Hullo
Esty,
You speak of the connection between fire and hope. This reminds me of a fascinating article that I was introduced to on another Tolkien forum. Though the article is called "The Philosophical Etymology of Hobbit," there was a section that truly resonated, and to my mind bears great import on our discussion.
* lights a fresh bowl of pipeweed to wreathe himself in a comfortably smoky element *
Before getting to the quote, allow me to point out the fascinating coincidence that my college nickname was
the phoenix, and even in that form I had quite a reputation for producing fires, smokes, and lights (being a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians at the time).
Now then, on to the quote:
Quote:
Another confirmation of the birth-context in The Hobbit is found in the chapter "Out of the Frying-Pan into the Fire." Here Bilbo and his companions are chased up some trees (fir, larch, and pine) by Wargs, the fierce wolves who live on the Edge of the Wild in the forests of the Misty Mountains and who consort with goblins. Gandalf the wizard tries to frighten the Wargs away by igniting pine-cones and hurling them down among the beasts. But goblins arrive on the scene and turn the fire against the trapped company, setting the trees ablaze beneath them.(15) Just as all seems lost, the great eagles of the Misty Mountains swoop down, plucking the company from the treetops and taking them to safety in their mountain eyries.
As explained above, the fir-tree (especially the silver fir) was the principal birth-tree of Northern Europe. The old Irish word for the silver fir was ailm, a word also applied to the palm tree. And the palm is the birth-tree of the Middle East in which the Phoenix-bird is born, consumed by fire, and reborn.(16) The Greek name for the silver fir was elate, a component of the name Eileithyia (Elate-Thuia) given to the Great Mother as the goddess of childbirth. The goddess was typically depicted with one arm raised holding a pine-torch.(17) It is certainly the pine-torch of the Birth Goddess that the goblins invoke when in their wild chanting they refer to the burning trees as
A fizzling torch / To light the night for our delight / Ya hey!(18)
One expects the hobbit and his friends, like the Phoenix that is reborn in its fiery ailm, to be compared to birds. Tolkien does not disappoint us. The goblins chant,
Fifteen birds in five firtrees / Their feathers were fanned in a fiery breeze!(19)
And (as though to make sure we get the point),
Fly away little birds! Come down little birds! Sing, sing little birds!(20)
To complete the birth-tree image, the "little birds" do fly away--with the help of the great eagles of the Misty Mountains, whose wings bear them aloft.
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The above quote comes from the following website:
http://www.stanmcdaniel.com/hobbit/hobbit.htm
I would say that rebirth certainly ties in with hope. In fact, it also relates nicely to
littlemanpoet's point about how hope mingles with grief to produce a greater transcendance. (up from the ashes!) [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]
Another point to keep in mind is that fireworks commonly explode taking the form of palm trees.
Immensely enjoying this grand discussion,
Gandalf the Grey