As Book I, Chapter 1 of The Lord of the Rings continues, the Baggins binary birthday bash begins with food, fireworks, and no unwanted poetry. Bilbo actually has something far more noteworthy in mind: a dramatic and immediate departure. As the flabbergasted guests eat and drink away their confusion, Gandalf confronts Bilbo about… well, you know. We discuss Tolkien’s comments on the longevity of Ringbearers, bring out the Fëanor piñata once again, and introduce a brand-new segment: Meanwhile, Elsewhere in Middle-earth.
Hat tip to listener Daniel C., who sent us this diagram after listening to Episode 089, in which we first tried to reason out whether Bilbo’s famous line was a compliment or not:
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Recommended Reading:
Tolkien, J. R. R. (Christopher Tolkien, ed.) The Silmarillion (Mariner Books, paperback)
Tolkien, J. R. R. The Hobbit (Mariner Books, paperback)
Carpenter, Humphrey, ed. The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien (Mariner Books, paperback)
Just finished listening to this episode! The new segment is brilliant!
Began thinking about what is meant by Gandalf the Grey becoming angry and being uncloaked. Is he threatening to show Bilbo what he looks like “upon the other side” in Valinor? Is it simply that Bilbo will see Gandalf from the same point of view as Frodo sees Glorfindel “revealed in his wrath” at the Fords of Bruinen. Both Gandalf and Glorfindel are angry (wrathful) in these scenarios.
What might Bilbo’s reaction to this “uncloaking” be? Fear and confusion, surely. But perhaps insanity?
Thank you, Carolyn! So glad you like the new segment! I think that is essentially what Gandalf is threatening: to show Bilbo his true power, a bit of what he is like “upon the other side”. I doubt he’d use actual force against Bilbo (because he’s generally forbidden to use his power to coerce, and after all Bilbo is a friend) but it could be that just a glimpse of who Gandalf truly is would scare Bilbo into complying. I suspect Bilbo’s response would be fear and confusion, more than anything; and maybe a flash of sudden spiritual awe. I wouldn’t think Gandalf would threaten to uncloak himself if it might drive Bilbo insane, but I suppose that may depend on just how much hold the Ring has on Bilbo at that point. Being forced to give up the Ring against his will would certainly break Bilbo’s mind, but probably just seeing Gandalf as he truly is would not, because he is still not lost. I suspect Gandalf knows that.
Shawn,
I like your use of the word “generally”. Generally forbidden to use his power to coerce. But that’s exactly what he did to Gollum in the end. He “had to put the fear of fire on him” to get more information about the ring. The Geneva Convention didn’t apply to the Third Age.
But I concur with you, Bilbo and Gandalf are friends and Gandalf knows Bilbo better than even Bilbo realizes.
Meals – speaking as an Englishman, I would suggest the following, in chronological order…
Breakfast
Elevenses
Lunch (but could also be called dinner in some places!)
Afternoon tea (more of an upper class thing)
Dinner / Tea (interchangeable depending on parts of the country/class – tea being usually a more working class term)
Supper (also used instead of dinner/tea in some places, BUT could also be a light snack before bed)