The Hobbit - Chapter 08 - Flies and Spiders

[Estelyn Telcontar]

The dwarves and Bilbo enter Mirkwood, encountering danger which they cannot avoid. At first, they experience the strangeness of the environment, then darkness, then apparently hostile animal life.

Squirrels, usually friendly animals, are black here; what would normally be familiar seems menacing just by the change in colour. Insects cause a deep-rooted alien feeling in humans in general, and Bilbo notices their eyes with trepidation.

Add to that the fact that food and water soon run low, and the group’s discomfort is complete. Then comes the inevitable – much like in traditional fairy tales, the warning about magical water or leaving the path is disregarded for some reason or other, and the curse takes effect. What fairy tales come to mind when you read this chapter?

Bilbo grows with each adventure; he sees best and tells the others what to do in hopeless situations. He literally rises above himself in climbing to the top of the trees, and later is the one who rescues his companions by fighting valiantly. He makes cunning plans for drawing the spiders away from their victims, risking himself for them.

We do see that the dwarves are loyal; even if the heaviest of their company has to be carried, they do not leave him behind. Other than that, they seem to do the wrong thing most of the time – a foil for the development of Bilbo’s character?

We have Bilbo’s poem, taunting the spiders; what do you think of it? The narrator excuses the poor quality of those “spontaneous” lines due to the circumstances. There are several unusual words included; perhaps we can collect some information on their meaning and etymology: Attercop, Tomnoddy, Lob and Cob.

What is your opinion on the nature of these spiders? They can speak, Common Speech even, and can understand Bilbo’s taunts. Taking LotR and the Sil into consideration, do you think that they are descendents of Ungoliant, perhaps children of Shelob?

We are also introduced to the Wood-Elves in this chapter. Some of the information on them obviously ties in with the Legendarium, differentiating them from the High Elves. The words “more dangerous and less wise” make them sound more like fairy tale elfs, don’t they? And yet, they are called “Good People”, so Tolkien distinguishes them from the ambiguous folk narrative creatures.

We find out about the enmity between dwarves and Elves; doesn’t the account of actual or supposed wrongs on both sides remind you of Thingol?! The account of Thorin’s captivity takes us away from Bilbo’s point of view for a moment, and the chapter ends in suspense as to Thorin’s fate, and that of his fellow dwarves and Bilbo too, though they are not in immediate danger at that point.

What impresses, amuses, or irritates you most in this chapter? How do you think this adventure is important for the story?


Oh, one minor detail that seems too significant not to mention - Bilbo's little sword gets named in this adventure!