LotR -- Book 1 - Chapter 04 – A Short Cut to Mushrooms

[davem]

Another interesting thing in this chapter is Sam's 'oath':

'Don't you leave him! they said to me. Leave him! I said. I never mean to. I am going with him, if he climbs to the moon; & if any of those Black Riders try to stop him, they'll have Sam Gamgee to reckon with.

There's an interesting essay by John Holmes, Oaths & Oath Breaking: Analogues of Old English Comitatus in Tolkien's Myth, in the recent collection Tolkien & the Invention of Myth. He cites a sermon by Archbishop Wulfstan of Ely, in which the 'sins' of the English at the time (ad 1014) are set out: greed, theft, pillaging, selling of men, attacks on kinsmen, manslaughter, adultery, (& finally, the culmination!) oath breaking. these things have brought the sourge of the Danes on the English. As Holmes asks: 'What kind of culture is it that would rank oath breaking with pillaging & murder?' Answer, the Anglo-saxon (& by extension, the culture of Middle earth).

Sam has, effectively, sworn an oath to serve Frodo, even unto death. He has also, more importantly, told Frodo that he has sworn it. In part, this accounts for his statement: 'I know we are to take a long road, into darkness; but I know I can't turn back.'

Among other examples of 'oath breaking he looks at is Gandalf's - Gandalf has promised Frodo he will return to accompany him, but he doesn't turn up. But is this really a case of 'oath breaking - well Gandalf seems to think it is:

It is at the end of Gandalf's long resume to the Council of Elrond of his narrow escape from the tower od Saruman, imprisonment which had kept him from meeting Frodo & company in Bree as planned. He asks forgiveness: 'But such a thing has not happened before, that Gandalf broke tryst & did not come when he promised. An account to the Ring-bearer of so strange an event was required, I think'

Holmes also makes an interesting point about Gollum's 'oath' to 'serve the master of the precious' - even Gollum will not simply 'break' his oath - he instead has to twist the meaning of the oath - if he makes himself the master he can serve himself. Now, maybe (Holmes doesn't offer this possibility) that's down to fear of the precious (Precious will be angry), but we have to consider that even Smeagol will not go so far as oath breaking (though he's definitely working his way through Wulfstan's list of sins!). Support fo this would be his sticking to the rules of the Riddle Game.

So, Sam has sworn his oath to serve Frodo, to the Elves, & then declared it to Frodo. Hence his shock & horror at discovering Frodo has set out from Parth Galen without him, & later, outside Cirith Ungol, when he agonises over whether to take the Ring or stay with his master,is not simply down to love for Frodo, but also because if Frodo does go alone, & then if Sam leaves him 'all alone on top of mountains, Sam will be an oath breaker. From that moment at Woodhall Sam has bound himself to stay with Frodo till the end. Once Frodo accepts his oath:

I understand that Gandalf chose me a good companion. I am content. We will go together.

they become Lord & Theign. We can understand Sam's shock when Frodo does set off alone - Frodo is breaking tryst with Sam. Yet the oath holds them both

(Makes you wonder whether that's why Sam, in the end, follows Frodo into the West.)