Notes on Hobbit Marriages

Tolkien was known to have had a soft spot for what he called the "simple rustic love" of Sam and Rosie.  Hobbits in general were known to marry more or less by default (though that sounds like a cavalier way to put it) and to have large families.  But what examples of Hobbit marriages do we see?  I will record them as I encounter them, starting with "A Long-Expected Party."

In the first chapter of Lord of the Rings, we encounter the rumor of a marriage before we actually encounter a marriage, and this is interesting because we see not how marriage plays out, but how it is spoken of, casually, by old (and some young) men in a pub. Anticipating Bilbo's upcoming "party of special magnificence," "[t]he history and character of Mr. Bilbo Baggins became once again the chief topic of conversation"--and by extension, the family history of his heir, Frodo.  From Ham Gamgee, we learn that

A decent respectable hobbit was Mr. Drogo Baggins; there was never much to tell of him, till he was drownded. (I.1.22)

Before this tidbit, there has been some speculation on Drogo's marriage, as Old Noakes wonders

why any Baggins of Hobbiton should go looking for a wife away there in Buckland, where folks are so queer. (I.1.22)

This shows readers that hobbit marriages tend to be local, though a reader of The Hobbit will already know that Bilbo's mother was one of the daughters of the Old Took, the "fabulous Belladonna Took."  However, rather than relocating to Tuckborough, Bungo Baggins built a marvelous hobbit hole for his Took bride in Hobbiton, suggesting that perhaps the mystery was not so much why Drogo would take a wife from Buckland, but why a hobbit from Hobbiton would relocate to Buckland.

The Gaffer gives a further account of Drogo's marriage:

 Mr. Drogo, he married poor Miss Primula Brandybuck. She was our Mr. Bilbo's first cousin on the mother's side (her mother being the youngest of the Old Took's daughters); and Mr. Drogo was his second cousin. So Mr. Frodo is his first and second cousin, once removed either way, as the saying is, if you follow me. And Mr. Drogo was staying at Brandy Hall with his father-in-law, old Master Gorbadoc, as he often did after his marriage (him being partial to his vittles, and old Gorbadoc keeping a mighty generous table); and he went out boating on the Brandywine River; and he and his wife were drownded, and poor Mr. Frodo only a child and all. (I.1.22)

Here, we learn that marriages of kin were common, and that at least in the case of the large families, in-laws would move into the family dwelling. I find it interesting how the marriage is spoken of, not by the Gaffer, but by the mocking Sandyman:

     'I've heard they went on the water after dinner in the moonlight,' said Old Noakes; 'and it was Drogo's weight as sunk the boat.'

     'And I heard she pushed him in, and he pulled her in after him,' said Sandyman, the Hobbiton miller.  (I.1.23)

Here is the only direct evidence that we have that marital strife exists among hobbits--not because this is any kind of real testimony to the marriage of Drogo and Primula, but because the miller made this suggestion, even in cruel mockery.  This is beyond the pale for the Gaffer, who shuts Sandyman down:

'You shouldn't listen to all you hear, Sandyman,' said the Gaffer, who did not much like the miller. 'There isn't no call to go talking of pushing and pulling. Boats are quite tricky enough for those that sit still without looking further for the cause of trouble. Anyway: there was Mr. Frodo left an orphan and stranded, as you might way, among those queer Bucklanders, being brought up anyhow in Brandy Hall....' (I.1.23)

Though this passage provides a preview of Gamgee distrust of boats, which will be revisited later, and doesn't directly address the nature of the accusation--that Primula and Drogo were a volatile couple--the reprimand "There isn't no call to go talking of pushing and pulling" also seems a pointed rebuke to the kind of insult that the miller has leveled, an insult to the marriage of Frodo's parents.

The Sackville-Bagginses are mentioned in this early chapter, but though one of few hobbit marriages considered in detail, they seem to deserve separate treatment.

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Because we see so few hobbit marriages, each one is significant.  Farmer Maggot and his wife provide sanctuary for Frodo, Sam, and Pippin on their way from Hobbiton to Crickhollow.  Though I have mentioned this pause along the way in a previous post, I did not consider how the scene gives a snapshot of the domestic lives of the Maggots.

When the three hobbits enter the farmhouse with Farmer Maggot, we see Mrs. Maggot serving them by the fire:

Mrs. Maggot brought out beer in a huge jug, and filled four large mugs.

After Maggot proposes supper and a ride to the Ferry, the household mobilizes, and we see Mrs. Maggot again:

Mrs. Maggot bustled in and out. One or two other hobbits belonging to the farm-household came in. In a short while fourteen sat down to eat.

So far, not much is revealed about the Maggots as a couple, except that each has his and her own role in the household.  Maggot speaks with the guests; Mrs. Maggot provides the more material part of the hospitality.

We learn that the Maggots have at least five children when "[t]wo of Maggot's sons and his three daughters came in" to join them for supper.

An important detail in his interaction with the guests is that Maggot seems to include his wife when he invites Frodo, Sam, and Pippin to stay for supper, using the plural first person:

 If you and Mr. Peregrin and all could stay and have a bite with us, we would be pleased!

So here, he speaks of himself and his wife as a unit, and the household hospitality belongs to and proceeds from both of them.

Though their interactions are spare, Mrs. Maggot's role in the scene as her husband leaves with the guests betrays deep knowledge of her husband and concern for his welfare:

His wife stood in the light of the open door.

     'You be careful of yourself, Maggot!' she called. 'Don't go arguing with any foreigners, and come straight back!'

     'I will!' said he, and drove out of the gate.

Finally, when Farmer Maggot prepares to return home, he expresses concern for his wife, who

'...will be worriting with the night getting thick.'

One more action of the part of Mrs. Maggot leads Frodo to designate her a 'queen among farmer's wives':

Suddenly he produced a large basket from under the seat. 'I was nearly forgetting,' he said. 'Mrs. Maggot put this up for Mr. Baggins, with her compliments.'

The basket, of course, is full of mushrooms--another gesture of hospitality!

Though understated, and very oriented around the practical existence of a farm and its division of labor, divisions which are, predictably, gendered, we see in the Maggots a portrait of an ordinary, affectionate marriage.  Each knows the other well, they work together in making the household run and offering hospitality, protect one another, and return to one another.

Frodo's remark about Mrs. Maggot, calling her 'a queen among farmer's wives' seems notable because of the tone--a 'queen among farmer's wives,' though perhaps innocent and offhanded, suggests a disconnect, either from farmers, or from wives.  This may be unremarkable for a bachelor in the company of younger, unmarried men, but it is something to think about...

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