“My father used to call me that,” he said now. “I was his little ‘acorn’. I was his promise?”
“No sir,” Sam said and gently placed his hand over Frodo’s. “You’re the tree.”
That's a beautiful image! I like it very much!
So, Odo is the name of the Gaffer's neighbour?
Well, well, sometimes interpretation leads us to totally different results!
I was thinking of the first drafts of "The Lord of the Rings" in HOME, where the Ringbearer was still called Bingo, and he was accompanied by his cousins, whose names were Frodo, Odo and Marmaduke ;-)
Thank you for this story, I enjoyed reading and interpreting it very much :)
Author's reply
That scene under the oak tree was in my mind pretty much since I first started writing this story. I checked on the web to see if my own perceptions of what 'oak' and 'acorn' symbolize were correct, and not only did I find that they were, but that Aristotle had said that the acorn was the greastest symbol of potential. Aristotle!
Odo - I thought of that the other night and had a little chuckle over it. It gives the dream a different sort of twist when you read it with *that* Odo in mind. I don't know about you, but I'm very glad that Tolkien changed the names of the hobbits. I just can't imagine that moment in the movie when the Ring is destroyed and the Mt. Doom and Mordor start to collapse, and everyone shouting "BINGO!" That would rather ruin the moment, because someone would either have to win a prize, or they'd had to follow it up with "B-I-N-G-O!" And all I can think about when I read "Marmaduke" is the black lab from the comic strip! And now that I've wondered completely off topic...
I'm glad you enjoyed this and I really loved getting your reviews! Thanks for reading. :)
Grey Wonderer
· 19 April 2006
· Chapter 6: Awakenings
Love Sam's way of looking at things. I also liked the bits of Primula's journal that were included in the story. Looks like Frodo and Sam both have a great deal to think over. The Dwarves may not have started things but their cooking brought things into a weird sort of focus for everyone. LOL
Author's reply
Sam's simple approach to life certainly isn't lacking in wisdom, for all that his name would imply that it is. And who better than a gardener to finally answer Frodo's question? Even the Gaffer would have given him a similar response, though it would be lacking Sam's poetical viewpoint.
The journal entries were a last minute addition. I thought it would be interesting if there really was a journal, and since the one in Frodo's dream featured Prima's handwriting, it was a small step to decide that the journal would be hers. In this way, Frodo gets to have a little bit of his mother (and his father) back in his life.
They all have a great deal to think over, but none of them will really have the time to analyze these dreams for long. Hamfast was never a hobbit to sit and stew when there are things to be done, and Bilbo needs to finish planning for the party and start planning for his journey. Frodo will soon be bombarded with his new position as Master and Sam will be busy worrying about Frodo.
I fiddled with the idea that the Dwarves knew exactly what their cooking would do to the hobbits, but I just couldn't make it work and it made the Dwarves seem callous and conniving, which I didn't want to do. It works better if they remain innocently unaware of what effects their cooking has. ^_^
Thanks for reading!
Queen Galadriel
· 18 April 2006
· Chapter 999999
Ah, this explains a whole lot. When I look deep, I miss the obvious, much like Gandalf with the riddle of "speak friend."
Yes, it was indeed strange at times-and I didn't think it got any weirder than running away from short, furry barbaric men, hiding non-existent high-tech dolls in boxes, and trying to keep them from crying and revealing themselves and me, but I guess I was wrong. LOL! I loved this, GF!
God bless,
Galadriel
Author's reply
Glad that helps to clear things up! Thanks so much for reading!
Queen Galadriel
· 18 April 2006
· Chapter 6: Awakenings
*glares* I *hate* class distinctions! Goodness knows I love Hamfast, but something like that *can* make me very cross with him. Oh, well, it didn't matter in the end, and it's good the the Gaffer is going to spend some time with his youngest children...and that May is going to have her sister to look after her. :)
I loved this chapter! I would love to see Prim's journal in full sometime...:) It sounds as if she had a delightful childhood.
And the end was just beautiful.
God bless,
Galadriel
Author's reply
Hamfast is only trying to protect his son and teach him how to play by the rules. While Sam understands and agrees with most of what his father tells him, he is merely appeasing his father here. Sam's statement that he knows where his place is not a deferment to his father's POV, though Sam allows the Gaffer to think that it is.
Primula had the childhood she would have wanted Frodo to have - happy, carefree and full of family and love. By reading her journal, Frodo will be finally be able to experience a little bit of that - and possibly get some dirt on his aunts and uncles. ;)
I'm so glad you enjoyed the story! Thanks for reading.
Whoa! A dream within a dream! I hate when that happens to me-it's so weird. I love the foreshadowing here, and especially Frodo as an eagle carrying his Sam. :) And the maiden is Luthien. Isn't she? That scene in the valley was beautiful. I can't wait to see how they all awaken!
God bless,
Galadriel
Author's reply
It is in a way a dream within a dream. More than that, Sam is taken on a sort of vision quest and returned back to where he had been (similar to Ellie in "Contact").
Sam knows that his master is strong, but it is good for him to hear (even if just in a dream) that Frodo also knows this. He won't be as worried about Frodo as he would have been otherwise.
Queen Galadriel
· 18 April 2006
· Chapter 4: Frodo: Memories and Memoirs
Wow. Very sad and melancholy, but I enjoyed it very much. Memories are strange things, indeed, and I love Bilbo's thoughts on journaling. This is somehow realistic and very dreamlike-the memories of his early years mingled with the scene changes of dreams. And that younger Frodo put up a fuss about learning to swim in the dream says a lot about the insecurity that maybe he doesn't even know he still has. But my very favourite part was the conversation with Sam. Who is Frodo's protector? He's talking to him.
God bless,
Galadriel
Author's reply
In the end, Frodo has many protectors, but Sam is the one who will be there through the darkest hours. His parents picked the perfect hobbit for the job.
I've had many memories that, upon closer analysis, I realized couldn't possibly be accurate. It's funny, the way the mind will remember things or even make up memories. Frodo received that message loud and clear here. He certainly has swept his insecurities under the rug, but they're coming to the foreground again and he now has to deal with them once and for all.
Goodness gracious, what a dream! Smaug a lizard? And the Last Homely House made of *gingerbread*? And Elrond evil? My goodness, how do you come up with it? If there is a meaning here, I'm afraid I missed it, but I truly admire your creativity. I always have a hard time coming up with interesting dreams.
God bless,
Galadriel
Author's reply
Gingerbread - just like a hobbit to dream of food! Indeed, they all dream of food at one point or another. And Elrond wasn't evil - that was the dragon. ;)
I don't think I could ever get tired of writing dreams and if I go too long without doing a dream sequence, I'll start looking for ways to squeeze them in! Usually, it's Frodo who has the dreams, so it was a treat to get the others involved and see what's been weighing on their minds lately.
Queen Galadriel
· 18 April 2006
· Chapter 2: Hamfast: Family
Wow, GF! Such meaning from such a chaotic dream. Poor Ham! Somehow that's really, really sad...but I can't exactly put my finger on what's sad about it. Yet there's something that's funny too. Can't teach a snake to play the fiddle? What in the world! LOL! But the message is clear here.
God bless,
Galadriel
Author's reply
There are all sorts of little tiny bits of meaning in Hamfast's dream that we don't get in the other ones. I'd have to write another whole story just to address them all! I was going for both sad and whimsical and I hoped that the craziness didn't make it too evasive. I'm glad you were able to see both sides!
Maybe he could teach the snake to play the chimes! lol
Dreamflower
· 18 April 2006
· Chapter 6: Awakenings
What a wonderful ending! It's such a shame, however, that the Gaffer could not get beyond his own notions of "proper".
I especially enjoyed the scene of Bilbo and the Dwarves planning their journey, and Bilbo's acknowledgement to Frodo that he would try to keep in touch. I am one of those who believe that Frodo's remark about "last letter" indicates that they did so.
And I really enjoyed the moment at the end. Frodo was an oak, indeed!
Author's reply
Hamfast is rather stuck in his ways and that won't change easily. Sam did not necessarily agree with his father, though he certainly made it sound like he was. I wouldn't be surprised if he finds some way out of that visit to Fred's. ~_^
I think Bilbo might have tried to send letters home at first, but that "last letter" must have been received quite some time before the Quest (if not immediately upon Bilbo's departure) for Frodo to have "always" kept the Ring on its chain. There's certainly room for interpretation here.
Drogo couldn't have come up with a more suiting nickname for his son. No one could have had any idea just how strong and enduring Frodo would become. :)
Thanks so much for reading!
Frodo as an eagle! *chuckles* That sounds just like a crazy dream! :) I like how this dream shows that Sam does realize, even if just subconciously, that even as he protects Frodo, Frodo will protect him. Also, Sam's dilemma whether to stay or follow the elves, I think, really reflects what happens to him in Lotr. First he has to leave home and follow Frodo into darkness and then he has to stay home and watch Frodo sail away from Middle Earth.
This dream was perfect for Sam! Can't wait for the next chapter! Featuring the following morning, yes?
Author's reply
Dreams do often include something that happened that day, and Frodo and Sam's talk about Frodo becoming a bird, as well as how Sam and his friends look for elves in the Woody End, were bound to make appearances.
Frodo is just as protective of his friends as they are of him, and Sam is no exception. Frodo will do anything he can to make sure his friends are happy and content and, in Sam's case, aren't left wanting for anything.
Sam *would* dream about Elves! For the first time, he has been presented with the dilemma that will plague him the rest of his life: stay or follow. And he will always follow.
Larner
· 9 April 2006
· Chapter 5: Sam: Legends
Oh, to meet Luthien! How wonderful! And then the Mariner himself!
Poor Sam--going between the mundane, the heavenly, and the empty and back as he has. And yet it is a foreshadowing of what will come one day, and not necessarily a pleasant one.
Yet Frodo carries him back....
Author's reply
It will be some time before Sam realizes that was Luthien, but the Mariner has been a subject of fascination for Sam since he was a faunt. If Sam ever really did meet him in waking life, he probably would pass out!
Sam will take a similar route to this one day, though it will be far different than anything he could imagine. The heavenly will be strange and set apart, the empty will be devoid of everything but full of despair, the mundane will be a welcome reprieve. So long as he has Frodo with him, or know that Frodo is strong and whole, he can withstand all.
Thanks for reading!
Dreamflower
· 9 April 2006
· Chapter 5: Sam: Legends
I tried to review this last night, and the computer ate it. Let's see if I have more success this morning!
This is great, GF! It's less of a dream than a prescient vision, and the symbolism is absolutely fascinating.
I am assuming that the Elf maiden was Luthien? That would explain Earindil telling Sam that he would never see her again.
"Remain or follow". This will be Sam's choice all his life: when Frodo leaves the Shire, when Frodo leaves Rivendell, when Frodo leaves the Fellowship at Amon Hen, when Sam thinks his master dead at Cirith Ungol, when Frodo leaves Middle-earth at the Grey Havens. And every time, Sam's choice will be difficult on the one hand, and simple on the other--difficult, because it means leaving behind everyone and everything else he loves and risking his very life, yet simple, because he will always be loyal to Frodo.
And I love that the Eagle was Frodo. There are so many different things to read into *that*! This has to be the best so far of these dreams, and I am going to have to re-read it several times to get to all the layers of meaning here.
Author's reply
Luthien it is, a most appropriate guide for Sam's dream quest.
That choice will plague him all his life and has even now begun to make its presence known in more ordinary ways, such as the night before, when the Gaffer tried to make him choose between staying at home for dinner or going to eat with his masters.
Well, Frodo is a Great Eagle because he and Sam talked about Frodo being a great eagle just before dinner. ;) Sam also associates the eagles with nobility and courage, two things he knows Frodo has in spades. That Frodo came for Sam is most significant - Sam knows that he can rely on Frodo no matter what.
Andrea
· 9 April 2006
· Chapter 5: Sam: Legends
So, that Elven Lady was Luthien Tinuviel, right?
A very interesting dream. Once again it started out as if it was real. I can very well imagine Sam and his friends looking for elves in the woods.
“Shoulda brought rope,” he mutters to himself.
That's Sam, indeed!
And then the Elven Lady brings him to a place where all the heroes from great legends are assembled. And they bow to him! They seem to know already what Sam will do in the future, while he, of course, knows not.
“You must choose, Samwise. Remain or follow,” the Mariner says.
[...] his choice is between a known existence that is not his to live, or an unknown path that he may not survive.
This is a different situation compared to the choices he will have to make in the future. But the essence is the same and very simple: Remain or follow!
I also liked it that Sam was brought back by Frodo, as a great eagle.
“If you can carry me, then I carry you. I’m not a weakling.”
Right he is! Some people tend to forget this!
Author's reply
Yes, that is Luthien. She too, like Sam, had a hard choice to make between her father and her love, and she followed her love into the very pit of darkness. While her tale was meant to foretell the Aragorn-Arwen story, it also applies to the friendship between Frodo and Sam in many ways.
In the first chapter, Sam tells Frodo that he and his friends often go to the woods to look for elves. They also talk about Frodo becoming a bird. Funny how things will slip into your unconscious to come out in your dreams.
Sam and rope! LOL Nothing really needs to be said about that. ;)
Remain or follow will forever be the choices of Sam's life. Dreamflower lists all the major instances perfectly.
Frodo is the strongest hobbit that Sam knows. Perhaps not the strongest physically, though Frodo is much sturdier than people give him credit for (after all, he hauled Sam up from the cliff in Eymn Muil!) and by far he is the strongest in character. Everything Sam knows about nobility and compassion, he learned from Frodo.
harrowcat
· 9 April 2006
· Chapter 5: Sam: Legends
Oh yes this is so very Sam-ish. I, too, loved the references to rope. I just wonder whether anyone starts suffering with deja vue later in their journey.
Author's reply
Even practical Sam can overlook things at times, and it always seems to be the rope. ;) Sam will likely recall this dream when Strider tells them about Luthien and Beren. He'll have some thinking to do when that happens, for then he'll realize this is more than just a dream. Thanks for the review!
“Shoulda brought rope,” he mutters to himself.
If Sam ever wrote a book about his own life, that should be the title! I loved this one. All the talk about how tall elves are so great. These dreams are turning out to be very revealing indeed! Excellent chapter!
Author's reply
LOL, I can just *see* Sam writing "Shoulda Brought Rope: The Story of My Life" ^_^ For someone who comes from a family of ropers, he certainly never has any when he needs it!
Thanks for the compliments!
Dreamflower
· 29 March 2006
· Chapter 4: Frodo: Memories and Memoirs
At last! I finally got to read this start to finish without being interrupted!
This is an amazing chapter--so much meat to it! A lot of depth and foreshadowing, as well as the references to some of your other stories. It is so like Frodo to dream of reading, isn't it?
The images are haunting, and of course *we* know what they mean even if Frodo doesn't. This is really very well done!
Author's reply
Reading and writing - that's our Frodo! He reads and writes so much throughout the day that it's starting to seep into his dreams.
Almost too much meat to it! It was giving me such grief, until I figured out how to transfer the problems I was having onto Frodo. *grins* Bilbo book-ending the dream, much as he book ends Frodo's life in a way: when he came to live in Hobbiton and his true healing began there, and then after the Quest, going to Valinor to be healed again. The acorn/oak tree will be clarified in an upcoming chapter, so I won't say anything about that just yet. Sam, of course, is the key component to the dream: Sam brings Frodo out of his darkness before he can become too lost in it. His protection has literally been right under his nose this whole time, and he's just now beginning to understand that.
Thanks so much for reading! So glad you were able to catch up!
Elf Friend
· 28 March 2006
· Chapter 4: Frodo: Memories and Memoirs
This was great! But such a change from the other light-hearted, insane dreams! This really shows how burdened Frodo is, even if he tries to push those feelings away during the day.
Love the interactions with Sam, those were really important for what comes later, especially during the Quest.
Can't wait for Sam's dream! :)
Author's reply
Each dream is different from the rest, according to who the dreamer is. There is always an undercurrent of melancholy about Frodo and that comes out in his dreams more often than not. Even if his waking self is perfectly content and happy, there will always be that loss that he experienced when his parents died.
Sam always comes at just the right moment, when Frodo's most in danger of losing himself to the bad memories. Even in dreams, Sam is looking out for Frodo!
I can't wait to find out what Sam dreams about myself. I'm hoping it'll be fun. :) Thanks for reading!
Larner
· 28 March 2006
· Chapter 4: Frodo: Memories and Memoirs
And his protector is most likely right outside the window there, although in the end he had more protectors than he himself could protect back....
Lovely, sad dream.
Author's reply
Yes, that's exaclty where his protector is, going about his job and interrupting Frodo's memories just when they get most dire. He's always had more protectors than he realized: his parents, his guardians, Bilbo, Merry, Pippin, Fatty and Folco. But they are family and family is supposed to protect and take care of each other, and so we often times take that bond for granted. Frodo never suspected to find such fierce loyalty in the gardener's son and so it means a great deal to him.
One of these days, I'm going to have to give Frodo a happy dream. ^_^
Thanks for reading!
Andrea
· 28 March 2006
· Chapter 4: Frodo: Memories and Memoirs
"What kind of stupid dream is this anyway?”
LOL! That's not my thought, I'm only quoting ;-)
Well, Frodo is the first one to realise that he's actually dreaming.
Compared to the dreams of Bilbo and the Gaffer, this one seems realistic. It's a different sort of dream, which foreshadows coming events - like lots of Frodo's dreams may have been.
The tragic loss of his parents is still present in his dreams, a haunting memory that mingles with other memories and even destroys them. But when he finally holds the "real" book of memoirs in hands it shows him that time did not stand still. Life has gone on for him since then. Not all memoirs are pleasant, but most.
Bilbo goes away and gives Sam the task to hand that book to Frodo! Well, if that doesn't say everything!
I wonder if after this dream Frodo knows who his protector is.
Author's reply
LOL, I figured that of the four hobbits, Frodo would be the one to realize that he is indeed dreaming. He has had prophetic dreams before so he knows the signs!
The loss of his parents, no matter how much he comes to accept it and put it behind him, will forever shape him. He simply needs to remember that their deaths were not the *only* thing that happened to him in his young life. It's often easier to remember the bad things that happen to us and forget the good; Frodo needed to realize that both cannot only happen at the same time but that the good in his life far outweighs the bad.
It does say everything, doesn't it? Couldn't be clearer unless you put a big blinking neon sign over Sam's head that says "I'm you're protector!" *grins* Frodo will certainly be paying closer attention to Sam after this. He'll be content to suspect that it is Sam, and as the years go by, that suspicion will only grow stronger. He won't know for certain until the quest and Cirith Ungol.
Thanks for reading!!
Grey Wonderer
· 28 March 2006
· Chapter 4: Frodo: Memories and Memoirs
All of that advice about the Journal was interesting and I love how this all comes back to Sam and past fictions. You are very clever at this dream business. Still enjoying this very much.
Author's reply
Bilbo was kind enough to give me that little pointer and help organize my thoughts a bit, but Frodo was still being uncooperative. I really had no choice but to make it *his* problem that none of the memories were completing themselves and were constantly getting all jumbled up. *grins*
I knew all along that I wanted it to end with Frodo beginning to comprehend that Sam is in fact his protector. Originally, I had him telling Sam that he knew, but that was simply too forward for this point in time. This way works much better, with Frodo simply suspecting the truth, and I also wanted to book end the dream with Bilbo giving Frodo some last minute advice.
Thanks for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying the dreams!
*dies laughing* I loved Frodo beating Smaug with a rolling pin! And Bilbo and the lizard exchanging recipes and knitting tips. This was hilarious!
I'm looking forward to the next chapter! :)
Author's reply
Smaug knows better than to charbroil Frodo when he has a rolling pin in hand, lol! Recipes and knitting are just the kind of random, senseless things that would come up in a dream - they have no real purpose for being there, yet we remember those details perhaps better than the rest for some reason.
Thanks for the reviews! I'll try not to keep you waiting too long for the next chapter. :D
Elf Friend
· 18 March 2006
· Chapter 2: Hamfast: Family
Oh my gosh, but that was so hilarious! You perfectly captured the complete randomness dreams have sometimes (well, most of the time). On a side note, I was proud of myself when I guessed that Sam was what he was missing. :)
Was the undercurrent of insecurity and uncertainty meant to reflect Hamfast's feelings during his waking hours? I often find that between all the craziness that my dreams have, they're conveying something that's either been bothering me or something that I have yet to resolve, like a problem or some other obstacle. I wonder if this same pattern will show up in the others' dreams.
Can't wait to read the next chapter! :)
Author's reply
For Hamfast, Bilbo and Frodo, their hidden fears and denied emotions will certainly play a part in their dreams. Not sure yet about Sam's. ;)
I so rarely remember my own dreams, so I find other people's dreams fascinating. It's also a rather useful way of getting to a character's inner conflicts, without them necessarily facing those conflicts and doing something about them. We get a glimpse into their inner-selfs and they just shrug it off as a bad dream - or they'll try to.
Thanks for reading!
Larner
· 18 March 2006
· Chapter 3: Bilbo: Adventuring
Poor Bilbo! Love the erzatz dragon and hoard, and the typically bored adolescent. Adolescent boredom is SO much fun to deal with--NOT! Ah, very much an interesting dream.
Author's reply
LOL. At least he only had to put up with Frodo like this in the dream. Bored kids are never fun to be around and they always seem to believe in "misery loves company" - if they have to be bored, then so does everyone else! Smaug was fun to write and I have to admit to chanelling a bit of the dragon from "Mulan" into him. *grins*
I'm glad you enjoyed the dream! :)
I love Smaug! He totally cracked me up. The fact that Frodo was making too much noise while Bilbo was trying to sneak up on Smaug was funny too! These are fantastic. Can't wait to find out what Frodo dreams about oh, and does this food make the dwarves dream too or are they used to it?
Author's reply
Smaug rather stole the show here, didn't he? lol He's just such an adorable little lizard... er, I mean, dragon. :D I drew inspiration from "Mulan" a little bit for Smaug, but only in the manner that he would be very, very small! Frodo was rather missing the point of the adventure and was treating it as if he were still sitting in Bag End listening to Bilbo's stories, only this story came with a visual tour! I can't blame Bilbo for losing his temper at it all.
The dwarves would be used to their cooking and so wouldn't be affected in this way. They suspected that the worst reponse the hobbits would have to the food would be indigestion or heart burn. They'll likely get an earful in the morning about not warning their guests about the dreams. ;)
Thanks for reading. Glad you're enjoying the dreams!
Andrea
· 18 March 2006
· Chapter 3: Bilbo: Adventuring
“Please Bilbo. I’ll take real good care of him. I won’t let him put me in his thrall. I’m not like you, and I know the warning signs: crankiness, grouchiness, tiredness, feeling like too much butter over not enough bread. Or is that the other way around?”
LOL!!! This is great!
Bilbo's dream occurs just before he is going to leave the Shire and go adventuring again. It's a long time ago since he came back from his first trip.
I'm quite sure he told his story on several occasions, but there were only few hobbits who believed him - one of them was Frodo.
Now Frodo accompanies him on this first adventure - and his presence spoils everything: Smaug being reduced to a tiny lizard, the gold is only painted stone and the jewels are marbles (which can be used as currency as Frodo found out in Dale, haha!).
So I would say that Bilbo is afraid of finding, that his adventure was not so grand after all.
But then there is a twist in the plot and Bilbo finds out that he was enthralled by Smaug (the *real* Smaug) for years and years, until Frodo comes and *tames* the dragon with no effort.
So Frodo should be ready for an adventure of his own, much more than Bilbo is in fact.
Well, that was another effort to try analysing a dream. Maybe you come up with something totally different :)
Author's reply
That was an excellent assessment and pretty spot on.
Frodo certainly does color the way Bilbo views any adventure he is about to have. While he wants Frodo to come along, just as much as Frodo would love to go, he knows that Frodo is not really ready for such an adventure. Frodo might be ready to be Master of the Hill and might be able to face any adversity he'll encounter once Bilbo's gone (those S-Bs), but Bilbo is not so sure about Frodo's abilities to endure the road and wilds.
He's also aware that he rather fooled himself about how grand his adventure was. He's focused on the main events over the years, forgetting all the everyday humdrum that surrounded those events. Would a new adventure, with no promise of such exciting episodes, be worth his while leaving the Shire and Frodo behind? Yet at the same time, he simply needs to get away. He really is beginning to feel the effects of the Ring at this point and the wanderlust doesn't help. He's more or less caught in a catch-22: he doesn't want to stay, but he's not so certain about what he'll find when he goes.
Thanks for reading! Glad you're enjoying the dreams of our unsuspecting hobbits. :D