The Revived Tolkien Trivia

[Marky Lazer]

Rightyo!

How do "secret messages" get spread in the Shire?

 

[Grimward]

By the Shire's Messenger Service, restricted to use only by men under Sharkey, and referred to as the "Quick Post". This from Sam Gamgee's Exchange with Robin Smallburrow, one of Sharkey's Shirriffs:

“That’s right. We aren’t allowed to send by it now, but they use the old Quick Post service, and keep special runners at different points. One came in from Whitfurrow last night with a ‘secret message’, and another took it on from here And a message came back this afternoon saying you was to be arrested and taken to Bywater, not direct to the Lockholes. The Chief wants to see you at once, evidently.”

 

[Marky Lazer]

Quick Post was what I was looking for! Field is yours once more, Grimward!

 

[Grimward]

Right.

What surgical procedure couldn't be done by "strength of men"?

 

[Marky Lazer]

Piercing Shelob's hide?

Knobbed and pitted with corruption was [Shelob's] age-old hide, but ever thickened from within with layer on layer of evil growth. The blade scored it with a dreadful gash, but those hideous folds could not be pierced by any strength of men, not though Elf or Dwarf could forge the steel or the hand of Beren or of Turin wield it.

LOTR, TTT, The Choices of Master Samwise

 

[Grimward]

Indeed it is. I yield the floor to the distinguished gentleman from The Netherlands.

"Ting"!

 

[Marky Lazer]

Okikidoki.

What book did J.R.R. Tolkien use to write The Lord of the Rings?

 

[Hilarious Joke]

One with lines in?

Jokes! I'm sorry I won't talk again.

 

[Marky Lazer]

As a matter of fact, I'm not even sure whether that is correct. I believe CT says somewhere in The History of Middle-earth that a fair few drafts were written on pages without lines whatsoever.

 

[Hilarious Joke]

Truly Marky, your Tolkeinish knowledge astounds me.

Oh craps, I talked again.

 

[Marky Lazer]

And you mispelling his name offends me!

 

[Marky Lazer]

Come on people!

 

[Grimward]

This is a good one, Marky, and I have significant doubt as to my answer, based on how you worded the challenge. Here goes nothing:

'I always had the sense of recording what was already "there", somewhere, not of "inventing",' a feeling that lay behind the fictional device of the 'Red Book of Westmarch'...' (From Letter #131, and referring to The Red Book of Hergest?)

 

[Marky Lazer]

I simply looked for The Red Book of Westmarch, actually.

This account of the end of the Third Age [the story of the Ring] is drawn mainly from the Red Book of Westmarch.

LOTR Prologue, Note on Shire Records.

However, it'll do

 

[Marky Lazer]

With which I meant, your go, Grimward

 

[Clansman]

Grimward's busy reading Janny Wurts' latest release, Stormed Fortress. He'll come out for sunlight and food in a day or two. You'll have to be patient.

And I haven't thought of anything yet.

 

[Clansman]

Here's one:

How does squirrel taste?

 

[Marky Lazer]

As a matter of fact, I'm not even sure whether that is correct. I believe CT says somewhere in The History of Middle-earth that a fair few drafts were written on pages without lines whatsoever.

On blank pages near the end of the text of this tale my father wrote ...

The Book of Lost Tales: Part 1, III The Coming of the Valar and the Building of Valinor.

Anyway, squirrels... I have to look for the exact quote, bear with me!

 

[Marky Lazer]

They tried shooting at the squirrels, and they wasted many arrows before they managed to bring one down on the path. But when they roasted it, it proved horrible to taste, and they shot no more squirrels.

The Hobbit, Ch. 8, Flies and Spiders​

 

[Grimward]

OK, I came out for "sunlight" (actually, it's midnight and pouring buckets here) and food, as it were. Seems like a viable answer to me, Clansman; was that what you had in mind?

Thanks for covering. OK, going back to my cave (will return, Marky, I promise!)