Saturday, Day 12, was my first day
on the path. The weather was hot and humid again, and I relished in the shade
the trees gave. I was alone on my path and thoroughly enjoyed the silence.
Halfway through my walk I came across a large patch of wineberries lining the
path. Wineberries are an oriental variety of raspberries. After they were
introduced to North America, they escaped cultivation to take to the wild.
Wineberries are an invasive species, but that’s good for me, more berries! Of
course, I stopped immediately to pick and stuff my face full of as many berries
as were ripe. After helping myself to a generous meal of wineberries, I spent
another 30 minutes harvesting berries and stuffing them in my pack for later.
Living off the land is something the hobbits would have been well accustomed to
and I am always happy to find naturally ripe fruit.
On Sunday, Day 13, I returned to the
same forest path. This time, however, I came with wineberries in my pack in an
attempt avoid getting too distracted by the berry bushes. All together I walked
5.96 miles (9.6 km) on Saturday and 20.28 miles (32.6 km) on Sunday. Walking
over 20 miles in one day was a challenge, but since the hobbits often walked
over 20 miles, it was a feat I wanted to accomplish. Honestly, I don’t know how
the hobbits managed to walk that much day after day. By the 15th
mile I was feeling awful. My shoulders ached from the backpack, my legs were
chafing something awful, and my feet were blistered. By the 20th
mile I was ready to crawl back into bed and not move for a week.
At this point in their journey, the
hobbits have left the Shire and tramped through the Old Forest. In The Lord of the Rings the Old Forest holds some significance, and
certainly an important significance in the history of Middle Earth. The occurrence
of the Old Forest is the first real sign of trees being wild, and will set the
stage for later jaunts through Fangorn and the battle of Helms Deep.
As the hobbits wind their way
through the forest, the reader learns of a unique history. Sometime in the
history of Buckland, the trees of the Old Forest moved themselves up to the
hedge separating the forest from Buckland. These trees, for all intents and
purposes, were trying to invade Buckland. The hobbits of Buckland burnt and cut
back the tree line, eventually burning many trees in what would come to be
known as the Bonfire Glade. To the day that Frodo and company rode through the
forest, the Bonfire Glade was still devoid of any trees.
All around the hobbits, the trees
give a foreboding air. Merry, who has been in the forest several times prior, comments
about how the forest can be unsettling: “But the Forest is queer. Everything in it is very much more alive, more aware of
what is going on, so to speak, than things are in the Shire.” (Chapter 6, The
Fellowship of the Ring) Much later in the tale, Merry and Pippin would hear
from an Ent in Fangorn Forest about the disappearance of Entwives. I have often
wondered if these trees in the Old Forest were the spirits that the Ents
nurtured, or if they were connected to the Entwives long since vanished from knowledge
in Middle Earth.
Towards the end of their day in the
Old Forest, the hobbits would find that the trees were much more alive than
they bargained for. Old Man Willow, a slightly gnarly tree on the banks of the
Withywindle River, would attempt to drown Frodo and would hold Pippin hostage.
It was quite miraculous for the hobbits that Tom Bombadil, a queer fellow with
bright yellow boots and a bright blue jacket, should be in the area to rescue
them.
Tom Bombadil has long been
considered the most messianic figure in Tolkien’s masterpiece. Seemingly as old
as time itself, and with a great deal of wisdom to boot, Bombadil is even above
the influence of the ring Frodo carries. Tom is not fooled by the rings tricks
and can clearly see Frodo even with the ring on (for those who don’t know, the
ring renders it’s wearer invisible to all living souls).
There is much to be said concerning
Tom Bombadil, but that is better left to longer papers and deeper thoughts. For
now it is enough to know that the hobbits are safe in the comfort of the world
of Tom Bombadil. No black riders, perilous rings, or rogue trees seem to be
able to bother the hobbits while in the company of merry Tom Bombadil and his
wife, the River-daughter Goldberry. Though worry over the journey to come is
certainly prevalent for Frodo, Tom Bombadil’s house represents one of the few
places in Middle Earth that is truly safe.
The Shire is behind and the world is
ahead!
~Daisy Buttons
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