I love the Lord of the Rings trilogy! The books, the movie, J.R.R. Tolkien, everything, it is quality enjoyment for one and all. So I decided to challenge myself, can I retell each book of the trilogy in under a thousand words? Originally, I was going to limit myself to less than five hundred but I have realised how ridiculous that would be.
This is part 1 of the Fellowship of the Ring and so far I have used 530ish words and have only got up to the forming of the fellowship. This is so hard! Let us all be eternally grateful that what follows is not the only copy of the story.
Part 1
Bilbo the adventurous rebel Hobbit has a birthday party.
Everyone turns up.
Gandalf wielding fun fireworks arrives.
Bilbo skips the party early to holiday with the Elves.
Gandalf convinces Bilbo to leave his special ring with his nephew
Frodo. Bilbo is not too pleased.
Everyone leaves.
Rumours of unrest are heard.
Gandalf brings Frodo news of the ring.
Frodo and Gandalf freak out; it’s the one ring of power!
Evil Sauron’s spirit lives on through the Ring. He needs it
to gain full power again.
Gandalf worries about proximity of Ring to Hobbiton.
“Let’s take it to the elves” says Gandalf.
Frodo and gardening pal Sam head off to the Elves at
Rivendell.
Sauron’s black riders hunt the travelling Hobbits who now
number four.
The Hobbits travel into the old forest, mistake; the trees
come to life and attack them.
Old Tom Bombadil saves them by singing to the trees.
Tom and friend Goldberry look after Hobbits.
Everyone sings a lot and Tom fills the Hobbits in on some
history.
Hobbits leave Tom and arrive at prearranged meeting point
for Gandalf at the human village Bree.
Gandalf is a no show and everyone else seems sus.
A tall dark stranger called Strider takes Hobbits aside.
‘You are being really conspicuous’ says Strider. ‘You know
the black riders are hunting you right?’
Strider offers to help with travel woes.
Hobbits slit eyes at Strider.
Hobbits receive an old note from Gandalf, ‘actually, also,
trust this guy Strider’.
‘Fair enough’ says Frodo.
Hobbits and Strider keep travelling to Rivendell.
The black riders spring them and Frodo gets stabbed with
cursed sword.
Frodo teetters on the brink of undead-ness.
The travelling troupe rush faster to Rivendell and medical
sanctuary.
An elf called Glorfindel joins them and gallops Frodo to
Rivendell followed close behind by Black riders.
Frodo yells at the riders.
Suddenly the black riders are swept away in a strange water
current.
Frodo wakes up somewhat healed to find himself at Rivendell
with Gandalf.
Everyone gathers at a feast including Bilbo.
Bilbo goes a bit crazy when he sees the ring so Frodo tucks
it away.
Elrond, head of Rivendell calls a council and powerful Dwarves,
Elves and Humans turn up.
The history of the Ring is told.
Gandalf shares that the powerful wizard Saruman now is on
Sauron’s side.
‘Basically, the ring can’t stay in Rivendell, it’s too evil
and powerful’ says Elrond. ‘Let’s brainstorm our options’.
Some want to destroy the Ring there and then.
‘Lol, can’t be done’ says Elrond.
Some want to use the Ring for good.
Elrond smirks, the Ring will corrupt anyone who has it so
that idea is also scrapped.
The council looks for volunteers to carry the highly
powerful, highly corruptive ring deep into enemy land to the only place it can
be destroyed Mount Doom.
There is general shuffling of feet.
‘For crying out loud, I will’ says Frodo.
Frodo is joined on the trip by Hobbit chums Sam, Merry and
Pippin. Also coming along are Gandalf, an Elf called Legolas, a Dwarf called Gimli,
and two men Boromir and Aragon who was
actually Strider.
They give themselves the team name ‘The Fellowship of the
Ring’.
