In the Lord of the Rings novel, in the chapter The Fog on the Barrow-downs, the Hobbits fall asleep on the downs next to a white standing stone. There are some passages that I personally interpret as implying that the stone may have some significance, evil purpose, or is magical in some way. Firstly:
In the midst of it there stood a single stone, standing tall under the sun above, and at this hour casting no shadow. It was shapeless and yet significant: like a landmark or a guarding stone, or more like a warning.
then immediately following this there is some implication that its coolness is in some way unnatural:
But they were now hungry, and the sun was still at the fearless noon; so they set their backs against the east side of the stone. It was cool, as if the sun had no power to warm it; but at that time this seemed pleasant
Then finally there is the vague insinuation that the stone may in fact have been the cause of their unintended sleep (the emphasis on the word perhaps below is mine)
Riding over the hills, and eating their fill, the warm sun and the scent of turf, lying a little too long, stretching out their legs and looking at the sky above their noses: these things are, perhaps, enough to explain what happened. However, that may be: they woke suddenly and uncomfortably from a sleep they had never meant to take.
As I read this chapter, those references suggest to me that the stone is in some way evil but this is never mentioned again or explained later in the text. I was wondering if the stone is mentioned in any other of Tolkien's novels or notes and references, or if the subtle hints and implications are intentional such that the reader has to make up their own mind about the nature of the stone??
