Riddles in the Dark

Bilbo finally awoke in the darkness, head spinning. No sign of goblins, Dwarves, or Gandalf. He was utterly alone and completely lost. He tried to remember which way they had been fleeing and set out in that direction but really he had no clue. "He guessed as well as he could, and crawled along for a good way, till suddenly his hand met what felt like a tiny ring of cold metal lying on the floor of the tunnel" (p. 79, The Hobbit). This discovery was the most important event of the whole quest though not intended by anyone in the company. Indeed, this ring, The Ring, would change the course of events in the years to come. But for the moment Bilbo placed it in his pocket without much thought and continued to look for a way out.

After a while he rested and checked his supplies. By a stroke of luck he had an unbroken pipe and pipe-weed but no matches. He also had his dagger found in the troll cave which the goblins had missed when they captured him. It glowed a faint blue when he took it out and he was comforted that this too was a Gondolin blade like Gandalf and Thorin possessed. With this bit of encouragement Bilbo set out once again. On and on he went until, unexpectedly, he hit water and realized he had found a great underground lake. Now Bilbo was really at a loss and was not sure what to do. To make matters worse he was not alone. "Deep down here by the dark water lived old Gollum, a small slimy creature" (p. 82, The Hobbit).

Gollum was well aware of his visitor. "'Bless us and splash us, my precioussss! I guess it's a choice feast; at least a tasty morsel it'd make us, gollum!' And when he said gollum he made a horrible swallowing noise in his throat. That is how he got his name, though he always called himself 'my precious'" (p. 83, The Hobbit). Bilbo was quite startled by Gollum but his sword kept the creature at bay. Luckily for Bilbo Gollum had recently ate (a goblin) and wasn't very hungry, merely curious. So he simply inquired who his visitor was and the hobbit revealed himself as Mr. Bilbo Baggins. Each was wary of the other so when Gollum suggested a game of riddles Bilbo agreed; each with the intent to learn more about the other.

Gollum began: "'What has roots as nobody sees, Is taller than trees Up, up it goes, And yet never grows?' 'Easy!' said Bilbo. "A mountain, I suppose.' "Does it guess easy? It must have a competition with us, my preciouss! If precious asks, and it doesn't answer, we eats it. If it asks us, and we doesn't answer, then we does what it wants, eh? We shows it the way out, yes!'" (p. 84, The Hobbit). Seeing no alternative Bilbo agreed to this now high stakes game of riddles. Back and forth they went each thinking they'd fool the other with a particularly hard riddle only to have it solved right away. Each thinking they'd gave the other an easy one that proved almost too tough in the end. As the game went on Gollum became more angry and more hungry and Bilbo sensed the danger. The back in forth is extremely well written by Tolkien and very tense--I thought Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis played this scene beautifully in the movie!

The intensity of the situation almost caused Bilbo to miss a riddle. When he finally solved it (by pure luck) he couldn't think of a riddle to ask in return. Gollum was now very impatient and pushed for a question. Trying to think as the creature Gollum moved closer and closer Bilbo stumbled on the forgotten ring in his pocket and said aloud: "'What have I got in my pocket?'" (p. 89, The Hobbit). Gollum was instantly livid thinking it an unfair question and demanding three guesses for it. Bilbo seeing what happened agreed to the extra guesses but wouldn't drop the "riddle". Gollum, sneaky as he was, actually worked in four guesses but all of them were wrong. Bilbo sought to hold Gollum to his word, for riddle-games were considered sacred and bound all players to their word, and asked him to show the way out.

Gollum said he had to get some things for their journey and went to his island in the middle of the underground lake. "Not far away was his island, which Bilbo knew nothing, and there in his hiding-place he kept a few wretched oddments, and one very beautiful thing, very beautiful, very wonderful. He had a ring, a golden ring, a precious ring" (p. 91, The Hobbit). Finding the ring gone Gollum let out a terrible shriek (for it was a Ring of Power) and quickly made his way back to Bilbo angrier than ever. Bilbo could see his pale eyes in the dark and heard the screams but still did not know why Gollum was so angry. Gollum now pressed Bilbo about what was in his pockets but Bilbo did not want to waste time on anything other than getting out: "'Answers were to be guessed not given'" (p. 93, The Hobbit).

Sensing Gollum meant to murder him (for the creature was so enraged now the sword no longer caused restraint) Bilbo turned and ran up the passage not knowing where to go hoping to lose Gollum. But Gollum knew the caves well and was soon closing in on the hobbit. Bilbo, wondering what was so important about the ring slipped it on his finger just before he tripped and fell, his sword landing beneath him. To his surprise Gollum ran right by him taking no notice. Bilbo got up quietly and decided to follow Gollum hoping he would head toward the way out. "'Curse it! Curse it! Curse it!' hissed Gollum. 'Curse the Baggins! It's gone! What has it got in its pocketses? Oh we guess, we guess, my precious. He's found it, yes he must have. My birthday-present'" (p. 94, The Hobbit). For Gollum had told himself for ages and ages the Ring was his birthday present.

Bilbo finally began to understand he had a magic ring which he had only ever heard about in old stories. He followed Gollum until the creature stopped and, as it seemed, began arguing with itself. Gollum decided that Bilbo must have went for the back-door and decided to chase him down. Instead Gollum actually led the following invisible hobbit to the brink of escape. Gollum finally came to a passage but dared to go no further for fear of goblins. He waited hoping Bilbo would show. Bilbo thought he might sneak around but quiet as hobbits are Gollum's sense of smell and hearing were heightened after living hundreds of years under a mountain. "Though he was only a black shadow in the gleam of his own eyes, Bilbo could see or feel that he was tense as a bowstring, gathered for a spring" (p. 97, The Hobbit).

Bilbo struggled with what to do. He contemplated killing Gollum on the spot but felt it was a not fair fight being invisible. Yet he knew if he didn't act soon he would not have the strength to go on. "A sudden understanding, a pity mixed with horror, welled up in Bilbo's heart: a glimpse of endless unmarked days without light or hope of betterment, hard stone, cold fish, sneaking and whispering. All these thoughts flashed in a second. He trembled. And then quite suddenly in another flash, as if lifted by a new strength and resolve, he leaped" (p. 97, The Hobbit). Clear over Gollum's head who, in vain, tried to grab the hobbit, and into the pathway to escape. He ran quickly down the passage hearing the screams of Gollum: "'Thief, thief, thief! Baggins! We hates it, we hates it, we hates it for ever!'" (p. 98, The Hobbit).

Finally Bilbo reached a great room with light, not firelight, but sunlight. For at the end of the room was a great door but there lay many goblins in between Bilbo and the door. Goblins armed and alert. "They saw him sooner than he saw them. Yes, they saw him. Whether it was by accident, or a last trick of the ring before it took a new master, it was not on his finger" (p. 99, The Hobbit). Bilbo quickly slipped it back on and disappeared before the goblins could grab him. He had to scurry this way and that but made his way to the door which was now almost pushed closed. It was too tight to squeeze through and as he struggled the goblins spotted his faint shadow (for in direct sunlight a very faint shadow was the only trace of one wearing the Ring). With one last great effort Bilbo pushed his way through leaving only the brass buttons from his coat for the goblins to capture. They tried to make pursuit but goblins do not like sun and Bilbo made his way into the trees where the shadows allowed him to disappear completely.

Whew. What a read. This is the iconic chapter of The Hobbit in my opinion. We are introduced to Gollum who will give Frodo trouble years later. Bilbo begins to find his courage in uttermost need. And of course the finding of The Ring. It would be many years until Gandalf discovered how important this "chance" find by Bilbo actually was but this is the moment that Sauron or the Ring could have never planned. To find its way into the pockets of an unassuming hobbit.

Middle-earth timeline: Third Age, 2941 (summer)

Today's reading comes from: The Hobbit, pages 79-100