Episode 110 Summary

[Tony Meade]

SESSION 110

An unofficial sequel:

• Tolkien uses the conversation between Frodo and Glóin to fill in gaps in the period after The Hobbit, which takes the place of the original intention for a sequel.
• The Lord of the Rings is a departure from the concept of a true sequel to The Hobbit because his mindset about the story shifted away from a simple sequel.
• Though fictional world-building is with what Tolkien is primarily associated, in The Hobbit he was building an isolated story, without extensive world-building.
• Even the map that was made for The Hobbit only includes the locations in that story, and there wasn’t much thought of development of any place in a larger world or a bigger history.
• This perspective is revealed in Gandalf’s comment about Bilbo being a small person in a big world. That bigger world did not involve Bilbo, and that is where the story was left.
• By fusing the world of The Hobbit into the world of the First Age stories in The Silmarillion, the story of The Lord of the Rings becomes something very different.
• Even Hobbits themselves are foreign to the world of The Silmarillion, so Tolkien has to leave their origins mysterious, as they don’t fit neatly into the mythology.
• Since Tolkien talks about discovering things in the world rather than inventing them, he was comfortable with never discovering the origin of Hobbits, along with other mysteries.
• He also understood the power of mystery in leaving things open for readers’ interpretations.
• In the conversation of Frodo and Glóin, we get a glimpse of what a true sequel to The Hobbit might have looked like, had Tolkien revisited the places and peoples from the first story.

Comment on Frodo’s cushions:

• The kind of cushions Frodo was provided were probably not throw pillows, but thinner seat cushions which probably weren’t very large, such as the ones used on wooden chairs.
• Even the seat cushions in Tolkien’s own time would not be as large as the ones to which modern audiences might be accustomed or might be imagining.
• The thinner cushions would be easily scattered if one’s feet can’t touch the ground, and then has to slide off the seat in order to stand up.
• Natural materials like wool or horsehair would fill those cushions, which makes them thinner.

Comment on the influence of the Ringwraiths on the Ringbearer:

• There seems to be a difference in the way that the Ring behaves when a Ringwraith is present.
• When not present, the Ring seems to work more through rationalization, but when one is present, it seems to simply try to overcome Frodo’s will to resist.
• This may be related to the changes in the Ring as it gets closer to Mordor, as the Ringwraiths might carry a little of Sauron’s power from Mordor with them, and the Ring is responding to it.
• As the Ring approaches Mordor, it seems like it is the proximity to the place of its creation to which the Ring is responding, and not necessarily to Sauron himself.
• The Ring temptation that Frodo experiences in the barrow is different from both of the other examples but is closer to as in the house of Tom Bombadil with rationalizations.

News from Wilderland:

• At the end of The Hobbit, the Elves of Mirkwood anticipated that the removal of The Necromancer would lead to things getting better there, but that hasn’t happened.
• Sauron did not give up Dol Guldur, he merely left it to his lieutenants and went to Mordor.
• Outside of Mirkwood, things are getting better, such as in Dale and with the Beornings.
• Beorn had called a meeting of all the woodmen that had been targeted by the goblins and wolves over the winter following the Battle of Five Armies and later became their chief.
• Therefore, the Beornings are the woodmen who followed Beorn as leader after this, though he was not a king, and it was not a formal realm, but more like a people group.
• The Wild has become less wild over time, though the wild was not necessarily bad to begin with.
• With Smaug and the Necromancer gone, the peoples and kingdoms have been allowed to grow.
• There is still Dol Guldur, and the goblins have replaced their numbers in the Misty Mountains.
• In spite of this good news, Glóin speaks about troubles, especially regarding travel and trade.
• It wasn’t impossible to pass through Wilderland before, but it was difficult in different ways, and without some extraordinary luck, Thorin’s Company would not have made it.
• The High Pass is the one that the Dwarves tried before being captured by the goblins, and the Ford of Carrock was near where they would have crossed the river neat Beorn’s place.
• Glóin is suggesting that the way through would have become impossible without the Beornings.
• In the time right after the Battle of Five Armies and the Death of Smaug, things had gotten easier, but in the 77 years following, things have gotten worse and worse.
• The areas that are safe and maintained seem to be shrinking in size over the last many years.
• Bilbo had presents for his party shipped from Dale seventeen years ago, so we don’t know how bad things had gotten, but the Dwarves bringing the shipment would have to pay the heavy toll.
• We have heard that in the years after Bilbo’s departure, the situation has deteriorated faster.
• Sauron seems to redouble his efforts to find the Ring in Wilderland after capturing Gollum.
• However, the Beornings are known for opposing the orcs and wolves in their lands.
• Note: In the Túrin Turambar story, the Woodmen that he joins are a parallel to the ones here.
• Are the Beornings the kin of the Rohirrim, or are they all descendants of the Men of Rhovanion?
• The peoples of Dale seem direct descendants of the Northmen of old, and there seem to be close linguistic links between the Bardings, the Rohirrim, and the Beornings.
• Note: This relationship between the languages of all these groups was a later retcon by Tolkien.
• The Beornings are not the allies of the Dwarves, based on Beorn’s past history. Beorn had helped partly because he was tricked by Gandalf; also because of Thorin’s enmity with the orcs.
• Glóin calls the Beornings “trusty” only in the sense that they will never ally with the goblins, and it’s likely that the Beornings feel the same way about the Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain.
• The fact that Beorn had rescued Thorin in the Battle of Five Armies showed that he had gained some respect for Thorin. The situation of the battle showed what Thorin had done on the field.
• Beorn isn’t a mean person, but rather just wild, more like a wild animal than a civilized human. Therefore, the Dwarves know that he can be trusted to fight his enemies, but not be controlled.
• Beorn seemed fond of Bilbo in a way that he isn’t about the dwarves. This may be because of Bilbo’s appreciation and wonder at his house, and that he seems more childlike and harmless.
• Everyone is curious and puzzled by Bilbo’s in The Hobbit, even Smaug, but never threatened.
• Someone like Beorn might be expected not to trust those he doesn’t know well, but he accepts Bilbo. Beorn’s mistrust seems reserved for those that he does know well, like dwarves and orcs.
• Bilbo’s love of flowers may have endeared Beorn to him, and they’d have more to talk about.
• Glóin, by contrast, refers to the Bardings “good folk”, meaning friends and allies, unlike the Beornings, who he respects but doesn’t like the because of the tolls.
• The tradition of naming a folk after their founding leader in the Germanic fashion seems to be something done among Men of Wilderland, but also their kin, the Eorlingas or Rohirrim.
• The Dwarves do this sometimes, too, as in the name “Durin’s Folk”, but they also call themselves the Longbeards, according to their own traditions.

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[Tony Meade]

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The doings of the Dwarf-kingdom:

• The use of “so far” points to a sense of time, but not a guarantee for the future.
• What does Glóin mean by “fortunate”? Glóin doesn’t seem to be referring to luck, like Bilbo’s in The Hobbit, but something more general.
• There is an air of pessimism in Glóin’s statement, in that he expects things to turn bad soon.
• They have been fortunate in more than one sense, as they have had fortune in terms of luck, but also fortune in terms of wealth.
• The Dwarves are not living in an isolated way like the Hobbits of the Shire. The Dwarves know that they have been fortunate so far, whereas the Hobbits are ignorant of their good fortune.
• They have not been protected in the way that the Shire-hobbits have been, so know more.
• Glóin can remember the hardships of his people before retaking Erebor, so he may be more inclined towards pessimism as he understands how quickly things can change for the worse.
• Note: Gimli might be less inclined towards pessimism because he wasn’t in exile for as long.
• However, their long exile would make the Dwarves appreciate their current good fortune.
• Note: Glóin is likely hinting at the visit of Sauron’s messenger when he speaks of the shadow.
• Though Dwarves are known for secrecy, Glóin shows a penchant for talking about their works.
• Note: Dwarves are very secretive about some things, but not their craftmanship or other things that they love. We will see Gimli speak at length about the Glittering Caves, for instance.
• Though Glóin uses the word “handicraft”, meaning things made with one’s hand, he speaks about the things that the Dwarves of Erebor have accomplished as a kingdom collectively.
• Glóin is an important dwarf, and he feels a sense of ownership over the kingdom’s deeds.
• In the original contract, the agreement was to split the treasure of Erebor fourteen ways. While that was impossible to do literally, they have split up the rewards of the forming of the kingdom.
• Bombur’s increased fatness and six body servants point to him also being rich and important.
• From a Dwarvish point of view, Dáin’s age and wealth are the peak of the idea of success.
• Though Brand is complimented as a good king for this strength, we have already seen that Dáin is seen as a good king because of his generosity with the treasure, which led to his own wealth.
• As before, the word “venerable” implies being worthy of honor through age and gained wisdom.
• Note: This is the root of the Catholic use of Venerable as a title used of one just below a saint.
• Strength is not insisted upon with Dáin as it was with Brand, though it is implied, but also because Brand is still expanding his kingdom geographically, while Dáin’s is getting richer.
• There’s a sense that the difference in lifespans creates a different perspective in kingship.

Bilbo’s unshared knowledge:

• Frodo doesn’t seem to focus on the familiar aspects of Glóin’s news, but on the unfamiliar.
• Bilbo doesn’t seem to have updated his stories at all before leaving the Shire, which highlights how little contact that Bilbo had with the dwarves and vice versa.
• Bilbo received more news after visiting again, but he never brought that back to the Shire, and he now knows places and people, like Aragorn, which are only in the last seventeen years.
• Frodo knows that Bilbo knew some of the Elves like Gildor, but he never introduced them, though he may not have seen Gildor for many years.
• There are dwarves that arrive to assist Bilbo with his party, but we’re not sure from where.
• Bilbo would have known about Bree but seems to have never told Frodo about that either, though he passed through there earlier. His knowledge may be out of date for Bree, too.
• Frodo may be surprised by Sam’s knowledge of the Gil-galad poem, not by the poem itself.
• Strider seemed to know that Bilbo had taught Frodo the Gil-galad poem without being told.
• Has Bilbo traveled much since returning from Erebor? This is unknown, at least to the Hobbits.

END OF SESSION