Athrabeth na Dorthonion

Findaráto

Well, since no one else has posted this, I thought I'd go ahead so I could continue on with the book. Smile

Summary: Bilbo sets off on the adventure with the 13 Dwarves. Rain plagues them. They lose supplies in the river. Due to Bilbo's rather bad attempt to pickpocket one, they are caught by trolls who spend time debating on how to eat them. Eventually Gandalf (who has temporarily dissapeared), returns and rescues them, by making the trolls quarrel until dawn hits them and they turn to stone.

New Characters introduced/mentioned in this chapter

Elrond: Half-elven lord of the Last Homely House.
William: A troll
Bert: A troll
Tom: A troll

Comments

There's really not a whole lot to this chapter, as it is quite short and concentrated pretty much on travelling and the mess with the trolls.

I do find it interesting that the dwarvers are apparently in possession of some form of magic:

YayGollum · Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 6:17 am Post subject:

Not only the Dwarves, but trolls, as well. Quite a useful bit of anti-theft magic, a talking purse! From what I have read of Tolkien, I figure that magic in his stories can be done by anyone. You just have to know what you're doing. Some humans have used magic quite impressively. Most have been the sort who hung out with elves, so mayhaps a bit of knowledge rubbed off on them. Who knows what cool gifts Aule gave his Dwarves besides incorruptibility, super endurance, and that secret language?
_________________
Strength and stupidity in numbers.
You're either an Outcast, or you're in denial.

- Myself

Hamfast Gamgee · Atani Joined: 06 May 2008 Posts: 22

I think a lot of the time, what to a Hobbit might appear to be magic is in fact simply advanced Dwarf craftsmanship. With a few words of power thrown in! For example, the talking purse. I think it wasn't actually sentient, but it was acting simply like an alarm in the same way as a Car alarm! Oh, and it was almost certainly Dwarf-made!

YayGollum · Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 2:20 pm Post subject:

Hm? Dwarves had electronic owner recognition systems in random purses? I remember reading that the Numenoreans might have had some kind of airplanes, though. Anyways, I am fairly certain that the narrator is leading us to believe that the trolls made these sorts of purses. Or mayhaps we are merely led to believe that they take whatever they can get but are known to only keep sophisticated Dwarvish purses? Rolling Eyes

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

- Myself

Hamfast Gamgee · Atani Joined: 06 May 2008 Posts: 22

Well, I'm not sure what technology the Dwarves used, but the point is that the principle is the same. I think they could do it. Clever chaps, these Dwarves.

I can't really see Trolls having the brains to create such an advanced tool, can you? I suppose it's possible that it might have been created in Dol Guldor, but such a toy seems more Dwarfish to me. Remember the Dwarf toys at Bilbo's party in Lotr for example?

I did have a little theory that in contrast to today, technology in Middle-earth went backwards in that people tended to foget what they knew rather than create more. That technology in the second age or at the start of the third age was more advanced than it was in Bilbo's time!