Lord of the Rings – – Book III Ch 1-2

1. What must , , and Legolas decide about the future of the Quest after the death of and the departure of Frodo and Sam?

2. What clues do Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas use to help them determine the fate of the ? What do they learn from these clues?

3. What news of the situation in do Eomer and the Riders give to Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas?

4. What do Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli learn from the riders about the fate of the they were following and their captives?

5. What choice does Eomer ask Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas to make? What dilemma does Aragorn’s response create? How do Eomer and Aragorn resolve this conflict?

6. Whom does Gimli see at night on the edge of the forest of Frangorn?

7. What “new stroke of ill fortune” occurs on the edge of Fangorn?

8. At Boromir’s funeral, Aragorn withholds his knowledge of Boromir’s attempt to take the ring from Frodo. Why do you think he does this? Do you think Aragorn was right to keep Boromir’s action a secret? Why or why not?

9. Aragorn’s reluctance to reveal Boromir’s actions points to a dilemma often experienced by those remembering a dead person: How do we “sum up” a human being who can exhibit both greatness and weakness, who can be both “sinner” and “saint”? To what extent do you think the fauls of the deceased should be remembered? Is doing so necessarily disrespectful?

10. After discovering that the hobbits are missing, Aragorn says “An evil choice is now before us.” What is the choice they must make, and why does Aragorn call it “evil”?

11. Why does Aragorn decide to follow the orcs?

12. In these first chapters, the characters find themselves struggling to make difficult choices between inconclusive but far-reaching options. The original plan for the Fewllowship to accompany Frodo to is no longer viable. Frodo and Sam have set out for Mordor on their own; Boromir is dead; and Merry and Pippin are missing. As de facto leader of the Fellowship, Aragorn must make hard choices concerning future plans. At one point, Gimli remarks, “Maybe there is no right choice.” What do you think Gimli means by this remark? Do you think there is always one “right choice” in all situations? Can some situations contain more than one “right choice”?

13. Rumor, hearsay, and old tales figure prominently in these chapters. Eomer has heard “old tales” that make him suspicious of . He refutes the “lie” that the people of Rohan pay tribute to . Aragorn and Legolas are unsure what lives in the forest of Fangorn; they have heard “fables” and “songs,” but conclude “Fangorn holds some secret of its own.”. How reliable is the hearsay in the story? Can rumor and hearsay ever be a reliable basis for opinion or action? If so, under what circumstances? If not, why not? 14. As he dies, Boromir tells Aragorn, “I have failed.” Aragorn tells him, “You have conquered.” What do you think Aragorn means? Might Luke 23:39-43 give some insight into Aragorn’s statement? If so, how?

15. “The world is all grown strange,” laments Eomer. He then asks a question central to : “How shall a judge what to do in such times?” Aragorn answers, “As he ever has judged…Good and ill have not changed since yesteryear; nor are they one thing among Elves and Dwarves and another among Men. It is a man’s part ot discern them, as much in the Golden Wood as in his own house.”

Read 1 John 4:1-6. How does this passage help us with the question of discerning “good and ill”? Se also Psalm 1 and Proverbs 3:5-8. What might these verses contribute to a discussion of discerning good and evil, truth and falsehood?

16. Aragorn’s response to Eomer in the question above presumes that universal absolutes of “good and ill” do indeed exist in the world and, by definition, apply to everyone. Do you agree? Why or why not? Read Psalm 119:4, 30, 43, 142, 160; Isaiah 40:6-8; John 14:5, 6 and Hebrews 13:8. To what universal absolutes, if any, do these scriptures point us?

17. Aragorn tells Eomer to give King Theoden this message: “(O)pen war lies before him, with Sauron or against him. None may live now as they have lived, and few shall keep what they call their own.” What is the point of Aragorn’s warning? What echoes of this warning do you hear in Elijah’s challenge to the Israelites in 1 Kings 18:21, and in Jesus’ words in Matthew 12:30 (or Luke 11:23)? How have you seen people – yourself, others you know, people in world history or in the world today – ignore these warnings? What results have followed?