the answer". He says "Mellon!" and the doors open. They enter Moria and find themselves amongst skeletons. They step back out. Out of the water comes a tentacle that grabs at Frodo's leg and drags him to the water. Sam cuts off the tentacle, Frodo is free but soon grabbed by another tentacle and lifted up in the air. Aragorn chops off this tentacle and Boromir catches Frodo as he falls. And they run into the Mines. Gandalf sets his foot on the first step. A tentacle grabs Frodo's ankle and drags him to the water. The pony runs away in fear. First, Sam tries to stop him then hears Frodo's cries and goes to slash the tentacle instead, freeing Frodo of it. Twenty other "arms" come rippling out of the water and they all run into the Mines. There's no trace of skeletons. As they are resting, Frodo sees something behind them. He talks about it to Gandalf, who tells him it's Gollum. Frodo catches a glimpse of something that looks like luminous eyes but think he's dreamt and says nothing; he talks about it to Gimli (who saw nothing) in Lothlorien, then to Aragorn (who's aware of Gollum's presence as well) during their travel on the river. Later, Gimli sees a brightened door and runs through it. The others follow him and find him grieving over a tomb, Gandalf reads on it that it's Balin's tomb and says: "He is dead then. It's as I feared. They enter a dim lit chamber where they find a "block" upon which is "laid a great slab of white stone", Frodo says: "It looks like a tomb." Gandalf reads that it's Balin's tomb. Frodo adds: "He is dead then. I feared it was so." There, Pippin accidentally makes a skeleton fall into a well. Drums start pounding. Before arriving at Balin's tomb, they stay for a while in a chamber, with an open hole in the middle of the ground. Pippin is curiously attracted by it: he grabs a stone and lets it drop. A magnified and repeated "plunk" comes at the end of the fall. Then comes "the sound of a hammer". The bridge of Khazad-Dûm: Orcs arrive. Before shutting the door, Boromir looks through it, and says "they have a cave Troll." Orcs break in, all the company fights them, then enters the cave troll that ends up stabbing Frodo. The others all think Frodo's dead; they finally manage to take down the Troll. The Orcs are either dead or have fled. As they find out Frodo is alive, Gandalf says "there is more to this hobbit than meets the eye" and Frodo shows them his mithril coat. Orcs come. Aragorn says to "slam the doors and wedge them", for there are two of them. Gandalf gives a look through one of them -before Boromir shuts it- and says he's seen "Orcs,(...) a great cave troll, I think, or more than one". There are no enemies outside the second door. There are blows on the first one that begins to open: "a huge arm and shoulder", then "a great, flat, toeless foot" are forced through. Boromir hews at the arm but his sword glances aside and falls. Frodo then stabs the foot, which jerks back. Then finally, orcs enter the chamber. The company kills many of them and is about to retreat through the second door when an orc-chieftain arrives and stabs Frodo before Aragorn can kill him. They find out Frodo's alive and they flee from the chamber. Later, Gandalf says that there's more about him that meets the eye and Frodo wonders if he has guessed about the mithril coat. He has to show it only once they're out of the Mines, when Aragorn takes care of his wound. They run away from the chamber but end up being surrounded by orcs. They run from the chamber down a long flight of steps. Gandalf stays behind them as long as he can to guard the door. As they've stopped to wait for him, he comes flying down the stairs, saying: "I have met my match, and have nearly been destroyed." The way he resisted the enemies caused the chamber to crumble on them, and him to be very weary. There is a roar in the distance: the Orcs run away in fear. "What is this new devilry?", asks Boromir. "A balrog", answers Gandalf. As they approach the bridge, they see a light ahead, red like fire. "There is some new devilry here", says Gandalf. They can't see and don't know what it is yet. They escape the Mines: outside, most of them collapse in grief. "Legolas, get them up," asks Aragorn. Boromir goes: "Give them a moment for pity's sake!" Aragorn explains that "by nightfall these hills will be swarming with orcs." So again he asks Legolas, Gimli and Boromir to get the hobbits up, and they're off. They come out of the Mines and don't stop until they're out of bowshot from the walls, then they weep long: "some standing and silent, some cast upon the ground." Aragorn finally says: "Alas! I fear we cannot stay here any longer." He gives a last farewell to Gandalf, then adds "Let us gird ourselves and weep no more! Come! We have a long road, and much to do." And so they all follow him. Lothlorien: In Lothlorien, the fellowship comes to be surrounded by a group of Elves with drawn bows. Their leader, Haldir, says: "The dwarf breathes so loud we could have shot him in the dark." They are taken to the elf city. In the extended version, there's an argument between Aragorn and Haldir, who first doesn't want them to pass. The Fellowship comes across the Elves who are hidden up in the trees. Legolas talks with them in Elvish and translates to Sam: "they say that you breathe so loud that they could shoot you in the dark." The Elves have heard of the Fellowship's journey through messengers of Elrond: "since you come with an Elf of our kindred, we are willing to befriend you, as Elrond asked", says Haldir. Then they are taken to the elf city. They are taken to see Celeborn and Galadriel: climbing up a huge tree, by a staircase that goes around it. They climb up ladders. Celeborn asks them where is Gandalf: "For I much desire to speak with him." In the extended version, he adds "I can no longer see him from afar." Galadriel goes: "He has fallen into shadow." And in the extended version, Legolas adds: "(...) For we went needlessly into the net of Moria." Galadriel asks them where is Gandalf: "for I much desired to speak with him again. (...), a grey mist is about him, and the ways of his feet and of his mind are hidden from me." Aragorn tells her: "Gandalf the grey fell into shadow (...). Later Celeborn says that Gandalf went "needlessly into the net of Moria." Before they go rest for the night, Galadriel tells telepathically to Frodo: "Welcome, Frodo of the Shire, one who has seen the Eye." Frodo sees the Eye for the first time in the Mirror of Galadriel. The mirror of Galadriel: As they're sleeping, Galadriel comes to pass by, Frodo awakes and follows her to the Mirror. After having spent many days in Lothlorien, one evening, Frodo and Sam see Galadriel, who invites them to follow her to the Mirror. They both look in it. Frodo offers the Ring to Galadriel. She becomes sort of glowing, with a sort of madness in her eyes, her voice louder and lower as she says, quite scary looking: "In place of a Dark Lord, you will have a queen...". Part of their dialogue takes place through telepathy. Frodo offers the ring to Galadriel who laughs: "Wise the Lady Galadriel may be, yet here she has met her match in courtesy." Then she says: "... In place of a Dark Lord you will set up a Queen (…)". And she lifts up her hand and from the ring she wears issues a great light that illuminates her alone and leaves all else dark. She seems "tall beyond measurement, and beautiful beyond enduring, terrible and worshipful." All their talking is out loud. The breaking of the Fellowship: They leave Lothlorien and arrive at Parth Gallen. Aragorn announces them what will be their course from there: "We cross the lake at nightfall, hide the boats, and continue on foot. We approach Mordor from the north." After leaving Lothlorien, they delay the choice of their final course until the day following their arrival at Parth Gallen. Then, Aragorn asks the others what way they'll go: to Minas Tirith with Boromir or to Mordor with Frodo or whether they'll part in two separate groups. Frodo has to decide himself where he'll go, and he asks to be left alone so he can take his decision in peace. Legolas tells Aragorn they should leave at once: "A shadow and a threat has been growing in my mind, something draws near". During the night after their arrival at Parth Gallen, Aragorn can't sleep and tells Frodo "a shadow and a threat has been growing in my sleep." He has Frodo draw his sword, which gleams dimly, showing Orcs must be getting close. After a while, they realize Frodo and Boromir are not around the camp. As he's asked to be left alone for an hour, Frodo walks away from the camp into the woods. Aragorn finds Frodo on the top of Amon Hen, they have a talk then Orcs arrive. Aragorn sends Frodo away and stays to deal with the Orcs. On the top of Amon Hen, Frodo finally takes his decision to go to Mordor alone and goes back to the boats. Merry and Pippin come across Frodo who's going back to the boats. They understand he's leaving and make a diversion so the Orcs will follow them and not him. Frodo goes back to the river wearing the Ring and meets no one. Sam gets to the bank of the river as Frodo is already quite far from it. He goes on anyway and is finally seen sinking into deep waters. Frodo catches his hand, rescuing him from drowning just in time. Sam gets to the river as Frodo's boat is slipping into the water. He flings himself from the bank, "clutching at the departing boat" but misses it by a yard. "Frodo [is] just in time to grasp Sam by the hair as he [comes] up, bubbling and struggling." Merry and Pippin are caught and taken away by Orcs. The Orc leader shots several arrows at Boromir and comes near him to finish him off but Aragorn arrives and kills him. "The Fellowship of the Ring" ends with Frodo and Sam leaving Parth Gallen and reaching the opposite shore of the lake. The death of Boromir takes place only at the beginning of "The Two Towers": Aragorn arrives on the top of Amon Hen after Frodo has left the place, he then hears the horn of Boromir, calling for help. He rushes back down, meeting no orcs on the way. He arrives to find Boromir lying alone -only surrounded by the orcs he's killed- and Merry and Pippin missing. June, 10th - August, 1st, 2004. The Tolkien Blue Page The Blue Pond