 “There are no trees like the trees of [Lothlorien]. For in the autumn their leaves fall not, but turn to gold. Not till the spring comes and the new green opens do they fall, and then the boughs are laden with yellow flowers…” –Legolas |
Lothlorien
Wow, I’ve mentioned it before a few times, but the unknown histories of characters bring so much life to the story. And the thing that sticks out the most in this chapter is the powerful closing line, “he left the hill of Cerin Amroth and came there never again as a living man.” It adds so much to the poignancy of the moment that was already plenty nostalgic.
I was also thinking about how each place in this story has its own personality. The Shire, Bree, Weathertop, Rivendell, Caradhras, Moria, Mirrormere, and now Lothlorien. From the Nimrodel and the mallorn trees to Cerin Amroth, there is a magic about Lothlorien. Tolkien displays a lot of finesse in the way he describes it. Sometimes his use of superlatives to describe elves gets on my nerves but not here, not so far.
A short review, I know, but the only other thing to point out is that Gandalf is gone! It’s so obvious, but I feel like I have to emphasize it, because the story just goes right on without him… that’s not cool. Well, I don’t know what they should do otherwise, but it’s still a major loss that I fear they have yet to feel the full effects of. What were his plans, where was he taking them, next?
till next time, keep thinking,
Mark-Edmond Howell
Kanazawa, Japan
far(out)
