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Originally Posted by Pitchwife
I've always been wondering about the old man who sat outside the Paths of the Dead and died after saying 'The way is shut'. But then if his story were told a mystery suggesting hidden depths would turn into just another piece of Middle-earth lore, so... better not.
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He's a really interesting example, because he's already linked to a note that does away with a "mystery suggesting hidden depths" - the one about Baldor, the prince of Rohan who met him. LotR makes Baldor's fate sound very mysterious:
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Originally Posted by RotK
He had fallen near the far wall of the cave, as now could be seen, and before him stood a stony door closed fast: his finger-bones were still clawing at the cracks. A notched and broken sword lay by him, as if he had hewn at the rock in his last despair.
"... through all the long years he has lain at the door that he could not unlock. Whither does it lead? Why would he pass? None shall ever know!"
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Fantastic. Beautiful. Until you find the note Tolkien wrote explaining the whole thing:
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Originally Posted by JRRT
...the door was the entrance to an evil temple hall to which Baldor had come, probably without opposition up to that point. But the door was shut in his face, and enemies that had followed him silently came up and broke his legs and left him to die in the darkness, unable to find any way out.
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Baldor didn't die clawing at the door, so desperate to break in that he cared nothing for his own life. He was attacked and got turned around looking for the exit. The man at the gate was probably named Bill.
hS