Quotes

Background

'In the westlands of Eriador, between the Misty Mountains and the Mountains of Lune, the Hobbits found both Men and Elves. Indeed, a remnant still dwelt there of the Dunedain, the kings of Men that came over the Sea out of Westernesse; but they were dwindling fast and the lands of their North Kingdom were falling far and wide into waste. There was room and to spare for incomers, and ere long the Hobbits began to settle in ordered communities. Most of their earlier settlements had long disappeared and been forgotten in Bilbo's time; but one of the first to become important still endured, though reduced in size; this was at Bree and in the Chetwood that lay round about, some forty miles east of the Shire.'

"About this time, legend among the Hobbits first becomes history with a reckoning of years. For it was in the one thousand six hundred and first year of the Third Age that the Fallohide brothers, Marcho and Blanco, set out from Bree; and having obtained permission from the high king at Fornost, they crossed the brown river Baranduin with a great following of Hobbits. They passed over the Bridge of Stonebows, that had been built in the days of the power of the North Kingdom, and they took all the land beyond to dwell in, between the river and the Far Downs." - Bilbo on history of the Shire

"The Bree-hobbits claim to have been the first actual smokers of the pipe-weed. They claim, of course, to have done everything before the people of the Shire, whom they refer to as 'colonists'; but in this case their claim is, I think, likely to be true. And certainly it was from Bree that the art of smoking the genuine weed spread in the recent centuries among Dwarves and such other folk, Rangers, Wizards, or wanderers, as still passed to and fro through that ancient road-meeting. The home and centre of the art is thus to be found in the old inn of Bree, The Prancing Pony, that has been kept by the family of Butterbur from time beyond record." - Merry

'According to their own tales they were the original inhabitants and were the descendants of the first Men that ever wandered into the West of the middle-world. Few had survived the turmoils of the Elder Days; but when the Kings returned again over the Great Sea they had found the Bree-men still there, and they were still there now, when the memory of the old Kings had faded into the grass.'

Location

Four miles along the Road youll come upon a village, Bree under Bree-hill, with doors looking westward. There youll find an old inn that is called The Prancing Pony. Barliman Butterbur is the worthy keeper." -Tom Bombadil on Bree

'The village of Bree had some hundred stone houses of the Big Folk, mostly above the Road, nestling on the hillside with windows looking west. On that side, running in more than half a circle from the hill and back to it, there was a deep dike with a thick hedge on the inner side. Over this the Road crossed by a causeway; but where it pierced the hedge it was barred by a great gate. There was another gate in the southern corner where the Road ran out of the village. The gates were closed at nightfall; but just inside them were small lodges for the gatekeepers. Down on the Road, where it swept to the right to go round the foot of the hill, there was a large inn. It had been built long ago when the traffic on the roads had been far greater. For Bree stood at an old meeting of ways; another ancient road crossed the East Road just outside the dike at the western end of the village, and in former days Men and other folk of various sorts had travelled sic much on it. 'Strange as News from Bree' was still a saying in the Eastfarthing, descending from those days, when news from North, South, and East could be heard in the in, and when the Shire-hobbits used to go more often to hear it. But the Northern Lands had long been desolate, and the North Road was now seldom used: it was grassgrown, and the Bree-folk called it the Greenway.'

'Before them rose Bree-hill barring the way, a dark mass against misty stars; and under its western flank nestled a large village. Toward it they now hurried desiring only to find a fire, and a door between them and the night.' -The hobbits leaving the Shire.

'Bree was the chief village of the Bree-land, a small inhabited region, like an island in the empty lands round about. Besides Bree itself, there was Staddle on the other side of the hill, Combe in a deep valley a little further eastward, and Archet on the edge of the Chetwood. Lying round Bree-hill and the villages was a small country of fields and tamed woodland only a few miles broad.'

'Frodo saw a dark ill-kept house behind a thick hedge: the last house in the village.' - Bill Ferny's house

'Passing through, they kept on along to Road for some miles. It bent to the left, curving back into its eastward line as it rounded the feet of Bree-hill, and then it baegan to run swiftly downwards into wooded country. To their left they could see some of the houses and hobbit-holes of Staddle on the gentler south-eastern slopes of the hill; down in a deep hollow away north of the Road there were wisps of rising smoke that showed where Combe lay; Archet was hidden in the trees beyond.'

Inhabitants

'The Men of Bree were brown-haired, broad, and rather short, cheerful and independent: they belonged to nobody but themselves; but they were more friendly and familiar with Hobbits, Dwarfs, Elves, and other inhabitants of the world about them than was (or is) usual with Big People.'

'In those days no other Men had settled dwellings so far west, or within a hundred leagues of the Shire.'

"But I wont deny Ill be glad to see this Prancing Pony he spoke of. I hope itll be like The Green Dragon away back home! What sort of folk are they in Bree?" "There are hobbits in Bree," said Merry, "as well as Big Folk. I daresay it will be homelike enough. The Pony is a good inn by all accounts. My people ride out there now and again." Sam and Merry

'But in the wild lands beyond Bree there were mysterious wanderers. The Bree-folk called them Rangers, and knew nothing of their origin. When they appeared they brought news from afar, and told strange forgotten tales which were eagerly listened to; but the Bree-folk did not make friends of them.'

'There Big Folk and the Little Folk (as they called one another) were on friendly terms, minding their own affairs in their own ways, but both rightly regarding themselves as necessary parts of the Bree-folk. Nowhere else in the world was this peculiar (but excellent) arrangement to be found.'

'There were also many families of hobbits in the Bree-land and they claimed to be the oldest settlement of Hobbits in the world, on that was founded long before even the Brandywine was crossed and the Shire colonized. They lived mostly in Staddle though there were some in Bree itself, especially on the higher slopes of the hill, above the houses of the Men.'

'But in Bree-land, at any rate, the hobbits were decent and prosperous, and no more rustic than most of their distant relatives Inside. It was not yet forgotten that there had been a time when there was much coming and going between the Shire and Bree.'

Sentiments

'The Bree-folk, Big and Little, did not themselves travel much; and the affairs of the four villages were their chief concern. Occasionally the Hobbits of Bree went as far as Buckland, or the Eastfarthing; but though their little land was not much further than a day's riding east of the Brandywine Bridge, the Hobbits of the Shire now seldom visited it. An occasional Bucklander or adventurous Took would come out to the Inn for a night or two, but even that was becoming less and less usual.'

'They came to the West-gate and found it shut, but at the door of the lodge beyond it, there was a man sitting. He jumped up and fetched a lantern and looked over the gate at them in surprise.' "What do you want, and where do you come from?" he asked gruffly. He (Harry) stared at them darkly for a moment, and then slowly opened the gate and let them ride through. He (Frodo) was glad to hear the gate clang to behind them.' -The West Gate, (please note that Merry found Harry's behavior odd.)

"The Bree-folk used to be fair-spoken to travellers, or so I had heard." - Merry

'The Bree-hobbits were, in fact, friendly and inquisitive.' - Hobbits in the Pony.

'As soon as the Shire-hobbits entered, there was a chorus of welcome from the Bree-landers. The strangers, especially those that had come up the Greenway, stared at them curiously. The landlord introduced the newcomers to the Bree-folk.'

'He (Frodo) gave out that he was interested in history and geography (at which there was much wagging of heads, although neither of these words were much used in the Bree-dialect). He said he was thinking of writing a book (at which there was silent astonishment).' - An idea of typical Bree learning

'If Frodo had really wanted to write a book, and had had many ears, he would have learned enough for several chapters in a few minutes. And if that was not enough, he was given a whole list of names, beginning with 'Old Barliman here', to whom he could go for further information. - Bree gossip

"Me? Leave Bree! I wouldnt do that for any money," said Mr. Butterbur, looking really scared. - On travel

"We're a bit suspicious round here of anything out of the way - uncanny, if you understand me; and we don't take to it all of a sudden." - Barliman

"Morning Longshanks!" he said. "Off early? Found some friends at last? I suppose you know who you've taken up with? That's Stick-at-naught Strider, that is! Though I've heard other names not so pretty. Watch out tonight!" - Bill Ferny speaking of Strider

'Most of the inhabitants of Bree and Staddle, and many even from Combe and Archet, were crowded in the road to see the travellers start. The other guests in the inn were at the doors or hanging out of the windows. Any attempt to set off across country at once would only make matters worse: half the inhabitants would follow them, to see what they were up to, and to prevent them from trespassing.'

'At last they left the village behind. The escort of children and stragglers that had followed them got tired and turned back at the South-gate.'

Prancing Pony

'The Inn of Bree was still there, however, and the innkeeper was an important person. His house was a meeting place for the idle, talkative, and inquisitive among the inhabitants, large and small, of the four villages; and a resort of Rangers and other wanderers, and for such travellers (mostly dwarves) as still journeyed on the East Road, to and from the Mountains.'

'The hobbits rode on up a gentle slope, passing a few detached houses, and drew up outside the inn. Sam stared up at the inn with its three storeys and many windows.'

'Even from the outside the inn looked a pleasant house to familiar eyes. It had a front on the Road, and two wings running back on land partly cut out of the lower slopes of the hill, so that at the rear the second-floor windows were level with the ground. There was a wide arch leading to a courtyard between the two wings, and on the left under the arch there was a large doorway reached by a few broad steps. The door was open and light streamed out of it. Above the arch there was a lamp, and beneath it swung a large signboard: a fat white pony reared up on its hind legs. Over the door was painted in white letters : THE PRANCING PONY by BARLAMAN BUTTERBUR. Many of the lower windows showed lights behind thick curtains.'

'As they hesitated outside in the gloom, someone began singing a merry song inside, and many cheerful voices joined loudly in the chorus.'

'They led their ponies under the arch, and leaving them standing in the yard they climbed up the steps.'

'...a short fat man with a bald head and a red face. He had a white apron on, and was bustling out of one door and in through another, carrying a tray laden with full mugs.' - Barliman

'...into a babel of voices and a cloud of smoke.' -The inside of the Pony

"We don't often get a party out of the Shire nowadays." - Barliman

"But we've got a room or two in the north wing that were made special for hobbits, when this place was built. On the ground floor as they usually prefer; round windows and all as they like it." - Barliman

'They found themselves in a small and cosy room. There was a bit of bright fire burning on the hearth, and in front of it were some low and comfortable chairs. There was a round table, already spread with a white cloth, and on it was a large hand-bell.' - Parlor

'Mr. Butterbur had arrived with candles, and behind him was Nob with cans of hot water.'

'They were washed and in the middle of good deep mugs of beer when Mr. Butterbur and Nob came in again. In a twinkling the table was laid. There was hot soup, cold meats, a blackberry tart, new loaves, slabs of butter, and half a ripe cheese: good plain food, as good as the Shire could show, and homelike enough to dispel the last of Sam's misgivings (already much relieved by the excellence of the beer).'

"We don't get Outsiders - travellers from the Shire, I should say." - Barliman

'His (Frodo's) eyes got used to the light. This came chiefly from a blazing log-fire, for the three lamps hanging from the beams were dim, and half veiled in smoke.On the benches were various folk.' - Description of the Common Room.

General

"And there are some folk in Bree who are not to be trusted," he went on. "Bill Ferny, for instance. He has an evil name in the Bree-land, and queer folk call at his house... he would sell anything to anybody; or make mischief for amusement." - Strider on Good and Evil in Bree

"A wizard they say he is, but hes a good friend of mine, whether or no. But now I don't know what he'll say to me, if I see him again: turn all my ale sour or me into a block of wood, I shouldn't wonder." - Barliman on Gandalf, (and Wizards)

"Breakfast at six-thirty, please." - On the use of clocks.

"The two or three riding-ponies that there were in Bree were stabled in my yard, and they're gone. As for other animals, horses or ponies for draught or what not, there are very few of them in Bree, and they won't be for sale." - Barliman

'Bill Ferny's price was twelve silver pennies; and that was indeed at least three times the pony's value in those parts.'

'The Men and Dwarves were mostly talking of distant events and telling news of a kind that was becoming only too familiar. There was trouble away in the South, and it seemed that the Men who had come up the Greenway were on the move, looking for lands where they could find some peace. The Bree-folk were sympathetic, but plainly not very ready to talk a large number of strangers into their little land.'

'One of the Bree-landers, who seemed to have been in the Shire several times..'

'He is one of the wandering folk - Rangers we call them.' - Barliman

Common Sayings: "But there's no accounting for East and West, as we say in Bree, meaning the Rangers and the Shire-folk, begging your pardon." 'It was a jest in Bree to speak of 'Winterfilth in the muddy Shire' but according to the Shire-folk Wintring was a Bree alteration of the older name.' "It never rains but it pours, we say in Bree."

Calendar

'In the west-lands of Eriador, when they had begun to settle down, they adopted the King's reckoning of the Dunedain, which was ultimately of Eldarian origin; but the Hobbits of the Shire introduced several minor alterations. This calendar, or 'Shire Reckoning' as it was called, was eventually adopted in also in Bree, except for the Shire usage of counting as Year 1 the year of the colonization of the Shire.'

'The Hobbits were conservative and continued to use a form of Kings' Reckoning adapted to fit their own customs. Their months were all equal and had 30 days each; but they had 3 Summerdays, called in the Shire the Lithe or the Lithedays, between June and July. The last day of the year and the first of the next year were called the Yuledays. The Yuledays and the Lithdays remained outside the months, so that January 1 was the second and not the first day of the year. Every fourth year, except in the last year of the century, (the last year in the Shire, in which Year 1 corresponded with T.A. 1601. In Bree, in which Year 1 corresponded with T. A. 1300, it was the first year of the century.) there were four Lithdays. The Lithedays and the Yuledays were the chief holidays and times of feasting. The additional Litheday was added after Mid-year's Day, and so the 184th day of the Leap-years was called Overlithe and was a day of special merry making. In full Yuletide was six days long, including the last three and first three days of each year. 'The Shire-folk introduced on small innovation of their own (eventually also adopted in Bree), which they called Shire-reform. They found the shifting of the weekday names in relation to dates from year to year untidy and inconvenient. So in the time of Isengrim II, they arranged that the odd day which put the succession out, should have no weekday name. After that Mid-years Day (and the Overlithe) was known only by its name and belonged to no week. In consequence of this reform, the year always began on the First Day of the week and ended on the Last Day; and the same date in any one year had the same weekday name in all other years, so that Shire-folk no longer bothered to put the weekday in their letters or diaries. They found this quite convenient at home, but not so convenient if they ever travelled further than Bree.

It appears, however, that Mid-year's Day was intended to correspond as nearly as possible to the summer solstice. In that case, the Shire dates were actually in advance of ours by some ten days, and our New Year's Day corresponded more or less to the Shire January 9.

In Bree the names differed, being Frery, Somath, Rethe, Chithing, Thrimidge, Lithe, The Summerdays, Mede, Wedmath, Harvestmath, Wintring, Blooting, and Yulemath. - The Months of the year. (The extra would be The Summerdays, explained in the previous section as the Shire Lithedays)

In the language of the time of the War of the Ring these weekday names had become Sterday, Sunday, Monday, Trewsday, Hevensday (or Hensday). Mersay, Highday.

I have translated these names also into our own names, naturally beginning with Sunday and Monday, which occur in the Shire week with the same names as ours, and re-naming the others in order. It must be noted, however, that the associations of the names were quite different in the Shire. The last day of the week, Friday (Highday), was the chief day, and one of holidaying (after noon) and evening feasts. Saturday thus corresponds more nearly to our Monday, and Thursday to our Saturday. -Shire (and likely Bree) days of the week.

Language

• Much of the following information is referring to hobbits, but can also be extrapolated to and used for Bree humans as they have such a long and close association with hobbits.*

'The Hobbits of the Shire and Bree had at this time, for probably a thousand years, adopted the Common Speech (Westron). They used it in their own manner freely and carelessly; though the more learned among them had still at their command a more formal language when occasion required.'

'...the hobbits quickly adopted the Common Speech after they entered Eriador, and by the time of their settlement at Bree they had already begun to forget their former tongue.'

'Hobbit was the name usually applied by the Shire-folk to all their kind. Men called them Halflings.' - It seems that the Men of Bree would be an exception to this rule as Barliman specifically called them 'hobbits' (see +breeinfo pony.)

'...the divergence between the pronunciation and idiom of the Shire, and the Westron tongue in the mouths of the Elves or of the high men of Gondor, was greater than has been shown in this book. Hobbits indeed spoke for the most part a rustic dialect, whereas in Gondor and Rohan a more antique language was used, more formal and more terse.'

'The more learned and able among the Hobbits had some knowledge of 'book-language' as it was termed in the Shire; and they were quick to note and adopt the style of those whom they met.'

'In the case of persons, however, Hobbit-names in the Shire and in Bree were for those day peculiar, notably in the habit that had grown up, some centuries before this time, of having inherited names for families. Most of these surnames had obvious meanings (in the current language being derived from jesting nicknames, or from place-names, or - especially in Bree - from the names of plants and trees).' - Surnames in the Shire and Bree

'Names of classical (Latin or Greek) origin have rarely been used; for the nearest equivalents to Latin and Greek in Shire-lore were the Elvish tongues, and these the Hobbits seldom used in nomenclature. Few of them at any time knew the 'languages of the kings', as they called them.'

'Since the survival of traces of the older language of the Stoors and the Bree-men resembled the survival of Celtic elements in England, I have sometimes imitated the latter in my translation. Thus Bree, Combe (Coomb), Archet, and Chetweed are modelled on relics of British nomenclature, chosen according to sense: bree 'hill' chet 'wood'.'

'I have not used names of Hebraic or similar origin in my transpositions. Nothing in Hobbit-names corresponds to this element in our names.'