Guide to The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit/Chapter 7

Queer Lodgings is the seventh chapter of J.R.R Tolkien's The Hobbit.

Plot

The Eagles drop the Company off at the Carrock. The Company arrives at Beorn's house, Gandalf recounts to him their adventures, and Beorn, no friend to wolves or Goblins, opens his home to them. They then travel to Mirkwood and send the ponies back, and Gandalf leaves them to attend to other matters. The Dwarves and Bilbo enter the forest.

Synopsis

In the morning, the eagles carry the Company to a large rock called the Carrock. Gandalf tells them he'll soon be leaving to attend "other matters" in the South. He takes them to see Beorn, a skin-changer who can change himself into a bear, and owns a vast property some distance away. Gandalf introduces himself and Bilbo to Beorn, who at first is not very friendly. He tells a suspenseful tale about how they killed the Great Goblin and escaped from the Goblins and Wargs, however, and Beorn grows more sympathetic. Gandalf introduces them, and Beorn invites the entire Company to stay for supper. He tells them stories of the dangerous forest of Mirkwood, which they must soon pass through. As they prepare for bed, Gandalf warns them not to go outside until morning. During the night, Bilbo hears growling outside and wonders whether it is Beorn in his bear form.

When Bilbo awakes the next morning, Gandalf is gone and does not return until evening. Evidence of a gathering of bears the night before had led Gandalf back to the woods, and he implies that Beorn has gone there, too. Beorn returns the next day, saying he has confirmed the tale Gandalf told about killing the Great Goblin, and that he himself killed a Goblin and a Warg the night before. He outfits the expedition for the journey through Mirkwood with ponies and supplies. He tells them not to drink or bathe in the enchanted stream in Mirkwood, to send his ponies back when they get to the forest, and, above all, not to stray from the path. He takes them to a little known forest road, and they begin their journey to Mirkwood.

Four days later, they reach the edge of Mirkwood, and Gandalf informs them he must leave and the ponies must be sent back to Beorn. With Gandalf gone, the Company enters the forest.

Analysis

Beron is a character with fantastical powers, notably the ability to transform into a bear. His life is in harmony with nature as he is a farmer and does not hunt. Beorn's attention to Gandalf's story is almost child-like way in attention, indicating a gentleness. At night as a bear, he kills Goblins and Wargs, indicating that he is different. He tells them that the power of darkness is so strong, they should not go out at night.

He also fulfills a practical suit aside from his idyllic nature: he gives supplies to the expdition.

At the end, with Gandalf's departure, it brings into question whether the group can achieve their goal.

Glossary

• furrier a fur dealer; one who makes, repairs, or cleans fur garments.
• conies rabbit furs.
• tippet a fur shoulder cape, often with hanging ends.
• muff a warm tubular covering for the hands.
• necromancer a magician, especially one who deals with the spirits of the dead.