Frodo and his friends make their way to Bree, and to an inn with a strangely familiar name, in the first half of “At the Sign of the Prancing Pony”. The Men of Bree are an independent people, cheerful and friendly as a rule… but Sam is nervous with all these Big Folk and bigger buildings about, and Frodo stays on his guard while Pippin makes friends with the Little Folk among the locals. We revisit the role of forests in the legendarium, offer tips on which Tolkien moot is right for you, and walk in the Professor’s footsteps to the nearest pub.
For a brief account by Sir Christopher Lee about meeting Professor Tolkien at the Eagle and Child in the 1950s, see this 2003 interview with him at The Independent online.
For the essay “Trees, Chainsaws, and Visions of Paradise” by Tom Shippey, see his Academia.edu page here.
Recommended Reading:
Carpenter, Humphrey, ed. The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien (Mariner Books, paperback)
Tolkien, J. R. R. The Hobbit Facsimile First Edition (HarperCollins, hardcover)
Excellent use of a Rush quote!
I have been looking forward to this chapter. Bree is one of my favorite places the Hobbits visit on their travels. The concept of a little independent land tucked away on the edge of the wilderness and peacefully inhabited by humans and Hobbits alike has always intrigued me. I wish we could have stayed there a bit longer. Whenever the question of where I would like to live in Middle Earth comes up, the Breeland is top on my list, mainly since King Elessar decreed The Shire inviolable by men.
It is as close to idyllic a land as Men get in Middle-earth, isn’t it? I mean, far from perfect of course, because people are people… but I agree, I wish we had a lot more time in Bree.
Mind your P’s & Q’s means to be polite. Specifically, to use polite language, like “Please” and “Thank Qs”