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Findaráto

Chapter Summary

Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, 'about fifty years old or so' meets Gandalf, the wizard, one Tuesday morning in April ('just before May'). Gandalf says that he is interested in finding 'someone to share in an adventure.' As Hobbits are not big on adventure, Bilbo is against the idea and wants Gandalf to go away. He eventually does, after setting up to have tea with Bilbo the next day and scratching a mysterious symbol on his door. The next day, instead of just Gandalf, 13 dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield arrive and through their songs of long-lost gold and adventures in the mountains, capture the 'Tookish' part of Bilbo, who agrees to go with them in order to retrieve their gold and vanquish Smaug.

Characters (introduced and/or mentioned)

Bilbo Baggins - a Hobbit, about fifty.
Belladonna Took - Bilbo's mother, 'one of the three remarkable daughters of the Old Took, head of the hobbits who lived across the Water. No longer living.
Bungo Baggins - Bilbo's father. No longer living.
Old Took - the leader of the Took clan. No longer living.
Gandalf - a wizard
Dwalin - a dwarf 'with a bright blue beard tucked into a golden belt, and very bright eyes'
Balin - a 'very old-looking dwarf...with a white beard'
Kili - a dwarf
Fili - a dwarf
Dori - a dwarf
Nori - a dwarf
Ori - a dwarf
Oin - a dwarf
Gloin - a dwarf
Bifur - a dwarf
Bofur - a dwarf
Bombur - a dwarf
Thorin Oakenshield - an 'enormously important dwarf'
The Bullroarer - 'Old Took's great-grand-uncle...who was so huge (for a hobbit) that he could ride a horse.'
Thror - grandfather of Thorin Oakenshield (no longer living)
Thrain the Old - 'far ancestor' of Thorin Oakenshield, who discovered the Mountain.
Smaug - a dragon who attacked (and mostly destroyed) the Mountain and Dale.
Thrain - Thorin's father, went mad after being 'a prisoner in the dungeons of the Necromancer'
Azog - Goblin who killed Thror (Thorin's grandfather)

Comments

In general, not a bad chapter. The writing style still annoys me, but that may be because I'm not a big fan of children's lit. Hobbits also don't interest me a great deal.

*Hobbits about 'half our height' - 2 1/2 - 3 feet?

*Much said about 'Tookishness' in regards to desire for adventure, but in Lord of the Rings that seems to be found more in the Brandybucks.

*Gandalf seems much as he does in LotR, simply seen from a slightly more childish perspective.

*Interesting that the comment is made that Gandalf can 'look strange and sorcerous.' Possible foreshadowing.

*The dwarf song has some interesting lines, especially: "In places deep, where dark things sleep,/In hollow halls beneath the fells" - Balrog of Moria, perhaps?
and
"For ancient king and elvish lord
There many a gleaming golden hoard
They shaped and wrought, and light they caught
To hide in gems on hilt of sword."
-First age reference?

*I also find it quite interesting that it's the song that gets Bilbo into it.

YayGollum · Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 6:58 am Post subject:

Comments on some of your comments:

Hobbits don't interest you a great deal? Nowadays, or were you not even very interested the first time you read this book? Did you read the description of them and think something along the lines of, "Okay, so they are part rabbit, part human things. What's the point of that? Just to have something different and endearing?" I don't think much of hobbitses, either. Merely wondering.

More written about Tookishness in The Hobbit, of course, because one is the main character. Pippin is plenty adventurous for a hobbit, as well, though. He just got the smallest amount of opportunity to show it off.

I hated the evil torturer Gandalf even from the first time I read this book. I am not a large fan of annoyingly mysterious types. Sure, he can be entertaining, and we are given his reasons for remaining mysterious, but he seems to enjoy playing with people too much.

I loved the song of the Dwarves. One of my favorite Tolkien songs of all time. I wish that he wrote more Dwarvish stuff than elfish. Ugh. Those nasssty elveses. So popular. Rolling Eyes

_________________
Strength and stupidity in numbers.
You're either an Outcast, or you're in denial.

- Myself

Findaráto · Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 7:22 am Post subject:

Hamfast Gamgee · Atani Joined: 05 May 2008 Posts: 22

I don't quite agree with the description of Gandalf as an evil torturer, but I possibly do in the case that he often sent people on tasks sometimes without telling them what to expect! Some of the Dwarves are a little suspicious of his motives and Thorin tells him that he thinks Gandalf is only interested in their problems because they help him as well.
I actually quite like the style. I even quite enjoyed the I....you method of writing, I thought it was rather cute in re-reading it. I only wish one or two modern authors would have the courage to use the style in some of their tales!
One interesting thing about Hobbits and in particular the character Bilbo is that he's actually quite a coward at the start of the tale! He doesn't seem to have the same sense of adventure as some of the Hobbits in Lotr have for example. In fact, had Gandalf not re-ignited it he would have probably quite happily just lived in Bag End for ever!

Findaráto · Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 7:32 am Post subject:

YayGollum · Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 7:11 am Post subject:

Yes, I did mean that the evil torturer Gandalf would be seen that way by Gollum. But then, he could also be seen as evil by many more, since he had a bit of Saruman and Sauron-esque mind control about him. Via his Ring Of Power, injecting unnatural hope into people's brains. Sure, it was supposed to be for the greater good, but I could understand why someone might be annoyed at having been magically influenced.

And towards something in the first post, yes, "In places deep, where dark things sleep,/In hollow halls beneath the fells," could refer to the Balrog. It seems likely, since these Dwarves would have cared a lot about that, but it could also mean the nameless things said to be older than Sauron that gnaw away under the earth. I forget the exact quote, but it would be cool if Dwarves had had some adventures with such things. And towards that second quote of the song, I figure that the ancient kings and elvish lords mentioned could just be various Kings Under The Mountain and elvish lords from Mirkwood. The Dwarves seem to be a bit less diligent about history than the elves.

And all that makes me write ---> Hm! So many things written about, so little really directly about the first chapter of The Hobbit. Rolling Eyes

_________________
Strength and stupidity in numbers.
You're either an Outcast, or you're in denial.

- Myself

Findaráto · Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 7:26 am Post subject:

YayGollum · Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 9:05 am Post subject:

Well, Dwarves certainly knew a thing or two about magic, so I don't see why there couldn't have been any magic in it. I doubt it, though. It was just his Tookishness acting up that got him into it.

An edit, now that I've actually been able to read this first chapter:

Magic diamond studs that fasten themselves and won't come undone until ordered, as well as, magical toys mostly sold in Dale, not to be found much anymore: I should put more of that stuff into my character profiles. Little bits of magic. Nothing terribly useful, just a bit to show that such things were once a lot more natural.

Nasssty hobbitses reportedly being persuaded to join in such adventures as climbing trees, Rolling Eyes

visiting elves, and sailing to other shores: Hm! What other shores? And, while the evil torturer Gandalf would be respected by elves, why would they agree to bring any nasssty hobbitses anyplace? What use would they have, since elves are supposed to be the best at everything? *grumbles about sickening perfection* Rolling Eyes

What was the mark on the door? Gloin mentions that it was the usual one for the trade, "Burgler wants a good job, plenty of Excitement and reasonable Reward," but then he says, "You can say Expert Treasure-hunter instead of Burglar if you like. Some of them do. It's all the same to us." Did the evil torturer Gandalf write all or some of that on his door? They only call it a mark, though, so was it some at least halfway secret code sort of advertisement? A purely Dwarvish thing or very common? I wouldn't think that it would be purely Dwarvish, since they didn't like sharing their language, wouldn't want it shown to every random hobbit or wizard. Yes, I doubt that there's much other information on this. I just found it curious.
_________________
Strength and stupidity in numbers.
You're either an Outcast, or you're in denial.

- Myself

The Dread Pirate Roberts · Avari Joined: 29 Apr 2008 Posts: 65 Location: Ithilien

Not to stray too far afield, but I'd love to have time to write a fan-fic from the perspective of the 'bad' guys. I love the little glimpses we get of Gollum, the orcs, the Nazgul, the southrons and easterlings.

A story with Gollum or the Witch King as the main character would be fun.

Kind of like what Wicked is to The Wizard of Oz. Razz

_________________
"Good work. Sleep well. I'll most likely kill you in the morning." ~The DPR

YayGollum · Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 3:53 am Post subject:

I've never read Wicked, but I've heard that it is quite entertaining. I read all of those other Wizard Of Oz books, so I suppose that I should get around to reading that, too. Towards writing a fan fiction sort of thing from the perspective of the bad guys, why not? Oh. No time for it. oh well. I wouldn't think that Gollum or the Nazgul would write anything, but mayhaps you merely meant a story that follows them as if they are protagonists. I would think that any Nazgul would be boring, since they pretty much have no personalities, as far as I can tell. I wrote a story called The Warg And His Orc a while ago, though. Check that out. Rolling Eyes

As well as, Ack! How could I forgotten to mention the superly cool Were-worms of the Last Desert that the evil thief Bilbo Baggins mentions? Are they humans that can turn into lizard men sort of things, or are they giants that can turn into more normal-sized dragons? Something else? Mayhaps merely a crazy hobbit legend? Confused

_________________
Strength and stupidity in numbers.
You're either an Outcast, or you're in denial.

- Myself