The Encyclopedia of Arda - The Voice (original) (raw)

The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien ALPHABETICAL RACES PLACES MISCELLANEOUS REFERENCE INTERACTIVE SHARE User guide Latest entries FAQ and e-mail Disclaimer and bibliography Awards Old and rare words Lexicon of names Excyclopedia of Arda Movie-goer's Guides: • The Fellowship of the Ring • The Two Towers • The Return of the King The Hobbit Viewer's Companions: • An Unexpected Journey • The Desolation of Smaug • The Battle of the Five Armies Tolkien links Book news Latest Chronicle Calendar Old and rare words Lexicon of names Links Random
Dates Heard by Frodo Baggins on 26 February III 3019 Location The Seat of Seeing on the summit of Amon Hen Races The voice of a Wizard (one of the Maiar) heard by a Hobbit Important peaks Heard on the peak of Amon Hen, the Hill of the Eye Meaning So named because the speaker, Gandalf, was heard but not seen1 Indexes: Alphabetical: V Others About this entry: Updated 27 October 2024 This entry is complete Frodo’s advisor on Amon Hen Years of the TreesFirst AgeISecond AgeIIThird AgeIIIFourth AgeIV "Take it off! Take it off! Fool, take it off! Take off the Ring!" Words of the Voice to Frodo on Amon Henfrom The Two Towers II 10_The Breaking of the Fellowship_ When Boromir tried to take the One Ring from Frodo, the Hobbit escaped by using the Ring and vanishing. Invisible, he went to the Seat on the summit of Amon Hen and looked out across Middle-earth. From there he saw the Dark Tower of Barad-dûr, and perceived the Eye in that tower searching for him. Its gaze turned toward Frodo and came close to finding him, but for a Voice within his mind that demanded he take off the Ring. After a struggle, he obeyed, and thus escaped detection by the Eye of Sauron. The Voice was later revealed to have come from Gandalf, who explained that the Ring had nearly been revealed, but that he had struggled with the power of Mordor and succeeded in keeping it concealed.2 This was a significant challenge for Gandalf, who had returned from death only days beforehand, and it took him some time to recover.3 Notes 1 Strictly speaking, the Voice wasn't even 'heard' as such, as its warning words were explicitly within Frodo's mind. Nonetheless Frodo thought of the source as 'the Voice', having no better description available. 2 An interesting element of Gandalf's account of these events is the fact that he 'sat in a high place' while he strove with Sauron (The Two Towers III 5, The White Rider). It's not exactly clear what the significance of the 'high place' might be, but it seems to suggest that Gandalf was actually on Amon Hen at the time of the breaking of the Fellowship. It seems strange to imagine Gandalf concealing himself nearby while the momentous events of that day unfolded, but it's difficult to see what other 'high place' he might have intended. We know that he was travelling south from Lórien at this point, and Amon Hen was the only significant high ground on the western banks of Anduin. After challenging the Dark Lord, Gandalf states that he was utterly drained, which perhaps explains why he failed to take part in any of the events that followed. 3 After diverting the Eye of Sauron, Gandalf says: 'Then I was weary, very weary; and I walked long in dark thought.' (ibid). He doesn't actually say how long this took, but five days later he met with the Three Hunters in Fangorn Forest, so the 'long' here probably accounts for no more than a day, or perhaps two. Indexes: Alphabetical: V Others About this entry: Updated 27 October 2024 This entry is complete For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page. Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2016, 2024. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ. Website services kindly sponsored by Axiom Discovery aptitude and skill testing.Personality is one part of understanding a candidate's suitability for a role, but aptitude can also be crucial.