Resilient Seeker Coaching | Ross Raymond Nunamaker

Book 1, Chapter II, The Shadow of the Past

Third Age (From Appendix B)

• 3001: Bilbo’s Farewell Feast, Frodo’s Coming of Age 33
• 3002: Bilbo Becomes a Guest of Elrond, Lives in Rivendell
• 3004: Gandalf Returns to the Shire
• 3008: Gandalf’s Last Visit to Frodo in the Shire
• 3009: Gandalf and Aragorn Hunt for Gollum, Gollum is Captured in Mordor
• 3017: Gollum is Released from Mordor, Captured by Aragorn, and Taken to Mirkwood
• 3018, April: Gandalf Reaches Hobbiton

Bilbo’s second disappearance resulted in the townsfolk mostly laying blame on Gandalf, however, they also thought Bilbo to have at last gone quite mad and run off into the Blue. They imagined that he came to a tragic end.

Frodo continued to honor Bilbo’s birthday, and people found it to be odd, but after several years they got used to it. He believed Bilbo to still be alive, and if anyone asked him where he was, Frodo would shrug his shoulders.

Like Bilbo, Frodo also did not appear to age and by the time he was approaching 50 they began to think it queer, not lucky. He himself began to feel restless at this time. He studied maps, but the borders of the Shire were white space. He began walking further and further away, often by himself.

Rumor of strange happenings began. There were more and more Dwarves passing through the Shire. It was said that there was a power growing in Mordor that had been cast out of Mirkwood by the White Council.

It was early April of 3018 and after over nine years Gandalf had returned to see Frodo in the Shire. He had arrived in the evening. Frodo asked all manner of questions and they stayed up late into the evening. Gandalf told Frodo that his Ring was more dangerous and powerful than he had imagined. He toldl of the Great Rings, the Rings of Power.

Frodo learned about the Ring and its impact on its wearer, what he learned of how Gollum acquired the Ring, of Saruman’s desire for it, and the fact that Gandalf had learned much since his last visit about the Ring.

The Ring was tossed into the fire and Gandalf told Frodo to take it. He did and the Ring was cool and heavy. Frodo saw thin lines in the Ring. Gandalf told Frodo in the Common Speech what the Ring had written on it and that it was from a longer poem which he recited.

When told this was the One Ring. Frodo was bewildered and replied, “How, how on earth did it come to me?” Gandalf went on to tell Frodo what he needed to know about the Ring and explained that Sauron thought the Ring had been lost or destroyed, but now knew that was not the case and he would do anything to acquire it.

Gandalf explains how Isildur came to have the Ring and lost it in the Anduin only to be found by a Hobbit like creature called Smeagal, who killed his friend Deagal to obtain it. He went under the mountain and became known as Gollum, the same who met up with Bilbo.

He then told how Gollum knew Bilbo’s name, as he gave it to him, and that he knew where he was from, the Shire, due to the open talk of the events of the Battle of the Five Armies. He explained to Frodo that force was used to get information from Gollum, but he feared something more powerful than Gandalf and shared little. He had been to Mordor and was captured.

The Dark Lord will know the Shire and Baggins.

When the two are done talking, Frodo realized it remained sunny outside. It was quiet and peaceful. It was then that Gandalf found Sam outside the window and pulled him in. After a light ‘interrogation’ and following Sam’s pleading, Gandalf told him that his punishment would be to join Frodo, to which he was very excited to see elves.

My Take

This chapter gives the reader a lot of history into the Ring, its creation, and how it got from its Maker to Frodo. What I found most interesting though, was Frodo’s inner need to explore and go beyond the Shire as he approached 50, the same age when Bilbo had run off with the Dwarves without his handkerchief.

It was revealed that the maps Frodo has of the Shire are only of the Shire. It is surrounded by white space only. The extent of outside knowledge of their world is Bree, where there are Men and Hobbits, and from travellers who pass through the Shire, but via byways in the Shire but not through the towns of the Shire themselves.

In many ways, prior to Bilbo’s leaving the Shire was safe from the outside world, because it was hidden and separated from it. As we will learn, the Ents had no conception of what a Hobbit was and Merry is surprised to learn that King Theoden has any knowledge of Hobbits, but noted that his people came a long time ago from the North.

I’ve always considered the Shire the ‘safe place’ and the white space of the maps Frodo had as the ‘Perilous Realm’. The more the Hobbits interact with it, the more it will interact with them.

Altogether, a great background story chapter to set the reader up for the journey ahead with just enough light-heartedness thanks to Sam’s eavesdropping to end the chapter.

Hammond and Scull: The Lord of the Rings: A Reader’s Companion

They note that Frodo was born in Shire Record (S.R.) 1368, Folco, who plays a very small role in the story, in 1378, Fredegar “Fatty” Bolger in 1380, Samwise Gamgee in 1380, Merry in 1382, and Pippin in 1390. This points out that Frodo is 12 years older than Sam, 14 than Merry, and 22 years older than Pippin.

These age discrepancies tend to get lost in the books and movies alike.

From the Return of the Shadow

According to The Return of the Shadow, the names were changing as the drafts were made. Odo, Frodo, Drogo, Marmaduke, and Bingo were all used. Bingo will eventually become Frodo.

Instead of a dark rider encountering the hobbits on the road it was at first Gandalf. This was determined to be dropped rather quickly but the incident remained reasonably similar.

The fox made an early version and clearly was never removed nor his purpose ever revealed. Then again, at this point it was still a children’s story and sequel to the Hobbit.

In this version, the black rider first appeared early last spring and approached then named Frodo on the North Moor on the edge of the Shire and had asked if he knew where Hobbiton was or any folk named Baggins. It is brought up because description of the rider they encounter after Gandalf is removed fits the description.

The second encounter soon followed by the arrival elves is in place as well. However it is described as the third when they talk to Gildor.