Cold be hand and heart and bone, was the first line of an incantation sung by the Barrow-wight that trapped Frodo Baggins, Meriadoc Brandybuck, Peregrin Took, and Samwise Gamgee in its barrow after they left Tom Bombadil's house. When Frodo first heard it, it was no more than a murmur, but soon manifested as a stream of horrible sounds and cold words before changing into an incantation that chilled him to the bone.[1]
Poem
Cold be hand and heart and bone,
and cold be sleep under stone:
never more to wake on stony bed,
never, till the Sun fails and the Moon is dead.
In the black wind the stars shall die,
and still on gold here let them lie,
till the dark lord lifts up his hand
over dead sea and withered land.
Portrayal in adaptations
2002: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers:
- Gollum chants an altered version of the poem in the Dead Marshes just before Frodo refers to him as Sméagol:
Cold be heart and hand and bone,
Cold be travelers far from home,
They do not see what lies ahead
when sun has failed and moon is dead.
2002: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game):
- A disembodied voice can be heard reciting the incantation in the background during Frodo's battle with the Barrow-wight.
2024: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power:
- In season two, the Barrow-wights are heard chanting this poem.
See also