The Brandybucks' Strange Private Entrance into the Old Forest

Shire gossip (quite incorrect) holds that the Tooks are a bit peculiar because an ancestor of the clan wed a fairy wife, but what can we say about the Brandybucks, who delve their own private entrance under the High Hay into the Old Forest so that they can go into the weird wood, even at night! Merry reveals that his family does this "when the fits takes them." The fit? We are about as far as we can get here from Bilbo being afraid an adventure may make him late for dinner.

Tolkien wrote that the personal names he gave the Brandybucks were suggestive of old Celtic heroes, and they are certainly living up to this by constructing a liminal space between Buckland and the eerie forest that once attacked the Hedge. Irish people call such thresholds "thin places" and some believe that they can access mystical experiences by visiting them. We are in strange territory on this misty September morn here at the outset of the quest, and no wonder Professor Tolkien strenuously objected to the Disneyfication of such tales on such mysterious subjects.

Hobbits: in or out of Fäerie?

It's too easy to oversimply hobbits as cozy little dears. They do have that side to them, and it's wonderful. But they also have other characteristics that raise the large question of whether they are a part of Fäerie, or apart from it? On the one hand, they can be so stolid and staid. They are a touchstone of what is common, normal, and relatable throughout J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

On the other, some of them take fits, clear cut encroaching trees with their little axes and burn them in a great bonfire! Having spent all of 2025 painting my way deep into hobbit life and lore, my respect for their complexity has grown, and I remain utterly fascinated by them.

The fact that the Brandybucks build this gateway into the Old Forest seems like a clue to me about their position inside or outside of Fäerie. I believe they are a part of it, but that they also sometimes feel the urge to get deeper into the enchantments of Middle-earth for the sake of pondering them, and, on rare occasion, for adventure. I have a feeling that if you could live along the Brandywine River for a year at Buck Hill or in one of its delightful guest houses, you would be continuously surprised by the new things you would learn about hobbitry. What do you think?

Is this scene the real start of the Fellowship?

This is an open question, and one I've enjoyed asking fellow readers and patrons. It seems like a definite transition, coming through the tunnel on Merry's trusty ponies, coming out into the dell below the floor of the Old Forest, and hearing him announce, "You have left the Shire." We've really left Crickhollow and roast mushrooms and postal services and birthday parties behind.

Some readers think this scene is the real start of the fellowship. Others place it when Frodo, Sam, and Pippin depart Bag End, or when the conspiracy to help poor Frodo is unmasked in the Crickhollow kitchen. There is no right or wrong answer to this. I've personally come to think of this scene as the beginning of the great Bombadil cycle, which has been left out of so many adaptations, but which I absolutely love and have been working to fully illustrate over the past few years.

I find it stirring to see the brave little hobbits setting out on their worrisome quest with such determination and I am consoled by the sight of their devoted friendship. Frodo has such loving cousins and such a faithful gardener! They make this moment bearable, and they will continue to brighten and encourage Frodo's journey mile after mile, month after month from here on out. I hope will enjoy this important moment on the Road, and take interest in contemplating the unusual qualities of the Brandybucks and all hobbits: