The Hobbit Hole VI - And Whither Then? I Cannot Say...

[ecurbh]

Welcome to The Hobbit Hole!

And Whither Then? I Cannot Say...

• First thread: New Zealander builds Hobbit hole
• Second thread: The New Hobbit Hole
• Third thread: The Hobbit Hole III - Journey to the Cross-roads! (Congratulations, we filled it up!)
• Fourth Thread: The Hobbit Hole IV - The Road Goes Ever On...
• Fifth Thread: The Hobbit Hole V - Where Many Paths and Errands Meet...

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

[JenB]

Argh, argh. I give up, I'm going home. Everyone else has, it's "good enough".

[Fedora]

You got most of them! Here are the ones you missed:

> 1. What ravine was barred by seven gates?
> Don't remember

Orfalch Echor.

> 2. What Third Age city had seven gates?
> Gondolin - it also had seven names

Minas Tirith.

> 4. Give another name for the Seven Stars.
> The Sickle (of the Valar?)

Valacirca.

I guess you've headed home by now; have a good one!

[JenB]

Did my run. Ugh... not sure I can up it next week. Now I'm eating dinner and luxuriating in Friday evening.

[JenB]

Oh, Third Age city, stupid! Next time I'll read the whole question.

Valacirca would be the Elvish translation of "Sickle of the Valar" - what we would call the Big Dipper.

[Fedora]

> Oh, Third Age city, stupid! Next time I'll read the whole question.

I figured you knew that one but you were just reading too fast :)

> Valacirca would be the Elvish translation of "Sickle of the Valar" - what we would call the Big Dipper.

Now it's my turn to feel stupid! I was trying to translate "Valacirca" without looking it up and I kept thinking of "circa" in relation to the Latin word for "around" which is used with dates ("circa 2004"), without thinking to relate it to "sickle", i.e., a sickle has a round shape. Doh! Guess that shows I've gotta brush up on my Elvish!

Okay, here's some questions on "Ainulindale":

1. By what other name was Iluvatar better known in the Third Age?
2. Who were the Ainur?
3. What did Iluvatar show the Ainur after the Great Music?
4. Which Ainu disrupted the Great Music?
5. What name was given to the first of the Ainur that descended into the world, and what did it mean?
6. What were the fanar?
7. Who were the Children of Iluvatar, and in what order were they conceived?
8. What was Melkor's amibition concerning the children of Iluvatar?
9. When Melkor went into the Void, what was he seeking?
10. Who was the chief instrument of the second theme Iluvatar raised against the discord of Melkor?

[JenB]

1. By what other name was Iluvatar better known in the Third Age?
Eru

2. Who were the Ainur?
The collective name for the Valar and Maiar, as well as those spirits who did not enter the world. Equivalent to angels.

3. What did Iluvatar show the Ainur after the Great Music?
Ea - the Earth

4. Which Ainu disrupted the Great Music?
That would be Melkor, later known as Morgoth

5. What name was given to the first of the Ainur that descended into the world, and what did it mean?
Manwe - Spirit of... something

6. What were the fanar?
Um...

7. Who were the Children of Iluvatar, and in what order were they conceived?
Elves and Men, the Firstborn and the Followers. Elves came first, then Men

8. What was Melkor's amibition concerning the children of Iluvatar?
He wished to rule over them

9. When Melkor went into the Void, what was he seeking?
Power - specifically, I think, fire?

10. Who was the chief instrument of the second theme Iluvatar raised against the discord of Melkor?
Manwe

[Fedora]

Wow, that was fast! A few minor nitpicks:

>> 5. What name was given to the first of the Ainur that descended into the world, and what did it mean?
>
>Manwe - Spirit of... something

Valar: Powers of the World

>> 6. What were the fanar?
>
>Um...

The radiant and majestic bodies in which the Valar appeared to Elves and Men.

> > 9. When Melkor went into the Void, what was he seeking?
>
>Power - specifically, I think, fire?

Basically, yeah. The exact answer is the Imperishable Flame.

Speaking of the Valar, try this one:

Match the Valar with their titles:

1. Manwe
2. Yavanna
3. Tulkas
4. Aule
5. Varda
6. Namo
7. Vaire
8. Orome
9. Ulmo
10. Vana

a. Lady of the Stars
b. The Weaver
c. Keeper of the Houses of the Dead
d. Lord of Waters
e. The Ever-young
f. The Giver of Fruits
g. Lord of the Breath of Arda
h. The Valiant
i. Lord of Forests
j. The Master of All Crafts

[JenB]

>> 5. What name was given to the first of the Ainur that descended into the world, and what did it mean? >
>Manwe - Spirit of... something Valar: Powers of the World

See, I thought that was singular!

1 g 2 f 3 h 4 j 5 a 6 c 7 e 8 i 9 d 10 b

[2Jedismom]

> 10. was sent by Cirdan on an errand to Rivendell?
> Drat, I know this one...

Galdor.


Oh I was close on this one...I almost said Gildor, as in Gildor Inglorian...one of the high elves that talked to Frodo in Woodhall.

But then I thought...no...that don't sound right!

Well, I'm back. Gonna pop some corn directly. The last of the old 50# bag I bought a while back.

[JenB]

"Last of the old Winyards, it was laid down by my father!"

[Fedora]

>>> 5. What name was given to the first of the Ainur that descended into the world, and what did it mean?

>>Manwe - Spirit of... something Valar: Powers of the World

>See, I thought that was singular!

Which word did you think was singular?--"Ainur"? The singular of that one is "Ainu". I guess that is kind of unusual to have a plural ending in "ur"--in Greek or Latin you usually add a vowel sound or in some cases an "-es" or "-us" to the end of a word to pluralize it, whereas in English of course you usually add an "-s" or "-es". I'd have assumed "-ur" was singular, too, if I didn't already know it was plural. I wonder what language Tolkien is drawing from there? I suspect he's drawing from "Aesir", the term for the Norse pantheon of gods (equivalent to the Greek Olympian gods), but I don't know enough about Norse to know if that's a plural form.

> 1 g 2 f 3 h 4 j 5 a 6 c 7 e 8 i 9 d 10 b

Almost perfect! You switched #7 and #10 around: Vaire is the Weaver, and Vana is the Ever-young.

Okay, you did so well on that one, I'm going to give you a hard one next. These are questions about Gondor:

1. Which king of Gondor rebuilt Minas Anor and began the custom of living in it during the summer?

2. Who was the grandson of the Steward Faramir and what was he noted for?

3. What policy was adopted by the following kings of Gondor: Taranon Falastur, Earnil I, Ciryandil, and Hyarmendacil I?

4. When did the Stewards become the rulers of Gondor?

5. Who was the throne of Gondor saved for?

6. Who in Gondor finished something later kept by the hobbits at Great Smials?

7. What city of Gondor was built over the river Anduin?

8. When did Anorien become more important than Ithilien?

9. Name the main city of Belfalas on the coast of Gondor.

10. Who was the fourth Ruling Steward of Gondor?

I had a hard time getting most of these, so if you get a high score I'll be impressed! :)

[Fedora]

> Oh I was close on this one...I almost said Gildor, as in Gildor Inglorian...one of the high elves that talked to Frodo in Woodhall.

> But then I thought...no...that don't sound right!

Pretty close :) I think I've finally found some folks I can play my Tolkien Trivia Pursuit game with! :)

> Well, I'm back. Gonna pop some corn directly. The last of the old 50# bag I bought a while back.

You're poppin' corn now, too, huh? :) Must be something about Friday night that makes people want popcorn, LOL! When you get back try the Gondor quiz and see how you do! :)

[Fedora]

> "Last of the old Winyards, it was laid down by my father!"

LOL! "Altogether 1420 in the Shire was a marvellous year. . .In the Southfarthing the vines were laden, and the yield of 'leaf' was astonishing; and everywhere there was so much corn that at Harvest every barn was stuffed. The Northfarthing barley was so fine that the beer of 1420 malt was long remembered and became a byword. Indeed a generation later one might hear an old gaffer in an inn, after a good pint of well-earned ale, put down his mug with a sigh: 'Ah! that was a proper fourteen-twenty, that was!" :)

[HairOfTheDog]

Evening ALL!

I am skipping class today!

[2Jedismom]

What class? I didn't know you were taking a class! Why are you skipping it?

[HairOfTheDog]

The Tolkien class on the thread. I am skipping it. It's Friday.

[JenB]

I'm gonna be a party-pooper and pass on that whole list. The period between the end of the Second Age and, oh, "The Hobbit" is pretty much a blur.... I do much better on Hobbit-lore, and Elf knowledge.

[2Jedismom]

Ahhhh! It's been fun talking about it again, after having hashed it over so much at the beginning and then not talking about it for so long!

Once again, Jen just blows me away! LOL

The boys are at the hockey game.

[2Jedismom]

Finished off the very last of that popcorn I bought a while back...it didn't make a full medium sized bowlful, but every kernal popped!

It was delicious.

[HairOfTheDog]

I am having some yummy taco salad.

ecurbh and I are about to watch some South Park.