An Unexpected Journey

Strider - Frodo, Sam, and Pippin go back to the small parlor in which they had supper. Merry seems to have gone out, but Strider is waiting for them. The three hobbits are surprised and suspicious, but Strider seems to know more about their errand than they do. As they talk, Butterbur knocks, and apologizes for forgetting to give "Mr. Underhill" a letter Gandalf had left for him. Strider eventually convinces the hobbits he is trustworthy, despite his rough appearance, because he matches a description in Gandalf's letter. They agree to use him as their guide to Rivendell.

Suddenly Merry appears, breathless. He had been outside and had a frightening encounter with Black Riders. Realizing the Riders have found them, they decide to stay in the parlor rather than return to their rooms. Bolsters are placed in their beds to make it appear the hobbits are asleep.

At the Sign of the Prancing Pony - The hobbits arrive in Bree, a village in which both humans (Big Folk) and hobbits (Little Folk) make their homes. At the village gate, they answer some suspicious questions before being let through. As they pass through the gate, a dark figure climbs the gate and follows them. They get rooms and supper at The Prancing Pony, where Barliman Butterbur is the harried innkeeper. After supper, Frodo, Sam, and Pippin join some of the other guests in the common room, while Merry remains in the private parlor provided by Butterbur. Frodo, going by the name Mr. Underhill, pretends to be a writer planning a book on hobbits living outside the Shire in order to account for their presence. Amidst the chatter, Frodo notices a stranger smoking a pipe and watching him. This man introduces himself to Frodo as Strider. The stranger warns Frodo not to let Pippin talk too much, and Frodo realizes Pippin is telling the story of Bilbo's disappearance during his birthday speech. Rather than let Pippin finish, Frodo interrupts with a song of his own. Yet as he finishes his silly song, he disappears, having inadvertently placed his finger through the Ring in his pocket. Strider chastises Frodo as the room erupts in suspicious and puzzled murmuring.

Fog on the Barrow-Downs - The next morning, the hobbits breakfast alone and are seen off by Tom and Goldberry. They make their way across the countryside as the sun rises in the sky and the temperature warms. Coming to a tall stone pillar, they let their ponies stray about on the grass as they sit in the cool shade of the stone and have lunch.

The next thing they know, they wake "from a sleep they had never meant to take." The air is heavy and the ponies distressed, and they swiftly pack up and leave, but the mist only becomes thicker. Frodo, suddenly alone, becomes disoriented, wanders in the dark, and finally hears a cold voice saying, "I am waiting for you!" A dark figure takes him in a cold grip, and he falls unconscious.

When he wakes, he realizes he has been captured and entombed by a Barrow-wight. As he gathers his courage, he sees his friends lying nearby, arrayed with treasures and dressed in white. A long sword has been laid across their three necks. Frodo hears an incantation, and sees a creeping hand going toward Sam. Grabbing a sword, Frodo hacks the hand from its arm, and calls out for Tom Bombadil. After a short silence, Frodo hears Tom's voice singing as he approaches. Tom banishes the Wight, and helps Frodo carry the others to safety. Sam, Merry, and Pippin wake up.

Tom finds the ponies which had wandered off, and has each hobbit claim a sword from the many treasures in the wight's barrow. He accompanies them to the borders of his lands, and advises them to make for The Prancing Pony, an inn in the village of Bree.

In the House of Tom Bombadil - Entering the house of Tom Bombadil, the hobbits find themselves in a well-lit room where, seated among water lilies, is Tom Bombadil's wife, Goldberry, the River's daughter. They are shown to rooms where they freshen up for supper, then join in a merry meal with Tom and Goldberry. After the meal, Frodo asks about the "Willow-man," but the others all think talking about their frightening experience should wait for daylight. They head off to bed.

The next morning, the hobbits enjoy breakfast in Tom's home, then settle in for a long talk and storytelling with Tom as the rain pours outside. He tells them stories of nature and of ancient times, when "only the Elf-sires were awake." The stories are like a spell on the hobbits, so they cannot keep track of time. When the rain stops, it is suppertime.

After another abundant meal, Tom's attention turns to the hobbits themselves—their story. Frodo finds himself telling Tom everything, and even showing him the Ring. Tom suddenly puts the ring on his own finger, but it has no effect on him. Furthermore, when Frodo tests out the Ring's power shortly after, he is invisible to all except Tom.

The hobbits plan to leave in the morning, and be on their way. Tom tells them a rhyme they can sing if they get into any trouble before leaving his lands.

The Old Forest - The hobbits rise before dawn the next morning. Leaving a message for Gandalf with Fatty, they set out, riding sturdy ponies. Led by Merry, they pass through a high hedge, and enter the Old Forest, where "the trees do not like strangers." They walk a ways into the silent forest, along a path going gently uphill, feeling they are being observed, and disliked. Merry notices that the trees have shifted since the last time he was in the wood.

Crossing over a hill, the path begins to take them on a downward path, toward the Withywindle valley—a place with a sinister reputation. Yet, this is the way the path leads, and before long they find themselves at the Withywindle River. The way is difficult, and soon they become very tired. At the base of a large willow tree, Frodo, Merry, and Pippin fall asleep, and Sam feels himself beginning to drift off as well. Before he descends into slumber, however, he is awakened by small noises. Frodo has fallen in the water, and Merry and Pippin have become trapped in the willow tree's great trunk. Frodo and Sam yell for help, which comes in the form of a jolly old man—Tom Bombadil—who sings a song to Old Man Willow. Tom's song causes the tree to give up its captives.

Tom invites them to his house for supper. They follow his lead toward the house, where they hear singing.

A Conspiracy Unmasked - Merry, Frodo, Sam, and Pippin board the Bucklebury Ferry and cross the Brandywine River. They can see Brandy Hall, ancestral home of the Brandybucks, on the opposite bank. Arriving in Buckland, they alight and, looking back across the river, see a dark figure crawling along the bank. Merry can see the others are worried, but he doesn't know why. They promise to fill him in over supper.

They all go to Frodo's new house, which Fredegar (Fatty) and Merry have prepared—complete with steaming hot water for baths. Frodo, Pippin, and Sam bathe, then settle down to a (second) supper. They bring their friends up to date on their adventures with the Black Riders, and Frodo decides he needs to reveal his own plan to leave the Shire. But when he hesitates, Merry reveals that they already know everything, and he and Pippin have decided to accompany Sam and Frodo. Sam is revealed as the informant. Fatty's part of the scheme will be to stay behind to keep up the appearance of Frodo's residence in Buckland. They plan to leave first thing in the morning.

A Shortcut To Mushrooms- When the hobbits wake up the next morning, the Elves are gone, having left food for the hobbits' breakfast. Frodotells Sam, privately, that the two of them will need to leave the Shire right away. To the disappointment of the others, Frodo decides to cut across the countryside rather than stay on the road. This going proves difficult, and the Black Rider continues to pursue them. Eventually, though, they come to a gate at the edge of a farmer's field. Pippin recognizes the farm as belonging to Farmer Maggot. Frodo is worried Farmer Maggot will remember that, as a child, he stole mushrooms from his farm, but when they do encounter the farmer, he is helpful.

Farmer Maggot tells them a "funny customer" has come around, asking about Mr. Baggins. Seeing that Frodo is concerned, he offers to give them a ride to the ferry in his cart after dinner. As they near the ferry, they are met by Merry, riding a pony. Farmer Maggot gives them a basket of mushrooms, says good-bye, then returns home.

Three is Company - Weeks pass, and Gandalf becomes impatient with Frodo's lack of preparation for leaving. Although Frodo has good reasons for his slowness—he doesn't want to create gossip—he is also feeling reluctant to leave the Shire. He is inclined to wait until his 50th birthday. Gandalf agrees to this, and advises Frodo to travel toward the Elven realm of Rivendell, ruled by Elrond.

Frodo announces he is selling Bag End to the Sackville-Bagginses, his unlikable cousins, and moving to Buckland—in a different part of the Shire. The townsfolk find this surprising, but chalk it up to his various eccentricities.

One day, Gandalf announces he must leave and investigate something worrisome he has learned about, but tells Frodo he will be back for the birthday party. However, he does not show up, and Frodo decides to move forward with the plan without him. Frodo celebrates his birthday with his good friends, and then says good-bye to Bag End. Merry and another friend, Fredegar Bolger, go on ahead to get Frodo's new house ready.

Later, walking along the road in a melancholy way, Frodo overhears a strange voice asking Sam's father, the Gaffer, about "Mr. Baggins." Soon after, Sam, Pippin, and Frodo set out.

After a few days on the road, they hear another traveler coming up behind them. Frodo, feeling wary, decides they should hide and let the traveler go past. Once hidden, the four hobbits watch as a large black horse appears, carrying a figure clothed in a black robe and hood. Sniffing sounds come from inside the hood, and Frodo feels an urge to put on the Ring. He resists the urge, and the rider moves on. Sam reveals that this rider is the one that asked his father about Mr. Baggins. The hobbits decide to continue on, more cautiously.

Later that evening, the black-cloaked rider overtakes them again, and Frodo once again feels the urge to put on the Ring. A company of Elves happens by, however, and the rider retreats. The leader of the company of Elves, Gildor Inglorion, recognizes Frodo, and allows the hobbits to travel with them after hearing about the Black Riders.

The hobbits stay up late talking and eating with the Elves, and Gildor is uneasy about pursuing Black Riders, who he believes are servants of the Enemy, and that Gandalf did not show up when expected. He advises Frodo to leave for Rivendell without delay.

The Shadow of the Past - After the initial shock of Bilbo's disappearance wears off, life in Hobbiton generally returns to normal, and Frodolives for many years as a bachelor at Bag End. He often dines with Merry and Pippin, his good friends. As time passes, some people notice Frodo doesn't seem to show his age, an observation they had made about Bilbo, too.

It is only as Frodo nears 50 that he begins to feel a bit restless. He starts wandering far from home, talking to travelers, and getting news of the world outside the Shire. Quite a bit of turmoil seems to be going on in the outside world—both Dwarves and Elves are on the move more than usual, and there are rumors of the "Enemy" and the "Land of Mordor."

Then Gandalf unexpectedly returns, and reveals to Frodo that the magic ring he inherited from Bilbo is actually the One Ring crafted in secret by Sauron, the great Enemy in Mordor, to overpower all the other magic rings possessed by Men, Elves, and Dwarves. Gandalf tests the ring to be sure of this fact, and fiery words appear: "One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them." Gandalf then gives some of the One Ring's history, and says the ring must not be found by Sauron, who will use it to "cover all the lands in a second darkness."

Frodo learns how the Ring came to him, beginning with Isildur, who cut it from Sauron's hand. Isildur was killed by Orcs in the Great River, Anduin, and the Ring lay at the bottom of the river for many years. The Ring then passed to Gollum, who murdered his friend to possess it. From Gollum, the Ring passed to Bilbo, and finally, to Frodo.

As if this news were not dire enough, Gandalf also tells Frodo that Sauron had captured Gollum and now knows the name "Baggins" and the location "Shire." Frodo realizes the Ring must leave the Shire, and he must take it, secretly. Just as he resolves to do this, Gandalf catches Sam Gamgee, Frodo's gardener, eavesdropping. Well-intentioned Sam agrees to go with Frodo as punishment for listening in.

A Long Expected Party - Eccentric hobbit Bilbo Baggins has announced his 111st birthday party will be a very special one, and the town of Hobbiton in the Shire is abuzz with the news. Bilbo is known to be generous and thought to have a secret cache of treasure from his previous adventures, and so the residents of Hobbiton believe the party will be quite grand. The September 22 birthday is shared by Bilbo's nephew Frodo, who came to live with Bilbo at Bag End after his parents' deaths, and their custom has been to share birthday celebrations. This year, Frodo will be turning 33—the "coming of age" for hobbits. In addition, rumor has it Gandalf the wizard will be setting off the fireworks for the celebration. There is much to anticipate, and the residents of Hobbiton watch supplies arrive at Bag End with growing excitement.

Amidst the preparations, Gandalf and Bilbo have a private talk about Bilbo's plan to leave the Shire following the party. Gandalf encourages Bilbo to stick to the plan.

On the day of the party, tents and pavilions populate a large field, and the guests arrive to presents (hobbits give others presents on their birthdays), abundant food, exciting entertainment, and flowing drink. Gandalf's fireworks are remarkable and magical. After supper, Bilbo gives a short speech, then suddenly places a magic golden ring on his finger and vanishes, to the surprise and consternation of all.

Invisible, Bilbo walks back to Bag End, where Gandalf is waiting for him. Gandalf reminds Bilbo he promised to leave the magic ring with Frodo. Bilbo's ring allowed him to avoid his greedy and annoying relatives, the Sackville-Bagginses, who continue to pester Frodo in the present. Bilbo reluctantly leaves it behind as he departs on his journey. Gandalf makes sure the ring passes safely into Frodo's possession, but warns him to keep it secret and safe. Then Gandalf also leaves, and Frodo watches him walk down the road leading out of Hobbiton.