Maps of Middle-earth. Part III. The Shire.

Part III — and we're back in the Shire. This time, let's look deeper: not just into the geography of the country, but into specific events that turned everything upside down. 

The first event I want to talk about in more detail is Bilbo and Frodo's birthday, September the 22nd. Bilbo was 111 years old, and Frodo was 33 (the age of majority for hobbits). The two of them turned 144 years old, exactly the same age as the invited guests. One, if I may use the expression, Gross (it was not customary to consider people as a Gross). Some of the guests were even offended, realizing that they were invited only for the sake of even counting. "One Gross, ugh, how rude..." but let's move on...

Happy birthday, Bilbo Baggins!

The birthday party venue is located south of the Bilbo's front door. Tents were pitched and pavilions were set up there. A passage was cut through the thicket from the side of the road and a large white gate was built. 

Preparations for the celebration began in advance. Bilbo invited foreign craftsmen to prepare the celebration. One of the locals grumbled: "Some strangers are warming their hands, and local craftsmen are sitting around," but soon orders for various dishes, drinks and luxuries began pouring out of the Bag End - for everything that was sold in Hobbiton and in general in Shire.

And now, the map. Let's see exactly where the celebration unfolded. Here is a large tree, and tents and pavilions have been set up around it, in the open space south of Bag End.

The place was chosen wisely: it was spacious enough for one and a half hundred guests, there was enough shade for those who were tired of the September sun, there were few trees to set off fireworks and close enough to the house so that Bilbo could disappear at the right moment. The roads and trails are clearly visible on the map, and looking at them, you can guess exactly where the passage was cut.

If you still haven't found the venue for the celebration, look for a hint: find the Bag-End, then draw a straight line down until you hit a large tree. The space around it is the territory of the party.

The second event is only in the book. A year before the Party, Merry accidentally saw something he shouldn't have seen.: 

"One day, a year before the Party, I happened to be walking along the road, when I saw Bilbo ahead. Suddenly in the distance the Sackville-Bagginses appeared, coming towards us. Bilbo slowed down, and then hey presto! he vanished. I was so startled that I hardly had the wits to hide myself in a more ordinary fashion; but I got through the hedge and walked along the field inside. I was peeping through into the road, after the S.-B.s had passed, and was looking straight at Bilbo when he suddenly reappeared. I caught a glint of gold as he put something back in his trouser-pocket".

It is not known which road it happened on. Merry did not say. Maybe he didn't want to. Maybe he didn't remember. But the fact remains that somewhere here, among the hobbits' roads was Bilbo's first downfall with the Ring in front of a witness.

It must have happened somewhere near the Bag End, or not?

The area of Hobbitania is 18,000 mi². A spacious country for small people. For understanding: this is slightly larger than Denmark and Estonia, but smaller than Slovakia and the Dominican Republic. An entire country, on the map of Middle-earth — a modest corner in the northwest.

SAVE YOURSELF, WHO CAN!!!

Few people know, but the Shire is a multinational state. There are 3 peoples (3 breeds of hobbits) living on the territory of Shire. You can learn more about these peoples in my test "What kind of Hobbit are you?"