LotR -- Book 1 - Chapter 08 - Fog on the Barrow-Downs - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

davem · 08-11-2004, 05:45 AM

Anyone have any thoughts on Merry's dream experience of being killed by a spear in an attack by the men of Carn Dum? Is this due to some kind of 'psychic' connection with the original inhabitant of the Barrow, or something about the Barrow Downs. And why does only Merry have this kind of experience? Its almost like the kind of thing people undergoing a past life regression come up with,yet I don't think that's what Tolkien was implying here. It is probably one of the strangest events in the whole story if its a 'memory' (for want of a better term) of an actual event, because how to account for it?

Of course, it could just have been a fantasy, based on what must have been an incredibly stressful night, yet, how would Merry know all that ancient history, or even the name 'Carn Dum' & that they were involved in a battle on that spot?

Its almost like two periods of history coalesce - one overlaying the other - the attack by the men of Carn Dum & Merry awakening outside the Barrow. This is very like what Tolkien does in his two time travel stories - the Lost Road & the Notion Club Papers, where characters from diferent time periods are psychically linked. It creates a kind of living link back through history.

08-11-2004, 05:45 AM	#16
davem Illustrious Ulair Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: In the home of lost causes, and forsaken beliefs, and unpopular names,and impossible loyalties Posts: 4,240	Anyone have any thoughts on Merry's dream experience of being killed by a spear in an attack by the men of Carn Dum? Is this due to some kind of 'psychic' connection with the original inhabitant of the Barrow, or something about the Barrow Downs. And why does only Merry have this kind of experience? Its almost like the kind of thing people undergoing a past life regression come up with,yet I don't think that's what Tolkien was implying here. It is probably one of the strangest events in the whole story if its a 'memory' (for want of a better term) of an actual event, because how to account for it? Of course, it could just have been a fantasy, based on what must have been an incredibly stressful night, yet, how would Merry know all that ancient history, or even the name 'Carn Dum' & that they were involved in a battle on that spot? Its almost like two periods of history coalesce - one overlaying the other - the attack by the men of Carn Dum & Merry awakening outside the Barrow. This is very like what Tolkien does in his two time travel stories - the Lost Road & the Notion Club Papers, where characters from diferent time periods are psychically linked. It creates a kind of living link back through history. __________________ “Everything was an object. If you killed a dwarf you could use it as a weapon – it was no different to other large heavy objects."