Tea at Trianon: Origins of Shadowfax

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Saturday, August 28, 2021

Origins of Shadowfax

From GameRant:

This is Shadowfax's introduction, but it is not the first time Gandalf rode the horse. When Saruman imprisoned Gandalf on top of Orthanc in Isengard, Gandalf was able to hypnotize a moth with an incantation so it would send word to the Eagles for help. Gandalf made his way to Rohan, where King Théoden offered Gandalf a horse so long as he left afterward (since he was suspicious of him). This was when Gandalf met Shadowfax, as he is the horse Gandalf chose. He then tamed the horse, rode to The Shire, and then made his way to Rivendell at a much greater speed than a normal horse. Gandalf and Shadowfax parted ways, and Shadowfax went back to Rohan.
The next time Gandalf and Shadowfax met was when the Three Hunters and he needed transportation, and Gandalf called out for Shadowfax's return. Viewers can hear Legolas briefly explain a bit about what type of horse Shadowfax is and why he is able to run so quickly and carry so much weight. Legolas says, "that is one of the Mearas, unless my eyes are cheated by some spell." Legolas' awe lets the viewers know that this is no ordinary horse. When Gandalf and Shadowfax reunite in The Two Towers, they accompany one another for the remainder of the trilogy. (Read more.)