Riddles in the Dark
How riddles and song enrich the medieval flavor of Middle-Earth.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: I wanted to share with you another series of refurbished lecturettes from old and/or defunct classes. This is the first of a cluster of lecturettes from a course I taught waayyyyy back in 2004 at DU, called “Hobbits and Heroes.” Now this class was all online, way back in 2004, so it was held just barely after the Jackson Return of the King movie came out in theatres. This class was for graduate level students in literature and writing, and was designed as a literature overview. We began the 10-week course by looking at old Norse myth, stories of the Finnish god Vainamoinen, and a bunch of old-school tales from both the romantic troubadour tradition, and Irish and Scottish tales of faerie. Then we spent one week per book in the series, beginning with The Hobbit, and then moving on through the LOTR trilogy. We didn’t read The Silmarillion, but I did mention it and go over a little of what was in it during our last week of class. I then re-posted these lecturettes unchanged on my blog a decade later, in summer and fall of 2014. These re-reposted versions have been tinkered with slightly, but I haven’t changed them much—it’s nice to kind of have them as little fossils of my nerdings-out as they became award-winning examples of early online learning.
This was a lecture during the early weeks of the Hobbits & Heroes class, so the students had read the bunch of old stuff I mentioned above, and had also gotten through The Hobbit. So, this will probably be more enjoyable a read for ya if you’ve at least read the book. Also keep in mind that these are called “lecturettes” for a reason–I will not have covered every detail of each concept I bring up the way I would in a full lecture or in an essay. The idea is: this would have functioned as a seed for other projects and discussions that would surround it. Do I have access to those other course materials? Heck no; I have no idea where I’d begin to search for those. So anyway, here:
Riddles in the Dark
2004 Hobbits & Heroes
“Go back?” he thought. “No good at all! Go sideways? Impossible! Go forward? Only thing to do! On we go!”
Poetry and song is an important part of the vividness of Tolkien’s Middle-earth. All cultures sing songs of their people, which is a large part of our understanding of them through the action of the story. For example, the pivotal character of Arwen Evenstar is barely seen in the trilogy, yet from what we hear of her and through the songs of the Elves, we understand Aragorn’s love.
Poetry takes the form of riddles throughout the LOTR prelude, The Hobbit. From old traditions of metaphorical introduction and naming (most specifically from old Norse and Celtic tradition), and the “trash-talk” poetry that would erupt as an essential beginning to every battle, comes riddle-form talk as proper decorum in The Hobbit.
The Sacred Diss Track: examples
Gollum suggests the riddle-game in Chapter 5 as a way to get to know Bilbo, to decide whether he is good to eat, and whether or not he is really hungry. When Bilbo cheats at the game, even a slimy, uncouth character like Gollum, who has been out of civilized society for centuries, is mortified. Evil beasts and good creatures alike understand the Riddle Game’s rules as sacred, untouchable.
The goblins have proper old-world combat etiquette—when they and the wargs have our heroes trapped up in the trees, they create a metaphorical song to mock them:
Fifteen birds in five fir trees,
Their feathers were fanned in a fiery breeze!
But, funny little birds, they had no wings!
Oh, what shall we do with the funny little things?
Roast ‘em alive, or stew them in a pot;
Fry them, boil them, and eat them hot?
To which Gandalf replies, “Go away! little boys!” continuing the game the goblins started, threatening them in turn: “Naughty little boys that play with fire get punished.” This is an ancient form of battle: using poetry as much for fighting as physical combat—a word-one-upmanship. This old tradition continues today, in every rap album’s “diss track,” where the artist will praise himself while trash-talking his rival combatant. Funny that the goblins chose this particular metaphor, as it’s birds who end up saving the party.
Gandalf’s visit to Beorn takes on the form of utmost old-time politeness. Beorn is an ancient, magical, and mysterious figure, and definitely dangerous. He’s not part of any good guys or bad guys, not any faction, so the only way, Gandalf knows, he’d possibly allow all the dwarves into his home is if they are presented in the correct manner. So Gandalf stages a great riddle—the dwarves come up in pairs, and every time the number of adventurers in Gandalf’s story doesn’t match those standing in front of him, Beorn is forced to guess the riddle.
When Smaug asks Bilbo who he is, Bilbo responds in riddle form. In fact, Smaug guesses in part where Bilbo comes from using the metaphors he gives him. Barrel-rider is obviously significant to Lake-Town, which is what causes him to attack there first. We find that “this of course is the way to talk to dragons,” and that “no dragon can resist the fascination of riddling talk and of wasting time trying to understand it.” Between Beorn and Smaug, it’s plain that in order to talk to big powerful ancient and magical beings and come out unscathed, one must talk in riddles.
How many more situations in The Hobbit (besides Chapter 5) are also Riddles in the Dark?
Oh yeah, no that wasn't The Hobbit; it was the equally so-bad-it’s-good Lord of the Rings animated movie that had this incredible orc song:
Now that I recall, the class actually went:
Week 1: intro materials/ context /inspirations & background
Weeks 2&3: Hobbit
Weeks 4&5: Fellowship
Weeks 6&7: Two Towers
Weeks 8&9: Return
Week 10: summary & more on Tolkien’s languages
My lecturettes would have landed on weeks 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, & 10 which I think we find here as I’ve reshaped them. I think the only missing lecturette is the Week 1 one.