The Deep and Humorous Riches of The Quest of Erebor
- Miriam Ellis
- Jun 21
- 4 min read
J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit may be the perfect fairytale. It's a little glade of all the best wildflowers amid an ancient wood of such tales, and it can be enjoyed as-is, as a stand-alone adventure with one of the Little Folk, and dwarves, and elves, and a wizard, and a dragon, and varied beasts, and gorgeous treasures, and just the right sprinkling of magic.
But when we go a little beneath the surface of Tolkien's charming flowers, down into the mulch where the backstory of The Hobbit lives, we're rewarded with both priceless humor and depth of the finest kind. Depth that connects this book to the greater lore and gives us some of our most treasured insights into the experience of being Gandalf in Middle-earth.
"The Quest of Erebor" in Unfinished Tales, taken in conjunction with the entry on Durin's Folk in Appendix A to The Lord of The Rings, ranks very highly on my own list of favorite Tolkien writings, and I wanted to celebrate this with my newest painting, "The Quest of Erebor Begins Near Bree." Here are Gandalf and Thorin Oakenshield striking out west from that busy town to set so many events in motion.
Extremely Funny
As a lover of hobbits, I cherish the above resources for the hints they give about Bilbo's character. We get to hear about Gandalf's fondness for him as a lad. We learn of Bilbo talking to dwarves and hoping to meet elves during their New Year. We're treated to Gandalf's disappointment in grown-up Bilbo, who has become utterly respectable. We also receive valuable insights into material culture in the Shire, learning that Bilbo owns objects made out of gold and has silver and crystal at table. Even these few details enrich our knowledge of Middle-earth in the Third Age.
But then, there is also the humor. The grousing of the dwarves during Gandalf's visit to their home in the Blue Mountains is characteristically prickly, and their offhand manner of entirely dismissing everyone in the Shire well deserves Gandalf's barbed rebuke,
"I wish you would not always speak so confidently without knowledge."
We're allowed to see just how "fatuous" the dwarves think Bilbo. Thorin, in fact, considers him so absurd that he thinks that Gandalf is playing an elaborate joke on him. And, perhaps the most comedic element of these materials is their origin as written texts.
"The story would've sounded rather different, if I had written it," says Gandalf, because he is telling all this to Bilbo's heir, Frodo, and Gloin's son, Gimli. The wizard isn't pulling any punches in describing the silliness and pomposity of their kinsfolk. Sitting in peace in Minas Tirith shortly after the coronation of King Elessar, Gandalf allows himself the luxury of a little chuckle over old friends, and Frodo writes it all down for posterity. We readers gain much in our understanding of the original hobbit and the thirteen dwarves.
Profoundly Informative
Further, these passages contain critical insights into the experiences of Olórin the Maia in his final years in Middle-earth.
We see him being guided by very mysterious internal promptings in his choice of Bilbo for the adventure, and we also witness him declaring he is acting from foresight in his terse exchange with the Blue Mountain dwarves. He utters a prophecy that their quest will fail unless the hobbit is included.
These are fascinating scenes for any reader who wonders how the Grey Pilgrim thinks and acts in his wanderings, so far from Valinor. He comes across as both a sub-created divinity and an original, relatable "person" in the account he shares with his companions in Gondor once the War of the Ring has been won.
His revelations about his motives for getting mixed up with the Erebor adventure provide essential context. Gandalf is worried that the Enemy will league with Smaug, that the Golden Wood and Rivendell will be attacked, and that the West may fall under domination. He needs the dragon to be taken out of the picture for the safety of everyone. Had Smaug not been defeated, Gandalf remarks to his friends at Minas Tirith,
"We might now only hope to return from the victory here to ruin and ash. But that has been averted - because I met Thorin Oakenshield on the edge of spring not far from Bree. A chance meeting, as we say in Middle-earth."
Explorers of the full lore know that this is no chance-meeting at all, but a part of the workings of Tolkien's sub-created divinity. The delightful fairytale of The Hobbit thus becomes set like a jewel amongst the great deeds of the larger legendarium. I am so thankful that these writings exist.
How I Resolved the Bree Conundrum
In the background of this latest painting, you can see what I hope is an enjoyable view of Bree, carefully based on Professor Tolkien's own map sketch. You can see the smials of the Little Folk above the houses of the Big Folk. The portentous Prancing Pony Inn is there, modeled on The Bell - my nod to local tradition that it might have been Tolkien's inspiration for Barliman Butterbur's establishment. My lynch gate is low enough for the gatekeeper to see over it, as described in The Fellowship of the Ring, and the great dike around the hill is filled with water from spring rains. You can even glimpse the lovely Chetwood beyond Bree Hill.
The painting of this scene presented an interesting challenge. Though "The Quest of Erebor" and Appendix A agree on most points, there is a variance I had to attempt to resolve. The former source gives us Gandalf being overtaken on the Road by Thorin as he nears Bree. The latter depicts them staying at the Inn. Faced with these different versions, I chose to depict them setting out west from the town together, as this is what they do once they have joined up. Long shadows stretch out before their feet upon the Road, suggesting all that will come of this "chance" partnership.
Tolkien's Middle-earth is so compelling that even the briefest of additional details outside the main stories can add layers and layers of revelation to our understanding. I hope you'll take a moment to celebrate "The Quest of Erebor" with me via a rare glimpse of this foundational scene in this video short:
