Water Carriers of Middle Earth

Hard Kit is all other accoutrements that are not clothing, weapons or armour. This includes pots and tents, and flint & steel, and other things like that.

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Elleth
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Water Carriers of Middle Earth

Post by Elleth »

Like many of you, when I first read Lord of the Rings as a child, I just SO much wanted to wander those landscapes like the Fellowship. One of the more vivid memories I have of the books was Frodo and Sam desperate for water in the wastes of Mordor. The leather water bottle sounded SO COOL and I had to have one for my adventures in the wildlands of my back yard!

The first time I saw a cheapy mass market bota, I had to have it - red plastic piping and grey vinyl sides notwithstanding. Of course it leaked like a sieve.

Since those childhood adventures, I've had a couple not-so-hot water carriers, some commercial and some homemade. But I've never had one that wasn't too modern, too leaky, or both.

It was finally time to fix that - but what with?


Middle Earth Water Carriers Part I: Historical Precedents

I remember long ago asking about what people did for canteens in the old times, and being told “they probably didn’t have them, the water was so clean you could drink from any stream.”

… Adult understanding and the modern miracle of the internet have since proved that conceit very, very wrong of course.

So first I did a quick survey of what people really used way back when, and what modern reproductions were available.

The first stop of course was Costrels, Flasks, & Canteens on the wonderfully useful larsdatter.com site.
… and lots of subsquent web wanders.

To distill it down to the high points though, the big themes tend to be:

A. English jackware
We all know these of course: a container made from fairly thick leather sewn into a stiff sided container, then treated with wax.
Most typically found today in reenactor circles in a costrel or flacket/bottle shape:
merf-watercarriers-01-jackware.jpg
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("The Leather Working Reverend" writeups of a costrel and flacket are especially interesting)

Curiously, the hard leather bottle / costrel seems to be largely confined to the British Isles. The French are said to have laughed at Englishmen “drinking from their boots."
I don’t know if that’s a resource availability issue or a cultural one - but this Irish example from the early medieval period long predates the Norman influence in Britain:
merf-watercarriers-02-bogfind.jpg
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(I've not found it on any museum site, but a number of images of this find are floating around the web giving it an bog find provenance to the "early medieval" era, and it's reported to be on display in an Irish musuem.


B. Soft animal hide bags.
These seem to take two primary forms: personal-sized Spanish(Basque?) botas and Middle Eastern /North African water containers utilizing the whole skin of a goat. These have a LONG history: the ones still in use today in Africa look to be virtually identical to those in carvings dating back thousands of years:
merf-watercarriers-03-waterskins-and-botabags.jpg
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See also this extensive discussion on Classical era waterskins from Roman Army Talk



Part I continues....
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Re: Water Carriers of Middle Earth

Post by Elleth »

... part I continued:

C. Canteens -
This was fascinating! The same general form keeps showing up from (at least) Classical Rome all the way up to the very recent past in Europe. Circular in profile - usually but not universally with “feet” to allow it to stand upright, and often loops to either side of the spout for carriage straps or cords. These are ALL OVER.

An unfooted roman model virtually unchanged into the late medieval era:
merf-watercarriers-04-stoneware-canteen.jpg
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And footed versions of both treenware and stoneware are for sale as very recent antiques from Eastern Europe all over etsy and ebay:
merf-watercarriers-05-bulgarian-footed-canteen.jpg
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The sheer ubiquity of this design in Europe is fascinating!
That it seems mostly unchanged for thousands of years all across the continent is a testament I think to how well it must have performed.

The "costrel" patten also seems to have either persisted or been resurrected in the colonial era, both as carved and (I believe later) coopered patterns.
I believe I've seen that coopered pattern elsewhere a tad wider, close to flat-costrel proportions, but I'm afraid I can't find the reference anymore.
merf-watercarriers-06-wooden-costrel-canteen.jpg
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The "cheesebox" and "flattened barrel" coopered canteens we're so familiar with I haven't found evidence of prior to the American colonial period.
"Absence of evidence..." and all that applies of course. Personally I wouldn't use them in an older historical context just because my brain is trained to see them as 18th-19th c. American, but there's no technical reason that couldn't have been made in the Bronze Age.
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Re: Water Carriers of Middle Earth

Post by Elleth »

That's stoneware and wood - what about metal? I've actually found very little evidence of metallic canteens throughout the medieval era of Europe.
I've run across two from the era - one Chinese, one from the Islamic world. Both are quite richly decorated - hardly the canteen of a commoner.
merf-watercarriers-07-eastern-metallic-canteens.jpg
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In Europe I've looked all over, and side from the occasional small flask don't see metallic canteens for the common soldier until the tin canteens of the early modern period.
Ah! But those Romans - you may well have seen these, sold as a Roman canteen:
merf-watercarriers-08-depeeka-roman-canteen.jpg
merf-watercarriers-08-depeeka-roman-canteen.jpg (20.7 KiB) Viewed 16115 times
RAT seems to think theses were more likely containers of oil for bathing, though that's apparently still under debate.

I'm quite fond of this more elaborate example with cast bronze elements however - Imagine this construction exactly, with the decoration on the brass strap replaced with stars and wings - perfect for the Steward’s son!
merf-watercarriers-09-antoni-feldon-roman-canteen.jpg
merf-watercarriers-09-antoni-feldon-roman-canteen.jpg (35.14 KiB) Viewed 16115 times

So.. that's the review for what existed in the real world Middle Earth was based upon. What does the text say?
Coming up in Part II, later this weekend... happy trails!
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Middle Earth Water Carriers: Part II: Text References

Post by Elleth »

Well that's all well and good for our world, but what about Middle Earth? Thank goodness these days there's searchable text.


The Hobbits of the Fellowship are consistently described throughout the text as having water bottles:
‘You can come too,’ said Frodo, ‘and bring all the water-bottles.’ There was a stream at the foot of the hill. They filled their bottles and the small camping kettle at a little fall where the water fell a few feet over an outcrop of grey stone. It was icy cold; and they spluttered and puffed as they bathed their faces and hands.
-FOTR, Book I, Chapter 3, “Three is Company”

.. and Frodo's bottle is slashed in Minas Morgul:
`Well, things are a bit better than you think,’ said Frodo. ‘I have had a bit of luck while you were away. Indeed they did not take everything. I’ve found my food-bag among some rags on the floor. They’ve rummaged it, of course. But I guess they disliked the very look and smell of the lembas, worse than Gollum did. It’s scattered about and some of it is trampled and broken, but I’ve gathered it together. It’s not far short of what you’ve got. But they’ve taken Faramir’s food, and they’ve slashed up my water-bottle.’
-ROTK, Book VI, Chapter 1, “The Tower of Cirith Ungol”

To me that's pretty conclusive evidence that Hobbit made travelling water bottles are typically good old English jackware. They certainly have the arts of glassware, ceramics, and cooperage:

Chip the glasses and crack the plates!
Blunt the knives and bend the forks!
That's what Bilbo Baggins hates-
Smash the bottles and burn the corks!
Cut the cloth and tread on the fat!
Pour the milk on the pantry floor!
Leave the bones on the bedroom mat!
Splash the wine on every door!
Dump the crocks in a boiling bawl;
Pound them up with a thumping pole;
And when you've finished, if any are whole,
Send them down the hall to roll !
That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!
So, carefully! carefully with the plates!



The Hobbit, Chapter 1, “An Unexpected Party

He got up trembling. He had less than half a mind to fetch the lamp, and more than half a mind to pretend to, and go and hide behind the beer barrels in the cellar, and not come out again until all the dwarves had gone away. Suddenly he found that the music and the singing had stopped, and they were all looking at him with eyes shining in the dark.

The Hobbit, Chapter 1, “An Unexpected Party

.. so while I'd not at all be surprised to see a Hobbit having a leather-covered glass flask , wooden keg, or a stoneware water bottle- the jack canteen is solidly referenced.


But that's Hobbits. What about the Dunedain?

I can't find anything specific, but there's an interesting nugget at the gates of Moria. Gandalf specifically makes the distinction between “water-skins” and “bottles”:

Turning to the others he said: 'While I am searching, will you each make ready to enter the Mines? For here I fear we must say farewell to our good beast of burden. You must lay aside much of the stuff that we brought against bitter weather: you will not need it inside, nor, I hope, when we come through and journey on down into the South. Instead each of us must take a share of what the pony carried, especially the food and the water-skins.'


...


`It will not last much longer, I am afraid,' he said; 'but I think we need it after that horror at the gate. And unless we have great luck, we shall need all that is left before we see the other side! Go carefully with the water, too! There are many streams and wells in the Mines, but they should not be touched. We may not have a chance of filling our skins and bottles till we come down into Dimrill Dale.'

Fellowship of the Ring, Book II, Chapter 4 “A Journey in the Dark”


I see two possibilities here:
One possibility is that "water-skins" refers to the large waterskins such as we see in North Africa and the Middle East - whole goat skins filled with water much as we'd have five-gallon jerry cans - which would in turn be used to fill small bottles. The first quote lends some weight towards this interpretation I think - “instead each of us must take a share of what the pony carried, especially the food and the water-skins.'” He mentions divesting the pony of skins, but not of bottles - presumably carried on the person of at least the hobbits.


Another possibility is that: “water skins” refers to soft-sided smaller individually sized vessels much like the Spanish bota - which I’ve no doubt the good Professor encountered at some point during his lifetime.


So which interpretation is correct? We might have a hint in The Hobbit, after Beorn re-equips Thorin’s company with food… and water-skins:
So now there was nothing left to do but to fill their water-skins at a clear spring they found close to the forest-gate, and unpack the ponies. They distributed the packages as fairly as they could, though Bilbo thought his lot was wearisomely heavy, and did not at all like the idea of trudging for miles and miles with all that on his back.
...


They each shouldered the heavy pack and the water-skin which was their share, and turned from the light that lay on the lands outside and plunged into the forest.

The Hobbit, Chapter 7, “Queer Lodgings”

What does that tell us? At least amongst the Beornings,a water-skin is a common enough possession that Beorn could afford to send at least one with each of Thorin’s Company - and more importantly, that even Bilbo could (with effort) carry one with all his other gear. This strongly implies I think that the water-skins of Tolkien’s imagination are not the whole hide “organic jerry cans” of the North African / Middle Eastern deserts, but smaller vessels - even when carried on ponies rather than on the person.

Whether "smaller" means a personal bota-sized container or a still hefty 1-2 gallon one is not clear.


Since the hobbits are universally described as carrying bottles, if this second interpretation is true, then the easy implication I think that these "water-skins" belong to other members of the Fellowship. "Our.. water-skins" implies multiples... so it's possible to infer they belonged to the men of the fellowship, but that’s considerably more of a leap.

Either way, I think it’s safe to say a jackware bottle (definitely) or soft-sided skin in the manner of a bota (almost certainly) is defensible as a water carrier familiar enough to any of the free peoples of Middle Earth to pass without explanation on either side of the Misty Mountains(1).


Interestingly, I can’t find a single mention of a canteen as such, anywhere in the text.
Smaller quantities of liquid appear in (presumably) hard containers: The orcs have a flask (2), Gandalf’s miruvor from Rivendell in a leather flask (3) and of course the crystal phial of Galadriel (4)... but there’s no definitive mention of anything recognizable as a wooden, stoneware, or metallic canteen. (Although the trolls in the Hobbit are drinking from presumably earthenware jugs: stolen from men I assume)

My suspicion is that Tolkien was drawing from what he saw around him in the early 20th century - traditional vessels of leather, modern canteens of metal, and discounted the latter entirely to retain a mythic atmosphere.


===========================================
References

(1)Leather bottles are also known to the men along the river on the way to Dale: after the barrel ride, Bilbo steals a leather bottle of wine:
Very soon there was a fine commotion in the village by the riverside; but Bilbo escaped into the woods carrying a loaf and a leather bottle of wine and a pie that did not belong to him. The rest of the night he had to pass wet as he was and far from a fire, but the bottle helped him to do that, and he actually dozed a little on some dry leaves, even though the year was getting late and the air was chilly.
The Hobbit, Chapter 9, "Barrels out of Bond"
(2)
He cut the thongs round Pippin's legs and ankles, picked him up by his hair and stood him on his feet. Pippin fell down, and Uglúk dragged him up by his hair again. Several Orcs laughed. Uglúk thrust a flask between his teeth and poured some burning liquid down his throat: he felt a hot fierce glow flow through him. The pain in his legs and ankles vanished. He could stand.
...
But at the moment Uglúk was not engaged in sport. He needed speed and had to humour unwilling followers. He was healing Merry in orc-fashion; and his treatment worked swiftly. When he had forced a drink from his flask down the hobbit's throat, cut his leg-bonds, and dragged him to his feet, Merry stood up, looking pale but grim and defiant, and very much alive. The gash in his forehead gave him no more trouble, but he bore a brown scar to the end of his days.

The Two Towers, Book III, Chapter 3, The Uruk-Hai


(3)
`Give them this,' said Gandalf, searching in his pack and drawing out a leathern flask. `Just a mouthful each - for all of us. It is very precious. It is miruvor, the cordial of Imladris. Elrond gave it to me at our parting. Pass it round!'

Fellowship of the Ring, Book II, Chapter 3 The Ring Goes South

(4)
`And you, Ring-bearer,' she said, turning to Frodo. `I come to you last who are not last in my thoughts. For you I have prepared this.' She held up a small crystal phial: it glittered as she moved it, and rays of white light sprang from her hand. 'In this phial,' she said, `is caught the light of Eärendil's star, set amid the waters of my fountain. It will shine still brighter when night is about you. May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out. Remember Galadriel and her Mirror! '
Frodo took the phial, and for a moment as it shone between them, he saw her again standing like a queen, great and beautiful, but no longer terrible. He bowed, but found no words to say.
Fellowship of the Ring, Book II, Chap 8 , “Farewell to Lórien”
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Middle Earth Water Carriers: Part III: Choosing Kit

Post by Elleth »

So with that all said - what to choose for a Middle Earth impression?

My first choice were I dropped into Middle Earth myself would be a metal canteen: something like that gorgeous Roman canteen (oil bottle?) in tin-lined copper. Nice and sturdy, fairly easy to repair if the soldering does give way, and with proper care a nice secondary kettle for sanitizing water or just making a spot of tea.

But as I said - I see no textual support for such a thing at all.

Even Frodo, though not so wealthy as Bilbo still rather well to do and with a fondness for walking as hobbits go - still carries a bottle of leather.
Gandalf's precious miruvor - in a leather flask.

Hrmph.


Anyhow, for both hobbits and Beornings, I think the answer is very clear: a jackware leather bottle and a soft waterskin respectively.

For the former I envision something much like the flackets such as Greg carries - or perhaps with a circular bottom piece sewn in so that that could stand of their own accord.
For the latter, I think something much like the "smaller goat waterskin" in the picture above carried by the African gentleman - perhaps nicely painted


For a Ranger, or other Dunedain?
Perhaps were I starting from a blank slate, I'd go with a leather flacket - but I think I'm happy with a bota.
It's been part of my "mental image" of a Middle Earth wanderer since I was tiny, so since it's at least defensible, I'll keep it around.
We'll see how it holds up. :)
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Re: Water Carriers of Middle Earth

Post by Harper »

I could definitely see dwarves using and trading metal canteens like the Roman one.

It does not take a major technological leap to go from metal pots to a "portable" metal pot/container.

But you're right, I don't recall any direct textual evidence for them.

I'd be okay with it.
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Re: Water Carriers of Middle Earth

Post by Greg »

Great read, Elleth.

The goatskins have intrigued me for some time...I may experiment a bit as you have, but until I'm able to produce something like that myself, I'll probably stick with my pitch-lined bottles if only for reasons of being able to make them myself. Thanks for all the research; quite a pile to read through there. Enjoyed it!
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Re: Water Carriers of Middle Earth

Post by Udwin »

Bravo, Elleth! Wonderful research. I had forgotten all about Beorn's waterskins! I wonder how to reconcile them with his unique vegetarian practices?

I was intrigued that Glorfindel's "flask of leather" (of elf-liquor (assuming miruvor again) is described as "silver-studded"--would that be possible for a leather vessel?

When they stumble upon Bilbo's stone trolls, Frodo and Co. find "some great empty jars and broken pots" outside their cave. Sounds like ceramics to me; in the '37 Hobbit, 'barrels of ale' are found in the Troll's cave. (I don't have my copy of the 1960 Hobbit with me right now, I can't remember if there are any more details in that. Will check later.)

Although I definitely agree that metal canteens somewhat take one out of the 'ancient/mythic'-ness of M-e, after seeing all this research together, I feel much more confident in my claim that my enameled iron canteen is Dwarf-made. I would bet a Beorning like Aistan, grown up surrounded by leather waterskins, would quickly snatch one up once they became available.
I guess the next thing I need to do now to deepen my impression is find out how to make flexible waterskins! I wonder if stomachs could be bark-tanned, perhaps?
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Re: Water Carriers of Middle Earth

Post by Harper »

I just thought that I would toss this into the mix:

One advantage of leather over metal canteens pertinent to rangering is noise discipline. Also, shine.

Water sloshing around and hitting metal walls makes noise that can be heard. I imagine that it is more subdued with leather.

It's not a big deal to us, but if you are reconnoitering an enemy camp, it could make a difference.
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Re: Water Carriers of Middle Earth

Post by Elleth »

Thanks all!

Harper - you are so right.

Udwin - hunh. I'd not thought about the vegetarian angle. You're right, that is odd, given Beorn doesn't even use leather for boots as I recall. Perhaps they were provided by allied men of the Anduin? :)

So far as Glorfindel's flask - certainly it's possible to stud a leather container: you just have two layers of leather, and the studs only penetrate the outer layer.
It seems to me silly when thick glassware or metal would do the same job better, but there it is in the text. :?

Greg, Udwin - I'd like to make one eventually as well, but for the time being I'm really happy with the one I purchased.

THAT SAID it seems like there's at least two methods. One is the animal stomach in a leather cover method: the other uses hair-on goathide turned inside out with a pitch sealer applied inside.
Personally, the latter method doesn't squick me out *near* as much and works great. The problem with making one is that after months of looking I never found hair-on naturally tanned hides.
Hair on modern chemical-tan, yes. Hair-off vegtan, yes. Both... no luck.

Udwin, if you ever start making/trading those however I am SO IN for one. :)
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Re: Water Carriers of Middle Earth

Post by Elleth »

Aha!

There is evidence for (late) medieval European metallic canteens after all!

I knew Goose Bay Workshop made a couple copper canteens based on medieval patterns:
merf-watercarriers10-goose-bay-workshops-copper-canteens.jpg
merf-watercarriers10-goose-bay-workshops-copper-canteens.jpg (25.45 KiB) Viewed 15921 times
What I had forgotten was that their second example was based off a period image of a German tinsmith, c. 1468
merf-watercarriers11-german-late-medieval-metal-canteen-reference.jpg
merf-watercarriers11-german-late-medieval-metal-canteen-reference.jpg (68.71 KiB) Viewed 15921 times

How neat!
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Re: Water Carriers of Middle Earth

Post by Udwin »

Those are far out! Looks like the illustrated one is tinned or some other gray metal, but copper for the repro looks nice too.

As far as Beorn stockpiling waterskins that would apparently conflict with his veggie ethics, I realized he has a history of this, and have been pondering why. When he loads up Thorin & Co with food, waterskins, and transportation, he also gives them "some bows and arrows" (four, according to a draft). If Beorn lives alone (with his animals), and does not eat meat (so hunting is out), and can turn into a bear (no need for weapons), why then does he keep a stockpile of archery gear? I think—even pre-Bo5A—his compound is a refuge in times of danger to folks in the neighborhood, and these weapons must be for the use of non-skinchanging neighbors who come there under threat of attack. A likely explanation?
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Re: Water Carriers of Middle Earth

Post by Harper »

With respect to the bow and arrows, perhaps Beorn uses them at range (vs. orcs, wargs, etc.) before dropping them and fighting in bear form at close range. It is always good to be able to "reach out and touch someone."

The idea of a refuge also seems plausible.

I suspect that Beorn may have kept them on hand for both of these reasons.

I do like the look of the copper canteens. Your body needs copper, too.

We know that Hobbits had copper kettles--so these canteens fit well.
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Re: Water Carriers of Middle Earth

Post by Elleth »

I'm sure you're right about the original being sheet tin (or rather I assume tinned iron) - which is fascinating! I had no idea it was being used so early. Granted 1460's is almost Age of Exploration, but still. :)

I do love the idea of a copper canteen - I don't think I'll do it myself (at least in a Tolkien setting) out of sheer "represent the commonplace" - but I certainly think it's a defensible choice.

As regards the arrows and waterskins Thorin's Company receives from Beorn - it's been a while since I've read it. Might there have been an event "offscreen" where allied men bring extra supplies?
Even if not - I think your explanation of Beorn's hall being a place of refuge and a logical place to preposition supplies makes sense.
(I can't imagine Beorn would be thrilled about that though)
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Re: Water Carriers of Middle Earth

Post by Kortoso »

Perhaps a clue to prof Tolkien's inspirations may be found in some of the literature we know he read and was inspired by?
I'm looking now at The White Company by Doyle, but he would have had all the gests of the middle ages to reference of course.
No mention of canteens in Doyle:
“That we shall prove,” said Goodwin Hawtayne; “but it would be well, ere they close with us, to raise up the mantlets and pavises as a screen against their bolts.” He shouted a hoarse order, and his seamen worked swiftly and silently, heightening the bulwarks and strengthening them. The three ship’s anchors were at Sir Nigel’s command carried into the waist, and tied to the mast, with twenty feet of cable between, each under the care of four seamen. Eight others were stationed with leather water-bags to quench any fire-arrows which might come aboard, while others were sent up the mast, to lie along the yard and drop stones or shoot arrows as the occasion served.
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