The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum


Visit The *EVEN NEWER* Barrow-Downs Photo Page

Go Back   The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum > Middle-Earth Discussions > The Books
User Name
Password
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read


 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Prev Previous Post   Next Post Next
Old 02-02-2007, 11:15 AM   #1
MatthewM
Ghost Prince of Cardolan
 
MatthewM's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: New York
Posts: 628
MatthewM has just left Hobbiton.
Send a message via AIM to MatthewM
Tolkien Common cold beyond the Ring?

A long time ago I made a thread which asked why do you think Tolkien never mentioned anything about what we call the "common cold" on M-e, in specific with the journey of The Fellowship. The answers we gathered were

1) M-e air was clean and "colds" were non-existent there

2) Tolkien doesn't write about them going to the bathroom, so he isn't going to bother writing about a character having the sniffles.

Either way you look at it, I could imagine that some sort of physical weakness that resembles our "common cold" had to have been taken towards Frodo a little. There's no evidence for this, and maybe he didn't have anything like our cold, but this passage in The Stairs of Cirith-Ungol even gives me the shivers-

"The passage seemed to go on for miles, and always the chill air flowed over them, rising as they went on to a bitter wind."

The hobbits were already probably sweating bullets. I can't see how Frodo couldn't have, along with the burden and weakness he already felt from the Ring, had a little extra "cold". I pick Frodo because, in his already weakened state, it would be more feasible that he got the "cold" rather than Sam.

I'm sure both reasons 1 and 2 I mentioned are correct, and maybe I'm looking a little too deep here. Just thought it was worth a mention.
__________________
"Loud and clear it sounds in the valleys of the hills...and then let all the foes of Gondor flee!" -Boromir, The Fellowship of the Ring
MatthewM is offline   Reply With Quote
 

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 10:39 PM.



Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.