[Lalwendë]

This chapter isn't pretty, but it's one of the best!

As the Hobbits manage to get into Mordor, which ought to be well guarded, we might assume that at Cirith Ungol the watch has not been properly maintained, but the Orcs are clearly still doing their job:

'Now, now," growled Shagrat, "I have my orders. And it's more than my belly's worth, or yours, to break 'em. Any trespasser found by the guard is to be held at the tower. Prisoner is to be stripped. Full description of every article, garment, weapon, letter, ring, or trinket is to be sent to Lugburz at once, and to Lugburz only. And the prisoner is to be kept safe and intact, under pain of death for every member of the guard, until He sends or comes Himself. That's plain enough, and that's what I'm going to do."

So it seems Sauron is at least aware that something may try to get into Mordor via this pass, and he has entrusted the guard to the orcs there. Gollum of course has passed this way before unharmed, but it seems that he was allowed to pass freely, under orders from Sauron. So to be fair on Gollum, he possibly does not think that the orcs there would pose any threat – in his mind the only threat is Shelob. I wonder why Gollum was allowed free passage as it seems that his coming to Cirith Ungol is noted and taken as a portent of ‘spies’.

I like the conspiratorial talk between the Orc leaders of things having ‘slipped’

'Yes," said Gorbag. "But don't count on it. I'm not easy in my mind. As I said, the Big Bosses, ay," his voice sank almost to a whisper, 'ay, even the Biggest, can make mistakes. Something nearly slipped, you say. I say, something has slipped. And we've got to look out. Always the poor Uruks to put slips right, and small thanks.

The Orc leaders remind me of two middle managers, responsible for leading their ‘troops’ according to orders, but still intensely critical about their own bosses, hiding in corners to grumble and spread rumour. All this talk of something having ‘slipped’ is mysterious, and it could be that they are talking of the Ring having got through into Mordor. But I don’t think it is that. I think that what has ‘slipped’ is simply what Sauron assumes are mere spies. He must also think that any such spies would automatically be Elves, as the Orcs seem to assume that what they have caught is an Elf and that another Elf is on the loose. Sauron has not considered Hobbits and this is one of the first times we see he is capable of making big mistakes.

Sauron has also made the error of focussing only on the attack on Minas Tirith:

"Bad business," said Gorbag. "See here--our Silent Watchers were uneasy more than two days ago, that I know. But my patrol wasn't ordered out for another day, nor any message sent to Lugburz either: owing to the Great Signal going up, and the High Nazgul going off to the war, and all that. And then they couldn't get Lugburz to pay attention for a good while, I'm told."

"The Eye was busy elsewhere, I suppose," said Shagrat. "Big things going on away west, they say."

Those he has entrusted to the command at Minas Morgul have been distracted by the signal to go to war and when they get around to contacting Sauron, he himself isn’t paying much attention.

There was an excellent example of the use of sanwe in chapter 8, in Frodo’s mental struggles with the Nazgul, and here the orcs talk of something similar. The rapid despatch of messages between Minas Morgul and Barad Dur could even be done in this way. Of course, it could be due to the use of palantiri which are kept hidden from the orcs, yet from what Gorbag says about the powers of the Nazgul it seems they have darker powers:

'No, I don't know," said Gorbag's voice. "The messages go through quicker than anything could fly, as a rule. But I don't enquire how it's done. Safest not to. Grr! Those Nazgul give
me the creeps. And they skin the body off you as soon as look at you, and leave you all cold in the dark on the other side. But He likes 'em; they're His favourites nowadays, so it's no use grumbling. I tell you, it's no game serving down in the city."

The Nazgul seem to have the power of removing the body from a person, leaving them as spirit only. I wonder what ‘the other side’ refers to? It cannot be death as known by Men, but it could refer to a place which has something of the properties of an anti-Halls of Mandos. What I think it does refer to is that the body is removed, thus making the fea completely vulnerable. As shown in Frodo’s struggle, the hroa can enable an individual to block the intrusion of the Nazgul into their thoughts; without this, the individual is utterly vulnerable and I can imagine this punsihement, and fear of it, being used against insubordinate orcs.

This brings to mind the chilling words of the WK to Eowyn:

'Come not between the Nazgul and his prey! Or he will not slay thee in thy turn. He will bear thee away to the houses of lamentation, beyond all darkness, where thy flesh shall be devoured, and thy shrivelled mind be left naked to the Lidless Eye.'

What greater punishment could there be to be stripped of life and yet denied death? To have your body removed and every thought left exposed to be examined by Sauron? This something even Orcs are afraid of. When Sam dons the Ring he too feels exposed, which again makes me think that the Ring must have the effect of burning away the hroa of an incarnate being.

What gives me the creeps is the thought that all the Nazgul must have left Minas Morgul, and yet in their absence, someone or something still remains there capable of taking command over the Orcs, and capable of listening and talking to Sauron. Whatever this thing is, it either has command over a palantir or strong skills of sanwe. Could it have something to do with the Silent Watchers mentioned by Gorbag?

Here’s another thing:

Full description of every article, garment, weapon, letter, ring, or trinket is to be sent to Lugburz at once, and to Lugburz only.

Sauron has made it clear that any information is to go direct to him, and that it is not to be sent to the Nazgul or anyone else. Is he aware that what he seeks could be dangerous in other hands?

This is the culmination of an excellent series of chapters. There is horror laid upon horror. We have a treacherous broken creature, a dangerous path, evil armies, mind reading wraiths, gangs of orcs, an insatiably hungry giant spider, and hints at spiritual horrors. I’m glad I first read this chapter when all the books were available as the cliffhanger would have been unbearable.