The War of the Ring (48 page)

This is very difficult to understand. Frodo's adventures are to be set back by a day, and he will see the setting of the moon (not yet quite at the full) from Henneth Annun in the later night of Feb. 5 - 6, when Pippin was on the last lap to Minas Tirith, and thought of him. But then why is it not till the next night (Feb. 6-7) that Frodo thinks of Pippin (if 'him' is Pippin), and why is it on this night that the beacons of Gondor are burning?

(ii) Theoden comes to Harrowdale.

In the second version (B) of 'The Muster of Rohan' (p. 237) Aragorn agrees with Theoden, as they enter Harrowdale, that the moon was full the night before, and he says that they have been four (changed from five) days on the road, so that six remained before the day appointed for the muster at Edoras. In time-scheme C (p. 140) Theoden reaches Helm's Deep from Isengard soon after dawn on Feb.

4, and he leaves Helm's Deep on Feb. 5 (when also 'Aragorn rides on ahead with Gimli and Legolas': this appears in the third narrative C, p. 241). Nothing further is said about Theoden's movements in time-scheme C; but if the two texts are combined we get the following chronology:

Feb. 4 Theoden reaches Helm's Deep soon after dawn Feb. 5 Theoden leaves Helm's Deep

Feb. 6 Full Moon

Feb. 7 Theoden reaches Harrowdale at dusk

Feb. 13 Date appointed for the muster

If this is correct, the 'four days on the road' include the day spent at Helm's Deep.

In the third version C (p. 240) Eomer says that the moon was full on the night before the last, that five days have passed on the journey, and that five remain until the muster; and all this is repeated in the next version (F) in which the passage appears (pp. 244-5). In these versions the journey has taken one day more, as it appears: Feb. 5. Theoden leaves Helm's Deep.

Feb. 6. Full Moon.

Feb. 7.

Feb. 8. Theoden reaches Harrowdale.

Time-scheme D (pp. 141, 182) gives the following chronology (with which the fully 'synoptic' scheme S agrees):

Feb. 4-5. Aragorn rides by night to Edoras, which he reaches in the morning, and passes up Harrowdale.

Feb. 5. Theoden leaves Helm's Deep

Feb. 6. Full Moon rises about 9.20 p.m. Theoden comes to Dunharrow before nightfall

(Feb. 7. Theoden prepares to ride to Gondor. Messengers from Minas Tirith arrive.

Feb. 8. Theoden rides from Edoras.)

This is the chronology of the typescript text H (pp. 251-2), to the extent at least that the moon is full (rising four hours after dark) on the night of Theoden's arrival in Harrowdale: the journey through the mountains now took only two days. It is not the chronology of The Tale of Years in LR, in which Theoden set out from Helm's Deep on March 6 but did not reach Dunharrow until March 9.

The date appointed for the muster at Edoras as deduced above from the original narrative openings of the chapter, Feb. 13 (a week after the full moon of Feb. 6), is presumably to be associated with the change in the second manuscript of 'The Road to Isengard' from

'before the waning of the moon' to 'at the last quarter of the moon'

(see pp. 27, 40). In the text H (p. 252) Eomer says to the King that

'Tomorrow ere evening you shall come to Edoras and keep tryst with your Riders'; with this perhaps cf. outline I (p. 255): 'Messages must bid Rohirrim assemble at Edoras as soon as may be after the Full Moon of Feb. 6.'

III.

MINAS TIRITH.

'I hope after this week actually to - write,' my father wrote to Stanley Unwin on 21 July 1946 (Letters no. 105); and it is clear that he did -

at any rate on 7 December of that year he said that he was 'on the last chapters' (whatever that may have meant). Another synopsis of the proposed content of 'Book W shows much further development in the narrative of the opening chapters, and I incline to think that it belongs to 1946 and was set down as a guide to the new work now beginning; I therefore give it here rather than with the outlines that I believe to date from 1944 (pp. 252 ff.). My father had now re-ordered earlier chapters, and so numbered the first of Book V in this synopsis '44' (not

'41': see p. 226 note 49).' The text was written in pencil and then overwritten in ink: the underlying text was far briefer, but is barely legible except at the end, where the overwriting ceases.

Book V.

Ch. 44 (1). Gandalf (and Pippin) rides to Minas Tirith and see[s] Denethor. Pippin on walls. Coming in of last allies. Great Darkness begins that night.

45. King and Aragorn (with Merry, Legolas, Gimli) ride to the Hornburg. Overtaken by the Sons of Elrond (2) and 30

Rangers seeking Aragorn (probably because of messages sent by Galadriel to Elrond). King rides to Dunharrow by mountain roads. Aragorn (Legolas and Gimli) and Rangers go by open road. Aragorn reveals he has looked in Palantir, and seeks the Paths of the Dead. King arrives at Dunharrow dusk 2 days later (3) and finds Aragorn has gone on Paths of the Dead. Errand riders of Gondor come. Muster of Rohan takes place in Harrowdale (by Gandalf's orders) not Edoras, and King sets out next morning for Edoras.

46. Pippin on walls. Several days later when Host of Morghul is victorious. News comes through of flanking attacks on Lorien and by Harad in South. A great army has crossed into Wold of Rohan. They fear Rohirrim will not come. Dark grows but even so the Nazgul cause a greater darkness. Gandalf shines in the field. Pippin sees the light of him as he and Faramir rally men. But at last the enemy are at the gates, and the Nazgul fly over the city. Then just as gate is giving way they hear the horns of Rohan!

47. Go back to Merry. Charge of Rohan. Orcs and Black Riders driven from gate. Fall of Theoden wounded, but he is saved by a warrior of his household who falls on his body.

Merry sits by them. Sortie saves King who is gravely wounded.

Warrior found to be Eowyn. The Hosts of Morghul reform and drive them back to the gate. At that moment a wind rises, dark is rolled back. Black ships seen. Despair. Standard of Aragorn (and Elendil). Eomer's wrath. Morghul taken between 2 forces and defeated. Eomer and Aragorn meet.

48. Gandalf and Denethor learn of the defeat of the flank attacks by Shadow Host (4) and by Ents. They cross Anduin victorious and invest Minas Morghul. Gandalf and Aragorn come to Morannon and parley.

49. Return to Frodo and Sam.

At this point the overwriting in ink ceases - perhaps because my father saw that at this rate he was going to be very hard put to it to complete the story in 'Book Five and Last' (p. 219). In the pencilled underlying text he had had this programme for the last seven chapters: 48. Gandalf comes to the Black Gate.

49. Frodo and Sam come to Orodruin.

50........... and return.

51. Feast at Minas Tirith.

52. Funeral at Edoras.

53. Return to Rivendell. Meeting with Bilbo.

54. Sam's Book and the passing of all Tales.

It was perhaps immediately before he turned to the chapter 'Minas Tirith' again that my father set down a further and very precise outline, which follows here (the figures refer of course to the dates in the month of February).

Gandalf and Pippin ride to Minas Tirith (3/4, 415, arriving at sunrise on 6). Pass Fords of Isen and reach mouth of Deeping Coomb about 2 a.m. (4). Come at daybreak to Edoras. Gandalf remains there during daylight. 2[nd] Nazgul passes over Rohan (it left Mordor about midnight 314 but spies out plain and flies low over Edoras in early morn[ing]).(5) Gandalf rides again on night of 4/5 and passes into Anorien, where he lies hid in hills during daylight (5). Riding for third night (5/6) they see the beacons flare out, and are passed by messengers on swift horses speeding from Minas Tirith to Edoras. They reach the Pelennor Wall at first dawn, and after speech with guards pass through and sight Minas Tirith in the sunrise (6). They pass up through the 7 concentric walls and gates to the White Tower. Pippin sees white houses and domes on the slopes of the mountain above the city. Gandalf explains they are the 'houses of the kings' - i.e.

dead tombs. (Before the gate of the White Tower they see the ruin of the Tree, and Fountain?) They are admitted to the audience chamber, and see the throne. Denethor comes in, and does not sit in the throne, but on a smaller chair lower down and in front. Interview with Denethor and his grief at news of Boromir. They learn reason of beacons: a great fleet has been sighted coming from Umbar to mouths of Anduin. Also messages from spies etc. in Ithilien report that 'storm is about to burst'. Denethor is vexed that no aid has come from Rohan.

Gandalf explains the situation. Also warns Denethor that help may even now be delayed as almost certainly Rohan will be attacked on eastern flank north of Emyn Muil. He counsels Denethor to muster what he can at once. 'The muster has already begun,' said Denethor. (Forlong the Fat etc., but too few come from Lebennin owing to threat of sea-attack.) Pippin on the battlements has talk with a sentinel. He sees the moonrise on night of 6 (about 8.45 p.m.) and thinks of Frodo.(6) Aragorn takes Legolas and Gimli and Merry and proposes that what is left of the Company shall be reunited. He says his heart now urges him to speed, for the time of his own revealing approaches. They may have a hard and dangerous journey, for now the real business is beginning, beside which the battle of the Hornburg is but a skirmish by the way. They agree and Aragorn and his company leave Dolbaran ahead of the king at about midnight. Merry rides with Aragorn, and Gimli with Legolas.

They go fast and reach Westfold at daybreak (4) and [struck out at once: do not turn aside but go straight] see the 2nd Nazgul flying.

A great deal of the first part of this derives directly from earlier outlines, but by no means all (thus it is here that the great tombs of Minas Tirith are first mentioned, and it is here that Pippin's friend of the Citadel guard - Beregond in RK - first appears). The concluding portion of the outline, however, telling that Aragorn with Merry, Legolas and Gimli left together from Dol Baran ahead of the king about midnight, reaching Westfold at dawn of the following day and not so very many hours after Gandalf, is an odd and surprising development.(7) But it seems to have been abandoned at once, without further issue.

Taking up the opening chapter 'Minas Tirith' again, my father followed closely the abandoned opening (the text C in 'midget type') so far as it went, and the new text still differs from RK pp. 19 - 21 in the points mentioned on p. 233, except that the leader of the men at the Pelennor Wall is now Ingold, not Cranthir.(8) Written for most of its length rapidly but generally legibly in ink, the draft extends almost to the end of the chapter; and from the point in the story where C ended (in the conversation with the men repairing the wall), for which my father had only very sketchy notes, he advanced confidently through account of Minas Tirith seen across the 'townlands', the structure of the city, the entry of Gandalf and Pippin, the 'audience' with Denethor, and Pippin's meeting with Beregond (not yet nor for a long time so named). This draft underwent countless changes afterwards, yet from its first writing the story was present in all essentials of narrative structure, of atmosphere, and of tone. In what follows it can be assumed that every significant feature of description and conversation in the chapter was present in the draft unless something is said to the contrary. On the other hand I do not record all the small touches that were added in later: for example, Denethor does not in the draft text lay down his rod in order to lift the horn from his lap; Pippin is not said to receive back his sword and put it in its sheath; chairs are brought for Gandalf and Pippin, not a chair and a stool; the room in which they were lodged had only one window, not three; and so on.

As noted earlier, the text C stops just before Gandalf tells Cranthir/

Ingold that 'you are overlate in repairing the wall of the Pelennor'

{p. 233; RK p. 21), so that this name does not appear. In the new draft Gandalf, in his words with Ingold, speaks of the wall of Pelennor' -

but it appears immediately afterwards that this was the name of the wall itself:

Gandalf passed now into the wide space beyond the Pelennor.

So the men of Gondor called the wall that was built long ago after Ithilien fell into the hands of the Enemy.

The name appears also in several of the outlines that I have attributed to 1944 and given in the last chapter: 'Pelennor wall' (p. 260), 'the wall of Pelennor' (p. 263), 'the Outer Wall of Pelennor' (p. 263), but in the light of the present draft these are ambiguous; on the other hand, in outline IV (p. 260) occurs 'the Cityland, Pelennor, about which ruins of an old wall ran', which is not at all ambiguous. On the face of it, my father twice changed his mind about the meaning of this name; for in RK (p. 22) the wall is named Rammas Echor and the Pelennor is again the name of the 'fair and fertile townlands' of Minas Tirith (see pp. 287 - 8).