THERE AND BACK AGAIN

Bilbo Baggins will write his memoirs towards the end of his life, but it's fun to imagine him keeping notes of his adventure to work from. As we begin our own adventure into this beloved classic, let these texerpts from our RP be viewed in that light. More images will be added as they become available.

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I guess you might say my adventure began one day while sitting on my bench finishing the morning mail, marveling at a particularly excellent smoke ring drifting upwards from my long pipe, when it poofed in front of very tall and curious old man with a staff, staring at me silently over my fence for what seemed a rather long uncomfortable moment.

Gandalf walks near the home on the hill and clears his Throat, a little loud.

Bilbo: “Good Morning!” and he meant it.

Gandalf: The Istari looks a little puzzled, but smiles with a playful grin "What do you mean? Do you wish me a good morning or do you mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not? "

… "Or perhaps you mean to say that you feel good on this particular morning? Or are you simply stating that this is a morning to be good on? Hmmmmmm?"

Bilbo a bit perplexed by the response answers “All of them at once, I suppose.”

Then blurts out after another uncomfortable silence…

“And a very fine morning for sitting with a pipe of tobacco out of doors, into the bargain! If you have a pipe, sit down and have a fill of mine! There’s no hurry, we have all the day before us!” he concluded after observing the niceties of a well mannered hobbit.

Gandalf: "Yes... Indeed" Continuing to be a tad playful in conversation "I do enjoy my pipe and long leaf."

Bilbo adds "I have some 'Old Toby' if you like."

Gandalf: "So my friend, (pipe in hand), I'm looking for someone to share in an adventure." He looks at Bilbo hoping to entice him.

Bilbo is a bit shocked by this and leans forward on his bench

“ADVENTURES? I dare say not in these parts!... I doubt if any hobbit West of the Brandywine River would be interested in any adventures!”

Then taking a few more puffs of his pipe shares this concerning hobbits…

“We are a quiet, predictable folk who like to plan our day’s activities well in advance.” making his point. “ADVENTURES? Definitely not! Nasty, unpredictable things!”

Bilbo goes back to reading his morning mail commenting...

“Case in point. I have just received this lovely invitation to a tea party at the home of my neighbor Miss Mercy, a fortnight from today.”…

...“Now I ask you plainly good sir, where would I be if on an ‘Adventure’? HMMM?”

...“Could you guarantee I would be back in time for the tea party? HMMM?”

...“We don’t want any ‘ADVENTURES’ here, thank you!” and points in the distance…

...“You might try over The Hill or across The Water. Or seek out the

East Farthingers. They are always up for one adventure or another.”

Gandalf looks surprised and sarcasm arises "Oh to think that I should have lived to be "good morninged" by Belladonna Took's son as if I were selling buttons at the door."…

"Your own kin were Took, Adventures they welcomed." his eyebrows raise "Your own mother would jump to excitign things without call. You have changed Bilbo Baggins" He Pauses… "and not entirely for the better."

Bilbo bends his ear towards the stranger upon hearing

his and his mother’s name…

“I’m sorry, have we been introduced before? I don’t believe I caught your name?” (in case he had missed it earlier.)

Gandalf: "Well, you know my name, although you don't remember I belong to it. I'm Gandalf. And Gandalf means... ...me. As a little boy you would cling to my cloak, Do you not remember it is me?"

Bilbos confused look quickly fades away...

“Gandalf, Gandalf! Good gracious me!” he responds hearing a familiar name from long ago…

“...Not the wandering wizard who used to tell such wonderful tales to us young Hobbits about Dragons and Goblins and Giants and the rescue of princesses?”

Bilbo laughs, now being flooded with more memories…

“...Not the Gandalf that used to make such particularly excellent fireworks for Old Took for his Midsummer’s Eve party!”

Bilbo looks skywards…

“...Oh, I do remember those! Splendid they were! They used to go up like great Chrysanthemums of gold and snapdragons of fire, hanging in the twilight all evening!”

Bilbo with a wry smile shifts to a scolding tone…

“...Dear me! Not the Gandalf who was responsible for so many quiet lads and lasses going off into the Blue for mad adventures never to be heard from again!”

Bilbo felt this had put a fine point on the subject of ‘Adventures’ even if as

a young hobbit he found it quite an exciting time. But at his age now he also remembered...

“It use to upset things badly in these parts once upon a time.” adding a raised eyebrow… “I had no idea you were still in business.”

Gandalf: "Yes indeed, that is the me in which I speak." He laughed. "The me that would turn eyes and bring children laughter, then set off.... into Adventure"

"Wonderful adventure Bilbo Baggins. Like the took who could ride a horse, or lead a party to run off Goblins from the land."

Bilbo remembers those times, childish times, the kind you must eventually put behind you when you grow up. He did not wish to upset the old man, but felt he must put a finer point on the fine point he had already made.

“No thank you, we don’t want any ‘ADVENTURES’ here! Make you late for supper! I can’t think what anyone sees in them.”

Gandalf: "Do you sometime think about what is beyond the shire? Or beyond the mountains? Do you not sometimes dream of seeing new things, and excitement that makes you leap awake to see if it was real? Do you not want a chance at such wonders?"

Bilbo: "HMMM - we have all we need in the Shire, plenty of food, friends, not to mention our appointment calendars....One has to be here to enjoy first breakfast, second breakfast, elvensies. All in good time and in proper order. For example...

We all have our schedules in Hobbiton, like our honey deliveries to the Green Dragon. I doubt Miss Angelica would be very happy if an ‘Adventure’ slowed the flow of honey for the Mead we need!...

"No thank you, no adventures for us!"

Bilbo did feel a bit of Took in him, but suppressed it, leaving it to childish things.

Gandalf: "Are there mysteries so grand your eyes open wide? Have you not thought of such things?"

Bilbo stands up shuffling through his mail, pretending to take no more notice of the old man, who was not quite his sort, and hoped would be moving on. But he remained mostly unmoved, leaning on his staff, observing Bilbo without saying anything. Feeling most uncomfortable he edges ever closer to his green door, stopping to say…

"Well I must be about my business and I dare not keep you from yours" Bilbo smiled before offering a final "Good morning!" and a small bow.

Gandalf: "We will see soon. Good day Mr. Baggins. Do keep your eyes wide to the Horizon." Gandalf dottles a little.

Bilbo had now become more than a little exasperated with the whole ‘Adventure’ subject, and responds firmly, hoping to put his finest point yet on the fine points already made…

“No, I am Sorry Gandalf, but we don’t need any ADVENTURES! that send us somewhere over the horizon, rainbow or wherever. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not EVER!”

Bilbo pauses feeling he may have been too abrupt with Gandalf, and remembers his Hobbit good manners, collects his composure to say politely…

“Good morning! And do come to tea—any time whenever you like! Tomorrow, or the next day, or when back in town. Good Morning!”

Bilbo says this as pleasantly as possible and scuttles inside his round green door, shutting it as quickly as he dared, but not so fast as to seem rude, as Wizards are wizards after all.

Gandalf: "Yes Tea." He laughs "For a gathering of...Dwarves!"

Bilbo peeks through the window to see if Gandalf is gone and sees him walking towards the door! Quietly he bolts it and listens to a strange tapping or clawing on the door!

“Do not answer it!” he says to himself. “He’s probably turning into a raven or worse!”

Gandalf pulls out a stick with a nail and blows on it. Aiming it at the door he begins to carve runes into the door.

Gandalf: "That will do nicely." Whistles and walks off.

Huddled inside, Bilbo becomes most displeased with himself...

“What in middle earth did I ever suggest he come to tea?”

He had only just had breakfast, but he thought a seed cake or two for second breakfast and a drink of honey mead might settle his nerves.

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Thanks to RPers: Gandalf (mithrandirmaia); Bilbo Baggins (beedle.beedit).

A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THE RUNE ON BILBO'S DOOR

The rune used in the movie ’The Hobbit’ (left) varied from the one used in our LOTR RP (right) for a couple of reasons. 1) A sketch by JRR Tolkien depicting the three runes on the door (center) and 2) A reference by Gloin in Chapter 1 of the Hobbit as three attributes associated with the sign on the door. (Burglar, Excitement and Reward)

“Yes, yes, but that was long ago,” said Glóin. “I was talking about you. And I assure you there is a mark on this door—the usual one in the trade, or used to be. Burglar wants a good job, plenty of Excitement and reasonable Reward, that’s how it is usually read.”

The movie used a symbol based on the ‘Cirth’ alphabet Tolkien created ‘using the “g” rune for “Gandalf’. However that rune set wasn’t around until the LOTR books. For the Hobbit, Tolkien relied on Anglo/Saxon runes futhorc (fuþorc), used in 5th century areas of Frisii (Netherlands) Saxony (Germany) Anglia and Juteland (Denmark). In fuborc, the same symbol used in cirth for ‘g’ means ‘feoh’ or ‘wealth’ which may have been another association in the movie with burglary or reward.