Taters to Taters

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

Personally, I think Silmarils trump Bar-en-Danwedh. Who was the latter dangerous for? It was certainly a significant part of a story with lots of danger in it, but was it actually dangerous on its own? There were 52 men living in it. One of them was dangerous. But his "innate" danger does not make his house dangerous (as Barad-dur is not dangerous simply because Sauron resides there).

As I said earlier, the tater is not Bar-en-Danwedh or Amon Rûdh but "the House of Ransom". It is not a concept naming a physicl thing in the ME (a hill) but a poetic concept becoming a symbol of danger, threat, hazard...

If you face Sauron or Gothmog in a battle it is terror and death you face. If you are Túrin or one of his followers you meet with danger, threat and hazard - and it is there all the time around you and you never know when or how something's gonna happen - unlike with the pure onslaught of an enemy who is openly attacking you or trying to destroy you.

And Mîm did eventually betray them making that threat real and deadly thus earning the symbolic value the House of Ransom carries with it.

Ransom is something that is claimed and they all knew it would be - none just knew how it would happen - the cliffhanger then!