Arming the Hero: another dip into The Lord of the Rings!

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:01]Oh, come in.

[00:00:05]My mother would say, "Hi, nice to see you. Come and have a seat."

[00:00:11]Well, you see you'll see from from the church warden pipe. I'm smoking a nice little Peterson and from the the red book on my lap that I thought it might be time for another little dip into the Lord of the Rings. And I've chosen a a lovely passage, another little kind of vignette.

[00:00:32]And one of the things it shows is is what a master talking is and what you might call the art of transposition.

[00:00:44]So he'll take certain motifs or images or sequences and he'll play them to you on the high grand heroic scale for the Aragorns and and Theodans of this world.

[00:00:55]And then he'll transpose the same motif down into this very beautiful quiet uh music as it were of for the hobbits of the kind of English Shire and he does it particularly brilliantly in this part of the chapter called the ring goes south. Now what what he's doing the motif that he's transposing as it were to continue the uh the musical metaphor one of the great tropes one of the great set pieces in all heroic literature um going right back to Homer and and and Virgil and and um and the other great epics. Uh one of the great setpiece tropes is the arming of the hero. there's some point at which the hero is given their special sword or their special armor and it's part of the buildup to their quest and it's differently handled by different writers and poets but it's always an important thing and um what um you know what talking does magnificently here is um is literally to move you from a moment with Aragon to a moment with Bilbo and Fredo.

[00:02:19]So, I'll read to you this is this this lovely um Harper Collins illustrated edition I've often read to you from. So, they're getting ready to leave Riendell and go on the next part of the quest.

[00:02:37]The sword of Elendel was forged a new by Elvish smiths, and on its blade was traced a device of seven stars set between the crescent moon and the raid sun. And about them was written in many runes was written many runes. For Aragorn, son of Arathorn, was going to war upon the marches of Mordor. Very bright was that sword when it was made whole again. The light of the sun shone redly in it and the light of the moon shone cold and its edge was hard and keyed and Aragorn gave it a new name and called it and flame of the west. That's high heroic writing. Lovely the way the images of the sun and the moon are then taken up in terms of the light of the sun and the light of the moon on the the sword and the full heroic naming of Aragorn, son of Arathornne.

[00:03:31]um and the naming of the sword.

[00:03:33]Wonderful.

[00:03:37]And yet just a couple of paragraphs later, we get this.

[00:03:43]On the morning of the last day, Frodo of the last day, Frodo was alone with Bilbo.

[00:03:49]When the old hobbit pulled out from under his bed a wooden box, he lifted the lid and fumbled inside.

[00:04:01]Uh, here is your sword, he said. But but it was broken, you know. I I took it to keep it safe, but I've forgotten to ask if the smiths would mend it. No time now. So, I thought perhaps you would care to have this. Don't you know, it's wonderfully English. He took from the box a small sword in an old shabby leather scabbard. Then he drew it, and its polished and well tended blade glittered suddenly, cold and bright.

[00:04:30]This is sting, he said, and thrust it with little effort deep into a wooden beam. Take it if you like. I shan want it again, I expect. Frodo accepted it gratefully. Also, there is this, said Bilbo, bringing out a parcel which seemed to be rather heavy for its size. He unwound several folds of cloth and held up a small shirt of male. It was close woven of many rings, as supple almost as linen, cold as ice and harder than steel. It shone like moonlit silver, and was studied with white gems. With it was a belt of pearl and crystal. It's a It's a pretty thing, isn't it? said Bilbo, moving it in the light. And useful. It is my dwarf mail that Thoren gave me. I got it back from Mikl Delving before I started and packed it with my luggage. I brought all the momentos of my journey away with me, except the ring. But I did not expect to use this, and I don't need it now, except to look at sometimes. You hardly feel any weight when you put it on.

[00:05:34]Well, I I should look Well, well, I don't think I should look right in it, said Frodo. Just what I said myself, said Bilbo. But never mind about looks.

[00:05:44]You can wear it under your outer clothes. Come on, you must share this secret with me. Don't tell anybody else.

[00:05:51]But I should feel happier if I knew you were wearing it. I have a fancy it would turn even the knives of the black riders," he ended in a low voice. "Very well, I will take it," said Frodo. Bilbo put it on him, and fastened Sting upon the glittering belt, and then Frodo put over the top his old weather stained breaches, tunic, and jacket. "Just a plain hobbit, you look," said Bilbo. But there's more about you than appears on the surface. Good luck to you. He turned away and looked out of the window trying to hum a tune. It's actually a moment of incredibly charged emotion. It's the passing of the mantle. It's that but it's all done in this very quiet, you know, slightly shy indirect way.

[00:06:39]I cannot thank you as I should, Bilbo, for this and for all your past kindnesses. I can't, said Frodo. Don't try, said the old hobbit, turning round and slapping on the back. Ow, he cried.

[00:06:51]You're too hard now to slap. But there you are. Hobbits must pick to stick together and especially Bagginses.

[00:06:59]Uh the parallels between the two just absolutely wonderful. Some of the same language applied to both the great soldier, Flame of the West, and Little Sting.

[00:07:09]And then it's perfect the idea that the hobbits really want to wear their old clothes. Um, but nevertheless, there's more to them than meets the eye, which is true in every respect. And of course, this is the myithal coat, which we've been told that Bilbo never knew was worth worth half the sh. You know, it's hugely hugely valuable treasure, but they're not in the least concern that it's worth. It's a gesture of love. He wants to see Frodo safe. And indeed, of course, we know, especially we have the joy of rereading this book, that this is going to make absolutely all the difference. This is, in fact, the mythil coat which will save Frodo's life. uh when the great um uh the the the troll throws thrusts the spear at him and Mithil of course there's a kind of deepening kind of because Mithril is the most precious of the metals but of course it was by delving too deep for Mithil in the minds of Moria that the uh the dwarves woke Duran's Bane the um the Valrog and yet they're saved from it and the Mithril is part of what saves it. Um, and there's something invariant about the very nature of the hobbits as it were, I think, to do with this this inner hardness and worth and yet this um this outer outerly ordinary exterior. Uh, so uh anyway, we'll just carry on to the end of this because it's rather it's rather good. I cannot think you as I should. Don't try to the old hobbit. And he says, "All I ask in return is take as much care of yourself as you can and bring back all the news you can and any old songs and tales you can come by. I'll do my best to finish my book before you return. I should like to write the second book if I'm spared.

[00:08:47]He broke off and turned to the window again, singing softly. And then we get one of the finest pieces of, if you like, quiet domestic poetry from talking in the entire legendarium.

[00:09:00]Um, and yet it's also a meditation on mortality. It's just beautiful.

[00:09:05]I sit beside the fire and think of all that I have seen. Of meadow flowers and butterflies in summers that have been of yellow leaves and gossamer in autumns that there were with morning mist and silver sun and wind upon my hair. I sit beside the fire and think of how the world will be when winter comes without a spring that I shall ever see. For still there are so many things that I have never seen. In every wood, in every spring, there is a different green. I sit beside the fire and think of people long ago and people who the world who will see a world that I shall never know. But all the while I sit and think of times that were before.

[00:09:50]I listen for returning feet and voices at the door. It's absolutely perfect. of course longing for the return and the uh the reunion um which is to come. Uh so beautiful, beautiful little example of the art of transposition and the the giving of the sword and um after a sword is broken just just like with um the sword of Elendel and the arming are no less heroic for their for their sort of quiet and homely turn between the hobbits as they're heroic in the grand stories of Aragorn. So anyway, there you are. I thought that would be just fun to dip into that. We haven't dipped into talking for a while and it's just an endless pleasure. I now because I know the stories so well, I can do a sort of sort sanctorum. I can just open the book anywhere and I'll find something wonderful. Um, okay. Well, thanks for dropping around. See you another time.