LotR -- Book 1 - Chapter 04 – A Short Cut to Mushrooms

[Rumil]

Hi all,

who would have though so much would come out of a Short cut to Mushrooms!

I noticed that the landscape plays a part in the fear and unease felt in his chapter. The short cut rapidly leads into thickets and undergrowth and it starts raining. The journey turns arduous and frustrating (to say nothing of the regret at missing the 'Golden Perch'). At the same time the Hobbits are (though we don't fully realise it on first read) being hunted down by the Nazgul and in serious danger of thir lives. Of course the same landscape effect is more apparent later on in the Old Forest, Trollshaws and of course Mordor amongst others. The river-mist is another device that ceratinly heightens tension.

On minor points, it seems that the elves use bent living branches to make sleeping bowers. This is exactly the same technique that chimpanzees use!

When I first read this chapter I remember being confused as to whether Farmer Maggot was a Hobbit or one of the Big Folk for some reason. Perhaps its just difficult imagining hobbit-sized farming, surely it would be difficult for them to handle much of the livestock? I'm thinking bulls here but also pigs which can grow very big and aggressive, though we know there was bacon! Did the hobbits breed especially small varieties of animal perhaps, whereas our farmers have gnerally bred for bigger individuals. This can be effective, for example the miniature Shetland ponies etc. I guess the dogs were a reasonable size in order to terrify young Frodo so!

Note that Maggot highlights an increase in the number of 'outsiders' coming north up the Brandywine, again refugees or Saruman's spies? Also, regardless of their localism (partly in jest maybe), the Maggotses seem some of the most cosmopolitan Hobbits, Maggot knows Tom of course and has to be warned by his Mrs to avoid arguing with foreigners!

On the mushrooms themselves, I hope they were of a wide variety of species It's uncommon now in Britain, but on the continent many different types of wild mushroom species are gathered for food, and very delicious many of them are! I believe in rural France you can take them to the local pharmacist for identification in case you get mixed up with poisonous species.