Reconciliation with the past is a major theme throughout Tolkien's trilogy, and the divide between the powerful, immortal beings of the past and the mortal men of the present and future is clearly evident when the characteristics of ancient domains are contrasted with the kingdoms of men. In the first Lord of the Rings book, Tolkien creates a rhythmic fluctuation between pleasure and worry, which gives the novel an almost serial quality as the characters move back and forth from imminent danger to the safety of their homes. However, as the story progresses beyond the breakdown of the Fellowship in the following two novels, the distinction between peril and safety becomes increasingly blurred. The refuges of Western Middle-earth depicted in The Fellowship of the Ring are maintained by ancient and well-established beings like Tom Bombadil, Elrond, and Galadriel whose power is strong in their own respective lands, but these figures of the past are not only vestiges of a dying age. Bombadil is at the extreme end of the natural history while Elrond and Galadriel represent the Enemy's earliest adversaries, and the preeminence of the three, particularly the elves, is destined to fade with the advent of the Fourth Age , the Age of Man. Say no. to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayWhen the Fellowship is intact, the oldest refuges that offer respite from their perilous journey are uncontested fortresses in which no harm cannot penetrate, but the bastions are further away. in the east that Broken Fellowship encounters are much more unstable and guarded by mortal men rather than ancient and powerful beings. At this point, the story fully enters the world of men, where elves are viewed with suspicion and the balance between good and evil is in perpetual physical conflict. The two great kingdoms of humanity, Gondor and Rohan, are susceptible to the evil powers of Middle-earth because their rulers, Denethor and Theoden, are indirectly influenced by Sauron and Saruman respectively. Compared to Lorien and Rivendell, like Eden, "the last simple house east of the sea" (I, 272), the bastions of man seem pitiful, but they must be the ramparts of the age new. The relative inactivity of the archaic guardians is indicative of the fact that the past must be left behind so that the men of the future can move forward without being hampered by atavistic nostalgia. Tom Bombadil is the self-proclaimed eldest of the inhabitants of Middle-earth, "Mark my words my friends: Tom was here before the river and the trees; Tom remembers the first drop of rain and the first acorn, " (I, 168) and his power is demonstrated by his ability to compel Old Man Willow to free the hobbits and the fact that he is unaffected by the Ring. At the Council of Elrond, Gandalf explains that Tom's unique place in history does not give him power over the Ring, it is just that "the Ring has no power over him" (I, 318 ). Since Tom existed before the forging of the Ring, and even before Sauron himself, he is essentially a relic of a long-forgotten past. Even Elrond must refresh his memory to recall the many names of the joyful creature who never took part in the wars against the Enemy. Bombadil provides a piece of history that goes back further than the Old Days, and so he is not an active participant in the War of the Ring, as he only helps the four hobbits when they are at within the borders of his country. After Tom leaves the Hobbits, they find themselves pursued by the Nine Horsemen, and protectionagainst this danger comes to Rivendell, which is protected by the old half-elf Elrond. Elrond, who is one of the select few beings to have faced Sauron directly. , is ancient by any mortal measure, but it is not primitive like Bombadil. Having already taken part in a physical assault on Mordor in the Second Age, Elrond's place in the War of the Ring is that of an advisor, not a fighter. His years in Middle-earth have given him a Ring of Power and the ability to maintain a stronghold against evil in the shadow of the Misty Mountains, but his power beyond his domain only takes the form of guidance. Despite his great wisdom and prowess, when asked if he or any of the other elven lords have the strength to resist Sauron, Elrond's response is: "I do not have the strength...they no more” (I, 319). These powerful elven lords, who had defeated Sauron and his master in the past, are no longer able to fight him directly, for the age of their power has passed and the future is in the hands of men and lesser men like Elrond. declares: “It is the hour of the inhabitants of the Shire, when they rise from their quiet fields to shake the towers and councils of the great” (I, 324). Galadriel, whose refuge and power are even brighter than Elrond's, is still in essentially the same position as the half-elf. Tolkien's descriptions of Galadriel's Lorien on which "no shadow rested" (I, 413) make it a veritable Eden, "a timeless land which has not faded, which has not changed, and which has not fallen into oblivion" (I, 415) Frodo's observations are not entirely accurate, however, as he himself recognizes that this land belongs to a distant past, "it seemed to him that it was. had crossed a bridge of time in a corner of the Ancient Days and was now walking "into a world that no longer existed" (I, 413). Thanks to her ring and her ancient knowledge of the Eldar, Galadriel is able to preserve the glory of the forest intact, but the ring bearer's disturbing perception hints that Lorien's blissful stasis is doomed to disappear with the destruction of the One Ring. to that of Sauron, Galadriel herself knows that Frodo's quest means the end of her forest kingdom, and she accepts this fate with dignity: "I will diminish, I will go to the West and I will remain Galadriel" (I , 432). After this last and greatest refuge, the Fellowship shatters and the survivors follow separate routes to the precarious realms of men. A noble kingdom more than 500 years old, Rohan has resisted for a long time in the eyes of men, while for elves like Legolas it has been “only a short time” (II, 132). Although Serpenttongue hinders the gathering of the Riders of Rohan, once Théoden's army is fully mobilized, it is a force to be reckoned with and likely outclasses any other army of men besides that of Gondor. From the perspective of the ancient elves, a culture and kingdom was established not long ago and took over almost immediately. The slow progression of the elven age is already giving way to the short lives and generations of humanity. With a powerful army, Theoden is able to hold Helm's Deep against Saruman's larger army, but mortal man is unable to prevent the evil from his realm like Bombadil and the elven lords. Men, destined to reign over Middle Earth with the passage of the elves, cannot isolate themselves like ancient beings and must directly confront the elements of their environment, whether good or bad. While Rohan is young in Elvish times, the men of Gondor can trace their lineage back to the Numenoreans in.