# The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien - Blinkist

What’s in it for me? Set out on a thrilling, fantastical adventure.

J.

R.

R.

Tolkien was marking students’ examination papers one day in the early 1930s when he came across a blank page.

Suddenly struck with inspiration, he wrote the words: “In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit.

” For a while, that single line was all that existed of the novel that would become The Hobbit.

In subsequent years, other material would be added: maps, characters, places, and much more.

All of these were pulled from Tolkien’s legendarium –⁠ his trove of lore about the fantasy universe he invented.

The Hobbit was published for the first time in 1937.

Since then, its legacy in the fantasy genre has been unmatched.

The book spawned the genre of high fantasy and gave birth to a mythology whose influence can be found all across modern pop culture.

Though written for children, The Hobbit is a tale that all ages can relate and return to.

In this Blink, we won’t cover every single one of the encounters in The Hobbit.

But you’ll still meet some of the most iconic characters and experience some of the most riveting events in all of fantasy literature.

The Hobbit and The Wizard

Bilbo Baggins was a hobbit –⁠ and by all appearances, not much different from others of his kind.

That meant he was slightly pudgy, dressed in bright colors, and wore no shoes.

He was small, about half an average human’s height, and had a friendly, good-natured face.

Like other hobbits, Bilbo also lived in a hole in the ground, which could be accessed through a perfectly round, green door.

One morning he was standing outside of it and smoking his pipe when suddenly an old man with a staff walked up.

He wore a tall, pointed hat, a long gray cloak, and an enormous beard.

The man was, in fact, a wizard, and he was there in search of someone to take part in an adventure.

But it was very difficult to find a suitable candidate anywhere in hobbit territory.

Most hobbits –⁠ the Bagginses included –⁠ were not exactly adventurous types.

They generally preferred to remain in their quiet, cozy homes.

However, Bilbo wasn’t just a Baggins.

He was also a Took, on his mother’s side, and Tooks had been known to go on adventures from time to time.

These two conflicting elements of Bilbo’s nature were both at play as the wizard engaged him in conversation.

When the wizard finally gave his name –⁠ Gandalf –⁠ Bilbo was pleasantly surprised.

Of course he knew Gandalf!

The wizard was well-known for his stories, fireworks, and enchanted objects –⁠ as well as for drawing young lads and lasses out on adventures.

Gandalf was pleased to find that Bilbo remembered him, and at that moment, he resolved to give Bilbo what he asked for.

Thorin and Company

Bilbo assured Gandalf that he hadn’t asked for anything, and that he didn’t want any adventures, but that Gandalf was welcome to come to tea anytime –⁠ perhaps even tomorrow.

The next day, Bilbo had nearly forgotten that he’d invited Gandalf to tea.

He’d been so flustered that he’d forgotten to record the appointment in his Engagement Tablet!

But regardless of his forgetting, just before tea time, there was a loud ring of the front doorbell.

But standing outside wasn’t Gandalf.

Instead, it was a short man with a blue beard who introduced himself as Dwalin.

He was a dwarf.

Dwalin, without asking, immediately hung his cloak on the nearest peg.

Bilbo, too surprised to ask what exactly the dwarf was doing there, invited him to have tea.

They hadn’t been sitting long before there was another ring of the bell –⁠ and then another, and another, and another … until Bilbo found himself welcoming 12 dwarves plus Gandalf into his home.

The hobbit had the sneaking suspicion that an adventure had just walked in through his door.

The dwarves weren’t shy about demanding food and drink.

This Bilbo provided, though not without considerable apprehension.

All day and night, they ate, drank, smoked, and sang –⁠ and only, at long last, explained what they were doing there.

Thorin Oakenshield was the leader of this group of dwarves, and it was his mission to recover his family’s ancestral wealth.

Long ago, Thorin’s grandfather Thror and his people had migrated to the Lonely Mountain, a peak north of the vast forest Mirkwood.

Thror had become rich with its natural treasures and made himself King under the Mountain.

But eventually, Thror’s wealth also drew the greedy dragon Smaug.

Smaug stole Thror’s wealth and brought death and destruction to nearly all the dwarves of the Mountain.

Now, it was time to put an end to the dragon’s reign.

But what of Bilbo’s role in this scheme?

Well, the dwarves’ only hope for accessing the Mountain was a secret door tucked somewhere into the west side.

Bilbo would act as their burglar, entering this secret door and figuring out how to steal back the treasure.

In exchange, he’d receive exactly a one-fourteenth share of the profits.

The adventure was off to a rocky start.

Trolls

Bilbo had nearly been late to the rendezvous with the dwarves, which meant he’d left without a hat, a walking stick, and worst of all, a pocket handkerchief.

And then it began to rain.

That night, still soaking wet, Balin, their look-out dwarf, spotted a glow in the distance.

Naturally, Bilbo –⁠ the resident burglar –⁠ was selected to investigate its cause.

When he quietly approached the glow, what he saw were three very large people, sitting around an equally large fire.

They were eating and drinking mutton and complaining about the lack of manflesh to eat around here.

These three large people were trolls.

Unfortunately, Bilbo wasn’t yet a first-rate burglar, and his attempt to pick the trolls’ pockets resulted in his being captured.

Soon, the rest of the dwarves, wandering over to see what happened, met the same fate.

And then the trolls began to argue.

Should they roast the dwarves?

Mince and boil them?

Or perhaps squash them into a jelly?

They argued, and argued, and argued, until the first rays of dawn broke through the treetops.

“Dawn take you all, and be stone to you!

” called a voice from nearby.

The three trolls looked toward the sound of the voice but found themselves incapable of moving, their skin turned entirely to stone.

Sunlight, of course, is deadly to trolls.

Unbeknownst to them, Gandalf had been hiding nearby and throwing his voice, imitating the trolls as a ploy to keep them locked in a never-ending argument.

Not being the most intelligent creatures, the trolls hadn’t realized they were being tricked.

The dwarves were untied, and the company soon located the trolls’ lair nearby.

It contained a considerable amount of treasure, including a knife in a leather sheath which went to Bilbo.

For a hobbit, this was as good as a shortsword –⁠ and it would come in very handy later.

Bilbo opened his eyes into complete darkness.

Fear gripped him immediately.

He was all alone, and the only thing he could feel was the stone floor beneath him.

Gollum

The dwarves had been sheltering in a cave when they were captured by goblins, and Bilbo had been separated from the group.

Slowly he crawled forward, groping around with his hands until he did feel something else –⁠ a tiny, cold, metal ring.

Almost unthinkingly, he picked it up and placed it in his pocket.

By the light of his magical sword, Bilbo slowly made his way forward until he stumbled into icy water.

Unsure of how to proceed, he hesitated –⁠ and was soon confronted by a strange creature that had made its home in this darkness long ago.

The creature was small, with two big round pale eyes bulging out of a thin face.

His name was Gollum.

Buying time for himself to suss Bilbo out, Gollum challenged the hobbit to a game of riddles.

Bilbo agreed, anxious as he was to find out more about Gollum too.

So the pair exchanged riddles in the dark, neither one failing to ask or answer until it came around again to Bilbo’s turn.

While attempting to think of a riddle, he absentmindedly asked himself, “What have I got in my pocket?

” Gollum, believing this was Bilbo’s riddle, guessed incorrectly, which threw him into a state of great agitation.

He stole back to his island, searching for his most precious object: a golden ring which could turn its wearer invisible.

But it was nowhere to be found.

Instantly, Gollum guessed where his ring was located, and he began to chase after Bilbo, who’d fled back down the passageway.

Wondering about the nature of the ring, Bilbo slipped his hand into his left pocket, and the ring slid onto his finger.

He tried to run faster but tripped on a snag in the floor.

Before Bilbo could react, Gollum was already on him.

But instead of stopping, the creature continued to run onward, cursing and whispering.

Bilbo soon realized that the ring was magical.

Cautiously, he followed Gollum, who unwittingly led Bilbo to the back door passage, where he hoped to catch him.

Seeing no other means of escape, Bilbo took a running leap straight over Gollum and through the door, Gollum’s blood-curdling cries echoing behind him.

Mirkwood

The eaves of Mirkwood consisted of huge, gnarled trees with twisted branches and long, dark leaves.

The company had reached the forest after escaping the goblin lair and receiving help from a shape-shifting woodsman called Beorn.

Beorn had given them supplies for their journey as well as an essential piece of advice: once they were in Mirkwood, they shouldn’t, under any circumstances, stray from the path.

But one night, after many wearying days of travel through the suffocatingly dark forest, one of the dwarves, Bombur, was struck by strangely beautiful dreams.

He dreamt of a forest lit with torches and lamps swinging from the trees.

There was a great feast with singing and a woodland king.

Bombur’s description was so enticing that, all at once, the company decided to leave the path and plunge into the forest.

Ultimately, the party was separated, and in the darkness, Bilbo felt something touch him –⁠ a strong, sticky string against his left hand.

He tried to move –⁠ but the attempt was fruitless.

His legs were wrapped in the same stuff, and he simply fell over.

Then he saw the creature responsible: a huge spider with hairy legs, trying to wind its threads around him.

Bilbo tried to beat the spider off with his hands, but then he remembered his sword.

This made the spider jump back, giving Bilbo enough time to free his legs.

Finally, Bilbo came at it and stuck his sword right between the spider’s eyes.

It leaped and jerked and flung out its legs.

Bilbo struck it again, killing it.

Like his finding of the magic ring, the killing of the giant spider was another turning point for Bilbo Baggins.

He’d slain it without the help of Gandalf, the dwarves, or anyone else.

All of a sudden he felt much fiercer and bolder.

He wiped his bloodied sword on the grass.

As he did, he found a name for it: Sting.

Barreling Toward Smaug

Once Bilbo had freed himself, he was able to locate the other dwarves.

With the help of his magic ring, he lured the spiders away and slashed at them with Sting until the spiders fearfully retreated.

But one of the dwarves’ company was missing: Thorin.

Unbeknownst to the rest of them, Thorin had been captured by wood elves long before the other dwarves had been assaulted by the spiders.

Soon, they found and captured the other dwarves, too.

But Bilbo remained unnoticed thanks to his magical ring.

Carefully, he followed the elves as they led the dwarves off into the forest, into their palace, and into 12 separate cells.

Though the elves weren’t a wicked people, they were distrustful of strangers –⁠ especially dwarves.

For a very long, weary time, Bilbo stayed in the palace in hiding, never taking off his ring and hardly sleeping.

After a week or two, Bilbo learned where each dwarf was kept,⁠ including Thorin.

And then he began to hatch a plan.

One night, two elven guards were drinking wine in the cellars that lay beneath the palace.

Luck was with Bilbo because this wine was particularly strong and heady.

The two elves quickly nodded off to sleep.

Bilbo lifted the keys off one of them and used them to unlock his friends’ cells.

When all the dwarves had been collected, Bilbo brought them back to the cellars, where he had discovered a second, secret entrance to the palace.

There was a trapdoor which opened onto a stream, into which the elves tossed their empty wine barrels so they could eventually be collected and refilled.

Bilbo began packing the dwarves into the empty wine barrels.

Just a minute or two after the last dwarf’s barrel lid had been fitted, lights and voices appeared nearby.

A group of elves began rolling the barrels into the opening, singing as they went.

As the last barrel was pushed out, Bilbo caught hold of it and fell down into the cold, dark water.

The current carried the barrels down, down, down the river, until they wound up at Lake-town, at the foot of the Mountain.

Smaug

Bilbo put on his ring and crept down into the darkness of the Mountain.

Surrounded by the blackness, the least Tookish part of himself began to chide him: Now you’re really in for it, Bilbo Baggins!

With every step, he was getting closer to Smaug.

Eventually, he saw a warm glow coming from down the corridor –⁠ a red light that grew redder and redder as he approached.

He began to sweat, seeing wisps of vapor floating around him.

Here, Bilbo paused, and after a brief moment, he continued onward.

It was the bravest thing he ever did.

At the end of the tunnel lay the lowest dungeon hall of the ancient dwarves, and inside it lay Smaug.

The dragon was red-gold in color, and as he slept, his jaws and nostrils thrummed and let out wisps of smoke.

Beneath him, as far as the eye could see and far beyond, were piles and piles of precious objects –⁠ gold, gems, and jewels.

Almost against his will, Bilbo approached the nearest mound of treasure.

He fearfully drew out a two-handled cup and fled.

The dwarves were delighted by the hobbit’s bravery.

But their joy was short-lived.

A vast rumbling came from the Mountain, and the ground beneath them shook.

Smaug had realized the cup was missing, and he was enraged beyond description.

He hurtled out of the Mountain, beating his wings and blasting the rock face with flame and hot breath.

The dwarves, hiding behind the secret door, luckily escaped his eye.

That night, Bilbo snuck to Smaug’s lair once again in an attempt to gather information.

Though he wore his magic ring, Smaug could still smell the hobbit.

He greeted him, and they traded verbal barbs as Smaug scoured the chamber.

Finally, Bilbo found what he was looking for: Smaug’s weakness.

Though the dragon’s entire belly was crusted with gold and gems, there was a large empty patch in the hollow of his left breast.

After Bilbo returned to the dwarves, a blow hit the side of the Mountain.

The walls cracked and stones fell from the roof.

Smaug was on his way to Lake-town to remind the people who was the real King under the Mountain.

The Five Armies

While Smaug was away from the Mountain, Bilbo and the dwarves crept back into his cavern.

Inside it, Bilbo found an item more spectacular than all the rest: a gem that turned all light into thousands of sparks tinged with rainbow colors.

It was called the Arkenstone: the Heart of the Mountain.

Bilbo lifted it out and placed it in his pocket.

Meanwhile, Smaug burned Lake-town to the ground.

Yet he was defeated by a grim-faced bowman named Bard –⁠ the descendent of one of the heroes of this land.

Word of Smaug’s death spread throughout all the nearby peoples.

The Elvenking remembered the legend of Thror’s wealth, and he began gathering an army to march on the Mountain.

Meanwhile, Thorin, having spent long hours in the treasury since Smaug’s departure, had been overcome by lust for gold and treasure.

This meant he was insensible and refused when Bard, the dragon-killer, came to request part of Smaug’s hoard.

Despite his loyalty to his friends, Bilbo cared more about avoiding the war.

One night, he snuck into the camp of the elves, who’d joined forces with Bard.

Bilbo offered them the Arkenstone, hoping it would serve as a powerful negotiation tool that could settle the conflict without bloodshed.

But this was not to pass.

Upon finding out about the betrayal, Thorin banished Bilbo from the Mountain.

Before the dwarves, elves, and Bard could begin fighting in earnest, they were joined by another opposing army: goblins riding upon Wargs, wild wolves.

This was the start of the Battle of Five Armies.

On one side were the Goblins and the Wargs and on the other were the Elves, Men, and Dwarves.

Because the Goblins were hated by all the rest, the other conflicts were suddenly forgotten.

The battle was terrible, with destruction tearing across both sides.

By the end, many goblins lay dead.

But so too did men, dwarves, and fair elves –⁠ who, with their much longer natural lifespans, should have lived for many more ages in the woods.

After this point, another army joined the battle: the Eagles.

They’d come to assist in destroying the hateful goblins.

But before Bilbo could witness this, a stone hit him on his helm, and he fell to the ground unconscious.

Epilogue

When Bilbo finally came to after the Battle of Five Armies, he was brought by an emissary to a dwarven tent.

There, Thorin lay dying inside.

As he departed the earth, Thorin bid Bilbo farewell and told him he wished to end as friends.

He told Bilbo that there was more good in Bilbo than Bilbo even knew –⁠ courage and wisdom blended in good measure.

It would be a merrier world, he said, if more beings valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold.

Then he departed, and Bilbo wept.

Thorin was buried deep beneath the Mountain.

Bard laid the Arkenstone upon Thorin’s breast, where it would lie until the Mountain fell.

Finally, it was time for Bilbo to return home.

He did so carrying two chests filled with silver and gold –⁠ and, of course, all the memories of his great adventure.