#appendix b

[velvet4510]

Direct quote from Appendix B about the start of Sam’s final journey to the Grey Havens that makes me weep and squeal for the romance of it all:

“1482 On September 22 Master Samwise rides out from Bag End.”

Which means Sam left Bag End for the very last time and began his search for Frodo in the West on Frodo’s birthday.

[lifblogs]

Appendix B took me out. Have a nice day!

[scandalsavagefanfic]

Still procrastinating so I updated the WAtGP Appendices with some height comparisons.

[luthienne]

…and the light of her eyes was quenched, and it seemed that she had become cold and grey as nightfall in winter that comes without a star.

J.R.R. Tolkien, from The Lord of the Rings: Appendix B

[simplytolkien]

In the spring of 1484, when Merry and Pippin were old (102 and 94 respectively) but still hale, a message came from Rohan that King Éomer wished to see Master Holdwine, a title Merry received in Rohan. He and Pippin ‘took counsel together’ and handed over their goods and offices to their sons. They traveled to Edoras, and were with Éomer until he died that autumn. They then traveled to Gondor, spending their last few years there, and were laid in Rath Dínen, the tombs of the great of Gondor. When King Elessar died, their tombs were moved to lie on either side of his.

[velvet4510]

Is it just me, or do y’all also sorta wish that Jackson had filmed Appendix B as the actual ending of ROTK? Clearly, as you’ll see, I have relatively normal feelings about this.

I understand and appreciate the movie having the same ending as the actual book. But the STORY itself doesn’t end with the last chapter; it ends with Appendix B.

Imagine a 2-minute montage, fading in after Sam comes home from the Grey Havens:

An unfamiliar female voice narrates over these images:

Sam & Rosie raising their children at Bag End; Sam reading the Red Book aloud to the children.

Sam making a speech as Mayor.

Sam sitting in Bag End’s study, reading a letter signed ‘Frodo,’ which Frodo clearly left for him.

Pippin & Diamond’s wedding.

Merry & Estella’s wedding.

Aragorn & Arwen with their children in Minas Tirith.

Aragorn dedicating and unveiling a tall statue of Frodo & Sam in Minas Tirith.

Legolas restoring the destroyed forests.

Gimli bringing the dwarves to Helm’s Deep.

Faramir & Éowyn with their children in Ithilien.

Teenage Elanor reading the Red Book by herself and reading a letter or poem that Frodo wrote for her before he sailed away (because, come on, he was a 2nd dad to her. he literally named her. he adored her, so of course he left something for her since she was too young to actually remember him).

Aragorn & Arwen visiting Sam, Merry, Pippin and their wives & children at the Brandywine Bridge.

The Gardner, Took & Brandybuck families all celebrating Yule together.

Time passing … the Travellers aging … the children growing up.

Teenage Elanor introducing Fastred to her parents.

Faramir Took and Goldilocks Gardner dancing at a party, transitioning to a dance at their wedding.

Sam and his son Frodo teaching Frodo’s own young son how to work in the garden.

The seasons in the Shire changing as more years go by…

Elderly Sam and his now-adult children gathered around elderly Rosie’s deathbed.

Elderly Sam sitting alone in Bag End’s beautiful, flourishing garden with a faraway look on his face, pulling Frodo’s now-wrinkled letter out of his pocket and reading it again.

Elderly Sam, Merry & Pippin sharing one last drink at the Green Dragon, followed by a tearful group embrace.

(I know the following messes up the book’s timeline, but for dramatic effect, I think this order of events would work better as a close for the film):

Elderly Merry & elderly Pippin hugging their adult sons goodbye and riding out of the Shire together.

Merry & Pippin shaking hands with elderly Éomer in Rohan.

Merry & Pippin’s gravestones in Gondor, with a statue of them standing above their tomb.

Aragorn’s tomb now beside theirs, years later.

Arwen hugging Eldarion goodbye in his throne room, with Eldarion now wearing the king’s crown.

Arwen entering Lothlórien alone.

Legolas hopping into a small sailboat and helping an aged Gimli onboard before they drift off into the sunset.

Sam placing the Red Book in adult Elanor’s hands and embracing her tightly.

A ship pulling away from the Grey Havens.

Elanor standing on the quayside and tearfully waving as the ship disappears into the horizon. She composes herself and her narration says “And that day, my dear Sam-dad passed over the Sea … the last of the Ring-bearers.”

Her words lead into the very last shot, fading from her face into a flash of white, and then fade-in to a distant view of an island, with greenery on one side and a sparkling beach on the other. Two hobbits, their backs to us, are strolling along the coastline, hand-in-hand.

THE END.

[velvet4510]

The fact that Gimli went with Legolas to the Uttermost West is beautiful storytelling in and of itself. Aragorn had just died. Merry and Pippin had died not long ago. Gimli was just sick and tired of saying goodbye to people he loved. He never married, so he had no family tying him to Middle-earth. If Legolas left him there, he wouldn’t really have had anyone left. He would’ve been alone. But by going with Legolas, he didn’t have to say goodbye to his best friend, and indeed, moving to the Undying Lands meant that he was able to say hello to his beloved Galadriel again, and possibly Frodo and Sam if they were still alive by then (I like to believe they were). He had so much more to gain by going than by staying. An inspiration to us all, really, to make sure to keep ourselves surrounded by people we love and who love us, even if that means moving a long distance away to a new home.

[velvet4510]

One of my favorite facts from the appendices is that Elanor once served Arwen as her handmaiden. That really shows the level of respect that Aragorn and Arwen had for Sam, and how they all stayed good friends to the point where they gave his daughter an opportunity to visit their kingdom and make her own contribution.