At the Council of Elrond, it is decided that the ring must be destroyed. But of course, it is no ordinary item, it is the One Ring of Power forged by the evil Lord Sauron himself, in the fires of Mount Doom, and only there can it be unmade. So the ring is sent south, in the hands of the nine members of the fellowship, who must take it all the way from Rivendell to Mordor. The task is especially entrusted to Frodo the Ring-bearer, who must wear it on a specially made elvish chain in order to avoid the temptation of placing it upon his finger.

The fellowship knows that the path will be perilous, for the hobbits journey to Rivendell from The Shire has already been marred by several narrow escapes, including a near-death experience with a twisted creature on the Barrow-downs, a run-in with the malicious moving trees of the Old Forest, and a knife wound on Weathertop that almost sent Frodo into the shadow realm. But as the group approaches the Redhorn Gate, they have no idea how dangerous the way ahead will be as they try to choose between the steep pass of the Mountain of Caradhras, and the long dark tunnels of Moria.

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The nine are out on the planes, taking rest and refuge after a long day of hiking, when a fast-moving black cloud begins to approach them. Aragorn and Legolas with their keen eyesight realize that the flock of birds heading towards them are the Crebain of Dunland, the flying spies of Saruman who have been sent to seek them out. They manage to hide just in time, but the close call forces them to make a hasty decision and rush up the mountainside. But the mountain has a malevolence all of its own, and it soon begins to snow so heavily that the friends can’t see five feet in front of them. Large boulders begin to fall into their path as if thrown by a taunting figure from above, and "it may have been only a trick of the wind in the cracks and gullies of the rocky wall, but the sounds were those of shrill cries, and wild howls of laughter."

Saruman spell

In the 2001 film adaptation by Peter Jackson, this scene is portrayed as the workings of the wizard Saruman the White, who is trying to deter the company from passing and push them to an even more hazardous route, but this is a creative interpretation on Jackson’s behalf because in the book it appears to be the actual mountain who doesn’t like the trespassers, and doesn’t want them on its peaks and slopes.

Gimli explains how the mountain is named "cruel" by his people, because it has bourn malice far longer than inklings of Sauron’s awakening began to rise. As the snow falls heavier, Gandalf has to use his fire-magic to light a flame for warmth, and Bill the Pony stands over the hobbits, trying his best to shelter them from the blizzardous onslaught. They decide to turn back, and Legolas uses his elven ability of being able to tread so lightly that he doesn’t sink into the snow to find a safe pathway. Aragorn and Boromir, being the largest and strongest of the group, carry the hobbits one by one back down the ramps, and only then does the hatred of the mountain ‘seem to be expended, as if Caradhras was satisfied that the invaders had been beaten off and would not dare return.’

Sam on mountain

Tolkien never actually confirms where the evil of Caradhras comes from, or why this particular mountain is so cruel, but Lord of the Rings fans have come up with a theory that there must be a wicked spirit or unrestful soul who has traveled down from the mountains of Angmar in the north, and taken up residence in Caradhras, defending it’s territory vehemently from anyone who may try to enter. But whether it is a ghost or simply a turn of the weather, the group has no choice but to take the mines of Moria instead.

Here they encounter a scuttling band of orcs wielding a cave-troll, a Balrog on the bridge of Khazad-Dum, and ultimately the breaking of the fellowship, which occurs after Gandalf the Grey falls out of Middle Earth (later to return as Gandalf the White) and Boromir tries to take the ring from Frodo at Amon Hen, after their stay with the elves of Lothlorien. Although the group subsequently goes through many hardships, they ultimately find their way back to each other, and through their loyalty, bravery, and strong bonds of friendship, manage to complete the impossible quest and destroy the One Ring after all.

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