#fog on the barrow-downs

[katajainen]

That view was somehow disquieting; so they turned from the sight and went down into the hollow circle. In the midst of it there stood a single stone, standing tall under the sun above, and at this hour casting no shadow. It was shapeless and yet significant: like a landmark, or a guarding finger, or more like a warning. But they were now hungry, and the sun was still at the fearless noon; so they set their backs against the east side of the stone. It was cool, as if the sun had had no power to warm it; but at that time this seemed pleasant.

at that time this seemed pleasant -- and though I can hear the unsaid 'but' at the end of the sentence, there's no real need for it; the setting is quietly ominous enough on its own.

#lotr #lotr newsletter #fog on the barrow-downs

[greeneyedsigma]

Tom Bombadil: Hey, idiots, here’s how you get passed the barrow-downs without getting caught

The Hobbits: *Basically immediately get caught in the Barrow-Downs*

Tom Bombadil: These motherfuckers

#lord of the rings #the fellowship of the ring #tom bombadil #lord of the rings incorrect quotes #barrow-downs #fog on the barrow-downs #frodo baggins #samwise gamgee #peregrine took #meriadoc brandybuck #Frodo #sam #pippin #merry

[almostlookedhuman]

#universes beyond #mtg #lotr #fog on the barrow-downs #arda #gorlei

[ebaeschnbliah]

Tom went back into the barrow again, and there was a sound of much thumping and stamping. When he came out he was bearing in his arms a great load of treasure: things of gold, silver, copper, and bronze; many beads and chains and jewelled ornaments. He climbed the green barrow and laid them all on top in the sunshine.

.......

For each of the hobbits he chose a dagger ...

... long, leaf-shaped, and keen, of marvellous workmanship, damasked with serpent-forms in red and gold. They gleamed as he drew them from their black sheaths, wrought of some strange metal, light and strong, and set with many fiery stones. Whether by some virtue in these sheaths or because of the spell that lay on the mound, the blades seemed untouched by time, unrusted, sharp, glittering in the sun.

'Old knives are long enough as swords for hobbit-people,' he said. 'Sharp blades are good to have, if Shire-folk go walking, east, south, or far away into dark and danger.' Then he told them that these blades were forged many long years ago by Men of Westernesse: they were foes of the Dark Lord, but they were overcome by the evil king of Carn Dûm in the Land of Angmar.

'Few now remember them,' Tom murmured, 'yet still some go wandering, sons of forgotten kings walking in loneliness, guarding from evil things folk that are heedless.'

The hobbits did not understand his words, but as he spoke they had a vision as it were of a great expanse of years behind them, like a vast shadowy plain over which there strode shapes of Men, tall and grim with bright swords, and last came one with a star on his brow. Then the vision faded, and they were back in the sunlit world. It was time to start again. They made ready, packing their bags and lading their ponies. Their new weapons they hung on their leather belts under their jackets, feeling them very awkward, and wondering if they would be of any use. Fighting had not before occurred to any of them as one of the adventures in which their flight would land them.

JRR Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Fog on the Barrow Downs

#the lord of the rings #the fellowship of the ring #fog on the barrow-downs #jrr tolkien #tom bombadil #frodo #sam #merry #pippin #movie pics #peter jackson

[theworldsoftolkein]

Talking with Tom Bombadil by Breath Art

#tom bombadil #goldberry #the fellowship of the rings #maiar #valar #barrow wight #fog on the barrow downs #gandalf

[mellpenscorner]

Spotify LotR audiobook thoughts 2/?

The sheer absurdity of Tom Bombadil’s whole character never quite struck me until listening to it on audiobook.

*pitch meeting voice*

“So then they meet this guy named TOM BOMBADIL”

“Oh yeah? What’s his deal?”

“Oh he’s fricken NUTS sir! He sings nonsense and shows up just in time to keep Merry and Pippin from getting eaten by the evil sentient tree. Then he invites the Hobbits to his house and they find out that he’s an ageless being who isn’t affected by the Ring at ALL!”

“Oh wowwowwowwow. Wow. So do they ask him to join their quest? I mean, he must turn into a pretty important character if he can control the Ring.”

“Oh no, they leave him after two chapters and never talk to him again.”

“... What?”

#spotify lotr audiobook thoughts #lord of the rings #fellowship of the ring #the old forest #in the house of tom bombadil #fog on the barrow downs #convoswithmoystarushka #spotify lotr audiobook #textpostsbymellpen #pitch meeting

[fardell24b]

15th November 2023 Writings

Excerpt from: Fog on the Barrow Downs

Riding over the hills, and eating their fill, the warm sun and the scent of turf, lying a little too long, stretching out their legs and looking at the sky above their noses: these things are perhaps, enough to explain what happened. For they had unexpectedly fallen asleep.

While the Hobbits were sleeping, Goldberry was worrying. For she knew that something would happen. She voiced her concerns to her husband.

“What, Goldberry? Worry not. For if young hobbits meet a wright, Old Tom’s rhyme they will remember. I know what to sing to eliminate wicked wright.”

Words: 96

Excerpt from: Spider Quinn

After the meeting ended, Sandi made herself scarce.

Helen saw her going out. “You weren’t here long, Sandi,” she said.

“Quinn doesn’t need me,” she said in a montone before heading out the door.

“Sandi! Wait!” Helen said.

It was only a couple of minutes before Daria left on her way to Jane’s.

“Where are you going?” Helen asked.

“Just a walk, and to think about things,” Daria said, guardedly.

‘Of course,’ Helen thought. “But at night?”

“This area of Lawndale is still safe,” Daria said before heading out the door.

‘Of course it is,’ Helen thought.

Quinn saw Daria leaving. ‘What is she up to. She has been acting weirdly today.’ She looked to Stacy and Tiffany, who were still there. ‘They can stay here while I check,’ she thought.

“Quinn?” Stacy asked.

‘She could be one I could confide in, maybe,’ she thought. “Um, I need to check on something on the street,” she dissembled.

“You’re following Daria?” Stacy asked.

“Um, yeah,” Quinn said. “Could you run interference with Mom?”

“Sure, but how are you going to get out without her knowing?”

“There is a way,” Quinn answered enigmatically. She then went to the window at the end of the hall and opened it. She showed Stacy a trellis which had ivy on it, which reached up to the window.

“You have been climbing down that?” Stacy asked.

“Yes,” Quinn answered as she started going through the window.

“Right…” Stacy said.

Stacy watched Quinn climb down, then went back to Quinn’s room.

“Where’s Quinn?” Tiffany asked.

“She’s doing something,” Stacy answered.

Quinn disappeared into the bushes on the right side of the house and waited until Stacy had gone back to her room before going to the shed, where she had stored one of the spare SpiderGirl costumes.

Soon, she was webslinging after Daria, in the direction of Howard Drive.

As Daria approached Casa Lane, she heard a rustle in the bushes at the end of the street. “Come on now. Aliens don't hide in the bushes. It's probably just a stalker. Yes, a stalker out to plant a teen in a shallow grave. Perfectly normal. I feel much better now.”

Brittany Taylor knew Daria was up to something, which was why she was following her. She wasn’t sure why Kevin had to come along, his amorous attentions wasn’t something she needed at just that moment.

Words: 398

Total: 494

#brittany taylor #daria #daria morgendorffer #fanfic #fog on the barrow downs #goldberry #helen morgendorffer #lotr #november writings #quinn morgendorffer #sandi griffin #spider-man #stacy rowe #the fellowship of the ring #the lawndale file #the lord of the rings #tom bombadil

[middleearth-polls]

#middle-earth #middleearth polls #tolkien #lotr #tumblr polls #the silmarillion #the lord of the rings #category: location #category: pick something

[oldshrewsburyian]

I think that my most profound observation about my LOTR reread so far is that it is, at its core, about community, and about how we are not meant to do even the things we are uniquely called to do alone.

...my least profound observation is that "In the House of Tom Bombadil" and "Fog on the Barrow-Downs" are the chapters where Tolkien is just vibing with Old English literature.

#lotr lent #the fellowship of the ring #i have so many emotions #...i have also had two gins because it is not lent yet

[fistfuloflightning]

Cold be hand and heart and bone and cold be sleep under stone: never more to wake on stony bed, never, till the Sun fails and the Moon is dead.

—Fog on the Barrow-Downs

Another challenging prompt, this time from @for-the-writing-artist! (some inspo came from the Niki Sanders Theme, just the right amount of creepy)

#lotr #art prompt #barrow wights #frodo baggins #tolkien art #my art #I think allowing me to read master snickup’s cloak when I was a small child was not the best idea my parents had lol #something about a “children’s” book abt the black plague kinda leaves a lasting impression #I was imagining brian froud’s freakish skeletons when I read lotr for the first time and this scene in particular

[emyn-arnens]

It’s spooky season! In honor of the season, I’ve put together a rec list of some of my favorite LOTR and Silm horror fics. So curl up with a warm drink, tuck in…and maybe leave the lights on. 😉 Please leave a kudos and comment if you enjoy!

A Hidden Hunt in Hollow Dells by Zdenka (T, Petty-dwarves, 100 words):

The Dwarves of the great cities tell tales of the Elvenfolk to frighten their children, but the Petty-Dwarves know the tales are true.

A Treatise on the Origin of Dragons by Piyo13 (T, Sauron, 2.9k):

"A Treatise on the Origin of Dragons, recorded by Mairon" In which Mairon conducts a scientific experiment, and Orcs aren't the only form of corrupted Elf to have ever graced Middle Earth.

autumn fruits with me prevail by Anonymous (T, Thranduil, ~200 words):

On his head he wore a crown of berries and red leaves, for the autumn was come again.

cold be sleep under stone by Feanoriel (NR, Ar-Pharazôn, ~600 words, character death):

Under the barrow, a dead man dreams.

consuming by simaetha (T, Khamûl & Sauron, 1k):

...For one of the hungry Houseless, if it is admitted to the friendship of the Living, may seek to eject the fëa from its body; and in the contest for mastery the body may be gravely injured, even if it be not wrested from its rightful inhabitant. Or the Houseless may plead for shelter, and if it is admitted, then it will seek to enslave its host and use both his will and his body for its own purposes. It is said that Sauron did these things, and taught his followers how to achieve them. - Laws and Customs Among the Eldar

Heed No Nightly Noises by Marta (M, 4.7k, Pippin, Merry, Barrow-wights, Lalia Took, and OMC, minor character death):

"The hobbits sprang to their feet in alarm, and ran to the western rim. They found that they were upon an island in the fog. Even as they looked out in dismay towards the setting sun, it sank before their eyes into a white sea, and a cold grey shadow sprang up in the East behind. The fog rolled up to the walls and rose above them, and as it mounted it bent over their heads until it became a roof: they were shut in a hall of mist whose central pillar was the standing stone. "They felt as if a trap was closing about them; but they did not quite lose heart. " (from The Lord of the Rings, "Fog on the Barrow-Downs")

lengthen the night and shorten the day by kimaracretak (G, Lalaith, ~100 words, character death):

Death cannot take Lalaith from the river.

nights so frozen by simaetha (G, Varda, Lúthien, and OCs, ~900 words):

Varda: Star-Queen, Kindler, Sublime, Ever-white. Every angel is terrifying. - Rilke

Nine Fingers by Prackspoor (G, Frodo & Sam & Merry & Pippin, 6.3k):

On their way home from Minas Tirith, the Hobbits have a strange encounter on the outskirts of the Barrow-downs...

only the sleep eternal / in an eternal night by simaetha (T, Shelob, ~700 words):

“The world is a terrible place,” you tell the small creature, kindly. 

The Snaring of Gorlim by Zdenka (T, Gorlim/Eilinel, 1.4k, character death):

Gorlim searches for Eilinel.

This Will I Do by amyfortuna (NR, Míriel Þerindë & Ungoliant, ~800 words, character death):

Míriel makes a deal with Ungoliant, and she'll see it through, no matter the sacrifice.

Too Bright for Mortal Lands by amyfortuna (T, Beren/Lúthien, Díor/Nimloth, 1k, character death):

"...The wise have said that the Silmaril hastened their end; for the flame of the beauty of Lúthien as she wore it was too bright for mortal lands."

Watcher Of/In the Woods by ncfan (T, Andreth, 2.4k):

"Outside, the world was changing." Andreth, in the time following the Dagor Bragollach.

With Both Hands by crackinthecup (T, Morgoth & Ungoliant, 1.5k):

“This is my domain, Dark One,” Ungoliant said, and her body was revealed in the light of Melkor’s gaze, dark and heavy and sagging, splayed across her webs like a hole through the fabric of the world. She dwarfed Melkor by her sheer size. “Our ties were broken long ago. You promised that I would feed to my heart’s content and beyond, yet I was hungry then, and I am hungry still. Begone! I owe you nothing.” It is said in the Silmarillion that Melkor went to Avathar to seek out Ungoliant and plot his revenge with her. This is the story of their meeting.

#the fics are predominantly psychological horror with some body horror #there's nothing terribly gore-y if that's a concern #silmarillion #lotr #rec list #fic recs #the silmarillion #.txt

[buggreawlthys]

"As Frodo left the barrow for the last time he thought he saw a severed hand wriggling still, like a wounded spider, in a heap of fallen earth. Tom went back in again, and there was a sound of much thumping and stamping."

Fog on the Barrow-Downs is a spooky chapter

#lotr newsletter #tom bombadil #barrow wight #lotr fanart

[warrioreowynofrohan]

Favourite Chapter of LOTR - Part 1 of 8

Previous polls had:

“Of the Flight of the Noldor” as the favourite chapter of The Silmarillion, followed by “Of Beren and Lúthien”

“The History of Galadriel and Celeborn” as the favourite chapter of Unfinished Tales, followed by “Of Tuor and his Coming to Gondolin”

Morgoth’s Ring as the favourite book of The History of Middle-earth, followed by The Lays of Beleriand and The Peoples of Middle-earth

So now let’s find the most popular chapter of The Lord of the Rings! I’m planning on one poll for each of the six segments, one for appendices/supplementary material, and one final.

#tolkien #the lord of the rings #tumblr polls #frodo baggins #sam gamgee #pippin took #merry brandybuck #aragorn #tom bombadil #tolkien polls

[velvet4510]

#lotr #jrr tolkien #lotr books #lord of the rings #the fellowship of the ring #chapters #lotr poll #book one #three is company #hobbits #tom bombadil #strider #aragorn #witch king of angmar #morgul blade #the prancing pony #lotr fotr

[cornerful]

Fog on the Barrow Downs: also known as, The Hobbits Take Victorian Graveyard Picnicking a Little Further Than is Wise

#local guys have a sleepover in a haunted zombie crypt #you won't believe what happens next #lotr newsletter #lotr #fotr #lotrn928

[invisiblewashboard]

Small Child's Thoughts on "Fog on the Barrow-Downs" Part 2

We are finally feeling well enough to begin reading again! Hand foot and mouth is brutal when you get it as an adult, by the way. I am so freaking tired. Anyways! On with the chapter!

Um, being naked outside is not okay.

Hobbits really like eating food. So do I.

Wait, wait, wait. The hobbits did not take any weapons at all with them when they left? That seems like it was very unwise. (Well, Small Child, hobbits aren’t warriors or fighters.) Mama, Frodo chopped off a Barrow-wight’s hand. He is a fighter now. Sam set a tree on fire. That is fighting too. I think you’re just wrong about hobbits.

You act like the Black Riders are the scariest bad guys, but I was way more scared of the Barrow-wights.

I just don’t know why Frodo is using a pretend name. 

Baggins is a cooler name than Underhill.

#Small Child's Thoughts #lord of the rings #lotr #fellowship of the ring #read aloud #first read through #we had a very long talk after this chapter #about weapons #and what it means to be a fighter #and what you should do to be prepared #wasn't anticipating that #but it was a good talk