The Treason of Isengard (50 page)

Here this text ends.

(ii)

The next version is a fair copy of (i) so far as it went, and follows it closely, improving the wording but introducing few significant changes; but it extends further into the chapter.

Keleborn now speaks with greater certainty of the crossings of Osgiliath: 'it is said that the Enemy holds the passages [> bridges].'

Elves of Lorien shall go with the Company 'as far as the Green Hills where the river winds among deep ravines'; here Rhain is written in pencil over Green. 'There is a wooded island there, Toll-ondren, amid the branching waters. There at last in the midst of the stream you must decide your courses, left or right.' Above (Toll-)ondren is written in pencil Galen?, i.e. Tol Galen: another use of a name from the legends of the Elder Days (the Green Isle in the river Adurant in Ossiriand, home of Beren and Luthien after their return, and a further instance of an island amid a river's 'branching waters' - from which indeed the Adurant took its name, V.268).

In the part of this version that extends beyond the point reached in (i) the text of FR (pp. 385 - 6) is closely approached. Boromir now breaks off at the words 'and no sense in throwing away...', finishing his sentence lamely after a pause with 'no sense in throwing lives away, I mean.' And as in FR Ingold was deep in his thoughts and made no sign at this, while Merry and Pippin were already asleep.

The passage describing the bringing of the Elvish cakes and Gimli's delight at discovering that they were not cram is at once almost exactly as in FR, the only difference being that the words 'But we call it lembas or waybread' do not appear. The description of the cloaks is however much briefer than in FR - and there is no mention of the leaf-shaped brooches that fastened them.

For each member of the Company they had provided a grey hood and cloak made according to his size of the light but warm silken stuff that the Galadrim used.

'There is no magic woven in these cloaks,' they said, 'but they should serve you well. They are light to wear, and at need warm enough and cool enough in turn...'

Later, my father would not have the Elves introduce the idea of

'magic' cloaks, and it is Pippin who uses the word, which the leader of the Elves finds hard to interpret. The remainder of the passage is as in FR, except just at the end: 'We have never before clad strangers in the garb of our own people, certainly never a dwarf.' With these words the second text stops abruptly.

(iii)

The next text, going back once more to the beginning of the chapter, carries the number XX, showing that the story of Galadriel's Mirror had been separated off, as XIX 'Galadriel', from XVIII 'Lothlorien'

(see p. 256). This manuscript rapidly becomes very complex through a process of what might be called 'overlapping false starts'. The form in FR is now very closely approached as far as the point where Keleborn says 'I see that you have not decided this matter' (cf. FR p. 383). It is to be noted that Ingold was changed subsequently, at both occurrences in the opening dialogue, first to Elfstone and then to Trotter (see pp.

277 - 8). Keleborn now says: 'And are not the bridges of Osgiliath broken down, and the passages of the river held now by the Enemy since his late assault?'(14) But from the point mentioned the story is developed thus:

'I see that you have not decided this matter, nor yet made any plan,' said Keleborn. 'It is not my part to choose for you, but I will do what I can to help you. Are there any among you that can manage boats upon a strong river?'

Boromir laughed. 'I was born between the mountains and the sea, on the borders of the Land of Seven Streams,'(15) he said,

'and the Great River flows through Ondor.'

'I have journeyed by boat on many rivers,' said Ingold;(16) 'and Legolas here is from the elf-folk of Mirkwood who use both rafts and boats on the Forest River. One at least of the hobbits is of the riverside folk that live on the banks of Baranduin. The rest can at least sit still. They have all now passed through such perils that I do not think a journey by boat would seem so terrible as once it might.'

'That is well,' said Keleborn. 'Then I will furnish you with two small boats. They must be small and light, for if you go far by river there are places where you will have to carry your craft: there are the falls of Rhain where the River runs out of the ravines in the Green Hills,(17) and other places where no boat can pass. [The following struck out as soon as written: This I will do to show you my good will. Two Elves shall guide you for a short way, but far abroad I cannot permit my folk to stray in these evil days. But when you leave the River, as you must whichever way you go at the last, I ask only that you should not destroy my boats save only to keep them from the orcs, and that you should draw them ashore and] In this way your journey will be made less toilsome for a while, though perhaps not less perilous.

How far you can go by water who now can tell? And the gift of boats will not decide your purpose: it may postpone your choice, yet at the last you must leave the River and go either east or west.'

Ingold thanked Keleborn many times in the name of all the Company. The offer of the boats comforted him much, and indeed it cheered most of the travellers. Their hearts were heavy with the thought of leaving Lothlorien, but now for a while the toils of the road at least would be lessened, though the dangers doubtless would remain. Sam only felt a little alarm. In spite of all the perils he had now passed through

(iv)

Here the third text breaks off, and all from 'Are there any among you that can manage boats upon a strong river?' was rejected, and begun again; the narrative now becoming close to the form in FR:

'There are some at least among you that can handle boats: Legolas, whose folk go on rafts and boats on the Forest River; and Boromir of Ondor, and Ingold [> Elfstone] the traveller.' The Elves to accompany them down the River have now gone; and the falls of Rhain 'where the River runs out of the ravines in the Green Hills' become the Falls of Rosfein (with the same comment).

After Ingold (> Elfstone > Trotter) had thanked Keleborn, and after the account of the lightened hearts of all the travellers,(18) the new text continues with Keleborn's words 'All shall be prepared for you and await you before noon tomorrow at the haven' (FR p. 384); but whereas in texts (i) and (ii) - as in FR - Keleborn's offer of boats is followed by the withdrawal of the Company to their pavilion, and there is no mention of gifts, this new version has Galadriel say: 'Good night, fair guests! But before you go I have here parting gifts which I beg you to take, and remember the Galadrim and their Lord and Lady.' The outline (b) on p. 268, obviously earlier than the stage now reached since there is mention in it of Elves going with the Company in boats, placed the Parting Gifts at the time of the final departure down the River, and this must have been my father's original intention, which he now temporarily changed. In this version (iv) there now follows the recital of the gifts to each member of the Company.

Galadriel's gift to Ingold (the name not here changed) is the sheath that had been made to fit his sword, which is called Branding:(19) overlaid with silver and with runes of gold declaring the name of the sword and its owner. Nothing more is said, and there is no mention of the great green stone (FR p. 391). Boromir's belt of gold, the silver belts for Merry and Pippin, and the bow of the Galadrim given to Legolas, appear and are described in the same words as in FR.

Galadriel's gift to Sam and her words to him are almost exactly as in FR. The box containing earth from her garden was 'unadorned save for a single flowering rune upon the lid' ('a single silver rune,' FR). On the manuscript page my father drew an Old English G-rune ('X') in the form of two flowering branches crossed one upon the other:(20) The word 'flowering' was later crossed out, and another, purely formal elaboration of the rune was drawn at the head of the next page: The gift to Gimli differs, however, from his gift in FR, and differ's in the most remarkable way.

'And what gift would a dwarf ask of Elves?' said the Lady to Gimli.

None, Lady, answered Gimli. It is enough for me to have seen the Lady of the Galadrim and known her graciousness. I will treasure the memory of her words at our first meeting.'(21

[Rejected, but not struck out, as soon as written: Hear, all you Elves!' said the Lady, turning to those about her. 'And say not that dwarves are all rough and ungracious, grasping at gifts and / I have heard it said that dwarves are openhanded - to receive, and count their words - when they give thanks'] 'It is well that those about me should hear your fair words,' said Galadriel, 'and may they never again say that dwarves are grasping and ungracious. Let this small token be given as a sign that goodwill may be remade between dwarves and elves, if better days should come.' She put her hand to her throat and unclasped a brooch, and gave it to Gimli. On it was an emerald of deep green set in gold. 'I will set it near my heart,' he said, bowing to the floor, 'and Elfstone shall be a name of honour in my [?kin] for ever, and like a leaf [?amid]... gold.'

Once again the text was stopped short, before Frodo's gift was reached. Beneath the last words my father wrote: Elfstone Elfhelm, and then:

'Hail, Elfstone,' she said. 'It is a fair name that merits a gift to match.'

It was clearly at this point that 'the Elfstone' first emerged, as a green gem set in a brooch worn by Galadriel and given as a parting gift to Gimli; and it seems equally plain that my father immediately adopted it (or more accurately, re-adopted it) as the true name of Trotter. To this question I will return in a moment.

(v)

He now started again from Keleborn's words 'All shall be prepared for you and await you at the haven before noon tomorrow' (p. 273), and repeated what he had written of the gifts to Boromir, Merry, Pippin, and Sam, but omitting Ingold; and now Gimli's request and gift (a strand of Galadriel's hair) are told word for word as they appear in FR (pp. 392 - 3), the sole difference being that at the end, after 'and yet over you gold shall have no dominion', Galadriel said:

'Dark are the waters of Kheledzaram, yet there maybe you shall one day see a light.' The phial in which was caught the light of Earendel's star,(22) her gift to Frodo, now appears, and this passage also is almost word for word as in FR.

It looks as if Ingold's gift was omitted inadvertently; or else my father may have briefly intended to make it the last. There are four versions describing it, the final one being a rider marked for insertion into the text at the beginning of the gift-giving.

It has been seen that the Elfstone was at first the gift to Gimli, and that Gimli in accepting it took it also as a name; but that the moment he had set this down my father wrote: ' "Hail, Elfstone," she said. "It is a fair name that merits a gift to match" '; and this is obviously addressed to Trotter. The variant versions of the description of Galadriel's gift to the leader of the Company are developed from this; and the pages on which they stand are covered with names: Elfstone, Elfstone son of Elfhelm, Elfstan, Eledon, Aragorn, Eldakar, Eldamir, Qendemir. There is no need to cite these successive variants except in their opening sentences, until the last, which I give in full.

(1) 'Eledon!' she said to Trotter. 'Elfstone you are named; it is a fair name, and my gift shall match it.' (She then gives him a green gem.) (2) 'Elfstone,' she said. 'It is a fair name...' (as in 1, except that here she unclasps the gem from her throat).

(3) 'Here is the gift of Keleborn to the leader of the Company,' she said to Trotter...' (continuing as in the final version, 4).

(4) (The version inserted into the text)

'Here is the gift of Keleborn to the leader of your Company,'

she said to Elfstone [> Trotter], and gave him a sheath that had been made to fit his sword. It was overlaid with a tracery of flowers and leaves wrought of silver and gold, and on it were set in runes formed of many gems the name Branding and the lineage of the sword. 'The blade that is drawn from this sheath shall not be stained or broken even in defeat,' she said. 'Elfstone is your name, Eldamir in the language of your fathers of old, and it is a fair name. I will add this gift of my own to match it.'(23) She put her hand to her throat and unclasped from a fine chain a gem that hung before her breast. It was a stone of clear green set in a band of silver. 'All growing things that you look at through this,' she said, 'you will see as they were in their youth and in their spring. It is a gift that blends joys and sorrow; yet many things that now appear loathly shall seem otherwise to you hereafter.'

The seeming conundrum presented by the bewildering movements in the names which replaced 'Aragorn' in this phase of the work must now be confronted.