3

An Old Friend

The third chapter is one of the shortest in The Hobbit, and little happens in terms of action or excitement. Still, there is much to be unpacked from Thorin and Company’s stay in the Last Homely House—especially in reference to the history of the elves, and Elrond specifically, for his story is worth exploring.

First, however, I need to highlight another interesting glimpse into the mind and heart of Bilbo Baggins.

Not for the Last Time!

Remember when I said to keep an eye out for those moments when Bilbo pines for his hobbit-hole back in the Shire instead of focusing his energy on the tasks at hand? Well, take a look at the juxtaposition that occurs before and after Bilbo arrives at the house of Elrond.

The first glimpse into his thoughts comes several days after the incident with the trolls. As the company marches over a riverbank, they see the nearest edge of a large mountain chain in the distance. Bilbo mistakenly believes this to be the Lonely Mountain—the end of their quest—and asks Balin about it. The dwarf scoffs and informs Bilbo that the journey has only just begun.

Bilbo is beyond disappointed. Like a child yelling “Are we there yet?” from the backseat, Bilbo is devastated to learn that the company has plenty of journey ahead. He thinks of his comfortable chair in front of the fire. He thinks of his favorite sitting-room in his hobbit-hole. He thinks of the kettle singing—and all of it “Not for the last time!”[1]

This sort of rubbernecking reminds us of Jesus’ words in Luke 9:62: “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” Again, Tolkien is making sure we see that Bilbo really is a beginner in terms of his development; he is not yet fit for service.

But something unexpected happens when he and his friends finally meet Elrond and the elves in the Last Homely House. For a moment, at least, the Shire is all but forgotten. Bilbo thinks he could gladly remain in that house forever and ever—he even surprises himself by noting he would prefer to remain in Elrond’s house even if a wish would carry him straight back to his hobbit-hole in the Shire.

Quite a change in attitude! And the reason is simple: In Elrond’s home, Bilbo gets to experience all the enjoyable dimensions of adventure—elves, songs, stories, food, runes, maps, and more—without any of the danger.

In other words, here Bilbo has a “mountaintop experience,” like Jesus’ disciples had on the Mount of Transfiguration:

Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

Matthew 17:1–4

Peter was thrilled to be in the presence of a glorified Jesus, not to mention Moses and Elijah—heroes of his Jewish faith and culture. This was so amazing that he wanted to build tents and keep the party going indefinitely.

Jesus had other plans for them. His followers had to travel a long and difficult road before they could accomplish great things for His kingdom.

The same will be true for Bilbo.

Character Profile: Elrond

If any Tolkien character were to receive the award for “Best Introduction,” it would be Elrond Half-Elven. The narrator describes him as an amalgam of the best traits found in elf-lords, warriors, wizards, kings of the dwarves—and he’s “as kind as summer.”[2] Not bad!

To shed some more light on Elrond, I’ll briefly explain his history in Tolkien’s larger world, then add some insights about his role in The Hobbit.

WHO IS ELROND?

The reason Tolkien gives Elrond such sublime description has to do with his extensive and complicated lineage.

To get a handle on Elrond’s parentage, we need to start with his father, Eärendil. As I mentioned in “A Short History of Middle-Earth,” Eärendil was the son of a human father, Tuor, and an elf mother, Idril. Tuor was one of the mightiest warriors ever seen in Middle-earth; Idril was a princess in Gondolin, fairest of the elf kingdoms established in Middle-earth.

Elrond could trace his roots to both the high elves of the West and one of the lords of humankind—and that’s just on his father’s side.

Elrond’s mother, Elwing, was a descendant of Beren and Luthién—another marriage between man and elf. Beren also was a mighty warrior, and Luthién was “the most beautiful of all the Children of Ilúvatar.”[3] Together, Beren and Luthién broke through the gates of Angband and stole a Silmaril from the iron crown of Melkor. (Eärendil carried this same Silmaril when he sailed west to seek the Valar’s help against Melkor.)

And that’s not all.

Luthién was the daughter of Thingol and Melian, another mixed marriage—although this time not between elf and man. Thingol was an elf, but Melian was a Maiar. Like Gandalf, she was an immortal being who took part in the creation of the world and committed to serving in it as a steward.

Thus, Elrond is a descendant of elves, men, and the world’s angelic stewards. In many ways, he represents a combination (and a distillation) of the best Middle-earth has to offer.

At the end of the first age, the children of Eärendil and Elwing were given a choice by the Valar: they could be counted among the kindred either of elves or of men, but not both. Elrond’s brother, Elros, chose to be counted among men, and he was the first king of the Númenórians. Elrond chose to be counted among the elves, and he lived in Middle-earth. Not surprisingly, he was a major player in the events that unfolded there in his lifetime.

Elrond was the herald of Gil-Galad, one of the Noldor and the last king of the elves in Middle-earth. In that role, Elrond took part in the wars against Sauron. He helped form the last alliance between elves and men, and he was present when Isildur slashed the Ruling Ring from Sauron’s finger.

Afterward, Elrond maintained a strong bond with the remnants of the Númenórians in Gondor. He gave shelter and council to the descendents of Isildur, Gondor’s rightful rulers, even to the point of serving as a foster parent to Aragorn after his father died.

Elrond was a leading member of the White Council that tracked Sauron’s movements after the Shadow began creeping back into the world, and it was Elrond who called the council that would determine that Frodo should take the One Ring to Mordor and destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom.

When Elrond (accompanied by Bilbo and Frodo) left Middle-earth to sail into the West at the end of The Lord of the Rings, he was more than six thousand years old. In every way, he represented the best of the forces of good in Middle-earth and beyond.

WHAT IS ELROND’s ROLE IN THIS SEGMENT OF THE STORY?

As with Gandalf, Elrond takes on a more subdued role in The Hobbit.

On a practical level, he provides Thorin and Company much-needed rest after their first burst of adventure in the wild. His finding the moon-letters on Thorin’s map proves vital once the travelers reach the Lonely Mountain.

But the main reasons for Elrond’s inclusion in the story are more subtle: (1) He provides a connection to the larger history of Middle-earth, and (2) he represents a compelling contrast to Bilbo.

First, Elrond is a living legend, and his presence within The Hobbit serves to connect Bilbo’s story with the larger mythology Tolkien always had in mind—and to forge a connection between Bilbo’s adventure and the world’s larger conflict between good and evil.

Indeed, the narrator links Elrond with the struggles of the Valar against Melkor before the planting of the Two Trees of Valinor, which began the keeping of Time. Elrond was also part of the thousands of years of conflict between the high elves and the servants of Melkor. And the fact that Elrond has both elves and heroes of the North for ancestors stirs up echoes of Tuor, Eärendil, Elwing, Beren, Luthién, and many others.

Elrond yields another historical link when he reveals the history of the swords Gandalf and Thorin took from the trolls. They came from Gondolin, which someone connected to Middle-earth’s history would automatically associate with sorrow and loss. Gondolin was the fairest kingdom of the elves in Middle-earth—until it was destroyed by Melkor’s creatures through a jealous elf’s treachery.

In The Hobbit, Gandalf and Thorin (and later, Bilbo), carrying blades made during the height of Gondolin’s power, forge connections across time in highlighting the struggle of good against evil.

One more fascinating piece of information about Gondolin’s fall: This was the first narrative element Tolkien wrote in his larger mythology. He was twenty-three at the time and in a military hospital after the Battle of the Somme. Originally called “Tuor and the Exiles of Gondolin,” this story reflected his own personal experiences with the ongoing struggle between good and evil.[4]

SHAMING THE WISE

The second reason for Elrond’s inclusion—providing a point of contrast with Bilbo—emphasizes that Providence often chooses to work through weakness rather than strength.

After all, wouldn’t Elrond have made an amazing protagonist on the basis of his lineage and past accomplishments? He is a bona fide hero—an immortal being filled with power and wisdom who millennium after millennium has opposed the forces of evil.

Wouldn’t it have made more sense for Tolkien to write The Half-Elven than The Hobbit?

But Tolkien chose a different path—a different hero. And he did so because he wanted his story to reflect a primary truth made clear in the Bible: God reveals His strength by working through the weakest of vessels.

Look at these words from Paul, for example:

Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

1 Corinthians 1:26–27

We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

2 Corinthians 4:7–9

Here’s what can be said of Bilbo at the end of chapter 3: He’s a weak vessel, a jar of clay. He is a non-heroic hobbit who, hopefully, is in the process of becoming the hero he was created to be. And he must progress in this transformation because he has been drafted into the most ancient of struggles. And more than drafted—he has a vital part to play.

It all really gets started in a tunnel under the Misty Mountains when nobody else is around to help.