So, why didn’t the bells ring during Smaug’s attack?? No warning bells in Laketown? 14.035 seems to indicate so, and perhaps bells are precious things only for soft times, such as in The Shire.

• 1.025 there came a tremendous ring on the front-door bell,
• 1.029 when there came another even louder ring at the bell.
• 1.037 when loud came a ring at the bell again,
• 1.043 his bell rang again,
• 1.046 Then the bell rang again louder than ever,
• 1.074 While hammers fell like ringing bells
• 1.080 The bells were ringing in the dale
• 1.123 By that time all the bells were ringing
• 3.040 and its merry bells,
• 11.007 when the bells rang
• 14.035 and filled with golden bells,
• 15.038 While hammers fell like ringing bells

For Tolkien, this never means “Autumn”.

• 1.048 and they all fell in,
• 1.074 While hammers fell like ringing bells
• 1.081 They fled their hall to dying fall
• 1.090 may the hair on his toes never fall out!
• 1.092 Then he fell flat on the floor,
• 1.123 and a fog fell on Dale,
• 2.037 they fell to arguing.
• 2.112 It must have fallen out of his pocket,
• 3.010 They came to the edge of a steep fall
• 3.012 and nearly fell off,
• 4.005 with a dreadful fall into a dim valley at one side of them.
• 4.014 – beginning to fall down, down,
• 4.016 and several of them fell dead.
• 4.027 pulling at Bilbo’s chain so that he fell forward onto his knees.
• 4.036 and the smoke that now fell from the roof
• 4.037 He fell dead,
• 4.047 At this point Gandalf fell behind,
• 4.051 and fell;
• 5.002 in when he had his fall.
• 5.008 and recover wonderfully from falls
• 5.050 and fell on Bilbo’s toes.
• 5.106 and fell flat with his little sword under him.
• 6.001 Their shadows fell across Bilbo’s path,
• 6.020 and fell over,
• 6.040 of a wide steep slope of fallen stones,
• 6.060 and their dreadful clamour almost made the hobbit fall
• 6.070 Yellowing bracken, fallen branches,
• 6.088 and fell onto the rough platform of an eagle’s eyrie.
• 6.088 and fear lest he fall off that narrow place
• 7.024 if any had been ripe enough yet to have fallen to the ground.
• 7.045 and fell golden on the garden full of flowers that came right up to the steps.
• 7.089 the sun had fallen behind the peaks of the Misty Mountains
• 7.106 and he fell asleep.
• 7.107 and fell asleep again at last
• 7.108 One of the dwarves had fallen over him
• 8.008 and fallen leaving only the broken posts near the bank.
• 8.018 Splash it fell
• 8.021 and suddenly they all fell over on their backs.
• 8.028 Since it did not fall down again,
• 8.030 Bombur has fallen in!
• 8.032 Then they all fell silent;
• 8.046 and waiting for a chance drip to fall
• 8.063 and complete darkness fell.
• 8.065 In the dark he fell over what he thought was a log,
• 8.072 Dead silence fell
• 8.074 and not for the last time fell to thinking
• 8.074 so that when he got up he fell over.
• 8.075 and then he fell down
• 8.089 and the enraged spider fell off the branch,
• 8.108 and fell plop on to the ground,
• 8.112 and fell down the tree
• 8.125 though they fell over with the effort,
• 8.126 and after a while they all fell silent again.
• 8.127 and then he fell asleep,
• 8.130 and as the lights went out he fell like a stone enchanted.
• 9.026 and fell fast asleep.
• 9.026 and he fell asleep
• 9.044 Small wonder if I fall asleep from weariness!’
• 9.045 Come give us a taste of your sleeping-draught before we fall to!
• 9.054 Down into the water he fell,
• 9.055 Then suddenly the trapdoors fell to with a boom
• 10.001 Suddenly the cliff fell away.
• 10.003 and pieced together the scraps of information they let fall,
• 10.003 or fell into disuse;
• 10.006 the noise of the falls could be heard
• 10.007 and was carted past the falls to their town;
• 10.008 and the fall of the lords of Dale.
• 10.010 and the shades of night had fallen.
• 11.003 and their spirits fell.
• 11.013 that fell ever downwards towards the plain.
• 11.016 with a fall of a hundred
• 11.032 They all fell silent:
• 11.032 and their hopes fell.
• 11.032 and fell on the smooth rock-face.
• 11.032 and fell.
• 12.029 Then darkness fell as he passed again.
• 12.048 and tales fall utterly short of the reality,
• 12.068 certainly never how any part of it that might fall to his share
• 12.081 and fell
• 12.098 had fallen from Bilbo.
• 12.101 and stones fell from the roof on their heads.
• 12.101 and an avalanche of splintered stones fell
• 13.001 and utter silence fell about them.
• 13.015 when Bilbo fell forward down the step with a bump into the hall,
• 13.019 it took all light that fell upon it
• 13.023 and fell.
• 13.034 fall back through their fingers with a sigh.
• 13.046 a sound of water fell upon their ears,
• 13.048 and beams of gold fell
• 13.049 Now before them the water fell noisily outward
• 13.064 they found long fallen,
• 14.013 and their shafts fell back kindled by his breath burning
• 14.015 and fell;
• 14.024 Full on the town he fell.
• 14.035 and he fell suddenly silent.
• 14.039 although it was then only the third day after the fall of Smaug.
• 14.043 that fell from his rotting carcase.
• 15.017 may his feathers never fall,
• 15.017 He saw him fall
• 15.028 to the head of the fall
• 15.031 and appeared at the top of the falls;
• 15.034 that they wished things had fallen out otherwise
• 15.036 And ever so his foes shall fall.
• 15.038 While hammers fell like ringing bells
• 15.042 And ever so our foes shall fall!
• 15.043 But Bilbo’s heart fell,
• 16.017 and fell into the cold water with a splash.
• 17.042 Amazement and confusion fell upon them all.
• 17.044 This is how it fell out.
• 17.044 Ever since the fall of the Great Goblin
• 17.048 and many there fell before the rest drew back
• 17.053 heedless of those that fell screaming
• 17.055 fell outward with a crash into the pool.
• 17.056 leapt down to the falls’ foot,
• 17.056 and rider fell or fled before them.
• 17.066 and he fell with a crash
• 18.002 At any rate I am not yet one of the fallen heroes;
• 18.023 He fell upon their rear,
• 18.023 who had fallen pierced with spears,
• 18.024 Then dismay fell on the Goblins
• 18.025 before the fall of night;
• 18.031 There let it lie till the Mountain falls!’
• 18.032 Fili and Kili had fallen defending him
• 19.005 for Bilbo was fallen quiet
• 19.009 till Bilbo’s head fell forward on his chest,
• 19.014 Fall Moon! Dark be the land!
• 19.018 Weariness fell from him soon
• 19.023 as evening fell,
• 19.024 where the pony had fallen
• 19.043 They fell to talking of their times together,
• 19.044 he fell under the dragon-sickness,

There’s a chance that this Germanic-origin word originally means something to do with stone – OED says “stone weapon”, but I am thinking that one woman’s weapon is another woman’s nail-whacking tool…

For a work with so many dwarves in, I am surprised by how little the word is used in The Hobbit.

• 1.074 While hammers fell like ringing bells
• 4.020 Hammer and tongs! Knocker and gongs!
• 4.025 Hammers, axes, swords, daggers, pickaxes, tongs,
• 12.096 hammered and carven with birds
• 15.038 While hammers fell like ringing bells

“hammer, n.1.” OED Online, Oxford University Press, September 2019, http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/83743. Accessed 9 October 2019.

Of course the fact that I can make marks on a screen and someone a thousand years from now can read my mind is the mightiest spell of all! The words are cognate, take that, doubters!

• 1.074 The dwarves of yore made mighty spells,
• 2.117 putting a great many spells over them,
• 8.133 when they took their spell off him
• 11.015 they spoke fragments of broken spells of opening,
• 15.038 The dwarves of yore made mighty spells,

“Might” appears in this work only as a form of “May”, never as a noun for power. Today’s word, therefore, is “Mighty” so as to avoid future confusion.

• 1.074 The dwarves of yore made mighty spells,
• 1.117 not without a mighty Warrior,
• 2.035 and there was mighty little left for supper,
• 2.055 and mighty suspicious about anything new to them.
• 2.073 “or I’m mighty mistook.
• 2.106 and there was a mighty twitter
• 4.013 (mighty glad of the change)
• 8.029 and cleared the water with a mighty jump.
• 8.039 filled almost entirely with a mighty growth of oaks.
• 9.046 and became mighty merry all of a sudden.
• 9.065 There was a mighty pushing of poles.
• 12.065 O Smaug the Mighty,’
• 14.027 and his last mighty shot.
• 15.038 The dwarves of yore made mighty spells,
• 16.008 It is mighty cold!’ said Bombur.
• 17.056 Thorin wielded his axe with mighty strokes,

A common word, Germanic in origin, used 220 times in the work. It looks pretty evenly distributed when I eyeball it – except with a dip at the end in Chapter 19.

• 1.004 making a noise like elephants
• 1.012 Make you late for dinner!
• 1.017 Not the man that used to make
• 1.048 He had made quite a dent on the beautiful door;
• 1.060 and Bilbo made a move to collect
• 1.063 and made tall piles of all the things.
• 1.068 and in the dim light it made him look strange
• 1.074 The dwarves of yore made mighty spells,
• 1.083 made by hands
• 1.096 it almost made him really fierce.
• 1.102 This was made by Thror,
• 1.111 which has been made to look exactly like the side of the Mountain.
• 1.113 made of silver.
• 1.117 and make some plans.’
• 1.122 and they made huger halls
• 1.122 and leisure to make beautiful things just for the fun of it,
• 1.123 and they can’t make a thing for themselves,
• 1.123 that dragons make going from bad to worse.
• 1.125 But apparently they made a map,
• 1.142 and made beds on chairs
• 1.142 One thing he did make his mind up about
• 2.010 in advance to make requisite preparations,
• 2.034 Dwarves can make a fire almost anywhere out of almost anything,
• 2.039 and so they made off,
• 2.039 they made a deal of rustling
• 2.054 and wondering how to make owl-noises
• 2.059 “He wouldn’t make above a mouthful,”
• 2.060 and we might make a pie,” said Bert.
• 2.070 and that of course only made them madder than ever.
• 2.080 It made him howl,
• 2.098 “I made sure it was yellow,” said Bert.
• 2.106 or they go back to the stuff of the mountains they are made of,
• 2.107 and made an end of them.
• 2.108 listening to the trolls making plans for roasting them
• 2.113 of various makes, shapes, and sizes.
• 2.114 It would have made only a tiny pocket-knife for a troll,
• 2.115 “They were not made by any troll,
• 2.126 and made for it.
• 3.006 They asked him where he was making for,
• 3.012 and the smell of the pine-trees made him drowsy,
• 3.015 And where are you making?
• 3.024 if you are making for the only path
• 3.031 may make a good tale,
• 3.035 They were made
• 4.004 and make war.
• 4.013 then they made their blankets comfortable,
• 4.025 They make no beautiful things,
• 4.025 but they make many clever ones.
• 4.025 they make very well, or get other people to make to their design,
• 4.025 they make very well, or get other people to make to their design,
• 4.025 in some parts wicked dwarves had even made alliances with them.
• 4.036 made the air too thick
• 4.040 He made the hobbit scramble on his shoulders
• 4.041 It burned with a rage that made it gleam
• 4.041 It made no trouble whatever of cutting through the goblin-chains
• 4.044 (they had made the paths themselves),
• 5.002 but that only made him miserabler.
• 5.006 made in Gondolin for the goblin-wars
• 5.006 that such weapons made a great impression
• 5.011 and caves the goblins have made for themselves
• 5.012 but never a ripple did he make.
• 5.015 at least a tasty morsel it’d make us, gollum!’
• 5.015 he made a horrible swallowing noise
• 5.034 and he was so pleased that he made up one on the spot.
• 5.037 What is more they made him hungry;
• 5.042 as you seem to think from the noise you are making.’
• 5.050 It must make haste,
• 5.058 It had made him very hungry indeed.
• 5.058 That made the hobbit most dreadfully uncomfortable
• 5.083 He thought he was just making an excuse
• 5.087 and made his eyes blink
• 5.118 and make haste.
• 5.118 Make haste!’
• 5.119 it made you invisible!
• 5.133 and roughly made.
• 5.145 was knocked over by a goblin who could not make out what he had bumped into,
• 5.149 it makes their legs wobble
• 6.003 He had just made up his mind that it was his duty,
• 6.020 and so he was making for it.
• 6.030 Gandalf had made a special study of bewitchments with fire
• 6.031 They made that gate ages ago,’
• 6.038 or we shall be made into supper,
• 6.060 and their dreadful clamour almost made the hobbit fall
• 6.062 bold men had of late been making their way back into it from the South,
• 6.065 and the commotion they made filled all the forest.
• 6.067 he could make out the commotion among the wolves
• 6.076 He said it to make them angry,
• 6.086 At the best of times heights made Bilbo giddy.
• 6.099 and making a fine roasting smell.
• 7.005 the eagles must have seen the point they were making for,
• 7.009 (made of the gold that the dwarves gave them)
• 7.012 That Somebody made the steps on the great rock –
• 7.031 and made of unshaped logs:
• 7.031 and rows of hives with bell-shaped tops made of straw.
• 7.045 propped on wooden posts made of single tree-trunks.
• 7.062 and one or two more won’t make much difference,’
• 7.082 That only makes eleven
• 7.084 to see that his tale was making a good impression,
• 7.084 and sang songs making fun of us.
• 7.088 The interruptions had really made Beorn more interested
• 7.090 You may be making it all up,
• 7.095 and the making of things by smith-craft,
• 7.095 and few save the knives were made of metal at all.
• 7.117 I soon saw that Beorn could not have made them all:
• 7.122 might soon be made to find the dwarves,
• 7.126 The making of these was one of his secrets;
• 7.126 though they made one thirsty.
• 7.130 By his advice they were no longer making for the main forest-road
• 7.131 for if they make their raid soon
• 7.132 they made a camp
• 8.001 made by two great trees
• 8.003 but what made the noises he could not see.
• 8.004 who liked holes to make a house
• 8.032 which made it impossible for them to go back
• 8.033 and did not dare to make a move.
• 8.044 His report soon made the others as miserable as he was.
• 8.045 and were only made more angry
• 8.047 He could not make out where he was at all,
• 8.047 in making him believe
• 8.064 Every time they counted themselves it only made thirteen.
• 8.074 But he soon made up his mind
• 8.076 made a great difference to Mr. Baggins.
• 8.078 unless they had been made prisoners by the elves
• 8.080 In the end he made
• 8.080 Having made up his mind he crept along as cleverly as he could.
• 8.081 he saw that it was made by spider-webs
• 8.081 but he could make out many of the words that they said.
• 8.083 Aye, they’ll make fine eating,
• 8.093 but they could make a good guess at the direction
• 8.094 to make them curious, excited
• 8.098 but then you must remember that he had to make it up himself,
• 8.098 They made for his noise far quicker than he had expected.
• 8.105 (which made all the poor dwarves dance
• 8.117 and make
• 8.119 Attercop’ made them so angry
• 8.131 in the making of beautiful
• 9.001 made one last despairing effort
• 9.003 but that did not make much difference,
• 9.003 for the elves were making the dwarves go
• 9.003 The king had ordered them to make haste.
• 9.004 and he only made up his mind not to desert his friends
• 9.008 if killing them makes you angry?’
• 9.009 made the king angrier than ever,
• 9.009 using the road that my people made?
• 9.009 After all the disturbance you have made
• 9.014 Soon however he made up his mind
• 9.025 It must be potent wine to make a wood-elf drowsy;
• 9.026 for he could not prevent the keys from making every now
• 9.031 A pretty fine burglar you make,
• 9.038 made a great fuss about his air-holes
• 9.044 and make merry
• 9.064 They were making up a raft of barrels,
• 10.007 A great bridge made of wood ran out to where
• 10.007 on huge piles made of forest trees
• 10.027 Now make haste
• 10.036 and they began to think their king might have made a serious mistake.
• 10.039 and they made a great fuss of him;
• 11.001 and the rest was made into a store under a tent,
• 11.002 making off swiftly down the river
• 11.003 They made north-west,
• 11.005 other than the wilderness he had made about his lair.
• 11.005 They made their first camp
• 11.012 they made their weary way back to the camp.
• 11.013 It was he that made the dwarves begin the dangerous search
• 11.017 There they made their third camp,
• 12.005 but the others made no pretence of offering –
• 12.007 It was a passage made by dwarves,
• 12.008 to make no sound,
• 12.019 as if it was an old volcano that had made up its mind
• 12.019 and a trampling that made the ground beneath them tremble.
• 12.035 I made the best beginning I could.
• 12.035 that you ever made the vast extent of his wealth clear to me.
• 12.040 Now I will make you an offer.
• 12.062 that there was one smell he could not make out at all,
• 12.070 that your success has made you some bitter enemies?’
• 12.081 why the dragon had made such an awful noise,
• 12.087 it would make even a blind rabbit
• 12.096 the spears that were made
• 12.096 shields made for warriors long dead;
• 12.096 made of five hundred emeralds
• 12.096 had never been made before,
• 12.101 like the crash of battering-rams made of forest oaks
• 13.008 and they made a deal of puffing and shuffling
• 13.013 perhaps we can make a little light,
• 13.014 Can anybody make a light?’
• 13.044 The steps were not made,
• 13.048 carved and made straight
• 13.053 we ought to make for the old look-out post
• 13.064 It was made by the Lake-men for long journeys.)
• 13.067 that was made here as a guardroom.
• 13.067 and the guards were made over comfortable,
• 14.027 we would make him a king.
• 14.042 to make any bargain for the future
• 14.043 Their plans were soon made.
• 15.005 Can you make it out Baggins?’
• 15.006 he could make nothing of it at all)
• 15.026 and in making a new path that led from it.
• 15.035 and made music to soften his mood;
• 15.038 The dwarves of yore made mighty spells,
• 15.060 and it makes me sick.
• 16.007 That night Bilbo made up his mind.
• 16.017 when he left the newly made path
• 16.017 if he was to make for the camp,
• 16.033 Now I will make you an offer! !’
• 17.024 You are not making a very splendid figure
• 17.028 which was made by my folk,
• 17.031 the secret of whose making was possessed by Dain’s people.
• 17.033 so make way or we shall fight you!’
• 17.045 This is the plan that he made
• 17.045 but there was no time to make any other plan,
• 17.048 to make a feint of resistance,
• 17.061 Really it is enough to make one weep,
• 17.062 he had seen a sight that made his heart leap,
• 18.020 before he had the heart to make a joke again.
• 18.020 and you made a great mess of that business with the stone;
• 18.023 The dwarves were making a stand still
• 18.039 when our halls are made fair once more,
• 18.048 some little return should be made for your, er, hospitality.
• 19.005 There a warm welcome was made them,
• 19.045 They are making songs which say that

Good morning, friends. We already have the hyphenated word “gold-plated” (which see for a discussion of its hyphenatedness) (hyphenatiation?) (hyphenatitude?)

We also have “gild“, and I’m all excited because the podcast which I adore, The History of English Podcast by Kevin Stroud, sometimes uses “gold” and “gild” and “geld” to be examples of various word-importing and word-change principles. Naturally I have turned this morning to the OED to get my golden ducks in a row… Oh, my sweet word. Not only does the etymology range from Scotland to India (with a magnificent side-track at the archaic word “blee”, which means color or hue), but the earliest example quotations include lines from the Ormulum and Layamon’s Brut, which texts Dr. Stroud has examined deeply in different episodes. I’m just fanning myself.

• 1.026 tucked into a golden belt,
• 1.043 and gold
• 1.046 in their gold
• 1.070 It was a beautiful golden harp,
• 1.073 To seek the pale enchanted gold.
• 1.075 There many a gleaming golden hoard
• 1.077 To claim our long-forgotten gold.
• 1.078 And harps of gold; where no man delves
• 1.082 To win our harps and gold from him!
• 1.119 I mean about the gold
• 1.122 and in addition I believe they found a good deal of gold
• 1.123 Dragons steal gold
• 1.123 and gold was probably getting scarce up there,
• 1.124 here Thorin stroked the gold chain round his neck –
• 1.144 To find our long-forgotten gold.
• 2.113 to pots full of gold coins standing
• 2.117 and carried away the pots of gold,
• 3.040 and their love of gold,
• 5.040 Yet golden treasure inside is hid,
• 5.084 a golden ring,
• 7.009 and wore a golden crown,
• 7.009 and his fifteen chieftains golden collars
• 7.009 (made of the gold that the dwarves gave them)
• 7.027 shone like fiery gold.
• 7.045 and fell golden on the garden full of flowers that came right up to the steps.
• 7.095 They spoke most of gold
• 7.095 there were no things of gold or silver
• 7.132 and till evening it lay golden on the land about them.
• 8.071 sat a woodland king with a crown of leaves upon his golden hair,
• 8.133 for the elf-king had bargained with them to shape his raw gold
• 8.133 and also he was determined that no word of gold or jewels
• 10.007 and some were filled with gold
• 10.008 and gold would flow
• 10.010 but you could only have told it by his golden chain,
• 10.020 The gold gleamed on his neck
• 10.021 as if they expected the Mountain to go golden
• 10.034 to cargoes and gold,
• 10.035 His halls shall echo golden
• 10.035 And the rivers golden run.
• 12.013 gold wrought
• 12.014 and fragments of gold from his long lying on his costly bed.
• 12.015 at the gold beyond price
• 12.032 and he went back to his golden couch to sleep –
• 12.065 Not gold alone brought us hither.’
• 12.066 in these parts besides my gold.
• 12.067 even if you could steal the gold bit by bit –
• 12.070 that gold was only an afterthought with us.
• 12.096 with cunning gold,
• 12.096 the great golden cup of Thror,
• 13.018 as he stumbled on some golden thing.
• 13.032 is wakened by gold
• 13.034 and finding still hanging there many golden harps
• 13.040 We are not looking for gold yet,
• 13.048 and beams of gold fell
• 14.005 is forging gold,’
• 14.008 and the northern end of the lake turned golden.
• 14.008 his rivers golden run!
• 14.008 The river is running gold from the Mountain!’
• 14.033 What sort of gold have they sent down the river to reward us?
• 14.035 and filled with golden bells,
• 14.043 to his golden bed,
• 15.020 in gold.
• 15.021 But none of our gold shall thieves take
• 15.037 The heart is bold that looks on gold;
• 15.041 and gold.
• 15.049 with the power that gold has
• 15.058 but we leave you to your gold.
• 16.002 is worth more than a river of gold
• 16.027 he is quite ready to sit on a heap of gold
• 16.037 He values it above a river of gold.
• 17.006 for which you would yield any of your gold?’
• 17.019 and gold,
• 17.021 What about the gold
• 17.034 He was determined to wait until the gold
• 17.035 but they found no gold or payment.
• 17.037 ere I begin this war for gold.
• 17.055 In the gloom the great dwarf gleamed like gold
• 18.017 Since I leave now all gold
• 18.018 and not a mountain of gold can amend it.
• 18.019 above hoarded gold,
• 18.027 Dain has crowned their chief with gold,
• 18.033 Yet a fourteenth share of all the silver and gold,
• 18.034 From that treasure Bard sent much gold
• 18.037 and the other with gold,
• 19.003 Than gold won by mining,
• 19.025 they found the gold of the trolls,
• 19.027 So they put the gold
• 19.039 His gold
• 19.042 (and had real gold buttons)
• 19.044 Bard had given him much gold
• 19.044 and took most of the gold
• 19.045 in his day the rivers run with gold.’

“gold, n.1 and adj.” OED Online, Oxford University Press, September 2019, http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/79763. Accessed 4 October 2019.