The Dead and The Undead

[Huinesoron]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

I am curious about this. Is there any source to suggest this as Baldor's destination?

I wondered that same thing. Aragorn may imply it, if you squint: he calls out "Keep your hoards and your secrets hidden in the Accursed Years!" Accursed Years implies a direct connection to Sauron, and I'm sure I've seen (somewhere!) the secrets used as a synonym for the Mysteries. The other possibility that sticks out is that it was just a treasure room (hence 'hoards') - but if Rohan is inspired by the Anglo-Saxons, it's worth noting that some of the richest places in Saxon England were the churches and monasteries (much to their detriment when the Vikings showed up!)

I've just glanced through the drafts given in HoME VIII, and... well, CT didn't even give them in full, so close were they to the text. The only difference is that Baldor is named by Aragorn directly, and a passing mention that even after the Paths were no longer haunted, nobody went through his stone door.

What's weird is that I have a very clear memory of reading that section for the first time, and being sure that Baldor was outside a golden door. It's literally only in this thread that I've discovered it's just stone. I must be mixing it up with something, but have no idea what!

hS