Hobbit2 - Chapter 09 - Barrels Out of Bond

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by jallanite

John D. Rateliff in his The History of The Hobbit mentions,

The idea of hiding in barrels or crates is of course an ancient one (cf. the story of Ali Baba) that needs no specific source.

One of many possible sources is Le Charroi de Nîmes (‘The Wagon-Train of Nîmes’) in which Count William conquers the city of Nîmes by disguising himself as a merchant and entering the city in peace with his men hidden in a thousand barrels which supposedly contain his merchandise. Each man has a mallet which he may use to break open the barrel when he hears the sound of William’s bugle. So Nîmes is conquered in this tale which is not based on history. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charroi_de_N%C3%AEmes.

A noteworthy mention. I can think of a number of stories (both historical and myths) where people get into walled and guarded cities with the help of barrels (or waggons or giant wooden horses), but very few where people use these things to get out!

The escape is unique and original. The reader expects Thorin&co to escape eventually, but such a fashion is completely unexpected! Bilbo's plan more than satisfies the reader's lust for a miraculous, lucky, and ingenious solution.