A New Shadow

Some time after The Lord of the Rings Tolkien turned his attention back to the Fourth Age, of which very little is written. He began a story, The New Shadow, that took place in the days of Eldarion son of Aragorn. It was a time of peace but Men were growing restless. Indeed, Tolkien discusses part of the inspiration of the story is man's "quick satiety with good" (p. 410, The People's of Middle-Earth). Reminds of of the human heart with God. The story involves two men Borlas, youngest son of Beregond, but now very old and Saelon, a young man who had been friends with Borlas' son. They are sitting in Borlas' garden when Borlas says to himself: "'Deep indeed run the roots of Evil,' said Borlas, 'and the black sap is strong in them. That tree will never be slain. Let me hew it as often as they may, it will thrust up its shoots again as soon as they turn aside. Not even at the Feast of Felling should the axe be hung upon the wall!' (p. 411, The Peoples of Middle-earth).

This caught Saelon's attention and began a tense conversation. Saelon confessed how he had been, it seems, rather infatuated with Orcs since Borlas had rebuked him long ago for destroying unripe apples from the garden--as the old man had said, it was Orc's work. Borlas was unsettled by Saelon's words and offered an apology: "'Alas!' he said, 'we all make mistakes. I do not claim wisdom, young man, except maybe the little that one may gleam with the passing of years. From which I know well enough the sad truth that those who mean well may do more harm than those who let things be. I am sorry now for what I said, if it roused hate in your heart'" (p. 412, The Peoples of Middle-earth).

They debated Man's role with nature--hewing and burning and consumption of it. Again Borlas answers wisely: "'The evils of the world were not at first in the great Theme, but entered with the discords of Melkor. Men did not come with these discords; they entered afterwards as a new thing direct from Eru, the One, and therefore are called His children, and all that was in the Theme they have, for their own good, the right to use - rightly, without pride or wantonness, but with reverence'" (p. 413, The Peoples of Middle-earth).

Saelon turned the conversation back to Borlas' first thought--the Evil tree that could not be slain. "His voice sank low and could scarcely be heard above the murmur of a sudden chill wind in the leaves, as the sun sank behind the Mindolluin. 'You have heard then the name?' With hardly more than breath he formed it. 'Of Herumor?'" (p. 414, The Peoples of Middle-earth). That name left Borlas speechless. Saelon wondered how Borlas could know of such a cunning secret; he went on to tell how not all were content since Aragorn died and those that heard the call of that name were growing.

The two men went back and forth trying to determine how the other knew of Herumor and how much did he know. Finally Borlas turned to go into his home since the conversation was going nowhere. Saelon then invited Borlas to journey with him, during the full night, clad in black, to if he wished to know more. Borlas was left to himself reflecting on how the conversation even came to be. Rumors had been spreading across Gondor told to him by his son Berelech and his friends Othrondir and Saelon--it was these the old man had been reflecting on and spoke aloud to himself with Saelon sitting near.

Borlas replayed to conversation with Saelon, really the only one who checked on his well being while his son served in the navy, trying to determine if he was involved in this new shadow growing. Borlas thought it useless that he go with Saelon--useless because he would never convert and useless because even if he did convert Borlas was too old to do anything. Then it dawned on him it would be better if he were out of the way. He resolved to meet Saelon come what may. He walked toward his house to ready himself thinking:

"'Perhaps I have been preserved so long for this purpose: that one should still live, hale in mind, who remembers what went before the Great Peace. Scent has a long memory. I think I could still smell the old Evil, and know it for what it is.' The door under the porch was open; but the house behind was darkling. There seemed none of the accustomed sounds of evening, only a soft silence, a dead silence. He entered, wondering a little. He called, but there was no answer. He halted in the narrow passage that ran through the house, and it seemed that he was wrapped in a blackness: not a glimmer of twilight of the world outside remained there. Suddenly he smelt it, or so it seemed, though it came as it were from within outwards to the sense: he smelt the old Evil and knew it for what it was" (p. 418, The Peoples of Middle-earth).

Wow. Thus concludes J.R.R. Tolkien's last writings on Middle-earth. A new shadow is rising though we will never know who or what this shadow is. But after reading chronological history of Middle-earth I am confident that there will be people who will bear the burden and fight the long defeat for the good of all. Just like in our world today, though evil is ever present there are men and women across the world who stand up to it. I personally love that about Tolkien's writing--characters full of nobility and honor who stand up to evil because it is the right thing to do.

Middle-earth timeline: Fourth Age, circa 220
Today's reading comes from: The People's of Middle-earth, pages 410-418