LOTR Read-Along: Two Towers {Book III, Chapters I - VI}

It is so hard for me not to race through this book. The Two Towers starts off exactly where the Fellowship left off (since all three were originally written as one book) and it does not slow down much. New characters are introduced, old friends are reacquainted, and small hopes keep the Company pushing forward. The ties that bind the Company are strained by distance, treachery, and the unknown but still remain strong. I love how loyal the are to one another, no matter how tough the situation. Sometimes that loyalty means one must stick to the path that leads away from the others, no matter how hard that is or unwise it seems. I fall in love with this world a little bit more with every word I read. I so hope y'all are doing the same!

1. Aragorn spends a good bit of the first and second chapters second guessing his decisions. How does this differ from what we have seen of him thus far? Would you have done anything differently?

2. "Well, we have no time to ponder riddles," said Gimli. "Let us bear Boromir away!" "But after that we must guess the riddles, if we are to choose our course rightly," answered Aragorn. "Maybe there is no right choice," answered Gimli.
Do you think Gimli has the right of it? Is there always a right answer?

3. What does nature tell Legolas and Aragorn, and even Gimli when he pays attention? How does "reading" the signs it provides help or hinder them? Why is nature affected?

4. Tolkien constantly refers to Treebeard's eyes. What do they look like? What do they seem to contain? Are they truly "windows of the soul"?

5. Is hope important? How important is it to the Fellowship? What different ways has hope been manifested thus far?

(Bonus!) Which Norse deity does Gandalf resemble with his gray cloak, hat, and staff?

I wish I could tell y'all all of the Old English/Old Norse materials used in crafting the Rohirrim. I could not read that chapter without trying to interpose our world on to it. It was close enough that I could pretend that Middle Earth was our own history. Anyways, hope y'all have a great week and enjoy Chapters 7-11 :)