Jewel

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Beautiful jewels seem to be scattered evenly throughout the work.

  • 01.083 He thought of the jewels of the dwarves shining
  • 01.122 and a great many jewels too.
  • 01.122 and jewels
  • 01.123 and jewels,
  • 02.113 and jewelled hilts.
  • 07.013 and jewels,
  • 07.095 and jewels
  • 08.133 His people neither mined nor worked metals or jewels,
  • 08.133 and also he was determined that no word of gold or jewels
  • 12.013 and jewels,
  • 12.096 and petals were of jewels;
  • 13.019 The great jewel shone
  • 13.032 and by jewels,
  • 14.013 and jewels,
  • 17.008 and held aloft the jewel.
  • 18.034 such jewels as he most loved,
  • 19.042 and his jewelled belt was of great magnificence.

Incline

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In our text, “incline” is always in the adjectival form and always describes characters’ personality traits, not the relative levelness or plumb of tunnels or mountains.

  • 01.004 They are inclined to be fat
  • 05.134 at the bottom of a short incline,
  • 07.136 The dwarves were inclined to grumble at this,
  • 08.037 They were at first inclined to be cheered by the change,
  • 08.143 until he feels inclined to tell the truth,
  • 09.034 even if I feel inclined to try.’
  • 10.003 (which some were inclined to attribute to the dragon –
  • 12.034 as Bilbo felt inclined to point out.
  • 12.042 and he was inclined to feel a bit proud of himself
  • 13.032 they were inclined to be grumpy

Hood

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While “hood” itself is not a terribly funny word, the dwarves are all introduced with them in their many colors and over time they become tattered and draggled, they poke out of webs, and they wave ridiculously before their knees to Beorn.  We associate the hoods with silliness or maybe parochial quaintness by the time we get past the Chapter 10 inflection point.  They contrast with bright helms in Chapter 13, and then!  A hood disguises Gandalf and he dramatically casts it aside to reveal himself.  At the end of the mentions of hoods, Thorin has cast his own aside to reveal a kingly, heroic figure ready for grim battle.  Hoods are softeners, disguises.  I’m going to label them as “funny” until we see a pattern of such words and come up with a better tag.

  • 01.026 and very bright eyes under his dark-green hood.
  • 01.027 He hung his hooded cloak on the nearest peg,
  • 01.031 and a scarlet hood;
  • 01.032 he said when he caught sight of Dwalin’s green hood hanging up.
  • 01.038 both with blue hoods,
  • 01.040 and they both swept off their blue hoods
  • 01.046 and very soon two purple hoods,
  • 01.046 a grey hood,
  • 01.046 a brown hood,
  • 01.046 and a white hood were hanging on the pegs,
  • 01.050 Then they hung up two yellow hoods
  • 01.051 looking at the row of thirteen hoods –
  • 01.051 the best detachable party hoods –
  • 02.025 I have got a spare hood
  • 02.026 and Bilbo was wearing a dark-green hood
  • 02.029 his hood was dripping into his eyes,
  • 06.001 He had lost hood,
  • 06.005 a head with a red hood on:
  • 06.016 and I take off my hood to you.’
  • 07.069 and waving their hoods before their knees
  • 07.128 and sweepings of their hoods
  • 08.031 They could still see his hood
  • 08.088 or a bit of beard or of a hood.
  • 08.106 he thought by the tip of a blue hood sticking out at the top.
  • 10.010 and tattered sky-blue hood
  • 10.020 and draggled hood.
  • 13.041 and their bright helms with their tattered hoods,
  • 17.003 in cloak and hood
  • 17.016 threw aside his hood
  • 17.055 Hood and cloak were gone;

Glimpse

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The current sense of “glimpse” – a passing view – blends with the archaic meaning of “a flash” as Tolkien uses it in The Hobbit.  Glimpses of treasure – was that the twinkle?  or the dwarves’ view of the twinkle?  I am, as ever, delighted.

  • 03.018 Soon Bilbo caught glimpses of them
  • 05.124 a glimpse of endless unmarked days
  • 05.130 a glimpse of light.
  • 06.001 and plains glimpsed occasionally between the trees.
  • 08.003 he could catch glimpses of them whisking off the path
  • 09.062 Also he had caught a glimpse of a fire through the trees,
  • 11.021 in which he sometimes thought he could catch glimpses
  • 11.029 he could see a glimpse of the distant forest.
  • 12.076 that the hobbit had already caught a glimpse
  • 13.023 and caught a glimpse of great passages
  • 13.032 The mere fleeting glimpses of treasure

“glimpse, n.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 11 May 2015.

Glimmer

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Just a little flash of light.  Tolkien does not use the obsolete meaning in The Hobbit, but I’m delighted to note it here: a flash of eyes.

  • 04.018 Now there came a glimmer
  • 05.009 as he knew by the glimmer of his sword,
  • 05.109 as Bilbo could see from the faint glimmer on the walls.
  • 08.002 in a sort of darkened green glimmer.
  • 08.033 They glimmered
  • 13.044 A white glimmer could be seen

“glimmer, v.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 11 May 2015.

Gleam

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“Gleam”, distributed fairly evenly throughout the work, is related to “glimmer” and “glimpse”.  The root *glim- can be found in glimmer, glimpse, glim (brightness).  It’s a ray of light or even of radiant beauty.

  • 01.075 There many a gleaming golden hoard
  • 03.001 and behind its shoulders the tips of snow-peaks gleamed.
  • 04.041 It burned with a rage that made it gleam
  • 05.126 and his eyes gleamed cold
  • 05.127 in the gleam of his own eyes,
  • 06.052 but you could see his eyes gleaming
  • 08.005 and when it was Bilbo’s turn he would see gleams
  • 08.005 and sometimes they would gleam down
  • 08.071 Their gleaming hair was twined with flowers;
  • 10.020 The gold gleamed on his neck
  • 11.029 there was a gleam of yellow upon its far roof,
  • 11.032 A gleam of light came straight through the opening
  • 11.037 The gleam went out,
  • 13.009 There was not a gleam of light –
  • 13.017 a twinkling gleam showed them returning,
  • 13.019 the same white gleam had shone before him
  • 17.050 with a gleam of chill flame,
  • 17.055 in the gloom the great dwarf gleamed like gold
  • 17.062 Seeing the sudden gleam
  • 18.032 that it gleamed ever
  • 18.053 snow yet unmelted was gleaming pale.

“gleam, n.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 11 May 2015.

Farewell

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This compound word is simply the imperative phrase “fare well” treated as one word.  The OED classes it as poetical, so I will add our poetry tag to it.  It’s a lovely, high-sounding word for formal leavetakings.

  • 03.050 Now they rode away amid songs of farewell
  • 07.002 The dwarves were crying farewells
  • 07.007 Farewell!’ they cried,
  • 07.012 farewell wherever you fare!’
  • 07.129 and bidding him many farewells they rode off
  • 07.146 Now Gandalf too said farewell.
  • 10.045 and his councillors bade them farewell
  • 16.046 and then he said farewell to the elves
  • 17.027 Farewell!’
  • 17.029 in the meanwhile farewell!’
  • 18.017 ‘Farewell, good thief,’
  • 18.018 ‘Farewell, King under the Mountain!’
  • 18.019 Farewell!’ (Thorin to Bilbo)
  • 18.038 ‘Farewell, Balin!’
  • 18.038 and farewell, Dwalin;
  • 18.038 and farewell Dori, Nori, Ori,
  • 18.038 Farewell Thorin Oakenshield!
  • 18.044 Farewell! O Elvenking!’
  • 18.045 Farewell! O Gandalf!’
  • 18.049 Farewell!’ (Thranduil to Bilbo)
  • 19.018 he said farewell to Elrond,

“farewell, int., n. (and adj.), and adv.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 11 May 2015.

Lexomics, Michael Drout, and Tags

lfsaldenbirch

As we explore the words, you may notice the tags which each word earns.  I’m hoping at the end of the word-documentation to use the awesome lexomics software of Professor Michael Drout of Wheaton College and special guest lecturer at Signum University.  This is why we are examining each word for interesting special categories which we might use to analyze the text and find the patterns.  My data-moosher spent part of this morning looking through Dr. Drout’s code and is excited to help me use it in June.

Ere

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This tough old adverb, preposition, conjunction, and adjective with a poetical and old-fashioned sound is still an active word in the OED.  There are obsolete meanings for “ere” which overlap with the uses we see here.  It’s used in solemn dwarvish poetry in the Shire, and outside of the Shire during parleys between leaders after chapter 10.  And the narrator uses it.  Our narrator only lets his personality show once in a while – usually speaking directly to the reader/listener.  He uses it in battle scenes – it sounds to me that the narrator has become excited into a higher-register state.  We’re going to keep our eye on these passages.  I’m labeling this one as both poetical and high.

  • 01.073 We must away ere break of day
  • 01.077 We must away, ere break of day,
  • 01.082 We must away, ere break of day,
  • 01.144 We must away, ere break of day,
  • 15.053 Begone now ere our arrows fly!
  • 15.054 Gather your wisdom ere we return!’
  • 15.055 Ere many hours were past, (narrator)
  • 17.037 ere I begin this war for gold.
  • 17.048 Ere long the vanguard swirled (narrator)
  • 19.007 Ere long now,’

“ere, adv.1, prep., conj., and adj.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 11 May 2015.

Dim

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I expect less than outdoor lighting in a story about dwarves and their treasure inside a mountain, yet we do not see “dim” after Chapter 13.  Fascinating!

  • 01.068 in the dim light it made him look strange
  • 01.082 and caverns dim
  • 03.010 and the light became very dim,
  • 04.005 with a dreadful fall into a dim valley at one side of them.
  • 05.005 and dim before his eyes.
  • 07.045 They passed through this dim hall,
  • 07.126 in the dim shadows of that place
  • 08.002 As their eyes became used to the dimness
  • 08.032 when they became aware of the dim blowing of horns
  • 08.076 There was the usual dim grey light
  • 09.053 Where the forest wide and dim
  • 09.061 There was a dim sheet of water no longer overshadowed,
  • 12.012 It is almost dark so that its vastness can only be dimly guessed,
  • 12.014 could dimly be seen coats of mail,
  • 12.020 he had caught the dim echoes of a knocking sound
  • 13.023 and of the dim beginnings of wide stairs
  • 13.044 Before them light came dimly through great doors,