The Quest of Erebor

The Quest of Erebor

"The Quest of Erebor" is a work of fantasy fiction by J. R. R. Tolkien, posthumously published by his son Christopher Tolkien in "Unfinished Tales" (1980). This work explains how and why Gandalf arranged for the retaking of the Lonely Mountain ("Erebor" in Sindarin), an adventure recounted from the perspective of Bilbo Baggins many years before in Tolkien's "The Hobbit".

The term "Quest of Erebor" can also refer to the quest told in "The Hobbit". For more on the quest itself, see the synopsis in the main article on "The Hobbit".

History

"The Quest of Erebor" was originally written in the 1950s to be a part of "The Lord of the Rings" Appendices but Tolkien decided not to include it due to space limitations, and only a very abridged version of the tale occurred in Appendix A, III Durin's Folk. Though none of the original manuscripts were dated, it can be deduced that the story was written no earlier than September 29, 1953 — the date Tolkien first received page proofs for "The Fellowship of the Ring". A note in the earliest known draft referenced a page number in "Fellowship".

There are multiple manuscripts extant of the work. The first published form of the story appeared in "Unfinished Tales" (1980), compiled by Tolkien's son Christopher. At the end of this version, Christopher included extracts from an earlier and longer manuscript, which was later published in its entirety in "The Annotated Hobbit". The earliest known draft was later found and published in "The Peoples of Middle-earth" (1996) as part of the history of Appendix A's development.

ynopsis

"The Quest of Erebor" is written in the first person, from the perspective of Frodo Baggins. However, nearly all the text consists of narration by Gandalf, who was telling the story at the request of Frodo in Minas Tirith after the coronation of King Elessar.

Gandalf knew that Smaug the Dragon could pose a serious threat if used by Sauron, then dwelling in Dol Guldur in Mirkwood. He was thinking about the matter when he met Thorin Oakenshield at Bree. Thorin also was concerned about Smaug, but had the different motive of revenge and the reclaiming of the Dwarves' treasure in the Lonely Mountain. Gandalf agreed to help Thorin.

Gandalf thought Bilbo, an unlikely choice, to be a suitable companion of Thorin and his Dwarves for a number of reasons. First, he had observed that Bilbo took an interest in the world at large, and was thus adventurous. Another reason is that Smaug would not recognize the scent of a Hobbit, advantageous to a stealthy operation. Thorin also did not think highly of Hobbits, and putting Bilbo in the expedition might prevent the proud Thorin from rash actions—such as openly challenging Smaug.

It was Thorin's objections to Bilbo that Gandalf found most difficult to overcome. Thorin believed that Bilbo was incapable of helping their adventure and that Gandalf might be simply meddling in his affairs for his own reasons. After much debate, Gandalf convinced Thorin (by slight misunderstandings on Thorin's part, which Gandalf allowed to stand) that Bilbo would be a worthy member.

References

*cite book |last=Tolkien |first=J. R. R. |coauthors=Douglas A. Anderson |title=The Annotated Hobbit: Revised and Expanded Edition |year=2002 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |location=New York |id= ISBN 0-618-13470-0


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Quest of Erebor — In J. R. R. Tolkien s Middle earth fiction, Quest of Erebor can refer to:* The events described in The Hobbit * The Quest of Erebor , a story by Tolkien on Gandalf s dealings leading up to the quest …   Wikipedia

  • Quest of Erebor —    The quest to recover the Lonely Mountain.    The quest of Thorin II Oakenshield and his followers to reclaim Erebor from the Dragon Smaug, accompanied by Bilbo Baggins and, for part of the quest, Gandalf. The quest was successful, but Thorin… …   J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth glossary

  • The Hobbit — ] the narrative voice contributes significantly to the success of the novel, and the story is, therefore, often read aloud. [cite web |url=http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/The Hobbit Critical Essays Major Themes.id 171,pageNum 68.html… …   Wikipedia

  • The Hobbit (2003 video game) — Infobox VG |title = The Hobbit developer = Inevitable Entertainment publisher = Vivendi Universal designer = Sierra Entertainment engine = version = released = 2003 genre = Platform, Adventure modes = 1 Player ratings = E for Everyone platforms …   Wikipedia

  • The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game — Players 2+ Setup time < 10 minutes Playing time ≈1 hour per 500 points of miniatures (approx.) Random chance Medium High …   Wikipedia

  • The Lord Of The Rings — Le Seigneur des anneaux Pour les articles homonymes, voir Le Seigneur des anneaux (homonymie). Le Seigneur des anneaux Auteur J. R. R. Tolkien Genre fantasy …   Wikipédia en Français

  • The Lord of the Rings — Le Seigneur des anneaux Pour les articles homonymes, voir Le Seigneur des anneaux (homonymie). Le Seigneur des anneaux Auteur J. R. R. Tolkien Genre fantasy …   Wikipédia en Français

  • The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II — Developer(s) EA Los Angeles Publisher(s) …   Wikipedia

  • English-language editions of The Hobbit — This list contains only complete, printed English language editions of The Hobbit . It is not for derived or unprinted works such as screenplays, graphic novels, or audio books.Criteria for separate editionsFor this list, a printing is a separate …   Wikipedia

  • War of the Ring —    The decisive conflict at the end of the Third Age.    The great conflict at the end of the Third Age, named for the One Ring and the importance this had in the final outcome. The war was fought between the Free (a loose alliance of Elves and… …   J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth glossary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”