Post by MajahTR on Jan 17, 2009 1:24:42 GMT -6
Amaranth/Diana would like us to track the color grey.
She wrote:
As I'm reading, the color grey seems to take on significance. One of protection? I'm not sure yet. Of course, when it's foggy and misty it's grey; no big revelation there! But what if, as happens during their stay at Tom Bombadil's home, the grey rain veiled the forest and delayed their departure -- maybe giving the Black Riders, who probably don't feel the rain, an extra day or more to get ahead of them and miss the companions altogether? Then there's Gandalf the Grey. Old Man Willow's thirst is grey. If memory serves, the cloaks given to the Fellowship by Galadriel that help camouflage them were also grey.
Though Amaranth is responsible for posting, she would be grateful of all help. And anyone may comment
DA
The Color Grey in Lord of the Rings
I’ve been delving into the people and things named or described as ‘grey.’ What most have in common, I believe, is that they’re not wholly one thing or another, or they belong in two places or states simultaneously. They’re on a borderline or threshold, or are of (not necessary in but of) more than one realm.
I’d really appreciate any feedback or comments, positive or negative. And thank you, DA, for indulging me in this grey area (in both senses of the word) :-). Page numbers refer to the Houghton Mifflin trade paperback edition.
Mist
A simple example is mist, which is often described as grey by Tolkien. Well, it is! But what is mist: droplets of liquid or vapor? It’s both. Mist is droplets of water suspended in vapor. It’s two states of water -- liquid and steam -- existing simultaneously.
Dawn and Twilight
Keeping to the same line of thought, Tolkien sometimes describes the dawn or twilight as grey. Obviously, if it’s a dreary day the sky will be grey. But as with mist, dawn and twilight are in-between states, thresholds between night and day.
Grey-Elves
The Grey-Elves (Sindarin) ‘perhaps...were not of the Light (of Valinor) nor yet of the Dark (Avari), but were Elves of the Twilight.’¹ In Book II Chap. 1, p.216, speaking of the lords of the Eldar, Gandalf says, ‘[T]hose who have dwelt in the Blessed Realm live at once in both worlds.’ He goes on to say that Glorfindel is a lord of the Eldar. Near the end of Book II Chap. 3, p.285, during the unnatural snow on Caladhras, Frodo notices that, though Legolas wore only light shoes, he wasn’t bothered by the snow, nor did his feet leave imprints on the snow. So Glorfindel and Legolas are two examples of beings of two realms. Ringwraiths
The Ringwraiths, or Nazgûl, are in an in-between state, neither living nor dead. Sort of like zombies! ‘But what do the Ringwraiths have to do with grey?’ you ask. ‘Didn’t they wear black and were, in fact, also known as the Black Riders?’ you point out, and rightfully so. Hark, and I will tell you! Book I Chap. 11, p.191: When Frodo can no longer resist the Ring and put it on just before being stabbed, he is able to see the Nazgûl. Under their black cloaks, they wore grey robes; their hair was also grey.
Grey Company
In ‘The Return of the King,’ the Grey Company rode the Paths of the Dead on their way to battle. Joining them were ghosts of men who betrayed Isildur. So the Grey Company consisted of both the living and the dead.
Spirit
Book I Chap. 7, p.128: Old Man Willow’s ‘grey thirsty spirit drew power out of the earth....’ At first glance, it looks like grey is describing his thirst. But remember young Tolkien’s ‘green great dragon’? Perhaps both words refer to Willow’s spirit, in which case ‘grey’ refers to a part of living things that exists in the material world but is not of it. Spirit either resides in both the spirit and material worlds, or comes from the spirit realm to reside in living things while they’re in the physical realm.
Strider/Aragorn
Book I Chap. 9, p.153: Frodo notices Strider’s ‘keen grey eyes.’ Two things. At this point in the story, Strider’s an unknown factor. He’s mysterious, and the Hobbits are wary and suspicious of him. He knows Frodo’s real last name, though he was introduced as Mr Underhill, and knows an awful lot about the Ring and that Frodo has it -- all information Sauron wants.
Strider himself has two discrete personae: He’s a Ranger and hunter, yet is also the rightful King of Gondor and Arnor. Gandalf describes Strider as a contradiction: He’s (metaphorically speaking) gold but does not glimmer; he wanders but is not lost. In Book I Chap. 10, p.161, Aragorn talks about Strider as if he were another person.
Rain
Book I Chap. 7, p.127: A ‘grey rain’ is falling. Frodo sees it as a ‘kindly weather, because it delayed them from departing [Tom Bombadil’s home].’ As we find out later, this delay may have saved their lives as it prevented the Hobbits from running into the Nazgûl at Bree (see Book I Chap. 10, p.161). TB’s turf doesn’t seem to be quite of this world: Neither evil nor danger can penetrate TB’s home; Frodo noted, as in Rivendell, that time doesn’t work the same way there. (Okay, I may be pushing it a bit here!)
Saving best for last . . . .
Gandalf the Grey
Some of Gandalf’s most important work is done behind-the-scenes: His questioning of Gollum, his research in Gondor about the history of the Ring, his dealings with and imprisonment by Saruman. Tolkien doesn’t tell us about these things -- Gandalf does. Quite often he’s not physically with the Hobbits or the Fellowship, yet he helps in ways that no one else can; he does crucial work and gets information without which the quest would not be possible.
With Gandalf’s resurrection after his run-in with the Balrog in the Mines of Moria, I think it’s safe to assume that he’s able to cross the threshold between the land of the living and the land of the dead. Again, not wholly of this world.
Then there’s Gandalf himself. He’s one of five Istari, whom Tolkien says were Valar ‘of a sort’ (sorry, I can’t find a direct reference for this). He’s probably a Maiar, a spirit that can take the form of a man.
That’s it for now. Comments, additions, criticism, winning lottery tickets are all welcome!
¹ ‘The Silmarillion,’ Index of Names; also, the last page of chapter 4 of ‘The Silmarillion’
Diana
Terrific work, Amaranth! After you chose the topic, I began to notice that you were right about the number of times the color grey was mentioned. I like your theory on its meaning. It will be interesting to see if it holds up through the book.
Kathy C.
This all seems like a very grey area to me
Glor
Thanks Kathy! I hope my theory holds up. Paraphrasing Freud:
Sometimes grey is just the color grey :-) We'll see . . .
Diana
She wrote:
As I'm reading, the color grey seems to take on significance. One of protection? I'm not sure yet. Of course, when it's foggy and misty it's grey; no big revelation there! But what if, as happens during their stay at Tom Bombadil's home, the grey rain veiled the forest and delayed their departure -- maybe giving the Black Riders, who probably don't feel the rain, an extra day or more to get ahead of them and miss the companions altogether? Then there's Gandalf the Grey. Old Man Willow's thirst is grey. If memory serves, the cloaks given to the Fellowship by Galadriel that help camouflage them were also grey.
Though Amaranth is responsible for posting, she would be grateful of all help. And anyone may comment
DA
The Color Grey in Lord of the Rings
I’ve been delving into the people and things named or described as ‘grey.’ What most have in common, I believe, is that they’re not wholly one thing or another, or they belong in two places or states simultaneously. They’re on a borderline or threshold, or are of (not necessary in but of) more than one realm.
I’d really appreciate any feedback or comments, positive or negative. And thank you, DA, for indulging me in this grey area (in both senses of the word) :-). Page numbers refer to the Houghton Mifflin trade paperback edition.
Mist
A simple example is mist, which is often described as grey by Tolkien. Well, it is! But what is mist: droplets of liquid or vapor? It’s both. Mist is droplets of water suspended in vapor. It’s two states of water -- liquid and steam -- existing simultaneously.
Dawn and Twilight
Keeping to the same line of thought, Tolkien sometimes describes the dawn or twilight as grey. Obviously, if it’s a dreary day the sky will be grey. But as with mist, dawn and twilight are in-between states, thresholds between night and day.
Grey-Elves
The Grey-Elves (Sindarin) ‘perhaps...were not of the Light (of Valinor) nor yet of the Dark (Avari), but were Elves of the Twilight.’¹ In Book II Chap. 1, p.216, speaking of the lords of the Eldar, Gandalf says, ‘[T]hose who have dwelt in the Blessed Realm live at once in both worlds.’ He goes on to say that Glorfindel is a lord of the Eldar. Near the end of Book II Chap. 3, p.285, during the unnatural snow on Caladhras, Frodo notices that, though Legolas wore only light shoes, he wasn’t bothered by the snow, nor did his feet leave imprints on the snow. So Glorfindel and Legolas are two examples of beings of two realms. Ringwraiths
The Ringwraiths, or Nazgûl, are in an in-between state, neither living nor dead. Sort of like zombies! ‘But what do the Ringwraiths have to do with grey?’ you ask. ‘Didn’t they wear black and were, in fact, also known as the Black Riders?’ you point out, and rightfully so. Hark, and I will tell you! Book I Chap. 11, p.191: When Frodo can no longer resist the Ring and put it on just before being stabbed, he is able to see the Nazgûl. Under their black cloaks, they wore grey robes; their hair was also grey.
Grey Company
In ‘The Return of the King,’ the Grey Company rode the Paths of the Dead on their way to battle. Joining them were ghosts of men who betrayed Isildur. So the Grey Company consisted of both the living and the dead.
Spirit
Book I Chap. 7, p.128: Old Man Willow’s ‘grey thirsty spirit drew power out of the earth....’ At first glance, it looks like grey is describing his thirst. But remember young Tolkien’s ‘green great dragon’? Perhaps both words refer to Willow’s spirit, in which case ‘grey’ refers to a part of living things that exists in the material world but is not of it. Spirit either resides in both the spirit and material worlds, or comes from the spirit realm to reside in living things while they’re in the physical realm.
Strider/Aragorn
Book I Chap. 9, p.153: Frodo notices Strider’s ‘keen grey eyes.’ Two things. At this point in the story, Strider’s an unknown factor. He’s mysterious, and the Hobbits are wary and suspicious of him. He knows Frodo’s real last name, though he was introduced as Mr Underhill, and knows an awful lot about the Ring and that Frodo has it -- all information Sauron wants.
Strider himself has two discrete personae: He’s a Ranger and hunter, yet is also the rightful King of Gondor and Arnor. Gandalf describes Strider as a contradiction: He’s (metaphorically speaking) gold but does not glimmer; he wanders but is not lost. In Book I Chap. 10, p.161, Aragorn talks about Strider as if he were another person.
Rain
Book I Chap. 7, p.127: A ‘grey rain’ is falling. Frodo sees it as a ‘kindly weather, because it delayed them from departing [Tom Bombadil’s home].’ As we find out later, this delay may have saved their lives as it prevented the Hobbits from running into the Nazgûl at Bree (see Book I Chap. 10, p.161). TB’s turf doesn’t seem to be quite of this world: Neither evil nor danger can penetrate TB’s home; Frodo noted, as in Rivendell, that time doesn’t work the same way there. (Okay, I may be pushing it a bit here!)
Saving best for last . . . .
Gandalf the Grey
Some of Gandalf’s most important work is done behind-the-scenes: His questioning of Gollum, his research in Gondor about the history of the Ring, his dealings with and imprisonment by Saruman. Tolkien doesn’t tell us about these things -- Gandalf does. Quite often he’s not physically with the Hobbits or the Fellowship, yet he helps in ways that no one else can; he does crucial work and gets information without which the quest would not be possible.
With Gandalf’s resurrection after his run-in with the Balrog in the Mines of Moria, I think it’s safe to assume that he’s able to cross the threshold between the land of the living and the land of the dead. Again, not wholly of this world.
Then there’s Gandalf himself. He’s one of five Istari, whom Tolkien says were Valar ‘of a sort’ (sorry, I can’t find a direct reference for this). He’s probably a Maiar, a spirit that can take the form of a man.
That’s it for now. Comments, additions, criticism, winning lottery tickets are all welcome!
¹ ‘The Silmarillion,’ Index of Names; also, the last page of chapter 4 of ‘The Silmarillion’
Diana
Terrific work, Amaranth! After you chose the topic, I began to notice that you were right about the number of times the color grey was mentioned. I like your theory on its meaning. It will be interesting to see if it holds up through the book.
Kathy C.
This all seems like a very grey area to me
Glor
Thanks Kathy! I hope my theory holds up. Paraphrasing Freud:
Sometimes grey is just the color grey :-) We'll see . . .
Diana