Bag End

From Tolkien Gateway
Bag End
Smial
J.R.R. Tolkien - The Hall at Bag-End, Residence of B. Baggins Esquire (Colored by H.E. Riddett).jpg
"The Hall at Bag-End" by J.R.R. Tolkien
General Information
LocationHobbiton, the Shire
TypeSmial
DescriptionThe most luxurious hobbit-hole in the local area
People and History
InhabitantsBaggins Family, Gardner Family
CreatedAround S.R. 1280
EventsAn Unexpected Party
Scouring of the Shire
GalleryImages of Bag End
"In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a Hobbit-hole, and that means comfort."
― Opening lines of The Hobbit[1]

Bag End or Bag-End was a smial in Hobbiton, the residence of the Baggins Family and later the Gardner Family.

Layout[edit | edit source]

DaleComte - Once Upon a Time in Hobbiton

The entrance to Bag End was a perfectly round green door featuring a brass knob in the center. The entryway was a tube-shaped hall with paneled walls and a tiled floor, furnished with carpeting, polished chairs, and an abundance of pegs for the hats and coats of many visitors. The tunnel continued into the hill with side doors that were also round. All of the rooms were on the same level – bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, multiple pantries, wardrobes, kitchens, and dining rooms. The best rooms were those on the left side of the passage for they had deep-set round windows with a view of the garden and meadows beyond down to The Water.[1]

History[edit | edit source]

"You can say what you like, Gaffer, but Bag End's a queer place, and its folk are queerer."
Sandyman[2]

Bag End was built into the Hill by Bungo Baggins, where he went to live with his new wife, Belladonna Took. The hole was largely financed by her.[1] The earth removed was shot over the edge of the sudden fall in the hillside onto the ground; this lane would thenceforth be known as "Bagshot Row".[3] The hole was inherited by Bungo's son Bilbo.

Bilbo employed Holman Greenhand, Hamfast Gamgee,[4] to tend to its gardens. During Bilbo's disapparance, he was presumed dead, when he returned in T.A. 2942 just in time to see his estate being auctioned by Messrs Grubb, Grubb and Burrowes.[5] During that time Holman and Ham tried to protect the garden from the crowd. The Sackville-Bagginses hoped that Bag End would be theirs (and Lobelia allegedly snatched some silver spoons).[2]

In S.R. 1389 Bilbo adopted orphan Frodo as his heir (disappointing the Sackville-Bagginses who coveted it for years), with whom they shared same birthday. Together they gave famous combined birthday parties in Bag End. While preparing for his famous party, Bag End was closed, with only Gandalf and some Dwarves of Erebor working there.[2]

Bag End in turn was left to Frodo, in S.R. 1401 along with all the chief treasures, books, pictures and furniture. The next day of the party and Bilbo's disappearance, many hobbits crowded Bag End to inquire what happened and to collect farewell gifts. This caused the rumor that Bilbo's household was given out for free and many came for loot; they tried to loot overlooked small items, make swaps or deals, even mixed or removed labels from presents that Bilbo prepared. Three young hobbits even knocked holes in the walls of one of the cellars, and Sancho Proudfoot dug in the larger pantry, looking for Bilbo's mysterious treasure. Frodo attempted to block the entrance with barrows and handcarts and had Merry Brandybuck to keep an eye.[2]

When he too left the Shire, he sold it to Lobelia by June T.A. 3018. Frodo had bought a house at Crickhollow and his friends helped him empty and pack his household, and celebrated with them his last birthday party in Hobbiton. The title would pass to Lobelia on 24 September, but she arrived one day early with her son Lotho to inspect the remaining items. Leaving Bag End, Frodo left the keys with his neighbor Gaffer Gamgee.[6] It was used by Lotho as he declared himself Chief Shirriff. Sharkey also adopted the hole as his base, digging up Bagshot Row and erecting many houses in its stead. After the Battle of Bywater, it was largely restored to normal, and Frodo took up residence in the hole again.[7]

After Frodo Baggins left Middle-earth, he gave Bag End to Samwise Gamgee, whose family, the Gardners, would live in it for many years.[8]

Etymology[edit | edit source]

J.R.R. Tolkien's aunt Jane Neave's farm was called Bag End by the locals in Dormston, Worcestershire.

"It [Bag End] was the local name for my aunt's [Jane Neave] farm in Worcestershire, which was at the end of a lane leading to it and no further..."
Nomenclature[3]

The name can also be seen as a pun on "cul-de-sac" (literally "bottom of the bag").[3]

In the books, it is supposedly a translation of the Westron Laban-neg, Labin-nec, which has much the same meaning, and the same relationship to the Westron form of Baggins: Labingi.[9]

Portrayal in adaptations[edit | edit source]

1982: The Hobbit (1982 video game):

Bag End is the game's starting point.

2001-03: The Lord of the Rings (film series)

A life-sized exterior of Bag End was constructed as part of the Hobbiton set near Matamata, New Zealand. The interior sets of Bag End were built on two different scales.

2002: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game):

Bag End is the starting point. Prior to leaving, the deed and key have to be found. The One Ring is also kept inside a chest, but Frodo will not take it out until after he has sold Bag End to Lobelia Sackville-Baggins.

2003: The Hobbit (2003 video game):

Bag End is the starting point.

2006: The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II:

Two different maps of the Shire are used: in the evil campaign, and a map is available for skirmishes. In the former, Bag End and the Hill are located in the top left and can be destroyed as a bonus objective; in the latter, it does not appear.

2007: The Lord of the Rings Online:

Bag End, including surrounding environs The Hill and The Party Tree, are featured in the Shire region. In autumn, during the Harvestmath festival, the basement of Bag End becomes the "Haunted Burrow," a hobbit-style haunted house.

2012: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey:

As with The Lord of the Rings films, The Hobbit trilogy opens with an older Bilbo in the study of Bag End. In crafting the set, the designers said they were inspired by Victorian aesthetics but chose to make the home brighter and with lighter, earthier colours, reflecting the fact this is 60 years earlier than The Lord of the Rings and home to a much younger hobbit. The pantry was designed to be overly-stocked whilst the whole home - especially the bedroom - was stuffed with plump furnishings to reflect Bilbo's "comfortable" lifestyle.[10]

See also[edit | edit source]

References

Route of Thorin and Company
Bag End · Green Dragon · The Shire · Lone-lands · Last Bridge · Trollshaws · Trolls' cave · Rivendell · High Pass · Front Porch · Goblin-town · Goblin-gate · Eagle's Eyrie · Carrock · Beorn's Hall · Wilderland · Forest Gate · Elf-path · Mirkwood · Elvenking's Halls · Forest River · Lake-town · Long Lake · River Running · Desolation of the Dragon · Ravenhill · Back Door · Lonely Mountain · Great Hall of Thráin