Hobbits at the Council of Elrond

In his analysis of “The Council of Elrond” in Book II of The Lord of the Rings, Shippey rightly notices the sharp difference in language used by the various participants of the titular council. It is a complex scene dominated by dialogue. As such, the manner of speaking conveys important characterization about the speaker. He notes Elrond’s archaic speech patterns, Gloin’s terse speech and “apposition”, and the differing social status conveyed by Boromir and Aragorn. Notably, Shippey identifies Saruman as the most “modernistic” speaker, likening it to doublethink. However, Shippey does not focus on two key players at the Council: Bilbo and Frodo. As Hobbits, both lack the gravitas and power of speech found in other speakers, yet their words nonetheless shed light on the natures of Hobbits, on a contrast between the experienced Bilbo and the youthful Frodo, and on the humble respect that Bilbo commands.

The chapter starts rather casually, with Frodo encountering Gandalf and Bilbo:

“On a seat cut in the stone beside a turn in the path they came upon Gandalf and Bilbo deep in talk. ‘Hullo! Good morning!’ said Bilbo. ‘Feel ready for the great council?’ ‘I feel ready for anything,’ answered Frodo. ‘But most of all I should like to go walking today and explore the valley. I should like to get into those pine-woods up there.’ He pointed away far up the side of Rivendell to the north. ‘You may have a chance later,’ said Gandalf. ‘But we cannot make any plans yet. There is much to hear and decide today.’”

Within this passage, Tolkien provides decidedly informal and modern dialogue to contrast with several formal and archaic speakers in the Council. Bilbo’s section contains a friendly and modern greeting, “Hullo! Good morning!”. By using the word ‘hullo’, Tolkien intentionally uses a modern term. It is a primarily Commonwealth spelling of ‘hello’, with both terms dating to the 1800’s, with ‘hullo’ being attested to slightly earlier (Krulwich). As a philologist, Tolkien would likely be aware of this relatively modern term. If archaism in speech were desired, another greeting, such as ‘hail’ or ‘greetings’, would be used. The Elf Gildor, for instance, greets Frodo with “Hail, Elf-friend!” (Bk 1, Chapter 3). Elrond, at the Council, does not greet Frodo directly, instead introducing him with his characteristically archaic speech: “Here, my friends, is the hobbit, Frodo son of Drogo. Few have ever come hither through greater peril or on an errand more urgent.” Tolkien’s inclusion of the word ‘hullo’ is thus likely a deliberate choice of inclusion. After all, the Hobbits are not meant to draw upon an imaginary past, but upon modern rustic life in England. As such, their words are modern as well. Bilbo follows up with ‘good morning!’, his familiarity displayed by his exclamation of the term. The term also calls back to Bilbo and Gandalf’s initial meeting, wherein they discuss the possible meanings of Bilbo’s “Good Morning” (The Hobbit, “An Unexpected Journey”). Bilbo’s next phrase, ‘Feel ready for the great council?’, displays an informality in his speech with Frodo. It is a sentence fragment, omitting the implied ‘do you’ to start the question. If language creates appearances, as Shippey notes, then Bilbo has done his job with remarkably little dialogue. Despite the importance of the Council, Bilbo’s speech does not lose its familiarity and does not dip into archaism. Bilbo has nothing to prove, and simply speaks as he feels, from friend to friend.

Frodo speaks with similar modernity, reflecting the common Hobbit heritage he has with Bilbo. However, he speaks with a sense of moderate formality absent in Bilbo’s speech. He does not return a joyful greeting, instead providing a series of statements. A quirk of Frodo’s speech here is his repetition of ‘should like’, rather than ‘would like’. The term first underscores Frodo’s state of mind immediately prior to the Council. He focuses on his feelings and desires, placing his sense of exploration over the importance of the Council. Furthermore, the term is somewhat formal, with ‘would like’ generally being used in common parlance. ‘Should like’ is still correct and modern in Commonwealth English, but its use displays a slight sense of formality that contrasts with Bilbo’s casual and colloquial speech. Both speakers display Hobbitish traits in their speech (modernity, familiarity) but they differ in formality. Bilbo’s experience allows him to put formality aside, while Frodo must adopt formality in his role at the Council.

Bilbo maintains his sense of familiarity and informality at the Council. In particular, he is noted for his use of verse at it. Boromir cites poetry on the Sword that was Broken, the words of which he claims came to him in a dream. It is a vision warning of the power of the One Ring. As an argument breaks out between Boromir and Aragorn, Bilbo responds with verses of poetry as well, prophesying the mending of the Sword of Elendil and Aragorn’s destiny as king. Bilbo notes, however, that this poetry is his own creation, not a vision of the future. A contrast is evident between Boromir’s solemn prophesy and Bilbo’s verses. Poetry is used in both instances, but with widely different purposes. Boromir’s poetry underscores the importance of the Sword of Elendil and the danger of the One Ring. It is not created by Boromir, but comes to him in dream. Bilbo’s poem maintains seriousness, but is admitted to be created by Bilbo, created for Aragorn. It reflects a friendship between the two. Bilbo’s poetry reveals his character, as its origin is humble but not lesser for it. His informality is particularly evident to Boromir. After Elrond explains the importance of destroying the Ring, Bilbo responds: “Say no more! It is plain enough what you are pointing at. Bilbo the silly hobbit started this affair, and Bilbo had better finish it, or himself.” His words display a clear sense of familiarity with Elrond. He refers to himself as a ‘silly hobbit’, belittling his own importance in contrast to the proud figures around him. Here, hobbits are encapsulated: they speak plainly and closely, never thinking too highly of themselves. They are a humble, but significant people. Boromir, due to his unfamiliarity with Bilbo, is the only figure at the Council to not treat Bilbo’s words with solemn respect. While his words reveal his informality, his register does not lessen the respect others give to him.

Citations:

Krulwich, Robert. "A (Shockingly) Short History of 'Hello'. NPR. Feb 17, 2011.

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