Shire: Beginnings by Lindelea
PSW · 7 February 2025 · Chapter 8: Winter's Rest
Hmm… I suspect they’re not really far enough away. (Especially since I know this isn’t the Shire… 😂)
Author's reply
Yes, something has to happen to make them end up in the Shire, I should think. Moving an entire community is a lot of work. (Thanks!)
PSW · 7 February 2025 · Chapter 7: A-Journey
Grand-alf. Hee… :-D He knows just how to interact with these folk to ensure they know he’s a friend. It’s good that he’s so curious and that they’re willing to listen - I’m sure he can guide them well.
Author's reply
He is, indeed, one of the Wise. I love that he was curious and travelled all over and acquainted himself with lots of people over the centuries. (Thanks!)
PSW · 7 February 2025 · Chapter 6: Difficult Decision
Such a hard, stressful, sad decision, but it’s the right one. They can’t stay someplace so dangerous. Stupid gobble-uns….
Author's reply
It was very difficult, but it was really the only solution. And I wonder if JRRT would say it was all part of a larger plan...? (Thanks!)
PSW · 5 February 2025 · Chapter 5: Night Visitors
They just left in the night! Like Gildor and company at the beginning of Frodo’s journey… I would be really scared if I were the Hobbits. It’s not safe at all here anymore - I can understand if they decide to move somewhere else, for sure.
Author's reply
Right! And they left no tracks! (If Elves can walk on top of deep drifts of snow, I imagined in writing this that they could walk through the woods or a glade and leave no footprints. Gandalf, too. He left tracks deliberately for Pick's family to follow, and when he knew they were on the right trail, he stopped leaving tracks. Or at least, that's what is hinted at here. I would be frightened out of my wits, or nearly so, I think, so you're in good company. And yes, the story seeks to explain several issues, among them why the Fallohides travelled over the Misty Mountains, and why hobbits were protected right up to Frodo's time. (Thanks!)
PSW · 5 February 2025 · Chapter 4: The Fair Folk
Well if they run into each other now the Hobbits won’t know what to think… But how terrible, to be missing your little one and not know what’s happened. I do hope they find each other soon.
Author's reply
The hobbits won't meet the Elves at this juncture, but at least the presence of Gandalf and Elven warriors will help ensure Pick's safety until his family and neighbors can find him. Whew. (Thanks!)
PSW · 4 February 2025 · Chapter 3: Make New Friends
Oh dear - I hope there’s not an incident when the family finds Pick with Gandalf! Hopefully they’ll wait for an explanation, though I don’t know if I would. I want some Elvish waybread…
Author's reply
So do I! Elvish waybread sounds amazing... (Thanks!)
PSW · 4 February 2025 · Chapter 2: Fear
From bad to worse - and on top of the terrifying news about their neighbors too. I hope they find the little guy!
Author's reply
Poor Thorns (and Uncle Beech), not knowing what's happening, but all signs point to something bad. I couldn't stand such suspense, myself, which is why the grey giant was included in Chapter 1. (Thanks!)
PSW · 2 February 2025 · Chapter 1: Shadow
Oh no! This was not a great development - but hopefully he will get back to his family in one piece!
Author's reply
Terrifying, but at least the rescuer decided not to settle for being an observer only! Whew. (Thanks!)
PSW · 2 February 2025 · Chapter 0: Prologue
It is a shame when it takes things like broken legs to hear the old stories, but I’m glad to see grandpa isn’t wasting any time - swooping in while the swooping is good, as it were. I’m looking forward to it too!
Author's reply
Thanks for mentioning you were reading this story! I appreciate your taking the time to share your thoughts. Everyone should have a storytelling Granda, I think, especially when laid up in bed and faced with boredom. (I probably got the idea from Princess Bride, in all probability.)
Matt · 27 February 2017 · Chapter 31: Epilogue
Two thumbs up for this story. Early history of the various groups in Middle Earth is one of the things I'd love to see more of--and this one is very very well done. I like your characterizations, the research you've done on the migration is well considered and the forces driving the hobbits further from their original home make sense. Did you ever continue this piece? Are there others in this genre out there from other authors that you like? Thanks again, and so much, for a great read. Off to discover (or rediscover in a few cases before I got impatient with your chapter length), some more of your work. Thanks loads for your hard work on this excellent fic.
Author's reply
Much belated thanks, Matt. I just now saw this review when I was looking something up. I hope this finds you well.
walkerskye · 25 June 2010 · Chapter 150: Author's notes: Done - 1/28
I have stayed up way too late on a work night to read this wonderful tale. An Exodus I think the good professor would appreciate. I surely did. Many thanks. and Good night! (or make that good morning, I just looked at my clock!)
Author's reply
An extremely belated reply, to thank you for reading, and for stopping to say a good word. I don't know why, but I never saw this review until today. Hope this note finds you well.
Nienor Niniel · 30 July 2006 · Chapter 29: The Last Leg
I forgot to mention before: I think it is a fantastic idea that there is a foreshadowing of the role the hobbits have to play much later (at least from their point of view). Really great! Nienor
Author's reply
Thank you! I'm glad it's plausible!
Nienor Niniel · 30 July 2006 · Chapter 31: Epilogue
Oh, they are remembering something after all, both Hobbits and Elves. This was a really lovely ending for a great fic! Thanks for sharing, Nienor
Author's reply
Thank you for reading and for pausing to leave some encouraging words! I greatly appreciate it.
Nienor Niniel · 30 July 2006 · Chapter 23: In the Last Homely House
Oh, you made me cry again! So many poor hobbits killed. But the arrival in Imladris is so beautifully thought of and consoled me a little. Sad that the hobbits of Bilbo's and Frodo's time don't really remember that their ancestors were with the Elves once. Greetings, Nienor
Author's reply
I'm glad you found consolation in the welcome the travellers found at Imladris. "The Last Homely House" sounds like the perfect place for them to rest and recuperate.
Nienor Niniel · 30 July 2006 · Chapter 17: The Song
So Eagles fill up the corners, too? Makes sense. The second part of the chapter made me cry a little, I have to admit. I really enjoyed the second meeting with the Elves. It's really difficult to fully grasp the fact that the hobbits meet characters that will still be around in LOTR. And that Gandalf, of all people, shows them the way is lovely. All the best, Nienor
Author's reply
LOL! Would you believe I just now saw this review? It's like finding a gem, lost amongst the folds, that somehow dropped without notice and suddenly caught the light. Thanks so much!
Nienor Niniel · 26 July 2006 · Chapter 4: The Fair Folk
Here I am again... truly intriguing! I rather like your "pre-hobbits", who are very much aware of the nature around them, but not so much of the larger world. And this meeting with the Elves is a fantastic idea. I like the effect it has on the young adventurer. I'll definitely read on! All the best, Nienor
Author's reply
Thanks! The hobbits used to be quite a bit more civilised, farmers I think, but were driven into the forest by greedy or superstitious Men. And hobbits seem likely to be in tune with nature, from what I've read in JRRT's letters, so nice observation on your part!
Inkling · 20 February 2005 · Chapter 31: Epilogue
Ah Lin, this was such a lovely ending to the story! Was it Elladan who saw Bilbo and left such an indelible impression, filling his heart “with unknown longing”? And so in the prologue it was the Old Took then, telling tales to a young Bilbo? This story was every bit as wonderful as I thought it would be, and your Fallohides have captured my heart. Someone thought they were unhobbity? To me they are the very essence of hobbit-kind…all the best qualities of hobbits, with the surface trappings of Shire civilization stripped away. They do the right thing instinctively, without thought of what’s in it for them, as when they help Grandalf or the Elves. They have a nobility of spirit and a quiet dignity that are both inspiring and humbling. You can see how centuries of easy living could turn them into the fussy, complacent hobbits of the late Third Age, but you can also still detect in the modern hobbits the traces of their forebears: “There is a seed of courage hidden (often deeply, it is true) in the heart of the fattest and most timid hobbit”… Every now and then—not often—I come across a story that I think Tolkien would have enjoyed. This is one of them. Thank you so much!
Author's reply
I'm not sure who the Watcher was. It might very well have been Elladan. I left it vague so that readers could imagine whomever they wished to think it was. The prologue could have been the Old Took and Bilbo, or it could have been any grandfa and grandchild pair of Tooks on down the centuries. I left it open to interpretation. I'm glad you recognized the Shire-folk of Frodo's time in the Fallohides since they are, more-or-less, the distilled essence of JRRT's descriptions of hobbit-kind to the best of my ability. I am honored by the thought that JRRT might enjoy this story. I have done my best in my fanfiction to honor his original works. His Shire became my refuge in tough times, and I'm very grateful for that.
Inkling · 20 February 2005 · Chapter 30: Warm Welcome
“It was a hobbity homecoming for certain.” Indeed it was! I found myself getting choked up at the Harfoots’ welcome…the great a-journey is over and the wanderers are home at last. I’m so sorry to see this end…will you be continuing the history, I hope?
Author's reply
Two more stories were outlined when I wrote this first part: the removal to Bree, and then Marcho and Blanco's journey leading hobbits to found the Shire (which intersects with the great plague in the Tale of Years, sadly... that may be one reason why the Muse has resisted fleshing out that outline; I can't write a story until I have found a happy or at least satisfying ending to write towards. Maybe if I can imagine a friendship between one of their sons or daughters and the king who granted them the land...) Anyhow, I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
Inkling · 20 February 2005 · Chapter 29: The Last Leg
Ah, the Stoors! I was wondering if they would turn up. This is very well researched, Lin! I wonder about their crossing, and that of the Harfoots a century earlier…whether they too were pursued, or whether the Fallohides were singled out for the Dark Power’s attention…
Author's reply
I don't know if JRRT said why the other two groups made the crossing, though the coming of the Harfoots to Eriador is mentioned in the same time frame as the shadow falling on the Greenwood in the Tale of Years. In general, JRRT says: Their earliest tales seem to glimpse a time when they dwelt in the upper vales of Anduin, between the eaves of Greenwood the Great and the Misty Mountains. Why they later undertook the hard and perilous crossing of the mountains into Eriador is no longer certain. Their own accounts speak of the multiplying of Men in the land, and of a shadow that fell on the forest, so that it became darkened and its new name was Mirkwood. He also mentions that hobbits divided into the three groups (Harfoots, Fallohides, and Stoors) before the crossing of the mountains, and that the Harfoots interacted a lot with the Dwarves and lived in the foothills of the mountains for a long time. While the Harfoots are described as the commonest type of hobbit, the Fallohides are said to be natural leaders or chieftains, even amongst the Harfoots and Stoors, and a strong influence on the Tooks and Brandybucks who came later. Considering the family trees of Frodo, Pippin, and Merry, it made sense for the Enemy to target the Fallohides above all the three types of hobbits (if the Enemy did so, that is). As for Samwise... he has a bit of Fallohide in him, according to my reckoning, as I have imagined Beech (who married a Harfoot) as his ancestor.
Inkling · 18 February 2005 · Chapter 28: Before the Face of the King
A very powerful and disturbing chapter, bringing to mind the atrocities of the Holocaust…another time when men refused to see the humanity in other men though it was right before their eyes. Glorfindel’s unveiling of his power was breathtaking…straight out of one of the great fairy tales. The murk that is briefly dispelled and then regathers raised, for me, the same question about the nature of evil that runs throughout LOTR: whether it resides in the hearts of men, or comes from without…or both. This was definitely one of the high points of the story!
Author's reply
Yes, touring one of the infamous death camps has stuck in my memories for more than a score of years. The photographs, the testimonies, the idea of mattresses stuffed with hair... Thanks for the note about Glorfindel's unveiling of power. I gave it long thought and much research, trying to figure exactly what the power of the Elves was, with only tantalising glimpses to work from (like Frodo's glimpse of the Elf-lord at the Ford). I wondered about Thorn being able to see the murk... but then, Sam was able to see a light shining through Frodo, so why not Thorn being able to see the spiritual murk in the great hall? Thanks!
Inkling · 17 February 2005 · Chapter 26: Of Life and Death
Oh my, I think I needed to get to the Last Homely House as much as the hobbits… All-Around? LOL!! Loved the hobbit-sized table settings, and the Elves sitting in the Hall of Fire holding hobbit children. Sad that, over time, this close relationship with the Elves would not last…and even sadder, perhaps, that while the hobbits would forget, the Elves would remember. The sadness of mortal lands… So the wives follow their husbands in death…the last missing piece of the puzzle as to why there were so few remaining hobbits. And though Violet lives, “she seldom spoke to any, ate little, and wandered the halls like a small, sad wraith.” What a tragic image! And the Thorn’s name was Buckthorn! I’d wondered… “He'd found the hobbits were better able to concentrate with food to nibble.” Elrond is becoming an honorary hobbit! He’s going to miss them, I think. This is a wonderful line: ‘One Elf and one Fallohide,’ Blackthorn answered firmly. ‘How can any stand against us?’ It’s nice to see Black truly becoming The Thorn…
Author's reply
"All-around" was such fun when it popped up out of nowhere! I wonder what Elrond might have been thinking when Bilbo arrived with the Dwarves... Thankfully, the time of healing at the Last Homely House offered Blackthorn the respite he needed to be able to transition into the role of Thorn. After crossing the Misty Mountains, the Fallohides seldom heard the Voice of the Lady. (Her Voice, or Someone's Voice, at least, does pop up a few times in the next story that talks about the Hobbits moving to the Bree-land, but it's not the same as in the Greenwood, where all the Thorn had to do was walk deeper into the forest and listen very hard.)
Inkling · 13 February 2005 · Chapter 22: The Rescue
Whew! Thank goodness they’re safe at last…not sure I could have taken much more sadness. The poor hobbits…out of the frying pan into the fire indeed! The men are, if anything, more loathsome than the orcs. I greatly enjoyed the eagle family, especially the mother’s concern with food safety: “Throw it out!” LOL! It was nice to see Radagast; he doesn't show up too often in fanfic (with the notable exception of jodancingtree's stories). Am wondering about “There was another evil that had not yet been made clear to him.” Is this the Necromancer, and is he pursuing the hobbits? Wasn’t there something you said earlier about the orcs: “more than hunger and rage burned in their eyes”…
Author's reply
Well, we know that the Crossing was shrouded in the mists of history, and know that hobbits were fleeing what was happening after the Necromancer took up residence in southern Mirkwood, and that Arnor had broken into three kingdoms, one of which was overcome by evil, one of which was wiped out by the former, and the other which lasted for some time before being overcome. So it would stand to reason that it would take a lot to pry such a people from their settled ways. I was hoping the eagles didn't read too "hobbity", but the eagles in The Hobbit didn't seem all that lofty to me. Jodancing tree tops my list of favourite authors. I'm probably heavily influenced by her writing, the first fanfic I ever read! Yes, in answer to your question about "another evil": the Dark Power may have got wind of the fact that the little folk were a part of the Song, perhaps even a part of his anticipated downfall... In any event, he probably figured they were taken care of... or perhaps when Thorn fell, and the direct link to the Valar was broken (Thorn was the last to hear the Lady's voice clearly), he lost interest in them. Thankfully! Thanks so much for the review. I was feeling quite unmotivated, what with being unable to post any new chapters this week, and thus no reviews to grease the writing wheels.
Inkling · 7 February 2005 · Chapter 17: The Song
OK, I’ve finally stopped bawling enough to be able to review this chapter…thank you, Lin, for not leaving Thorn fallen against the cliff, trying to draw breath that wouldn’t come. This was a beautiful ending to his part of the Tale, as well as a wonderfully unexpected answer to your hint that the Four Travelers would be making cameo appearances. But I will miss Thorn. It must be hard to kill off a character; I wonder if I could do it… I know a story has gotten under my skin when I find myself thinking about the characters during the day…I couldn’t wait ‘til tonight to read this part. But now back to work!
Author's reply
You're welcome. It was hard enough to write his demise, much less leave him there. I've had some criticism, people who think that Mandos would have nothing to do with hobbits. But since JRRT never really said what happens to hobbits, I've tried to come up with a logical conclusion that would fit with the hobbits we know and love best. Thanks for commenting!
Inkling · 7 February 2005 · Chapter 16: The Hunted
Hi Lin, here are my random musings on Chapters 11-16: "And if there are no more sips in the cup for me, who am I to complain? All I can do is make the best use of the time I have, Beech." Very moving, Thorn’s humble fatalism…and a nice twist on Gandalf’s words to Frodo. Just read your chronological and geographical notes…thank you, very useful. BTW also looked up the birth of Elrond’s sons: 130 T.A. So they were about 900 years old at the time of your story…still wet behind the ears, for Elves! ;) A question: Where are all these orcs coming from? So the hobbits’ woodcraft seems better than the Elves’…interesting and a bit surprising, though I must remember that these are not, after all, Wood Elves…perhaps the High Elves of Rivendell are, relatively speaking, “city folk”? “It is time for us to assume the cloak of adulthood.” This was such a touching moment, as the hobbits weep knowing they must leave the Lady behind at last. Well either Gran-dad’s confused or I am…at the end of chapter 12 it says “It took them more than a day to reach the open fields leading to the ford, what with the need for caution.” Then chapter 13 opens with “After ten days of travel the wandering hobbits came to the edge of the wood, looking out over a grassy plain that sloped downwards towards a distant sparkle—the River!” Can both these statements be true? “brother in love” is a beautiful phrase… C. 16 – Oh, this is heartbreaking…Thorn reminds me a little of Frodo, so brave and noble, and with the gift of foresight that Frodo reveals in his speech at the end of LOTR. I was afraid we were going to lost Thorn sooner, but I know this is it. And Another has spoken to him! Who, I wonder? You know, somehow I thought we hadn’t seen the last of Pick…mistaken for a rabbit, eh? So Bilbo wasn’t the first, hehe…
Author's reply
Where did all the orcs come from? Well, the Tale of Years says that 100 years before the Fallohides migrated, a shadow fell on Greenwood (which became Mirkwood, and 50 years later, the Wise discovered an evil power had made a stronghold at Dol Guldur. While Orcs increased in the Misty Mountains some time later, the goblins that harried the Fallohides probably served the Lord of Dol Guldur. Huh, I didn't notice the discrepancy between chapters 12 and 13. I will have to take a look at that. I suspect that the Other who spoke to him was one of the Valar, not Mandos, not Yavanna, but possibly Oromë (as the hunter of the Enemy) or Lórien (the master of visions and dreams).
Inkling · 4 February 2005 · Chapter 10: A-journey Again
I love these hobbits! Sharkey’s ruffians would have had a hard time pushing THEM around! Brave, smart, selfless, generous, resourceful, pragmatic, adaptable. No self-pity, resentment, vengefulness. (Why can’t people be more like hobbits?) Now, granted, these are Fallohides, and Fallohides in their pure, undiluted form at that, so a pretty special breed. But still, makes me wonder about the first Harfoots and Stoors. They must have been pretty tough, too, to make the great “a-journey.” Some bits in chapters 5-10 I especially liked: We’ll make it into a song,’ her brother said soothingly. ‘Then it won’t seem so unnatural.’ Ah, the Fallohides’ love of song, that survived all the way to Bilbo’s time! Would be fun to hear the song they made… “…for Thorn seemed to know what to do, and Beech seemed to know where to go.” That’s as good a definition of a leader as I’ve heard! “…a wrong decision would fill the pot with hobbits. That would never do.” That sort of dry understatement and morbid humor are so very hobbity! “No thanks are needed, Grand-alf.” This IS like ‘The Just So Stories’: “How Gandalf Got His Name.” Very clever! And set up so naturally and logically, starting with the hobbits’ attempt to say elf coming out alf! I really enjoy your attention to language, and the origins of words and names…very much in the spirit of Tolkien! What a lovely idea that the Lady of the Woods is, perhaps a Vala (Yavanna?) who once walked in ME…and what a sweet, touching moment when the hobbits all kneel before Arwen thinking she is the Lady. Looking forward to more!
Author's reply
Thanks for hitting the high points! You're right, Fallohides are pretty special. I've had a reviewer or two tell me that my hobbits are "unhobbity", but I don't know about that, seeing what the Travellers accomplished. And Samwise wasn't even a Fallohide, so far as I can tell. It was fun to give Gandalf his name--we were playing with Just So Stories at the time and making up our own stories. I did a lot of research though, to make sure I wasn't stepping out of canon. Couldn't find any provenance for the Wizard's name, though, so as far as I know this *could* be the way Gandalf got his name... LOL