The Tolkien Dictionary — Part 3

This is the third part of the Tolkien Dictionary, a series where I examine uncommon words from The Fellowship of the Ring.

 

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Dale: a valley

Freshet: a rush of fresh water

Following Gandalf’s demise, the remaining members of the Fellowship successfully fled from the attacks of their enemies in Moria. Afterward, the Fellowship  continued on their journey to Mordor, to destroy the Ruling Ring.

 

The road now turned south and went quickly downwards, running out from between the arms of the dale.

Some way below the mere they came on a deep well of water, clear as crystal, from which a freshet fell over a stone lip and ran glistening and gurgling down a steep rocky channel.

'Here is the spring from which the Silverlode rises.' said Gimli. 'Do not drink of it! It is icy cold.'

'Soon it becomes a swift river, and it gathers water from many other mountain-streams,' said Aragorn. 'Our road leads beside it for many miles.’ (Book Two, Chapter 6)

 

The Fellowship’s path took them through a valley. The adventurers observed a spring of fresh water that flowed into the Silverlode River, which would accompany their path for several miles.  

 

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Fir-trees: a type of evergreen tree

Harts-tounge: a type of evergreen fern

Whortle-berry: a common name for any of several different types of berries

 

Soon afterwards, they came upon another stream that ran down from the west, and joined its bubbling water with the hurrying Silverlode. Together they plunged over a fall of green-hued stone, and foamed down into a dell. About it stood fir-trees, short and bent, and its sides were steep and clothed with harts-tounge and shrubs of whortle-berry. (Book Two, Chapter 6)

  

The river dropped down into a valley, where it was surrounded by evergreen trees, leafy ferns, and berry-laden shrubs. 

 

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Fosse: a long, narrow trench, especially in a fortification 

Elves led the Fellowship to Caras Galadhon, the City of Trees, in the beautiful forest kingdom of Lorien, to meet their king and queen. Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel ruled Lorien together.

 

Suddenly they came out into the open again and found themselves under a pale evening sky pricked by a few early stars. 

There was a wide treeless space before them, running in a great circle and bending away on either hand. Beyond it was a deep fosse lost in soft shadow, but the grass upon its brink was green, as if it glowed still in memory of the sun that had gone. (Book Two, Chapter 7)

 

The City of Trees was surrounded by a protective trench. The grass surrounding the trench glowed green, even though the sun had already set.

 

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Ewer: a large jug with a wide mouth  

Lady Galadriel took Frodo and Sam to see the Mirror of Galadriel, which can show an observer visions of things that have been, things that are currently happening, or things that may happen in the future.

 

Down a long flight of steps the Lady went into a deep green hollow, through which ran murmuring the silver stream that issued from the fountain on the hill. 

At the bottom, upon a low pedestal carved like a branching tree, stood a basin of silver, wide and shallow, and beside it stood a silver ewer.  

With water from the stream Galadriel filled the basin to the brim, and breathed on it, and when the water was still again she spoke. 

'Here is the Mirror of Galadriel,' she said. 'I have brought you here so that you may look in it, if you will.' (Book Two, Chapter 7)

 

Lady Galadriel took Frodo and Sam into a garden, where she showed them a stream, a basin, and a large jug. Using the jug, she filled the basin with water from the stream. 

Galadriel breathed onto the water to activate her mystical mirror. 

 

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Twilit: illuminated by twilight

Frodo decided to peer into the mysterious Mirror of Galadriel.

  

‘I will look,’ said Frodo, and he climbed on the pedestal and bent over the dark water. At once the Mirror cleared and he saw a twilit land. Maintains loomed dark in the distance against a pale sky. (Book Two, Chapter 7)

 

When Frodo looked into the mirror, he saw a mountainous land illuminated by twilight.   

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Worshipful: (archaic) entitled to honor or respect 

The word is now commonly used to refer to someone who feels or shows reverence or adoration.  

Previously, the term could refer to the person being worshiped. Today, it is used primarily to refer to the person worshiping.

Frodo offered to give the Ring of Power to Lady Galadriel. She considered his offer, and described her conflicting thoughts. 

Galadriel said she partly wished to receive the ring. She described how wonderful, powerful, and frightening she could be if she wielded the power of the Ruling Ring.

Even her appearance changed as she discussed what she might become if she commanded the power of the One Ring.  

But she already wore one of the three Elven Rings, from which considerable power arose.

 

'And now at last it comes. You will give me the Ring freely! In place of the Dark Lord you will set up a Queen. And I shall not be dark, but beautiful and terrible as the Morning and the Night! Fair as the Sea and the Sun and the Snow upon the Mountain! Dreadful as the Storm and the Lightning! Stronger than the foundations of the earth. All shall love me and despair!' 

She lifted up her hand, and from the ring that she wore there issued a great light that illuminated her alone and left all else dark.

She stood before Frodo seeming now tall beyond measurement, and beautiful beyond enduring, terrible and worshipful. Then she let her hand fall, and the light faded, and suddenly she laughed again, and lo! she was shrunken: a slender elf-woman, clad in simple white, whose gentle voice was soft and sad.

'I pass the test,' she said. 'I will diminish, and go into the West and remain Galadriel.' (Book Two, Chapter 7)

 

For a moment, Galadriel appeared tall, beautiful, and terrible. She appeared as a powerful ruler worthy of being worshiped.  

Then she shrank into the form of a simple elf who wore modest clothes.

Galadriel declined Frodo’s offer and chose not to receive the Ring of Power. 

  

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Fen: a low and marshy or frequently flooded area of land  

Celeborn, who ruled Lorien alongside his wife Galadriel, gave directions to members of the Fellowship before they departed Lorien to continue along their journey.

Celeborn directed his guidance largely to Boromir and Aragorn, who were more familiar with the region of Middle Earth where the Fellowship would soon travel. 

  

'As you go down the water,' he said, 'you will find that the trees will fail, and you will come to a barren country. There the River flows in stony vale amid high moors, until at last after many leagues it comes to the tall island of the Tindrock, that we call Tol Brandir.’

‘There it casts its arms about the steep shores of the isle, and falls then with a great noise and smoke over the cataracts of Rauros down into the Nindalf, the Wetwang as it is called in your tongue. That is a wide region of sluggish fen where the stream becomes tortuous and much divided.’ 

‘There the Entwash flows in by many mouths from the Forest of Fangorn in the west. About that stream, on this side of the Great River, lies Rohan. On the further side are the bleak hills of the Emyn Muil.’ (Book Two, Chapter 8)

 

Celeborn warned members of the Fellowship of a place where the River they would soon sail would become difficult to travel.

As someone who is unfamiliar with the places Celeborn is referencing, his directions appear confusing and hard to follow.

I’m sure the Hobbits, who were unfamiliar with parts of the world far from the Shire, were similarly confused during Celeborn’s directions.

But it also makes for difficult reading, except for readers who are intimately familiar with the geography of Middle Earth.

  

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Phial: vial

Lady Galadriel gave gifts to the members of the Fellowship as they departed Lorien.

  

‘And you, Ring-bearer,’ she said, turning to Frodo. ‘I come to you last who are not last in my thoughts. For you I have prepared this.’ She held up a small crystal phial: it glittered as she moved it, and rays of white light sprang from her hand.

‘In this phial,’ she said, ‘is caught the light of Earendil’s star, set amid the waters of my fountain. It will shine still brighter when night is about you. May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out. Remember Galadriel and her Mirror!’  

Frodo took the phial, and for a moment as it shone between them, he saw her again standing like a queen, great and beautiful, but no longer terrible.

He bowed, but found no words to say. (Book Two, Chapter 8)

  

Galadriel gave Frodo a vial that contained light from a star that was of great importance to the Elves. She hoped it would aid Frodo and bring him comfort during his dangerous quest.

The Ruins of Khazad-dûm

This post is the fourth in a series about the plot, characters, and cultures featured in The Fellowship of the Ring, the first volume in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. 

After departing from the Elvish city of Rivendell, the Fellowship eventually made its way to Moria, the ruins of the abandoned Dwarvish mining city of Khazad-dûm.

 

Riddle

At the entrance to Moria, they arrived at a door that required a password.

 

'What does the writing say?' asked Frodo, who was trying to decipher the inscription on the arch. 'I thought I knew the elf-letters but I cannot read these.'

'The words are in the elven-tongue of the West of Middle-earth in the Elder Days,' answered Gandalf. 'But they do not say anything of importance to us. They say only: The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter. And underneath small and faint is written: I, Narvi, made them. Celebrimbor of Hollin drew these signs. '

 

'What does it mean by speak, friend, and enter?' asked Merry.

'That is plain enough,' said Gimli. 'If you are a friend, speak the password, and the doors will open, and you can enter.'

'Yes,' said Gandalf, 'these doors are probably governed by words. Some dwarf-gates will open only at special times, or for particular persons; and some have locks and keys that are still needed when all necessary times and words are known.’

‘These doors have no key. In the days of Durin they were not secret. They usually stood open and doorwards sat here. But if they were shut, any who knew the opening word could speak it and pass in. At least so it is recorded, is it not, Gimli?'

'It is,' said the dwarf. 'But what the word was is not remembered. Narvi and his craft and all his kindred have vanished from the earth.' (Book Two, Chapter 4)

 

Neither Gandalf nor Gimli knew the password.

Gandalf guessed many times, without success. After a while, other members of the fellowship become restless and impatient. Some began to worry about the potential dangers around them.

Finally, Gandalf solved the riddle and guessed the correct password.

 

With a suddenness that startled them all the wizard sprang to his feet. He was laughing! 'I have it!' he cried. 'Of course, of course! Absurdly simple, like most riddles when you see the answer.'

Picking up his staff he stood before the rock and said in a clear voice: Mellon!

The star shone out briefly and faded again. Then silently a great doorway was outlined, though not a crack or joint had been visible before. Slowly it divided in the middle and swung outwards inch by inch, until both doors lay back against the wall. Through the opening a shadowy stair could be seen climbing steeply up; but beyond the lower steps the darkness was deeper than the night. The Company stared in wonder.

'I was wrong after all,' said Gandalf, 'and Gimli too. Merry, of all people, was on the right track. The opening word was inscribed on the archway all the time! The translation should have been: Say "Friend" and enter. I had only to speak the Elvish word for friend and the doors opened. Quite simple. Too simple for a learned lore-master in these suspicious days. Those were happier times. Now let us go!' (Book Two, Chapter 4)

 

I love the confusion caused by the ambiguity of the password hint on the door. I enjoy the cleverness of this scene.

I also appreciate Gandalf’s observation that the doors were created in “happier times” than the “suspicious days” of danger that surround the Fellowship’s journey.

I find it amusing to imagine a modern version of this scene — with Gandalf becoming upset after forgetting the password to his computer after setting an overly cryptic password hint.

 

Moria

The Fellowship spent the night in the great cavernous halls of Moria.

 

All about them as they lay hung the darkness, hollow and immense, and they were oppressed by the loneliness and vastness of the dolven halls and endlessly branching stairs and passages. The wildest imaginings that dark rumour had ever suggested to the hobbits fell altogether short of the actual dread and wonder of Moria. (Book Two, Chapter 4)

 

These two sentences are poetic and do a great job establishing the mood and setting of Moria.

Gimli, a dwarf, sang a song about the wonders of Khazad-dûm in its heyday, when it was a thriving mining city.

 

There hammer on the anvil smote,
There chisel clove, and graver wrote;
There forged was blade, and bound was hilt;
The delver mined, the mason built.
There beryl, pearl, and opal pale,
And metal wrought like fishes' mail,
Buckler and corslet, axe and sword,
And shining spears were laid in hoard.

Unwearied then were Durin's folk
Beneath the mountains music woke:
The harpers harped, the minstrels sang,
And at the gates the trumpets rang. (Book Two, Chapter 4)

 

Gimli’s song contrasts the glory of Moria’s past with its bleak present, after the Dwarves were forced to flee from their city.

 

The world is grey, the mountains old,
The forge's fire is ashen-cold
No harp is wrung, no hammer falls:
The darkness dwells in Durin's halls (Book Two, Chapter 4)

 

Gimli’s song does a great job explaining the history of Khazad-dûm and its importance to the Dwarves.

While mining, the Dwarves accidentally woke a monster known as a Balrog, and the Dwarves had to flee their beloved and prosperous Khazad-dûm.

The YouTube channel “Clamavi De Profundis” composed a melody for the lyrics to Gimli’s song. The channel performed the “Song of Durin” incredibly well.

Their video contains lyrics from volume The Fellowship of the Ring, an image of the Dwarves from the movie The Hobbit, and an introductory quote from The Silmarillion.

 

 

Gandalf’s demise

The journey through Moria was fraught with danger, which Gandalf knew all too well.

By comparison, Pippin, one of the hobbits, was far less cautious of his fascinating new surroundings.

 

Pippin felt curiously attracted by the well. While the others were unrolling blankets and making beds against the walls of the chamber, as far as possible from the hole in the floor, he crept to the edge and peered over. A chill air seemed to strike his face, rising from invisible depths.

Moved by a sudden impulse he groped for a loose stone, and let it drop. He felt his heart beat many times before there was any sound. Then far below, as if the stone had fallen into deep water in some cavernous place, there came a plunk, very distant, but magnified and repeated in the hollow shaft.

'What's that?' cried Gandalf.

He was relieved when Pippin confessed what he had done; but he was angry, and Pippin could see his eye glinting. 'Fool of a Took!' he growled. 'This is a serious journey, not a hobbit walking-party. Throw yourself in next time, and then you will be no further nuisance. Now be quiet!' (Book Two, Chapter 4)

 

Gandalf’s angry response to Pippin seems ill-tempered and impolite, but it was understandable given the stress he felt from the dangers lurking in Moria, which would soon threaten the Fellowship along their perilous journey.

Orcs attacks the Fellowship. Following an intense battle, the adventurers fled, only to face off against a ferocious and deadly Balrog.

Gandalf told the other members of the Fellowship to flee, while he attempted to single-handedly defeat the monster.

 

'Over the bridge!' cried Gandalf, recalling his strength. 'Fly! This is a foe beyond any of you. I must hold the narrow way. Fly!' Aragorn and Boromir did not heed the command, but still held their ground, side by side, behind Gandalf at the far end of the bridge. The others halted just within the doorway at the hall's end, and turned, unable to leave their leader to face the enemy alone. (Book Two, Chapter 5)

 

The fight between Gandalf and the Balrog was depicted spectacularly in both the book and the movie.

One of the most iconic lines from the movie occurs when Gandalf tells the Balrog, “You shall not pass!”

In the book, Gandalf instead tells the monster, “You cannot pass!”

In both versions, the battle ends the same way.

 

At that moment Gandalf lifted his staff, and crying aloud he smote the bridge before him. The staff broke asunder and fell from his hand.

A blinding sheet of white flame sprang up. The bridge cracked. Right at the Balrog's feet it broke, and the stone upon which it stood crashed into the gulf, while the rest remained, poised, quivering like a tongue of rock thrust out into emptiness.

With a terrible cry the Balrog fell forward, and its shadow plunged down and vanished. But even as it fell it swung its whip, and the thongs lashed and curled about the wizard's knees, dragging him to the brink.

He staggered and fell, grasped vainly at the stone, and slid into the abyss. 'Fly, you fools!' he cried, and was gone. (Book Two, Chapter 5)

 

Gandalf defeated the Balrog, but the monster ensnared Gandalf, who fell down into the dark depths, seemingly to his death.

In this moment, Gandalf showed great heroism through his willingness to sacrifice himself to save his companions.

Gandalf was the most knowledgeable and capable of the Fellowship. As the Fellowship continued forward with their perilous quest, Gandalf’s absence weighed heavily on their minds.

 

In my next analysis, I will discuss the Elven rings and the fate of the Elves if Frodo successfully destroys the Ring of Power.

Of Oaths and Promises

This post is the third in a series about the characters, plot, and cultures featured in The Fellowship of the Ring, the first volume of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

 

King Elrond of Rivendell gathered emissaries from the allied kingdoms of Middle Earth to decide what should be done with the Ring of Power that Frodo carried.

Those emissaries discussed the matter during the Council of Elrond where they consulted with Gandalf and Frodo. Frodo ultimately offered to bring the ring to Mount Doom — and destroy the ring by dropping it into the volcano from which it was forged.

Several other adventurers agreed to accompany Frodo on his journey. Together, they formed The Fellowship of the Ring, which the volume was named after.

During and after the Council of Elrond, two discussions demonstrated the significance the cultures of Middle Earth placed on promises and oaths, and the value they placed upon their word.

Gloin, a dwarf, spoke during the council about his king’s response to a request from Mordor, the dominion of the Dark Lord Sauron. King Dain was reluctant to make a promise to the Dark Lord’s messenger.

 

"Then about a year ago a messenger came to Dain, but not from Moria — from Mordor: a horseman in the night, who called Dain to his gate. The Lord Sauron the Great, so he said, wished for our friendship. Rings he would give for it, such as he gave of old. And he asked urgently concerning hobbits, of what kind they were, and where they dwelt. "For Sauron knows," said he, "that one of these was known to you on a time."

'At this we were greatly troubled, and we gave no answer. And then his fell voice was lowered, and he would have sweetened it if he could. "As a small token only of your friendship Sauron asks this," he said: "that you should find this thief," such was his word, "and get from him, willing or no, a little ring, the least of rings, that once he stole. It is but a trifle that Sauron fancies, and an earnest of your good will. 

'Find it, and three rings that the Dwarf sires possessed of old shall be returned to you, and the realm of Moria shall be yours forever. Find only news of the thief, whether he still lives and where, and you shall have great reward and lasting friendship from the Lord. Refuse, and things will not seem so well. Do you refuse?"

'At that his breath came like the hiss of snakes, and all who stood by shuddered, but Dain said: "I say neither yea nor nay. I must consider this message and what it means under its fair cloak."

'"Consider well, but not too long," said he.

'"The time of my thought is my own to spend," answered Dain.

'"For the present," said he, and rode into the darkness.

'Heavy have the hearts of our chieftains been since that night. We needed not the fell voice of the messenger to warn us that his words held both menace and deceit; for we knew already that the power that has re-entered Mordor has not changed, and ever it betrayed us of old. 

'Twice the messenger has returned, and has gone unanswered. The third and last time, so he says, is soon to come, before the ending of the year. (The Fellowship, Book Two, Chapter 2)

 

Sauron’s messenger described the Ring of Power as “a trifle that Sauron fancies” and “the least of rings,” both of which were lies. The Ring of Power was Sauron’s key to world domination, not a mere trinket or mathom.

I find it notable that King Dain chose to withhold a promise of assistance rather than to promise assistance and then fail to provide it.

That alternative would appear to have the upside of appeasing his enemies while not actually aiding their nefarious endeavor.

On a practical level, the wrath of Sauron might be more severe if the lie was exposed, although I doubt his good graces would be offered in response to an honest delay to consider his proposal.

On a moral level, Dain’s reluctance demonstrates the value that he placed upon his verbal promises, even with his enemies.

The outsized value of promises in Middle Earth seems distinct from modern cultural values, which consider promises important, but not significantly more important than potentially competing concerns.

I imagine King Dain might have difficulty maintaining his commitment to making only informed promises while reading the lengthy Terms of Service of various modern software products.

 

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Another passage from The Fellowship concerns the significance of another type of promise, an oath. 

Elrond offered parting advice to Frodo, the ring bearer, and the other members of the Fellowship. 

 

At that moment Elrond came out with Gandalf, and he called the Company to him. 'This is my last word,' he said in a low voice. 'The Ring-bearer is setting out on the Quest of Mount Doom. On him alone is any charge laid: neither to cast away the Ring, nor to deliver it to any servant of the Enemy nor indeed to let any handle it, save members of the Company and the Council, and only then in gravest need.’

‘The others go with him as free companions, to help him on his way. You may tarry, or come back, or turn aside into other paths, as chance allows. The further you go, the less easy will it be to withdraw; yet no oath or bond is laid on you to go further than you will. For you do not yet know the strength of your hearts, and you cannot foresee what each may meet upon the road.'

'Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens,' said Gimli.

'Maybe,' said Elrond, 'but let him not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall.'

'Yet sworn word may strengthen quaking heart,' said Gimli.

'Or break it,' said Elrond. 'Look not too far ahead! But go now with good hearts! Farewell, and may the blessing of Elves and Men and all Free Folk go with you. May the stars shine upon your faces!' (The Fellowship, Book Two, Chapter 3)

 

After giving his guidance to Frodo, Elrond tells the other members of the Fellowship that they may go as far as they desire along their journey.

Specifically, Elrond tells them they shouldn’t take an oath to accompany Frodo until the end, because they don’t fully know the dangers of the path ahead.

Gimli believes refusing to take an oath to complete the full quest with Frodo is an act of cowardice.

I love Elrond’s reply, “let him not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall.”

Elrond doesn’t want the other members of the fellowship to make a promise that would bring them into dangers they don’t fully understand.

The exchange reminds me of the Oath of Fëanor that many elves took in The Silmarillion. 

 

 

Morgoth, the original Dark Lord, stole three beautiful jewels, known as Silmarils, from the Elf Fëanor, who created them.

Fëanor convinced several elves to vow to reclaim the Silmarils and kill anyone who took or kept a Silmaril from them.

 

Then Fëanor swore a terrible oath. His seven sons leapt straightway to his side and took the selfsame vow together, and red as blood shone their drawn swords in the glare of the torches.

They swore an oath which none shall break, and none should take, by the name even of Ilúvatar, calling the Everlasting Dark upon them if they kept it not; and Manwë they named in witness, and Varda, and the hallowed mountain of Taniquetil, vowing to pursue with vengeance and hatred to the ends of the World Vala, Demon, Elf, or Man as yet unborn, or any creature, great or small, good or evil, that time should bring forth unto the end of days, whoso should hold or take or keep a Silmaril from their possession. (The Silmarillion, Chapter 9)

 

This oath led Fëanor’s followers to slay the Teleri Elves, who declined to give or sell their ships to Fëanor as he pursued Morgoth.

This in turn led to the Valar, a pantheon of benevolent gods, to proclaim that Fëanor and his followers would be forbidden from returning to Valinor, the realm of the gods, if they didn’t repent for their immoral actions and forsake their quest to retake the Silmarils.

Specifically, the proclamation, possibly delivered by the Vala Mandos, included an ominous warning about the Oath of Fëanor.

 

Their Oath shall drive them, and yet betray them, and ever snatch away the very treasures that they have sworn to pursue. To evil end shall all things turn that they begin well; and by treason of kin unto kin, and the fear of treason, shall this come to pass. The Dispossessed shall they be forever.

Ye have spilled the blood of your kindred unrighteously and have stained the land of Aman. For blood ye shall render blood, and beyond Aman ye shall dwell in Death's shadow. (The Silmarillion, Chapter 9)

 

The Silmarils were the original cursed jewelry of Tolkien’s epic tales, upon which the fate of entire cultures revolved. The cursed Ring of Power would play a similar role in later years.

Upon hearing the Doom of Mandos, some of the elves repented and returned to Valinor. Others continued onward with Fëanor to Middle Earth.

Ultimately, the Oath of Fëanor led to two more deadly battles between the Elves, known as kin-slayings.

The Oath to reclaim the Silmarils at all costs was the original sin of many Elves, and it led to much suffering.

 

All of these events took place before The Lord of the Rings. Elrond certainly would have known about these key events in Elvish history.

Given the significance of the Oath of Fëanor, I find it interesting that Elrond, an elf, cautioned against taking an oath regarding the ring, while Gimli, a dwarf, argued in favor of one.

Elrond was born after the flight of Fëanor and other elves into Middle Earth — but those events undoubtedly informed his judgement on the potential deadly consequences of taking an oath.

 

In my next post, I will discuss the Fellowship’s journey through Moria, the abandoned Dwarvish mining city of Khazad-dûm.

A Trip to Rivendell

This is my second post analyzing world-building in The Fellowship of the Ring, the first volume of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

 

Frodo resumes his adventures in The Fellowship under the care of the Elvish king Elrond in the city of Rivendell. These events take place in Chapter 1 of Book Two of The Fellowship.

After Frodo largely recovers from his wounds, he attends a large celebration in Elrond’s home.

During the party, Bilbo sang a song he had written, with the help of Aragon, about a sea-farer named Eärendil.

After Bilbo finished his song, he discussed his work with a group of Elves. Bilbo also shared his thoughts about the song with his nephew Frodo.

These brief discussions illuminate the social and cultural context of Rivendell, while also referencing important parts of Elvish history.

 

The chanting ceased. Frodo opened his eyes and saw that Bilbo was seated on his stool in a circle of listeners, who were smiling and applauding.

'Now we had better have it again,' said an Elf.

Bilbo got up and bowed. 'I am flattered, Lindir,' he said. 'But it would be too tiring to repeat it all.'

'Not too tiring for you,' the Elves answered laughing. 'You know you are never tired of reciting your own verses. But really we cannot answer your question at one hearing!'

 

 

Bilbo wrote a book, “There and Back Again,” about his adventures with the Dwarves to reclaim the Lonely Mountain. Bilbo also wrote a song about a celebrated Elvish historical figure.

I appreciate the Elves’ observation that Bilbo never tires of reciting his own handiwork.

As a fellow writer, I understand wanting other people to read and hear what you’ve written.  

'What!' cried Bilbo. 'You can't tell which parts were mine, and which were the Dunadan's?'

'It is not easy for us to tell the difference between two mortals' said the Elf.

'Nonsense, Lindir,' snorted Bilbo. 'If you can't distinguish between a Man and a Hobbit, your judgement is poorer than I imagined. They're as different as peas and apples.'

'Maybe. To sheep other sheep no doubt appear different,' laughed Lindir. 'Or to shepherds. But Mortals have not been our study. We have other business.'

'I won't argue with you,' said Bilbo. 'I am sleepy after so much music and singing. I'll leave you to guess, if you want to.'

 

 

Bilbo, a hobbit, asked his Elven audience if they could tell which parts of the song he had written, and which parts had been written by his human friend Aragorn.

The Elves couldn’t tell who had written which parts of the song.

Bilbo was surprised, and remarked that hobbits and men were very different from each other. The Elves replied they couldn’t tell much of a difference between the two mortal races.

The interaction features several clever lines of dialog. Importantly, it also demonstrates the importance of racial identity to the inhabitants of Middle Earth, and how they view their races as being meaningfully distinct from each other.

 

He got up and came towards Frodo. 'Well, that's over,' he said in a low voice. 'It went off better than I expected. I don't often get asked for a second hearing. What did you think of it?'

'I am not going to try and guess,' said Frodo smiling.

'You needn't,' said Bilbo. 'As a matter of fact it was all mine. Except that Aragorn insisted on my putting in a green stone. He seemed to think it important. I don't know why. Otherwise he obviously thought the whole thing rather above my head, and he said that if I had the cheek to make verses about Eärendil in the house of Elrond, it was my affair. I suppose he was right.'

 

 

While not explained here, Eärendil is Elrond’s father. That genealogical information can be found in The Silmarillion, which tells of the history of Middle Earth prior to the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

Writing and singing a song about a king’s father in the king’s home requires a bit of presumptuousness and confidence that Aragorn recognized in Bilbo’s character.

The “green stone” that Bilbo refers to is a Silmaril, one of three jewels that compelled many key events in Elvish history, which were described in The Silmarillion.

It makes sense that Bilbo, a hobbit, wouldn’t fully appreciate the significance of the Silmarils and the role they played in centuries of Elvish history.

 

'I don't know,' said Frodo. 'It seemed to me to fit somehow, though I can't explain. I was half asleep when you began, and it seemed to follow on from something that I was dreaming about. I didn't understand that it was really you speaking until near the end.'

'It is difficult to keep awake here, until you get used to it,' said Bilbo. 'Not that hobbits would ever acquire quite the elvish appetite for music and poetry and tales. They seem to like them as much as food, or more.

 

 

Bilbo observes that Elves love music, poetry, and storytelling. This demonstrates the value Elves place on these elements of high culture.

In the movie The Fellowship of the Ring, the depiction of Rivendell is absolutely beautiful.

 

In my next analysis, I will discuss the Council of Elrond, the departure of the Fellowship from Rivendell, and the significance of oaths and promises in Tolkien's tales.