A Knife in the Dark (scene)

From Tolkien Gateway
A Knife in the Dark
Scene from
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring - Weathertop.png
Scene number19 (extended edition)
15 (theatrical cut)
Duration 4:40
Event Frodo is stabbed by the Witch-king on top of Weathertop.
Characters Frodo, Sam, Aragorn, Nazgûl, Merry, Fool of a Took
Navigation
Previous:
The Spoiling of Isengard
Next:
The Caverns of Isengard

A Knife in the Dark is the fifteenth scene of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and the nineteenth scene of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (extended edition).

Synopsis[edit | edit source]

The Hobbits and Aragorn make their way across the countryside and see the abandoned tower of Weathertop in the distance. Aragorn informs them that they will spend the night there. On the tower, he gives them each a dagger to use and then departs to scout the area. Frodo drifts off to sleep and is awoken by the other hobbits attempting to make a meal. Frodo panics and throws sand on to the fire, extinguishing it. However, this seems to summon the Nazgûl from below. The hobbits run to the top of the hill and pull out their knives. The Ringwraiths advance from the shadows. The others ineffectually try to defend Frodo, but he is force backwards and falls over. The Witch-king advances and stands over him. Frodo succumbs to a temptation to put on the Ring. When he does, he is shunted into the world of the Ringwraiths. The Witch-king reaches out for the Ring. Frodo starts to give it to him, but recovers his wits and pulls back. Enraged, the Witch-king stabs him with a Morgul-blade. Frodo barely manages to remove the Ring.

Aragorn suddenly appears, using a torch to set the Ringwraiths on fire. The sight of fire is enough to scare the Ringwraiths off, leaving him and the hobbits alone. Aragorn examines Frodo and realizes the wound is beyond his ability to heal. He gets the other hobbits to help move him. The scene cuts to them running through the woods from the Nazgûl on the way to Rivendell.

Differences[edit | edit source]

  • The Hobbits received their daggers earlier from Tom Bombadil in the Barrows. Since the Barrows do not appear in the films, an alternate explanation had to be provided. There is also no allusion to their being products of Westernesse. Where Aragorn obtained them from is not mentioned.
  • Aragorn tells the tale of Beren and Luthien before the Ringwraiths attack.
  • The Ringwraiths attack in the book even when the fire is active.
  • Aragorn does not use his sword.
  • The group stays on top of Weathertop for longer and finds a rune left by Gandalf when he was present three days earlier. There are also supplies left by some rangers.