The Lord of the Rings - Presentation

The Birthday of Bilbo Baggins

It’s time for the 111th birthday of Bilbo Baggins and the Shire is preparing the great feast. All the hobbits are aware of Bilbo's wealthiness and their expectations to the big day are therefore extremely high. Especially due to the rumor telling that Bilbo had bought presents for everybody.

Bilbo himself has very high expectations, too. Not so much because of the party, but because of what he has planned to do. Longing to travel again, he has planned to make a disappearance in the middle of his birthday speech and thereafter as soon as possible leave the Shire.

In order to disappear Bilbo needs to make use of the ring, which he has kept safely in his hobbit hole, since he returned from the quest described in “The Hobbit”. When leaving Bilbo has then planned to pass the ring on to his nephew and heir “Frodo Baggins”. Saying goodbye to the one ring is far more difficult than expected, though. And if it hadn’t been for Gandalf who saw through Bilbo and found him when he was about to leave – Bilbo and the ring would have left the Shire hand in hand.

This we hear about in the very first chapter and with Frodo inheriting the ring the story of “Lord of the Rings” begins…

At the time of Bilbo’s birthday party everything seemed peaceful in the Middle Earth[1] and no one even dreamed of what was going to happen – but they were soon to find out! 

Shortly after Bilbo’s disappearance the word goes around that the ring, Frodo had inherited is sought by the Dark Lord, Sauron. And if Sauron gets to possess the ring he will gain enough power to rule the entire Middle Earth.

Frodo is therefore forced to leave the Shire in order to keep the ring away from Sauron. Along with Frodo are his 2 very good friends Peregin Took, known as Pippin and Meriadoc Brandybuck, known as Merry. And furthermore Samwise Gamgee, who Gandalf caught listening, when he was telling Frodo what to do, accompanies them. Samwise is by Gandalf told to join Frodo on his journey as his right hand and is therefore – opposite Merry and Pippin – more or less forced to join the little party.

As they leave their homes in the Shire they don’t even know exactly what’s going on; but that...