In one of the opening scenes for The Lord of the Rings, we see Bilbo disappear in a spectacular trick after the speech he gives for his 111th birthday. All of the guests gasp in shock and awe, and Bilbo makes his way back to Bag-end, where Gandalf awaits him. Bilbo eventually sets off on his adventures, and Frodo returns home to find Gandalf sat in front of the fireplace smoking his pipe-weed, and muttering to himself under his breath. And in his distracted state, he utters the sentence ‘riddles in the dark’ with a far-off look on his face as if he is thinking back to a time long ago.
60 years ago, in fact, because those who have watched The Hobbit films will know that he says this in reference to the game of riddles that Bilbo Baggins plays in a bid to stall the creature Gollum long enough to avoid being eaten and make his escape. They parry guessing games and tongue-twisters back and forth until Bilbo finally wins with the famous question ‘What have I got in my pocket?’ Not exactly a riddle, but then Gollum, who was once Smeagol, doesn’t completely play by the rules either.
Much later on, in the Fellowship of the Ring, we see the 9 companions stuck outside the gates of the Mines of Moria, as Gandalf tries every which way he can think of to open the moonlit door. He issues many elvish phrases, commands the entrance to let them in, and eventually sits back, stumped and defeated whilst the others grow bored. Merry and Pippin, who are the youngest members of the fellowship, throw rocks at the water, to entertain themselves, Legolas, Gimli, and Boromir search for another way in, and Aragorn helps Sam release Bill the Pony to go back home before they enter the long dark tunnels under the ground. Frodo, however, is still focussed on the illuminated words on the wall, and is subsequently the one to crack the riddle ‘Speak Friend and Enter.’ He asks Gandalf what the elvish word for friend is, thus gaining them all passage inside, just in time to avoid an agonizing death at the hands of the Watcher in the Water.
So why is it that Gollum, Bilbo, and Frodo, who are all types of Hobbits, have such an innate penchant for riddles? In order to understand the answer, it is important to know a little bit about Tolkien himself, and the history behind his writing of The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien both studied and later became a professor at the University of Oxford in England. Although the wonderful film adaptations of the trilogy were filmed in New Zealand by native director Peter Jackson, Tolkien has often professed in many interviews, a love of the English Countryside and its customs, which acted as inspiration for Middle Earth, most especially the shire and the hobbits who live there. There is something quintessentially English about the mannerisms of hobbits, the love of simplicity and homeliness, the politeness and respect towards even strangers, and most importantly, an interest in language and its comical uses.
Indeed, the British are known worldwide as having some unusual catchphrases, for example "It’s raining cats and dogs" meaning that it’s raining really heavily outside, or "don’t get your knickers in a twist" meaning "don’t let that bother you so much." There are also word games known as tongue-twisters in English culture, which are often played by children, in which statements are said really fast in order to make one trip over their words. For example, "She sells Sea Shells On The Sea Shore," which becomes very difficult and funny to say when uttered at 10x the normal speed. It follows, then, that the Hobbits may be particularly good at these sorts of play-on-words because they stem from a culture in which these sorts of word conundrums are highly popular.
Many other races within the book seem to take things a lot more seriously than the Hobbits, as can be seen with Pippin being a classic example of comedy throughout the trilogy. Although the presentation of elves differs from the books to films, they are shown throughout the movies as a particularly serious people. This is also true of both Aragorn and Boromir, who place particular emphasis on their roles as leaders, being descended from the Kings of the Argonath, and the ancient lines of Gondor.
However, in order to play riddles, there is a particular light-heartedness and humor that must accompany the problem-solving and intellectual thinking that goes into these pastimes, which is why the Hobbits make the perfect candidates. And a good thing too, for both Bilbo and Frodo have gotten themselves out of very dangerous situations with their abilities to combine fun and inquisitiveness with quick, logical thinking in the face of pressure. But which Baggins is the greater riddler? Now that is a question only the audience can decide the answer to.