A time before the Foreword
Hi all,
I am resolved to sit in on readthrough v2.0, though any that followed the 'Battles' thread will know that this is not to be relied upon!
Anyway, before the foreword is the Ring poem. I noticed the phrase 'dark throne' this time. What would the throne of Sauron look like? Dark naturally, very tall, very spikey in all probability too. I guess the poem must date back to the Second Age?? Therefore throne destroyed by Isildur et al or survives buried until the Third Age re-occupation of Mordor? On a frankly silly note I'm tempted by the idea of the throne having various buttons, levers, trigger for the trapdoor to the spider-pit etc, in a rather disturbing 'evil Jim'll Fix It' sort of way. Think Mr Burns or Dr Evil!
Forthrightly ignoring canonicity, allegory and applicability, the timeframe of the writing does intrigue me. The start of the writers' block at Balin's tomb was late 1940. At this time of the war things looked very bleak for Britain, France had been lost, the RAF were just holding their own in the Battle of Britain and the Blitz was
starting. No surprise maybe that Tolkien lost inspiration during this time, or perhaps thought that his writing was irrelevant? Of course by late 1941 things were rather different, the USSR (and USA in December) had joined the Allies and the war looked winnable. Maybe the story germ needed a little optimism to bear the great tree that was to become Lord of the Rings?
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Rumil of Coedhirion
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