Trapped in the side-door tunnel at the beginning of Chapter 13 of The Hobbit, “Not at Home,” Bilbo leads the party in the only direction they can go: down. At the bottom they find no sign of Smaug, and the Dwarves rejoice at the recovery of their lost treasure. Only Mr. Baggins realizes that the celebration is premature and wonders where the dragon is. We examine the Arkenstone and the many meanings of a deceptively complex chapter title, and if you thought cram was hard to eat, wait until you hear how hard it is to figure out its etymology.
Hat tip to listener Jez H. for information about the possible historical inspirations for Bilbo’s helm! For images of the Benty Grange helmet and a modern reconstruction, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benty_Grange_helmet
To find out more about Jez’s own spectacular leatherwork, please visit Ancestor Leathercrafts on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AncestorLeathercrafts/
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Recommended Reading:
Tolkien, J. R. R. The Hobbit (Mariner Books, paperback) pp. 214-224, “Not at Home”
Tolkien, J. R. R. and Douglas A. Anderson, ed. The Annotated Hobbit (HarperCollins, hardcover)
Rateliff, John D. The History of the Hobbit (HarperCollins, one-volume hardcover)
Olsen, Corey. Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit (Mariner Books, paperback)
Tolkien, J. R. R. (Christopher Tolkien, ed.) The Silmarillion (Mariner Books, paperback)
01:26:25 (Ages of Fili and Kili) Fili comes first in the Voluspa:
Fili, Kili, | Fundin, Nali …
However in ‘An Unexpected Party’ Kili introduces himself first to Bilbo. Perhaps because the name is more distinctive? This may explain why Kili is the older in ‘The Hobbit’. Appendix A shows the Voluspa sequence, so I think it’s more of a correction