#263 Mathom's
Mathom: An old word of the hobbit-dialect, not recorded as being in use outside the Shire. It was used to refer to any item that had no particular immediate use, but whose owner had no wish to throw away. Mathoms were often given as presents by the Shire-hobbits - an important part of their culture - or stored in the Mathom-house in Michel Delving.
"What is it?" I turned the object over in my hand several times and studied it with what was most assuredly a quizzical expression on my face. It was a box that contained smaller blocks of wood inside, they all fit snugly together into a perfectly cubed shape.. That much I understood. The colors of each of the different pieces were all varnished to different shades. Some light like oak, others had the hues of cherry or walnut. But to what was the purpose?
Bilbo didn't answer but watched my puzzlement with the slightest of smiles upon his face. It was as if he was waiting for a different reaction or response. But what he was waiting for, that I didn't understand. It wasn't a music box for there was no key or mechanism to make it play. It wasn't a sculpture for other than the wood-toned colors it had no real aesthetic value. Maybe it was just a paperweight? Most definitely it was a mathom of sorts. But not one I had seen in Bag End before.
"Thank you Unkle." It really wasn't a very sincere response because usually Bilbo's birthday gifts tended to be more eccentric than a block of wood. No matter how shiny the lacquering.
I set it down on the table and noticed that one wooden pieces shifted from the lightest impact on the table. And as I touched it to put it back into its place the entire thing came apart. My gasp of surprise at thinking that I broke it was met with a bold laugh from Bilbo.
"It's a riddle box Frodo.. I got it from the elves. Now all you have to do is put it back together.."
Sure that sounded easy enough but after a long year of trying to do just that I finally gave up.
And gave it promply away to Sam on my next birthday.
"What is it?" I turned the object over in my hand several times and studied it with what was most assuredly a quizzical expression on my face. It was a box that contained smaller blocks of wood inside, they all fit snugly together into a perfectly cubed shape.. That much I understood. The colors of each of the different pieces were all varnished to different shades. Some light like oak, others had the hues of cherry or walnut. But to what was the purpose?
Bilbo didn't answer but watched my puzzlement with the slightest of smiles upon his face. It was as if he was waiting for a different reaction or response. But what he was waiting for, that I didn't understand. It wasn't a music box for there was no key or mechanism to make it play. It wasn't a sculpture for other than the wood-toned colors it had no real aesthetic value. Maybe it was just a paperweight? Most definitely it was a mathom of sorts. But not one I had seen in Bag End before.
"Thank you Unkle." It really wasn't a very sincere response because usually Bilbo's birthday gifts tended to be more eccentric than a block of wood. No matter how shiny the lacquering.
I set it down on the table and noticed that one wooden pieces shifted from the lightest impact on the table. And as I touched it to put it back into its place the entire thing came apart. My gasp of surprise at thinking that I broke it was met with a bold laugh from Bilbo.
"It's a riddle box Frodo.. I got it from the elves. Now all you have to do is put it back together.."
Sure that sounded easy enough but after a long year of trying to do just that I finally gave up.
And gave it promply away to Sam on my next birthday.