“It’s the job that’s never started as takes longest to finish.”
-J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
DAY 4
On September 26th, the fourth day from the Shire, the hobbits travel 25 miles and get lost in the Old Forest. Merry finds a path to the Withywindle River and, by late afternoon, they stop to rest near Old Man Willow. Merry and Pippin get trapped inside the ancient tree until Tom Bombadil comes to rescue them. The hobbits spend the night with Tom and his lovely wife Goldberry.
THE JOURNAL OF SAMWISE GAMGEE
DAY 4 – SEPT. 26TH – 27 MILES
Here below are the notes* Sam took along the way as well as a few jotted sketches. In later years, Sam’s beloved daughter Elanor used the sketches to create paintings to accompany the journal which were then copied very carefully and passed down as treasures in various branches of Sam’s family. (Based one The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien and The Atlas of Middle Earth by Karen Fonstad and The Eowyn Challenge website.)
(Mile 73)
Photo by LUM3N, Pixabay
“We left Crickhollow soon after dawn. Foggy. We have ponies now and ride slowly.”
From: “The Journal of Samwise Gamgee, 23 Sept – 20 Oct, 3018.
(Mile 75)
Photo by Aitoff, Pixabay
“We’ve entered a tunnel under the Hedge to reach The Old Forest. The Path disappeared. It’s still very early in the morning.”
From: “The Journal of Samwise Gamgee, 23 Sept – 20 Oct, 3018.
(Mile 78)
Photo by Republica, Pixabay
“We’ve entered the Bonfire Glade. Beyond it, we see a clear path. It’s sunny, but not yet clearing.”
From: “The Journal of Samwise Gamgee, 23 Sept – 20 Oct, 3018.
(Mile 78-86)
Photo by Lars_Nissen_Photoart, Pixabay
“We’ve found the path in the Forest. The path climbs gently so the ponies aren’t tiring.”
From: “The Journal of Samwise Gamgee, 23 Sept – 20 Oct, 3018.
(Mile 87)
Photo by Ncasson13, Pixabay
“We reached the top of a knoll in Forest about an hour before full noon to eat and rest. It’s still a hazy day as if the fog and sun are arguing. This knoll is surrounded by Trees. We’ve been here for two hours and are leaving now.”
From: “The Journal of Samwise Gamgee, 23 Sept – 20 Oct, 3018.
(Mile 88)
Photo by MonikaP, Pixabay
“The path veers southeast now. We must leave path and try to turn north.”
From: “The Journal of Samwise Gamgee, 23 Sept – 20 Oct, 3018.
(Miles 89-90)
Photo by ThomasHendele, Pixabay
“We’ve crossed a series of deep folds running southeast. We keep turning east. (Later) We’re lost!”
From: “The Journal of Samwise Gamgee, 23 Sept – 20 Oct, 3018.
(Mile 91)
Photo by ThiloBecker, Pixabay
“The fold is too deep to leave. We’ve Followed it southeast to Withywindle River. This is the strangest part of the Old Forest, so they say. I’m uneasy. It’s late afternoon now.”
From: “The Journal of Samwise Gamgee, 23 Sept – 20 Oct, 3018.
(Mile 93)
Photo by Gasparnorbertpal, Pixabay
“Bless Merry’s sharp eyes! He found us a path along the bank of the River. We’re following it east through wetlands.”
From: “The Journal of Samwise Gamgee, 23 Sept – 20 Oct, 3018.
(Mile 95)
Photo by 1344283, Pixabay
“We’ve stopped by Old Man Willow to rest. (Later) Oh no! Merry and Pippin are trapped inside Old Man Willow!! (Later) They were rescued by Tom Bombadil! Thank goodness!”
From: “The Journal of Samwise Gamgee, 23 Sept – 20 Oct, 3018.
(Mile 98)
Photos by Darksouls and Valiphotos, Pixabay
“We’ve reach Tom Bombadil’s house. The stars are out. The strangest thing happened. Tom knows all about us. He even tried on the Ring, but it didn’t change him at all. It didn’t even make him invisible! Mr. Frodo tried on the ring then to see if it was still working and Tom Bombadil could see him even though Mr. Frodo was invisible to the rest of us. His wife Goldberry is as fair a lady as I ever saw. Bombadil called her the “River-woman’s daughter,” and said he met her long ago by the pool where he gathers water-lilies from the Withywindle river. She has long yellow hair and her voice is beautiful, “as young and as ancient as spring, like the song of a glad water flowing down into the night from a bright morning in the hills.” I wrote that down after Tom said she was described by someone that way, but I forget who said it. It’s true. She was kind to us and we’re all grateful for it. But they’re both very strange. It makes me wonder what manner of creature they are. Not human or hobbit. Something else.*”
From: “The Journal of Samwise Gamgee, 23 Sept – 20 Oct, 3018.
*Most Tolkien scholars presume both Bombadil and Goldberry to be Maiar of the Ainur race. However, the Maiar (like Gandalf) are affected by the Ring’s power, so the “something else” part is still a mystery, at least to me. If you have any ideas, I’d love to hear them.
BACK TO EARTH AUTHOR NOTES
*This journal is a fanfiction creation by Niki Flow, based the beautiful works of J.R.R. Tolkien; on the meticulous milestone-marker notes in The Atlas of Middle Earth by Karen Fonstad and on the Eowyn Challenge website:
under1000skies 