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Things of Middle-earth

Toys of Dale

Type: Miscellaneous

Description:[Said Thorin,] 'Long ago ... our family ... came back ... to this Mountain on the map. ... my grandfather was King under the Mountain again and treated with great reverence by the mortal men, who lived to the South.... Kings used to send for our smiths, and reward even the least skilful most richly. ... Altogether those were good days ... and the poorest of us had ... leisure to make beautiful things just for the fun of it, not to speak of the most marvellous and magical toys, the like of which is not to be found in the world now-a-days. So my grandfather's halls became full of armour and jewels and carvings and cups, and the toy-market of Dale was the wonder of the North.

The Hobbit, Ch 1, An Unexpected Party


On this occasion [Bilbo's Birthday Party] the presents were unusually good. The hobbit-children were so excited that for a while they almost forgot about eating. There were toys the like of which they had never seen before, all beautiful and some obviously magical. Many of them had indeed been ordered a year before, and had come all the way from the Mountain and from Dale, and were of real dwarf-make. ...

I hope you are all enjoying yourselves as much as I am. Deafening cheers. Cries of Yes (and No). Noises of trumpets and horns, pipes and flutes, and other musical instruments. There were, as has been said, many young hobbits present. Hundreds of musical crackers had been pulled. Most of them bore the mark DALE on them; which did not convey much to most of the hobbits, but they all agreed they were marvellous crackers. They contained instruments, small, but of perfect make and enchanting tones. Indeed, in one corner some of the young Tooks and Brandybucks, supposing Uncle Bilbo to have finished (since he had plainly said all that was necessary), now got up an impromptu orchestra, and began a merry dance-tune. Master Everard Took and Miss Melilot Brandybuck got on a table and with bells in their hands began to dance the Springle-ring: a pretty dance, but rather vigorous.

But Bilbo had not finished. Seizing a horn from a youngster near by, he blew three loud hoots. The noise subsided.

The Fellowship of the Ring, LoTR Book 1, Ch 1, A Long-expected Party

Contributors: Elena Tiriel 7.17.04

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