Bilbo's Personality

 Oh, man. I sat on this question for a long time, but even after lots of thought I feel that it’s just way to broad a topic to write a “real” post about. So, what I’m doing instead is just listed a few main points to pay attention to when it comes to Bilbo’s personality/character.

• Incorruptible: Bilbo’s most important quality, I think, is the fact that he’s pretty much incorruptible - at the very least, he’s more incorruptible than his companions. We see several events during the story when the dwarves’ behavior changes because they’re feeling greedy, or proud, or vengeful. Bilbo doesn’t have this same problem. He isn’t particularly impressed by any of the treasure they find during the journey, he completely doesn’t understand the point of the Battle of Five Armies, and even after all that he goes through, and all that he learns about himself and his own abilities, all Bilbo wants to do in the end is go home to his hobbit-hole. Of course, this incorruptible nature is something that’s expanded on a great deal in LOTR, as Tolkien basically makes that a common hobbit trait, and a huge factor in Frodo’s quest to destroy the One Ring.
• Brave and Clever: For all that Bilbo is basically a stuffy homebody when the story starts, he does a lot of really brave and heroic things during the story, and proves several times how clever he is. He handles the entire troll situation a lot better than most people would, he navigates the encounter with Gollum carefully, and he stays alive a lot longer than most of the dwarves expected, I think. He saves everyone from the giant spiders (which is really quite impressive, when you think about it), he basically holds a battle of wits with Smaug, which is reallyimpressive. And when all the armies arrive, Bilbo is brave and wise and honorable enough to risk losing his friendship with Thorin and the dwarves in an attempt to avoid what he recognizes is pointless violence. Not bad for a simple hobbit.
• The Baggins vs. Took Conflict: A lot of Bilbo’s personality comes through in the “Baggins vs. Took” conflict that Tolkien brings up many times during the story. Bilbo constantly feels that the influence of both of his families play out like a tug-of-war for his behavior. Sometimes he feels a lot like a Baggins, and doesn’t want to do anything weird, and gets upset about missing breakfast, and misses his bed and his armchair and hates Gandalf and the dwarves for making his life complicated. But then other times he feels a lot like a Took, and is excited to be on an adventure and wants to see new places, and meet elves and big folk, and do amazing things, and he’s actually pretty happy that he met Gandalf and the dwarves. And he switches back and forth between these two sides throughout the story. I don’t think that any one family “won”, but I do think that, by the end of the story, Bilbo is comfortable with both sides of himself, and doesn’t feel quite so much anxiety over the conflict.

SOURCES: The Hobbit

Originally posted on askmiddlearth.tumblr.com

How to Pronounce "Smaug"

 According to Tolkien’s description of general pronunciation rules (which you can find in Appendix E of LotR), “au" is pronounced like the vowels in "how" or "loud" (not like in "laud")

So, Smaug should be pronounced “sm ow g.” If it helps, remember that the “au" in Smaug should sound the same as the "au" in Sauron ("s ow ron”)

That being said, I personally grew up pronouncing Smaug so that it rhymed with “smog.” And, in writing this post, I realize that this is probably because the 1977 Rankin/Bass animated Hobbit movie that I grew up watching also pronounced Smaug like “smog.” You’ll probably find a lot of fans (especially, I think, in the US) who pronounce it “Smog” ((EDIT: Also, many non-English translations either write it as “Smog”, or otherwise encourage this pronunciation)), but the correct version is how the Peter Jackson movies are pronouncing it, which is “Smowg”

SOURCES: LOTR Appendix E

Originally posted on askmiddlearth.tumblr.com

Ghosts in Middle Earth

 Yes there are! (This is the short answer.)

The long answer goes something more like this: There are undead spirits that linger in Middle Earth. There are also mentions of phantoms. Whether or not these two concepts combine to create a “traditional” ghost is unknown, though.

We see a few examples of what could be generally labelled as “ghosts” in Middle Earth. There are the Oathbreakers of Dunharrow, who haunt the Paths of the Dead. These are the spirits of deceased men who are trapped in Middle Earth because they broke their oaths. They basically just wait around for a couple thousand years until they have the opportunity to fulfill their oaths. After that, their spirits disappear (probably having finally passed on to the Halls of Mandos.)

There are also the lights that Frodo and Sam see in the Dead Marshes. Though the Peter Jackson adaptation showed actual ghostly figures in the water, in the book they see flames flickering over the marshes, and later faces staring up at them from the water. Gollum tells them that the faces appear when the lights do, and that the faces can only be seen, never touched. We know that the marshes themselves were created when a battlefield from the Second Age flooded over, and that the faces belong to the elves and men who died there. So they definitely count as some sort of ghosts.

Furthermore, Tolkien mentions in other writings that, occasionally, a spirit does not go to the Halls of Mandos after its body dies. He says that these spirits

Wander houseless in the world, unwilling to leave it and unable to inhabit it, haunting trees or springs or hidden places that once they knew. Not all of these are kindly or unstained by the Shadow. Indeed the refusal of the summons is in itself a sign of taint.

He then goes on to say (in the closest thing we have to a cultural discussion of ghosts in Middle Earth):

It is therefore a foolish and perilous thing, besides being a wrong deed forbidden justly by the appointed Rulers of Arda, if the Living seek to commune with the Unbodied, though the houseless may desire it, especially the most unworthy among them. For the Unbodied, wandering in the world, are those who at the least have refused the door of life and remain in regret and self-pity. Some are filled with bitterness, grievance, and envy. Some were enslaved by the Dark Lord and do his work still, though he himself is gone. They will not speak truth or wisdom. To call on them is folly. To attempt to master them and to make them servants of one own’s will is wickedness. Such practices are of Morgoth; and the necromancers are of the host of Sauron his servant.

SOURCES: LOTR, Histories of Middle Earth vol. 10 (“Laws and Customs Among the Eldar”)

Originally posted on askmiddlearth.tumblr.com 

Frodo Baggins

I think the reason Frodo doesn’t get a whole lot of love is mainly just because he complains a lot (but, good lord, who can blame him?) And this is kind of played up a lot in the movies, so those who’ve read the book tend to like him a bit more, I think. To be honest, he’s not my favorite either, but Frodo is definitely a hero, and here’s why:

Frodo grew up in a peaceful, idealic, isolated Shire. He never had to worry about money, being raised mostly by his very wealthy uncle. He didn’t have to worry about being attacked by anything more dangerous than his rambunctious cousins. Basically, he had no worries. And then he finds out that this random little ring left to him by Bilbo is apparently the Evilest Thing That Exists And Is Going To Kill Everyone, to paraphrase Gandalf’s explanation. And sure, Gandalf doesn’t really leave him a lot of options, but Frodo could have insisted that somebody else take the ring to Rivendell. If he really put his foot down, what else could Gandalf have done? But no, he agrees to travel all the way to Rivendell, knowing he’s being chased by servants of Sauron, to deliver a ring that he didn’t even care about a day ago.

And then, after nearly dying and having several miserable experiences, he gets the ring to Rivendell, and then watches in the Council of Elrond as absolutely nobody can figure out what to do with this ring. Sure, they eventually decide that it must be destroyed, but who’s going to do it? And this sheltered hobbit from a peaceful land (that by all rights is free to go and return to his perfect life now) watches this and solves everybody’s problem by volunteering to do it himself. Does he really understand what he’s getting himself into? Not really, no. But he agreed to do it anyway. Let’s be completely honest here, how many of us would have done the same?

And the rest of the quest is equally, if not more, horrible, and Frodo is miserable for most of it, but he never gives up, or stops, or chucks the ring into a stream somewhere and high-tails it back to the Shire. And let’s be honest. He could have done any of these things. Because, coming from the perfect, idealic, peaceful, isolated Shire, Frodo doesn’t really have as much of a vested interest in seeing Sauron defeated as everybody else. Yes, he understands intellectually that Sauron would destroy the Shire if he came to power. But understanding intellectually that going outside with sunscreen could give us skin cancer doesn’t stop most of us from doing it anyway. Really, all that Frodo’s got driving him is the fact that he agreed to do this, and he knows that it’s important, and nobody else can do it, so he’s going to.

And everything just keeps on getting worse, and his support system is dwindling day by day (Gandalf dies, he has to leave the rest of the fellowship, but thank god for Sam.) And as miserable as the Emyn Muil and the Dead Marshes are, it’s nothing compared to Cirith Ungol and Mordor, and it’s unbelievably ridiculously bad, but he just keeps going.

And that type of selfless heroism, that isn’t just a quick flash of courage (like diving in front of a bullet), but a decision that Frodo has to make again countless times a day, day after day, until he finally gets that ring to Mount Doom. And that is why he’s a hero.

((For Tolkien’s own thoughts on Frodo’s heroism, read his letters #192 and #264, which can be found in the book The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien.))

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON askmiddlearth.tumblr.com

Aegnor and Andreth

There was one romance between a male elf and a female mortal. Way back in the First Age, Aegnor (one of the princes of the Noldor, son of Finarfin) and Andreth (Barahir’s aunt, who was the father of Beren.)

Aegnor and his brother Angrod settled in northern Dorthonion during the events of The Silmarillion. It was there that, while taking a walk one night, Aegnor saw Andreth’s reflection in a lake and the two fell in love.

However, since it was against elvish custom to be married during times of war, and because of the complication of their different races, Aegnor wouldn’t marry her. However, it’s said that Aegnor refused to marry any elves either, for Andreth’s sake.

Aegnor died before Andreth - both he and his brother Angrod were killed during the Dagor Bragollach. It’s said that he is one of the few elves that refuses to be re-embodied, and instead stays in the Halls of Mandos, since he has no desire to live in a world without Andreth.

Andreth went on to become a wise woman of her house, respected by elves and men alike. She actually had a close friendship with Aegnor’s other brother, Finrod Felagund. The two would often meet and discuss the differences between elves and men. One of these conversations was recorded as Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth, and is probably the best source for the differences (philosophical and otherwise) between elves and men.

SOURCES: The Silmarillion, Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth (published in The History of Middle Earth, v. 10)

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON askmiddlearth.tumblr.com

Thranduil's "Greed"

((This was a multi-question ask, so I blocked out the other questions to keep this post focused. Plus, it was really fun to go through and redact things, lol.))

Not really… Of course, you’re free to interpret Thranduil’s character however you’d like, but there isn’t much in The Hobbit that supports this claim.  Many readers think of Thranduil as greedy, and it’s all thanks to this quote:

In ancient days they had had wars with some of the dwarves, whom they accused of stealing their treasure. It is only fair to say that the dwarves gave a different account, and said that they only took what was their due, for the elf-king had bargained with them to shape his raw gold and silver, and had afterwards refused to give them their pay. If the elf-king had a weakness it was for treasure, especially for silver and white gems; and though his hoard was rich, he was ever eager for more, since he had not yet as great a treasure as other elf-lords of old.

Now, I admit, this whole paragraph makes Thranduil look pretty bad. But I honestly believe that the first half (the reference to ancient wars and conflicts between the dwarves and the elves) is actually a reference to Thingol. Since The Hobbit was written before Tolkien had cemented a lot of the Silmarillion stories, and certainly before he ever thought they’d be published, it’s very possible that he mixed Thingol’s story in with Thranduil. This theory is supported by the fact that, later on in the paragraph, Tolkien tells us that Thorin’s people weren’t involved with these old conflicts - if it wasn’t the dwarves of Moria, then it must have been the dwarves of Nogrod and Belegost, which were involved with the elves of the First Age.

The second part of the quote explains that the reason Thranduil is interested in gold is because he sees it as a measure of his worth as a ruler. He compares his own treasure to the treasure amassed by the great elf-lords of the First Age. It’s not that he wants gold and jewels for the sake of having gold and jewels. He wants it because he believes it will prove that he is a great ruler. So it’s not really pure greed (at least, not greed for treasure.) All in all, the whole paragraph sounds worse than it actually is.

Furthermore, Thranduil’s actions throughout the rest of the book suggest that he’s actually pretty willing to prioritize other issues over the accumulation of treasure. Yes, he responds to news of Smaug’s demise by marching straight for Erebor (where he thinks the treasure has been left unprotected.) But as soon as Bard’s messengers arrive, pleading for help with the wounded and homeless people of Esgaroth, he changes course and sends ahead food and supplies, arriving with his people to help rebuild the town. And later, when Bard suggests they attack the dwarves before they’ve had a chance to prepare for battle, Thranduil refuses, saying "Long wil I tarry, ere I begin this war for gold."

Basically, while Thranduil likes treasure (who doesn’t), he isn’t portrayed as caring for gold and jewels above all else. He is willing to put aside the promise of treasure in order to help his friends, and even to avoid a fight with his enemies/not-really-friends.

SOURCES: The Hobbit

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON askmiddlearth.tumblr.com

Tolkien's Favorite Character

I’m not sure if Tolkien ever admitted to having a favorite character (if I had to guess, I’d say either Gandalf or Galadriel.) However, there is a clear winner for which character is most based on Tolkien himself. “As far as any character is ‘like me’" Tolkien wrote, “it is Faramir."This resemblance is particularly clear when it comes to Faramir’s views on war, which are very much influenced by Tolkien’s own opinions after World War One. As Faramir said "I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness… I love only that which they defend." However, Tolkien admits that Faramir (and he says this of each character) possesses a courage that he does not.

Tolkien’s relationship with Faramir is interesting beyond this resemblance. Tolkien wrote that Faramir wasn’t planned, and that he was as surprised as anybody when Faramir appeared in the story. "(I am sure I did not invent him, I did not even want him, though I like him, but there he came walking into the woods of Ithilien): Faramir, brother of Boromir." And the rest, as they say, was history.

SOURCES: Tolkien’s letters #66 and #180

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON askmiddlearth.tumblr.com