horncall of buckland

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by alman

The did have magic, but it came from the outside. Old Took had magical cufflinks, gifted by Gandalf. (perhaps the talking horn of buckland was a gift from Gandalf as well! maybe even in Gandalfs voice.)
Bilbo had sting, and Bilbo also gave many presents on his 111st birthday that were obviously magical.

Ultra-rare gifts are not like some generic, magic horn that sits outside in all types of weather. The Hobbits, and I am referring to the vast majority of the whole Shire, would have never been acquainted with any sort of magic in their entire lives. Tolkien said the Hobbits possessed no innate magic, and goes to great lengths to show the mundanity of their lives, where eccentric folks like the Old Took and Bilbo Baggins are such an exception to the rule that they are considered bizarre by the common halflings.

Originally Posted by alman

Also, the horn, if magic, could only have been enchanted to alert a static message in emergencies. It need not have been intelligent and recognize specific danger, just to go off when sounded.

A static, pre-programmed magic horn? This isn't some rap song with sequenced music.

Originally Posted by alman

It just seems odd, that with all the horn blowing in the books, only one has words associated with it. (why didnt Theoden toot out "forward!!" instead of a generic blast?)

Tolkien is using metaphor. He uses metaphor often. There were no locomotives in the Shire, but Tolkien refers to a train as a point of comparison. Look up the terms metaphor/simile. It may aid in your understanding of literature.