Who was waiting for Bilbo Baggins in Lonely Mountain? Meeting with the terrible Smaug

Thanks to the English writer John RonaldRuel Tolkien in the middle of XX century arose a great interest in the genre of high fantasy. But 20 years before the publication of the famous book The Lord of the Rings, in 1937, Tolkien publishes a novel written for his children, about the adventures of Hobitt Bilbo Baggins. The writer himself did not yet suspect that in the end he would get out of this children's fairy tale.

The beginning of the famous epic about Middle-earth

The story "Hobbit" was created together with childrenTolkien. He invented a story, and his sons helped to draw a map of Middle-earth - a fabulous country where side by side hobbits, gnomes, elves, people and many other mysterious and magical creatures.

In this tale, which described the amazingthe adventures of Bilbo Baggins, for the first time there are many key figures of the next, serious and even tragic narrative about Middle Earth - "The Lord of the Rings". "Hobbit" is the happy past of a magical country, its last carefree days before the coming threat.

The main intrigue of the book was the question of whoWaiting for Bilbo Baggins in Lonely Mountain. Long ago, the gnomes fled from there because of the deadly danger - they were attacked by the last dragon of Middle-earth, Smaug. But these tragic events occurred centuries ago (gnomes, as you know, live for a very long time), so everyone was sure that the terrible monster that destroyed the great dwarven kingdom has long since disappeared. If Bilbo Baggins knew about this sad history ... Who was waiting for him in the caves under the mountain, he did not even imagine, therefore he agreed to a mad adventure - to go on a long trip to the company of gnomes.

Hobbits, gnomes, elves and other amazing creatures

Talking about who was waiting for Bilbo Baggins inLonely grief, you need to stop and on his companions. Tolkien took his heroes (except hobbits) from the Scandinavian, Old English and Finnish epics. Elves, gnomes, orcs, goblins, dragons were their main characters. The magician of Gandalf, who for one reason alone chooses Bilbo for the satellites, Tolkien made him look like the Scandinavian supreme god Odin. To this thought he was pushed by an old postcard on which was depicted a tall old man in a long cloak, pointed hat and with a staff in his hands. This is how we see now the great sorcerer of Middle-earth.

The Journey of Bilbo Baggins: a hike to the Lonely Mountain

The plot of the story of the adventures of a hobbit adventurerIt is simple: it is hired by gnomes to march to its kingdom left under the mountain many years ago. Gandalf represents him as a great burglar, capable of penetrating anywhere. In fact, Bilbo is an ordinary hobbit, leading a quiet and measured life. The only thing that distinguishes him from the rest of his fellows is the desire for travel. It was she who forced him to embark on an adventure. If at first the gnomes treated their little satellite with distrust and a certain amount of contempt, then the opinion of him gradually changed. The Hobbit saved them from the paws of the terrible creatures of the Dark Forest, helped escape the elven prison and unraveled the mystery of the secret door leading into the Lonely Mountain. Gandalf did not choose Bilbo for nothing. For a long time watching a small people, he realized that hobbits possess resourcefulness and courage.

Awful mystery

So, who was waiting for Bilbo Baggins in Lonelywoe? When thanks to the wit of the hobbit, the dwarves managed to open a secret passage to their abandoned kingdom, they sent Bilbo to reconnoitre. By arrangement, it was he who was to help get their main treasure - a relic of gnomes - the stone Arkenston.

In the treasury - a huge hall full of gold andprecious objects, the hobbit saw with horror the sleeping dragon. It was the great Smaug, who took possession of the kingdom of the dwarves under the mountain. Bilbo did not know anything about the dragons, because they had long been considered extinct, and he did not know that they were the most cunning creatures in the world, possessing the gift of hypnosis. Outwit Smauga could, using his two weaknesses: love of riddles and vanity. It was on this and played Bilbo, who eventually managed to slip out of the lair of the dragon.

The screen version of Tolkien's works. Who played Smaug?

According to the books of the "father of fantasy" more than onceattempts to create a film, but their screening was eventually found almost impossible. That's the way it was before Peter Jackson took over. He made the trilogy "The Lord of the Rings", which gained worldwide fame and revived interest in Tolkien's work. In 2012, Jackson presented his new work - the first part of the trilogy about the adventures of Bilbo, the film "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey". Thanks to his work, viewers now know who waited for Bilbo Baggins in Lonely Mountain, and how terrible this character was.

Smaug in the film was created with the help of a specialmotion capture technology. He was played and voiced by actor Benedict Cumberbatch. The dragon in his performance turned out to be not only horrendously formidable and deadly, but also not devoid of a peculiar grace and charm.