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Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Episodes 1-5 of Rings of Power.
The fifth episode of The Rings of Power is the longest one so far, but arguably also the most beautiful. It touched on many typical subjects of the Lord of the Rings lore, from growing into who you are supposed to be to the call of adventure. This last episode brought us one of the most inspiring sequences of the show up to this point, with the Brandyfoot family struggling to keep up with the migration of the Harfoots. They may be at the end of the caravan, but they have each other to lean on.
And although Poppy Proudfellow (Megan Richards) is not part of the family, having lost her family in a previous migration, she was then adopted by the Brandyfoots. To keep the family going when they struggle behind, she sings the song that her mother used to sing in the past, the beautiful “This Wandering Day”. The piece was written by score composer Bear McCreary and performed by Richards herself, and the lyrics written by showrunner J.D. Payne, and it addresses one of the most important points in J.R.R. Tolkien‘s Legendarium, which is precisely the call to adventure and the vast of the world.
Music Is Not Just a Halfling Tradition, It’s a Big Part of Tolkien Lore
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Music is an integral part of Tolkien’s lore. The very universe was created in song, so it’s only natural that this is a constant feature in these stories. In the books, many times the narrative is explained through poems and songs, and most of these times these are told and sung n the voices of Hobbits. Hobbits love the comforts of home, of course, but they are also very prone to party all night long if they are let to it. They are also a very cultured people, with music being the one factor in the intersection of these two traits. If you put a pint of beer in their hands, they will drink, sing and dance. If they are tending to their gardens, they will do so singing, too.
So the fact that “This Wandering Day” is introduced to us by a Harfoot is no wonder at all, seeing as they are the ancestors of the Hobbits. They will eventually settle in the lands of the Shire and change their way of life, leaving their nomadic ways behind. Most of the traditions are already there, though: they are very close to their families, they are not at all fond of strangers (no pun intended with Daniel Weyman‘s character, although it really is right), and like party and love music.
Hobbits are the most enthusiastic lovers of music, for sure, but they are not the only ones to keep this tradition. As mentioned before, music is the way Tolkien’s universe flows and moves forward, so many races are drawn to it. Elves and Dwarves, especially, recount much of their own history orally through the verses of songs and poems.
Poppy’s Song Is About a Call to Adventure and Growth
“It’s dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to!” This is typical Hobbit advice given by Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm) to his nephew Frodo (Elijah Wood), although Bilbo himself is one to talk about it, being one of the most adventurous Hobbits to ever come out of the Shire.
The call to adventure is one of the most recognizable Tolkien themes and is developed constantly throughout The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, especially The Fellowship of the Ring. A nice connection that “This Wandering Day” makes to the original work of Tolkien is in the verses that speak of having no food and drink and the discomfort of the road, as Bilbo would often complain to himself in The Hobbit that he left his own home and comfort to help others in a quest that is not his and is putting him through all sorts of trouble.
But, although Bilbo is indeed a little cranky about it (and who wouldn’t prefer to be cozy at home instead of stuck, unable to climb a ravine somewhere), the call to adventure is actually a beautiful metaphor for the process of growing up. There is no way of becoming more than who you currently are without stepping out your door and venturing into the unknown. Adventure changed Bilbo and made him realize that, although he is right in loving his home, he is bigger than the Shire. There are many other places to go, friends to meet, and people to help. Nowadays, we have our computers, granted, but nothing will ever beat going out and seeing the difference your presence makes in the world.
The True Meaning of “Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost”
This is perhaps the most famous quote from Tolkien’s work and has become synonymous for wanderlust, the need for going out into the world. Yes, this concept is well aligned with the previous topic and really does a good job of illustrating this feeling. But it wasn’t really what Tolkien meant when he wrote it.
This line is a verse in “The Riddle of Strider”, a poem written by Bilbo and read in The Fellowship of the Ring when most of the gang is present at the Council of Elrond in Rivendell. The piece was written in honor of Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) after Bilbo first met the Dunedáin and learns of his true identity as the heir of the throne of Gondor. “Not all those who wander are lost,” especially if that’s your job, as was the case with Aragorn; he was a Ranger, and his work was to wander the wilderness of Middle-Earth and try to keep the peace.
Many other verses of the riddle are direct references to Aragorn’s character, the greatness in his blood, and even to the fact that Nársil, the sword of Elendil (Lloyd Owen), was broken by Sauron and will be remade in a new blade, this time named Andúril.
Does The Wandering Day Foreshadow the Future?
We are still only halfway through the first season of The Rings of Power, but signs of what is to come are already starting to appear, and we should keep our ears peeled. “This Wandering Day” may also foreshadow things to come in that story, too.
The first part starts by mentioning the sun setting “beneath trees of stone”. It’s highly unlikely that Poppy’s mother had anything else in mind rather than ordinary rock formations when singing about that, but nature has been suffering when the series takes place. An example of that is the tree in Lindon, its corruption discovered by Gil-Galad (Benjamin Walker) and revealed to young Elrond (Robert Aramayo).
“The light in the tower, no longer my home,” sings Poppy. Harfoots have never really followed the light of any tower to know they are home – they are nomadic. But we have met some people who have. The tower of Ostirith, in the Southlands, is a symbol of strength and is sheltering many of the people in that land under the leadership of Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi) and Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova). Anything we say about this at this point is pure speculation, but those verses may indicate that those people will eventually be forced to move from their homeland as the threat of Sauron grown stronger in the Southlands.
“Passed eyes of pale fire, black sands for my bed,” may also be a reference to the fate of those parts, as they will be ruled by Sauron’s manifestation in the for of an eye projected in the fortress of Barâd-Dur, and Mordor itself is a barren wasteland, with black sand for its ground.
And last, but not least, “I trade all I’ve known for the unknown ahead” is a reference to us, the viewers, who are going on this adventure in Middle-Earth and ready to trade our knowledge for what will come in the future.
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