How did the Nazgûl let Frodo escape the Shire?

[@Lawrence_Talbot]

Weird to think a Nazgûl’s chief flaw is that he’s too trusting. Had he doubted the Gaffer and check the Shire for himself or like asked any other person, the story would’ve been over pretty quick.

[@lukesewell8294]

One suspects the Nazgûl aren’t used to being defied.

[@lars9925]

Well, maybe they are excellent at detecting lies. Too bad that the believed truth was wrong information. We can all learn a life lesson from this: People are way more honest and way more ignorant of the actual truth, than commonly assumed.

[@GravesRWFiA]

I doubt many people lie to them, they were so used to having their way that it never occurred to them that anyone would, not that gaffer did but maggot sent him packing

[@teehasheestower]

The wraiths are men who accepted rings from Sauron, supposedly in good faith. It is guaranteed that being too trusting is one of their personality flaws. Otherwise they would not have become wraiths.

[@Despondencymusic]

Even the good remnants of their humanity were their undoing.

[@alaeawinters7628]

I think a large part of it too is that besides Gollum, who was an extreme example, the Nazgul and Sauron hardly had any experience with hobbits, who are about as alien to them as the Nazgul are to hobbits. Much of the magic in LOTR is what I like to call 'vibe magic' and I think the good vibes of The Shire in general threw off the Nazgul a lot. Being so far away from Mt Doom the Nazgul, who were used to sensing the ring to find it, would now have to perform detective work to find it, and considering they barely have a physical form that's not exactly easy. So when Old Gaffer tells Kamul that Frodo isn't there any more, and he senses no attempt at deceit (something the Nazgul would likely be attuned to), he can't sense the ring close by in the daylight and fucks off. Similar story with Farmer Maggot, imagine your a fucking Nazgul and the human equivalent to a Yorkshire Terrier tells you to piss off. Your under orders to keep things in wraps, and your vibe magic doesn't seem to affect Farmer Maggot, so you leave to try and sense the ring some more. Overall, the Nazgul failed because they were very close minded and used to their missions going very differently. Not to mention Eru Ilúvatar is playing 8d chess with them to make sure the right pebbles fall to get Gollum to eventually trip into Mt Doom with The One Ring.

[@nathaniellong4281]

Yes, given all the coincidences, I can only agree that Eru Iluvatar himself is active in Frodo's journey even this early in the story.

[@erikabutler6893]

This scene with Khamul and the Gaffer occurred right after dusk. Believe it or not, the Quest started at nighttime.

[@ATVatcher]

@alaeawinters7628 I love the thought of the wraiths being hindered by 'the goodly vibes' of The Shire. Thanks to you.

[@Sol-Amar]

​@@ATVatcher Same! It also parallels what Darth Gandalf says at 4:37

[@Locedamius]

Now I really wanna hear the report Khamul gives the Witch King about his mission in the Shire and the Witch King's reaction to that report. That must have been a funny conversation.

[@vidarfe]

I'm convinced that a lot of what seems like luck is actually Eru pulling the strings behind the scenes.

[@RobbyBurney]

From the nazgul's perspective they're in the other side of the world (sorta haha) in territory protected by the people who fought them and their boss for centuries, chasing half sized MAGIC RESISTANT inherently stealthy little dudes who are being helped along at literally every moment. Then when they finally get their man cornered, stabbed, and setup for failure... the little shit's magic resist kicks into high gear. Everyone else wraiths in a day or three, this guy lasts SEVENTEEN DAYS in the g'damn wilderness. Sure he had athelas and an elvish light infusion, but still. Then when they ACTUALLY have him cornered, he's cornered up against the border of the strongest elvish ring, *reinforced* by a fucking angel wielding another ring. They bullied the Nazgul

[@backwashjoe7864]

And there was also the Valinor-born elf lord in full Light of the Two Trees wrath mode charging in from behind them at the end.

[@alpharius2omegaboogaloo384]

@@backwashjoe7864Wasn’t he one of the ones who beat a BALROG?

[@SvengelskaBlondie]

@@alpharius2omegaboogaloo384 That is true, Glorfindel managed to take out a Balrog during the fall of Gondolin.

[@shaolin1derpalm]

Not a Balrog. Gothmaug. LORD of the Balrogs

[@АнтонОрлов-я1ъ]

@@shaolin1derpalm Gothmog was slain by Ectelion, Glorfindel killed a regular Balrog (but that's still impressive).

[@SvengelskaBlondie]

They got an unexpected skype call from Sauron, telling them that they gotta stay on script and stop being so passionate at their jobs. Sauron then gave them some Starbucks gift cards and told them to take the day off.

[@franciswalsh8416]

Yeah, Sauron was that kind of Boss!!

[@TheMasonK]

Its always interesting to take a step back and see just how many beings were helping Frodo from the Shire to Rivendell Sam and his Gaffer Merry Pippin Fatty Farmer Maggot & his family Tom Bombadil and Goldberry Gildor and the Wandering Elves Barliman Butterbur Nob & Bob Gandalf Aragorn Glorfindel Elrond It truly was a team effort comprised of some of the most powerful beings and the small and everyone was needed. It’s a theme in Tolkien’s work when all that is good is gathered together or working towards a common goal anything can happen.

[@victorfinberg8595]

the most important quality in a hobbit is luck - napoleon

[@glennross85]

Napoleon didnt say that, Mark Twain did.

[@victorfinberg8595]

@@glennross85 mark twain plagiarized from napoleon

[@Arrowfodder]

Dont forget that higher powers might have been involved, what might be interpreted as luck might as well be divine intervention.

[@CarolinaPine]

Eru Ilúvatar has entered the chat.

[@kron3409]

I love how eru just let the bad guys do their things and when they are about to win he mess with them changing the shape of the earth or Pushing them to the lava instead of delete them from the existence. At this point is like a game for him: "how close can the bad guys be to win before you intervene"

[@GravesRWFiA]

Add on frodo was sneaking from the start "come on I'm tired of p[eople nosing about my business" and with the elves. a band of the noldor would be a serious threat to kamul in a straight fight and would reveal how advanced sauron's plans were. the enemy has crossed the river was a major thing to reveal.

[@blob22201]

I think people exaggerate the Nazgul's powers. They are terrifying but they not so much that they can't interact semi-normally with people. They also didn't want a direct attack on the Prancing Pony, as they didn't like too many men together. They aren't unstoppable juggernauts, especially when they aren't in their element of darkness and solitude.

[@christosvoskresye]

King of the Nazgul: Fated not to die at the hand of a man. Other Nazgul: Potentially killable by a kid throwing a rock.

[@henrikg1388]

Seems to depend a lot on the circumstances. At that point, on a stealth mission, they didn't seem to be much. Being scared away from a bunch of elves is odd. All nine together shying away from Glorfindel alone is even a stretch, as with Aragorn. The Witch-King at his peak in Angmar or on the Pelennor fields, seems like a wholly different thing.

[@АнтонОрлов-я1ъ]

@@henrikg1388 The Witch-King on the Pelennor fields was killed by a woman in her twenties (who probably did get some combat training, but definitely wasn't a hardened veteran) and a hobbit. Even at the peak of his strength he clearly wasn't invincible.

[@christosvoskresye]

@@АнтонОрлов-я1ъ Aside from the whole "prophecy" aspect of that, the rings -- even THE Ring -- did not protect from physical injury or death. Frodo was wearing the Ring when he had his finger bitten off. So, yeah, they had the Black Breath and kind of an aura of fear around them, but they could still be killed. If you live for thousands of years and go into countless battles, some archer is likely to hit you entirely by chance. This means it is still important to be selective with the chances you take.

[@henrikg1388]

@@АнтонОрлов-я1ъ That was a matter of prophecy and circumstance (Merry breaking the enchantment with his barrow-blade). Moments before he magically enhanced Grond to breach the unbreakable gate, and had a standoff with Gandalf with his sword set aflame, knowing full well who and what he was. Gandalf said before the attack, he was unsure if he could handle him. I say he was badass right then and there.

[@MarcMagma]

The fact that Khamul thought his "One RIng"-sense going off was a false alarm makes me wonder how often that happens for him to not question it further...

[@АнтонОрлов-я1ъ]

I am not sure that he had sensed the Ring. Nazgul had other senses as well, for example "they smell the blood of living things", so he might smelled Hobbits (it is said that he was sniffing), but failed to detect the Ring and so decided that those were not the Hobbits he was looking for.

[@adelkaizbest2038]

​@@АнтонОрлов-я1ъEru Ilúvatar: These are not the hobbits you are looking for ✌️ Khamul: These are not the hobbits I'm looking for...

[@DarthGandalfYT]

Possibly every couple of hours. It might be ruining his "life".

[@fatherhanktree2011]

Khamul to his girlfriend: This never usually happens...😂

[@Baelor-Breakspear]

These videos are some of the only things I have to look forward to in these shitty times and I’m very appreciative of you for making them. Thank you so much for doing what you do, thank you

[@gagaplex]

All these "lucky coincidences" are presumably Eru subtly making sure things fell into place.

[@andyl8055]

The Witch King failed to detect the One Ring right near him in Morgul Vale. They are neither omnipotent nor omniscient.

[@Dare_To_Game]

Despite the potential plot holes in the Nazgul's chase, it is a very well written section in regards to introducing the hobbit characters and the suspense was excellent.

[@michaeljones9553]

Its fantastic story telling that gardeners and farmers can stand up to these evil forces and tell them off! It's fantastic!

[@carl-henrikfelth3985]

I imagine the Nazgûl's ring-sense to be like you can smell that your cat has peed somewhere: you can sense it well enough, but it's surprisingly hard to pinpoint exactly where it is.

[@Hero_Of_Old]

Profile pic checks out

[@АнтонОрлов-я1ъ]

It is often said that Frodo encountered the elves by pure luck, but I am not sure if this is true. The elves knew his name and ha some information about his mission, so they might intentionally try to find him and help him. Also it is stated that they have means to send messages to Tom Bombadil (for example) and so, presumably, also gather messages from their allies. I suppose it was mostly done with the help of birds and other animals. So Rangers (who were believed to understand languages of beasts and birds) might send a message about the Nazgul to the elves. Another important creature here may be the fox that encountered Frodo a day earlier and also might tell the elves about him.

[@Baelor-Breakspear]

It would’ve been funny if Frodo’s friends pointed the Nazgûl in the direction of the Sacksville-Baggins property. They asked for Baggins so they gave them Baggins

[@DarthGandalfYT]

I think Lobelia would've killed them.

[@Baelor-Breakspear]

@ there’s a distinct possibility of her sending the Nazgûl to the shadow realm

[@apstrike]

Before Frodo inherited Bilbo's mithril coat he had plot armor.

[@DarthGandalfYT]

It got a good working out considering how many times he almost died.

[@tiltskillet7085]

Definitely both lots of luck and at least two instances of massive incompetence as you said. Although my favorite blunder isn't pertinent to Frodo getting out of the Shire: the raid on a completely empty house at Crickhollow. Because after finding the house the Nazgul decided to delay until near dawn to attack...for dramatic purposes? And apparently didn't think to watch the back door to notice Fatty tear out during the night. Khamul seems pretty dim, even for a wraith. Insert Sauronic Facepalm here. I suppose their incompetence is balanced out by Gandalf's, in letting Frodo amble about in Hobbiton for 17 years in the first place, long after suspecting the little guy had Sauron's One Ring. No big deal, just the fate of Middle-earth is all.

[@Hero_Of_Old]

Its always crazy to me how close the Nazgul were to Frodo when speaking to the Gaffer. Also, when Khamul crawls towards the Hobbits, its probably the most chilling moment of the whole novel.

[@G36Sperrfeuer]

Saddest thing about this story is, that Khamul will never know how close he was. :'(

[@DarthGandalfYT]

Probably for the best. Otherwise it would keep him up at night...assuming he sleeps.

[@adelkaizbest2038]

Eru Ilúvatar: You're welcome btw

[@morgant.dulaman8733]

The image of not one but two old hobbits telling off a Nazgul to his face is both hilarious and awesome. Imagine this from the Khamul's perspective: You're a millennia-old warrior/sorcerer/king who's probably terrorized lords and brought ruin to kingdoms, if not empires and you have the power not only to sense the ring, but to inflict supernatural terror on others. And you're being told off by two old lads, one suffering from bad joints and the other relying on sending hounds after him as a threat.

[@josephfisher426]

The best explanation with what we are given is that the ability of the Nazgul to sense the Ring is primarily in the "spirit" world---in other words, in the scenario where the bearer is wearing the Ring, as opposed to just carrying it. That is consistent with the apparent situation that they didn't really have a bead on the party until Frodo put on the Ring in the common room in Bree.

[@814TrumpArmy]

I love how u put that unleashed the house of the Golden FLower! Prob my favorite elf!

[@darrenlong7385]

Great video on a great part of the book, thanks.

[@andrewbrennan2891]

For me, both in the book and the film the 'snuffling' Nazgul really kicks the story up a notch.

[@justinjones7506]

Every time I reread the part where Frodo is hiding from Kamul just before Gildor shows up, I feel a shiver down my spine. Up until Weathertop, that was the closest Frodo had come to getting caught.

[@richardheeth6218]

Mr. Sauron - Honey, have you seen my ring? Mrs. Sauron - Well, Mr know it all, where did you last see it? And just why in the hell are you taking your ring off? What is the name of that little hussy you're running around with?!?!? I thought I saw lipstick 💄 on your collar.!!! My mother warned me about you maiar. I should have married that Balrog when I had the chance. At least he has a job!!!

[@franciswalsh8416]

I would have trusted capturing Frodo in the Shire to the Witch King. Khamul was #2 but the fact that daylight was more deleterious to him than to any other Wraith became a problem that the Riders could have easily overcome. I realize that the Wraiths were not sure that he was there, but even if he wasn't they could have easily caught up to him later.

[@istari0]

I suspect part of the problem was that the Nazgûl weren't used to having to be stealthy. Their history was more likely one of sweeping down on their foes and being as terrifying as possible. But this time, it's don't draw attention to yourselves.

[@andrewward5891]

And they probably couldn’t imagine that anyone would be ballsy enough to lie to them.

[@theMightywooosh]

Always felt that the nazgul were basically the keystone cops until they were not (for the plot)...

[@andrewward5891]

Yeah they also get driven off by one ranger with a torch and swept away by a single elf’s spell. It’s so hard for a Dark lord to get decent help

[@jaykubisanidiot8657]

Obligatory like, comment and share. Love ya Darth

[@ShawnHCorey]

Didn't Gandalf say, "There's a power of a different sort in the Shire."? I think it was at the Council of Elrond when they were discussing what to do with the Ring. And he didn't mention it was this power that confounded the Riders?

[@alanpennie]

Pity Gildor didn't offer Frodo an escort to Rivendell. Of course he didn't know about The Ring...

[@jamaigar]

About khamul being not throughout: the nazgul are not familiar with hobbit land in the slightest. They were a rather noticeable evil presence deep inside in enemy territory. They had no idea what they were expecting and we're forced to split up to fight the ranger offs and as you said there were elves about so the nazgul performance was indeed very clunky. The theme of destiny strikes again as a lot of little things had to go right for Frodo to succeed

[@apstrike]

It was irrational for Khamul to fear that being aggressive in the hunt for the ring would make the hobbits go underground because they already were.

[@-JazzHands-]

Overly aggressive action would have been a bad call. The moment word got out about their actions, the whole Shire could be mobilized against them.

[@kittenconsumer9960]

Because they sensed Sam nearby and knew they had no chance

[@tdubya75]

So, four Nazgûl drove off all the Rangers from Sarn Ford and Aragorn was able to fend off five Nazgûl (including the Witch King) from Weathertop by himself when they were so close to the Ring. More proof he would kick the $hit out of Jamie Lannister.

[@АнтонОрлов-я1ъ]

There also were four hobbits with barrow-blades (especially effective against the Nazgul). And the Nazgul weren't defeated, they just retreated hoping that the wound with Morgul blade is enough. But Aragorn was a formidable opponent for them, no doubt about that.

[@mateuszslawinski1990]

Apparently a hobbit leaves precisely when he means to. Too late for the road being considered safe and early enough to be warned.

[@shootytheturtle]

I'd love to see you do a video on the events at Weathertop - never sat well with me that Aragorn was able to "scare away" 3 Nazguls with a torch, also why not just take the ring then and there...?

[@Big_Tex]

This is going to show up on Kamul’s employee eval.

[@Baelor-Breakspear]

I can’t believe the Nazgûl believed some random hobbit and didn’t check the house for himself.

[@АнтонОрлов-я1ъ]

The Gaffer wasn't "a random hobbit", though, he was a local gardener and he probably wouldn't let a suspicious foreigner in anyways. How should the Nazgul go to check the house? By force? That would definitely cause a lot of problems fora secret mission. And it is possible that he stealthily checked the house several minutes later - but at that point Frodo was already gone.

[@Clyde-S-Wilcox]

They hardly "let" him.

[@Nibelheim1989]

For the banter.

[@ariki9797]

I think it’s reasonable the Nazgul had no reason to believe he was lying and he likely detected that the Gaffer wasn’t trying to hide anything and wasting time searching an underground hobbit home would cost time and draw unwanted attention Khamul had just broken through a Dunedain outpost he didn’t know this position was manned by most of the Rangers in the region and that the only reason so many of them had been their was because they had been redirected. From his point of view he and the other Nazgûl were supposed to be searching empty ruins and sparsely populated wilderness which is suspicious that being surrounded by the servants of Sauron and yet none are located in Eriador itself. Orcs and wargs occupy the Northern misty mountain, Orcs and Goblins in the East occupy Moria which has regularly pays tribute but suspiciously Goblin Town a major stronghold of the servants of Sauron has gone silent for decades for seemingly no reason. Then at their first entrance into the region they come upon an encampment of Men not unexpected but when they come upon them they find not the lesser race of “Middle Men” but near a hundred 7 foot tall grey eyed men of Numenor armed in weather beaten but sturdy cloaks covering their well maintained weapons and armour who offer stiff resistance and even beat your forces back. From the Nazgûl’s perspective they have no idea what to expect none of Saurons servants have been able to provide Intel over this region in centuries then suddenly an enemy presumed extinct long ago are found stationed at some kind of border post. Then later as you explore deeper you find more and more signs of Ranger encampments and patrols and suddenly Elven patrols are present as well. These Nazgûl likely were thinking Arnor was rebuilding maybe they even are the reason for the silence from Goblin Town. Likely the reason they wasted time hunting down the Rangers was because they thought a larger force of rangers may be stationed nearby for all they knew these Dunedain may reoccupied the ruins of one of the old cities of Arnor much like Dale had. Well they knew these Rangers could not have been anywhere near as powerful as Arnor had been or even comparable to a weakened Gondor they knew this Dunedain were individually more formidable than their Gondorian cousins and even if they had only a small army without the support of nearby allies like they had in the South they could not fight even a small force of these men without aid and if the Elves where here to then this would definitely require the Nazgûl to make haste and leave this area quickly before such a force could be mustered. Hell the Nazgûl likely could have defeated the Hobbits when they sounded their alarm call but how did they know those horns had not summoned more than just Hobbits possibly Rangers or even Elves. Khamul could have killed farmer maggot easily or tortured him for information but likely knew that such actions would have draw attention to him and if a resurgent Arnor was present they would be hard pressed to not notice so many acts of cruelty and death

[@General12th]

Hi Darth!

[@videocrowsnest5251]

After they got disembodied by getting a river dunked on them and had to go back to Sauron for new physical forms the slow way of walking their incorporeal selves all the way back to Mordor, I'm almost curious if they all kinda just pointed at Kamul as being at fault for this massive blunder. Someone had to explain to the Dark Lord why the plan didn't work out. Guessing Kamul didn't get invited to too many company picknick days or lunches after that particular fiasko.

[@venkelos6996]

I'm not too sure how much it would have helped, but being a stealth mission, one would think at least onevofcKamul's fellow Nazgul might tell his compatriots to hold his cloak, "disrobe", and simply capitalize on his invisibility; creeping through whatever places, and getting Intel, or taking out guards, and opening gates. For fear-made-maifest wraith warriors, with the egos of ancient lords, they seemed a bit more docile than I'd expect.

[@АнтонОрлов-я1ъ]

I am not sure that they had such an ability.

[@chesterbless9441]

They just weren't locked-in

[@yapyap333]

Eru Ilúvatar had a hand in this luck 🤔

[@phoule76]

Sauron must've been scared of The Wise, or else he would've gone after the ring himself.

[@shaolin1derpalm]

The wise... As in Da Wize,.. as in Samwise Gamgee?

[@phoule76]

@@shaolin1derpalm heh, why not?

[@diddymelone2265]

They wouldn't attack a well lit house or a group unless they are truly desperate. Not when all the miles of eriador are still between Frodo and the house of elrond. Also there is power in the shire. True they aren't warriors and they can be complacent and easily scared. But when driven into a corner and attacked, they will definitely fight back. In fact when the nazgul break into bagend, the hobbits raised an alarm and the nazgul had to flee. They aren't that strong on their own

[@jackolantern147]

What would've happened if Sauron went to the Black Gate to reclaim his ring personally?

[@Greenmachine305]

It's called plot armor.

[@conradoberton6793]

Aragorn commands tens of numenorian soldiers yet he decides to leave bree alone 😂

[@АнтонОрлов-я1ъ]

Because the goal is secrecy. Tens of Dunedain were already defeated by Nazgul at Sarn Ford at this point, so no reason to assume they would be of any help in case of a direct attack - and a direct attack would be way more likely, since such a large group would draw a lot of attention. Also, Dunedain are corruptible by the Ring (Boromir as an example), so there would be a good chance of infighting in such a large group.

[@gdvvgdfv]

what do you mean the "male version of looking for something"?

[@tomdreler6528]

Easy, Halflings can't roll a 1 !

[@Darkwintre]

They didn't. Frodo had already left. Edit: Interesting.

[@crusher0427]

I've always wondered why Glidor didn't take Frodo to Rivendell. He knew the stakes or had a good idea of Frodo's danger.

[@АнтонОрлов-я1ъ]

There is no reasons to assume that those elves were able to defeat all nine Nazgul at once in case of a direct attack and no reasons to assume that none of those Elves would be corrupted by the Ring. Also the elves probably had other important things to do. And by going different paths the elves created a distraction for the Nazgul, who didn't know, was the Ring still in Frodo's hands or did the elves took it.

[@crusher0427]

@@АнтонОрлов-я1ъ, I am not sure that's the case. Here's what Tolkien said about the Noldor who lived in the Blessed Realm. "They do not fear the Ringwraiths, for those who have dwelt in the Blessed Realm live at once in both worlds, and against both the Seen and the Unseen they have great power."

[@АнтонОрлов-я1ъ]

@@crusher0427 True, but how many of Gildor's company were from Valinor? I am not sure even about Gildor himself (he can easily be born in Beleriand), and even less so about any of his companions. We also do not know, how many elves there were and how good at combat they were. While fear is the main weapon of the Nazgul, they also were dangerous enemies in physical combat - so even if al those elves were from Valinor and not afraid of Nazgul, they still could be defeated.

[@crusher0427]

@@АнтонОрлов-я1ъ, Tolkien stated in his further writings that they were returning from Emyn Beraid where they were viewing Valinor through the Palantir. "Gildor calls himself "Gildor Inglorion of the House of Finrod." He also says: "We are Exiles, and most of our kindred have long departed, and we too are only tarrying here a while, ere we return over the Great Sea." He specifically says "We" and "return over the Great Sea, " implying they are all Noldorin elves. While not totally fleshed out, he was most likely a Knight of Nargothrond under Finrod. Assuming they were Noldoring Elves who saw the light of the Two Trees, they would have had no fear of the Nazgul. Also, ME was a dangerous place. You have to think they were armed.

[@АнтонОрлов-я1ъ]

@@crusher0427 They definitely were Noldorin Exiles, but it is possible that they (or at least some of them) were born in Middle-Earth during the First Age (like Gil-Galad, who according to some versions was born in Middle-Earth). In that case they are returning in a sense that their people as a whole originated there and now is returning back. Since the exact origin of Gildor is very enigmatic, it is hard to say for sure.

[@His_Name_Was_King]

Aint no such thing as luck...it was meant to be. -

[@OldBrensBarn]

Quarterpounders are better!

[@_Brohan]

what a knob!

[@charlespirate1]

Not how you say Bamfurlong

[@joaoreis8139]

First comment?

[@darkjudge8786]

I'd forgotten the details of this part given I last read it over 20 years ago. I fear I can never reread the books anymore now I'm older. The plot holes and bullshit writing would be far too obvious and I wouldn't have the joy of earlier readings.

[@TheMinskyTerrorist]

It's only like this if you're cynical and trying to find problems on purpose

[@SvengelskaBlondie]

The only bullsh!1 part is how the nazgul survived an encounter with Farmer Maggot and his titanium balls.

[@Hero_Of_Old]

There aren't really plot holes or 'bullshit writing'. Plus, any grievances can be seen as Frodo or Bilbo esentially retelling the story.