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I agree, Selmo, and being Mars, a planet, which changes its distance in relation to the Earth, would explain why it shines brighter over the course of several days/nights. Since Tolkien was always aware of the significance of natural objects and their relationship to mythology, I would interpret his use of Mars (the god of war) increasing as a sign of impending war. I could also imagine the red light in the sky evoking the image of a red burning eye.
Thanks for picking up that interesting detail, Texadan!
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'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth.. .'
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