Visit The *EVEN NEWER* Barrow-Downs Photo Page |
07-20-2009, 04:56 AM | #1 |
Wight
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Barad-Dur
Posts: 196
|
The Horn of Buckland
In the chapter in ROTK, "The Scouring of the Shire", when the 4 Travellers decided to raise the Shire, as Sam was riding to the Cottons, Merry blew 2 horns : (a) the Rohan horn that Eomer and Eowyn gave him, and (b) the Horn of Buckland.
How did Merry come by the Horn of Buckland ? There was no mention of him taking it with him when the hobbits left to go through the Old Forest at the start of the Quest - and no record of them detouring to Buckland when they arrived back in the Shire after the Ring had been destroyed. A continuity error from JRRT ? |
07-20-2009, 06:36 AM | #2 | |
Princess of Skwerlz
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles)
Posts: 7,500
|
This is one of those passages that requires precise reading:
Quote:
Imagine a modern military bugle - the same instrument can play reveille, retreat, or taps. Interestingly, the horn is the one instrument played by humans in Tolkien's works which has more than an entertaining or signalling function - it seems to move the hearts of people in an almost supernatural way. We never read of trumpet signals having a similar effect.
__________________
'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...' |
|
07-20-2009, 09:09 AM | #3 |
Haunting Spirit
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 70
|
The Horn
The horn was given to Merry by Eowyn (See Many Partings RotK), it was made by the Dwarves and was part of the hoard of Scatha the Worm. Eorl the young brought it with him when the Rohirrim emigrated from the Vales of Anduin.
__________________
JeffF(Fingolfin) |
07-20-2009, 09:25 AM | #4 |
Wight
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Barad-Dur
Posts: 196
|
Sorry, but I don't buy that.
I think 2 distinct horns were required to provide 2 distinct "calls to arms". And JRRT messed up by asking us to believe that Merry carried the Horn of Buckland around throughout the whole adventure. |
07-20-2009, 09:36 AM | #5 |
Gruesome Spectre
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Heaven's doorstep
Posts: 8,037
|
Why must that be the case? As Esty said, military buglers are required to know many different calls, the meanings of which are readily distinguishable by the trained ear.
__________________
Music alone proves the existence of God. Last edited by Inziladun; 07-20-2009 at 09:39 AM. Reason: spelling correction |
07-20-2009, 10:53 AM | #6 |
Princess of Skwerlz
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles)
Posts: 7,500
|
Mouth, what you say about different horns being needed for different calls to arms has no basis in either musical or military history. Would a horn player in battle have carried two different horns to play, one for attack and another for retreat? That would have been illogical and impractical.
The passage I quoted earlier is very clear - he blew on the horn of Rohan, then changed the note, not the instrument. Read the words that are written there - no other proof is needed.
__________________
'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...' |
07-20-2009, 01:30 PM | #7 | ||
Sage & Onions
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Britain
Posts: 894
|
Awake!
Hi all,
I think Esty is quite right, and indeed we know the Horn-call of Buckland Quote:
Quote:
So to me the tune went something like 'Bwa, wa, wa, wa, Bwa, wa, wa, wa, Bwa, Bwa' (you can tell I'm not a musician huh? ). Sounds a little reminiscent of a British fox-hunting call to me, anyone??
__________________
Rumil of Coedhirion |
||
07-21-2009, 03:47 AM | #8 | |
Shade of Carn Dűm
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: The Shire (Staffordshire), United Kingdom
Posts: 273
|
Quote:
I can play a modern military-style bugle and I'm familiar with more than a couple of dozen different signal calls. A bugle can produce five notes and most signal calls and marching tunes use only four. It's amazing what you can do with just four notes; listen to some modern pop songs. The Horn of Rohan, if my memory serve me right, was described as small, perhaps something like a modern fox-hunting horn. It would have produced only three notes but that's enough for many different signals. When I play my version of the Buckland alarm call, I use only two notes. . Last edited by Selmo; 07-21-2009 at 03:50 AM. |
|
|
|