The Revived Tolkien Trivia

[HareBrain]

No, sorry.

I'm thinking that rather than "given" it would be more accurate to say "had forced upon them".

 

[HareBrain]

Gandalf appeared to me in a dream and told me this was too hard, so here's a clue.

These bosses aren't in charge of anyone. In fact each of them is employed by a single person.

 

[Boaz]

My mind goes to the hobbits leaving Gondor and Rohan. Especially Pippin in Gondor and Merry in Rohan. out of all their treasure, I am always amazed at Merry‘s horn and Sam’s box from Galadriel. When Merry sounds the horn of Rohan, the hobbits come running in wonder. The horn harkens back to Boronir’s call for help and his selfless sacrifice of his own life. It also hearkens to the charge of the Rohirrim and the help they brought to Gondor. And it announces the future return of the king of Arnor. I get choked up just thinking about it. It’s just a stupid made up story.

Anyway, that’s not my answer because I don’t have an answer. I’m just posting my thought processes.

 

[HareBrain]

Sorry Boaz, I didn't see your last post until now.

Uh, I'm not sure how it relates to the question, but by luck or otherwise, some elements in what you put are very near the mark. (Or should I say in the Mark...)

 

[farntfar]

I'm thinking of the young hobbits imagining that there were stores of gold and jewels hidden in Bag End, and also that the chief's big man and little sherrifs (Robin Sparrow "cock Robin"? Sorry I haven't got the texts wih me) were, I think, "accompanying" the hobbit's to Hobbiton to see the bosses.
So the bosses have to be Sharkey's men. But I don't remember gold and gems in their respect.

 

[farntfar]

Ah! But wasn't Merry's horn, that Theoden (or Eomer) gave him inlaid with gold and gems?

 

[HareBrain]

Your last guess is on the right track in one way, farntfar, but like Boaz you're making a wrong assumption about something in the original question.

 

[farntfar]

Is it some sort of play on the word emboss?

 

[HareBrain]

Not quite. There's no wordplay involved, just a capacity for misunderstanding ;o)

 

[HareBrain]

Might be worth me reminding you of this amendment to the original question:

I'm thinking that rather than "given" it would be more accurate to say "had forced upon them".

 

[farntfar]

SO! The Cambridge English Dictionary gives another definition of BOSS as a raised rounded decoration, such as on a shield or a ceiling .
So we're looking for a round decoration that was embellished with gold and gems.


Without the books I don't think I'm going further.
Presumably something done by Aragorn or Eomer in thanks to Pippin or Merry I have this inkling of something similar happening in Lorien.
Ha! It sounds like I'm just leaving all my options open.

 

[HareBrain]

There are a few other clues scattered in my responses that might help someone to narrow it down, but I fear that without access to the books you might be right. (I will accept a description of where they appear, though, if anyone has a good memory but can't give an actual quote.)

 

[Pyan]

Got it, again - I really was stumped by this before the "bosses" clue.
It's Aragorn and Legolas being kitted out by Théoden, after Gandalf had driven out Gríma Wormtongue and rescued him from extreme apathy.

Now men came bearing raiment of war from the king’s hoard, and they arrayed Aragorn and Legolas in shining mail. Helms too they chose, and round shields: their bosses were overlaid with gold and set with gems, green and red and white.
TT, Book 3, Ch.6, The King of the Golden Hall

 

[HareBrain]

Well done Py! That was a tricksy one, I confess.

Over to you.

 

[Pyan]

Hmm...

Who was responsible for building an edifice 500 ft tall, and covering 237,583 ft² ?

 

[HareBrain]

Hmm, I *thought* it might be Sauron.

"But Sauron caused to be built upon the hill in the midst of the city of the Numenoreans, Armenelos the Golden, a mighty temple; and it was in the form of a circle at the base, and there the walls were fifty feet in thickness, and the width of the base was five hundred feet across the centre, and the walls rose from the ground five hundred feet." (Akallabeth.)

However, that's an area of only 196,250-ish square feet (250^2 x 3.14), so that can't be the right answer. ;o)

Or were you using Py instead of pi?

 

[Pyan]

You're correct, it was Sauron, but your maths differ from mine - I added half the width of the walls to the radius (old habits die hard).
However, that was also an error on my part, as I should have added the whole width of the wall to the radius, not half. That would make the total radius, in feet, 250+50 =300, so the complete area covered (base+wall) would be 282743 ft²

Unless, of course, the walls actually stood on the base - in that case, you're correct. But it was definitely Sauron what built it, and that was the question, and it was all a very long time ago anyway...

 

[HareBrain]

Unless, of course, the walls actually stood on the base - in that case, you're correct.

Ah, yes, that's what I assumed, without realising it was an assumption. But I think it's likely, as that would then give a building as broad on the outside as it is tall, which would make an exact square when seen from afar. And I think as a maia of Aule, Sauron would have found this geometrical regularity pleasing.

Who was told to stop playing hide-and-seek, a game the person in question was singularly unlikely to have been any good at?

 

[Boaz]

@HareBrain @farntfar @Pyan I hope you guys don't mind if post my musings. I don't always have an answer, but I like to "think out loud" as it were.

 

[farntfar]

No problem at all, Boaz.
I do it myself.

HB
Bilbo by the spiders?