Smaug, the great fire drake of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, closely guards his coveted hoard of gems and gold deep within the halls of Erebor. Bilbo Baggins, a simple hobbit called upon by the mysterious Gandalf, unexpectedly assumes a pivotal role in the recovery of the dwarven treasure and mountain kingdom. While delightful on its own, the story contains deeper symbolism and meaning regarding the nature of life and the pursuit of the holy. The central role of gold and gems, the presence of a crafty serpent, and a common man bewildered by the call of a mysterious figure all mirror biblical The quest to regain Erebor from the vicious and deceptive dragon demonstrates the path mankind must tread to reach salvation.
The first clear indication of the parallel between Erebor and the city of heaven lies on the first page, with Thror's map. In the description on the following two pages, Tolkien explains that dwarvish maps are oriented with East at the top (the Hobbit, p. 2), just as Medieval maps of the orbis terrarium style were oriented East with Jerusalem in the middle and Paradise at the top in the Far East.
Beyond the position of Erebor, the contents of its vast caverns suggests its symbolic importance. In the Bible and Medieval reliquary and thought, gemstones and gold represent the divine. Early on, the dwarves sing of Erebor as filled with gold, silver, and gems that shine like stars (The Hobbit, p. 15). In the book of Exodus, God commands Aaron to wear a breastplate of twelve different gemstones when he appears before God; each gemstone is to represent one of the twelve tribes of Israel (Exodus 28). The book of Revelations describes how these same twelve gemstones comprise the foundations and -along with gold - provide the construction materials for Heavenly Jerusalem (Revelations 21 & 22). Throughout The Hobbit, Bilbo and company are seeking to acquire the physical representation of the Peoples of God and the building blocks of the city of Heaven. Tolkien knew that Heaven is made from these materials through his translation of a manuscript from the 1400's (Pearl, from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight).
Gandalf, as the one who recommends Bilbo to the dwarves, acts as an "angelic" figure in the original, Greek sense of the word: ἄγγελος, "messenger." Gandalf himself does not represent anything per se, much less the God. Instead, he acts as the vehicle or manifestation of divine will on mortals. It is not that he knows what is willed or will occur (The Hobbit, p. 17), it is that he knows what Bilbo Baggins is capable of, even if Bilbo himself is unaware or unwilling to utilize his talents (The Hobbit, p. 19). Gandalf mirrors the angel Gabriel descending from Heaven to the unsuspecting Mary to announce the coming of Christ (Luke 1:28-36). Notably, in the passage, the angel praises Mary's virtues as blessed amongst women (Luke 1: 28). The Virgin Mary is then confused by such a greeting, just as Bilbo Baggins was deeply confused and befuddled by Gandalf declaring he was an excellent burglar (Luke 1:29). The Virgin Mary even asks how she can be with child when she has not "known" a man, just as Bilbo ponders how he will successfully burgle from a dragon if he has never done it before (Luke 1:34). Following this event with the angel, Mary departs from where she was staying and travels to another town, in a similar manner to Bilbo (Luke 1:41).
Bilbo is notable only in that he is the quintessential hobbit; he enjoys food, has a comfortable home, and enjoys a rather simple lifestyle compared to nearly every other species (The Hobbit, p.3-5). He does not over indulge, but he enjoys material aspects of life: smoking, eating, sipping tea, visiting with friends, amongst many things (The Hobbit, p. 5). When confronted with things beyond the normal happenings of his life, he becomes flustered and bewildered (The Hobbit, p. 9-10, 17-18). It is the cajoling by the thirteen dwarves that gets Bilbo riled up enough to "suddenly [feel] he would go without bed and breakfast to be thought fierce," (The Hobbit, p. 18). With the entrance of Gandalf into his life, Bilbo is suddenly willing to forego the comforts of room and meals to pursue the objects of Heaven. He early on accepts that he will sacrifice in the pursuit of his goal. It is this act of willingly giving up what he loves to pursue a greater quest which brings him greater reward at the end of the story.
Finally, Smaug resembles Satan not only in his destructive nature and malice, but by his eloquent and hypnotic guiles. The very look of Smaug is hypnotic and enticing; Bilbo has an urge to reveal himself to Smaug and tell the truth from a few quick glance (The Hobbit, p. 206). Additionally, in Bilbo's attempt to disguise himself, he gets caught up in making up titles and accidentally reveals too much of his past to Smaug, which earns Laketown his wrath (The Hobbit, p. 205). During the encounter, Smaug's sly tongue and quick wits shake Bilbo's faith in the quest and the ability of the company to complete it (The Hobbit, p. 207). While Smaug is correct that carrying off the gold is futile, this is only a half truth. Bilbo is taken in by the half truth before he realizes that the dragon's talk is not entirely accurate. Smaug believes himself to be invincible, but his death would allow the quest to be completed. By noticing Smaug's pride for what it is, Bilbo is able to exploit the dragon's vices and get him to expose his weak point in his armor (The Hobbit, p. 208). Further, Smaug's armor is comprised of gemstones, yet on his left breast, before his heart, he has a single weak point (The Hobbit, p. 208). Smaug, like Satan, armors himself with the virtues of God (De Lapidus, p. 119-21). It is by seeing through this falsehood that Bilbo recognizes Smaug's mortal weakness, allowing the quest to be completed and Erebor regained.
Just as Smaug guards his horde of treasure at Erebor, so too does the Serpent guard the entrance to Heavenly Jerusalem. This is not done out of love for those inside the city, but of a malice for those who wish to enter. The Serpent guards the city by keeping out those who would waver in their faith, just as Smaug almost kills Bilbo as he wavers in his faith in the Company and the Quest.
MDH
The first clear indication of the parallel between Erebor and the city of heaven lies on the first page, with Thror's map. In the description on the following two pages, Tolkien explains that dwarvish maps are oriented with East at the top (the Hobbit, p. 2), just as Medieval maps of the orbis terrarium style were oriented East with Jerusalem in the middle and Paradise at the top in the Far East.
Beyond the position of Erebor, the contents of its vast caverns suggests its symbolic importance. In the Bible and Medieval reliquary and thought, gemstones and gold represent the divine. Early on, the dwarves sing of Erebor as filled with gold, silver, and gems that shine like stars (The Hobbit, p. 15). In the book of Exodus, God commands Aaron to wear a breastplate of twelve different gemstones when he appears before God; each gemstone is to represent one of the twelve tribes of Israel (Exodus 28). The book of Revelations describes how these same twelve gemstones comprise the foundations and -along with gold - provide the construction materials for Heavenly Jerusalem (Revelations 21 & 22). Throughout The Hobbit, Bilbo and company are seeking to acquire the physical representation of the Peoples of God and the building blocks of the city of Heaven. Tolkien knew that Heaven is made from these materials through his translation of a manuscript from the 1400's (Pearl, from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight).
Gandalf, as the one who recommends Bilbo to the dwarves, acts as an "angelic" figure in the original, Greek sense of the word: ἄγγελος, "messenger." Gandalf himself does not represent anything per se, much less the God. Instead, he acts as the vehicle or manifestation of divine will on mortals. It is not that he knows what is willed or will occur (The Hobbit, p. 17), it is that he knows what Bilbo Baggins is capable of, even if Bilbo himself is unaware or unwilling to utilize his talents (The Hobbit, p. 19). Gandalf mirrors the angel Gabriel descending from Heaven to the unsuspecting Mary to announce the coming of Christ (Luke 1:28-36). Notably, in the passage, the angel praises Mary's virtues as blessed amongst women (Luke 1: 28). The Virgin Mary is then confused by such a greeting, just as Bilbo Baggins was deeply confused and befuddled by Gandalf declaring he was an excellent burglar (Luke 1:29). The Virgin Mary even asks how she can be with child when she has not "known" a man, just as Bilbo ponders how he will successfully burgle from a dragon if he has never done it before (Luke 1:34). Following this event with the angel, Mary departs from where she was staying and travels to another town, in a similar manner to Bilbo (Luke 1:41).
Bilbo is notable only in that he is the quintessential hobbit; he enjoys food, has a comfortable home, and enjoys a rather simple lifestyle compared to nearly every other species (The Hobbit, p.3-5). He does not over indulge, but he enjoys material aspects of life: smoking, eating, sipping tea, visiting with friends, amongst many things (The Hobbit, p. 5). When confronted with things beyond the normal happenings of his life, he becomes flustered and bewildered (The Hobbit, p. 9-10, 17-18). It is the cajoling by the thirteen dwarves that gets Bilbo riled up enough to "suddenly [feel] he would go without bed and breakfast to be thought fierce," (The Hobbit, p. 18). With the entrance of Gandalf into his life, Bilbo is suddenly willing to forego the comforts of room and meals to pursue the objects of Heaven. He early on accepts that he will sacrifice in the pursuit of his goal. It is this act of willingly giving up what he loves to pursue a greater quest which brings him greater reward at the end of the story.
Finally, Smaug resembles Satan not only in his destructive nature and malice, but by his eloquent and hypnotic guiles. The very look of Smaug is hypnotic and enticing; Bilbo has an urge to reveal himself to Smaug and tell the truth from a few quick glance (The Hobbit, p. 206). Additionally, in Bilbo's attempt to disguise himself, he gets caught up in making up titles and accidentally reveals too much of his past to Smaug, which earns Laketown his wrath (The Hobbit, p. 205). During the encounter, Smaug's sly tongue and quick wits shake Bilbo's faith in the quest and the ability of the company to complete it (The Hobbit, p. 207). While Smaug is correct that carrying off the gold is futile, this is only a half truth. Bilbo is taken in by the half truth before he realizes that the dragon's talk is not entirely accurate. Smaug believes himself to be invincible, but his death would allow the quest to be completed. By noticing Smaug's pride for what it is, Bilbo is able to exploit the dragon's vices and get him to expose his weak point in his armor (The Hobbit, p. 208). Further, Smaug's armor is comprised of gemstones, yet on his left breast, before his heart, he has a single weak point (The Hobbit, p. 208). Smaug, like Satan, armors himself with the virtues of God (De Lapidus, p. 119-21). It is by seeing through this falsehood that Bilbo recognizes Smaug's mortal weakness, allowing the quest to be completed and Erebor regained.
Just as Smaug guards his horde of treasure at Erebor, so too does the Serpent guard the entrance to Heavenly Jerusalem. This is not done out of love for those inside the city, but of a malice for those who wish to enter. The Serpent guards the city by keeping out those who would waver in their faith, just as Smaug almost kills Bilbo as he wavers in his faith in the Company and the Quest.
MDH
3 comments:
I quite like this analysis. The Hobbit, of course, is not an allegory for any one biblical story, but it is infused with biblical symbolism, as you rightly note. The details are less certain. To what extent does Erebor represent Paradise, versus sharing some resonances? The more important question is, why is such a comparison meaningful? I really like the comparison between Gabriel and Gandalf here, and between Bilbo and the Virgin. An unexpected greeting! And the announcement of a great and perilous undertaking, to be pondered before taking a leap of faith. In a distant but poignant way, Bilbo’s faith and sacrifice mirrors the archetypal faith and sacrifice. Is the analogy perfect? No. And some counterarguments would develop the idea further. Still, some good thoughts! -LB
I love it! Especially Bilbo as the recipient of an unexpected greeting! "Good morning," indeed! I also appreciate the way you showed the deep resonances in the story with the medieval traditions we have talked about. My only complaint is that you did not take it far enough! Where do the Riddles in the Dark with Gold fit? How about the Battle of the Five Armies? Say more! RLFB
GOLLUM, not Gold. Autocorrect! RLFB
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