Boromir and his search for Rivendell

[Bêthberry]

Originally Posted by Boromir88

Denethor was supposedly the wisest loreman in Gondor and it seemed he was only able to give a rough idea of the location.

Ah, perhaps the issue is the nature of higher learning in Tolkien.

Saruman also devoted himself to lore and succumbed to the rapacious effects of the knowledge he gained. Deep and extended study drove Denethor farther and farther into a sense of empowerment, with disasterous consequences.

There's a difference between great knowledge and wisdom in Middle-earth, and Rivendell was a place of wisdom. So that understanding terrain and geography and place is less a question of knowing the map and more a matter of having the right mind--that is, one which can approach a more elvish way of thinking.

I wasn't being flippant when I linked to Shangri La and Lost Horizons.