An Unexpected Journey

Farewell to Lothlórien - As night falls, they arrive at Caras Galadhon, the city of the Galadhrim—the Elves who live in Lothlórien. Entering the great gates of the city, they come presently to a large tree and climb a ladder to a large platform, "like the deck of a great ship," on which a great house stands. In a chamber of the house, Galadriel and her husband Celeborn, the Lord and Lady of Lothlórien, greet them each by name. Celeborn and Galadriel ask why Gandalf is not with them and the Company shares the bad news of Gandalf's fall. The Lord and Lady say they will help Frodoin his quest, of which they are aware.

The Fellowship remains in Lothlórien for many days but eventually realizes they must leave and continue the quest. Both Frodo and Sam feel strongly that they must be on their way. As the two hobbits discuss this, Galadriel approaches and leads them to a spring next to which sits a silver basin on a pedestal. Filling the basin with water, she invites them to look into "the Mirror of Galadriel," which shows "things that were, and things that are, and things that yet may be."

Sam sees "Frodo with a pale face lying fast asleep under a great dark cliff ... [and] himself going along a dim passage, and climbing an endless winding stair." Then he sees trouble happening in the Shire.

Frodo sees a "figure ... clothed not in grey but in white ... and in its hand there was a white staff." Then he sees Bilbo, back in Rivendell, and then flashes of scenes from the Ring's history—the "great history in which he had become involved." Finally, he sees a great Eye—the Eye of Sauron, which he knows is searching for him.

Galadriel reveals to Frodo she is the bearer of one of the Elven rings, and so the destruction of the One Ring will mean the destruction of all the good she has done with her ring's power. She tells Frodo, "if you fail, then we are laid bare to the Enemy. Yet if you succeed, then our power is diminished, and Lothlórien will fade, and the tides of Time will sweep it away."

Frodo offers her the One Ring, but she resists the temptation to take it.

The Miror of Galadriel - As night falls, they arrive at Caras Galadhon, the city of the Galadhrim—the Elves who live in Lothlórien. Entering the great gates of the city, they come presently to a large tree and climb a ladder to a large platform, "like the deck of a great ship," on which a great house stands. In a chamber of the house, Galadriel and her husband Celeborn, the Lord and Lady of Lothlórien, greet them each by name. Celeborn and Galadriel ask why Gandalf is not with them and the Company shares the bad news of Gandalf's fall. The Lord and Lady say they will help Frodoin his quest, of which they are aware.

The Fellowship remains in Lothlórien for many days but eventually realizes they must leave and continue the quest. Both Frodo and Sam feel strongly that they must be on their way. As the two hobbits discuss this, Galadriel approaches and leads them to a spring next to which sits a silver basin on a pedestal. Filling the basin with water, she invites them to look into "the Mirror of Galadriel," which shows "things that were, and things that are, and things that yet may be."

Sam sees "Frodo with a pale face lying fast asleep under a great dark cliff ... [and] himself going along a dim passage, and climbing an endless winding stair." Then he sees trouble happening in the Shire.

Frodo sees a "figure ... clothed not in grey but in white ... and in its hand there was a white staff." Then he sees Bilbo, back in Rivendell, and then flashes of scenes from the Ring's history—the "great history in which he had become involved." Finally, he sees a great Eye—the Eye of Sauron, which he knows is searching for him.

Galadriel reveals to Frodo she is the bearer of one of the Elven rings, and so the destruction of the One Ring will mean the destruction of all the good she has done with her ring's power. She tells Frodo, "if you fail, then we are laid bare to the Enemy. Yet if you succeed, then our power is diminished, and Lothlórien will fade, and the tides of Time will sweep it away."

Frodo offers her the One Ring, but she resists the temptation to take it.

Lothlórien - Shocked and grieving, the Fellowship is at a loss for what to do next. Aragorn takes control, leading the Company toward the woods of Lothlórien, a dwelling of Elves that Legolas and Aragorn anticipate visiting with joy, despite their sadness. They stop briefly so Aragorn can attend to Frodo's injuries, discovering Frodo's mithril coat in the process, which mostly protected him from the Orc-chieftain's spear thrust.

As they walk, Frodo again thinks he hears soft footsteps following, and when he turns, he sees the gleam of eyes.

They arrive at the woods of Lothlórien. Not everyone is excited. Boromir is suspicious, and Gimli, as a Dwarf, also has worries. But Legolas tells them some of the history of Lothlórien, and they seem willing to keep going. When night falls, they prepare to sleep in the tree branches, but are interrupted by a company of Elves led by Haldir whose job is to watch Lothlórien's borders. The Elves agree to lead the Fellowship into Lothlórien in the morning.

In the middle of the night, a shadowy figure climbs up the tree Frodo is in, but is scared away by Elves. The next day the Company, led by Haldir and his elves, enter Lothlórien.

The Bridge of Khazad-Dûm - The Fellowship stands in silence at Balin's tomb, and then Gandalf finds a record book describing a terrible battle ending in the slaughter of the Dwarves living in the mines. "Drums, drums in the deep," reads the record book.

As they consider the meaning of the writing, they hear a "doom, doom" coming from the mines: drums in the deep. Soon, Orcs appear, and with them, a cave-troll. The Fellowship defend themselves, and in the ensuing battle, Frodo is struck by an Orc-chieftain's spear, collapsing as though dead. He surprises the others by speaking. Gandalf tries to hold off the enemy forces with magic, but a powerful magic of unknown source resists him. They all flee, making for the gates leading out of Moria. They come to a deep chasm crossed by a narrow bridge, which is the Bridge of Khazad-dûm.

At the chasm, Gandalf faces a Balrog—a fearsome creature made seemingly of flame. Realizing the Balrog is a powerful enemy, Gandalf tells the others to flee, and faces the Balrog alone, saying, "You cannot pass." Gandalf's magic breaks the bridge, and the Balrog falls into the chasm, but at the last minute the Balrog grasps Gandalf and causes him to fall as well. Weeping and stumbling, the remaining members of the Fellowship escape Moria and enter again into the sunlight.

A Journey in the Dark - Unable to pass over the mountain, they must try going through Moria. The Mines of Moria, located under the mountains, is a legendary dwelling place of Dwarves—and the legends are dark. Gimli is eager to discover what became of the Dwarves who lived there, but no one else shares this excitement.

As they consider this option, Wargs—wolflike monsters—attack in the night. Gandalf protects them with his ability to conjure fire, and in the morning they continue to the doors of Moria, in front of which a lake has formed. The doors are closed and require a magic word to open them, but Gandalf has a hard time figuring it out. Eventually, the solution occurs to him and he is able to open the doors. Just then, a tentacle seizes Frodo by the ankle and tries to drag him into the lake. Sam slashes at it with his knife and they scramble through the open doors. However, the tentacled creature destroys the stonework and sends it crashing down, blocking the way back out.

They are now in the dark, and Gandalf leads them using a faint light emanating from his staff. They walk for hours. At times, Frodo thinks he can hear soft footsteps following them. After walking a long time in the dark, they come to a wide hall with a hole in the floor. Pippin, curious about the hole, drops a stone down it. After a little while, they hear a faint tapping coming from deep within the mines. The Fellowship spends a fitful night's sleep in the large chamber. The following morning, they enter another chamber where they find the tomb of Balin.

The Ring Goes South - After the Council, the hobbits gather to talk about the situation. Merry and Pippin insist that if Sam is going to accompany Frodo, they want to come, too.

Meanwhile, Elrond is sending out scouts to gather intelligence, and they are returning with news. It looks as if Frodo and whoever goes along will set out just as winter begins. In particular, it is important they not set out until they get news of what became of the Black Riders, because they lost their horses at the ford.

Once it seems clear the Black Riders—the Nine—are at least temporarily out of the picture, Elrond summons the hobbits and asks Frodo if he is still willing to go to Mordor. Besides Sam, Elrond appoints Gandalf, Legolas the Elf, Gimli the Dwarf, Aragorn, Boromir, and finally, Merry and Pippin. This makes a Company of nine: "the Nine Walkers shall be set against the Nine Riders that are evil." They are to leave in seven days.

In preparation for the journey, the Elves forge the broken pieces of Narsil into a new sword for Aragorn named Andúril. Bilbo gives Frodo a sword—Sting—and a Dwarf-made shirt of mail made of mithril, a rare metal prized by Dwarves. Frodo puts the mail under his clothing. Boromir blows a great horn. Bill, the pony bought from Bill Ferny, is made ready.

The Fellowship sets off and soon comes to a mountain range. They plan to cross by climbing the Redhorn Gate—a pass through the mountains on the far side of one high peak—Caradhras. They are overtaken by a flock of crows of a particular type known to be from Fangorn Forest. As they ascend, they find the going more and more cold and snowy. Finally, they must turn back, or risk freezing to death.

The Council of Elrond - The next morning, Frodo wakes up early and meets Gandalf and Bilbo as he walks about the grounds of Elrond's house. They attend the Council together with Sam following behind, though he was not invited. There are many there already, including Elrond, Glorfindel, and Strider/Aragorn, as well as Men, Elves, and Dwarves unknown to Frodo.

Glóin, one of the Dwarves, shares that a horseman from Mordor had come to them, asking about hobbits, and promising them magic rings of power if they showed Sauron friendship. Glóin has been sent to warn Bilbo that the Enemy is seeking him and his Ring. Elrond says the purpose of the Council is to answer the question of what is to be done with the Ring Sauron seeks.

At this point, Elrond shares the entire history of the Ring, and how, in the Second Age of the world, Sauron forged the One Ring in secret to control all other rings of power, which had been made for use by Elves, Dwarves, and Men. He tells of how Gil-galad and Elendil fought Sauron and overthrew him, and how Isildur cut the One Ring from Sauron's hand. However, rather than destroy the Ring, Isildur claimed it as his own and was soon "betrayed by it to his death." The shards of Narsil, Elendil's sword, were given to Isildur's heir Valandil. The One Ring was lost, and in its absence, the Elves used their three rings to make beautiful things. The finding of the One Ring threatens all of these beautiful things, Elrond tells them.

Boromir, a Man of Gondor, then tells his tale. Because Gondor is near Mordor, the growing power of the Enemy has already begun to affect that land. Amidst these rising tensions, Boromir and his brother Faramir (the sons of Denethor, Steward of Gondor) both have had the same prophetic dream, and they do not fully understand what it means. He has come to seek Elrond's wisdom on the matter.

One of the references in Boromir's dream is to the "sword that was broken." Aragorn stands and displays his own sword, which everyone can see is broken in two pieces. When Boromir asks him who he is, Elrond interrupts, saying Aragorn is "descended through many fathers from Isildur Elendil's son of Minas Ithil." Aragorn reveals the sword is Narsil, and asks Boromir, "Do you wish for the House of Elendil to return to the Land of Gondor?"

Bilbo interrupts, and so Elrond calls upon him to tell his part of the story next. He describes how he found the Ring: he had engaged in a game of riddles with Gollum, who had accidentally dropped the Ring, only to be picked up by Bilbo. Then Frodo tells of all that had happened since he acquired it. Both Legolas and Gandalf fill in gaps in understanding: first, Legolas tells the Council, Gollum, who had been held captive by the Elves, has escaped; then, Gandalf tells how Saruman, the head of the wizards' council, has betrayed them and seeks the Ring for his own use. Indeed, Gandalf reveals, Saruman imprisoned him on the pinnacle of Orthanc before he was rescued by an eagle.

Then the assembled Company debates what should be done with the Ring. Some would like to hide it, or throw it in the sea. Boromir suggests using it for good ends. Elrond maintains the Ring cannot simply be hidden; it cannot be used for good; it must be destroyed in the fire of its forging. It is unclear who will take up this task, but finally Frodo says he will take the Ring to Mordor to destroy it. Elrond says Sam may go with Frodo.

Many Meatings - When Frodo wakes, he finds himself in the house of Elrond in Rivendell. Gandalf is present and tells Frodo everyone is safe, fills in some of the details of the narrow escape at the Ford of Bruinen, and explains he had been delayed because he was held captive. Gandalf also tells Frodo, as soon as he is well enough, there is to be a Council, at which Frodo will learn the answers to many questions.

Gandalf explains that the "Black Riders are the Ringwraiths, the Nine servants of the Lord of the Rings," and that Aragorn is of the "race of the Kings from over the Sea," as are all Rangers. Frodo is astounded.

Soon, Frodo feels well enough to socialize with his friends and the others in Elrond's house. Sam, who has been anxiously waiting for Frodo to recover, shows him around the big house. A great feast takes place in the hall of Elrond's house. After the feast, they retire to the Hall of Fire for singing and storytelling, and Frodo is surprised and delighted to find Bilbo there. After passing the evening together, they head off to bed to get a night's rest before the Council.

Flight to the Ford - Strider assesses the situation. He believes the Black Riders were more easily chased away because there were only five of them, not nine—their full number. He also thinks the Riders believe Frodo is fatally injured and will soon be in their power. Strider tends the wound with a healing herb called athelas, but notes they must make haste to Rivendell where Elrond can use his healing abilities to help Frodo.

For several days, the journey is uneventful but difficult, and Frodo's wound grows steadily more painful. As they travel, an Elf named Glorfindel appears and speaks urgently to Strider. Glorfindel has come from Elrond to help the hobbits reach Rivendell safely. He places Frodo on his horse and they continue on toward Rivendell. As they near Rivendell, the nine Black Riders catch up to them and pursue Frodo. Suddenly, the river forming a border of Rivendell rises up and scatters the Riders and their horses. The Company enters Rivendell; Frodo is unconscious.

A Knife in the Dark - Back in the Shire, Fatty Bolger has been staying in Frodo's Buckland home to make it appear Frodo is there. One night, Black Riders approach the house and attempt to enter. Fatty, however, quickly raises the alarm, and the Black Riders, realizing the Ring is no longer there, ride off.

In Bree, Frodo and the others sleep while Strider stays awake, alert and listening. When Strider wakens them in the morning, they find the bolsters placed in their beds as decoys have been destroyed. Butterbur is distraught, and Strider and the hobbits decide to leave at once. After a delay caused by missing ponies, they get on their way with one pony bought from Bill Ferny, a dubious character.

Aragorn leads them through the Midgewater Marshes, and they can see, in the distance, something "like lightning." When they get to the hill called Weathertop, Strider thinks the "lightning" they saw might have been caused by Gandalf.

That night, five Black Riders attack. Strider and the hobbits defend themselves, but Frodo feels an overpowering desire to put on the Ring. When he does so, a Black Rider stabs him in the left shoulder with a magical blade before Strider can drive the Riders off. Frodo slips the Ring off his finger before falling unconscious.