Wounds of Tender Affection

how seeking 'the fair things' gives us courage

Mar 10, 2025

“What, in your opinion, is the most heart-warming quote or conversation from Tolkien’s books?”

I got asked this question on Instagram recently and wanted to answer it in depth here. The scene that instantly came to mind is one I think is very relevant to our time and I hope it will encourage you wherever you find yourself reading from today.

Trying to narrow down what is “the most heart-warming quote” from Tolkien’s books can seem like an impossible task because there are so many. But when this question came up, one scene in particular (that didn’t make it into the Peter Jackson films) instantly came to mind.

Hello and welcome to Many Meetings, the heart of Tolkien-dom on Substack!

I’m Breanne, a new-ish substacker, but a lifelong Tolkien fan. This space is one I’ve created to welcome others into these beautiful stories, sometimes on walks with my dog and sometimes in a quiet corner of your inbox.

For the past three Septembers, I’ve taken my subscribers through The Lord of the Rings and—for the first time ever—I’ll be taking them through The Silmarillion! (my read-throughs are paid subscribers only)

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When I’m not doing read-throughs, I also post free essays and deep-dives inspired by the works of Tolkien like this one. Enjoy!

We find it in the chapter, ‘Many Meetings’ from The Fellowship of the Ring (incidentally, the chapter title that inspired the name of this substack publication). Frodo has safely made it to Rivendell. After the horrors of being stabbed by the Witch King and facing off with the Nazgûl at the Fords of Bruinen, he is healed (while unconscious) by Lord Elrond. Once he wakes, he is invited to a feast to celebrate their victory over the Black Riders where he will be a guest of honor.

At this feast, Frodo indeed has ‘many meetings’. He meets Elrond and dines with Glóin the Dwarf. While the celebration continues, Frodo is able to observe Glorfindel and the beautiful Lady Arwen. He feels out of place in the grand and noble setting, right down to needing cushions in his chair to properly reach his place at the table due to his Hobbit stature.

After the feast, the regal lords and ladies retire to a place known as the Hall of Fire. Upon entering, Frodo looks with delight upon the gathering of people enveloped in the comforting warmth of firelight. And then something happens:

“Suddenly he noticed, not far from the further end of the fire, a small dark figure seated on a stool with his back propped against a pillar. Beside him on the ground was a drinking-cup and some bread.
Frodo wondered whether he was ill (if people were ever ill in Rivendell), and had been unable to come to the feast. His head seemed sunk in sleep on his breast, and a fold of his dark cloak was drawn over his face.
Elrond went forward and stood beside the silent figure. 'Awake, little master!' he said, with a smile. Then, turning to Frodo, he beckoned to him. 'Now at last the hour has come that you have wished for, Frodo, he said. 'Here is a friend that you have long missed.' “ -The Fellowship of the Ring, Chapter: Many Meetings, J.R.R. Tolkien

The figure raises its head and Frodo is thrilled to see that it's none other than his beloved Bilbo. He immediately wants to know why he wasn’t allowed to see Bilbo before this moment and Bilbo swiftly corrects him saying, “I have seen a great deal of you.” for he was at his bedside while Frodo recovered from the wound the Witch King inflicted upon him. He also tells Frodo he didn’t come to the feast because he preferred to remain in the Hall of Fire and work on the latest song he’s writing.

After an initial greeting and quick catch up, an unpleasant moment occurs where Bilbo catches a glimpse of the One Ring on a chain around Frodo’s neck. Upon seeing the ring, Bilbo seems to transform into “a little wrinkled creature with a hungry face and bony hands” before Frodo’s eyes. The moment passes quickly with Bilbo coming back to himself saying:

'I understand now, he said. 'Put it away! I am sorry: sorry you have come in for this burden: sorry about everything. Don't adventures ever have an end? I suppose not. Someone else always has to carry on the story. Well, it can't be helped. I wonder if it's any good trying to finish my book? But don't let's worry about it now - let's have some real News! Tell me all about the Shire!' –The Fellowship of the Ring, Chapter: Many Meetings, J.R.R. Tolkien

Bilbo and Frodo (accompanied by Sam) sequester themselves together to share news of the Shire and its happenings. Soon after, Frodo meets Bilbo’s friend, the Dúnadan, who turns out to be Strider and the three of them share a sweet moment of realizing how they all know one another now.

The evening wears on. Bilbo consults with Strider on some last minute changes and then performs his song for all those present in the Hall of Fire. Eventually Bilbo asks Frodo if he would like to slip off “for some more quiet talk”. And the following moment Tolkien describes in this chapter is, to me, one of the most heart-warming in the whole story:

“He led Frodo back to his own little room. It opened on to the gardens and looked south across the ravine of the Bruinen. There they sat for some while, looking through the window at the bright stars above the steep-climbing woods, and talking softly. They spoke no more of the small news of the Shire far away, nor of the dark shadows and perils that encompassed them, but of the fair things they had seen in the world together, of the Elves, of the stars, of trees, and the gentle fall of the bright year in the woods.” –The Fellowship of the Ring, Chapter: Many Meetings, J.R.R. Tolkien

Here we see Frodo getting one of his last wholesome moments with the Hobbit who raised him. It’s particularly bittersweet when you realize how swiftly Bilbo’s mental state declines due to his age by the next time Frodo returns to Rivendell.

But on this evening, the darkness of the Ring and the perilous events that must unfold to destroy it are put to the side for a brief while. These Hobbits—this tiny family of two—are left alone by a window full of bright stars to talk of fair things and find comfort in one another’s company. Perhaps recalling a time in Frodo’s heart that will never be again; when he and Bilbo would sit safely in Bag End together learning of Elves and the grand story of Middle-earth that they’ve both been swept up in.

Here, far from home in grand Rivendell, he is given the gift of familiarity that will be a comfort as he takes on the quest before him.

While there are many other heart-warming conversations within Tolkien’s legendarium, this one between Frodo and Bilbo always stands out to me. Its rustic simplicity pierces the heart with wounds of tender affection shared between an elderly gentlehobbit and the beloved younger cousin he raised as a son.

The small moments of respite Tolkien weaves into the narrative like this remind us to not shy away from hard things, but to also seek friendship, joy, and quiet in the midst of what life asks of us.

Yes, circumstances may be heavy and exhausting. We may be asked to test our courage beyond what we feel we’re capable of, and yet, the intentional ways we slow down and seek the “fair things we see in the world together” can fuel us to face the darkness, come what may.

Many Meetings