Book 4

The following passages have been ‘tagged’ based on the following categories:

• GARMENTS, JEWELRY, ARTIFACTS (such as common tools, tableware, containers, belts, pouches, &c.), LIGHTING, FURNITURE, Warfare-related (WEAPONS, ARMOR, TACTICS, other MILITARY matters—troop strength &c.), FOOD (cooked) & DRINK, ARCHITECTURE, ECONOMICS &LIVELIHOODS (including LIVESTOCK), FLORA (including herbs & foraged foods), FAUNA (including non-working animals), MATERIALS (fabrics, metals, & wood—including TREES), CULTURAL/SOCIAL, TRAVEL & TRANSPORTATION, PHYSICAL descriptions

The Lord of the Rings, Book IV The Ring Goes East, Chapter 1: The Taming of Smeagol:

“The cleft was longer and deeper than it seemed. Some way down they found a few gnarled and stunted trees, the first they had seen for days: twisted birch for the most part, with here and there a fir-tree. Many were dead and gaunt, bitten to the core by the eastern winds.” TREES; RHOVANION; EMYN MUIL; 3A

“[Frodo] strapped his belt outside his cloak and tightened it, and settled his light pack on his shoulders…” ARTIFACTS; GARMENTS; SHIRE; HOBBITS; 3A

“Sam did not laugh. `I may not be much good at climbing, Mr. Frodo,' he said in injured tones, `but I do know something about rope and about knots. It's in the family, as you might say. Why, my grand-dad, and my uncle Andy after him, him that was the Gaffer's eldest brother he had a rope-walk over by Tighfield many a year.” ECON; SHIRE; HOBBITS; 3A

The Lord of the Rings, Book IV The Ring Goes East, Chapter 3: The Black Gate is Closed:

“…consider Gollum, a tiny figure sprawling on the ground: there perhaps lay the famished skeleton of some child of Men, its ragged garment still clinging to it, its long arms and legs almost bone-white and bone-thin: no flesh worth a peck.” GARMENTS; HOBBITS; 3A

“'More Men going to Mordor,' he said in a low voice. `Dark faces. We have not seen Men like these before, no, Smeagol has not. They are fierce. They have black eyes, and long black hair, and gold rings in their ears; yes, lots of beautiful gold. And some have red paint on their cheeks, and red cloaks; and their flags are red, and the tips of their spears; and they have round shields, yellow and black with big spikes. Not nice; very cruel wicked Men they look. Almost as bad as Orcs, and much bigger. Smeagol thinks they have come out of the South beyond the Great River's end: they came up that road.” GARMENTS; ARTIFACTS; WEAPONS; ARMOR; PHYSICAL; HARAD; MEN; 3A

“Beyond it were slopes covered with sombre trees like dark clouds. but all about them lay a tumbled heathland, grown with ling and broom and cornel, and other shrubs that they did not know. Here and there they saw knots of tall pine-trees. The hearts of the hobbits rose again a little in spite of weariness: the air was fresh and fragrant, and it reminded them of the uplands of the Northfarthing far away…The day passed uneasily. They lay deep in the heather and counted out the slow hours…” FLORA; TREES; GONDOR; ITHILIEN; 3A Northern Ithilien flora. Ling is heather; broom could possibly used for yellow dye; cornel is a southern European dogwood, excellent for bows, spears, tools &c.

The Lord of the Rings, Book IV The Ring Goes East, Chapter 4: Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit:

“The road had been made in a long lost time: and for perhaps thirty miles below the Morannon it had been newly repaired, but as it went south the wild encroached upon it. The handiwork of Men of old could still be seen in its straight sure flight and level course: now and again it cut its way through hillside slopes, or leaped over a stream upon a wide shapely arch of enduring masonry; but at last all signs of stonework faded, save for a broken pillar here and there, peering out of bushes at the side, or old paving-stones still lurking amid weeds and moss. Heather and trees and bracken scrambled down and overhung the banks, or sprawled out over the surface. It dwindled at last to a country cart-road little used; but it did not wind: it held on its own sure course and guided them by the swiftest way.” TRAVEL; GONDOR; ITHILIEN; 2A; 3A

“All about them were small woods of resinous trees, fir and cedar and cypress, and other kinds unknown in the Shire, with wide glades among them; and everywhere there was a wealth of sweet-smelling herbs and shrubs. The long journey from Rivendell had brought them far south of their own land, but not until now in this more sheltered region had the hobbits felt the change of clime. Here Spring was already busy about them: fronds pierced moss and mould, larches were green-fingered, small flowers were opening in the turf, birds were singing.” TREES; GONDOR; ITHILIEN; 3A

“Ithilien, the garden of Gondor: … South and west it looked towards the warm lower vales of Anduin, shielded from the east by the Ephel Duath and yet not under the mountain-shadow, protected from the north by the Emyn Muil, open to the southern airs and the moist winds from the Sea far away. Many great trees grew there, planted long ago, falling into untended age amid a riot of careless descendants; and groves and thickets there were of tamarisk and pungent terebinth, of olive and of bay; and there were junipers and myrtles; and thymes that grew in bushes, or with their woody creeping stems mantled in deep tapestries the hidden stones; sages of many kinds putting forth blue flowers, or red, or pale green; and marjorams and new-sprouting parsleys, and many herbs of forms and scents beyond the garden-lore of Sam. The grots and rocky walls were already starred with saxifrages and stonecrops. Primeroles and anemones were awake in the filbert-brakes; and asphodel and many lily-flowers nodded their half-opened heads in the grass: deep green grass beside the pools, where falling streams halted in cool hollows on their journey down to Anduin.” TREES; FLORA; MATERIALS; GONDOR; ITHILIEN; 3A *terebinth is a historical source of turpentine. Based on this passage, a Mediterranean climate seems quite clear for Ithilien.

“All hobbits, of course, can cook, for they begin to learn the art before their letters (which many never reach): but Sam was a good cook, even by hobbit reckoning, and he had done a good deal of the camp-cooking on their travels, when there was a chance. He still hopefully carried some of his gear in his pack: a small tinder box, two small shallow pans, the smaller fitting into the larger; inside them a wooden spoon, a short two-pronged fork, and some skewers were stowed; and hidden at the bottom of the pack in a flat wooden box a dwindling treasure, some salt." “He thought for a bit, while he took out his knife, cleaned and whetted it, and began to dress the rabbits.” ARTIFACTS; CULTURAL; TRAVEL; FOOD; SHIRE; HOBBITS; 3A

“‘And I'd make him look for turnips and carrots, and taters too, if it was the time o' the year. I'll bet there's all sorts of good things running wild in this country. I'd give a lot for half a dozen taters.'” FOOD; SHIRE; HOBBITS; 3A

“…if you turn over a new leaf, and keep it turned, I'll cook you some taters one of these days. I will: fried fish and chips served by S. Gamgee. You couldn't say no to that.'” FOOD; SHIRE; HOBBITS; 3A

“‘Though it ain't quite what I'd call right: no stock, no onions, no taters. I've got a bit of a stew for you, and some broth, Mr. Frodo. Do you good. You'll have to sup it in your mug; or straight from the pan, when it's cooled a bit. I haven't brought no bowls, nor nothing proper.'” FOOD; ARTIFACTS; TRAVEL; SHIRE; HOBBITS; 3A

“The two hobbits trussed their small packs, put them on ready for flight, and then crawled deeper into the fern.” ARTIFACTS; TRAVEL; SHIRE; HOBBITS; 3A

"If they were astonished at what they saw, their captors were even more astonished. Four tall Men stood there. Two had spears in their hands with broad bright heads. Two had great bows, almost of their own height, and great quivers of long green-feathered arrows. All had swords at their sides, and were clad in green and brown of varied hues, as if the better to walk unseen in the glades of Ithilien. Green gauntlets covered their hands, and their faces were hooded and masked with green, except for their eyes, which were very keen and bright." WEAPONS; GARMENTS; GONDOR; ITHILIEN; MEN; 3A

"[The Southron] came to rest in the fern a few feet away, face downward, green arrow-feathers sticking from his neck below a golden collar. His scarlet robes were tattered, his corslet of overlapping brazen plates was rent and hewn, his black plaits of hair braided with gold were drenched with blood. His brown hand still clutched the hilt of a broken sword." MATERIALS; ARMOR; GARMENTS; WEAPONS; HARAD; MEN; 3A

The Lord of the Rings, Book IV The Ring Goes East, Chapter 5: The Window on the West:

“…Faramir had come back. He had brought many men with him; indeed all the survivors of the foray were now gathered on the slope nearby, two or three hundred strong. They sat in a wide semicircle, between the arms of which Faramir was seated on the ground, while Frodo stood before him.” MILITARY; GONDOR; MEN; 3A

“This brooch is of the same workmanship.' He touched the green and silver leaf that fastened his cloak beneath his throat.” JEWELRY; ARTIFACTS; LOTHLORIEN; ELVES; 3A

“The hobbits were taken to a corner and given a low bed to lie on, if they wished. Meanwhile men busied themselves about the cave, quietly and in orderly quickness. Light tables were taken from the walls and set up on trestles and laden with gear. This was plain and unadorned for the most part, but all well and fairly made: round platters, bowls and dishes of glazed brown clay or turned box-wood, smooth and clean. Here and there was a cup or basin of polished bronze; and a goblet of plain silver was set by the Captain's seat in the middle of the inmost table.” FURNITURE; ARTIFACTS; MATERIALS; TREES; GONDOR; MEN; 3A

“Men were fetching water from the fall. Some were laving their hands in basins. A wide copper bowl and a white cloth were brought to Faramir and he washed. `Wake our guests,' he said, `and take them water. It is time to eat.' Frodo sat up and yawned and stretched. Sam, not used to being waited on, looked with some surprise at the tall man who bowed, holding a basin of water before him. 'Put it on the ground, master, if you please! ' he said. 'Easier for me and you.' Then to the astonishment and amusement of the Men he plunged his head into the cold water and splashed his neck and ears. ‘Is it the custom in your land to wash the head before supper?’ said the man who waited on the hobbits. `No, before breakfast,' said Sam. `But if you're short of sleep cold water on the neck's like rain on a wilted lettuce. There! Now I can keep awake long enough to eat a bit.' They were led then to seats beside Faramir: barrels covered with pelts and high enough above the benches of the Men for their convenience. Before they ate, Faramir and all his men turned and faced west in a moment of silence. Faramir signed to Frodo and Sam that they should do likewise. 'So we always do.' he said, as they sat down: `we look towards Numenor that was, and beyond to Elvenhome that is, and to that which is beyond Elvenhome and will ever be. Have you no such custom at meat? ' `No,' said Frodo, feeling strangely rustic and untutored. `But if we are guests, we bow to our host, and after we have eaten we rise and thank him.' 'That we do also,' said Faramir.” CULTURAL; FOOD; MATERIALS; ARTIFACTS; GONDOR; SHIRE; MEN; HOBBITS; 3A

“…the evening meal seemed a feast to the hobbits: to drink pale yellow wine, cool and fragrant, and eat bread and butter, and salted meats, and dried fruits, and good red cheese, with clean hands and clean knives and plates. …When all was done Faramir led them to a recess at the back of the cave, partly screened by curtains; and a chair and two stools were brought there. A little earthenware lamp burned in a niche.” FOOD; DRINK; MATERIALS; LIGHTING; FURNITURE; GONDOR; 3A

The Lord of the Rings, Book IV The Ring Goes East, Chapter 6: The Forbidden Pool:

“At that moment the great black shape of Anborn loomed up behind him and came down on him. A large strong hand took him in the nape of the neck and pinned him. He twisted round like lightning, all wet and slimy as he was, wriggling like an eel, biting and scratching like a cat. But two more men came up out of the shadows. 'Hold still! ' said one. `Or we'll stick you as full of pins as a hedgehog. Hold still!'” FAUNA; GONDOR; 3A

"Faramir took a small nail-knife from his belt and handed it to Frodo. Gollum, misunderstanding the gesture, squealed and fell down." ARTIFACTS; GONDOR; MEN; 3A

Tolkien’s second and only other mention of a ‘nail-knife’ also takes place in Ithilien: “[Saelon] was humming softly, while he trimmed a whistle of green willow with a sharp nail-knife.” (The History of Middle-Earth, Volume 12, Part Four Unfinished Tales, Chapter XVI The New Shadow) ARTIFACTS; TREES; GONDOR; MEN; 4A

The Lord of the Rings, Book IV The Ring Goes East, Chapter 7: Journey to the Cross-roads:

“The hobbits' packs were brought to them (a little heavier than they had been), and also two stout staves of polished wood, shod with iron, and with carven heads through which ran plaited leathern thongs. 'I have no fitting gifts to give you at our parting,' said Faramir; `but take these staves. They may be of service to those who walk or climb in the wild. The men of the White Mountains use them; though these have been cut down to your height and newly shod. They are made of the fair tree lebethron, beloved of the woodwrights of Gondor, and a virtue has been set upon them of finding and returning. May that virtue not wholly fail under the Shadow into which you go!'” ARTIFACTS; TRAVEL; TREES; MATERIALS; GONDOR; MEN; 3A

“[Faramir] embraced the hobbits then, after the manner of his people, stooping, and placing his hands upon their shoulders, and kissing their foreheads. 'Go with the good will of all good men!’” CULTURAL; GONDOR; MEN; 3A

“As the third stage of their day's march drew on and afternoon waned, the forest opened out, and the trees became larger and more scattered. Great ilexes of huge girth stood dark and solemn in wide glades with here and there among them hoary ash-trees. and giant oaks just putting out their brown-green buds. … after some debate they all climbed up into the crotch of a large holm-oak*, whose thick branches springing together from the trunk made a good hiding-place and a fairly comfortable refuge. TREES; GONDOR; ITHILIEN; 3A *Quercus ilex—Evergreen oak native to Mediterranean region.

“Twice that day they rested and took a little of the food provided by Faramir: dried fruits and salted meat, enough for many days; and bread enough to last while it was still fresh.” FOOD; GONDOR; 3A

The Lord of the Rings, Book IV The Ring Goes East, Chapter 9: Shelob’s Lair: “The blue-gleaming blade shore through them like a scythe through grass, and they leaped and writhed and then hung loose. A great rent was made.” ARTIFACTS; SHIRE; HOBBITS; 3A