Summary — Chapter 9: At the Sign of the Prancing Pony
Bree is a meeting place for the two very different worlds
of the Shire and the rest of Middle-earth. Both Hobbits and Big
People (humans) live there in relative peace, and there is always
a steady stream of travelers of all kinds. Frodo, therefore, feels
uneasy when the gatekeeper guarding the entrance to Bree takes a
curious interest in the hobbits. The hobbits enter the Prancing
Pony, the local inn, and announce themselves to the innkeeper, Barliman
Butterbur. The hobbits seem to remind Butterbur of something, but
he cannot quite place it.
The innkeeper sets the hobbits up in their room. After
dinner, Frodo, Sam, and Pippin go into the main drinking hall while
Merry rests in the room. The hobbits quickly become the center of
attention in the hall, as the Bree folk rarely get news or travelers
from Hobbiton anymore. Frodo worries about some suspicious-looking characters
watching the hobbits from dark corners of the room.
Butterbur points out to Frodo a particularly weather-beaten
individual called Strider. The innkeeper says that Strider is a
Ranger, a wanderer among the northern lands. Strider makes some
pointed comments, and Frodo begins to wonder how much the man knows. Frodo
suddenly notices that Pippin, who has had too much beer, is telling
the crowd about Bilbo’s birthday party—and getting very close to
telling the part about the Ring.
To distract the audience from Pippin, Frodo gets up on
a table and sings a rollicking song. His ruse works, but as he sings
a second time, he falls off the table and accidentally slips the
Ring on his finger. The crowd is shocked to see Frodo vanish, and
everyone suddenly becomes quiet and suspicious. Frodo slips into
the corner and reappears, where Strider, addressing Frodo by his
real name and implying that he knows about the Ring, asks to see
Frodo later. The people in the hall are not convinced when Frodo
steps out of the corner and claims to have simply rolled over there
as he fell. They all return to their rooms, and rumors fly.
Summary — Chapter 10: Strider
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost. . .
(See Important Quotations Explained)
Strider follows the hobbits back to their room. He begins
to talk, hinting that he knows much about their journey. The hobbits,
especially Sam, are inclined to distrust Strider because of his
vagabond appearance. However, Strider does indeed seem to know much about
the Black Riders, who have recently been seen in Bree. In fact, he
saw Black Riders speaking to the gatekeeper a few days ago. Strider
also warns that others in Bree, including Bill Ferny—a “swarthy
sneering fellow” who was in the drinking hall earlier—are not to
be trusted.
Just then, Butterbur knocks and enters. He long-windedly explains
to Frodo that he has a letter to Frodo from Gandalf. The letter
was supposed to be delivered three months ago, but Butterbur forgot
it, and only remembered it when Frodo showed up.
