Oh, do we learn more about the history of Middle-earth today? Yes we do!
Mostly about Gondor!
Evil overcame Minas Ithil in the east, and Minas Anor was renamed Minas Tirith, ever guarding the western world from it. Osgiliath, stuck in the middle, was fought over again and again, and reduced to abandoned ruins. Elrond ends his portion of the tale, and Boromir enthusiastically jumps forward to continue, speaking of Gondor’s recent history. Mordor has grown in power, and the people of Gondor have been driven westward. Along with its new alliances with cruel men of the south and east, Mordor’s attack came with a strong, new power, which sounds a lot like a Ringwraith to me. Few men escaped the carnage, except Boromir, his brother (Faramir!), and two others. They destroyed the last bridge across the river in Osgiliath behind their retreat.
First Mentions:
-Minas Morgul: The new Minas Ithil. Now with more evil!
-Minas Tirith: The new Minas Anor, and staging point for the defense against Mordor. We’ll get there later.
-the Argonath: Marking the ancient northern border of Gondor, two statues of Isildur and Anárion stand guard on the river Anduin. It’s the most epic shot in the movie. You know what I’m talking about.
-Ithilien: Forest region on the eastern banks of Anduin. Usually inhabited by Gondor, but recently taken by Mordor.
-the Easterlings: Evil men from the east. Like, way east. Past Mordor. Past the Lonely Mountain.
-the Haradrim: Evil men from the south. Like, way south. Past Mordor. Past Gondor.
Oh man, this speech by Boromir is awkward. Elrond finishes up his bit by speaking of the current situation between Gondor and Mordor. It’s not good. We get it. However, Boromir leaps up, ready to stand up for his brothers in arms. Gondor is fighting! Gondor is strong! But…um, well there was this one attack that was pretty bad. But we will fight on!
Hip, hip, hooray!
It feels like a tired, propaganda-esque rally cry. Elrond wasn’t speaking much in terms of emotion. Heck, he’s an elf. Emotion is foreign to him. Then, all of a sudden, Boromir begins with this bravado. It doesn’t fit. While this should be a pretty factual telling of the current state of Middle-earth, Boromir’s speech is filled with sentimentality. That has no place here! Boooo-romir!
What I do find interesting is the difference in the state of Gondor between what is said here and the movie. In one of the last two films (I think it might be Return of the King), a deleted scene showed the celebration of a victory at Osgiliath. It’s actually from this scene that the picture I used above appears. In the story here on this page, the state of Osgiliath is far from a triumph for Gondor. A massive retreat has been called, and the last bridge destroyed. Very different indeed. It’s actually a wonderful scene, and when I saw it I was sad that it didn’t make it into the final theatrical release. However, I see now that it’s actually inaccurate according to the book. Hm…
Words My Computer Didn’t Like:
-Morgul
-Tirith
-Argonath
-Ithilien
-Easterlings
-Haradrim
I like how the Argonath is clearly named with a nod to Jason and the Argonauts of Greek mythology. It’s on a river. The Argonauts sailed on the Argo over the seas. There’s definitely a connection. Tolkien for the referential win!
“‘But still we fight on, holding all the west shores of Anduin; and those who shelter behind us give us praise, if ever they…'”
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