The old man is revealed to be an old friend: Gandalf the (Formerly) Grey, returned beyond hope from death in battle with the Balrog of Moria. Enhanced in power and in insight, Gandalf gets caught up on the news he missed while he was out; and then offers some wisdom to his companions about Sauron, Saruman, and the power hidden in the forest. Danger is all around, not least in Barliman’s Bag where we pull a hardball question about the inevitably of marring in Tolkien’s world… and also in a surprising connection back to C.S. Lewis.
Recommended Reading:
Tolkien, J. R. R. The Two Towers: Being the Second Part of The Lord of the Rings (Mariner Books, paperback) “The White Rider”, pp. 483-88
Tolkien, J. R. R. (Christopher Tolkien, ed.) The Silmarillion (Mariner Books, paperback)
Tolkien, J. R. R. Tales from the Perilous Realm (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, hardcover)
Was Saruman was the old man from Scene 24? If so he really let himself go. Was he ever after known as Saruman of Many Cackles?
“And Legolas is like I have the finest bow Mirkwood Elves can make.” Isnt he using the bow Galadriel gave him?