Abby Epplett, Historian

Continuing with my close read and historical comparison of the Prologue in Lord of the Rings: Part One, The Fellowship of the Ring , I move on to “3 Of the Ordering of the Shire”. This section begins by listing the parts of the Shire: North, South, East and West Farthings; Tookland; the East and West Marches of semiautonomous Buckland; and “the Westmarch added to the Shire in S.R. 1462” ( Fellowship , 10), offering the first piece of foreshadowing for the section. The rest of the section describes the lack of government and laissez-faire attitude of the nobility, the economy and rudimentary police force, and the postal service. Through this information provided in the text, I compare the culture of the Shire to other cultures in Western Europe to determine what equivalent time in history is the 15 th century of Shire Reckoning (S.R.) when the main story is set. Let’s Talk About Feudalism The Took family with its Fallohide ancestry and connection to the high king of Fo...

The Lord of the Rings was originally written as an exercise in speculative linguistics, and Tolkien scholars enjoy discussing the invented languages, unique words, and antiquated concepts found in the text. Of the many words and phrases that may bring discomfort to the modern reader because of the evolution of language and changing social attitudes is one of Sam’s favorite words: master. While a thesaurus might list “boss” or “manager” as synonyms, “master” connotates feudalism in Europe and slavery in the Americas. Interestingly, the negative connotation seems to have arisen after these periods due to the Nazi Party declaring whites a “master race” during the Holocaust, changes in Western social structure after World War II, and the rise of social movements during the 1960s and 1970s. The word was part of daily language from the 16 th to early 20 th century, as a boy of an upper class family or a man of low social status were given the title “master” opposed to the higher ...

When creating prototypes and characters who might be classed as ‘rustic’ hobbits living during the late Third Age, or the time when The Hobbit and most of The Lord of the Rings took place, I considered how their physical appearance and occupation might affect their status within a complex, stratified society and accordingly influence their choice of clothing. Such stratification continues to occur in the Real World. In countries where people regard themselves as being democratic, like the United States, people attempt to appear egalitarian and middle class, even if this society currently faces the most extreme income gaps in its history. Meanwhile, in countries where people maintain remnants of feudalism or religious beliefs supporting hierarchy, like England and India, people take pride in their status and emphasize their identity through their clothing, especially if they are higher in the system, and even if their government has become democratic.

I recently read The Birth of the West: Rome, Germany, France, and the Creation of Europe in the Tenth Century by Paul Collins, published in 2013 by PublicAffairs . I read from the eBook version on the Libby app, which allowed me to make 1378 highlights in the book. I will only share a handful with you today. At nearly 500 pages in its print addition, and nearly 1500 in digital, this book is not for the faint of heart but rewarding for those interested in learning more about this century of the European Medieval Period, a time of violence and disorder after the fall of the Roman Empire and before the Roman Catholic Church dominated the government.

This is the final essay before I begin my analysis of the dialogue portion of The Lord of the Rings . I hope to begin moving more quickly through the text now that I have laid a solid foundation and framing to my metaphorical house, but seeing as I tend to overanalyze, I cannot promise any amount of speed. Today I discuss Hobbiton, the famous hometown of Bilbo Baggins and possibly his father, Bungo Baggins. This was not the hometown of Frodo, as he was born in Buckland, but he was permitted to live in this area after Bilbo made him the heir to Bag End. I will cover the ownership, architecture, and layout of Hobbiton while comparing it to real-world history before providing the first animatic of the project.

Hobbits loved straightforward rules as long as these supported their interests of food, music, walks, and other simple but fun activities. Their society appeared to be governed by three sets of regulations: written laws similar to those in a medieval feudalist government; unwritten social norms similar to those found in the European Middle Ages, Regency period, and Victorian period; and animal-like behaviors not exhibited by the other “races” in Tolkien’s legendarium. While the rules maintained social order and allowed the hobbits to enjoy their favorite things, including walks, conversation, and smoking, these also excluded some individuals from social participation and upward mobility, not unlike the exclusion of individuals in the Real World. This also created the opportunity for individuals with social power and understanding to subvert the rules to their own advantage, perhaps leading to positive changes.

During my trip to Philadelphia, I visited the smallest unit in the National Park System: Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial . Named after a Polish patriot who aided America in the Revolutionary War, the entire park consists of only a few rooms in a three-and-a-half story red brick Georgian style house where Kosciuszko stayed during a brief stint in Philadelphia. Although is not well-known outside of his home country, which attempted to become its own independent nation during his lifetime, he made contributions to revolutions in the United States and Europe.

I first learned about the documentary Whitin through a Blackstone Heritage Corridor newsletter upon its release about five months ago in November 2024. The documentary was edited, written, and produced by filmmaker Heather Riley of North Grafton with significant input from members of the Whitin family. The documentary is about twenty-seven minutes in length and currently hosted on the ValleyCAST YouTube channel.

Today marks the second birthday of Abby Epplett, Historian . Two years ago, I posted my first review, which featured the “How Do You See the World?” Experience & Mapparium . Last year, on the first birthday of the blog , I counted down my top ten best performing posts, along with giving a general overview about blog viewership, and I will do the same this year. This is the 281 st post for the blog, bringing me to 156 posts in my second year, compared to 125 posts in my first year.

I was not sure what to write to go along with this animatic, which is the culmination of many months of work. I had originally begun an essay about the history of computer programs used to create my animatic. While the essay was certainly interesting, especially for technology geeks, it did not seem in line with my other essays in this series. I have decided instead to keep this essay as simple as possible and instead offer a brief summary of what I have learned so far. During my research of global histories and cultures, creating illustrations, and composing music, I have amassed a vast amount of knowledge and a wide-ranging skill set that I would not have thought possible at the beginning of the project. I have uncovered delightful stories and fun facts during this journey. For some highlights, I enjoyed learning about traditional clothing worn by Manchus, which partially inspired my depiction of Dunlending culture and took a MasterClass on voice acting presented by Nanc...

Since the late medieval period, pubs have been a culturally and historically significant aspect of English life. Accordingly, the largest historical organizations in the region put forth great effort to catalogue and preserve such establishments. Historic England lists England’s Historic Pubs to commemorate businesses and their buildings that have shaped local identity, Historic UK has identified the oldest pubs and inns in England , while Heritage Pubs and Historic Pub Interiors recorded by The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) gives a glimpse of how pub-going has changed over hundreds of years, and how some aspects have remained the same.

If you were a child in the late 19 th through early 20 th century in England, the Long-Expected Party would be an ideal celebration. For character references, consider the interests of the orphans in The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett for the early part of the period, and the Pevensie children in The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis for the later part of the period. The main difference between The Lord of the Rings and these other books is that Tolkien intended his work to be for adults but appropriate for children, perhaps allowing his older readers to reminisce about a happy childhood. Ever-youthful Bilbo may stand in for an energetic grandfather or uncle who was quick to tell jokes and generous with his gift giving. The party scene references fun and noisy things that hobbits and children like, including party toys, fireworks, and even an early railroad. This eclectic collection reminds historically minded readers that the Shire was inspired by late Victori...