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{{location infobox
[[Image:J.R.R._Tolkien_-_The_Hall_at_Bag-End%2C_Residence_of_B._Baggins_Esquire.jpg|right|thumb|250px|''The Hall at Bag-End, the Residence of B. Baggins Esquire'' by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]]]
| name=Bag End
{{quote|In a hole in the ground there lived a [[Hobbits|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.|''[[The Hobbit]]'', "[[An Unexpected Party]]"}}
| image=[[File:J.R.R. Tolkien - The Hall at Bag-End, Residence of B. Baggins Esquire (Colored by H.E. Riddett).jpg|250px]]
'''Bag End''' (Bag-End in [[The Hobbit]]) was a smial (or [[Hobbit-holes|Hobbit-hole]]) in [[Hobbiton]], at the end of [[Bagshot Row]].
| caption="The Hall at Bag-End" by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]
| pronun=
| othernames=
| location=[[Hobbiton]], [[the Shire]]
| type=[[Smials|Smial]]
| description=The most luxurious hobbit-hole in the local area
| regions=
| towns=
| inhabitants=[[Baggins Family]], [[Gardner Family]]
| created=Around {{SR|1280}}
| destroyed=
| events=[[An Unexpected Party]]</br>[[Scouring of the Shire]]
}}
{{quote|In a hole in the ground there lived a [[Hobbits|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]]''<ref name="Unexpected">{{H|Party}}</ref>}}


[[Bilbo Baggins]] inherited the home from his parents, [[Bungo Baggins|Bungo]] and [[Belladonna Took|Belladonna Baggins]], who built the smial in [[Third Age]] 2889. The Hobbit-hole is noted to have a green door with a round brass knob, all but countless rooms with round windows, and a garden. Although Hobbits are known to be of small stature, larger visitors were often seen, indicating that the ceilings were certainly taller than might be expected.  The grounds and home were kept by the [[Gamgee Family|Gamgee]] family, most notably Hamfast ("[[The Gaffer]]") and later his son, [[Samwise Gamgee Family|Samwise]]. The beautiful hole was a point of contention between Bilbo and his relatives, the Sackville-Bagginses, who very much desired to own it.
'''Bag End''' or '''Bag-End'''  was a [[Hobbit-holes|smial]] in [[Hobbiton]], the residence of the [[Baggins Family]] and later the [[Gardner Family]].


Here, Bilbo lived a quiet existence until the wizard [[Gandalf]] appeared with thirteen [[Dwarves]] at the beginning of ''The Hobbit''. Upon his return, he discovered the contents of the smial being auctioned off, due to his presumed death. The Sackville-Bagginses were extremely disappointed and frustrated at his return, and their subsequent loss of Bag End.
==Layout==
[[File:DaleComte - Once Upon A Time in Hobbiton.jpg|thumb|left|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]].<ref name="Unexpected"/>


[[Image:Jef Murray - Bag End.jpg|thumb|left|''Bag End'' by [[Jef Murray]]]]
==History==
In 2989, the eccentric Bilbo adopted his cousin (and nephew) [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] as his heir. Frodo became the Master of Bag End on their mutual birthday, at the age of 33, when Bilbo, then 111 years old, left to live with the [[Elves]] at [[Rivendell]]. Frodo remained content at Bag End until Gandalf returned and confirmed that Bilbo's ring was actually the [[One Ring]]. Preperations for departure ensued, with Frodo selling Bag End to the Sackville-Bagginses and removing to [[Crickhollow]], before beginning the quest to destroy the ring.
{{quote|You can say what you like, Gaffer, but Bag End's a queer place, and its folk are queerer.|[[Sandyman]]<ref name="Party">{{FR|Party}}</ref>|center}}


Upon their return during the [[Scouring of the Shire]], Frodo and company discover that [[Lotho Sackville-Baggins]] had made Bag End his power base as he became [[Chief]] of the Shire. He succeeded, if only too well, and lost control of the entire enterprise. After [[Saruman]] arrived, [[Gríma Wormtongue]] killed Lotho in his sleep.
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.<ref name="Unexpected"/> 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]]".<ref name="N">{{HM|N}}, p. 763-5</ref> The hole was inherited by Bungo's son [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]].


Frodo resumed living in Bag End and was joined by Sam, upon his marriage to [[Rose Cotton]]. However, with wounds too deep to heal, in 3021 he named Sam his heir, and departed across the sea. Bag End remained in the Gamgee family (later known as the [[Gardner Family|Gardners]]) for at least three generations following Sam.
Bilbo employed [[Holman Greenhand]], [[Hamfast Gamgee]],<ref>{{UT|Erebor}}</ref> to tend to its gardens. During Bilbo's [[Quest for Erebor|disapparance]], he was presumed dead, when he returned in {{TA|2942}} just in time to see his estate being auctioned by [[Messrs Grubb, Grubb and Burrowes]].<ref>{{H|Return}}</ref> During that time Holman and Ham tried to protect the garden from the crowd. The [[Sackville-Baggins Family|Sackville-Bagginses]] hoped that Bag End would be theirs (and [[Lobelia Sackville-Baggins|Lobelia]] allegedly snatched some silver spoons).<ref name="Party"/>


==Portrayal in Adaptations==
In {{SR|1389}} Bilbo adopted orphan [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] as his heir (disappointing the [[Sackville-Baggins Family|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 [[Bilbo's Farewell Party|famous party]], Bag End was closed, with only [[Gandalf]] and some [[Dwarves of Erebor]] working there.<ref name="Party"/>


In [[The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy]], 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, and their design was based on artwork by [[John Howe]].
Bag End in turn was left to Frodo, in {{SR|1401}} along with all the chief treasures, books, pictures and furniture. The [[23 September|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.<ref name="Party"/>


==Inspiration and Origin==
When he too left [[the Shire]], he sold it to Lobelia by [[June]] {{TA|3018}}. Frodo had bought a house at [[Crickhollow]] and his friends helped him empty and pack his household, and celebrated with them his last [[22 September|birthday]] party in Hobbiton. The title would pass to Lobelia on [[24 September]], but she arrived [[23 September|one day early]] with her son [[Lotho Sackville-Baggins|Lotho]] to inspect the remaining items. Leaving Bag End, Frodo left the keys with his neighbor [[Gaffer Gamgee]].<ref>{{FR|Three}}</ref> It was used by Lotho as he declared himself [[Chief Shirriff]]. [[Saruman|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.<ref>{{RK|Scouring}}</ref>


[[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s aunt Jane Neave's farm was called Bag End by the locals in Dormston, Worcestershire.
After [[Frodo Baggins]] left [[Middle-earth]], he gave Bag End to [[Samwise Gamgee]], whose family, the Gardners, would live in it for many years.<ref>{{RK|Havens}}</ref>
{{quote|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]]}}


The name can also be seen as a pun on "cul-de-sac" (literally "bottom of the bag"). In the books, it is supposedly a translation of the [[Westron]] ''Labin-nec'', which has much the same meaning, and the same relationship to the Westron form of Baggins: ''Labingi''.
==Etymology==
[[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s aunt [[Jane Neave]]'s farm was called Bag End by the locals in Dormston, Worcestershire.
{{quote|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...|[[Guide to the Names in The Lord of the Rings|''Nomenclature'']]<ref name="N"/>}}
 
The name can also be seen as a pun on "cul-de-sac" (literally "bottom of the bag").<ref name="N"/>
 
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]]''.<ref name="PM">{{PM|Languages}}</ref>
 
==Portrayal in adaptations==
'''1982: [[The Hobbit (1982 video game)|''The Hobbit'' (1982 video game)]]:'''
:Bag End is the game's starting point.
 
'''2001-03: [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''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)|''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)|''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 (film series)|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 [[wikipedia:Victorian decorative arts|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.<ref>[[Daniel Falconer]], ''[[The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Chronicles: Art & Design]]'', pp. 16-20</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
Line 30: Line 72:
*''[[Tolkien's Bag End]]''
*''[[Tolkien's Bag End]]''


== External Links ==
{{references}}
* [http://www.jrrtolkien.org.uk/Images/bagendmap.jpg A floorplan of Bag End]
{{companyroute}}
* [http://www.ourhobbithole.com Fans who are building a Hobbit Hole]
[[Category:Buildings]]
 
[[Category:The Shire]]
[[Category:Shire]]
[[category:Personal Dwellings]]
 
[[de:Beutelsend]]
[[de:Beutelsend]]
[[fi:Repunpää]]
[[fr:encyclo:geographie:villes_tours_et_forteresses:comte:cul-de-sac]]
[[fr:encyclo:geographie:villes_tours_et_forteresses:comte:cul-de-sac]]
[[fi:Repunpää]]
__NOTOC__

Latest revision as of 16:52, 2 March 2023

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