Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli pursue the Orcs taking Merry and Pippin through Rohan, where the folk of Eorl raise the greatest cocon— uh, horses. Real-life horses. But the Orcs are moving quickly, not stopping by night or by day; and for the three weary hunters to stop and rest might mean losing their trail. We pause to remember some late-October dates in a new This Week in Tolkien History, and pick out Halloween costumes for the Fellowship. Plus, no African or European swallows here, just an eagle… and why is Aragorn lying down on the job?
Recommended Reading:
Tolkien, J. R. R. The Two Towers: Being the Second Part of The Lord of the Rings (Mariner Books, paperback) “The Riders of Rohan”, pp. 411-17
Carpenter, Humphrey. J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography (Houghton Mifflin, paperback)
Carpenter, Humphrey, ed. The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien (Mariner Books, paperback)
Garth, John. Tolkien and the Great War: The Threshold of Middle-earth (Mariner Books, hardcover)
49:40 “smaller than the other”. I don’t think this should have been changed to “others”. Aragorn is clearly comparing Pippin with Merry. He’s being a professional tracker, the tone is quite appropriate.
PS. “House of Elrond” should have kept the capital H, and Sam ought to see a star through Galadriel’s finger.