LotR -- Book 1 - Chapter 08 - Fog on the Barrow-Downs

[HerenIstarion]

And as he himself says, his songs are stronger, likely because they stem from Illuvatar as opposed to Melkor

Basically, yes. Minor point - all songs, ultimately, find their source in Illuvatar. It the perversion/lack thereof which makes the right songs stronger (and that in the long run only - cf Felagund/Sauron again)

[Firefoot]

I think the point of "passing the barrows on the west side" was discussed briefly in the Chapter 7 thread, but I would like to point some more things out here as pertain to this chapter. First of all, when the hobbits come upon that stone where they eat lunch by and fall asleep against, they sit with their backs to the east side. Warning bells, anyone? When they wake up, their is a cold gray shadow over them stretching out easterward (because of the sun setting in the west). Also, because of the sun, the fog on the western side of the hollow is not so thick or white. The hobbits get up and try to get away from the Barrow-downs, and Frodo becomes separated. The wind is blowing from the east, and the Barrow-wight that finds him also looms up on his right, and since he is going north, that too came from the eastern side. Tom's warning seems to have been proven true indeed! It rather makes me wonder what would have happened if the hobbits had taken their rest on the west side of the stone instead.

[Hilde Bracegirdle]

Thank you for the link Estelyn, I will read it shortly.

And of course you are right Heren Istarion, all does find it's source, and probably it's culmination as well, in Illuvatar.

As for this matter of east verses west, yet another thing I have been oblivious too, though I certainly have no excuse. Tolkien seems to make a point of mentioning such things.

[Fingolfin II]

'Few now remember them,' Tom murmured, 'yet still some go wandering, sons of forgotten kings walking in loneliness, guarding from evil things folk that are heedless.'
The hobbits did not understand his words, but as he spoke they had a vision as it were of a great expanse of years behind them, like a vast shadowy plain over which there strode shapes of Men, tall and grim with bright swords, and last came one with a star on his brow.

Here we see Tom uncharacteristically serious as he delivers a bit of history to the hobbits of Westernesse and those who dwelt in Middle-Earth before hobbits came- tying in with Gildor's 'But it is not your own Shire. Others dwelt here before hobbits were...' and his giving to the hobbits of the Numenorean blades turns out to be one of the best things he did. As well as this, we also see that Bombadil has the ability to conjure visions through mere speech, as well as singing.

Also this quote, as Estelyn said, gives us our (the hobbits') first sight of the Dunedain Rangers and especially Aragorn. The star on his brow is very significant because it is obviously the Star of Elendil and shows his inheritance of the Kingship of Gondor and Arnor. I made the bit 'sons of forgotten kings walking in loneliness' bold because it struck me as similar to what Aragorn said to Gilraen in The Tale of Arwen and Aragorn (Appendix A; V)-

'Then bitter will my days be, and I will walk in the wild alone,' said Aragorn.
'That indeed will be your fate,' said Gilraen....

An interesting thing that just occurred to me was that if you were to ask, "Who did the hobbits see first; Aragorn or Halbarad?" the answer might possibly be Halbarad!

When the sad time has come for the hobbit's and Tom Bombadil to part, it is interesting that Bombadil says:

'No, I hope not tonight,' answered Tom Bombadil; 'nor perhaps the next day. But do not trust my guess; for I cannot tell for certain. Out east my knowledge fails. Tom is not master of Riders from the Black Land far beyond his country.'

This quote shows Tom's unsurety (is that such a word?) as to what course of action to take next outside his borders and the movements of the Enemy, while the next quote emphasises his blunt refusal to pass the borders of his land-

Tom's country ends here: he will not pass the borders.
Tom has his house to mind, and Goldberry is waiting!

Tom's reluctance to go no further is striking, as well as is his admittance to having little knowledge of the land beyond his borders- in this respect, he is very similar to Sam who knows the geography of the area within a 20 mile radius of Hobbiton very well, but that is his limit. He also admits that he has no power over the Black Riders, though he has proved that he is able to resist evil (by not becoming invisible when he put the Ring on; and indeed, not wanting to keep it for himself). This is also important because he is able to overcome the Barrow-Wight and Old Man Willow, which can be considered 'evil'; however they are evil elements of Nature, whereas the Nazgul are not subject to Tom. So here, to me, it seems that Tom's power and Tom himself is restricted to his country where he is 'master' and outside of it he has little or no power.

On the subject of what Bombadil is, I have finally found the truth, compliments of Samwise Gamgee-

'He's a caution and no mistake.'

[davem]

Anyone have any thoughts on Merry's dream experience of being killed by a spear in an attack by the men of Carn Dum? Is this due to some kind of 'psychic' connection with the original inhabitant of the Barrow, or something about the Barrow Downs. And why does only Merry have this kind of experience? Its almost like the kind of thing people undergoing a past life regression come up with,yet I don't think that's what Tolkien was implying here. It is probably one of the strangest events in the whole story if its a 'memory' (for want of a better term) of an actual event, because how to account for it?

Of course, it could just have been a fantasy, based on what must have been an incredibly stressful night, yet, how would Merry know all that ancient history, or even the name 'Carn Dum' & that they were involved in a battle on that spot?

Its almost like two periods of history coalesce - one overlaying the other - the attack by the men of Carn Dum & Merry awakening outside the Barrow. This is very like what Tolkien does in his two time travel stories - the Lost Road & the Notion Club Papers, where characters from diferent time periods are psychically linked. It creates a kind of living link back through history.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

I've always felt that that vision of Merry's was connected with the jewelry that he wore, and looking at the passage more closely, I noticed the mention of

...the golden circlet that had slipped over one eye.

Did that cause the 'slip' in his sight? When he comes to himself again, it is with:

'No, no!' he said, opening his eyes.

(bolding mine in both quotes)

In short, the jewelry was affected by being in the Barrow, so it had some magical properties, I think. When Tom takes it out and lays it on the grass, it breaks the spell.

But the question remains, why Merry, why not Pippin (who was more often the one with a sense of supernatural 'sight')? Sam I can understand - his prosaic nature gave him the ability to sleep ('in deep content, if logs are contented') in Tom's house while the others dreamt.

[davem]

Originally Posted by Esty

In short, the jewelry was affected by being in the Barrow, so it had some magical properties, I think. When Tom takes it out and lays it on the grass, it breaks the spell.

Which (possibly) explains the how, but not the what or the why. Is it a genuine memory, or a fantasy, & if a genuine memory of an actual event, then its at least as mysterious for it to be communicated through a piece of jewelry, as through the earth itself, or through some kind of psychic link between Merry & the man who was killed. This link across time is what I find fascinating, whatever means is used to achieve it.