Tolkien Tuesday: Re-Reading "The Lord of the Rings: The Council of Elrond"
In which we come to one of my favorite chapters, and I defend the technique of the info dump.
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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!
And now we’ve come to one of my very favorite chapters of The Fellowship of the Ring. Unlike a lot of other people, who aren’t big fans of info dumps like this one, I love when the characters take time away from the action to just tell us some history. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m a huge history nerd, but these are the parts of the story that I always look forward to. Among other things, such moments allow us to really grasp how much an author has put into the creation of their secondary world. If there’s one thing at which Tolkien undoubtedly excelled, it was in the creating of an entire universe.
There’s a lot of important information contained in “The Council of Elrond.” We not only learn some more important information about the One Ring; we also learn what happened to Gandalf when he left the Shire. We also gain some valuable insight into the men of Minas Tirith and their motivations and desires, particularly as they are expressed by Boromir. Most importantly, it is finally decided that there is only one thing that can be done with the One Ring: it must be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom.
Of course, the most fascinating character in the entire chapter is Saruman who, it is revealed, has turned away from the path of goodness and become ensnared by the enemy. Where once he was a valuable member of the White Council, now he has sold his services to Sauron, at least for the time being, though there are many indications that he is but waiting for his chance to seize more power. Indeed, there are many similarities between the two. To begin, they are both Maiar and, as Elrond is at pains to point out, not evil in the beginning. Saruman, like Sauron, is driven by a desire to enforce his vision of order upon the world, and this has led him down the path of darkness.
Indeed, it is striking the extent to which Saruman tries to use the very purposes of the Istarí against his former friend and colleague, trying to seduce him with the idea that they can bring their dreams of order and peace to fruition through the power of the Ring. As Tom Shippey aptly reminds us, he is a canny and consummate politician, someone able to twist words and intentions to his own dark designs. After all, it is Saruman’s seductive and powerful voice which remains his most potent weapon, even when all of his other assets have failed him.
Gandalf, however, is not so easily led astray. As so often during the course of The Lord of the Rings, he demonstrates the profound difference between wisdom and knowledge. Saruman has much knowledge, of course, and of all of those in Middle-earth he has the most knowledge about the Rings of Power (except for Sauron, of course). However, he lacks true wisdom, for he thinks and believes that is acceptable, desirable even, to do whatever he thinks is necessary, no matter the cost.
Throughout all of this, however, a heavy weight hovers over them all, and it is fascinating to watch how the various members of the Council debate what should be done with the Ring. It is somewhat surprising that it actually takes them some time to come to the inevitable conclusion: that the Ring cannot be wielded by anyone else and they cannot simply hide it. Instead, they must do what is right not just for those who live in the present, but for future generations as well. It’s really quite inspiring to see the gathered peoples of Middle-earth decide on something so momentous and, rather than go the easy route choose that which is most difficult.
The decision, of course, weighs most heavily on Frodo, who quickly realizes that there is only one person who can truly take up the burden: himself. Of course, this doesn’t occur until after Bilbo rashly and bravely offers to do it himself, another testament, if any were needed by this point, that he is truly a hobbit of extraordinary character. Frodo remains the hero of the hour, however, though it’s clear how much this decision costs him.
Indeed, the destruction of the Ring is something that will have far-reaching consequences, not all of them benevolent. Elrond acknowledges that its demise will mean, in turn, that the Elves will continue to diminish, but this is the price that must be paid to keep an evil power like Sauron from gaining complete dominion over Middle-earth. It says something that neither Elrond or Gandalf are willing to give into despair, even though they both know just how much is at stake and how slim the chances of success really are. As ever in Tolkien, however, there is profound power to be found in eternal hope, even as there is also an melancholy acknowledgment of the inevitability of the long defeat and the eventual demise of all things.
“The Council of Elrond,” like so much else of The Fellowship of the Ring, deftly keeps its light and dark elements in a precarious sort of balance. While we know of how much darkness is currently besieging Middle-earth–the dwarves are being pressured by Sauron, the mighty men of Minas Tirith are constantly besieged by the forces of Mordor–we also know that there are still those who are ready and willing to resist, even if doing so means that their own lives will be forfeit. This is a world in crisis, one in which even the beauty of a place like Rivendell might one day fall under the Shadow, but it hasn’t conquered yet, and in that there is hope.
There’s just so much to love about this chapter that I could go on about it forever–I love that Gandalf is willing to admit his own mistakes, for example, something that Saruman could never do–but I think I’ve rambled on enough for this entry. Join us next week as the Fellowship makes its first real steps southward, toward the dark menace of Moria.