Daniel Barnes
English 3450
07 December 2005
The Wild Woods
Geography plays a pivotal role in the setting and plot development both in The
Mabinogion and J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Within both books, the juxtaposition
between the serene countryside and the enchanting woods accentuates a transition from
peace to trouble. Within both stories, the forest symbolizes and foreshadows adventure
and trouble, while the quiet lands are areas of tranquility and peace.
At the beginning of the first brand of The Mabinogi, “Pwyll Prince of Dyfed,” the
lord, Pwyll, decides to hunt at Glyn Cuch. He is in the court at the beginning of the tale,
but needs to enter the woods in order to hunt. The woods foreshadow an adventure when
the narrator talks about letting his pack of dogs into the woods to track a stag. Then,
Pwyll notices that another pack is hunting the same stag, and that “he had seen no dogs
the same colour as these” (Jones 3). By that, he means that the dogs are white, which
usually symbolizes some mystical powers. Additionally, the dogs’ ears were exceedingly
red, which often indicates looming trouble. Even after all of this, Pwyll’s desire exceeds
his temperance: he uses his dog pack to chase the other pack away and “baited his own
pack upon the stag” (Jones 3). Trouble is impending; finally, King Arawn approaches
Pwyll and reprimands young Pwyll for literally stealing his prey. Arawn could impose
his will on Pwyll in whatever manner he found necessary: so he decides to order Pwyll to
get rid of an opposing king, King Hafgan. The woods provided the setting necessary to
get Pwyll in trouble and to start the quest for Pwyll to go in battle with Hafgan. Compare
this with the end of “Pwyll Prince of Dyfed,” where Pwyll’s son, Pyderi ascends to the
throne. The court is depicted as a beautiful, serene setting when the story says that Pyderi
is “beloved by his people and by all around him” (Jones 20). Peace is in the air, and for
the time being, no adventures or battles are eminent.
J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit provides a strong correlation with the Celtic myths in
its use of setting. The beginning of the story has the protagonist, Mr. Bilbo Baggins
(otherwise known as the hobbit) at his home. All of the initial pages set up Bilbo’s home
as a utopian little wonderland where “they never had any adventures or did anything
unexpected” (Tolkien 2). Then, the potential adventure is set up when the narrator says,
“This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure” (Tolkien 2). As the story progresses,
Gandalf, the wizard, approaches Bilbo with dwarves. The adventure begins after the
dwarves provoke Bilbo’s adventurous “Tookish” side. After quite a few adventures
within the Misty Mountains, and a trip to Beorn’s house, Bilbo and the dwarves must
enter the woods to complete their quest. The ever-present warning provided by Gandalf
and the benevolent Beorn is to stay the course. The end of chapter seven states that
“Now began the dangerous part of all the journey” (Tolkien 138). Then, chapter eight
says, “The entrance to the path was like a sort of arch leading into a gloomy tunnel made
by two great trees that leant together” (Tolkien 140). Tolkien then uses his great
describing methods to portray the woods as a dark place with many ominous and
mysterious beings. Not long into the chapter, the pack of adventurers is overtaken by
their hunger, and they venture off the course to obtain food. Unfortunately, they are
captured and stuck in a spider web, as a group of large spiders wished to eat them. Bilbo
leads the manner of escape, as the spiders strap webs from branch to branch to trap the
poor dwarves and hobbit. All throughout the section, however, the landscape of the
woods where the spiders dwell is depicted as a dark, dreary and scary place. Certainly,
the adventure found within the woods diametrically opposes the constant peace that Mr.
Bilbo Baggins is accustomed to in his little hobbit-hole.
Within The Mabinogion and The Hobbit, the topography of the setting plays a
pivotal role in the plot of the two novels. Both stories share similar symbols: the woods
are a dark and mysterious place, whereas the countryside represents a sort of utopian
peace. J.R.R. Tolkien is known for his various mythological sources, and in The Hobbit,
he uses the geographic locations as symbols and as places to determine the action of the
story, much like The Mabinogion.