September 17, 2003

'It Runs Thus in the Common Speech...'
Brett C.

Frodo Lives, the staves spoken by Theoden in the Hornburg are one of those things which all too often have no transferred into the cinematic rendering of LOTR, namely the many wonderful poems and songs written by Tolkien to reflect the custures of Middle Earth.

In this particular case, the poem is the Westron rendering of a Rohirrim song about Eorl the Young, the first King of Rohan. The story goes that with no more hold on him than distant friendship he rode to the aid Ciron the 12th Steward of Gondor [Denethor is the 26th] against invading Easterling hordes, saving Gondor from complete defeat at the Field of Celebrant. In gratitude Cirion used the authority of the Stewards to grant the riders the territory of Rohan [helping explain Saruman's line in the film that the horsemen 'stole the land' of the Dunlandings, though this is of course a biased view]. Eorl was a very young man, and fought mounted on Felarof, the ancestor of Shadowfax. The whole poem runs...

Where now is the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing?
Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing?
Where is the hand on the harpstring, and the red fire glowing?
Where is the spring and the harvest, and the tall corn growing?
They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow;
The days have gone dwon in the West behind the hills into shadow.
Who shall gather the smoke of the dead wood burning,
Or behold the flowering years from the Sea returning.

Considering Theoden's concern throughout the books that he was a 'lesser son of great sires', I think this was a pretty good choice by PJ to have him reflecting on these lines, about his country's greatest hero, before he leads his people in their most desperate hour.