‘But it was no orc-chieftan
or brigand that led the assault upon Gondor. The darkness was breaking too
soon, before the date his Master had set for it: fortune had betrayed him for
the moment, and the world had turned against him; victory was slipping from his
grasp even as he stretched out his hand to seize it. But his arm was long. He
was still in command, wielding great powers. King, Ringwraith, Lord of the
Nazgul, he had many weapons. He left the Gate and vanished.’
The triumphant Theoden is
now on the road to the Gate, less than a mile to the City. His impetus slows as
he seeks new foes and his knights catch up with him, including the enigmatic
Dernhelm, with Merry still clinging behind. The Rohirrim have overrun almost
all of the northern half of Pelennor Fields; Elfhelm’s eored is among the siege
engines, killing and driving the enemy into their own fire-pits. Orcs are
fleeing toward the River ‘like herds before the hunters.’
But the siege is not yet
lifted. There are still great numbers around the Gate and hosts unchallenged on
the south part of the plain. Among them is a host of Haradrim horsemen gathered
around their chieftain. This leader, seeing Theoden’s banner far ahead of his
men, raises his own standard (black serpent on red) and charges the King. ‘…
and the drawing of the scimitars of the Southrons was like a glitter of stars.’
Theoden does not wait but
leads a charge right into their superior numbers. The ‘white fury’ of the
Rohirrim burns the hotter and their skill is greater; ‘they clove through the
Southrons like a fire-bolt in a forest.’ Theoden’s spear is broken in the assault
as he kills the chieftan, but he sweeps out his sword. He strikes down the
serpent standard of the enemy, and all who are left flee before his wrath.
Notes
It is interesting to note
that the darkness is breaking before Sauron had set a time for it. It implies
that the darkness is only a temporary measure, a tactic to sow fear and give
cover to the hosts of Mordor. Eventually the darkness would have broken at the ‘date’
Sauron had set for it. One would imagine that it would have been an enormous
drain of power.
The phrase that ‘fortune’
had betrayed him is also intriguing. Throughout the story the terms ‘luck’ or ‘fortune’
can be seen as veiled references to what has been called Providence, the will
of God. Gandalf has often expressed his scorn of the idea of ‘mere luck’ or ‘chance,
if chance you call it.’ There has been some speculation that Manwe, Lord of the
Valar and Master of Winds, has sent this blast to scatter the darkness and
bring other aid to the forces of the West. A speculation that would not have
been likely before the publication of The Silmarillion.
This section uses a lot of
similes: ‘like herds before hunters;’ ‘like a glitter of stars;’ ‘like a
fire-bolt (lightning) in the forest.’ This gives one unfamiliar with battle an
idea of the speed and sights of the field.
I was hoping to get a little
farther today, but perhaps it’s just as well as we leave Theoden at his most
glorious moment. It’s about to get pretty dark again.
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