Long live the Halflings! Praise them with great praise!

Long live the Halflings! Praise them with great praise! is the triumphant acclamation that greets Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee when they are presented to the host of the West on the Field of Cormallen. It is the moment of public recognition for the two hobbits who have carried the One Ring to its destruction, and it marks the formal acknowledgement of their deeds by the free peoples of Middle-earth. The cry, which rings out in both the Common Speech and the High-elven tongue, transforms the two weary travellers into figures of legend and gives them a place of honour among the great of the age.

The Setting and the Acclamation

The cry is raised after the fall of Sauron, when the Captains of the West have gathered on the Field of Cormallen in Ithilien. Frodo and Sam, rescued from the slopes of Mount Doom by the Eagles, wake to find themselves in the keeping of the King. As they are led out, they see a great host drawn up in ranks, and before them are set three high-seats built of green turves. Behind the highest throne, a great standard is spread, bearing a white tree flowering upon a sable field beneath a shining crown and seven glittering stars. As the hobbits approach, swords are unsheathed, spears are shaken, and horns and trumpets sing. The host cries out in many voices and in many tongues: 'Long live the Halflings! Praise them with great praise! Cuio i Pheriain anann! Aglar'ni Pheriannath! Praise them with great praise, Frodo and Samwise! Daur a Berhael, Conin en Annûn! Eglerio! Praise them! Eglerio! A laita te, laita te! Andave laituvalmet! Praise them! Cormacolindor, a laita tárienna! Praise them! The Ring-bearers, praise them with great praise!'

The King's Honour

Aragorn, now revealed as King Elessar, rises from his throne to meet them. To Sam's utter confusion, the King bows his knee before them, and taking them by the hand, leads them to the throne and sets them upon it. He then turns to the men and captains who stand by and speaks, so that his voice rings over all the host, crying: 'Praise them with great praise!' This gesture, in which the King of Gondor and Lord of the Western Lands honours two hobbits as his equals, is the ultimate sign of their achievement. It is a moment of pure joy for Sam, who has long dreamed of hearing his master's deeds sung, and it fulfils the hope that has sustained him through the darkest days of the journey.

The Minstrel's Lay

When the glad shout has swelled up and died away, a minstrel of Gondor stands forth and kneels, begging leave to sing. He announces his lay: 'Lo! lords and knights and men of valour unashamed, kings and princes, and fair people of Gondor, and Riders of Rohan, and ye sons of Elrond, and Dúnedain of the North, and Elf and Dwarf, and greathearts of the Shire, and all free folk of the West, now listen to my lay. For I will sing to you of Frodo of the Nine Fingers and the Ring of Doom.' When Sam hears this, he laughs aloud for sheer delight and cries: 'O great glory and splendour! And all my wishes have come true!' before weeping. The minstrel sings in the elven-tongue and in the speech of the West, and his song moves the hearts of all who hear it, until their joy is like swords and they pass in thought to regions where pain and delight flow together. The acclamation and the lay together ensure that the deeds of the Ring-bearers will be remembered and told for generations, and that the story of the hobbits will become part of the great history of the age.

Significance

The cry 'Long live the Halflings!' is more than a simple cheer; it is a formal act of recognition that elevates Frodo and Sam to a status that transcends their humble origins. It is the moment when the world acknowledges that the fate of Middle-earth rested on the shoulders of two small hobbits, and that their courage and endurance have saved all the free peoples. The phrase, repeated in the High-elven tongue, links the hobbits to the ancient history of the Elves and Men, and the minstrel's lay ensures that their names will be sung alongside those of Beren and Lúthien. For Sam, it is the fulfilment of his deepest wish, and for Frodo, it is a moment of peace and honour after his long ordeal. The acclamation marks the end of the Quest and the beginning of a new age, in which the deeds of the Ring-bearers will be remembered as long as the world lasts.