The Return of the King

February 2, 2025

I thoroughly enjoyed this re-read and have been thinking about how one of the meanings - for me, at least - of the text is that hope is often unlooked for and comes from strange places. Specifically, places that the great "races" of Men, Elves, and Dwarves discount, namely hobbits, women, and Gollum. So much of the story would have gone awry if hobbits, a race that people don't know about or think are made up weren't there. The ents might not have been roused, Faramir would have died, the Witch King of Angmar/King of the Nazgul wouldn't have died, the ring not actually destroyed if not for hobbits, Eowyn, and Gollum. This comforts me. Not all the great deeds are done by men or Men.

Also, living through the rise of fascism in the U.S is giving me a new appreciation for the chapter, The Scouring of the Shire. Evil can happen anywhere and it's all of our duties to stand up to it.

Finally, here's a list of orcs and swords who have named in comparison to women (9 total) who have names. Just for fun!

Orcs (5 that I recall):

Ugluk

Snaga

Grishnakh

Gorbag

Shagrat

Swords (5 total):

Anduril/Narsil/The Flame of the West

Sting

Glamdring

Guthwine

Grond (honorable mention for not being a sword but having a name)

Not nearly as many as named horses but half as much as named women.

:|