AUTHOR'S NOTES -


CHAPTER 27: NEW BEGINNINGS
It seemed to him as though he was looking out over the wake of the ship widening over the uninterrupted waters, while at the same time seeing the seas of the world he knew falling away beneath him.
The Silmarillion, Akallabêth: “Therefore the loremasters of Men said that a Straight Road must still be, for those who were permitted to find it. And they taught that, while the new world fell away, the old road and the path of the memory of the West still went on, as it were a mighty bridge invisible that passed through the air of breath and of flight (which were bent now as the world was bent),... until it came to Tol Eressëa, the Lonely Isle... And tales and rumours arose along the shores of the sea concerning mariners and men forlorn upon the water who, by some fate or grace or favour of the Valar, had entered in upon the Straight Way and seen the face of the world sink below them, and so had come to the lamplit quays of Avallónë...”

‘Do not judge before all is over,’ said Gandalf gently.
The Two Towers, Helm’s Deep: “‘Do not judge the counsel of Gandalf, until all is over, lord,’ said Aragorn.”

‘I am hopeful, but it will be a long, slow road. He has only told me part of his griefs and troubles. There are locked doors in his mind, and dark rooms behind. He must open them of his own free will, and yet he shies away from them.
The Two Towers, The Forbidden Pool: “Slowly Gollum raised his eyes and and looked unwillingly into Faramir’s… ‘There are locked doors and closed windows in your mind, and dark rooms behind them,’ said Faramir.”

While not for a moment meaning to imply that Frodo’s dark rooms hold such dark secrets as Gollum's, I do feel that many of his problems arose because he denied them, and did not speak of them. Frodo and denial

‘Yes, it is bitter. Is it not strange that Elves should envy Man the gift of Ilúvatar, and yet mourn when one of our kind is granted mortality.’
See notes to chapter 26 - link below.

There was a roundness to his surroundings that suggested the Shire - small round window in curving wall - but the richly carved beam above him suggested Rivendell.
The Fellowship of the Ring, Many Meetings: “Frodo woke and found himself lying in a bed. At first he thought he had slept late, after a long unpleasant dream that still hovered on the edge of memory. Or perhaps he had been ill? But the ceiling looked strange; it was flat , and it had dark beams, richly carved.”

In the days that followed, Frodo gradually ate more, but only lembas. He found he could satisfy Gandalf without having to swallow much food, and the Elven wafers met his body’s needs. As before, the waybread strengthened his mind.
The Return of the King, Mount Doom: “And yet this waybread of the Elves had a potency that increased as travellers relied on it alone and did not mingle it with other foods. It fed the will, and it gave strength to endure...”

‘My name is Aerandir. How do you like my ship?’
I spent some time making up a credible name for the captain, only to find it existed already. Meaning ‘sea-wanderer’, the original Aerandir was one of the three mariners who accompanied Eärendil on his voyages.

‘Now, watch,’ said Aerandir. Elves ran to loosen off the ropes holding the sails taut, and the prow swung round. As she came round, two elves hauled on a rope to bring the large board up, while the rest ran to sheet in the sails and secure them on the opposite side. It reminded Frodo of a well rehearsed dance. The board that had been raised was lowered, and the ship picked up speed again.
Lee boards are a common feature on Dutch boats.

I have examples of all the different knots and splices we use, as well, if you are interested.’ Frodo nodded, but the sunlight dimmed around him as he saw Sam sitting cross-legged, showing him how to tie a variety of knots. It’s in the family, as you might say.
The Fellowship of the Ring, Farewell to Lórien: “‘You don’t need to tell me that!’ said Sam. ‘I came without any, and I’ve been worried ever since. But I was wondering what these were made out of, knowing a bit about rope-making: it’s in the family as you might say.’”
The Two Towers, The Taming of Sméagol: “‘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...’”

Suddenly, the bright light flared out in brilliant radiance, and there was Galadriel walking towards him across the woods and fields and little rivers of the Shire.
The Fellowship of the Ring, A Long-expected Party: “‘I want to see the wild country again before I die, and the Mountains; but he is still in love with the Shire, with the woods, and fields, and little rivers.’”


Galadriel smiled at him. ‘The robin represents sacrifice and rebirth of the spirit,’ she said quietly. ‘Did you know? He leads us into new beginnings without fear and restores faith within our hearts... It speaks of letting go of the old life and welcoming the new.’
I introduced the robin into the story, initially as background detail to make the garden come more alive, but he kept reappearing, firstly as a symbol of Frodo’s decline and fragility, and then in the little carving that Sam made for Frodo. Shadow, as one of my betas, asked me what the significance of the robin was. My initial reaction was that there was no significance, but then I saw Sam smirking, so I hastily did a Google search on spirit guides. This is what I found:

The robin redbreast is a bird of Spring, a time of new growth and new beginnings. It flies into our lives on the winds of change asking us to weed our personal gardens and plant new seeds for our future. Rebirth and renewal require changes in all areas of life that have become stagnant and outdated.The robin redbreast teaches us how to make these changes with joy in our hearts. Its song is a happy one reminding us to let go of our personal drama and learn to laugh with life.

If this medicine is underdeveloped those with this totem are continually challenged by the prospects of change. Difficulties arise and emotional discord can surface. Learning how to release our attachments to the old is one of the life lessons the redbreast helps us master.

This bird packs a powerful punch. It holds strong significance in ancient myth and lore. One legend had its origins in European mythology, in which the bird of Spring was associated with the New Year and represented divine sacrifice and the rebirth of the spirit...The robin redbreast is a bird of divine service. Those with this totem often have past life ties to the Christ energy. They make excellent priests and missionaries. The red coloring of the robins chest is linked to the kundalini in man. This life force lives coiled up within the base of the spine. When sufficient spiritual growth has been attained it uncoils, rising up the spine to create heightened awareness. This process enhances psychic vision which leads us into enlightenment.

Those with this medicine are dedicated spiritual seekers. Growth can be slow and arduous. With patience, compassion and proper focus spiritual ideals are achieved. Robins lay powder blue eggs. This is the color associated with the throat chakra in man. It is also linked to heavenly inspiration. Because the throat chakra's main function is to express the will of God and the egg is symbolic of new life, this helpful little totem teaches us how to assert the creative will of God in all we do. It leads us into new beginnings without fear by restoring faith within our hearts.

Reading it gave me goose bumps. How appropriate is that? It was one of several points in the story when I wondered if I had any control at all, or if I was just along for the ride.

‘No, no!’ said Gandalf. ‘If the Lord Manwë had wished to stop us, we would have had a great storm raised against us, that is if the Lord Ulmo had allowed us to find the Straight Path at all. Say rather that my lord wished us to take our time - and now he wishes us all speed. Even the smallest amongst us is in his care.’
The Silmarillion, Valaquenta: “...but Manwë is dearest to Ilúvatar and understands most clearly his purpose. He was appointed to be, in the fullness of time, the first of all Kings: lord of the realm of Arda and ruler of all who dwell therein. In Arda his delights is in the winds and the clouds, and in all the regions of the air, from the heights to the depths, from the utmost borders of the Veil of Arda to the breeze that blows in the grass....

Ulmo is the Lord of Waters. He is alone. He dwells nowhere long, but moves as he will in all the deep waters about the earth or under the earth. He is next in might to Manwë...”

He hugged the old hobbit and accepted the proffered cup of the golden liquid he had first tasted in the woods above Woodhall.
The Fellowship of the Rings, Three is Company: “[Pippin] drained a cup that was filled with a fragrant draught, cool as a clear fountain, golden as a summer afternoon.”

‘Yes, a pipe would be good. I thought you’d given up. I’ll go and get mine.’
The Return of the King, Many Partings: “Bilbo laughed and he produced out of a pocket two beautiful pipes with pearl mouth-pieces and bound with fine-wrought silver. ‘Think of me when you smoke them!’ he said. ‘The Elves made them for me, but I don’t smoke now.’”

It was almost as though they were being drawn forward, rather than driven from behind by the light wind. He let his arm fall, and they clasped hands as they sailed into a night of rain.
The idea that the ship would be taken by a current comes from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, by C.S. Lewis:

"Yet though Lucy shed a few tears, she could not feel it as much as you might have expected. The light, the silence, the tingling smell of the Silver Sea, even (in some odd way) the loneliness itself, were too exciting.

There was no need to row, for the current drifted them steadily to the east... All that night and all next day they glided eastward, and when the third day dawned... they saw a wonder ahead. It was as if a wall stood up against them and the sky, a greenish-grey, trembling, shimmering wall. Then up came the sun, and at its first rising they saw it through the wall and it turned into wonderful rainbow colours. Then they knew that the wall was really a long, tall wave - a wave endlessly fixed in one place as you may often see at the edge of a waterfall. It seemed to be about thirty feet high, and the current was gliding them swiftly towards it..."

He had no idea how long they stood there, time seem to have no meaning, but Frodo gradually became aware that the fragrance was back, stronger now, and there was the sweet singing, as he had known there would be.
The Return of the King, The Grey Havens: “And the ship went out into the West, until at last on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water.”

‘Tol Eressëa,’ he said. ‘The Lonely Isle, the Land of Release.’
History of Middle-earth, vol. 1, The Book of Lost Tales, The Cottage of Lost Plays gives the additional names for Tol Eressëa as “The Lonely Isle” (the translation) and also “The Land of Release.”

As they sailed closer, Frodo could see birds clustering on the cliffs, and the air was full of their wild cries.
History of Middle-earth, vol. 1, The Book of Lost Tales, The Coming of the Elves: “And now have all that great folk of gulls and seamews and petrels come into their kingdom; and puffins are there, and eider-duck and cormorants, and gannets, and rock-doves, and the cliffs are full of a chattering and a smell of fish, and great conclaves are held upon their ledges...”

‘That is Avallónë,’ said Gandalf quietly. Frodo nodded, somehow he had known that.
The Silmarillion, Akallabêth: “The Eldar they summoned to return to the West, and those that hearkened to the summons dwelt in the Isle of Eressëa; and there is in that land a haven that is named Avallone, for it is of all cities the closest to Valinor, and the tower is the first sight that a mariner beholds when at last he draws nigh to the Undying Lands over the leagues of the Sea.”

“...and at times, when all the air was clear and the sun was in the east, [the Númenóreans] would look out and descry far off in the west a city white-shining on a distant shore, and a great harbour and a tower.”