Explain The Hobbit for me....

[QueHuong]

(Some possible spoilers ahead...)

Read the book twice. Perhaps I missed some important explanations both times, but what was the GOOD reason Dil...Bilbo Baggins was chosen to go loot the treasures from Smaug the dragon? I guess you can go the easy route and say The Ring has a will of its own, that it chose Bilbo to go get the treasures, and on the way, had him find The Ring. Blah, blah, blah. This explanation seems too tentative - people use it too often to explain ambuity in the Hobbit and LOTR.

From what I remember, Gandalf knocked on Bilbo's door - just seemed to pick him from out of the blue - and had him help the dwarves obtain the treasures from Smaug. But why did Gandalf choose Bilbo? Heck, why did he even choose a hobbit, or a companion to go on the quest with the dwarves?

 

[silverpig]

'Cause if he didn't, the Hobbit would have been one heck of a boring book...

 

[Anubis]

makes for a good story.

and because gandalf knida knows wwhat is gonna happen in teh future. justkinda setting things in motion. also dwarfs are pussys

 

[SnapIT]

Originally posted by: TheEvil1
makes for a good story.

and because gandalf knida knows wwhat is gonna happen in teh future. justkinda setting things in motion. also dwarfs are pussys

dwarfs are not pussys, pussy is nice... mmmmmmm

 

[QueHuong]

and because gandalf knida knows wwhat is gonna happen in teh future.

Thanks for replying, but that reason is just as generic as the One Ring having a will of its own. And Gandalf didn't even know Bilbo had Sauron's ring until after his birthday part at the beginning of FotR, so he couldn't have chosen for the Smaug trip so he could find the ring.

 

[UglyCasanova]

I thought he was just meant to go on an adventure for the sake of going on an adventure.

 

[Anubis]

actually if you read te books closley gandalf know bilbo found one of the magic rings when he was lost in gollums place. he just dosent know exactly which one is is. he does suspect it is "The One Ring" tho

 

[Swag1138]

Gandalf sets things in motion. He knew that Bilbo would be the best choice to help the Dwarves, and so Bilbo was pretty much forced to do it.

 

[wolf papa]

I think Bilbo was the 14th member of the party, the other members wanted to avoid the unluckiness of the number thirteen. If I remember right, Bilbo alludes to this in his riddling with Smaug.

I always assumed that on one of his earlier trips to the Shire, Gandalf saw something in Bilbo that Bilbo didn't even know.

 

[QueHuong]

I think Bilbo was the 14th member of the party, the other members wanted to avoid the unluckiness of the number thirteen. If I remember right, Bilbo alludes to this in his riddling with Smaug.

I always assumed that on one of his earlier trips to the Shire, Gandalf saw something in Bilbo that Bilbo didn't even know.

I'm vaguely recalling those two points being mentioned in the book. Either that or your answer implanted those false memories...but I like your answer anyhow.

 

[ElFenix]

its about 14 short guys on a journey. together. without women. for a long time.

 

[djheater]

IIRC, and I'm certain to be corrected if I don't, The Hobbit started out as a story Tolkien told his son to get him to go to sleep. Eventually he wrote it into a book and that was the end of it. Then he got a little obsessed with the world he created and produced an epic tale within it. He didn't want to leave The Hobbit out of it so had to slightly alter the Gollum/ring sequence to make it all work.

In the original version of The Hobbit the ring is just a magic ring and not a ring of power. In the rewrite it is the one ring.

The machinery to fit the two stories together is not really very soud if examined to closely.

 

[yakko]

One of the reasons that Olorin was sent to Middle Earth with the other 4 Istari is to set the forces of good against Gorthaur to overthrow him.

 

[PowerEngineer]

exactly so, djheater. The Hobbit was his initial foray into Middle Earth, with the Lord of the Rings being one heck of a sequel. My recollection of the Hobbit is that Gandalf suspects that Bilbo has some magic ring, but it's never intimated that it's a particularly important ring. That only comes to light at the beginning of LOTR.

 

[djheater]

Originally posted by: yakko
One of the reasons that Olorin was sent to Middle Earth with the other 4 Istari is to set the forces of good against Gorthaur to overthrow him.

People who have read the Silmarillion should be banned from all LOTR threads becasue they just make it more confusing for those of us who haven't

 

[Adrian Tung]

I'm just wondering... if Tolkien ever wrote The Hobbit differently and had Gandalf knock in some other poor schmuck's home (say, just for the sake of an example, Billido Muggins)....

I wonder if someone else is going to start a post on why Billido Muggins was chosen to go loot treasures instead?


atwl

 

[yakko]

Originally posted by: djheater

Originally posted by: yakko
One of the reasons that Olorin was sent to Middle Earth with the other 4 Istari is to set the forces of good against Gorthaur to overthrow him.

People who have read the Silmarillion should be banned from all LOTR threads becasue they just make it more confusing for those of us who haven't

MUWAHAHAHAHA!!!! I also have a copy of The Complete Guide to Middle Earth for faster reference.

 

[A5]

Originally posted by: MindStorm

and because gandalf knida knows wwhat is gonna happen in teh future.

Thanks for replying, but that reason is just as generic as the One Ring having a will of its own. And Gandalf didn't even know Bilbo had Sauron's ring until after his birthday part at the beginning of FotR, so he couldn't have chosen for the Smaug trip so he could find the ring.

The Ring didn't want to be found by Bilbo; it was trying to get to something that it could corrupt into putting it on so the wraiths could find it. (aka: not another Hobbit)

 

[vtqanh]

Originally posted by: A5

Originally posted by: MindStorm

and because gandalf knida knows wwhat is gonna happen in teh future.

Thanks for replying, but that reason is just as generic as the One Ring having a will of its own. And Gandalf didn't even know Bilbo had Sauron's ring until after his birthday part at the beginning of FotR, so he couldn't have chosen for the Smaug trip so he could find the ring.

The Ring didn't want to be found by Bilbo; it was trying to get to something that it could corrupt into putting it on so the wraiths could find it. (aka: not another Hobbit)

I don't think the Ring chooses its host. it's just by chances. However, the ring always wants to be found by the wraith, that's why it always try to tempt the host to put it on...