Cheer

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I am pleased to note that cheer is distributed pretty evenly among the chapters.  If only “more of us valued food and cheer and song”.  Indeed.

  • 02.047 Then the night could have been spent cheerily.
  • 05.008 and after all if their holes are nice cheery places
  • 05.074 and cheerful,
  • 06.065 shouted and cheered.
  • 07.142 So cheer up Bilbo
  • 07.142 Cheer up Thorin
  • 08.037 They were at first inclined to be cheered by the change,
  • 10.037 or cheered if any dwarf showed so much as his nose.
  • 10.039 for he was not feeling particularly cheerful.
  • 12.043 Cheer up Bilbo!’
  • 12.081 in the meanwhile his friends did their best to cheer him up;
  • 13.039 for a drink of something cheering
  • 14.007 Think of something cheerful!’
  • 14.010 The cheering stopped
  • 14.013 and fro cheering on the archers
  • 14.038 and it cheered them greatly
  • 16.024 from this cold cheerless place,’
  • 16.046 Puzzled but cheered,
  • 18.019 If more of us valued food and cheer and song
  • 18.043 and cheerless road,

Beard

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Dwarves definitely have beards, as do Beorn and Gandalf.  I’ve included all mentions of beards here and noted specially those places (only after Chapter 11) when “beard” is used as part of a saying – a blessing (it is good for beards to grow long and full), or curse, or exclamation.

  • 01.004 and smaller than the bearded Dwarves.
  • 01.004 Hobbits have no beards.
  • 01.007 over which his long white beard
  • 01.026 with a blue beard
  • 01.031 on the step with a white beard
  • 01.035 said Balin with the white beard.
  • 01.038 and yellow beards;
  • 01.071 while the shadow of Gandalf’s beard wagged against the wall.
  • 01.124 and my grandfather with singed beards.
  • 02.026 as he had no beard.
  • 03.010 His head and beard wagged this way and that
  • 03.016 With beards all a-wagging?
  • 03.018 and most of all at their beards.
  • 03.027 “Don’t dip your beard
  • 06.046 Thorin’s beard wagging beside him,
  • 06.052 with their beards dangling down,
  • 06.078 till beards blaze, and eyes glaze;
  • 07.022 and a great beard.
  • 07.034 Standing near was a huge man with a thick black beard
  • 07.069 and bowed so low that their beards swept the stone floor.
  • 07.095 and shook their beards,
  • 08.088 or a bit of beard or of a hood.
  • 08.107 and as for his beard,
  • 10.010 in his draggled beard;
  • 10.038 with beards combed
  • 11.018 and tread on my beard,
  • 11.026 and our beards will grow
  • 11.032 and the dwarves with wagging beards watching impatiently.
  • 12.004 may your beard grow ever longer,’
  • 16.010 may his beard grow ever longer;
  • 17.015 By the beard of Durin!
  • 17.015 May his beard wither!
  • 17.031 Their beards were forked
  • 17.035 in their beards.
  • 18.038 May your beards never grow thin!’
  • 19.042 that Balin’s beard was several inches longer,

Axe

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I certainly have an axe in my tool shed!  In Chapters 1 and 7, it’s a tool for wood-splitting – as Gandalf says, in the Shire “axes are used for trees”.  I find it lovely that between the axes of the goblins and the axes in the Mountain and in the battle, Beorn’s house was a little rest – a place where his huge axe was for firewood.

  • 01.117 and axes are used for trees,
  • 04.025 carrying the axes
  • 04.025 Hammers, axes, swords, daggers, pickaxes, tongs,
  • 06.072 and axes
  • 07.034 and was leaning on a large axe.
  • 07.035 put down his axe
  • 12.014 and axes,
  • 13.035 with a silver-hafted axe
  • 17.056 Thorin wielded his axe with mighty strokes,
  • 18.016 and notched axe were cast upon the floor.

OED Online

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Excellent news, word fans!  I now have a subscription to the Oxford English Dictionary on line.  I’m learning oodles and oodles about its features.  Most important of all, I have learned the difference between obsolete and archaic words as the OED classifies them.  Obsolete words have not been spotted by the OED folks in about 100 years.  Archaic words are formerly common, now headed toward obsolescence.  Rare words are a different category.  Clearly, any word in a published work by Professor Tolkien can’t be obsolete but sometimes he uses an obsolete meaning of an otherwise in-use word.  The great news for me is that the OED will declare whether a word is archaic, or a meaning is obsolete. I will not be eyeballing trends in the Google Ngram Viewer and making a judgement call.  Also, I have learned how to cite each word look-up.

Tomorrow as soon as I can, I’ll retro-edit entries to date to change the archaism and obsolescence rating to that of the OED and fix citations.  Learning every day!  I hope that you’ve enjoyed today’s words beginning with “be-“, I know I have!

Bewuther

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This beautiful word is a Tolkien back-formation from a rare spelling of the obsolete verb “whither”: to make a blustering sound or rage about in the manner of the wind.  “Be-whither” – surround with confusing sounds and rush of energy – becomes “bewuthered”.  Magnificent!  Thanks to Alert Reader Grace who pointed out “Wuthering Heights” to the good of this entry!

“Bewuther” comes just as Gandalf raps on Bilbo’s door in Chapter 1 to introduce the last dwarves and incidentally obscure the mark he had made previously on that door.

[01.048] Bilbo rushed along the passage, very angry, and altogether bewildered and bewuthered – this was the most awkward Wednesday he ever remembered.

Not only are we just getting to know our prosaic little protagonist, but he’s having an awkward Wednesday.  We’re thoroughly in the Children’s Story mode where things are more funny than scary.  Tolkien plays with the sounds of the words because he’s telling the story out loud.  He has invented a word which we absolutely understand as much because of its form as its context.  “Be-” suggests that the feeling of bewutherment is an intense one.  The W sound alliterates with “bewildered”, allowing us to assume that “wuthering” has as much to do with being lost as “wildering”.

  • 01.048 and bewuthered –

“ˈwhither, v.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 9 May 2015.

Bewitch

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“Bewitch” uses “be-” in its meaning as an intensifier of verbs, to thoroughly witch something.

  • 06.030 Gandalf had made a special study of bewitchments with fire
  • 13.039 more clear of the bewitchment of the hoard

“bewitch, v.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 6 May 2015.

Bewilder

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The word uses the intensifier function of “be-” to strengthen the lost-ness of archaic verb “wilder” – to lose one’s way or be pathless.  It’s in common use, although the root verb is archaic.  Wouldn’t that be a lovely word to encounter in a story?  Wildered?  We do have wilderland and wilderness coming up.  After all, we “are come to the very edge of the Wild,” (03.006).

  • 01.048 and altogether bewildered
  • 05.148 while bewildered goblins were still picking up
  • 17.025 so strong was the bewilderment of the treasure upon him,
  • 18.021 and bewildered among their foes.

“bewilder, v.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 6 May 2015.

Betray

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Only Bilbo’s gift of the Arkenstone to Bard earns the word “betray”.  In this word, be- is an intensifier added to the obsolete verb “tray” – to trouble, vex, or afflict.  It took two thirds of the book for Bilbo to grow into someone close and trusted enough for his actions to be betrayal.

  • 16.032 Are you betraying your friends,
  • 17.019 I am betrayed,’

“betray, v.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 6 May 2015.

Beset

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“Beset” is the causative verb for “besit”.  The “be-” prefix is only traced to its general sense of “about”.  I am delighted to realize, however, that if I set something down, I cause it to sit.  This word falls off in use after 1850 (Google Ngram Viewer), but is not yet archaic in the meaning for which Tolkien uses it.

  • 16.005 they are not likely to overcome the host that besets you;

“beset, v.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 7 May 2015.