---
title: "The Hobbit, Chapter 6"
subtitle: Book review
author: Seth Kenlon
publish_date: 2025-02-12 08:00
date: 2025-02-12 08:00
hero_classes: text-light title-h1h2 overlay-dark-gradient hero-large parallax
hero_image: landscape-castle-waterfall-fantasy-1920x1080.jpg
show_sidebar: true
show_breadcrumbs: true
show_pagination: true
taxonomy:
    category: culture
    tag: [ meta, settings ]
---

I'm reading **The Hobbit** again, as I [live-action roleplay as a Tolkien scholar](http://mixedsignals.ml/games/blog/blog_roleplay-as-a-tolkien-scholar) in an attempt to understand Middle Earth, its lore, and its effect on modern gaming.
I'm reviewing each chapter of the book as I read, and this is my review of Chapter 6: **Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire**.

This review contains spoilers.

## What happens
 
Bilbo manages to reunite with the dwarves and Gandalf.
Anticipating pursuit by the goblins, they hurry to distance themselves from the enemy horde.
They accidentally end up in the middle of a combined wolf and warg council, however, and are suspected of being spies for nearby settlements.
They fight to ward off the canines.
The Lord of the Eagles hear the commotion and come to investigate, and end up air-lifting the wizard, dwarves, and hobbit to his aerie.

## Magic powers

This chapter provides a lot of insight into the mystical world of Middle Earth.

First, through his report of how they escaped the goblins, we learn that Gandalf produced a flash to scare or harm the goblins pursuing him and the dwarves on their way out.
This comes up again in the next chapter, with a few more details.

Gandalf also lights pine cones on fire and hurls them at the wolves and wargs.
Until I re-read this chapter, I couldn't remember whether Gandalf had used magic or matches to light the pine cones on fire.
He definitely uses magic, and not only that it's definitely magical flame.
First of all, it's explicitly a variety of colours, and secondly it's almost impossible for the wolves and wargs to extinguish.
This is first-hand evidence that Gandalf can produce magical fire on demand, and that it's got uses aside from a fireworks display.

We also learn in this chapter that Bilbo's magical ring wouldn't fool a wolf's ability to track him using its keen sense of smell.
It's explicitly stated, although not tested.

And finally, there are giant talking eagles, and they speak the common tongue because Bilbo and the dwarves can comprehend what they're saying.
I don't know why the giant eagles talk.
It's not explained, and in the next chapter there are animals hanging out with Beorn that do not speak.
I find it mildly fascinating that Tolkien left gaps in his worldbuilding, at least in the books (I'm not sure whether he wrote letters or documents explaining the rules for talking animals or not).
It doesn't feel like a great mysery, and instead feels like the same convention we use in modern movies and books: When it's important for characters to communicate, they can communicate _somehow_ for _some reason_.
I'm happy to accept that.

## Score

I'm tracking Bilbo's reputation with the dwarves, and the dwarves' reputation with Bilbo, as the book progresses.
There's one direct claim to Victory Points in this chapter (Gandalf isn't in the running).
Dori bravely descends from his safety in a tree to help Bilbo up, and nearly gets bitten by a wolf in the process.

I should, however, mention an infringement from the start of the chapter.
But for Gandalf's threat to abandon them, the dwarves were resolved to leave Bilbo in the clutches of the goblins.
Frankly, I feel like that's grounds for -1 Victory Point, but I never established that there was such a thing as negative points so I'll ignore the infraction.

The new score:

* Bilbo: 1
* Dwarves: 1

They're on even footing now, but for how long?

## Chapter 6

This was an exciting chapter, and puts our heroes on the back foot (again).
They're definitely outnumbered and overpowered.
Were it not for the giant eagles, they probably would have either burned down the forest or been overcome by goblin reinforcements.
In the next chapter, the party visits Beorn.