The spirit of the four hobbits in 'Lord of the Rings,' I suppose I miss that.
It is plain indeed that in spite of later estrangement Hobbits are relatives of ours: far nearer to us than Elves, or even than Dwarves. Of old they spoke the languages of Men, after their own fashion, and liked and disliked much the same things as Men did. But what exactly our relationship is can no longer be discovered.
Galadriel: [from prologue] It all began with the forging of the Great Rings. Three were given to the Elves; immortal, wisest and fairest of all beings. Seven, to the Dwarf Lords, great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls. And nine, nine rings were gifted to the race of Men, who above all else desire power. For within these rings was bound the strength and the will to govern
over each race. But they were all of them deceived, for another ring was made. In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged in secret, a master ring, to control all others. And into this ring he poured all his cruelty, his malice and his will to dominate all life. One ring to rule them all. One by one, the free peoples of Middle Earth fell to the power of the
Ring. But there were some who resisted. A last alliance of men and elves marched against the armies of Mordor, and on the very slopes of Mount Doom, they fought for the freedom of Middle-Earth. Victory was near, but the power of the ring could not be undone. It was in this moment, when all hope had faded, that Isildur, son of the king, took up his father's sword. And Sauron, enemy of the free
peoples of Middle-Earth, was defeated. The Ring passed to Isildur, who had this one chance to destroy evil forever, but the hearts of men are easily corrupted. And the ring of power has a will of its own. It betrayed Isildur, to his death. And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend. Legend became myth. And for two and a half thousand years, the ring passed
out of all knowledge. Until, when chance came, the ring ensnared a new bearer. The ring came to the creature Gollum, who took it deep into the tunnels under the Misty Mountains, and there it consumed him. The ring gave to Gollum unnatural long life. For five hundred years it poisoned his mind; and in the gloom of Gollum's cave, it waited. Darkness crept back into the forests of the world. Rumor
grew of a shadow in the East, whispers of a nameless fear, and the Ring of Power perceived. Its time had now come. It abandoned Gollum. But then something happened that the Ring did not intend. It was picked up by the most unlikely creature imaginable. A Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, of the Shire. For the time will soon come when Hobbits will shape the fortunes of all...
Galadriel: [from prologue] For the time would soon come when Hobbits would shape the fortunes of all.
[Aragorn and Hobbits are being harassed by marsh insects]
Merry: What do they eat when they can't get Hobbit?
Faramir: [to Frodo and Sam] My men tell me that you are Orc spies.
Sam: Spies! Now wait just a minute!
Faramir: Well, if you're not spies, then who are you?
[they remain silent, Faramir sighs and sits]
Faramir: Speak!
Frodo: We are Hobbits of the Shire. Frodo Baggins is my name
and this is Samwise Gamgee.
Faramir: Your bodyguard?
Sam: His gardener.
Faramir: And where is your skulking friend? That gangrel creature. He had an ill-favoured look.
Frodo: [reluctant] There was no other. We set out from Rivendell with seven companions. One we lost in Moria. Two were my kin. A dwarf
there was also. And an elf. And two men. Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and Boromir of Gondor.
Faramir: [solemn] You are a friend of Boromir?
Frodo: Yes, for my part.
Faramir: It would grieve you then to learn that he is dead.
Frodo: [shocked] Dead? How? When?
Faramir: As one of his
companions, I had hope you would tell me. He was my brother.
Eomer: What business does an Elf, a Man, and a Dwarf have in the Riddermark? Speak quickly!
Gimli: Give me your name, Horse-master, and I shall give you mine.
Eomer: [dismounts his horse] I would cut off your head, Dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground.
Legolas: [fits an arrow to his bow at
lightning speed] You would die before your stroke fell.
[Rohirrim point their spears at Legolas]
Aragorn: [signals for Legolas to lower his weapon] I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Gimli, son of Glóin, and Legolas of the Woodland Realm. We are friends of Rohan, and of Théoden, your King.
Eomer: Théoden no longer recognizes friend from
foe. Not even his own kin.
[takes off helmet]
Eomer: Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king and claimed lordship over these lands. My company are those loyal to Rohan, and for that we are banished. The White Wizard is cunning. He walks here and there, they say, as an old man hooded and cloaked. And everywhere his spies slip past our nets.
Aragorn: We are no spies. We track a party of Uruk-Hai, westward across the plain. They have taken two of our friends captive.
Eomer: The Uruks are destroyed. We slaughtered them during the night.
Gimli: But there were two Hobbits! Did you see two Hobbits with 'em?
Aragorn: They would be small. Only children
to your eyes.
Eomer: We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them.
Gimli: Dead?
Eomer: I am sorry.
[Éomer whistles a signal]
Eomer: Hasufel! Arod! May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters. Farewell.
[puts on helmet, mounts his horse]
Eomer: Look for your friends. But do not trust to hope. It has forsaken these lands.