Dr. Bret Devereaux

And I think that's the case.

And, and here I have to admit, right?

Like the text supplies that he wants to see his family, but I like, you really kind of feel he is concerned.

He is concerned.

And you, you wonder what the shape of that concern is.

We're not told, but like on some level, is he like, if we take the wrong route, am I the long route?

Am I even going to be in my right mind when we get there?

right because i mean we know that frodo and sam both feel and like are aware of the ring taking hold of them like there is a point like frodo's where like i can't give this up yeah he's still trying to destroy it but he's aware that like it's in there and he can't even though he it hasn't yet fully taken over he feels it you wonder if isildur is in the same place where he's like oh

Oh, we need to get there now while I can still, I think, take this thing off and hand it to somebody.

Because if we take a route, it's much longer.

We have to winter somewhere.

So we have to wait a few months and then keep moving again.

And I end up getting there not October this year, but October next year.

Am I going to be able to do what I need to do when I get there?

And so you wonder if that's the reason why he makes the sort of disastrous decision to take the quick route, the quick and risky route.

Yeah, so, I mean, I think part of this almost certainly feels like Tolkien thinking with sort of historical exemplars.

The Numenoreans are an island nation people.

He may be thinking a little bit with the English, who famously by the Hundred Years' War are primarily infantry force.

Or his own Anglo-Saxons, also primarily an infantry force.

But the Numenoreans are also vaguely Roman people.