BookI Chap7&8: The Dreams?

[MajahTR]

There are many dreams in these chapters. A few are simply dreams that went over the events of the day while others are definitely "time-travel." What events are symbolized by the time-travel dreams?
DA

[Andorinha]

Been meaning to have a "go" at this topic for years, sort of lost track of it, stumbled across it again recently, well, here goes!

"Time-travel dreams?" In these two chapters, I think I can find two dreams that might be said to have some sort of "time-aspect" to them -- both are Frodo's. One seems to involve "travel" into the past; and I believe there is a way of interpreting the second as an episode of "travel" into the future.

1. Frodo's first dream (FotR, p 177, pap bk ver) is recounted in chapter 7, and must have taken place on the night of the 26th, or the early hours of the 27th of September (according to p. 464 Appendix B). It deals with events that have already occurred, as Frodo's mind travels into the past to view Gandalf's escape from Orthanc (which occurred on the 18th of September). It is a highly detailed, and accurate dream, but I am left wondering about its function/ purpose? It seems to provide Frodo with "meaningless" data. It is not a dream that warns him about some future event so that he can avoid a dangerous situation. In fact, Frodo does not (apparently) understand the dream's message until it is far too late to be of any good. I think it is only in Rivendell that Frodo realizes that his dream had any valid connection with reality:

" 'I saw you!' cried Frodo. 'You were walking backwards and forwards. The moon shone in your hair.'
"Gandalf paused astonished and looked at him. 'It was only a dream,' said Frodo, 'but it suddenly came back to me. I had quite forgotten it. It came some time ago; after I left the Shire, I think.'
" 'Then it was late in coming,' said Gandalf..." (FotR, "The Council of Elrond," p. 342, emphasis mine)

Yeah, like Gandalf, I'm wondering, why have a "useless" albeit veracious dream? I suppose Tolkien included it as a bit of spooky/ eerie scene-play? Or introduces the theme of Frodo's developing power as a sort of seer? Eventually, I think, Frodo even foretells the births, genders, and names of Sam's as yet unborn children? Maybe it fits in with the power of Bombadil to provoke/ encourage vivid dreams in general?

Bombadil seems to know before hand that the hobbits are likely to have dreams in his house, he even seems to foretell elements of these dreams, at least in the case of Merry and Pippin when he warns them before going to bed that they should "Heed no nightly noise! Fear no grey willow!" (FotR, p. 176) Pippin does indeed hear (at first as a part of his dream, then continuing as he wakes) the "nightly noise" of branches groping in the wind, and his fear of willows becomes all too plain. Merry also "hears nightly noises," in his case, water rising to drown him.

Did Bombadil also have some foreknowledge of what Frodo would dream? Maybe not, as he does not mention anything concerning the content of Mr. Baggin's dream, either before Frodo had it, or after.

Pure speculation here, but, has Frodo's Ring been activated in the house of Bombadil? Does the Ring give Frodo the power to dream a "true-dream," even if it comes too late to be of any use? Or does Frodo's dream-power come from some other source, perhaps Tom, or from the Valar? I think the Ring would have tried to provide a more frightening, twisted, lying sort of dream -- so I'm inclined to see Frodo's gradual development as a "true dreamer," as something from a "well-meaning" source (the Valar?), not the Ring.

2. The second, possible "time-travel" dream is found in chapter 8, "Fog on the Barrow-Downs, p. 187:

"That night they heard no noises. But either in his dreams or out of them, he could not tell which, Frodo heard a sweet singing running in his mind: a song that seemed to come like a pale light behind a grey rain-curtain, and growing stronger to turn the veil all to glass and silver, until at last it was rolled back, and a far green country opened before him under a swift sunrise."

Now this dream comes true in the future for Frodo, though we (and he!) must wait through all three volumes of the tale before we find its culmination:

"And the ship went out into the High Sea and passed on into the West, until at last on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water. And then it seemed to him that as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise." (RotK, "The Grey Havens," p 384, pap bk ver)

So, this second of Frodo's dreams, is a truly premonitory one, it accurately/ truthfully stands as a prediction of Frodo's personal future, and its source must surely be the kindly gift of the Valar?