UT - The Quest of Erebor / The Hunt for the Ring / The Battles of the Fords of Isen

[Valandil]

After reading through these histories, I had a particular prevailing thought.

The first - "The Quest of Erebor" - I presume JRRT wrote to give the backstory of "The Hobbit" a more grown-up rationale than what we see in "The Hobbit" itself, to help it better align with peoples and characters that we see in LOTR. I don't know exactly when JRRT wrote the different versions of this story, but it my mind - it could have been written well after the publication of LOTR.

However, the other two - "The Hunt for the Ring" and "The Battles of the Fords of Isen" - these I think he probably worked out in detail while writing LOTR, because there are passing references in LOTR that perfectly align with them, and they give precise detailing (with a few slight variations in alternate versions) of the movements of different people and groups on specific days.

Interesting that JRRT makes an admission about the unsustainability of one idea in particular - the Nazguls' fear of water, as seen at the Ford of Bruinen. After all, the Nazgul had previously crossed the Fords of Isen, the Ford at Tharbad (apparently particularly perilous - Boromir having had much difficulty and losing his horse) and Sarn Ford, after dispersing the Ranger guards. Argh... can't find that reference now. But maybe we can come up with a way to reconcile it all.