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mark12_30 · 02-11-2002, 09:24 PM

There were several times when Sam held Frodo, especially in Mordor. Sometimes this was due to temperature, sometimes (as in the tower of Cirith Ungol) pure Morale-- Frodo had been stripped, interrogated, and beaten by orcs, and a return to a safe haven was desperately needed. Nothing sexual involved.

Something else that people forget easily is that when folks travel together under difficult circumstances and are depending on each other for very survival, barriers sometimes come down of neccessity. On glaciers, climbers often zip sleeping bags together to share body warmth-- for survival, not sex. I have heard stories of glacier climbers having to cure one of their team members of hypothermia. Back in the early eighties, the cure involved stripping everybody to the skin, and pigpiling the healthy team members on top of the hypothermia sufferer in order to transfer body heat, meanwhile pouring hot liquids down their throat. It's not about sex; the team is trying to save the life of somebody they need and care about, and the stress level is all about survival. (The stories I heard about climbing glaciers did not make me want to sign up for a trip. Writing your will, starving in a tent in a blizzard??? What fun!) Regardless, you do what you have to do to keep the team going, healthy, with reasonable morale and cheerfulness. The name of the journey is survival.

Frodo and Sam's journey was just such a one. It was life-and-death, and it was long, dark, hard, opressive, hungry, sleep-deprived, and otherwise miserable. They did what they could to encourage and cheer each other so that they could get back up again and march during the next cold, dark, hungry, despairing day. During the march across Mordor, Sam warms Frodo overnight with his arms and body because (a) he has compassion on him and (b) I suspect he would rather prevent hypothermia than try to cure it. Likewise they try to cheer each other up (pessimistic Frodo has less skill here than Sam) and there are times when words fail and touch succeeds. You do what you have to survive the trip.

I read somewhere that Sam ends up with thirteen kids. Gee. Bag-End must be HUGE.

02-11-2002, 09:24 PM	#14
mark12_30 Stormdancer of Doom Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Elvish singing is not a thing to miss, in June under the stars Posts: 4,349	There were several times when Sam held Frodo, especially in Mordor. Sometimes this was due to temperature, sometimes (as in the tower of Cirith Ungol) pure Morale-- Frodo had been stripped, interrogated, and beaten by orcs, and a return to a safe haven was desperately needed. Nothing sexual involved. Something else that people forget easily is that when folks travel together under difficult circumstances and are depending on each other for very survival, barriers sometimes come down of neccessity. On glaciers, climbers often zip sleeping bags together to share body warmth-- for survival, not sex. I have heard stories of glacier climbers having to cure one of their team members of hypothermia. Back in the early eighties, the cure involved stripping everybody to the skin, and pigpiling the healthy team members on top of the hypothermia sufferer in order to transfer body heat, meanwhile pouring hot liquids down their throat. It's not about sex; the team is trying to save the life of somebody they need and care about, and the stress level is all about survival. (The stories I heard about climbing glaciers did not make me want to sign up for a trip. Writing your will, starving in a tent in a blizzard??? What fun!) Regardless, you do what you have to do to keep the team going, healthy, with reasonable morale and cheerfulness. The name of the journey is survival. Frodo and Sam's journey was just such a one. It was life-and-death, and it was long, dark, hard, opressive, hungry, sleep-deprived, and otherwise miserable. They did what they could to encourage and cheer each other so that they could get back up again and march during the next cold, dark, hungry, despairing day. During the march across Mordor, Sam warms Frodo overnight with his arms and body because (a) he has compassion on him and (b) I suspect he would rather prevent hypothermia than try to cure it. Likewise they try to cheer each other up (pessimistic Frodo has less skill here than Sam) and there are times when words fail and touch succeeds. You do what you have to survive the trip. I read somewhere that Sam ends up with thirteen kids. Gee. Bag-End must be HUGE. __________________ ...down to the water to see the elves dance and sing upon the midsummer's eve.