Episode 289 Summary

[Tony Meade]

SESSION 289

Naturalizing The Hobbit:

• There are several moments in which Tolkien seems to be trying to recast elements and incidents in The Hobbit in light of the tone and the world of The Lord of the Rings, given that relationship.
• As the evolution of The Lord of the Rings, from a simple sequel to The Hobbit into what it eventually became, caused Tolkien to re-think some more children’s book appropriate events.
• Tolkien had a fraught relationship with The Hobbit, especially in his later years, as it related to the coherence of the world-building, once he decided to unite it with the Silmarillion world.
• In the end, Tolkien did not attempt or succeed in integrating The Hobbit into the legendarium, which was appropriate considering that the target audience would have not missed it anyway.
• The many recycled elements, such as the Elvenking and the Arkenstone, were done out of love for those things, rather than trying to create a coherent world shared with The Silmarillion.
• Tolkien had written other stories that were adjacent to the shared legendarium, unlike The Hobbit, which had been begun as a separate fairy tale for the enjoying of himself and his kids.
• There is other recycling within The Hobbit, such as from Beowulf and other stories, too.
• Tolkien’s failed attempts to publish the Silmarillion material probably also influenced his decisions to make reference to the events and characters, as this may be their only chance.
• There is also a sense that the themes surrounding elements such as the Arkenstone, which is a parallel to the Silmarils, are also present in The Hobbit, though done at a children’s level.
• “Arkenstone” is itself a modernization of the Anglo-Saxon translation of Silmaril as “holy stone”.
• Tolkien’s willingness to be freewheeling with the world-building was reflective of his attitude toward the story, including that he had not originally written it with intention of publishing.
• Once he began the writing of The Lord of the Rings as it became, he seems to have felt that The Hobbit was inadequate in many ways as its precursor and sought to find ways to correct that.
• The battle with the wolves on the hilltop, for instance, seems to act as a corrective to the image of a much weaker and vulnerable Gandalf throwing flaming pinecones and preparing to die.
• There are earlier references, such as to the trolls now being cunning and dangerous that seem to try to correct the more comical image of the trolls that Bilbo met early on in his quest.
• The battle with Caradhras likewise acts as a corrective to the stone-giants in the mountains.
• While not completely abandoning those elements, we are invited to see them in a new light.
• This process of “naturalization” into the Middle-earth mythology, to which is a non-native, is a similar thing that Tolkien does with other inclusions, such as Tom Bombadil and his stories.
• Tolkien did make an abortive attempt to fully rewrite The Hobbit into the legendarium later on.

“Makers” vs “Masters”:

• Some editions after the 50th anniversary editions, edited by Hammond and Scull, contain the words “their own makers” rather than “their own masters”, which introduced many changes.
• Many of these were done to correct printing errors, but some were their own creative choices.
• In this case, the original manuscript used “makers” but was mistyped as “masters” by Tolkien.
• However, it could have been a conscious choice to change the word while making the typescript, though Christopher touted “makers” as more definitive because it makes more sense in context.
• In contrast, “masters” may refer to both those who made them and those who ruled over Moria, as Narvi is named as he who made the doors, but they are called The Doors of Durin.
• In that context, Gimli would be saying that the doors would not open for Durin himself if the secret to opening them had been lost, emphasizing how impossible it would be otherwise.
• However, he might be saying the same thing about Narvi, who made the opening mechanism.
• The implication of “masters” is that the doors are in some way sentient servants of the Dwarves.
• Historically, the use of passwords required someone listening to allow passage, so the doors must be in some way aware of a visitor saying the password in order to allow them through.
• This means that the doors are also responding in a way that they were trained by their masters, and according to the intentions of the one who approaches the doors toward their masters.
• This is a parallel to Háma later in Rohan, who is expected to judge who may enter Meduseld.
• There is also a parallel with the Watchers at the Tower of Cirith Ungol, who are sentient statues.
• It is important that those Elves who helped make these doors also made the Rings of Power.
• Even if “masters” had been a mistake, Tolkien allowed it to be printed in multiple editions.

Gazing at the blank wall of the cliff:

• Since the two holly trees seem to be standing like sentinels on either side of the blank spot in the wall, which is also at the end of a road leading to it, searching for the doors is unexpected.
• The door itself is not concealed, which is why it is surprising to see Gandalf staring at the wall.
• There is a parallel to Bilbo sitting by the door of Erebor and thinking, as happened in The Hobbit.
• Legolas is listening to the rock, as he had done earlier in Eregion, in doing his part in the search.
• Neither Gandalf, Gimli, nor Legolas are in any doubt about the general location of the doors.
• Gimli may be tapping to locate the edges of the door in the wall face in order to open them, though he would be careful of any interaction to avoid damaging them, as this is a sacred place.
• This suggests that the doors are famous for being shut, as even Aragorn and Gandalf don’t know how to enter Moria from this direction, and Moria is famous for being a place one doesn’t enter.
• Note: The shutting of the doors of Moria seems to be an important event in the overall history.
• This is also evidence that when Gandalf came through Moria, he was travelling westward, and therefore didn’t need to know how to open the doors from the west side of the mountains.
• Merry’s question is the obvious one, considering that they’ve unloaded Bill and ready to enter.
• Gimli’s response is to Merry’s question says that the doors are where they expected to find them, but the fact that they are invisible show the intentional craftsmanship of the Dwarves.
• The invisible doors are another parallel to the side entrance of The Lonely Mountain in The Hobbit, which may be in Merry and Gimli’s mind as they seek to enter these doors now.
• Note: Gandalf later suggestion to use Pippin’s head to break open the doors may also be a reference to the thrush knocking the snail shell against the wall in the entrance to Erebor.
• Also, the moon letters on the doors parallel those that were on the map of the Lonely Mountain.
• The major difference is that the situation in The Hobbit is indicative of a sense of the personal destiny of Bilbo and the company, whereas this situation only requires forgotten knowledge.
• It’s possible that the Company are the first outside people to enter Moria from this direction and through this door since the Second Age, though the Dwarves may have still used them.
• These doors represented friendship, and those friends being lost ended the use of the doors.
• It’s also more likely that no one at all has tried to open these doors since the final fall of Moria.
• Note: Rather than trying to recast elements of The Hobbit in the light of The Lord of the Rings, this moment seems use the parallel moment from before to inform this moment’s importance.
• Rather than a “return of the king” moment, this is a moment of a return to the friendship of old.
• Note: There is also a parallel with myths of fall from a Golden Age, such as Pandora’s Box or the fall of Adam and Eve in Eden, with Sauron acting in that role, and the coming of the Company symbolically represents a return to that Golden Age of the friendship of all of the Free Peoples.
• This is a destiny beyond the accompaniment of the Ring, though it is also important that the Ring, which was a betrayal of friendship with Celebrimbor, now comes to restore it.
• The Fellowship of the Ring itself is a recapitulation of the Last Alliance in coming together to resist Sauron, and they are finishing the work that the Last Alliance was intended to accomplish.
• However, the inclusion of the hobbits makes the difference this time, as it was in The Hobbit.

END OF SESSION