Chapter 2 Flashcards
The Fellowship of the Ring
Contrary to the movie, how much time passes between Frodo inheriting the ring and Gandalf telling of the ring’s history?
Seventeen years.
Contrary to the movie, how old is Frodo by the time he learns of the ring’s history?
Fifty.
Why did Gandalf wait seventeen years to tell Frodo of the ring’s history?
He knew it was one of the twenty rings of power, but he did not know it was the one forged by Sauron. It took seventeen years to ponder the effects the Ring had on Bilbo and to connect the dots.
Who were the twenty rings made by?
The elves.
What does Gandalf do to the ring in order to prove that it is the one forged by Sauron?
He tosses it into the fire, which reveals an inscription inside of it.
What does the inscription of the ring say?
One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, one ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them.
How many rings went to each race at their creation?
-Three went to the Elves
-Seven went to the Dwarves
-Nine went to the Men
-Sauron made the last one
Who did the Ring fall into the possession of after Sauron was defeated?
Isildur, who defeated Sauron by cutting off his hand. He then took the ring into his possession after taking it off of Sauron’s finger.
Who did the Ring fall into the possession of after Isildur was killed by Orcs for the Ring?
Smeagol, a Hobbit who found it on his birthday while taking a trip to the pond the dead body of Isildur fell into.
What effects did the ring have on Smeagol?
-When Smeagol’s friend, Deagol, grew envious of the Ring and wanted to possess it, Smeagol killed him.
-Rather than confessing what he did, Smeagol went up into the mountains.
-The ring kept him alive for an unnatural amount of time, and he slowly became hunched over and miserable, with his skin wrinkled and his hair fallen out.
-He became known as Gollum due to the noise his throat often made.
-Finally, as we know from The Hobbit, Bilbo stole the Ring after finding it in Gollum’s cave.
Why does Sauron know where the Ring is now?
Gollum was drawn by the power of Mordor and made his way to Sauron, who interrogated him and extracted the information he needed to find out that Bilbo was now in possession of the Ring.
Why is this chapter particularly lore-heavy, providing much of the basic plotline for the rest of the three books?
This mirrors the style of the epic poems Tolkien was inspired by, which often placed its necessary lore near the beginning and left the action for the rest of the poem.
How does the Ring trap those who it comes into possession?
By making its own power extremely alluring, similar to a drug and its addiction. In fact, this analogy has been commonly theorized over the past several decades.
How does Tolkien use the passage of time to further increase our suspicion of the Ring?
He first places the entirety of Middle-Earth in an ancient time period. Then, he has Hobbits possess extremely long lifespans, wherein they can experience large chunks of history. Lastly, he places the lore of the Ring to where it is considered ancient even for the ancient setting of Middle-Earth.
Where is Middle-Earth located geographically?
Near the center of our Earth. This is based on ancient European legends describing the world of Gaia, a hidden world underneath the Earth’s surface.
