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dernwyn
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Jun 14 2020, 4:38pm
Post #26 of 45
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"Into protection"! 
Other than beer, mushrooms and bacon, the text says only that at Farmer Maggot's they had "solid farmhouse fare". So I'm assuming bread, home-made cheese and butter, vegetables, and fruits. And pies, of course! And cold meats.
I'll expect T & G to grow their own "green herbs" and gather their own berries, so it could just be the flour for bread that they'd have to procure elsewhere.
I'm not including salted meats here, because for some reason, I just cannot imagine those two as not being vegetarians!
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Jun 15 2020, 10:34am
Post #27 of 45
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Today in Middle-earth
June 15, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. The Company espies the Mountains.
(determined from text)
..."The road begins to run gently downhill with much grass on sides. Hills are still on the north as the road drops through a cutting of red stone topped with tall pines, then crosses a long flat mile toward the river. The Company finally reach the Ford of Bruinen and they can clearly see the Misty Mountains as they make camp."
..."One morning they forded a river at a wide shallow place full of the noise of stones and foam. The far bank was steep and slippery. When they got to the top of it, leading their ponies, they saw that the great mountains had marched down very near to them. Already they seemed only a day's easy journey from the feet of the nearest. Dark and drear it looked, though there were patches of sunlight on its brown sides, and behind its shoulders the tips of snow-peaks gleamed.
..."Is that The Mountain?" asked Bilbo in a solemn voice, looking at it with round eyes. He had never seen a thing that looked so big before.
..."Of course not!" said Balin. "That is only the beginning of the Misty Mountains, and we have to get through... ...somehow before we can come into Wilderland beyond. And it is a deal of a way even from the other side of them to the Lonely Mountain in the East where Smaug lies on our treasure."
..."O!" said Bilbo, and just at that moment he felt more tired than he ever remembered feeling before. He was thinking once again of his comfortable chair before the fire in his favourite sitting-room in his hobbit-hole, and of the kettle singing. Not for the last time!"
We have been there and back again.
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don't have the strength." – Theodore Roosevelt
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Jun 15 2020, 10:43am
Post #28 of 45
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Now THAT makes sense!
We have been there and back again.
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don't have the strength." – Theodore Roosevelt
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CuriousG
Gondolin
Jun 15 2020, 7:31pm
Post #29 of 45
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While I normally google such questions, I'm afraid the keywords are just too broad in this case. Do you happen to know what "cold meats" meant to Tolkien, or put another way, is it what we in the USA would call deli meats? Sliced, cooked turkey, or maybe pastrami, or whatever a deli would have, maybe chicken salad?
I was once sure I knew what "sweetbreads" were because it seemed so obvious: donuts, muffins, sugary scones. For Ulmo's sake, it should not mean thymus and pancreas! Waiter, send this back to the kitchen and bring me some blueberry muffins.
PS. I agree: I don't need the text to tell me Goldberry & Tom were vegetarians, I just assume so.
(This post was edited by CuriousG on Jun 15 2020, 7:32pm)
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CuriousG
Gondolin
Jun 15 2020, 8:03pm
Post #30 of 45
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Bilbo and Frodo encountering the Misty Mountains on their quest to a mountain
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Your Bilbo passage [first] makes me think of Frodo's more-informed first impression of the Misties [second]:
When they got to the top of it, leading their ponies, they saw that the great mountains had marched down very near to them. Already they seemed only a day's easy journey from the feet of the nearest. Dark and drear it looked, though there were patches of sunlight on its brown sides, and behind its shoulders the tips of snow-peaks gleamed.
..."Is that The Mountain?" asked Bilbo in a solemn voice, looking at it with round eyes. He had never seen a thing that looked so big before.
..."Of course not!" said Balin. "That is only the beginning of the Misty Mountains,..." Away in the south Frodo could see the dim shapes of lofty mountains that seemed now to stand across the path that the Company was taking. At the left of this high range rose three peaks; the tallest and nearest stood up like a tooth tipped with snow; its great, bare, northern precipice was still largely in the shadow, but where the sunlight slanted upon it, it glowed red.
I'm never sure if Tolkien meant readers to take that "glowed red" at face value, just the sunset, and possibly the reason behind the name "Redhorn," or if we're supposed to see it as the sinister foreshadowing of both a murderous Caradhras above and a Balrog below.
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dernwyn
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Jun 15 2020, 9:25pm
Post #31 of 45
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that "cold meats" meant the remains of cooked meats, kept in a cool cellar to last for a couple more days. Sandwich fixin's, maybe - did Hobbit have sandwiches?
Oh, yeah, I remember my horror at first discovering what "sweetbreads" were. If you look up recipes, chefs claim they taste like a lovely, tender, moist chicken. Uh...I'll take their word for it!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Jun 16 2020, 10:15am
Post #33 of 45
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Today in Middle-earth
June 16, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. Gandalf searches out the path into the valley of Rivendell.
(determined from text)
..."Gandalf led the way. "We must not miss the road, or we shall be done for... ...We need food, for one thing, and rest in reasonable safety—also it is very necessary to tackle the Misty Mountains by the proper path, or else you will get lost in them, and have to come back and start at the beginning again (if you ever get back at all)."
......"You are come to the very edge of the Wild, as some of you may know. Hidden somewhere ahead of us is the fair valley of Rivendell where Elrond lives in the Last Homely House. I sent a message by my friends, and we are expected."
......They were growing anxious, for they now saw that the house might be hidden almost anywhere between them and the mountains... ...Altogether it was a very slow business following the track even guided by Gandalf, who seemed to know his way about pretty well.
...His head and beard wagged this way and that as he looked for the stones... ...but they seemed no nearer to the end of the search when the day began to fail. Tea-time had long gone by, and it seemed supper-time would soon do the same. There were moths fluttering about, and the light became very dim, for the moon had not risen... ...They came to the edge of a steep fall in the ground so suddenly that Gandalf's horse nearly slipped down the slope.
..."Here it is at last!" he called, and the others gathered round him and looked over the edge... ...Their spirits rose as they went down and down... ...and there was a comfortable feeling in the twilight. The last green had almost faded out of the grass, when they came at length to an open glade not far above the banks of the stream.
..."Hmmm! it smells like elves!" thought Bilbo, and he looked up at the stars. They were burning bright and blue. Just then there came a burst of song like laughter in the trees...
......They were elves of course. Soon Bilbo caught glimpses of them as the darkness deepened. He loved elves, though he seldom met them; but he was a little frightened of them too. Dwarves don't get on well with them. Even decent enough dwarves like Thorin and his friends think them foolish (which is a very foolish thing to think)...
..."...Well, well!" said a voice. "Just look! Bilbo the hobbit on a pony, my dear! Isn't it delicious!"
..."Most astonishing wonderful!"
..."...You are a little out of your way," said the elf: "...We will set you right, but you had best get on foot, until you are over the bridge. Are you going to stay a bit and sing with us, or will you go straight on? Supper is preparing over there... ...I can smell the wood-fires for the cooking."
...Tired as he was, Bilbo would have liked to stay awhile. Elvish singing is not a thing to miss, in June under the stars, not if you care for such things. Also he would have liked to have a few private words with these people that seemed to know his name and all about him.... ...He thought their opinion of his adventure might be interesting. Elves know a lot and are wondrous folk for news, and know what is going on among the peoples of the land, as quick as water flows, or quicker...
......And so at last they all came to the Last Homely House, and found its doors flung wide."
June 16, 3019 (S.R. 1419)
1. They set out for Gondor.
(from the appendices-no text)
....The Escort of Arwen leaves Edoras to travel to Minas Tirith. With her are Elrond (Lord of Rivendell), Elrohir and Elladan (her twin brothers), Galadriel and Celeborn (Lady and Lord of the Galadrim), Glorfindel and Erestor (Elrond's chief counsellor).
We have been there and back again.
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don't have the strength." – Theodore Roosevelt
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Jun 16 2020, 10:51am
Post #34 of 45
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What a great comparison! *high five*
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This is wonderful! Like passing Amon Hen, this is one of the important checkpoints for both Quests.
I've always associated the glowing red of Redhorn as reference to its appearance and not the foreboding of danger... but I'll definitely think of that now with a feeling of more meaning! *bows*
I'm more proned to the appearance of the red glow after seeing the Rocky Mountains glow just like that at sunrise some 48 years ago. I was driving our hippie van (1961 lime-green Ford) from Pontiac (near Detroit) to Denver, Colorado with my 2yo daughter (she turns 50 this year). We were meeting then hubby there getting Air Force training. We drove straight through with one 4-hour sleep stop outside of Chicago. We were very early crossing the wheat field plains heading for the line of mountains when the rising sun burst above the horizon behind us and lit the face of those incredible mountains on fire in front of us and made the endless miles of wheat glow golden! I had to stop alongside the road... overwhelmed by the incredible beauty and tears flowed. I'll never forget that moment... and I think of that when I read about the Redhorn.
We have been there and back again.
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don't have the strength." – Theodore Roosevelt
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Jun 17 2020, 11:14am
Post #35 of 45
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Today in Middle-earth
June 17, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. The house of Elrond.
(determined from text)
..."Now it is a strange thing, but things that are good to have and days that are good to spend are soon told about, and not much to listen to; while things that are uncomfortable, palpitating, and even gruesome, may make a good tale, and take a deal of telling anyway. They stayed long in that good house, fourteen days at least, and they found it hard to leave. Bilbo would gladly have stopped there for ever and ever—even supposing a wish could have taken him right back to his hobbit-hole without trouble....
......The master of the house was an elf-friend—one of those people whose fathers came into the strange stories before the beginning of History, the wars of the evil goblins and the elves and the first men in the North. In those days of our tale there were still some people who had both elves and heroes of the North for ancestors, and Elrond the master of the house was their chief.
...He was as noble and as fair in face as an elf-lord, as strong as a warrior, as wise as a wizard, as venerable as a king of dwarves, and as kind as summer. He comes into many tales, but his part in the story of Bilbo's great adventure is only a small one, though important.... ...His house was perfect, whether you liked food, or sleep, or work, or story-telling or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all. Evil things did not come into that valley."
We have been there and back again.
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don't have the strength." – Theodore Roosevelt
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dernwyn
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Jun 17 2020, 11:25am
Post #36 of 45
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Who is this mysterious "Elrond", Mr. Tolkien? This is your first published story which mentions him; I presume we may expect similar stories in the near future, more tales of Hobbits and their adventures and this "elf-friend" and others?
So says the unwary, naive pre-WWII reader...
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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CuriousG
Gondolin
Jun 17 2020, 5:52pm
Post #37 of 45
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You certainly know how to narrate a great scene, Gramma! That was a moving and dramatic introduction to the Rockies. And I'm guessing you went to the military base near Colorado Springs, where the mountains are particularly red from the sandstone.
I'm from the western part of the state, and we had a combination of red, gray, and blue mountains shaping our valley. The sun hitting them at sunrise or sunset was always a great sight, but alas, familiarity breeds contempt when you grow up in an area and can never figure out why the tourists are gawking at the mundane, so I only appreciate the view now when I go back to visit.
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CuriousG
Gondolin
Jun 17 2020, 6:08pm
Post #38 of 45
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I wanted so much more Elrond!!! And I was so happy that "we" visited Rivendell again, and even had a Council there which Elrond presided over (even if that ham Gandalf took up more page space), and then sadly, Elrond disappears from the story until at the very end, where he's just a wedding guest and after that, a guy on a cruise ship.
I always felt like there had to be a lot more to him, so it was gratifying to get more in The Silmarillion, however brief it may be. My takeaway from the The Sil was that Elrond and Maglor somehow became close even though Elrond was his captive, and it takes two to tango, so they both went up in my esteem.
I'd give a genie's wish to be an immortal fly on Elrond's wall just to hear him say things like, "My dad, Earendil, used to say one of his favorite fountains in Gondolin was..." or "Yeah, I got that little scar when we killed Sauron in the Last Alliance..." or "You like that bracelet? It was passed down by my great-grandmother, Luthien; one of her suitors gave it to her in Menegroth before she met her husband."
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dernwyn
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Jun 17 2020, 9:15pm
Post #39 of 45
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...LOL!
And we need details of how he determined where to build the Last Homely House (and why he called it that), and of his wooing and wedding Celebrian, and of him being a dad with his kids!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Jun 18 2020, 10:24am
Post #40 of 45
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Today in Middle-earth
June 18, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. Gandalf, Bilbo & the Dwarves rest in Rivendell.
(determined from text)
..."All of them, the ponies as well, grew refreshed and strong in a few days there. Their clothes were mended as well as their bruises, their tempers and their hopes. Their bags were filled with food and provisions light to carry but strong to bring them over the mountain passes. Their plans were improved with the best advice."
We have been there and back again.
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don't have the strength." – Theodore Roosevelt
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Jun 18 2020, 10:33am
Post #41 of 45
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My time in Denver (Boulder to be precise) I'll always cherish. The altitude never bothered me. Sometimes the clouds form on the horizon all around me here in Michigan that look like mountains, and I'll pretend they're real. The rawness and drama of the Rockies in the West and then the tree-covered, smooth-rolling Appalachian Mountains in the East have always fascinated and captured me. Probably part of the reason I love NZ so much! The lands are so alive!
We have been there and back again.
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don't have the strength." – Theodore Roosevelt
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Jun 19 2020, 11:11am
Post #42 of 45
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Today in Middle-earth
June 19, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
1. Bilbo, Gandalf, Thorin and Company rest in Rivendell.
(not from the appendices-no text-drabble)
...Bilbo found himself turned around in the fair house of Elrond as he sought the great Hall of Fire to meet Gandalf and the Dwarves. He prided himself on his sense of direction, but finally conceded to being lost. Just as he was about to retrace his steps, a green-clad Elf approached him smiling. 'Greetings Bilbo Baggins of the Shire. I am Gildor Inglorion. I'm sent to escort you to your friends and Lord Elrond.'
...'Ah! Good!' sighed the hobbit. 'I began to fear surviving Trolls and the Wild only to be lost within the walls of this grand house!'
June 19, 3019 (S.R. 1418)
1. In Minas Tirith.
(not from the appendices)
..."The Hobbits still remained in Minas Tirith, with Legolas and Gimli; for Aragorn was loth for the Fellowship to be dissolved. 'At last all such things must end,' he said, 'but I should have you wait a little while longer...."
......In those days the Companions of the Ring dwelt together in a fair house with Gandalf, and they went to and fro as they wished."
We have been there and back again.
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don't have the strength." – Theodore Roosevelt
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Jun 20 2020, 11:44am
Post #43 of 45
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Today in Middle-earth
June 20, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Sauron attacks Osgiliath.
(from the appendices)
...[Boromir recounts for the Council] "'But this very year, in the days of June, sudden war came upon us out of Mordor, and we were swept away. We were outnumbered, for Mordor has allied itself with the Easterlings and the cruel Haradrim; but it was not by numbers that we were defeated. A power was there that we have not felt before.
...'Some said that it could be seen, like a great black horseman... ...Wherever he came a madness filled our foes, but fear fell on our boldest, so that horse and man gave way and fled. Only a remnant of our eastern force came back, destroying the last bridge that still stood amid the ruins of Osgiliath.
...'I was in the company that held the bridge, until it was cast down behind us. Four only were saved by swimming; my brother and myself and two others. But still we fight on, holding all the west shores of Anduin...."
2. About the same time Thranduil is attacked and Gollum escapes.
(from the appendices)
...[Legolas recounts for the Council] "'Alas! alas!' cried Legolas, and in his fair elvish face there was great distress. 'The tidings that I was sent to bring must now be told. They are not good, but only here have I learned how evil they may seem to this company. Sméagol, who is now called Gollum, has escaped.'
...'Escaped?' cried Aragorn. 'That is ill news indeed. We shall all rue it bitterly, I fear. How came the folk of Thranduil to fail in their trust?'
...'Not through lack of watchfulness... ...but perhaps through over-kindliness... ...we fear that the prisoner had aid from others, and that more is known of our doings than we could wish. We guarded this creature day and night... ...much though we wearied of the task. But Gandalf bade us hope still for his cure, and we had not the heart to keep him ever in dungeons under the earth, where he would fall back into his old black thoughts.'
...'You were less tender to me,' said Glóin with a flash of his eyes, as old memories were stirred of his imprisonment in the deep places of the Elvenking's halls.
...'Now come!' said Gandalf. 'Pray do not interrupt, my good Glóin. That was a regrettable misunderstanding, long set right. If all the grievances... ...between Elves and Dwarves are to be brought up here, we may as well abandon this council.'
...'Glóin rose and bowed, and Legolas continued. 'In the days of fair weather we led Gollum through the woods; and there was a high tree standing alone far from the others which he liked to climb. Often we let him mount up to the highest branches, until he felt the free wind; but we set a guard at the tree's foot. One day, he refused to come down, and the guards had no mind to climb after him... ...so they sat by the tree far into the night.
...It was that very night of summer, yet moonless and starless, that Orcs came on us at unawares. We drove them off after some time; they were many and fierce... ...When the battle was over, we found that Gollum was gone, and his guards were slain or taken. It then seemed plain to us that the attack had been made for his rescue, and that he knew of it beforehand. How that was contrived we cannot guess; but Gollum is cunning, and the spies of the Enemy are many. The dark things that were driven out in the year of the Dragon's fall have returned in greater numbers, and Mirkwood is again an evil place, save where our realm is maintained.
...'We have failed to recapture Gollum. We came on his trail among those of many Orcs, and it plunged deep into the Forest, going south... ...and we dared not continue the hunt; for we were drawing nigh to Dol Guldur, and that is still a very evil place; we do not go that way.'"
We have been there and back again.
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don't have the strength." – Theodore Roosevelt
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Jun 21 2020, 3:10pm
Post #44 of 45
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Today in Middle-earth
June 21, 2942 (S.R. 1342)
1. Bilbo and Gandalf travel home.
(not from the appendices-no text-drabble)
...Even though Bilbo was anxious to rest in the familiar comfort of his own home, he agreed with Gandalf it would be wise to stop for the night. Their ponies were moving slowly under their burden of the chests of gold, silver, and treasures accumulated during the journey. They had passed the fields where the trees of Woody End could be seen in the distance and finally came to Frogmorton. It was decided they should spend the night at The Floating Log and begin fresh in the morning travelling the last long miles to Hobbiton and finally to Bag End.
We have been there and back again.
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don't have the strength." – Theodore Roosevelt
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CuriousG
Gondolin
Jun 21 2020, 5:38pm
Post #45 of 45
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"We know it well - here are the marks of a conspiracy." //
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TIME - June 15
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