A hundredth re-read of the LotR

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

Originally Posted by skip spence

But how could Gildor read in Frodo's eyes that the Nine were pursuing him, if Frodo himself knew little or nothing about how they were, or at least did not know clearly that it was they who pursued him?

Possibly because he had never seen such terror in the eyes of a hobbit? And possibly because the last time he had seen such terror in anyone's eyes, it was the result of an encounter with a Nazgul, whose chief weapon, we are told, is fear? Well, it's a mite of a long shot, but I suspect Gildor and his company, being wanderers, hear a lot of news and rumors that others might not. That Sauron has returned to Mordor is not uncommon knowledge, and at least some of the Nazgul have been active long before it was known he had returned. The Witch King, after all, merely fled the wars in Angmar; he was not defeated, and the Elves certainly knew it would only be a matter of time before he and the others became active again. It seems that outside the Shire, just about everyone is aware that evil things are stirring, and adding "terrifying evil" to "riders in Black" might very well make any Elf who's been around a while think "Nazgul."

Then again, maybe not, but what the heck.