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Exploring Tolkien's Fourth Age - Page 3

© Michael Martinez

Although Faramir probably achieved most if not all of the work required, his successors may have had to fight Orcs in the Ephel Duath, the Mountains of Shadow. And it may be the Prince of Ithilien (Faramir or his successor) would have been given command of any expeditionary forces sent to help rid other areas of Orcs. Such an expedition could then have been made to the Vales of Anduin to assist the Longbard Dwarves in cleansing Moria. Borlas, as an officer in the White Company, would have been an ideal candidate for a member in that expedition. Though Tolkien would probably have altered much, we can suppose that the young Borlas may have visited Moria around the time Findegil was writing the Thain's Copy of the Red Book. Findegil would have known of Durin's intent to return to Moria, but the event may not have been fully realized. Hence, the information in the red Book is scanty, but by the time of The New Shadow it is an old memory for the aging Borlas. Another possible source for the old evil Borlas recognized at the end of the fragment of The New Shadow could be the Barrow-wights. These were evil creatures sent to inhabit the ancient hill-lands of Tyrn Gorthad in northwestern Cardolan after the Great Plague destroyed most of Cardolan's people. Tom Bombadil kept watch over Tyrn Gorthad in the late Third Age (he cast out a wight which had captured Frodo and his companions), but Gandalf implied in Elrond's council that Bombadil had only secluded himself, perhaps, until there was some change in the world. The restoration of the Kingdom of Arnor by Aragorn could have been such a change. Aragorn rebuilt the ancient city of Annuminas north of the Shire, and he visited the region in the year 15 of the Fourth Age. Gandalf had told Barliman Butterbur that in time many people would migrate up the Greenway to recolonize the ancient lands of Arnor. Aragorn seems to have concentrated on the northern areas first, but in time Cardolan would have been recolonized as well. An earlier attempt during the 19th century of the Third Age had been thwarted by the wights, so Aragorn (or Eldarion) probably would have had to deal with them at some point. Again, Borlas might have been part of that expedition. And a wight makes a certain better sense for the Satanic cult than a mere Orcish presence in Gondor. Sauron was closely associated with sorcery and necromancy, and he was served by many spirits, not just the Nazgul. Although the Nazgul were reduced to impotence when the One Ring was destroyed, the Barrow-wights and other spirits may have remained to trouble the living for many centuries afterward. If Herumor and his followers had found and become involved with a wight, the terror it could wield and the power it possessed would be considerable.

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