As she spilled a bit of ink on the almost-filled page, Lina cursed softly. Preparing for this field trip she had agreed to host was hard and time-consuming work.
Now, though, the work was almost over. Her notes on the Battle of Greenfields was finished. She hoped the participants on the trip would like the tales she would tell. Pouring herself a mug of strong tea, she settled back in her chair and read through the notes one final time:
1 Of Brockenborings and the battle
Brockenborings. "Jewel of the north", as some locals might say. It is certainly a fair village, with lush forests and rolling fields nearby. And a rather fabulous inn, I might add, The Plough and Stars, home to local ales and many a happy hobbit.
Brockenborings, as some will know, means “badger borings”, or “badger tunnels”. This is a name you will understand if you head into the fields outside. You can hardly move out there without tripping on a badger or stumbling in one of their holes.
Besides the badgers, Brockenborings is significant for historic reasons. This village, or rather the field outside, was home to the last major battle in the Shire. Over 270 years ago, goblin invaders roved the areas outside our homelands. Some of them found their way into Greenfields, and a battle with a quickly assembled band of hobbits ensued.
What happened during the battle, you might ask? Well, the statue in town gives you part of the answer, showing the leader of the hobbit defenders dispensing with the goblin leader. But the details… they are less known. That's why I have prepared this collection of tales from the battle. Some details are true, some are uncertain, and some might be tall tales.
And all are vital to understand the stories of old... the stories of the Battle of Greenfields.
2 The night before the battle
We’re in the year of 1147, by Shire reckoning. This year, roving bands of goblins set out from a tall peak called Mount Gram. No-one knows quite where Mount Gram is, but rumours say it lies in a tall, misty mountain range far to the northeast. The goblins were led by a ferocious goblin king called Golfimbul. They behaved most despicably, torching houses, plundering and killing as they moved.
As time went on, a goblin band led by the king reached the Shire. News of the invaders soon spread, and a hobbit called Bandobras Took mustered a force of hobbits to meet the threat. Dispatches were sent out, pony riders travelled, and a band of several hundred hobbits were gathered, with axes, spears, clubs and bows. They set camp north of Brockenborings. And there they waited for the enemy to arrive.
As the night before the battle set in, the assembled hobbit force grew nervous. These were just your average hobbits… farmers, hunters and millers. The thought of going to battle against fierce, battle-hardened goblins put a chill to their bones. Most of them had also had to move swiftly, hardly bringing enough food with them to last beyond elevenses. So as the night fell, and as stomachs began to rumble, their spirits lowered.
However, the locals from Brockenborings soon came to their aid. Sheep were slaughtered, vegetables were collected and grains of barley were rounded up. Cauldrons of hot, hearty mutton stew were brought to the camp. Some casks of ale were also produced, even a bottle or two of brandy. A sack of the finest pipe-weed was passed around. And for a moment, the worried defenders forgot the dangers of the following day. The locals, always a music-loving folk, brought their musical instruments to the camp. As the defenders leaned back after their meals, cups of tea with brandy in their hands, the locals played a selection of calming songs, traditional tunes and lullabies. The music eased the nerves of the defenders, who soon fell asleep, with faint smiles on their faces.
However, as night passed and morning approached, distant shrieking noises could be heard from the north. The hobbit defenders, having slept fitfully, opened their eyes, ate a quick meal of bread and stew leftovers. Soon, their leader roused them and told them to get ready for battle.
3 Bullroarer
The hobbit force was led by the hobbit Bandobras Took. He was also called “Bullroarer”. There are many stories as to why he was given that particular nickname. One says that he, one time he was a wee boy, found himself alone in a fenced area. Or not alone – a fierce, violent bull was there with him. The bull kicked the ground and looked ready to attack. However, Bandobras, never afraid, went up to the bull, punched it in the nose and roared! The bull slinked away, and Bandobras had forever gotten his nickname.
A more probable reason for his name is that Bandobras had a really loud voice, strong, yet vibrant. Whenever he barked out orders during the battle, his voice carried over the noise. It sounded a bit like the high, growling sounds you get when you tie a piece of wood to a rope and twirl it around fast over your head. Hence, the name “Bullroarer” was given to him.
Now, Bandobras was the second son of Thain Isumbras III. While he never became Thain himself, he was a mighty hobbit. They say he stood a full four feet five inches tall! Ponies were too small for him – he had to ride a full-sized horse! Truly, this was an inspirational sight for the hobbits during the battle.
Bandobras lined up the hobbits on the southern edge of the fields, just north of the village. Melee fighters were in front, archers in the back. In the distance, they could see grey figures moving in the morning mist. The howls and growls came closer. Wolves travelled with the goblins! The howling attackers broke through the mist, looking wild-eyed and gleeful at the village in front of them. As they saw the hobbit defenders, they shrieked. Then they charged forward.
As hobbit knees began to wobble, Bandobras yelled for the hobbits to stand steady. “Wait”, his loud voice rang out. “Archers, get ready”! Wolves approached from both sides, the band of goblins was in the middle. The earth shook beneath the feet of the defenders. Over the noise, Bandobras roared: “Archers, fire!”
A swarm of arrows flew into the sky. Goblins began to drop. And the armies clashed together.
4 The birth of a legend
The fighting broke out. Arrows rained over the goblin intruders, and many fell. However, most made it through to the hobbit lines, and soon weapons crashed against each other, against other bodies. Wolves snarled and bit anything that moved. Many a brave hobbit fell during the battle, slain by the vile invaders.
King Golfimbul, the goblin leader, was particularly vicious. His club swept wide, often crashing into his fellow goblins. But sadly, more often, it smashed into nearby hobbits.
Bandobras saw the bloody slaughter happening near Golfimbul. He jumped onto his massive horse and rode straight through the battlefield. As he arrived, he charged forward and engaged Golfimbul in a duel.
Bandobras wielded a massive club himself, rivalling that of the goblin king. Golfimbul, though vicious and battle-hardened, must surely have felt his knees tremble as the wild hobbit stood in front of him, letting out a roar that made the fighting nearby stop.
The goblin had no chance against the angry hobbit The clubs crashed together. Golfimbul’s splintered, and he fell to his knees. Bullroarer stood over him, then used all his might and smashed his club straight into the goblin’s head. They say the impact was so hard that Golfimbul’s head was ripped clean off his body. Local folklore has it that it flew twenty feet away and landed in a badger hole nearby.
As the goblins saw their king fall, their fighting spirit shattered. Many ran away, and those that stayed and fought were soon brought down by the hobbits, who sensed that victory was near. As the sun rose over the field, the battle was over. The Shire was safe again.
5 Aftermath
After the battle, the surviving hobbits started removing the fallen from the battlefield. The goblin corpses were moved to a nearby valley and burned. The place is still black and desolate to this day. They even say that goblins have been spotted there recently. Possibly they are there to seek revenge over the hobbits that killed their king so long ago?
The fallen hobbits were laid on a grassy field just north-east of Brockenborings, just about where the Bullroarer festivities take place nowadays. The locals soon came to pay their respects to the fallen, and families came to say farewell to loved ones. Many a housewife had lost her husband. Many hobbit children had to grow up without a father. Almost all hobbit families in the Northfarthing had lost a relative.
It is to their credit, though, that friends and neighbors tried their best to help those grief-stricken families after the battle. Food was shared, crops were tended to, and mathoms given during birthday festivities were especially valuable in the years after the battle.
As for Bandobras, he spent his days after the battle in Long Cleeve. He raised a large family, and from him descended the North-Tooks. Apparently, he was the great uncle of that strange old Bilbo Baggins, another hobbit worthy of a tall tale or two.
The Bullroarer lived to the respectful age of 102 – he passed away nearly sixty years after the battle took place. Still, his name lives on, and his deeds are not forgotten. His mighty club is on display in the Mathom house in Michel Delving. The statue in Brockenborings shows the moment of victory as he knocked Golfimbul’s head off.
And many a song about him is still sung to this day. Songs that remember us of the heroes of old. Songs that remember us of those that fell in the Battle of Greenfields.
OOC:
These are a collection of tales told over the campfire during a field trip to Greenfields. While some of the tales and details are made up, some are of course inspired by or based on the works of JRR Tolkien or literature based on those. A few sources of information used in producing this text are as follows:
JRR Tolkien: The Fellowship of the Ring
Tolkien Gateway:
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Battle_of_Greenfields
LOTR Wikia:
http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Battle_of_Greenfields
http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Bullroarer_Took
The Thain's book:
http://www.tuckborough.net/took.html
