The Fellowship of the Ring Chapters 8 - 12
The Hobbits leave Tom and make to exit the forest through the eastern road, which forces them to cross the Barrow-downs, with several burial mounds. They are separated from one another in the Barrow-downs due to thick fog and are eventually captured by the Barrow-wights. Frodo awakens to find wights surrounding him and his unconscious friends, as all of them are lying supine on a large stone and each one of them is covered in the clothing of ancient times. Frodo sings the song that Tom Bombadil had taught him to use when he needed aid. Tom appears and he banishes the wights with song and instructs the hobbits to strip down from the clothes of dead people. He tells them to run naked in the grass and outfits them in their old clothes. He also gives them daggers from the mound that had been crafted in ancient times when people had fought the dark lord. He guides them to visit the Prancing Pony in Bree on their journey to Rivendell.
Bree is historically known as a place of encounters with people from all corners of Middle-Earth and is occupied by a mixture of hobbits and humans. The Hobbits make their way to the Inn of the Prancing Pony, where they regale a crowded common room with stories from the shire. There Frodo meets a Ranger of the north, Strider, a man with of impressive reputation amongst the people of the Inn. Frodo attempts to distract the crowd from the talkative Merry and Pippin, as he worries that they will mention “Bilbo” or “Baggins.” Unfortunately, Frodo falls off the table during his attempted dance and accidentally slips on the ring which causes him to disappear. Frodo quickly pretends to have crawled under a table but the crowd at the inn is perturbed, and a few suspicious characters leave the room in a hurry. Strider takes Frodo aside and warns him about the attention he is drawing to himself. He agrees to meet Frodo later onwards, while the innkeeper claims to have a message for Frodo.
Strider reveals his knowledge about Frodo’s ring and his present destination of Rivendell. He claims to have worked with Gandalf and promises to aid the Hobbits in getting to King Elrond. The hobbits are reluctant to trust the stranger with his harsh appearance, but Frodo senses goodness in him. The innkeeper soon brings a letter addressed to Frodo from Gandalf, which should have been sent to Frodo three months ago. In the letter, Gandalf tells Frodo of his delay in returning to Frodo and assures him about the character of Strider. He names him Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and writes a poem that describes him. Strider repeats the information for Frodo and his companions. He shows them the broken blade that he carries, and expresses the discomfort of being judged harshly for his appearance. Eventually, the Hobbits become convinced that the man is Aragorn and entrust their safety to him. They all forego sleeping in their rooms, as they hear rumors that the black riders have been sighted in Bree. They place cushions in their beds to create an illusion of presence, while they wait for the morning with Aragorn so that they can set out for Rivendell.
That night the black riders attack the guest room where the hobbits were supposed to be sleeping, and someone steals their ponies. The group purchases a malnourished pony from a suspicious character in Bree and makes for a hill called Weathertop, where they hope to gain an insight into Gandalf’s whereabouts. They cross the treacherous marshes with Aragon’s expert guidance and find a sign from Gandalf on the hilltop. The high hill allows them to see the black riders that have been on Frodo’s tail since the shire. They build a fire at Aragorn’s request, and he explains to them that the riders are blind in the sun and can be hurt by fire, but they are extremely powerful at night and are drawn to the power of the ring. They keep a watch for the riders, and Aragon tells them tales about an Elf and her human lover. The presence of the Ringwraiths proves too powerful for Frodo, who is compelled to don the ring, which causes him to see the true nature of the Ringwraiths, the kings of old who had possessed the rings of power and had faded to become the Ringwraiths. Frodo is stabbed by the leader of the Ringwraiths, and he falls unconscious.
He awakens surrounded by his companions and notices that his wound has been treated with herbs by Aragorn. The Ringwraiths stabbed him with a poisoned blade, and though the wound has healed, Frodo’s life remains in peril. He feels terrible about putting on the ring in the presence of the Ringwraiths. The company of travelers begins hastily make their way towards Rivendell in concern for Frodo’s health. They come across Glorfindel, a High Elf, who greets Aragorn warmly and warns them about the Ringwraiths that continue to tail the group. He worries that the black riders will catch up to them before they can reach the safety of Rivendell. He puts Frodo on his fast horse, with the hope of having him reach safety before the rest of the group. Understandably Frodo is reluctant to abandon his friends, but Glorfindel assures him that the Ringwraiths would choose to follow him rather than attack his friends. Frodo is chased by all of the Ringwraiths, whose spell nearly leads to Frodo’s capture but he crosses the river on the white steed. The waters of the river rise in waves to wash away the black riders that try to follow Frodo across the river. Frodo sees a flashing white image from across the shore before he falls unconscious.
Analysis
Before the closing action of Book 1, the readers are introduced to the character of Strider or Aragorn. As a Ranger, he wanders the northern regions of Middle-Earth to keep them safe from the influence of the enemy. Aragorn has a rough appearance, and the Hobbits find it difficult to trust him, just as he is deceived about the true characters of the Hobbits from their soft appearance. Both parties surprise each other as they come face to face with the creatures of Sauron. The Hobbits come to realize that Aragorn is a noble and brave man, who is well-versed in the ways of the wilderness. He also points out the limited understanding the Hobbits have of the Wizard Gandalf, who has only ever shown the Shire his skills with toys and fireworks. Like the Hobbits and Aragon, Gandalf’s appearance as a weak old wizard is challenged in this part of the book.
