Smoking
- "No, not a pipe. I don't think I'll smoke again."
- ― Merry Brandybuck[1]
Smoking was an activity or custom begun by the Hobbits (who referred to it as an 'art'). It consisted of inhaling the smoke of the burning leaves of a herb called Pipe-weed.
The Hobbits of Bree claimed to be the first to have smoked the Pipe-weed, but the first who cultivated it was Tobold Hornblower of Longbottom of the Shire, around the year S.R. 1070. Smoking had spread from the Hobbits to Dwarves, Rangers, and Wizards.[2]
Inspiration[edit | edit source]
- "I am in fact a Hobbit (in all but size). [...] I smoke a pipe..."
- ― Letter 213
J.R.R. Tolkien was an avid pipe smoker. He attributed his addiction to his childhood, when he watched Father Francis Xavier Morgan smoking his pipe in a specific location each time.[3]
People who had met Tolkien noticed that a pipe was almost always in his hand or mouth, often making difficult to understand his speech.[4] In a 1966 interview, Tolkien said: "Every morning I wake up thinking, 'Good, another 24 hours of smoking'".[5]
An auctioned cigar bill from early 1972 shows that Tolkien favoured Capstan Medium Navy Cut.
Portrayal in adaptations[edit | edit source]
1995-8: Middle-earth Collectible Card Game:
- The card "Smoke Rings" enables the player to re-use one of his discarded characters.[6]
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Houses of Healing"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, "Prologue", "Concerning Pipe-weed"
- ↑ Humphrey Carpenter, J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien Talks about the Discovery of Middle-earth, the Origins of Elvish by Richard Plotz, in Seventeen
- ↑ Charlotte and Denis Plimmer, "The Man Who Understands Hobbits", The Daily Telegraph Magazine (22 March 1968)
- ↑ "Smoke Rings", TradeCardsOnline.com (accessed 26 June 2012)