Original subtitles

THE LORD OF THE RINGS

It was a long time ago, when the land was called Middle-earth.

The world was not so full of men then, as it is now.

In Middle-earth dwelt mostly elves and dwarves,

wizards and hobbits, but also men.

There were many beings which now no longer exist.

At that time, the flowers, trees and birds could think and speak, the same as others.

It was in the house of a hobbit the story of the Ring began.

Hobbits lived in a little land called the Shire.

They were fairly small, with lots of hair on their bodies.

Hobbits lived in round houses, with round windows and earthen walls.

When the hobbit Bilbo turned 111 years old, he had a grand birthday party.

Bilbo gave away many presents to friends and acquaintances.

Hobbits give presents on their birthdays,

instead of recieving presents from their guests.

In the middle of the party, Bilbo became invisible.

He did this with the help of a ring he had once found.

Later that evening, Bilbo gave the ring to the hobbit Frodo,

as a birthday present.

Frodo asked the wizard Gandalf about the ring.

This is what he said:

"A very long time ago, the elves of Middle-earth made many magical rings."

"Some of the rings gave great power, others small,

and the 20 mightiest rings were known as the Great Rings."

"Frodo, are there any marks on the ring Bilbo gave you?"

"No..." said Frodo.

"I cannot see any, and the ring has not a scratch."

And Gandalf threw the ring into the fire.

After a moment, he took it out again.

It was cold.

Amazed, Frodo saw that it was now covered with thin lines.

The lines shone like fire, and seemed strangely distant,

as if risen from the deepest depths of darkness.

"The letters of the elves," said Gandalf.

'One Ring to rule them all,

one Ring to find them,

One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.'

And these are only four lines of an old verse long known in Elven-lore.

'Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,

Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,

Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,

One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne,

In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie,

One Ring to rule them all,

one Ring to find them,

One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.'

"Yes Frodo, the ring you hold is of the greatest power."

"It is the Master-ring, the One Ring to rule them all."

"The Dark Lord is called Sauron. He lost the Ring a long time ago."

"Now he longs for it more than ever."

"But never Frodo, never must he get it back."

"It must be destroyed."

This is what Gandalf said to Frodo.

Because it was important that the Ring be destroyed,

Frodo set out for the Council at the House of the Elvenking Elrond.

There, the Free Peoples of the World could decide what to do with the Ring.

On the journey to the Council, Frodo was joined by three other hobbits.

Sam,

Merry,

and Pippin.

They would journey far east, to Rivendell,

but they began the journey westward.

They crossed over the river,

west of Hobbiton, by a narrow bridge.

Once over it, they were in Tookland, and began to go south.

Then the hobbits crossed the main country road from Michel Delving to Bywater,

to go eastwards and climb through Green Hill Country, south of Hobbiton.

Soon they struck a narrow road,

that went rolling up and down, fading grey into the darkness ahead:

the road to Woodhall, and the Bucklebury Ferry.

Soon, the hobbits became aware that they were being chased by riders in black clothes,

and who rode on black horses.

Frodo heard hoofbeats, and the hobbits hid themselves in the dark by the side of the road.

The hoofbeats stopped, and Frodo glimpsed something dark.

It looked like the black shade of a horse, led by another black shadow.

The shadows stopped by where the hobbits were hiding.

Frodo saw the smaller shadow sway from side to side and snuffle.

The shadow bent to the ground, and then began to crawl towards the hobbits.

But at that moment there came a sound like mingled song and laughter.

The shadow straightened up, retreated,

climbed on to the shadowy horse, and disappeared into the darkness.

"Elves!"

"Elves have come!" said Sam.

Snow-white! Snow-white! O Lady clear!

O Queen beyond the Western Seas!

O Light to us that wander here

Amid the world of woven trees!

Gilthoniel! O Elbereth!

Clear are thy eyes and bright thy breath!

Snow-white! Snow-white! We sing to thee

In a far land beyond the Sea.

O stars that in the Sunless Year

With shining hand by her were sown

In windy fields now bright and clear

We see your silver blossom blown!

O Elbereth! Gilthoniel!

We still remember, we who dwell

In this far land beneath the trees,

Thy starlight on the Western Seas.

The hobbits camped for the night with the elves, and Sam talked and sang and ate.

By the end of the party, the hobbits were the sleepiest.

Sam could never describe in words what he felt or thought that night,

though it remained in his memory as one of the chief events of his life.

The decision was made to avoid all roads.

Therefore, the hobbits ended up in the Old Forest.

In there, they came upon a long and high Hedge, crowned with a glittering, silver cobwebs.

In the Forest it was dark and damp, and the hobbits saw only trees and more trees.

The trees were straight and bent,

twisted and leaning,

thick and clumsy,

or slender as sprouts.

All the trees were covered with dense growths and lots of green and grey moss.

Other than the occasional drip of moisture, there was no sound.

Suddenly, the hobbits came upon a round, open space.

The sky shone clear and blue.

On the other side of the glade, there was an opening in the wall of trees.

Inside, a winding path.

In some places it was wide and open above,

but ever and ever the trees drew in, as flowers of the night.

But up this path they rode.

The trees were pulled aside, leaving room for a wide and straight path.

And the hobbits saw the valley as white, flowing through hazy mist.

Soon they were down in the mist.

The air became warmer and wetter.

Frodo and his friends all became tired.

Merry and Pippin collapsed against a tree stump and slept.

Sam and Frodo heard a clicking noise.

Pippin had completely disappeared. The crack by which he laid had closed together.

Merry's legs stuck out of another crack, which clung to his waist.

Frodo started away, and called for help.

Tom Bombadil came, singing, between the prisoners of the encroaching wood.

Hey dong! kling a long! ring da ding dong dillo!

Dingaly dong! hop along! stolly stillo!

Tom Bom, jolly Tom,

Tommelom Bombadillo!

"Where be you a-going to, puffing like a bellows?"

"Do you know who I am? I'm Tom Bombadil."

"What? You say your friends are caught by Old Man Willow?"

"This we shall soon clear up."

"I'll freeze his marrow cold, if he don't behave himself."

"I'll sing his roots off."

Tom set his mouth to the opening with Merry,

and sang with a low, horrible voice.

They could not hear what he sang.

Then he seized Merry's legs and drew him out.

They heard a violent creaking and cracking, and the other crack exploded and Pippin sprang out,

as if he had been kicked.

Then both cracks closed again.

The tree shuddered from crown to foot, and complete silence fell.

After they thanked Tom for the help, they followed him home.

He invited them to stay and rest.

Then he showed them the way out of the Old Forest,

and the way to The Prancing Pony Inn, in Bree.

The wizard Gandalf had told Frodo to go to the inn.

There they met a man known as Strider.

A letter from Gandalf explained that the man's real name was Aragorn,

and that he could be trusted.

The hobbits joined Strider, as he knew the best route to Rivendell from Bree.

On the way, they were attacked by the Black Riders,

and Frodo was wounded in the shoulder, though he managed to keep the Ring.

Not far from the Ford of Rivendell,

they heard hoofbeats, and the clang of bells.

And suddenly they saw a snow-white horse.

It shone in the evening and moved forward swiftly.

Strider sprang up and shouted as he leapt through the heather.

He knew the rider.

It was the elf Glorfindel.

Glorfindel looked at Frodo's wound, which was getting worse,

and he searched with his fingers for the edges.

Frodo felt the chill lessen in his side and arm.

"You shall ride my horse," said Glorfindel to Frodo.

"I will shorten the stirrups up to the saddle-skirts."

"And you must grip as tight as you can with your legs."

"Do not be afraid."

"Asfaloth will not let any rider fall."

THE LORD OF THE RINGS By J.R.R. Tolkien

Adaptation: Soren Erlandsson Narrator: Evan Storm

Music: Bo Hansson Art: Peter Lindblom

Scenography: Mette Möller Producer: Urban Lasson

Subtitles and Translation: Austin Teholiz