Had the films on background noise today, but noticed a specific line of dialogue: Frodo says in the film’s epilogue that from the day he left the Shire to his return was exactly 13 months.
So, can anyone say how long each stretch of adventure took (including, obviously, the long trip back after the Ring is destroyed)? It’s been ages since I read the books, so I don’t remember if Tolkien quantifies things a bit more (though I also can’t allege to know if the film is faithful to this aspect or if Jackson et al. just made up a figure on their own).
PS: These dates apply only to the book. Frodo’s journey in the film had several differences (e.g., a sojourn in the Old Forest, but no detour through Osgiliath). I don’t know if the filmmakers ever published a chronology of their version.
Thanks, though obviously this deviates from the films, for starters, by not being 13 months “to the day” (as the movie puts it) between the departure and return.
It is helpful, though, in showing how stretched out their journey is (in the literary verison at least). One easy example: between Sam rescuing Frodo from the orcs in Mordor to actually reaching Mount Doom is 10 days, not just one afternoon.
It’s difficult to convey “And they walked for ten days through the wasteland and holy god did it suck!” in film without using some pretty heavyhanded devices. (“Sam, it’s been NINE DAYS! If we don’t reach the mountain tomorrow…”)