On their way out of his home after a couple of nights long rest, Tom Bombadil points the four hobbits, who later become members of the fellowship, in the right direction, and warns them to stay away from the hills, and that if they should come upon a barrow, they should go around it on the left side.
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The barrows themselves are dark, underground tunnels filled with cursed treasure, that emit a thick fog to confuse anyone who draws near and render them in a shocking state of paralysis. They were originally the burial mounds of wealthy kings of old, who were laid to rest there with their hoards of gold before an evil crept over the place. As the hobbits head off on their journey, they try their best to avoid the area, but the Old Forest has a mind of its own and ends up guiding them down the wrong path. When Frodo suddenly looks up and realizes that he has been separated from the others, he begins to yell and panic, and his horse bolts in fear, leaving him on a grassy hill. Filled with dread, he soon understands that he is sitting on top of a barrow.
However, it is not the barrow itself, although highly unpleasant, that is actually perilous. It is the creatures who dwell there, the Barrow-wights that post the greatest threat. They came into being when ‘a shadow came out of the dark places far away, and the bones were stirred in the mounds.’ Thus, the Barrow-wights are the animated corpses of those long-ago men, who have passed into the shadow world beyond any recollection of their former humanity.
They call out to the lost Frodo in cold, dead voices, imitating his friends, until he has drawn near enough that he can no longer escape, and when one of the foul creatures looms over him and grasps hold of him, ‘The icy touch froze his bones and he remembered no more.’ When he awakes, he finds his friends beside him, all unconscious and horribly pale, as if the life has been sucked out of them. They are draped in gold and wear white linens, and it is clear that the Barrow-wights are about to turn them into shells of their former beings. Beside each hobbit lay beautifully decorated shields and a kingly sword.
Interestingly, the four swords that the hobbits wield on Weathertop, when they defend Frodo from the Ringwraiths who stab him with the morgul blade, are actually the swords they find in the Barrow-downs. But how do they escape their dire situation? Luckily, Tom Bombadill knew that they might find themselves in trouble, and taught them a song to sing to summon him in great peril.
When Frodo sings it, their friend manages to come to their rescue, dispelling the wight, and closing the barrow for good so that no other victims will fall prey to that particular mound. He returns their horses to them, saying that ‘if they run to save themselves, they run in the right direction!’ and tells them in the future to trust more in the wiseness of their steeds. This advice later saves Frodo when he trusts in Bill The Pony to get him safely to Glorfindel of Rivendell, where he is taken to Elrond’s house where he is later healed of his stab wound.
Much to their relief, The Prancing Pony is just beyond the way, and Tom Bombadill agrees to escort them to the edge of his land to keep them from getting themselves into any more jeopardy. In the film adaptations, they are supposed to meet Gandalf here, but of course, he never arrives, because he has been detained by Saruman and trapped on the tower of Orthanc. They are forced instead to trust in Strider, the Dunedain Ranger from the north (Aragorn) who later becomes one of their greatest allies and dearest friends, and are reunited with Gandalf instead at the council of Elrond, where the fellowship of the ring is formed.
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