The Springle-Ring
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
THE SPRINGLE-RING (R4x32) 4C Set Ruary Laidlaw, 20251- 8 1s+2s set and dance ½ RH across; 2s+1s set and cross RH. 2134
9-16 All 4 couples advance and retire; all dance Do-Si-Do with partner
17-24 1s turn RH, cast to 3rd place (3s step up); 1s turn LH, cast to 4th place (4s step up)
25-32 All circle 8H round and back. 2341
4th time through bars 25-32: all circle 8H once round to left
(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)
The Springle-ring A 4 x 32 Bar Reel for 4 couples in a Longwise Set, Ruary Laidlaw, 2025
1 - 8 The first and second couples join inside hands on the sides and set once to their Partners and dance a right hand wheel half way round to the opposite sides of the dance.
The first and second couples join inside hands again, set once but this time they cross over to their own sides of the dance so that the frist couple are now in second place with the second couple at the top of the set.
9 - 16 All four couples now join inside hands on the sides and advance with two steps towards their partners and retire for two steps. They then dance back-to-back with their partners to finish where they started.
17 - 20 The first couple, now in second place, turn each other with the right hand for two steps and cast off to third place, and the third couple move up.
21 - 24 The first couple turn each other with the left hand for two steps and cast off to fourth place. The fourth couple move up.
25 - 32 All four couples join hands and dance a circle round and back to place.
Repeat with a new top couple
At the end of the fourth time through, instead of circling round and back to place, they continue the circle to the left all the way back to place for 8 Bars.
(Dance crib compiled by the deviser, Ruary Laidlaw, 22nd September 2025)
Dance Instruction Videos
The Springle-Ring - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction VideoDance Information
This dance, The Springle-ring, is mentioned on Page 38 of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (FOTR), by J. R. R. Tolkien."On 22nd September 1401 SR (Note 3) Bilbo Baggins turned 111... Some of the young Tooks and Brandybucks began a merry dance tune. Master Everard Took and Miss Meliot Brandybuck got on a table with bells in their hands and began to dance the Springle-ring: a pretty dance but rather vigorous."
(Dance information by the deviser, Ruary Laidlaw, 22nd September 2025)
The springle-ring is a traditional hobbit dance mentioned in Tolkien's descriptions of life in the Shire.
It appears in the context of local gatherings and celebrations, where music and dancing are an ordinary part of social life. The reference is brief, but it is clear that the dance is well known among hobbits and forms part of their shared customs.
Tolkien describes the springle-ring as cheerful and energetic, and notes that it is not as effortless as it might look. The movements are implied to be lively and physically demanding, involving repeated steps and turns that require a reasonable level of stamina. This fits with other details Tolkien gives about hobbits, who enjoy comfort and good food but are also capable walkers and hard workers when needed.
The springle-ring is not connected to the main events of the story and is never described in technical detail. Instead, it is mentioned in passing as something familiar to the people of the Shire. Its purpose in the text is simply to show what hobbit social life is like, in the same way that songs, meals and local traditions are mentioned elsewhere.
By including small details such as the springle-ring, Tolkien gives the impression of a settled community with long-established habits and customs. Even though the dance itself is only briefly named, it helps convey that the Shire is a lived-in place with its own everyday traditions, separate from the wars and journeys that take place beyond its borders.
Published in The Springle-Ring, reproduced here with the kind permission of the deviser, Ruary Laidlaw, 2025.
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Text from this original The Lord of the Rings (Musical) article on Wikipedia.
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