", "I am sorry. Anyway I am going back now, and the dwarves can do what they like to me. When the dwarves found out that Bilbo was going to be their burglar they were skeptical. But please come to tea any time you like! Even a fourteenth share was wealth exceedingly great, greater than that of many mortal kings. So while I agree with your assessment in this one particular instance I must say that he acts the part of a thief several other times throughout. Earn weekly rewards. "In what way have I earned such a gift, O hobbit?" Just make sure . "As all things come to an end, even this story, a day came at last when they were in sight of the country where Bilbo had been born and bred" (299-300). Its rather ironic that Bilbo is called a thief concerning the cup and very much isnt, while actually (probably) becoming a thief later on concerning the Arkenstone. According to some of the texts, Oropher, Thranduil's father, led one of these groups, and Thranduil was among them. said the man striding forward. Yet I am glad that I have shared in your perils that has been more than any Baggins deserves. May your shadow never grow less (or stealing would be too easy)! said the man halting and peering about him not far from where Bilbo sat. Because he lives a hero, one will not fail to recognize him. Bilbo risks his own life to save the dwarves many times during the adventure, which in turn gains him the respect he deserves. Smaug is red and gold, with fiery breath, sharp claws, and a hide as strong as a diamond. "May it bring good fortune to all his folk that dwell here after!". Thranduil was awed by the jewel, but he also worried about Bilbo's fate when Thorin discovered what Bilbo had done. he called with a shaky voice. It was not long before Bilbo was set down before a tent in Dale; and there stood Gandalf, with his arm in a sling. Somehow, the killing of the giant spider, all alone by himself in the darkmade a great difference to Mr. Baggins. Come!" I would rather old Smaug had been left with all the wretched treasure, than that these vile creatures should get it, and poor old Bombur, and Balin and Fili and Kili and all the rest come to a bad end; and Bard too, and the Lake-men and the merry elves. But you make a good argument. said the king. Create your own unique website with customizable templates. So, when Thorin Oakenshield and the Dwarves of his company were captured during one of the Elves' feasts, they were not welcomed. That's not to say you have to be a LOTR scholar or Tolkien academic to post or enjoy this subreddit, but that we'd prefer mature topics of discussion here. That home was the great forest Greenwood the Great. It seems very uncomfortable, not to say distressing. This is a bitter adventure, if it must end so; and not a mountain of gold can amend it. When Bilbo came to himself, he was literally by himself. As explained in The Hobbit, the Elves thought of the Dwarves as the enemy. In Lothlrien, Galadriel had Nenya, the Ring of Water, and Gandalf was given Narya, the Ring of Fire by Crdan when he first arrived in Middle-earth.The lack of a Ring of Power must have made the battles against darkness much harder for Thranduil and his people, but it is also reasonable to assume it is what allowed them to live on untroubled after the war. The book The Hobbit, written by J. R. R. Tolkein, has many universal themes connected to finding out who someone really is. The Eagles! he shouted. The Limitation Act 1980: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1980/58. . Well, er, I thought, dont you know, said Bilbo rather confused, that, er, some little return should be made for your, er, hospitality. "And I name you elf-friend and blessed. "I wish now only to be in my own arm-chair!" Despite his gruff exterior, Beorn had turned out to be a most gracious host, Bilbo thought to himself. When Bilbo came to himself, he was literally by himself. I am the friend of bears and the guest of eagles. However, any indictment would fall apart on the elements of with the intention of permanently depriving the other of it and dishonesty. Why might the novel spend so much time on Smaug's perspective (and even his feelings like Bilbo, he has anxious dreams!)? The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien, HarperCollins 2012 (softcover film tie-in edition) [cited as: The Hobbit]. Adolescent bilbo is our hero, knight in shining armor, and burglar in this case. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Farewell! No none at all, not one, he said immediately afterwards. Im applying English law because its the one Tolkien would have been most influenced by. Being from the Baggins side is where he got his boring personality but also being from the took side he decides to be adventurousrarely choosing to take dangerous risks in which he could lose his life. The Elves in the forest had about 400 years of a watchful peace, which ended in 2460, when Sauron returned with increased force. He goes from caring about nothing besides his cakes and tea, to opening up to a whole different world outside of the Shire. "Well, er, I thought, don't you know," said Bilbo rather confused, "that, er, some little return should be made for your, er, hospitality. After a while as his head cleared a little, he thought he could see elves moving in the rocks below. he said, feeling his aching head. "You are called for;" and leading the hobbit he took him within the tent. Bilbo is mostly fondly irritated with the hobbits and their insular ways. On page 318, Bilbo has been cited listening, I will take your gift O Bilbo the Magnificent! said the king gravely(Tolkien, The Hobbit, 318). So he isnt a thief as regards what he was hired to do. "At any rate I am not yet one of the fallen heroes; but I suppose there is still time enough for that! Of course he didnt. Thranduil, a Sindarin Elf, remembered this detail from the history of Doriath. O Gandalf!" He looks more like a grocer than a burglar! (17) The dwarves had little faith in him, but throughout their journey they learn more about Bilbo. Validate reading with our Dynamic Quiz System. Wiki User. Lets begin with property. "Merry be the greenwood, while the world is yet young! Whatever Bilbo was supposed to take out of Erebor, it would have been a chattel and thus personal property. For simplicitys sake I will assume that the cup was originally the property of Thrr because there certainly isnt enough information to unpick the private property law of the Third Age Dwarves of Erebor. Suddenly he was aware of a man climbing up and coming towards him. Thranduil's birthdate is unknown. "Well I'm blessed!" Going on an adventure can be really hard, but only Bilbo Baggins knows how hard it really can be. May your memory never fade! "In what way have I earned such a gift, O hobbit?" said the king. Misery me! said Gandalf. Whatever Bilbo was supposed to take out of Erebor, it would have been a chattel and thus personal property. At first Bilbo is a small little hobbit that is afraid of adventure. he said. Get books for your students and raise funds for your classroom. And eventually the keys (which he returned). It is hinted in The Hobbit that the slow degradation of resources over the long years, combined with the spreading of Men's power and influence, and the fight for their survival against growing evil affected them deeply, and they became suspicious and hard. "Where are the Eagles?" "A mercy it is," he said at last to himself, "that I woke up when I did. What seems to be the job description for a burglar, according to the dwarves? In their day the last goblins were hunted from the Misty Mountains and a new peace came over the edge of the Wild. He was lying on the flat stones of Ravenhill, and no one was near. Then he took out his morning letters, and began to read, pretending to take no more notice of [Gandalf]. He was told to act by Thorin. In fact, Gloin says, "As soon as I clapped my eyes on the little fellow bobbing and puffing on the mat, I had my doubts" (Tolkien 18). The "Tale of the Years" in The Lord of the Rings tells us of a desperate battle under the trees, in which the forces of Dol Guldur invaded Thranduil's realm. This also excludes dishonesty: if dishonesty is already excluded if [the person] appropriates the property in the belief that he would have the other's consent if the other knew of the appropriation and the circumstances of it (s. 2(1)(b) TA 1968), then this must also apply if the legal owner of the property actually told the supposed thief to take it. When Thranduil heard that the dragon Smaug was slain, he started to march with an army towards the Lonely Mountain, as he knew of the wealth of Thror, the last Dwarven king under the mountain, which the Dragon took. As known before, the threshold guardians lasts as a particular one of the first test providers, as well as the guardian of the special world. Mischievous trolls were one of the first tasks met by Baggins causing him to become nervous and timid. But I would categorize him as an honest thief. When Gandalf saw Bilbo, he was delighted. When reading such an emotionally moving book its difficult to not fall hard for the characters. "And I name you elf-friend and blessed. He was hired specifically to burgle. The Wood Elves did not work the land, mined or worked metals or jewels, nor did they trade.7 It seems that they didn't have any income source, so it is safe to assume that all their needs were purchased with the king's treasure, namely the realm treasury. Once reading this quote, one can realize that the trolls are tricky, malicious, and guard the threshold to keep away from the company. "If ever you visit us again, when our halls are made fair once more, then the feast shall indeed be splendid! On their way home, Thranduil and Bilbo had a second illustrative exchange. When Bilbo was giving gifts to Frodo he gave him a shirt. Good morning! Perhaps one reason why our hero Bilbo stays on the sidelines of the Battle of Five Armies is to show how un-glorious battle really is: unlike the people in the midst of the fighting, Bilbo has the space and time to realize that war is "very uncomfortable, not to say distressing." Throughout Bilbos long journey the dwarves gain respect for him and Bilbo earns a good reputation. I have heard songs of many battles, and I have always understood that defeat may be glorious. Bilbo is a thief. "There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Though you can be forgiven for thinking it is a Silmaril. Well, it seems a very gloomy business., Farewell, King under the Mountain! The Silvan Elves did not only fight during the long years of the Third Age, but also knew how to celebrate. I would speak for him and ask whether you have no thought for the sorrow and misery of his people. (18.46-9). He risks his life on more than one occasion to save his friends and bring peace between the different races. He fell upon their rear, and broke like a clap of thunder through the ring. More like a grocer than a burglar indeed! The Hobbit tells us that, "If the elf-king had a weakness it was for treasure, especially for silver and white gems." Someone else always has to carry on the story., Its a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. When Thranduil questioned why Bilbo offered this gift, Bilbo confessed to have been an uninvited guest at the king's halls, using his food and wine. They promptly moved in and it is here that Bilbo would spend the majority of his lifetime. Hes found it, yes he must have., All that is gold does not glitter, "Farewell, good thief," he said. They drove many of them into the Running River, and such as fled south or west they hunted into the marshes about the Forest River; and there the greater part of the last fugitives perished, while those that came hardly to the Wood-elves' realm were there slain, or drawn in to die in the trackless dark of Mirkwood. Each fear he faces develops Bilbo as a hero, getting him ready for his greatest quest, stealing the treasure from Smaug.. Another example of Bilbo putting others before himself is the treasure he willing to give in order to bring peace to the men, elves, and dwarves. The knowledge that the Arkenstone was in the hands of the besiegers burned in their thoughts; also they guessed the hesitation of Bard and his friends, and resolved to strike while they debated. Obviously, that line in the first chapter that Bilbo looks "More like a grocer than a burglar" really smarts. Yet a fourteenth share of all the silver and gold, wrought and unwrought, was given up to Bard; for Dain said: "We will honour the agreement of the dead, and he has now the Arkenstone in his keeping.". I think there is a hole in the argument (that Bilbo is not taking dishonestly as he has permission) as the cup may well have been part of the Dale-Hoard rather than the Erebor one. pest and disease control in agriculture; property management companies concord, nc; lean cuisine cook time microwave. I wish I was well out of it.. The Tookish part was getting very tired, and the Baggins was daily getting stronger. He fights in many battles, verbal and physical, to fight for the greater good. And he was miserable, alone, lost. I mean even a burglar has his feelings. He encounters goblins, creatures, trolls, wargs, spiders, and greed, but not without his friends and his new magic ring. There far away was the Lonely Mountain on the edge of eyesight. he said to himself. There was, of course, no longer any question of dividing the hoard in such shares as had been planned, to Balin and Dwalin, and Dori and Nori and Ori, and Oin and Gloin, and Bifur and Bofur and Bombur-or to Bilbo. And I don't know what I should have done with it when I got home. But even though there was peace (which lasted for about a thousand years, until 1050), the Silvan Elves were restless, sensing the changes that would come with the new age. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. T. New. he said; "and farewell, Dwalin; and farewell Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, Gloin, Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur! At that point they both believed that the Dwarves did not Swiftly he returned and his wrath was redoubled, so that nothing could withstand him, and no weapon seemed to bite upon him.