Shadow. Streamlet. Star.
middle earth monday (pt. 11)
"Yes, said Frodo. 'But do you remember Gandalf's words: ‘Even Gollum may have something yet to do?’ But for him, Sam, I could not have destroyed the Ring. The Quest would have been in vain, even at the bitter end. So let us forgive him! For the Quest is achieved, and now all is over. I am glad you are here with me. Here at the end of all things, Sam.” The Return of the King, Chapter: Mount Doom, J.R.R. Tolkien
Happy Middle-earth Monday!
Hello and welcome to Many Meetings, the heart of Tolkien-dom on Substack. Your presence here is something I’m grateful for as we wrap up our 2025 series on The Lord of the Rings together. I’ve got exciting things planned in the coming year and can’t wait to see what Tolkien stories we wander into together next.
Today, you’ll find one of my favorite posts so far because it covers some of my most beloved chapters. We’ll talk about the juxtaposition of Frodo and Sam’s plight against Tolkien’s careful savoring of every morsel of the victory that is achieved in the end.
We do a deep dive on Elrond’s father, explore the possibility of how one of the Valar intervened in the story and realize how the memory Samwise’s sister, Marigold, helped him in one of his darkest moments.
Let’s get into it.
