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Old 05-26-2008, 05:11 PM   #33
Rumil
Sage & Onions
 
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Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Britain
Posts: 894
Rumil has been trapped in the Barrow!
Eye Haven't the foggiest

Ah, the Barrow Downs,

first a rather off-topic question for the Barrow-Wight and any other grizzled veterans. What made you choose the Barrow Downs as the name of this site? Is there a story of intrigue, infighting and wild artistic differences that goes with the genesis of the Downs? Your public must be told!

Anyway, on with the chapter. Legate- Frodo's dream - absolutely, though why now indeed? Perhaps now is the start of the 'real adventure' ie ring, nazgul etc and a premonition of suffering followed by reward? A conviction planted in Frodo's mind that he will come through everything, perhaps giving him strength at that crucial time in the Barrow?

On the scariness, quite right, my two local barrows are fine pleasant places......in the daylight.....by night, well I wouldn't know having never been that curious!

The pair of standing stones, does anyone else find these particularly sinister? To me they suggest 'This is the gateway to the Land of the Dead, Cower ye mortals!' sort of thing.

The Last Prince of Cardolan, or one of his friends and relations, well that's who seems to 'possess' Merry, initially this does not seem a problem, you go to a scary tomb, who would possess you but the spirits of people that have been buried there? However, we believe that this cannot happen due to men receiving 'The gift' and therefore their spirits being unavailable for haunting. Furthermore the wights were spirits out of Angmar, and I can't see houseless elf fea bothering to do impressions of Cardolanian princes. Hmmmmmm.

According to present day spiritualists (with whom I hold little truck!) locations can preserve 'echoes' of the people that died there, perhaps something similar is going on here, not real possession by an active spirit, but 'tape recorded' events of the past going through Merry's mind. Well I ain't convinced but otherwise am flummoxed on how to explain this incident.

Any takers for the theory that the Wights were previous victims of Morgul-knife stabbings?

Finally, the Arthedainian Hadrian's Wall (and defensive ditch) that the hobbits cross before reaching the road. This implies a very extensive defensive system indeed around Arthedain, with the fortifications on the Weather Hills as well (and Weathertop as the Key feature). It has been said that Hadrian's wall (and similarly the Great Wall of China) was not really of use as a fortification, due to the impossibilty of defending such a long stretch of masonry when attackers could concentrate forces where they wished. It was said to be mainly used as a method of controlling cross-border travel, as a prestige factor (don't mess with us we've built something bigger than you've ever seen before), and a blunt statement of 'Thus far but no further'. Also makes me think of Offa's dyke and the Wansdyke.

I wonder if there were supporting forts dotted along the Arthedainian Wall, now long since collapsed back into the greensward?
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