Article Title
Abstract
Close reading of the two riddle games in The Hobbit—the first between Bilbo and Gollum, and the second a three-sided game where both Smaug and the reader try to decode Bilbo’s riddling self-references. Discusses “priming” in riddling, how riddles work as a speech act, and the sources of riddles used in these games. Includes a translation of Bilbo’s riddles to Smaug into Old English.
Recommended Citation
Nelson, Marie
(2008)
"Time and J.R.R. Tolkien's "Riddles in the Dark","
Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 27
:
No.
1
, Article 7.
Available at:
https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol27/iss1/7