The War of the Ring (2 page)

I.

In the original opening of 'Helm's Deep', as will be seen at the beginning of the next chapter, the cavalcade from Eodoras saw 'a great fume and vapour' rising over Nan Gurunir, the Wizard's Vale,(2) and met the lone horseman returning from the Fords of Isen, on the same day (Day 3, January 31) as they left the Golden Hall. The horseman (Ceorl) told them that the Riders had been driven back over the Isen with great loss on the previous day (Day 2, January 30); and it must have been 'the smoke of battle' that Legolas saw in the evening rising from the Gap of Rohan as they rode south from Fangorn - it cannot of course have been the steam rising from the drowning of Isengard by the Ents (see above). In this original story Theoden and his men, with Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas, took refuge in Helm's Deep (not yet so named) that same night (Day 3).

A chronological dislocation seems to have been already present in this: for the events of Days 1-3 as set out above were fixed in relation to each other, and the Ents must arrive at Isengard after nightfall of Day 3 (January 31); yet according to the original opening of 'Helm's Deep' the host from Eodoras sees the 'great fume and vapour' rising over Nan Gurunir (unquestionably caused by the drowning of Isengard) in the evening of that same day.

II.

This time-scheme was duly changed: Theoden and his host camped in the plain on the first night out from Eodoras (Day 3, January 31), and it was in the morning of the second day of the ride (Day 4, February 1) that they saw the great cloud over Nan Gurunir: As they rode they saw a great spire of smoke and vapour, rising up out of the deep shadow of Nan Gurunir; as it mounted it caught the light of the sun and spread in glowing banks that drifted on the wind over the plains towards them.

'What do you think of that, Gandalf?' said Theoden. 'One would say that all the Wizard's Vale was burning.'

'There is ever a fume above that valley in these days,' said Hama;

'but I never saw anything like that before.'

It is now in the evening of this second day of their ride that they met the horseman Ceorl coming from the Fords, and on the night of this day that the battle of the Hornburg took place. The chronology was now therefore:

(Day 3) January 31 Gandalf, Theoden and the Rohirrim depart from Eodoras and camp for the night in the plains. Ents reach Isengard after nightfall and after the departure of the Orc-host begin the drowning of the Circle of Isengard.

(Day 4) February 1 The host from Eodoras sees in the morning the steams rising from the drowning of Isengard; in the evening they meet Ceorl and learn of the defeat at the Fords of Isen on the previous day; and reach Helm's Deep after nightfall. Battle of the Hornburg.

It seems impossible to avoid the conclusion that the end of the chapter 'The White Rider' (Legolas' sight of the smoke in the Gap of Rohan on Day 2, January 30) escaped revision when the date of the (Second) Battle of the Fords of Isen was changed to January 31.

III.

In the original form of what became the opening of 'The Road to Isengard' Gandalf and Theoden, with Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas and a party of Riders, set out from Helm's Deep shortly after the end of the battle of the Hornburg, without any rest; this was on Day 5, February 2, and they reached Isengard not long after noon on the same day. As they approached Nan Gurunir

they saw rising up out of deep shadows a vast spire of smoke and vapour; as it mounted it caught the light of the sun, and spread in glowing billows in the sky, and the wind bore them over the plain.

'What do you think of that, Gandalf?' said Theoden. 'One would say that all the Wizard's Vale was burning.'

'There is ever a fume above that valley in these days,' said Eomer;

'but I have never seen anything like this before. These are steams, rather than smokes. Some devilry Saruman is brewing to greet us.'

This dialogue was lifted straight from its earlier place at the beginning of the 'Helm's Deep' story (see II above) - with substitution of Eomer for Hama, slain at the Hornburg, and in 'Helm's Deep' a different passage was inserted, as found in TT pp. 131 - 2, in which what is seen in the North-west is 'a shadow that crept down slowly from the Wizard's Vale', and there is no mention of fume or steam.

The reason for these changes was again chronological: the host on its way from Eodoras is not to see great steams rising from Isengard on Day 4, but the 'veiling shadow' of the Huorns as they came down into the Wizard's Vale. Thus:

(Day 4) February 1 The host from Eodoras sees in the morning the shade of the moving trees far off in the North-west; the drowning of Isengard was not begun till night. At night Battle of the Hornburg.

(Day 5) February 2 In the morning Theoden and Gandalf and their company ride to Isengard, and find it drowned.

IV.

The chronology was then changed to that of 'The Road to Isengard'

in TT, whereby Theoden and Gandalf and their company do not leave Helm's Deep until much later on Day 5, pass the night camped below Nan Gurunir, and do not reach Isengard until midday on Day 6

(February 3). This chronology is set out in a time-scheme (additions of mine in brackets):

[Day 3] January 31 Ents arrive at Isengard, night. Break in.

[Day 4] February 1 Dawn, they go away north to make dams. All that day Merry and Pippin alone until dusk. Gandalf arrives at Isengard at nightfall, and meets Treebeard. Drowning of Isengard begins late at night. [Battle of the Hornburg.]

[Day 5] February 2 Isengard steams all day and column of smoke arises in evening. [Gandalf, Theoden, &c. see this from their camp below Nan Gurunir.] Huorns return in night to Isengard.

[Day 6] February 3 Morning, Treebeard returns to Gates. Sets Merry and Pippin to watch. Wormtongue comes. [Gandalf, Theoden, &c. arrive shortly after noon.]

This is the chronology of LR, as set out in The Tale of Years, though the actual dates are of course different (in LR March 2 = January 31

in this scheme).

*

This, I believe, is how the chronology evolved; but as will be seen in the following chapters, earlier time-schemes appear in the drafts for passages far on in the actual narrative, because as I have said all this part of LR was written as a whole. Thus for example in the first draft of Merry's story of the destruction and drowning of Isengard (in TT

in the chapter 'Flotsam and Jetsam') the chronology belongs with the scheme described in II above, and against it my father noted:

'Drowning must not begin until night of Hornburg battle.'

Despite the way in which this part of the story was written, I think that it will in fact be clearest to break my account into chapters corresponding to those in The Two Towers; this inevitably entails a certain amount of advance and retreat in terms of the actual sequence of composition, but I hope that this preliminary account will clarify the shifting chronological basis in the different texts.

NOTES.

1. The extra day of the Entmoot (TT pp. 87-8) was not added until much later: VII.407, 419.

2. Nan Gurunir, the Valley of Saruman, was added in to a blank space left for the name in the manuscript of 'Treebeard' (VII.420

note 9).

II.

HELM'S DEEP.

A first draft of this story, abandoned after it had proceeded for some distance, differs so essentially from its form in The Two Towers that I give it here in full. This text bears the chapter number XXVIII, without title. For the chronology see p. 4, $I.

There was a much-ridden way, northwestward along the foothills of the Black Mountains. Up and down over the rolling green country it ran, crossing small swift streams by many fords. Far ahead and to the right the shadow of the Misty Mountains drew nearer. Beneath the distant peak of Methedras in dark shadow lay the deep vale of Nan Gurunir; a great fume and vapour rose there and drifted towards them over the plain.(1) Halting seldom they rode on into the evening. The sun went down before them. Darkness grew behind.

Their spears were tipped with fiery red as the last shafts of light stained the clouds above Tindtorras;(2) the three peaks stood black against the sunset upon the northmost arm of the Black Mountains. In that last red light men in the van saw a horseman riding back towards them. As he drew near, the host halted, "waiting him.

He came, a weary man with dinted helm, and cloven shield.

Slowly he climbed from his horse, and stood there a while, panting. At length he spoke. 'Is Eomer here?' he asked. 'You come at last, but too late and too few. Things have gone evilly, since Theodred fell.(3) We were driven back over the bend of the Isen with great loss yesterday; many perished at the crossing.

Then at night fresh forces came over the river against our camp.

All Isengard must be emptied; and the Wizard has armed the wild hill-men and the scattered folk of Westfold,(4) and these also he loosed upon us. We were overmastered. The shieldwall was broken. Trumbold [> Herulf > Heorulf](5) the Westmarcher has drawn off those he could gather towards his fastness under Tindtorras. Others are scattered. Where is Eomer? Tell him there is no hope ahead: he should return to Eodoras, before the wolves of Saruman come there!'

Theoden rode up. 'Come, stand before me, Ceorl!' he said. 'I am here. The last host of the Eorlingas has ridden forth. It will not return unfought.'

The man's face lightened with wonder and joy. He drew himself up. Then he knelt offering his notched sword to the King. 'Command me, lord,' he cried, 'and pardon me! I did not know, I thought - '

'You though". I remained in Eodoras, bent like an old tree under winter snow. So it was when you went. But a wind has shaken off somewhat the cold burden,' said Theoden. 'Give this man a fresh horse. Let us ride to the aid of Trumbold [> Heorulf]! '

Forward they rode again, urging on their horses. Suddenly Gandalf spoke to Shadowfax, and like an arrow from the bow the great horse sprang away. Even as they looked, he was gone: a Hash of silver in the sunset, a wind in the grass, a shadow that fled and faded from sight. For a while Snowmane and the horses of the King's guard strained in pursuit, but if they had walked they would have had as much chance of overtaking him.

'What does that mean?' said Hama to a comrade. 'Ever he comes and goes unlooked-for.'

'Wormtongue, were he here, would not find it hard to explain,' said the other.

'True,' said Hama, 'but for myself I will wait till we see him again.'

'If ever we do,' said the other.

It was night and the host was still riding swiftly, when cries and hornblasts were heard from the scouts that rode ahead.

Arrows whistled overhead. They were crossing a wide vale, a bay in the mountains. On the further side the Tindtorras were hidden in darkness. Some miles ahead still lay the opening of the great cleft in the hills which men of that land called Heorulf's Clough:(6) steep and narrow it wound inward under the Tindtorras, and where it issued in the vale, upon an outjutting heel of rock, was built the fastness of Heorulf's Hold.(7)

The scouts rode back and reported that wolfriders were abroad in the vale, and that a host of orcs and wild men, very great indeed, was hastening southward over the plain to gain the gates of the Nerwet.(8)

'We have found some of our men slain as they fled,' said one of the scouts; 'and scattered companies we have met, going this way and that, leaderless; but many are making for Herulf's Hold, and say that Herulf is already there.'

'We had best not give battle in the dark, nor await the day here in the open, not knowing the number of the coming host,'

said Eomer, who had ridden up to the King's side. 'What is your counsel, Aragorn?'

'To drive through such enemies as are before us, and encamp before the Nerwet Gate to defend if may be, while the men who have fought rest behind our shield.'

'Let it be so!' said Theoden. 'We will go thither in many

[separate comp]anies: let a man who is nightsighted and knows

[well the land] go at the head of each.'(9)

At this point my father stopped, and returned to 'It was night and the host was still riding swiftly...' In the passage just given is the first appearance of Helm's Deep ('Heorulf's Clough') and the Hornburg ('Heorulf's Hold') on its 'outjutting heel of rock'; Heorulf being the precursor of Erkenbrand of Westfold.

Night had fallen, and still the host was riding swiftly on. They had turned northward, and were bearing towards the fords of the Isen, when cries and hornblasts were heard from their scouts that went in front. Arrows whistled over them. At this time they were at the outer end of a wide vale, a bay in the mountains of the south. On its further western side the Tindtorras were hidden in darkness; beneath their feet [> the peaks], some miles away, lay the opening of the great cleft in the hills which men of that land called Heorulf's Clough [> lay the green coomb out of which opened a great cleft in the hills. Men of that land called it Helm's Deep],(10) after some hero of ancient wars who had made his refuge there. Ever steeper and narrower it wound inward under the Tindtorras, till the crowhaunted cliffs on either side towered far above and shut out the light. Where it issued in the vale, upon [added: the Stanrock,) an outjutting heel of land, was built the fastness of Heorulf's Hoe (11) (Hold?). Stanrock. [> was built the fastness of Helmsgate. There Heorulf the Marcher had his hold.]