It seems appropriate to me that Hobbits would have Mathom Houses; after all, they seem to put great value on having large stores of food in their pantries so they must by nature be hoarders. And considering the custom of
giving gifts on a birthday, rather than receiving them, those smials must have got quite cluttered after a while. I also like the idea that they simply could not throw anything away, and they wanted it not only stored but stored in a place where it might amuse or interest other Hobbits.
Does the custom make anyone
else think of The Wombles, or is it my overactive imagination?
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Mithalwen
I always think that the mathom house was a bit like the Pitt RIvers museum in Oxford - which is more like the semi-organized box room of a well travelled great -uncle on a grand scale. Lots of interesting but fairly random and eccentric.
|
It makes me think of the Castle Museum in York. This place is immense, and alongside the serious attractions such as Dick Turpin's cell and so forth, it includes a couple of entire recreated streets which an eccentric gentleman 'collected', shop fronts, carriages and everything! They also have rooms stuffed with everyday items such as household appliances; you wander round going "ooh, my granny had one of those." That's what I imagine a Mathom House would be like, slightly eccentric, always interesting but never entirely serious (no Elgin marbles for example!).
EDIT: I've just seen this line, which says that mathoms were indeed passed around on birthdays, so no doubt this is why the Mathom House was needed! I know the feeling, I think I live in one...
Quote:
|
Their dwellings were apt to become rather crowded with mathoms, and many of the presents that passed from hand to hand were of that sort
|