Bree

From Tolkien Gateway
Bree
Village
Darek Zabrocki - Morning.jpg
"Morning" by Darek Zabrocki
General Information
LocationOn Bree-hill, Eriador, by the crossing of the East Road and the Greenway
TypeVillage
InhabitantsMen and Hobbits
GalleryImages of Bree

Bree was a village in Bree-land just to the east of the crossing of the East Road and the Greenway.[1]

Geography and description[edit | edit source]

Bree was the chief village of Bree-land, a small inhabited region[1] about forty miles east of the Shire[2][3] east of the Old Forest and the Barrow-downs, west of Weathertop, south of Fornost Erain and north of the South Downs.[4] Men and Hobbits lived together in Bree. It is claimed in the Red Book of Westmarch that the arrangement that Men and Hobbits each minded their own affairs in their own ways, but regarding each other as necessary parts of the population and being on friendly terms existed only in Bree-land.[1]

The village was built under and on the western slopes of Bree-hill. It was surrounded by a deep ditch with a thick hedge on its inner side that ran in more than half of a circle from the hill and back to it. The great East Road entered the village through the West-gate of the hedge on the western side of the village, curved to the right to run around the foot of the hill, exited the village in its southern corner[1] through the South-gate of the hedge and then curved to the left back to its easward line[5]. Both gates[6] were closed and guarded by gatekeepers after nightfall who had small lodges on the inside of the gates.[1] During the War of the Ring the West-gate of Bree was guarded by Harry Goatleaf.[7]

The village consisted of about a hundred stone houses, most of them on the slope of the hill above the road with windows on their western side, in which the Men lived. The hill itself was burrowed by Hobbit-holes, in which the Hobbits lived[8] especially on the higher slopes above the houses of the Men. An inn called The Prancing Pony was located on the eastern side of the road where it curved to the south to go around the hill.[1]

History[edit | edit source]

According to their tales the Men of Bree had settled in Bree in the Elder Days. They were Pre-Númenóreans that had migrated from the valleys of the White Mountains to the southern valleys of the Misty Mountains and then north as far as the Barrow Downs.[9] Although few of them survived the turmoils of the Elder Days, they continued to settle in Bree when the Númenóreans returned to Middle-earth.[1]

In S.A. 3320,[10] Bree and the Bree-land became a part of the kingdom of Arnor[11] and the Men of Bree abandoned their old language and adopted Westron as their native language.[9] When the Kingdom of Arnor was divided in T.A. 861,[12] Bree probably became a part of Arthedain, one of the three successor states of Arnor, because Arthedain included the land north of the East Road as far as the Weather Hills[13] and because most of the houses of Bree were north of the East road on the slopes of Bree-hill[1] and Staddle, Combe and Archet, the other villages of Bree-land were also located north of the East Road[14]. However, the possession of Weathertop and the land westwards towards Bree was a matter of debate between Arthedain and the other successor kingdoms of Cardolan and Rhudaur, because Cardolan and Rhudaur desired to have the Palantír of the Tower of Weathertop as Arthedain already possessed the other two Palantírs of the North.[15].

Around T.A. 1300 many Hobbits migrated westward from eastern Eriador and many settled in Bree.[16] In T.A. 1601 many Hobbits left Bree and went west beyond the river Baranduin and founded a colony within Arthedain, The Shire.[17]

After the Fall of Fornost and Arnor in T.A. 1945,[18] the north-south road was only used seldomly and was referred to as the Greenway by the Bree-folk, because it had become overgrown by grass. Bree continued to exist with the unknown protection of the Rangers of the North. Even at the end of the Third Age Bree remained relatively prosperous. Bree was the most westerly settlement of men from the point of view of the Shire by the time of the War of the Ring and had a sizable Hobbit population. Thanks to its location near a major road crossing, one could encounter travelers including Men, Dwarves and Hobbits in a bustling Bree inn. The Rangers of the North also were known to stop in Bree.[19]

On 15 March[20] T.A. 2941 Gandalf and Thorin met seemingly by accident at Bree. They were both thinking about the same problem: the Dragon Smaug at the Lonely Mountain. The meeting led to the undertaking of the Quest of Erebor, which resulted in the death of Smaug and the finding of the One Ring by Bilbo Baggins.[21]

From about T.A. 2953 on the wizard Saruman began to have agents in Bree.[22]

On 29 September T.A. 3018,[23] Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took arrived in Bree and met Strider at the largest inn in Bree, The Prancing Pony, owned by Barliman Butterbur.[24] After Meriadoc had been attacked by a Ringwraith Strider feared an attack by servants of the Ringwraiths and convinced them to spend the night in the parlour of the inn instead of their rooms. Nob, an employee of Barliman, stuffed the beds in their rooms to make it appear as if someone was sleeping in them.[25] In the morning of 30 September, T.A. 3018,[26] they discovered that the windows to their rooms had been forced open and that their stuffed beds had been slashed and left Bree on the same day.[27]

When Frodo and his companions returned to Bree on 28 October, T.A. 3019,[28] Barliman Butterbur told them that Bree had been raided early in the year by ruffians from the south during the War of the Ring. Barliman Butterbur believed that they had been let into Bree by Harry Goatleaf and Bill Ferny, which had been on the side of the ruffians and which had fled Bree with them after they had lost the fight against the inhabitants of Bree, but three Men and two Hobbits from Bree were killed. The defeated ruffians fled to the woods beyond Archet and the wilds where they lived as robbers so that travelling on the road was no longer safe. As a result the inhabitants of Breeland locked up their dwellings early, kept watchers all around the hedge and guarded the gates with a lot of men during the night. He also informed them that the Bree-landers had not understood how much the Rangers of the North had done for their safety, because after they all left (to fight in the War of the Ring in the south) wolves had howled around the fences in the winter and there were dark shapes in the woods, dreadful things that make the blood run cold when he thought of them.[29] After staying in Bree for two nights, Frodo and his companions left Bree on 30 October, T.A. 3019[30]

After the War of the Ring at the end of the Third Age, the North-kingdom of Arnor was reestablished by Aragorn II.[31] It is probable that Bree became a part of Arnor again and became more prosperous through increased traffic on the Greenway and the East Road, because Gandalf announced that the king would soon be turning his mind to Bree, the Greenway would be opened again, there would be traffic, there would be people and fields where there was wilderness before and that there would be room enough for people between the Isen and the Greyflood and along the shorelands south of the Baranduin and that many folk used to live at the northern end of the Greenway on the North Downs or by Lake Evendim.[29]

Etymology[edit | edit source]

The name Bree is an English place name that is based on a Celtic word for "hill".[32]

Wayne Hammond and Christina Scull suggest that the name Bree is derived from the Welsh word bre, which means "hill".[33] Tom Shippey also points out that Bree means "hill" in Welsh.[34]

Inspiration[edit | edit source]

J.R.R. Tolkien chose the name Bree to represent the survival of a trace of the former language of the Men of Bree and modelled it on a British (i.e. Celtic) word, which meant "hill".[35] He referred to Brill in his Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings when he explained that the name Chetwood was a compound of a Celtic word for "wood" and the english word "wood" and stated that the name Brill was derived from the Celtic word bree and the English word "hill".[32] Christopher Tolkien explains that the name Bree is based on Brill in Buckinghamshire, which his father knew well.[36] Tom Shippey also suggests that Tolkien was inspired by the town of Brill, which is located on a hill ten miles from Oxford, when he chose the names Bree and Bree-hill.[34]

Other versions of the legendarium[edit | edit source]

J.R.R. Tolkien drew a plan of Bree during the writing of The Lord of the Rings, which corresponds to the description of Bree in the final published version.[37]

An earlier manuscript about of the Heirs of Elendil, which later became the Annals of the Kings and Rulers and an earlier manuscript version of The Tale of Years mention that Bree was in Cardolan.[38][39] It is possible that the statement that Bree was in Cardolan was deliberately not retained in the published text, because a statement was added in a later manuscript about the Heirs of Elendil that Cardolan was south of the Great Road before the existing statement that Cardolan was east of the Baranduin.[40]

Portrayal in adaptations[edit | edit source]

With the absence of Tom Bombadil and the Barrow-downs in most adaptations, the distance between Bree and the Shire seems shorter than it really was.

1978: The Lord of the Rings (1978 film):

After leaving the Old Forest, the Hobbits appear in the Prancing Pony without delay or introduction. The rooms were raided by Ringwraiths rather than servants of them.

1981: The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series):

Here too, Bombadil and the Barrow-downs were omitted. After taking a short walk through Bree, the hobbits enter the Pony. Merry goes out for a walk, and is found by Bob the ostler. Once again, it is the Ringwraiths rather than servants of them who raid the Pony.

2001: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Frodo and his companions arrive at Bree almost immediately after the scene in which they leave the Shire. All are present in Strider's room when the Ringwraiths crash the gate, trample the gatekeeper, and raid the Prancing Pony.

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

The role of Bree is greatly expanded, due to the interactiveness of the medium. It is the place where the Hobbits meet Strider, and the player shifts perspective. Strider searches the streets of Bree for Merry and materials to make decoys for (once again) the Ringwraiths to slash, while the streets are crowded with robbers and wolves.

2007: The Lord of the Rings Online:

Bree is one of the major cities in the north, located in Bree-land, probaly the most important city in the game. It faces threats from several fronts: Sharkey's brigands have already began making their way into Bree-land, the Barrow-downs are stirring following the passage of the Nazgûl and a small band of Orcs has made their way from the North Downs. The citizens of Bree know more of the bigger world than Shire dwellers, but are still oblivious to the dangers they could face. The town's mayor and the watchers don't trust the Rangers of the North, insisting they can manage their own affairs. Later, during the winter of T.A. 3019, Bree is overrun by Sharkey's Brigands and Half-orcs and has to be liberated by Free Peoples - an event references as "Thievery and Mischief" by Barliman Butterbur later.

2011: The Lord of the Rings: War in the North:

Eradan, Andriel and Farin visit Bree in the beginning of the game, just a few days before Frodo reached the town. They meet with Aragorn in the Prancing Pony.[41]
Bree is protected by a dike and hedge and can be entered through two of its gates.[42] The most important structures in Bree are the Prancing Pony, Elmund Brushwood's smithy and Adalgar Oldbank's shop. Several characters appear in Bree: Otto Aster, Harley Bramble, Elmund Brushwood, Barliman Butterbur, Grof, Tedder Hedgerow, Adalgar Oldbank and a Southerner, as well as several unnamed Bree-landers.[41]

2013: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug:

The opening scene takes place in Bree - once again featuring a cameo from Peter Jackson eating a carrot (see Albert Dreary) - where Gandalf and Thorin meet in the Prancing Pony. Gandalf tells Thorin of his meeting with Thráin, his worries about the dragon, and his wish to see Thorin retake the Lonely Mountain. Gandalf convinces Thorin that they need a burglar to retrieve the Arkenstone in order to summons the "Seven Armies" of the Dwarves.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "At the Sign of the Prancing Pony", p. 149
  2. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, "Prologue", "Concerning Hobbits", p. 4
  3. J.R.R. Tolkien, "Unfinished index for The Lord of the Rings", in Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, entry Bree, p. 16
  4. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, "The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age" [map]
  5. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "A Knife in the Dark", p. 181
  6. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "Homeward Bound", p. 989
  7. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "Homeward Bound", p. 992
  8. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "At the Sign of the Prancing Pony", p. 156
  9. 9.0 9.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix F, "The Languages and Peoples of the Third Age", "Of Men", p. 1130
  10. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Second Age", entry for the year 3320, p. 1084
  11. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur", p. 1039
  12. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Third Age", entry for the year 861, p. 1085
  13. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur", The North-kingdom and the Dúnedain, p. 1039
  14. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "A Knife in the Dark", p. 181
  15. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur", The North-kingdom and the Dúnedain, p. 1040
  16. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Third Age", entry for the year c. 1300, p. 1086
  17. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Third Age", entry for the year 1601, p. 1086
  18. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Third Age", entry for the year 1945, p. 1086
  19. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "At the Sign of the Prancing Pony", p. 150
  20. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "Durin's Folk", footnote after "On a time", p. 1077
  21. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "Durin's Folk", footnote, p. 1077-8
  22. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Third Age", entry for the year 2953, p. 1089
  23. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Great Years", entry for the year 3018, September 29, p. 1091
  24. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "At the Sign of the Prancing Pony", p. 156
  25. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "Strider", pp. 173-4
  26. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Great Years", entry for the year 3018, September 30, p. 1091
  27. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "A Knife in the Dark", pp. 177-181
  28. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Chief Days from the Fall of Barad-dûr to the End of the Third Age", entry for the year 3019, October 28, p. 1096
  29. 29.0 29.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "Homeward Bound", p. 992
  30. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Chief Days from the Fall of Barad-dûr to the End of the Third Age", entry for the year 3019, October 30, p. 1096
  31. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur", p. 1042
  32. 32.0 32.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, "Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings" in Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, entry Archet, p. 765
  33. Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. 16
  34. 34.0 34.1 Tom Shippey, The Road to Middle-earth, Chapter 4: A Cartographic Plot, Getting started, third edition, p. 124
  35. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix F, "On Translation", p. 1135
  36. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Return of the Shadow, "The First Phase: VII. The Barrow-wight, Notes", note 6, p. 131
  37. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Return of the Shadow, "The Third Phase (2): XX. At the Sign of the Prancing Pony, 'Plan of Bree' [illustration]", p. 333
  38. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "VII. The Heirs of Elendil", Commentary, manuscript B, The Heirs of Elendil, The Northern Line of Arnor: the Isildurioni, entry for Eärendur
  39. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "VIII. The Tale of Years of the Third Age", manuscript T4, The Third Age, entry for the year 861
  40. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "VII. The Heirs of Elendil", manuscript C, The Heirs of Elendil, The Northern Line of Arnor: the Isildurioni, entry 10. Eärendur
  41. 41.0 41.1 The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, Prologue
  42. The Lord of the Rings: War in the North's Official Site, Locations, Bree (accessed at 14 September, 2011)