Fordim, davem, what a fascinating train of thought! Thanks for your insights on the significance of oaths as found in this passage (and elsewhere) - I hadn't thought of Sam's committment as an oath! The connection to AS 'ringas-theoden' is intriguing, and the idea of the One Ring as a symbol of self-love is definitely worth pondering! There's more to be found in this chapter than one thinks at first reading, isn't there?!
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'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth.. .'
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