Tolkien Tuesday: Re-Reading "The Lord of the Rings": "A Knife in the Dark"
In this chapter, Frodo and his companions finally have a confrontation with the sinister Ringwraiths, with dreadful consequences for our intrepid hobbit.
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Welcome to Tolkien Tuesdays, where I talk about various things that I love about the lore and writings of Tolkien, whether in a chapter reading or a character study or an essay. I hope you enjoy reading these ruminations as much as I enjoy writing them and, if you have a moment, I’d love it if you’d subscribe to this newsletter. It’s free, but there are paid options, as well, if you’re of a mind to support a struggling writer. Either way, thank you for joining me!
I’ve noted several times now how one of the things that has always drawn me to Tolkien is his ability to evoke fear and terror, even as he always keeps one foot squarely in the realm of the epic. His power in this regard is in evidence from the very first lines of “A Knife in the Dark,” which opens not in Bree (where we last left Frodo and his companions) but instead in Crickhollow, where poor Fatty Bolger finds that there is in fact a danger in being left behind. The scene unfolds almost cinematically, as Tolkien dwells with loving detail not just on what happens but also the environment. We are slowly drawn into the sinister atmosphere. You can almost hear the gate as it opens to admit the dark creatures of Sauron, and you can almost feel Fatty’s trepidation as he realizes his life is in danger.
True catastrophe averted, of course, because Fatty is no fool, and he flees the house before the Black Riders can invade, sounding the alarm which ultimately sends them into flight. Even though they have been thwarted for the moment, it’s clear that there is still a great deal of danger for Frodo and his friends. The Ringwraiths ride down the guards at the borders of the Shire, a further reminder of how little stands between the hobbits and the forces of darkness that are now all around them.
Meanwhile, Frodo, Strider, and the rest set out on the remainder of their perilous journey to Rivendell, but no before they come into possession of the delightful pony, Bill. The addition of this little equine to their company is one of those lovely little touches that make The Lord of the Rings such a genuine delight to read. It’s particularly endearing to see the extent to which Sam bonds with him right away, just as there is also a distinct pleasure in seeing Sam flicking an apple at the nefarious Bill Ferny (one of the best minor villains in the book).
The homely charms of Bree soon give way, however, to the far less hospitable than Bree, and Tolkien dwells with almost loving attention on the various unpleasant things they face, particularly of the inset variety. Just as importantly, we also see the broader world through which they journey, and there is something both sad and a little chilling about the ruins they see nestled in the hills. It’s yet another reminder that this age of the world is one that has come at the tail end of other great doings. The world through which Frodo and the other hobbits move is one that is layered with history, most of it not particularly happy.
For me, though, one of the most chilling scenes in the chapter occurs as Frodo, Merry, and Strider look out over the desolate lands through which they move. When they see the tiny forms of the Black Riders moving along the road, it’s impossible not to feel a dreadful sense of foreboding of what is to come. No matter how much they try to escape or how quickly they try to move through the Wild, the truth is that their confrontation with their enemy is inevitable.
All of which brings us to the fateful encounter in the hollow, in which Frodo, under the compulsion When I first read this chapter decades ago, I was truly terrified by the revelation of what the Ringwraiths look like underneath all of their wrappings. Somehow both abject and horrifying, these are beings that have been twisted utterly out of shape by their enslavement to the One Ring. They might have been granted long life, but it has come at a terrible cost. They are no longer a part of the world but instead just outside of it, and as Aragorn describes they are almost vampiric, with their desire and hatred of human blood. They are, in other words, some of the most fascinating and unsettling creations to have sprung from Tolkien’s fertile imagination. (As a brief side note, I also think this is one of those scenes that Ralph Bakshi translated to film better and more accurately than Jackson. I still get chills when I think of this moment in the former’s film).
Of course, this moment is also the one in which Frodo receives the dreadful wound that will come to haunt him for the rest of his life. At this moment, however, it is but one part of the horror of the scene. Who could forget, after all, the way in which the Ringwraiths are described: ““In their white faces burned keen and merciless eye; under their mantles were long grey robes; upon their grey hairs were helms of silver; in their haggard hands were swords of steel […] The third was taller than the others: his hair was long and gleaming and on his head was a crown.” These are terrifying creatures and, while revealing the monster usually serves to remove some of its power to frighten, here it’s just the opposite.
The chapter isn’t all doom and gloom and sinister beings, however. Sam, for one, sings of Gil-galad, a nice little reminder that there is far more to Mr. Gamgee than meets the eye. Of all the hobbits save Frodo, he is the one who seems to be closest to the Elvish spirit. Aragorn, meanwhile, sings of the tragic yet beautiful romance of Beren and Lúthien, arguably the one tale that was always closest to Tolkien’s own heart. Though the full significance of this story to Aragorn won’t become clear for some time yet–he is both a descendant of Lúthien himself and also enmeshed in his own similar romance with the Lady Arwen–it’s still clear that this story is very dear to him. And, as an added benefit, it also seems to have some power to keep the Black Riders at bay (at least for a while).
This is, in other words, a magnificent chapter. It moves the plot forward, while also giving us more valuable insight into Aragorn and his life. Moreover, it sows the seeds for some important plot developments that will literally take until the end of the novel to come to fruition.