Why did Elrond put Bilbo up?

[Axaday]

I'd like to live in Rivendell when I retire. If I just show up there, can I stay?

I saw the Fellowship of the Rings movie before I read the books and from the movie it appears Bilbo just left a few weeks ago, but it is a lot longer in the books. Did Bilbo just reach Rivendell and stay? Is he just a permanent house guest? Will Elrond let me in? Or was it because of service to Thorin?

 

[DefaultOption]

Didn't Bilbo go to Rivendell to essentially write his memoirs?

 

[The Mighty Mollusk]

You'd better bring some of that good Shire weed.

 

[Axaday]

But I don't have any Shire weed.

 

[Axaday]

Didn't Bilbo go to Rivendell to essentially write his memoirs?

To my memory, he just set out to go and they didn't expect to find him in Rivendell. In the movie it seems like weeks or months, but in the book I think it is like 50 years.

 

[Noip]

It was around 16-17 years between when Bilbo left after the party and when Frodo met him again in Rivendell. (Yes, it was unexpected, although I have a hard time believing Gandalf did not know Bilbo was there. He just kept that little tidbit to himself because he did stuff like that.) According to Bilbo during that time he journeyed back to Erebor to see what what had changed; after that he returned to Rivendell essentially to retire. As to why Elrond took him in, he was instumental in the downfall of the dragon and the restablishment of the kingdom of Dale, and was also declared an Elf-friend by Thranduil, which actually seems to carry some street cred more than just being a pointless title. Plus he was best buds with Gandalf.

 

[LiamA]

Maybe Elrond noticed the effects of the ring on Bilbo and took him in to take care of him.

 

[Axaday]

I read the Hobbit in 1989, but didn't continue because my brother was struggling with the Lord of the Rings. I was 11, him 14. I watched "Fellowship of the Ring" with unspoiled eyes and then read the whole trilogy pretty fast and watched the movies each in theaters. I bought the extended cuts, but have never watched them, because of the time investment and I don't think I've ever watched any of the movies again. I always liked it, but when watching Rings of Power recently and seeing how controversial they are, I realized I hadn't ever done much study or wondering about all of it.

I believe I have gleaned that despite the poem, the One Ring never worked as intended. He had no effect on the 3 Elf rings, the dwarf rings corrupted the dwarves but didn't give him control, the rings for man had essentially the correct effect but only temporarily. He had complete control of Nazgul and they make excellent henchmen, but they themselves lost influence and aren't ruling over anyone, so the whole vassal system fell apart.

I wondered at what Sauron could do if he got the ring back and was guided to conclusion that all he would do would be keep it safe. He doesn't have a body and perhaps has no means to get one again, but the ring is now a horcrux for him and the only thing keeping him alive. So its value is just that it is his weakness.

I recall that the Fellowship of the Ring were supposed to go to the volcano together. I hadn't stopped to think about it before this morning, but all the stuff taking over Gondor and having an epic battle against the forces of evil was not in their plan when they set out. They just kept responding to opportunities.

 

[Platypus Prime]

This might be more ‘conspiracy’ minded than the author or film directors intended, but I always wondered if Bilbo’s accommodations were actually an experiment the elves were doing. After all, he was the only ring-wearer ever (with some arm twisting) to give up the One Ring even semi-voluntarily. In the end the opinion seems to be that it was simply his incompatible mindset, the gulf between ‘conquer middle-Earth and become the New Dark Lord’ and ‘When’s dinner?’ was beyond even Sauron’s power to fix, but he was still unusual. It might have been in the elves thoughts to observe him for a short time (in their terms) to see if they could learn something of this resistance to its power. They knew they could contain him easily by offering a free bed, meals, and time to write his book, so when he showed up, they ‘welcomed their old friend’ and just didn’t ever bother to suggest he leave. So nearly twenty years later, almost nothing to them, he’s still there, they’re keenly watching to see what he does, and they can even get his private thoughts on events by offering to proofread that book he’s writing.

IT'S ALL A PLOT!

ELF CONSPIRACY THEORIES FOR EVERYONE!!!

 

[Badgertron]

Don't forget that, aside from writing his book, he also spent all that time trying to learn how to write Elvish poetry!

 

[The Predaking]

Elrond is a half elf and perhaps that makes him a bit different from the other elves. Perhaps its all he has been through fighting against Sauron in the 2nd age. Perhaps he has learned over the centuries to trust Gandalf's judgment, and we all know how much Gandalf loves his hobbits, and Bilbo especially so. So when your most trusted friend's buddy shows up in your kingdom, you are going to want to let him stay for as long as he wants to. 20 years to an elf is nothing, more like a week vacation to us.

I read the Hobbit in 1989, but didn't continue because my brother was struggling with the Lord of the Rings. I was 11, him 14. I watched "Fellowship of the Ring" with unspoiled eyes and then read the whole trilogy pretty fast and watched the movies each in theaters. I bought the extended cuts, but have never watched them, because of the time investment and I don't think I've ever watched any of the movies again. I always liked it, but when watching Rings of Power recently and seeing how controversial they are, I realized I hadn't ever done much study or wondering about all of it.

I believe I have gleaned that despite the poem, the One Ring never worked as intended. He had no effect on the 3 Elf rings, the dwarf rings corrupted the dwarves but didn't give him control, the rings for man had essentially the correct effect but only temporarily. He had complete control of Nazgul and they make excellent henchmen, but they themselves lost influence and aren't ruling over anyone, so the whole vassal system fell apart.

I wondered at what Sauron could do if he got the ring back and was guided to conclusion that all he would do would be keep it safe. He doesn't have a body and perhaps has no means to get one again, but the ring is now a horcrux for him and the only thing keeping him alive. So its value is just that it is his weakness.

I recall that the Fellowship of the Ring were supposed to go to the volcano together. I hadn't stopped to think about it before this morning, but all the stuff taking over Gondor and having an epic battle against the forces of evil was not in their plan when they set out. They just kept responding to opportunities.

You really should watch the extended editions, especially if you haven't seen the movies in 20 years. They are great films.

 

[Axaday]

Elrond is a half elf and perhaps that makes him a bit different from the other elves. Perhaps its all he has been through fighting against Sauron in the 2nd age. Perhaps he has learned over the centuries to trust Gandalf's judgment, and we all know how much Gandalf loves his hobbits, and Bilbo especially so. So when your most trusted friend's buddy shows up in your kingdom, you are going to want to let him stay for as long as he wants to. 20 years to an elf is nothing, more like a week vacation to us.


You really should watch the extended editions, especially if you haven't seen the movies in 20 years. They are great films.

I'd like to. I asked my wife the other day. She said no way. So when do I have 10 hours?

 

[The Predaking]

You don't have to sit through them all in one day. Heck you don't even half to watch an entire movie in one sitting. I would recommend watching the entire movie, but you really should check out the extended editions even if you have to break it up into sessions. That is how I have to watch films these days with three kids around.

 

[Donocropolis]

You don't have to sit through them all in one day. Heck you don't even half to watch an entire movie in one sitting. I would recommend watching the entire movie, but you really should check out the extended editions even if you have to break it up into sessions. That is how I have to watch films these days with three kids around.

We showed the whole set of extended editions to my son for the first time a while back. We'd just kind of stop them at good break-points to get him off to bed at a reasonable time, so it took a couple of weeks to get through them all. It really feels perfectly watchable that way, like watching a season of a modern "big event" show like Game of Thrones or something.

And the extended editions are definitely the way to go. There's a lot of good scenes that they just couldn't fit into the original's already long run-time. Boromir, I feel, is especially better developed and understandable in the extended editions. In the standard editions, he comes off almost villainous, but with a few extra scenes in the extended editions, I think the whole "noble man who's desire to do good is corrupted by the ring" thing comes across much better.

 

[Axaday]

Why did Aragorn's line stay away so long? What was Aragorn waiting for to take the throne? Did Boromir know Aragorn was going to supplant him?

 

[Donocropolis]

Aragorn basically didn't feel like he was fit to be king. Him becoming willing to take on the responsibility is his main arc.

For Borimir, he didn't know at first, but finds out during the quest. At first he's pretty resistant to the idea, but by the time he dies, he's come to respect Aragorn and is tells him that "I would have followed you, my brother. My captain. My king."

 

[The Predaking]

Why did Aragorn's line stay away so long? What was Aragorn waiting for to take the throne? Did Boromir know Aragorn was going to supplant him?

One thing to consider is that Aragorn wasn't a direct descendant of the last king. That guy was killed off dueling with the Witch King in Minas Morgul and he had no children. Aragorn was a descendant of the earlier kings and high kings centuries before like Elros Tar-Minyatur, Isildur, and Anárion. So its not like there couldn't be others with that same claim running about. However, being a Numenorian raised by Elves and then leading the rangers of the North (Who were the remnants of Gondor's brother kingdom, Arnor) he certainly had enough political allies to take the throne. However, that isn't who Aragorn was. Heck, he didn't even know of his ancestry until he turned 20. Plus, I think he was really focused on the job of battling Sauron and his forces. I don't think he was really motivated to become the high king until his wedding depended on that.

 

[Noip]

He wasn't from the direct line of the kings of Gondor, but he was from the direct line of the kings of Arnor. Since, as you say, there was no heir to the throne in Gondor, and further since one of Aragorn's king-anestors married the daughter of one of the earlier Gondorian kings, and lastly because he was a direct decendant of Elendil, father of both Isildur and Anarion, he had a pretty much rock-solid claim to the throne. It is likely that there are other non-linear decendants running around though.

It's one thing to have a good claim, but another to show up one fineday and say hey, give me my throne now please. He needed to prove himself to himself, as well as the populace of Gondor. Also, he would have faced major pushback from Denethor.

 

[Plutoniumboss]

But then the Denethor problem solved itself.