Free House of the Wolfings: The William Morris Book that Inspired J. R. R. Tolkiena *s The Lord of the Rings by Michael W. Perry Page B

sorrow, she grew sick at heart
as she heard them.
    So at last she arose and turned to look at
the Great Roof; and strong and straight, and cool and dark grey
showed its ridge against the pale sky of the summer afternoon all
quivering with the heat of many hours’ sun: dark showed its windows
as she gazed on it, and stark and stiff she knew were its pillars
within.
    Then she said aloud, but to herself: “What
then if a merry and mighty life be given for it, and the sorrow of
the people be redeemed; yet will not I give the life which is his;
nay rather let him give the bliss which is mine. But oh! how may it
be that he shall die joyous and I shall live unhappy!”
    Then she went slowly down from the Hill of
Speech, and whoso saw her deemed her but a gangrel carline. So she
went her ways and let the wood cover her.
    But in a little while the Hall-Sun awoke
alone, and sat up with a sigh, and she remembered nothing
concerning her sight of the flickering flame along the hall-roof,
and the fire-tongues like strips of scarlet cloth blown by the
wind, nor had she any memory of her words concerning the coming
day. But the rest of her talk with the carline she remembered, and
also the vision of the beautiful woman who had kissed and embraced
her; and she knew that it was her very mother. Also she perceived
that she had been weeping, therefore she knew that she had uttered
words of wisdom. For so it fared with her at whiles, that she knew
not her own words of foretelling, but spoke them out as if in a
dream.
    So now she went down from the Hill of Speech
soberly, and turned toward the Woman’s-door of the hall, and on her
way she met the women and old men and youths coming back from the
meadow with little mirth: and there were many of them who looked
shyly at her as though they would gladly have asked her somewhat,
and yet durst not. But for her, her sadness passed away when she
came among them, and she looked kindly on this and that one of
them, and entered with them into the Woman’s Chamber, and did what
came to her hand to do.

Chapter 6
    They Talk on the Way to the Folk-Thing

    All day long one standing on the Speech-hill
of the Wolfings might have seen men in their war-array streaming
along the side of Mirkwood-water, on both sides thereof; and the
last comers from the Nether-mark came hastening all they might; for
they would not be late at the trysting-place. But these were of a
kindred called the Laxings, who bore a salmon on their banner; and
they were somewhat few in number, for they had but of late years
become a House of the Markmen. Their banner-wain was drawn by white
horses, fleet and strong, and they were no great band, for they had
but few thralls with them, and all, free men and thralls, were
a-horseback; so they rode by hastily with their banner-wain, their
few munition-wains following as they might.
    Now tells the tale of the men-at-arms of the
Wolfings and the Beamings, that soon they fell in with the Elking
host, which was journeying but leisurely, so that the Wolfings
might catch up with them: they were a very great kindred, the most
numerous of all Mid-mark, and at this time they had affinity with
the Wolfings. But old men of the House remembered how they had
heard their grandsires and very old men tell that there had been a
time when the Elking House had been established by men from out of
the Wolfing kindred, and how they had wandered away from the Mark
in the days when it had been first settled, and had abided aloof
for many generations of men; and so at last had come back again to
the Mark, and had taken up their habitation at a place in Mid-mark
where was dwelling but a remnant of a House called the Thyrings,
who had once been exceeding mighty, but had by that time almost
utterly perished in a great sickness which befell in those days. So
then these two Houses, the wanderers come back and the remnant left
by the sickness of the Gods, made one House together, and increased
and throve after their coming