Sweet Dreams

[Neithan]

As far as I know there has not yet been a thread on dreams in Tokiens works (at least I couldn't find any) so here goes.
Tolkien uses many dreams for effect in LotR the first example that comes to mind is in the House of Tom Bombadil, Merry and Pippin were given nightmares by the "nightly noises" of the Forest. Frodo, on the other hand, had a dream that told of things that were actually happening to Gandalf. Sam slept on without any dreams at all. What is Tolkien saying about the differences in the characters?
The next night Frodo dreams the exact vision he has when sailing to the west.

Another dream that I thought of was the night before Frodo entered the Old Forest.

Eventually he fell into a vague dream in which he seemed to be looking out of a high window over a dark sea of tangled trees. Down below among the roots there was the sound of creatures crawling and snuffling. He felt sure they would smell him out sooner or later.
Then he heard a noise in the distance. At first he thought it was a great wind coming over the leaves of the forest. Then he knew that it was not leaves, but the sound of the Sea far-off; a sound he had never heard in waking life, though it had often troubled his dreams. Suddenly he found he was out in the open. There were no trees after all. He was on a dark heath, and there was a strange salt smell in the air. Looking up he saw before him a white tower, standing alone on a high ridge. A great desire came over him to climb the tower and see the Sea. He started to struggle up the ridge towards the tower: but suddenly a light came in the sky, and there was a noise of thunder.

Any ideas what this means?

Here is one from The Hobbit,

But all night he dreamed of his own house and wandered in his sleep into all his different rooms looking for something that he could not find nor remember what it looked like.

I like this but I don't know why. I can't figure out what it means, any ideas?

Feel free to bring up any other dreams to discuss as well.

[Aiwendil]

There are some interesting dreams to be considered in the Silmarillion as well - the prophetic dreams of Turgon and Finrod, apparently sent to them by Ulmo. This raises the question of the power of the Valar (I believe there are other places in the Silmarillion material where "dreams of the Valar" are referred to). One wonders how this relates to the metaphysics of Arda. Are these dreams transmitted via Osanwe?

One might similarly question the metaphysical nature of Frodo's dreams. Are they merely reflections of his subconscious? This seems unlikely, since he hears the sea, which he has never seen in waking life. But whence then might his dreams come?

Sorry if I haven't responded directly to your question - and indeed, have brought the issue down to a more literal level. But I think these are interesting questions that deserve some attention as well.

[Neithan]

Sorry if I haven't responded directly to your question - and indeed, have brought the issue down to a more literal level.

That's OK there is no reason we cannot discuss the literal side as well.

Are these dreams transmitted via Osanwe?

That would be my guess.

[A_Brandybuck]

I've ever thought of this dream with the sea of being foresighted. It is already very odd, that a Hobbit have a desire to see the sea. So, the dream must have a different meaning and then it fit very well the fact that Frodo will go over the sea to the Undying Lands.
The white tower could be the tower, where the unique Palantir is laired, which can only see not communicate.
Climbing the tower and look upon the sea could have meant to use the Palantir and have a look of what Frodo would expect after his mission, although it is still the beginning of his adventure.
I don't have my books here, so I don't know whether the thunder and the flash are part of the dream or already the connection to the real world. A sign that Frodo wakes up.
If it is part of the dream, I could imagine, that this could be a sign, that the future is unknown. It is not for sure, that he could make for Valinor. He must first finish his task.

That is how I would interpret the dream.

[Thinlómien]

I think that the dream about the sea can be very straightly understood. I don't know where the dream came from, but clearly it woke the longing to the sea in Frodo, though deep in his heart.
This may have been some kind of call, maybe sent by the valar, Ulmo or the Sea itself.
And as in "real" world (I mean our world) you may dream about something you've never seen, only heard of. Then we may ask how could he imagine it look like it really looks like, maybe this was sent by powers mentioned before.
I have one more idea, but it's a bit far-fetched. Maybe the sea came from Frodo's subconsciousness. (The strange idea: he had it in his subconsciousness because he had seen the sea before he was born. This brings us to different questions and the structure of Eä and where do the souls of hobbits go after death and where are they before they born, but my intention wasn't to mix this intresting thread up, so forget this theory. It doesn't even agree with Arda itself, I think.)

Sorry, I only mixed this thread up, but that's may way to do things
(And sorry, my poor english, that's not my mother tongue. Hope you understood something.)

[Linnahiril Tinnufinwen]

I'm afriad that I'm baffled by Frodo's sea dream (although it might have something to do with the actual sea itself, and the sea-longing of the Elves) but I think Bilbo's dream in The Hobbit might simply be a foreboding about his finding the ring. He eventually became somewhat obsessed with it, and would probably look for the ring frantically if he had ever lost it (kind of the way he does in the beginning of the Extended Edition of the Fellowship movie). Either that, or it could simply be a metaphor for Bilbo's feeling "lost" on his strange adventure.

[Osse]

Another key dream used by the author as a source of information - undoubtedly sent from the Valar, was the recurring dream sent to Faramir on several ocassions, and to Boromir once - the dream talking of Durin's Bane.

Later, Faramir talks of having a dream, both as a child and adult of a monstrous wave engulfing him. This has been discussed on these forums before, and is thought to be an echo of his Numenorean descent. As you say Neithan, Tolkien uses dreams quite extensively throughout the books - and yet we never really know why, whether they are hinting to his own life experiences or beliefs, hidden plots, or just a piece of script in order to develop his characters - perhaps all, perhaps none.

I too am eager for others to think of some other instances were dreams are used in the books, and how...

Regards,

Ossë