Seeing Stones and Silver Tongues

Wow, a lot happens in these chapters. We meet Théoden, the king of Rohan, and his adviser, Wormtongue. There’s a huge battle at Helm’s Deep. Saruman is defeated by Treebeard and the Orcs. Wormtongue also happens to be a spy for Saruman, and he has been whispering little lies into Théoden’s ears for some time.

I want to draw your attention to the theme of communication and misunderstandings. We see this theme emerge through Wormtongue, Saruman, and Pippin’s brush with the palantír.

As both Théoden’s adviser and Saruman’s spy, Wormtongue mirrors his true master in using sweet words to weaken Théoden’s resolve. When we meet the king, he is powerless and perceives himself as such. Wormtongue has convinced him that there is nothing to be done in the face of impending doom—that he is too old, too infirm to lift a hand to save his own country. By rendering Théoden useless, Wormtongue steals power to wear away Rohan’s defenses.

A few weeks ago, I touched on the concept of drawing comfort from history. However, an extreme reaction would be to grow complacent in the face of turmoil. We might think, “It will all work out in the end, like it always has.” Or, even worse: “Nothing I do matters anyway.”

Éomer’s actions provide a stark contrast when he rebels against Wormtongue’s orders and leads an orc raid, resulting in the rescue of Merry and Pippin.

When Théoden comes back to himself with the help of Gandalf, he observes, “Faithful heart may have froward tongue.”

“Say also,” said Gandalf, “that to crooked eyes truth may wear a wry face.”

This line is especially applicable to Saruman, whom our heroes finally confront after the battle. Of Saruman’s voice, Tolkien writes:

Suddenly another voice spoke, low and melodious, its very sound an enchantment. Those who listened unwarily to that voice could seldom report the words that they heard; and if they did, they wondered, for little power remained in them. Mostly they remembered only that it was a delight to hear the voice speaking, all that it said seemed wise and reasonable. When others spoke they seemed harsh and uncouth by contrast; and if they gainsaid the voice, anger was kindled in the hearts of those under the spell.

Let’s draw these two passages together and consider this: on the one side, truth sounds offensive to ears unwilling to receive it, regardless of good intentions. Éomer has his uncle and his kingdom’s good in mind, but under the influence of Wormtongue telling him of Éomer’s treachery and rebellion (ironic), Théoden views Éomer as a traitor and locks him up.

Meanwhile, Saruman was able to get away with his duplicity for so long, even under Gandalf’s nose, because he played upon existing fears and used his status of “expert” to keep others from examining his words too closely.

In both cases, Saruman and Wormtongue cocooned their listeners in an illusion of safety, when in reality, the world was already crumbling around them. This kept those under their control complacent and quiet, allowing evil to continue while they did nothing.

For now, let’s consider how the palantír shows viewers only what its wielder wishes them to see—incomplete truths.

Sauron has been using this tool to manipulate others for years by the time the palantír is introduced in the story: Saruman, and as we will later learn, Denethor. While the seeing stone shows the truth, Sauron is powerful enough to reveal only partial truths. And as Galadriel told Frodo regarding her magic mirror in the previous book, such tools are poor advisers of action.

Whether through magical devices or human speech, the challenge of conveying and receiving truth remains central to these chapters. This illustrates the difficulties of communication, not between different languages, but between what comes out and what is received.

It’s also worth noting the parallels between the palantír and social media, and media in general. All too often, we are tempted to accept things at face value and think we are given full stories. In reality, we are given only snapshots; at best, a single perspective. Almost nothing is as it seems.

Then, what are we to do? I want to bring back the quote Rebecca used in last week’s essay:

“How shall a man judge what to do in such times?

“As he has ever judged,” said Aragorn. “Good and ill have not changed since yesteryear.”

Discernment and wisdom come into play once again. Théoden failed when he chose to listen to Wormtongue instead of Éomer. Wormtongue kept him safe and cozy in his chair. He could pretend he was powerless and that circumstances were hopeless. Perhaps this is what he wanted to hear because it was easier to think this way.

Éomer, however, spoke harsh words Théoden did not want, so his mind twisted them.

Tolkien brings this all home when Gandalf and Aragorn discuss the next course of action.

“When have I been hasty or unwary, who have waited and prepared for so many long years?” said Aragorn.

“Never yet. Do not then stumble at the end of the road,” answered Gandalf.

In his hastiness, Sauron makes a grave error based on what he sees in the palantír. We will watch the consequences of this error unfold in The Return of the King. This reinforces what we’ve seen throughout these chapters: that wisdom comes from stepping back to examine thoughts, words, and actions closely.

How we apply this to current times

This week is a tense one for those of us watching the U.S. election. While I don't want to comment on specific politics, these chapters offer valuable insights about misinformation and discernment that feel especially pertinent to our modern information landscape.

We live in an age where information spreads like wildfire. Anyone with access to the Internet can share a thought and disguise it as fact without anything else supporting it. Like the palantír showing partial truths, or Saruman's voice weaving enchantment with words, modern communication technologies can both reveal and distort reality.

It’s more important than ever to check sources, apply critical thinking, and most especially: not get swept up in emotional mob mentality. While we cannot know everything about everything, we can know enough to make informed decisions. This does, however, require more effort than skimming headlines and passively absorbing soundbites.

In other words, we would do well to follow Treebeard’s advice: “Do not let us be hasty.”

Week Six Journaling Exercise & Discussion