234: Hobbit Turned Burglar | JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit | Chapter 9

WEBVTT

00:00.411 --> 00:04.512
[SPEAKER_00]: Bilbo Baggins finally becomes the burglar that Gandalf promised he would be.

00:04.532 --> 00:10.554
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not sure that's exactly great expectations on Gandalf's part, but who am I to argue with a wizard?

00:11.154 --> 00:19.336
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to share a huge thank you with those of you who have provided some funds for the wishlist items I put up on biamiacoffie.com slash lotr podcast.

00:20.036 --> 00:25.499
[SPEAKER_00]: I have my eye on a particular shotgun microphone that I think would up the audio quality of this podcast.

00:26.000 --> 00:28.901
[SPEAKER_00]: And look a lot nicer for future video content I may do.

00:29.542 --> 00:38.047
[SPEAKER_00]: If you would like to support my efforts, please visit my wishlist on buymeacoffee.com slash LOTR podcast or tap the link in the show notes.

00:38.607 --> 00:39.888
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, let's wander.

00:42.258 --> 00:43.118
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's check them out.

00:43.619 --> 00:45.199
[SPEAKER_00]: It is the third age of Middle-earth.

00:45.599 --> 00:50.141
[SPEAKER_00]: Bilbo Baggins the Hobbit is on a quest with dwarves to help them reclaim their homeland.

00:50.721 --> 00:56.063
[SPEAKER_00]: They have narrowly escaped pink eaten by large spiders, but are still lost in the dark forest of Merkwood.

00:56.603 --> 01:00.285
[SPEAKER_00]: Thorin, King of the Dwarves, has already been captured by the woodland elves.

01:00.965 --> 01:03.586
[SPEAKER_00]: Today we are covering chapter 9 of J.R.R.

01:03.626 --> 01:06.428
[SPEAKER_00]: tokens of the Hobbit, barrels out of bond.

01:07.268 --> 01:10.350
[SPEAKER_00]: The first theme I want to dive into is that of Eucatastrophe.

01:10.870 --> 01:15.192
[SPEAKER_00]: We recently explored this term in the episode about tokens essay on fairy stories.

01:15.953 --> 01:24.397
[SPEAKER_00]: Eucatastrophe is the sudden joyous turn of events, just when everything seems so dark and desperate, something unlocked for intervenes.

01:24.917 --> 01:34.083
[SPEAKER_00]: Just when everything seems like a catastrophe, a quote, sudden and miraculous grace comes to the rescue, although it is, quote, never to be counted on, to recur.

01:35.084 --> 01:39.607
[SPEAKER_00]: This chapter has at least three moments that I'm going to call mini-yuga-tastrophies.

01:40.228 --> 01:47.132
[SPEAKER_00]: While not a full-on happy ending, these moments show the sudden miraculous turn just when things seem darkest.

01:48.053 --> 01:56.500
[SPEAKER_00]: The first is when the dwarves are captured by elves, the second when Bilbo finds Thorin, and the third when Bilbo barely escapes with the barrels.

01:57.440 --> 01:59.322
[SPEAKER_00]: Many Eucotestrophy number one.

01:59.842 --> 02:08.369
[SPEAKER_00]: This chapter opens with Bilbo and the dwarves, except Thorin, who was already captured, being lost in the forest after the battle with the spiders.

02:09.009 --> 02:14.954
[SPEAKER_00]: They decide to make, quote, one last, despairing effort to find a way out before they died of hunger

02:16.515 --> 02:21.060
[SPEAKER_00]: They have no idea where to go, and no idea on if they're going in the right direction.

02:21.721 --> 02:34.714
[SPEAKER_00]: As the Blackness of Night overcomes them, they experience a sudden joyous turn, quote, suddenly outspraying the light of many torches all around them, like hundreds of red stars, outlept the wood elves.

02:35.395 --> 02:41.558
[SPEAKER_00]: The elves, of course, capture the dwarves, although Bilbo is quick enough to slip on his ring and not be counted among the prisoners.

02:42.198 --> 02:44.159
[SPEAKER_00]: The elements of Eucotastrophe are here.

02:44.539 --> 02:48.981
[SPEAKER_00]: The company is lost, keyters on the edge of death, and is in total desperation.

02:49.681 --> 02:51.022
[SPEAKER_00]: Night and darkness are falling.

02:51.542 --> 02:53.583
[SPEAKER_00]: Suddenly light comes forth and they are rescued.

02:53.923 --> 02:59.926
[SPEAKER_00]: In a way, this capture by the elves is actually joyous, quote, they were actually glad to be captured.

03:00.630 --> 03:12.175
[SPEAKER_00]: Being captured by elves meant that they would be led out of the forest, that they were among decent folk who would eat them like trolls, goblins or spiders, and they could have a little food, drink and rest.

03:12.915 --> 03:15.436
[SPEAKER_00]: Moving on to many Yukotastrophe number two.

03:16.096 --> 03:20.938
[SPEAKER_00]: This one revolves Ralph Thorin, who was captured by the elves the night before the rest of the company was.

03:21.718 --> 03:26.440
[SPEAKER_00]: At first, Bilbo doesn't know where Thorin is kept, until he overhears talk of another

03:30.602 --> 03:34.283
[SPEAKER_00]: This stark place is not only literally low, but figuratively low.

03:34.783 --> 03:49.909
[SPEAKER_00]: As Thorne has become desperate in his cell, quote, Thorne was too wretched to be angry any longer at his misfortunes, and was even beginning to think of telling the king all about his treasure and his quest, which shows how low-spirited he had become.

03:50.429 --> 03:54.930
[SPEAKER_00]: At this moment, Bilbo is able to find Thorne and thus Thorne spirits and resolve are

04:00.023 --> 04:03.804
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, many Eucotastrophe number three involves little Bilbo himself.

04:04.585 --> 04:12.668
[SPEAKER_00]: Bilbo has discovered the opportunity to escape, derived the plan, and executed the plan so that all the dwarves are floating in barrels down the river.

04:13.248 --> 04:14.628
[SPEAKER_00]: But there's a problem, quote.

04:15.169 --> 04:17.429
[SPEAKER_00]: Of course, he was not in a barrel himself.

04:18.010 --> 04:21.731
[SPEAKER_00]: Nor was there anyone to pack him in, even if there had been a chance.

04:22.551 --> 04:26.613
[SPEAKER_00]: Tolkien even allows himself the rare exclamation point for this sentence.

04:27.587 --> 04:28.688
[SPEAKER_00]: Bilbo is downhearted.

04:29.208 --> 04:33.130
[SPEAKER_00]: He doesn't want to be a quote permanent burglar in the elf caves forever.

04:33.790 --> 04:35.511
[SPEAKER_00]: Nor does he know another way out.

04:36.212 --> 04:39.334
[SPEAKER_00]: While the elves seeing a Mary song, Bilbo doesn't know what to do.

04:39.854 --> 04:43.476
[SPEAKER_00]: But, quote, now the very last barrel was being rolled to the doors.

04:44.076 --> 04:50.240
[SPEAKER_00]: In despair and not knowing what else to do, poor little Bilbo got hold of it and was pushed over the edge with it.

04:51.266 --> 04:54.987
[SPEAKER_00]: He is lucky enough to keep hold of the barrel, even in the ice-cold water.

04:55.548 --> 05:04.431
[SPEAKER_00]: There's no room to spare between the top of the barrel and the water gate, quote, not even for a hobbit, between its top and the suddenly stupid roof where the gate was.

05:05.071 --> 05:10.053
[SPEAKER_00]: He's shivering and cold, wondering if, quote, he would die of it before the luck turned.

05:10.993 --> 05:20.377
[SPEAKER_00]: His strength is wearing thin and he's considering letting go of the barrel, but soon he is able to scramble to the top of his barrel and float down the river with the doors in their barrels.

05:21.232 --> 05:32.069
[SPEAKER_00]: Again, we see in this tiny example the elements of desperation and being at the very end of strength when some unlooked for good thing happens to help Bilbo along his way.

05:32.852 --> 05:39.893
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, are these examples full on you catastrophes in the sense that Tolkien described, quote, the joy of the happy ending?

05:40.593 --> 05:40.793
[SPEAKER_00]: No.

05:41.474 --> 05:52.155
[SPEAKER_00]: But in many ways, these examples share common elements with the sudden joyous turn, the sudden snatching away from utter darkness and destruction, back to the light, and to hope.

05:53.096 --> 05:54.536
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's wander into a bit of lore.

05:55.316 --> 05:59.937
[SPEAKER_00]: The wind at the Butler and the captain of the guard share is quote, a heady vintage of the great

06:02.043 --> 06:06.114
[SPEAKER_00]: Apparently it's pretty strong stuff, as both elves quickly get junk and pass out.

06:06.615 --> 06:10.867
[SPEAKER_00]: Even though we're told, it must be potent wine to make a wood elf drowsy.

06:11.878 --> 06:18.302
[SPEAKER_00]: which, by the way, sort of negates the comedy and the drinking game between Legolas and Gimli in the return of the King extended edition movie.

06:19.042 --> 06:24.226
[SPEAKER_00]: For those who haven't seen that, Gimli proposes a contest with Legolas to see who can drink the most.

06:24.846 --> 06:29.829
[SPEAKER_00]: And while Gimli passes out and falls over, Legolas barely feels a slight tingle in his fingers.

06:30.530 --> 06:38.695
[SPEAKER_00]: That scene is simply ignores this major plot point from the Hobbit, that elves can and do get wasted if the drink is strong enough.

06:39.555 --> 06:41.718
[SPEAKER_00]: Anyway, the wine is from a place called Darwinian.

06:42.259 --> 06:46.925
[SPEAKER_00]: Luckily for Bilbo, quote, the wine of Darwinian brings deep and pleasant dreams.

06:48.188 --> 06:49.949
[SPEAKER_00]: So, where is Dorwinian?

06:50.769 --> 06:58.173
[SPEAKER_00]: If you look at the maps that accompany both the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings books, you likely will not see Dorwinian labeled on the map.

06:58.954 --> 07:06.478
[SPEAKER_00]: However, in Karen Winfonstad's Atlas of Middle Earth, you'll see a label for Dorwinian far, far in the East.

07:07.158 --> 07:10.560
[SPEAKER_00]: There's the Sea of Roon, which is labeled on most maps of Middle Earth.

07:11.281 --> 07:20.764
[SPEAKER_00]: In the Atlas, Thorinian is the land on the northwest corner of that sea, which makes a lot of sense why the elves would be sending the wine barrels down the river.

07:21.405 --> 07:35.290
[SPEAKER_00]: The stream that flows under the elves cave meets with the forest river, which runs out to the long lake where lake town is, then keeps flowing in the river called Kilduin or river running, which empties out in the sea of Rune.

07:36.110 --> 07:41.974
[SPEAKER_00]: Durwinian sits on the south side of that river, just before it stelt at the great eastern sea.

07:42.595 --> 07:48.899
[SPEAKER_00]: There, the people of Durwinian would gather the wine barrels and start the trade cycle all over again.

07:49.559 --> 07:55.464
[SPEAKER_00]: And if you know a little about Tolkien's languages, the word door actually means land up.

07:56.144 --> 08:02.328
[SPEAKER_00]: For example, Mordor is land of darkness, door, meaning land of and more meaning dark.

08:03.048 --> 08:07.331
[SPEAKER_00]: So if we break down door Winniean, we get door and Winniean.

08:07.972 --> 08:12.995
[SPEAKER_00]: And Winniean looks and sounds and awful lot like the English word, wine.

08:13.735 --> 08:17.258
[SPEAKER_00]: So door Winniean is translated as the land of wines.

08:18.727 --> 08:30.275
[SPEAKER_00]: We don't get a lot of details on the geography or climate of Darwinian, but I imagine if it is the land of wine, it's likely a climate like California or Italy with plenty of wineries.

08:31.235 --> 08:34.978
[SPEAKER_00]: Why spend all this time on a tiny little detail of the land where the wine comes from?

08:35.698 --> 08:40.721
[SPEAKER_00]: Well if you remember, at the end of Amazon's Rings of Power Season 1, Nauri and the

08:46.485 --> 08:59.453
[SPEAKER_00]: It's possible that when we pick up with them in season 2, which as of this recording is still in production and doesn't even have a release date yet, but possibly we'll see Nori and the stranger wander into the land of wines.

09:00.094 --> 09:03.896
[SPEAKER_00]: If so, you can connect their journey to the rest of Middle Earth.

09:04.817 --> 09:07.518
[SPEAKER_00]: I have one more theme from this chapter to investigate with you.

09:07.979 --> 09:10.120
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll get to that right after this short break.

09:14.881 --> 09:15.561
[SPEAKER_00]: We're not done yet.

09:15.882 --> 09:18.623
[SPEAKER_00]: If you like this episode, please leave a review and share with your friends.

09:18.944 --> 09:20.725
[SPEAKER_00]: And remember to subscribe if you haven't already.

09:20.985 --> 09:21.605
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll be right back.

09:37.958 --> 09:47.001
[SPEAKER_00]: This is the first chapter where we are not introduced to a new creature, particularly a creature who is confused by a Hobbit and wants to eat bill, though.

09:47.662 --> 09:54.964
[SPEAKER_00]: We've been introduced to Hobbit's send wars, trolls and goblins, Elrond and Golem, even Wargs, Eagles and Spiders.

09:55.605 --> 09:59.186
[SPEAKER_00]: But in this chapter, we see a creature that we've seen before, elves.

09:59.786 --> 10:07.229
[SPEAKER_00]: Although these are a little different than the elves we've seen before, as we explored two episodes back, but here's the interesting narrative shift.

10:07.829 --> 10:15.377
[SPEAKER_00]: Instead of a creature that tries to eat Bilbo, Bilbo finally succeeds in stealing food from one of these fantasy creatures.

10:15.978 --> 10:24.247
[SPEAKER_00]: Quote, inside the caves he could pick up a living of some sort, by stealing food from store or table when no one was at hand.

10:25.340 --> 10:28.323
[SPEAKER_00]: Besides that, these elves also have plenty of songs.

10:28.863 --> 10:35.129
[SPEAKER_00]: Like when the goblins captured the dwarves, the elves also, quote, saying as they marched, their prisoners into their realm.

10:35.829 --> 10:39.292
[SPEAKER_00]: They also sing an interesting song when pushing the barrels down the shoot.

10:40.433 --> 10:51.003
[SPEAKER_00]: By the way, I used the phrase that the elves sing, down the swift dark stream you go, back to lands you once did know, as a text to art input on an AI art generator.

10:51.523 --> 10:55.925
[SPEAKER_00]: Check out lore of the ring's podcast on Instagram if you want to see that art.

10:56.885 --> 10:59.606
[SPEAKER_00]: But unlike the goblins, the elves caves are different.

11:00.106 --> 11:03.087
[SPEAKER_00]: Quote, these were not like those of the goblin cities.

11:03.568 --> 11:07.609
[SPEAKER_00]: They were smaller, less steep underground, and filled with a cleaner air.

11:08.730 --> 11:11.711
[SPEAKER_00]: Also, Bilbo's character arc is really rising now.

11:12.411 --> 11:18.534
[SPEAKER_00]: He no longer is that Grocer standing on the mat that Thorim took him before in the Shire all those months ago.

11:19.315 --> 11:30.001
[SPEAKER_00]: Since his finding of the ring, and his subsequent killing of the spider on his own in the forest, Bilbo has started to be a real, independent, and proactive problem-solver.

11:30.601 --> 11:33.563
[SPEAKER_00]: Indeed, almost the only one in the whole party adverbs.

11:41.967 --> 11:45.688
[SPEAKER_00]: Bilbo has even consigned himself to his hired role of Bergler.

11:46.948 --> 11:54.010
[SPEAKER_00]: I am like a Bergler that can't get away, but must go on miserably Berglerizing the same house day after day, he thought.

11:54.690 --> 12:00.432
[SPEAKER_00]: This is the drieriest and dullest part of all this wretched, tiresome, uncomfortable adventure.

12:01.821 --> 12:04.222
[SPEAKER_00]: a theme of unconfirmed makes another appearance.

12:05.183 --> 12:10.525
[SPEAKER_00]: And as Bilbo was breaking the doors out of prison, we learned that the door was quote all trusted Bilbo.

12:11.085 --> 12:13.626
[SPEAKER_00]: Just what Gandalf had said would happen, you see?

12:14.267 --> 12:17.468
[SPEAKER_00]: Perhaps that was part of his reason for going off and leaving them.

12:18.108 --> 12:21.450
[SPEAKER_00]: Gandalf made that prediction all the way back in chapter 1.

12:21.750 --> 12:27.553
[SPEAKER_00]: Quote, if I say he is a burglar, a burglar he is, or will be when the time comes.

12:28.233 --> 12:33.865
[SPEAKER_00]: There is a lot more in him than you guess, and a deal more than he has any idea of himself.

12:34.466 --> 12:37.432
[SPEAKER_00]: You may possibly all live to think me yet.

12:38.214 --> 12:41.056
[SPEAKER_00]: Bilbo has fully endorsed his role of burglar.

12:41.776 --> 12:51.981
[SPEAKER_00]: After the barrel escape, Bilbo helps himself to some food from the people on the river, quote, he no longer thought twice about picking up a supper, uninvited, if he got the chance.

12:52.742 --> 13:01.787
[SPEAKER_00]: And the reason for this makes so much sense for a Hobbit, quote, he knew now only to well, what it was to be really hungry.

13:02.447 --> 13:07.250
[SPEAKER_00]: Not merely politely interested in the dainties of a well-filled alerder,

13:08.410 --> 13:18.352
[SPEAKER_00]: for a Hobbit to be truly hungry and not simply curious about a pantry is totally unexpected, and isn't that the whole point of this story?

13:19.933 --> 13:30.035
[SPEAKER_00]: Next time we dive into this chapter's on-screen adaptation in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit, and the start of what I think is the most abominable storyline that the films introduced.

13:30.775 --> 13:33.576
[SPEAKER_00]: Thanks for wandering Middle-earth with me today.

13:43.200 --> 13:48.346
[SPEAKER_00]: My friends, if you enjoyed this episode, let me know by subscribing, leaving your review and sharing with your friends.

13:48.366 --> 13:51.549
[SPEAKER_00]: Follow me on Facebook or Instagram at more of the Reams podcast.

13:52.050 --> 13:55.073
[SPEAKER_00]: For feedback on the show, please email me using the link in the show news.

13:55.454 --> 13:58.858
[SPEAKER_00]: Until next Thursday, remember, not all those who want to are lost.