Original artwork, not a still
The Fellowship of the Ring · 1954
Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Gimli answers Elrond's warning with dwarvish stubbornness: loyalty that disappears when things get dark was never loyalty. Elrond's reply is the other side of the same coin, that a promise made in daylight is untested. The exchange sets up the Fellowship's whole fragile bargain, and the line is a favourite motto for friendship, solidarity and any group that has chosen to stay together through a bad stretch.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The Fellowship of the RingShow the scene
Book Two, chapter 3, "The Ring Goes South", when the Fellowship is formed at Rivendell and about to set out. Elrond has told the Company that none of them is bound to go further than they choose, and Gimli answers him with this line: anyone who says farewell once the road turns dark was never faithful. Elrond replies that this may be so, but that nobody should swear to walk in the dark who has not yet seen nightfall. Gimli says a sworn word may steady a quaking heart, and Elrond's last word on it is that it may also break one.
Sources (3)
- Wikiquote: The Fellowship of the RingSection The Ring Goes SouthReference checked
- The One Wiki to Rule Them All: GimliPage header quoteReference checked
- Tolkien Gateway: The Ring Goes SouthChapter summaryReference checked
Context reviewed
