Happy Birthday Dear Bilbo-and-Frodo

Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Bilbo-and-Frodo! Happy birthday to you!

(in which I reference a bunch of quotes)


My wonderful hobbits, you are two that I love, the oldest not the least. There at last, dear friends, on the shores of the sea, came our final farewell. Saying goodbye to you at the Grey Havens has always brought tears to my eyes, but not all tears are an evil. 

So much time spent in your great story, only to say goodbye at the end, but that is the beauty of it. I hate saying goodbye, but I wouldn't love you half so much if I didn't have to watch you go, every single time. 

Bilbo, you have had an exciting time of it. First that business with the dragon, then all those little trips with the Dwarves. Then to live in Rivendell, how I envy you that one, for as long as you did, and finally, the greatest journey of them all. It may not seem like much to you, Bilbo, taking a boat to Valinor, but it is really something. And how delighted the elves there will be with you! You're such a loveable chap. You passed the Old Took, and since you are going to Aman, who knows how much older you might get? 

Good-bye, my dear Bilbo – until our next meeting (or my next re-read).

And Frodo. I have no words for you, Frodo. Go, join the ranks of such as Earendil and Beren, in whose company you should not feel ashamed. You deserve it (so does Sam though, you make sure he gets through eventually, you basically promised). I miss you. I always miss you. I miss the innocent you coming in from a party in the unblemished Shire. I miss the stupidly brave you that set out from Rivendell. I miss the compassionate you who tried to help Smeagol. I miss the damaged you who could no longer stay in Middle-earth (but seriously you can't let Sam stay behind forever, that just isn't right I can't bear it). 

Re-reads shall keep me as busy and as happy as anyone can be, as long as my part of the story goes on. 

Farewell! Go in peace!

Chapter I

A Long-Expected Party

When Mr. Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday..........

Bilbo's Birthday

Let us turn back time and reminisce on Bilbo's eleventy-first birthday, because after all, it was one of special magnificence. There are still more posts to come, the scouring of the shire, the grey havens, the end....but in a way, September 22nd is the beginning of the end. 

Bilbo has his 129th and 130th birthdays in Rivendell, while the hobbits are restoring the Shire, and his very last birthday in Middle Earth, TA 3021 is the day that he meets Frodo to go to the grey havens. The Last Riding of the Keepers of the Rings. A week later, he and Frodo leave Middle Earth forever. And Gandalf. And now I'm sad. I would like to believe that Gandalf may some day be sent back to assist Middle Earth against some new evil, but somehow I don't think he will. His purpose is complete. The Age of Men has arrived. 

And now for one gross of a few quotes....

It seems fitting to begin with the very first line:

"When Mr. Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement in Hobbiton."

"[I]t seemed unfair that anyone should possess (apparently) perpetual youth as well as (reputedly) inexhaustible wealth."

"'A very nice well-spoken gentlehobbit is Mr. Bilbo, as I've always said,' the Gaffer declared. With perfect truth: for Bilbo was always very polite to him, calling him 'Master Hamfast', and consulting him constantly upon the growing of vegetables - in the matter of 'roots', especially potatoes, the Gaffer was recognized as the leading authority by all in the neighbourhood (including himself)."

People are always forgetting about the Gaffer, and it makes me mad.

"Inside Bag End, Bilbo and Gandalf were sitting at the open window of a small room looking out west on to the garden. The late afternoon was bright and peaceful. The flowers glowed red and golden: snap-dragons and sunflowers, and nasturtians trailing all over the turf walls and peeping in at the round windows."

And no, Nasturtians is not a typo. Some editor or proof-reader tried to change it to nasturtiums, but Tolkien did not permit this on the grounds that the two were actually very different plants. One must never try to tell Professor Tolkien how a word ought to be. He is a philologist after all. 

"Before long the invitations began pouring out, and the Hobbiton post-office was blocked, and the Bywater post-office was snowed under, and voluntary assistant postmen were called for. There was a constant stream of them going up the Hill, carrying hundreds of polite variations on Thank you, I shall certainly come."

Hobbits are not the most polite of people, indeed they can be rather rude and blunt at times, but at least they understand that one must always RSVP. The world would do well to follow in their large footsteps. 

"The lights went out. A great smoke went up. It shaped itself like a mountain seen in the distance, and began to glow at the summit. It spouted green and scarlet flames. Out flew a red-golden dragon - not life-size, but terribly life-like: fire came from his jaws, his eyes glared down; there was a roar, and he whizzed three times over the heads of the crowd. They all ducked, and many fell flat on their faces. The dragon passed like an express train, turned a somersault, and burst over Bywater with a deafening explosion."

I sympathize with this dragon. I too am very life-like, but not quite life-sized.

"'I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.' This was unexpected and rather difficult. There was some scattered clapping, but most of them were trying to work it out and see if it came to a compliment."

"I am going. I am leaving NOW. GOOD-BYE!"

 






(Lest there should be any confusion or matter of rights and whatnot, all quotes in this post are from The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien, unless otherwise mentioned. There may be slight errors, misspellings, or alternate punctuation in the quotes, and if you notice such, please inform me so that I can speedily remedy them. But I think the fact that I made this blog proves that I would never intentionally change something of Tolkien's in the transcribing of it.)

QUOTES: Bilbo

"Never laugh at live dragons"
~Bilbo

QUOTES: Bilbo

“It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door. You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

~Bilbo

 

Farewell To Lorien

THE DAY

February 16, 3019 TA

The Fellowship leaves Lorien, and of course the giving of the gifts. Cloaks and weapons and rope and little wooden boxes. And of course, the Phial of Galadriel.

“’And you, Ring-bearer,’ she said, turning to Frodo. ‘I come to you last who are not last in my thoughts. For you I have prepared this.’ She held up a small crystal phial: it glittered as she moved it, and rays of white light sprang from her hand. ‘In this phial,’ she said, ‘is caught the light of Earendil’s star, set amid the waters of my fountain. It will shine still brighter when nigh is about you. May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out. Remember Galadriel and her Mirror!’”

And hair. Let us never forget the hair. And then a gift which is less well known. I rather think that it was one of Galadriel’s gifts to Aragorn that inspired the whole story in the movie of him acquiring the Evenstar. I feel I ought to mention at this moment that Galadriel is Arwen’s grandmother. So Galadriel gives Aragorn a sheath made for his sword, and then asks him if there is any other gift he would ask of her.

“And Aragorn answered: ‘Lady, you know all my desire, and long held in keeping the only treasure that I seek. Yet it is not yours to give me, even if you would; and only through darkness shall I come to it.’‘Yet maybe this will lighten your heart,’ said Galadriel; ‘for it was left in my care to be given to you, should you pass through this land.’ Then she lifted from her lap a great stone of a clear green, set in a silver brooch that was wrought in the likeness of an eagle with outspread wings; and as she held it up the gem flashed like the sun shining through the leaves of spring. ‘This stone I gave to Celebrian my daughter, and she to hers; and now it comes to you as a token of hope. In this hour take the name that was foretold for you, Ellesar, the Elfstone of the house of Elendil!’”

So in a manner of speaking, he did get a jewel of sorts from Arwen.

THE YEAR

3002

Appendix B, The Tale of Years 3002 “Bilbo becomes a guest of Elrond, and settles in Rivendell.”

 

The Mirror of Galadriel

THE DAY

February 15, 3019 TA

I have skipped two days of import, namely January 23rd and 25th. Over the course of these two days, Gandalf pursued the Balrog to the peak of Zirakzigil (23) and finally cast him down (25). He then died, in a manner of speaking,

“He casts down the Balrog, and passes away. His body lies on the peak.”

Then on February 15th,

“Gandalf returns to life, and lies in a trance.”

Also on the same day, is the well-known incident of the Mirror of Galadriel:

“With water from the stream Galadriel filled the basin to the brim, and breathed on it, and when the water was still again she spoke. ‘Here is the Mirror of Galadriel,’ she said. ‘I have brought you here so that you may look in it, if you will.’”

Another rather interesting bit of this scene is Galadriel’s comment on magic. For I have always distrusted magic and thought that the term should be used very carefully. Something that people apply to both good and evil ought to be mistrusted don’t you think?

“’And you?’ she said, turning to Sam. ‘For this is what your folk would call magic, I believe; though I do not understand clearly what they mean; and they seem to use the same word of the deceits of the Enemy. But this, if you will, is the magic of Galadriel. Did you not say that you wished to see Elf-magic?’”

And then Sam begins to realize that perhaps even “Elf-magic” isn’t really something one should consort with.

“[Galadriel:]’…the Mirror is dangerous as a guide of deeds.’

Sam sat on the ground and put his head in his hands. ‘I wish I had never come here, and I don’t want to see no more magic,’ he said and fell silent.”

THE YEAR

3001

Once again, a direct quote seemed to be the best choice.

Appendix B>> The Tale of Years 3001 “Bilbo’s farewell feast. Gandalf suspects his ring to be the One Ring. The guard on the Shire is doubled. Gandalf seeks for news of Gollum and calls on the help of Aragorn.”

Mentioning Bilbo’s farewell feast brings me to another delightful quote:

“[Bilbo:]’I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.’ This was unexpected and rather difficult. There was some scattered clapping, but most of them were trying to work it out and see if it came to a compliment.”

And for the record, I have worked it out, and it does come to a compliment.

 

Ian Holm and JRR Tolkien

There is a surprising similarity between Ian Holm (BILBO) and JRR Tolkien

 The noses are almost identical. The dimples are very close. The lines coming from the nose to the mouth are strikingly similar and the ears have the same, strange shape. In the pictures aboce, the hairlines are almost the same. Tolkien's smile, however, is very different from Holm's 

 Ian Holm has a straight even smile and Tolkien's smile turns up at the corners.

But despite that, they really are very similar, something which I find interesting. 

A friendly visit, 2949 TA

I don't know if a I am the only one who gets sad towards the end of The Hobbit. Poor Bilbo. Some of his friends have died, and the others he will never see again. That is sad. But then you learn that Balin came to see him, and he went of on adventures with the dwarves many times. And the world is pleasant again.
So it was in the year 2949 TA that Balin and Gandalf came to visit Bilbo in the Shire.  A year after Theoden was born, and a year before Boromir's and Faramir's mother was born. That gives you an idea of how old dear Bilbo was. Very.