"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit" -one of the most famous opening sentences. It opened the door (a round door) to the world of the hobbits and the whole history of Middle Earth. There are three nouns in this sentence; the hobbits have become famous and have accrued a vast literature, but the 'hole' and the 'ground' have been rather neglected- however there is more to be said about 'the hole in the ground', and much discussion to be had What parameters determine the nature of the hole? what controls the size and nature of the hole? What sort of ground is the hole excavated in? How does the nature of the ground affect the nature of the hole? What grounds are good for holes and where are they located?
We edge towards the world of soil mechanics for a discussion of the nature of the hole, and we will need to invoke the 'Heneberg Compromise' when discussing the construction of holes. We need to invoke some geomorphological knowledge when it comes to examining the nature of the ground, and we will need a careful interpretation of the few facts and descriptions that Tolkien has given us. Tolkien was a man of words, so the words he has left us need to be examined properly and conscientiously. Take the Brandywine River for example- a case which bears instantly on our discussion. This is properly called the Baranduin and Tolkien noted that it was a yellow river (a golden river), it was a turbid river, it carried a high load of suspended sediment even in the latter days. In glacial times it would have carried a large amount of sediment. The Brandywine defines the Shire.
Tom Shippey provides another sentence: " Creatures that live in holes in the ground ought to be animals- rabbits, moles, snakes, gophers, badgers- and 'hole' conveys a poor impression as a place to live.' In fact the classic hole living creatures are birds, and in particular members of the family Meropidae- the bee-eaters. In a hole in the ground there lived a bee-eater. These are successful birds who live in many parts the world. The European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster) likes to live in a hole in a loess deposit (as do hobbits). The bee-eaters have the status of environmental engineers and provide living space for a whole host of creatures.
The geotechnical factors which affect a bee-eater dwelling also affect a hobbit house. The Heneberg Compromise (named for Petr Heneberg of the University of Vienna) points to the need to balance, in the ground being considered, the ease of excavateability and the stability of the opening, the strength of the ground. Easy excavation in weak ground can lead to a collapsible tunnel. Choice of an over-strong ground means great difficulties in excavation. This is why Merops apiaster lives in loess deposits; loess provides a strong rigid ground which can be easily excavated. This is why thousands of Chinese people live in loess houses. Tom Shippey wrote from Leeds, one of the few places that does not experience bee-eaters. Glorious birds living in fantastic colonies- whole cities of holes, conveying a wonderful impression of a place to live.
The similarity of hobbit and bee-eater dwellings offers the strong suggestion that the Shire is loess country; that the geo-conditions were right for the formation of a substantial loess deposit which the hobbits could subsequently exploit. The deterministic approach to the processes of loess deposit formation can be applied to the Shire situation; all the requirements are in place. The loess material can be produced in the cold north, perhaps by continental glaciers, but also by mountain glaciers. This material is carried to the south by the Brandywine river (causing the turbidity) and is deposited on floodplains, and then blown inland. The Shire deposits should be thickest by the river but data on thickness may not be available. Great deposits do exist alongside rivers, the Danube bluffs are an excellent example.
The mountains and the river are well placed, and the descriptions of the Shire fit well with an inhabited temperate loess landscape. The Shire entry in the Tolkien Gateway speaks of a place which is "small but beautiful and fruitful". Soils developed on loess are the most productive, the classic productive soil is a loess soil, loess regions are fruitful regions. Loess is good for agriculture and it also good for making bricks. Loess is a surficial deposit; access is easy so it is no surprise that early brick buildings in England were built in regions where loess (called brickearth) was found.
Loess bricks have a part to play in the history of the Shire. While Frodo and friends are away dealing with the problem of the Ring the Shire experiences bad times- there is much wanton destruction and quite a lot of unwanted construction. Brick houses are built and much constructional vandalism occurs. And this occurs in a fairly short time; the great adventure takes a few years so it is rapid vandalism, and the really bad times, after the arrival of Saruman, are short. Is there time to produce enough bricks to do the reported damage. It seems unlikely that the hobbit brickyards carried large stocks so bricks had to be made quickly. This points to easily accessible loess ground being turned into bricks- it is hard to see any other earth material being available for this rapid production.
Some literature
Smalley,I., Bijl,S. 1993. Hobbit holes as loess dwellings and the Shire as a loess region. Amon Hen 122, online at Scribd.com
Smalley,I., OHaraDhand, K., McLaren, S., Nugent, H. 2012. Loess and bee-eaters I: Ground properties affecting the nesting of European bee-eaters (Merops apiaster L1758) in loess deposits. Quaternary International 296, 220-226.
Afterthought: the Great East Road. The Great East Road - ran East-West through Eriador, crossing the Greenway at Bree- from the Grey Havens, through the Shire, through Bree to near Rivendell and over the Misty Mountains, even through Mirkwood. This was a very old road, and it is logical that as it passed through the Shire it would gradually be transformed into a sunken road. This is a characteristic of roads in loess regions, long-term usage causes the road surface to sink, for the road to run in a pronounced valley. People passing though the Shire on the Great East Road would be travelling in a fairly deep valley, largely unaware of the land on either side. Travellers on a major route, particularly a sunken route are often unaware of their surroundings (eg travellers on the M1 road rushing through Leicestershire). There are hints in the writings that the hobbits were undetected, that travellers on the Great East Road were not aware that the Shire was an inhabited region. Travellers on the Great East Road were isolated in their loess valley.
We edge towards the world of soil mechanics for a discussion of the nature of the hole, and we will need to invoke the 'Heneberg Compromise' when discussing the construction of holes. We need to invoke some geomorphological knowledge when it comes to examining the nature of the ground, and we will need a careful interpretation of the few facts and descriptions that Tolkien has given us. Tolkien was a man of words, so the words he has left us need to be examined properly and conscientiously. Take the Brandywine River for example- a case which bears instantly on our discussion. This is properly called the Baranduin and Tolkien noted that it was a yellow river (a golden river), it was a turbid river, it carried a high load of suspended sediment even in the latter days. In glacial times it would have carried a large amount of sediment. The Brandywine defines the Shire.
Tom Shippey provides another sentence: " Creatures that live in holes in the ground ought to be animals- rabbits, moles, snakes, gophers, badgers- and 'hole' conveys a poor impression as a place to live.' In fact the classic hole living creatures are birds, and in particular members of the family Meropidae- the bee-eaters. In a hole in the ground there lived a bee-eater. These are successful birds who live in many parts the world. The European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster) likes to live in a hole in a loess deposit (as do hobbits). The bee-eaters have the status of environmental engineers and provide living space for a whole host of creatures.
The geotechnical factors which affect a bee-eater dwelling also affect a hobbit house. The Heneberg Compromise (named for Petr Heneberg of the University of Vienna) points to the need to balance, in the ground being considered, the ease of excavateability and the stability of the opening, the strength of the ground. Easy excavation in weak ground can lead to a collapsible tunnel. Choice of an over-strong ground means great difficulties in excavation. This is why Merops apiaster lives in loess deposits; loess provides a strong rigid ground which can be easily excavated. This is why thousands of Chinese people live in loess houses. Tom Shippey wrote from Leeds, one of the few places that does not experience bee-eaters. Glorious birds living in fantastic colonies- whole cities of holes, conveying a wonderful impression of a place to live.
The similarity of hobbit and bee-eater dwellings offers the strong suggestion that the Shire is loess country; that the geo-conditions were right for the formation of a substantial loess deposit which the hobbits could subsequently exploit. The deterministic approach to the processes of loess deposit formation can be applied to the Shire situation; all the requirements are in place. The loess material can be produced in the cold north, perhaps by continental glaciers, but also by mountain glaciers. This material is carried to the south by the Brandywine river (causing the turbidity) and is deposited on floodplains, and then blown inland. The Shire deposits should be thickest by the river but data on thickness may not be available. Great deposits do exist alongside rivers, the Danube bluffs are an excellent example.
The mountains and the river are well placed, and the descriptions of the Shire fit well with an inhabited temperate loess landscape. The Shire entry in the Tolkien Gateway speaks of a place which is "small but beautiful and fruitful". Soils developed on loess are the most productive, the classic productive soil is a loess soil, loess regions are fruitful regions. Loess is good for agriculture and it also good for making bricks. Loess is a surficial deposit; access is easy so it is no surprise that early brick buildings in England were built in regions where loess (called brickearth) was found.
Loess bricks have a part to play in the history of the Shire. While Frodo and friends are away dealing with the problem of the Ring the Shire experiences bad times- there is much wanton destruction and quite a lot of unwanted construction. Brick houses are built and much constructional vandalism occurs. And this occurs in a fairly short time; the great adventure takes a few years so it is rapid vandalism, and the really bad times, after the arrival of Saruman, are short. Is there time to produce enough bricks to do the reported damage. It seems unlikely that the hobbit brickyards carried large stocks so bricks had to be made quickly. This points to easily accessible loess ground being turned into bricks- it is hard to see any other earth material being available for this rapid production.
Some literature
Smalley,I., Bijl,S. 1993. Hobbit holes as loess dwellings and the Shire as a loess region. Amon Hen 122, online at Scribd.com
Smalley,I., OHaraDhand, K., McLaren, S., Nugent, H. 2012. Loess and bee-eaters I: Ground properties affecting the nesting of European bee-eaters (Merops apiaster L1758) in loess deposits. Quaternary International 296, 220-226.
Afterthought: the Great East Road. The Great East Road - ran East-West through Eriador, crossing the Greenway at Bree- from the Grey Havens, through the Shire, through Bree to near Rivendell and over the Misty Mountains, even through Mirkwood. This was a very old road, and it is logical that as it passed through the Shire it would gradually be transformed into a sunken road. This is a characteristic of roads in loess regions, long-term usage causes the road surface to sink, for the road to run in a pronounced valley. People passing though the Shire on the Great East Road would be travelling in a fairly deep valley, largely unaware of the land on either side. Travellers on a major route, particularly a sunken route are often unaware of their surroundings (eg travellers on the M1 road rushing through Leicestershire). There are hints in the writings that the hobbits were undetected, that travellers on the Great East Road were not aware that the Shire was an inhabited region. Travellers on the Great East Road were isolated in their loess valley.
