The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum


Visit The *EVEN NEWER* Barrow-Downs Photo Page

Go Back   The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum > Middle-Earth Discussions > The Books
User Name
Password
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Today's Posts


 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Prev Previous Post   Next Post Next
Old 11-24-2002, 11:43 PM   #1
Kalimac
Candle of the Marshes
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Flyover Country
Posts: 780
Kalimac has just left Hobbiton.
Pipe Let's Go Punting In Mirkwood?

You can probably guess what this is about - it's one of those minor points which are fascinating (well, to me anyway) since they're not really explained. In "The Hobbit" when Bilbo and the Dwarves come across the dark stream, they very fortuitously happen to find a little boat at the other side of the stream, which they haul in with a rope. It wasn't abandoned, since it was still tied up with a painter, but although Tolkien tells us that Thorin "kept his bow ready" in case the owner of the boat appeared, they never found out whose it was.

So where *did* that boat come from? As far as I can tell they were still a fair distance from where the Elvenking lived, and Mirkwood doesn't exactly seem to have had a large population of anything that would be interested in or capable of using a boat (and it must have been a fairly substantial little thing, too, if it could hold the weight of three or four Dwarves at a time). So was it kept by Elves, just in case, or abandoned, or just a (forgive me) Eru Ex Machina? Just curious, since it never does get explained otherwise.
__________________
Father, dear Father, if you see fit, We'll send my love to college for one year yet
Tie blue ribbons all about his head, To let the ladies know that he's married.
Kalimac is offline   Reply With Quote
 


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 11:00 AM.



Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.