… continued from my previous post
So: ‘Which way around the menhir did they go?’
The text is not explicit. And Tolkien possibly left it that way intentionally. In this case we must, as adults, make a logical deduction.
But to do that – we must gather what little information is available. On top, we must seriously contemplate the possibility of Tolkien having followed the examples prevalent in fairy-stories. Did they complete one anticlockwise circuit and go around the stone widershins or not? Did four hobbits meet a minimum of at least three complete laps and open a doorway to a parallel world? Well, he left it for us to deduce knowing full well that those who were prepared to scrutinize the text and who were well-versed in English fairy tales would have been able to astutely guess the correct answer!
Open Door to another World, Illustration by P. Baynes for C.S. Lewis’s ‘Narnia’
Using the lore embedded in fairy tales in combination with faith in our judgement might have been fine with the Professor. Once at the stone, there is after all mathematically a 25% chance that an anticlockwise route was taken – which are odds not to be sneered at. But I believe Tolkien would have both expected and wanted us to use logical reasoning to obtain the most likely answer. As an example it is worth repeating his line of thinking when it came to the question of Shadowfax accompanying Gandalf aboard ship:
“I think Shadowfax certainly went with Gandalf [across the Sea], though this is not stated. I feel it is better not to state everything (and indeed it is more realistic, since in chronicles and accounts of ‘real’ history, many facts that some enquirer would like to know are omitted, and the truth has to be discovered or guessed from such evidence as there is).”
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The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter #268 – 19 January 1965, Edited by H. Carpenter, 1981 (Tolkien’s emphasis)
In other words, there is nothing wrong in mentally challenging oneself to solve the ‘riddle’ using intellect, logic and “such evidence as there is”. Which path around the stone would the hobbits have taken after awakening in fright? Which way around would they have gone in heading towards the western rim of the hollow?
To solve our dilemma we must ask ourselves: ‘Would their secondary focus have been northwards towards leaving the Downs or southwards back towards Bombadil?’
Logic tells us that despite temporarily heading west their eventual path lay northwards. One can easily imagine them glancing that way in hope of a glimpse through the fog, over the shallow rim, of that all important:
“… gate-like opening at the far northward end of the long valley …”.
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The Fellowship of the Ring, Fog on the Barrow-downs
Perhaps they would espy the tops of the:
“… two steep shoulders.”,
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The Fellowship of the Ring, Fog on the Barrow-downs
guarding the gap. For earlier – such a sight is when:
“… their hearts rose, …”.
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The Fellowship of the Ring, Fog on the Barrow-downs
Yes, for the company – the:
“… hopeful view …”.
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The Fellowship of the Ring, Fog on the Barrow-downs
lay ahead, and northwards. Heading backwards was not an option. Thus with such an aim, one might reason they rounded the menhir on the north side. Ergo in reaching the hollow’s western rim, a three-quarters circuit widershins around the standing stone resulted.
Anyone mildly or even vehemently disagree?
… to be continued