Perhaps what is 'fortunate' is that Tolkien escaped in his nightmare, leaving him a very jarring and memorable precident for Frodo's ride? If he had not escaped in dream, we might very well not have Frodo's ride across the ford.
On a note that interests me, it is fascinating to learn that things J.R.R. wrote were based on recurring nightmares. littlemanpoet and I recently discussed dreams in brief and the idea arose that what you remember of your dreams is limited to that which your conscious mind can handle. If what Tolkien was able to remember [not to mention have the courage to face in his waking world through writing] was something as horrific as being caught up in an easily fatal chase with terror-inspiring riders, it makes me wonder what sorts of unsurfaced dreams might have inspired other aspects of his work. I'd be interested to get a look into the man's dreams, given that the topic and its relation to what people do fascinates me.
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