Why does Gandalf say "Fly you fools"

[Xeno]

I translated german dialog "flieht Ihr Narren" cause this no german board!

..and here I was, all this time wondering how the hell it was possible those 2 years of German in high school made it so easy for me to understand all of these people on this board!

 

[Darren Carnall]

huh.... I watched this last week, and I'd always thought (and still did last week) that he said "run, you fools!"

guess I need to watch it again, lol

 

[MisterToyNYC]

So if I understand you all correctly, no one has any idea why or if he actually says "fly, you fools". Got it.

Eric

 

[goliath]

!

He staggered and fell, grasped vainly at the stone, and slid into the abyss. 'Fly, you fools!' he cried, and was gone.

That's how Prof. Tolkien has put it, if you have a problem with that, then fly, you fools!

 

[sideshowpdx]

Wow,,, I got quite the thread started here. On my new LOTR pinball machine, once I complete my Fellowship of the Ring multi-ball,,, it ends with Gandalf saying it too. It really doesn't sound anything like "Fly" but whatever.... After watching the movie again, Gandalf says something like " To the bridge, FLY! " right before the Fellowship run over the bridge.

 

[The Dwimmerlaik]

Or by a giant Balrog that might regain use of it's wings at any moment. Oh wait do balrogs have wings or not?

lol, lets not start that topic

 

[Fritz]

...On my new LOTR pinball machine...

Up yours!

 

[noelleon69]

when i watched that scene, what i thought gandalf meant by fly was to quickly get out of there. and by calling them fools, it meant they are fools if they would want to just stand there and look instead. if they did they would just be putting themselves in danger.

 

[Fritz]

That's pretty close..

"Fly": telling them to get out ASAP
"you Fools": because he knew they would try and save him which was foolish!

 

[carbo-fation]

That's pretty close..

"Fly": telling them to get out ASAP
"you Fools": because he knew they would try and save him which was foolish!

That was exactly what I had in mind when I first saw this line the movie.

 

[sideshowpdx]

Up yours!

Thank you, sir... This thing is awesome. I play at least 2 hours a day. I never knew pinball could be so addicting.

 

[Fritz]

Thank you, sir... This thing is awesome. I play at least 2 hours a day. I never knew pinball could be so addicting...

Yeah it definitely looks great! I was looking at this and the Creature from the Black Lagoon pinball recently but I just couldn't pull the trigger. Hmmm, maybe if I sold some statues. But then the bank would tell me to fly you fool right out of my house.

 

[FrodoEyes]

I thought 'Fly' as in run or flee was quite universally known.....I guess not?
Maybe to some people, in the movie, it sounds like 'run' because he's got a mouthful of his own hair!
Fly is used quite a bit in the book when describing someone fleeing....I believe Glorfindel says it to Asfolath when he wants the horse to bear Frodo away from the Nazgul. Oh, there's another strange word with a double meaning! Bear! Could it mean he wants Frodo to get away, or could he mean that he wants Frodo bear as in naked? Which would then add a whole new meaning to the phrase bare-back riding.....which also sounds rather kinky....

 

[Captain Faramir]

I'm surprised there has been so much discussion about this. Telling someone to "fly" is a synonym for flee or escape. If you were being chased by ten thousand orcs on a mission to save all humanity, then for pity's sake get the heck out before the whole quest fails and Middle-Earth is totally destroyed! Gandalf knows that the quest must continue and that they cannot idly stand by hopelessly trying to save him. Grumpy but caring to the end (who doesn't love the guy?), he's telling them to get out and get moving. Aragorn knows that too, and while not as stern as Galdalf, he doesn't let them sit on the mountain crying all day, but gets them on their way. My favorite part of the movie is the fact that Frodo is already leaving--and he was closer to Gandalf than any of them, but he goes on anyways.

What a great movie!

 

[The Dwimmerlaik]

Also i think he mean:

Run away stupid guys, you cant save me of the Balrog is to powerfull for you.
or
This is my destiny, let me alone and run!

 

[Darren Carnall]

I'm not sure why there's been so much discussion either.... watching the film it's clear that it means all of these things.

 

[Xeno]

I'm not sure why there's been so much discussion either.... watching the film it's clear that it means all of these things.

You're totally right.. I was just playing along for the heck of it.

But that's what you get with all these "foreigners" on an English/US board..

 

[Morris Fletcher]

The truth is revealed!!

 

[LOTRFan]

The truth is revealed!!

Of course, he wanted them to jump with him!

 

[tomandshell]

Thank you, sir... This thing is awesome. I play at least 2 hours a day. I never knew pinball could be so addicting.

Is it me, or did you have the absolute perfect place in your house just waiting for that thing? Or did you build your house around it?