Bree-land

Bree-land is a small inhabited region around Bree-hill, about forty miles east of the Shire. If the tradition of the Bree-landers is to be believed, it is one of the oldest continously inhabited areas in Middle-earth.

Bree-land

Summary

Bree-land contains four settlements of note:

• Bree is below and on the western slopes of Bree-hill. It is the chief town of the area, home to the famous Prancing Pony Inn, and is populated by Men and Hobbits. The Great East Road runs through Bree.

• Staddle on the south-eastern slopes of Bree-hill is populated by Hobbits. Pipe-weed grows well on the south-slopes of the hill and is smoked by Bree-hobbits. Most of the Hobbits of Bree-land live in Staddle in hobbit-holes and small houses. It is the only of the villages (other than Bree itself) visible from the East Road and was located north of the East Road.

• Combe is located north of Staddle in a deep valley. It is populated by both Men and Hobbits.

• Archet is located north of the East Road and east of Combe, among the trees of the Chetwood.

The origins of its inhabitants are obscure, but apparently they were Pre-Númenóreans, related to the Dunlendings, who had moved far to the North during the Dark Years. The Bree-landers managed to survive through the violent history of Middle-earth until they were absorbed into Arnor. Bree-land's survival after the Fall of Arnor is remarkable. It is possible that it was similarly devastated to the other parts of Arnor, but was rebuilt with the assistance of Dwarves who needed a staging post on their travels along the Great East Road. The scattered Men of the region would have come to re-settle the area, although it remains a small island of cultivation in the wilderness round about.

It was also the only place in Middle-earth where Men lived with Hobbits on a daily basis: the population of the Bree-land had become a mix of Men and Hobbits, who had migrated from Angmar around T.A. 1300.

Its population is around 3300 people in total.

Climate and ecology

The climate of Bree-land is temperate, with regular rainfall. Temperatures throughout the year average a daily high of 13°C and a low of 6°C.

Like much of the rest of Eriador, the forest that once would have covered Bree-land was cleared in the distant past. Its natural vegetation zones would be as follows:

• F8 - Atlantic-subatlantic birch-pedunculate oak forests (Quercus robur, Betula pendula, Populus tremula)
• F104 - South British beech forests (Fagus sylvatica), alternating with pedunculate oak-ash forests (Fraxinus excelsior, Quercus robur)

Chetwood:

• F2 - East Irish-British oak forests (Quercus robur, Quercus petraea)

Government and culture

Bree-land has no formal government of any kind, although there are important figures such as the Butterbur family whose word would hold some importance. In times of crisis, the Prancing Pony served as town hall for Bree itself and as the assembly hall for all four villages.

In this sheltered region, relatively cut off from the outside world, all memory of the higher powers has faded to vague superstition; Mr. Butterbur is vaguely aware of Mordor and its significance, but generally the folk of Bree have little concern for such things. They have folktales and songs which contain an element of the supernatural, most notably the “Man in the Moon” story. There are also legends of historical figures, such as the heroes of Arnor and the Witch-King of Angmar, but these are mostly fairy-tales told to children.

Architecture

In their earliest history, the Bree-landers built roundhouses in a similar manner to the Dunlendings, as they were descended from the same people. Evidence of this can still be found in the design of traditional shepherd huts and small outbuildings in the region.

After being incorporated into Arnor, they were tutored in the construction of stone dwellings. Over time, this has diverged from Arnorian styles into a style of house unique to Bree-land, which uses stone, half-timbering and jettying.

Inspiration

J.R.R. Tolkien chose the name Bree to represent the survival of a trace of the former language of the Men of Bree and modelled it on a British (i.e. Celtic) word, which meant "hill". He referred to Brill in his Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings when he explained that the name Chetwood was a compound of a Celtic word for "wood" and the english word "wood" and stated that the name Brill was derived from the Celtic word bree and the English word "hill". Christopher Tolkien explains that the name Bree is based on Brill in Buckinghamshire, which his father knew well. Tom Shippey also suggests that Tolkien was inspired by the town of Brill, which is located on a hill ten miles from Oxford, when he chose the names Bree and Bree-hill.