The story of Tolkien’s abandoned Fourth Age sequel
I discussed why Tolkien didn’t progress beyond 13 pages of his Fourth Age tale “The New Shadow” in another post[1]. A story Tolkien describes as both sinister and depressing. What had actually been written? What was the story all about? What was written can be read in full in The History of Middle-earth — XII — The Peoples of Middle-earth.
Tolkien summarises the ideas involved in The New Shadow in Letter 256…
‘I did begin a story placed about 100 years after the Downfall, but it proved both sinister and depressing. Since we are dealing with Men it is inevitable that we should be concerned with the most regrettable feature of their nature: their quick satiety with good. So that the people of Gondor in times of peace, justice and prosperity, would become discontented and restless — while the dynasts descended from Aragorn would become just kings and governors — like Denethor or worse. I found that even so early there was an outcrop of revolutionary plots, about a centre of secret Satanistic religion; while Gondorian boys were playing at being Orcs and going around doing damage. I could have written a ‘thriller’ about the plot and its discovery and overthrow — but it would have been just that. Not worth doing.’
J.R.R. Tolkien — Letter 256
The New Shadow is set during the time of Eldarion, son of King Elessar (Aragorn) and Arwen. Eldarion is now the King of Gondor at a time when the events of The Lord of the Rings, more specifically The War of the Ring, are known only to those who were children. The lessons learned from victory over Sauron are seldom-heeded by the people of Gondor. This is the Fourth Age of Middle-earth, the age of Men. As mortals, Men rely on history and stories to relive ages past.
A man called Borlas, of a place called Pen-arduin, is revealed to us as the son of Beregond. Beregond was a man of arms of the Third Company of the Citadel in The Return of the King and knew the threat of Sauron well. He met Peregrin Took when the Hobbit had become a Guard of the Citadel. His eldest son Bergil was ten years old at this time and Borlas in The New Shadow is the youngest son of Beregond.
Borlas is in his garden by the Great River Anduin, in sight of Minas Tirith. In a conversation with a man named Saelon, he speaks of a constant presence of evil residing in the hearts of Men, described as a Dark Tree that cannot be felled forever. Saelon recounts a tale when Borlas scolded him for wasting unripe fruit from his garden, calling it “ Orcs’ work”. Saelon was unhappy at the time, but Borlas claims that the misuse of unripe fruit robs the world and hinders what would be good in its path to becoming good.
In response to this, Saelon mentions that Men have a habit of felling trees for their own use. Borlas retorts that if the used is used for some decent purpose and never wasted, then it isn’t wrong to cut down a tree. Borlas grows weary but is pushed into continuing the conversation by an eager Saelon who wishes to discuss growing evil. Saelon claims that it wasn’t possible that it was Saelon’s childhood acts of mischief that brought up the topic of the Dark Tree and makes a reference to Herumor.
Saelon says that a growing number of people are unhappy in these days after the death of the Great King, referring to Aragorn who died 100–120 years earlier depending on the version of the text. Borlas does not know what the unrest could possibly accomplish but is asked how he came to know the name Herumor. After a stalemate related to who should answer first, Saelon offers to tell Borlas everything if he returns after nightfall, clad in back. With that, Saelon leaves the garden of Borlas. Borlas recalls his son Berelach, a friend of Saelon, and remembers news of ships disappearing, and a scent of old Evil seeping its way back into the world…
It should be noted however that terms like “unfinished sequel” gives far too much credit to The New Shadow. We have no idea how long it took Tolkien to write just over a dozen pages for this new story, how many times he started over…if any. It’s possible this was one of any number of ideas that he considered for a post The Lord of the Rings story. The key theme seems to be that as humans, flaws exist inherently, and that these flaws cause unrest and complacency even in times of great peace and celebration. So soon after the reign of the King that returned, man has already started to slide back into evil.
Personally, I find the idea intriguing and would have enjoyed reading more of the story. While I understand why Tolkien abandoned it, I think that Tolkien is better at writing “darker” material than he is credited for. The Children of Húrin is mainly based on the legend of Kullervo, but Tolkien made it his own and it’s hardly as light as a Hobbit’s tramping through the Shire on a hunt for mushrooms. I like tying this story in with the idea that Morgoth is slowly making his return, year by year, century by century, until the seed he planted allows him to return from the Void. That’s my own opinion on this story, and there’s no evidence that thought crossed Tolkien’s mind.
The New Shadow does make the glorious return of Aragorn and the defeat of the Dark Lord Sauron seem less hopeful for Men and more of a delay until some evil returns. It’s not like the defeat of Morgoth which left devastation and a great mourning in the World for all the loss it suffered. With Sauron’s defeat there was an end of an era for the Elves, with hope and prosperity for the race of Men. The New Shadow tells us that with Men being unable to focus on the great personifications of evil like Morgoth and Sauron, they would have to fight the evil that was within all of them, a conflict that was perhaps impossible to win. An interesting idea that Tolkien wasn’t motivated to continue. We are left with hope for the race of Men after Sauron’s downfall, which I’m sure most readers are happy with.
Footnotes
[1]Why did Tolkien decide it wasn’t worth writing The New Shadow
Originally published at https://www.legendarium.co.uk on June 14, 2020.
