The Revived Tolkien Trivia

[Pyan]

Hmm - want to check those links, Marky? Don't lead to anything about the question when I click them...

And as you just said you haven't the books handy at the moment, it wasn't really aimed at you as much as the others that may not have seen the question before...sorry, I was making assumptions.

 

[HareBrain]

I don't (yet) know where the paraphrased quote comes from, but are you sure it's right? I can find two strings of words in the black speech, but there are at least five other single words from that tongue mentioned.

Does the question need to be narrowed down a bit, or am I mistaken somewhere?

 

[Pyan]

Well, the source is about as impeccable as you can get....

 

[HareBrain]

Here's my guess then

1:

Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul

Book2, Ch1, The Council of Elrond

2:

Ugluk u bagronk sha pushdug Saruman-glob bubhosh skai

Book3, Ch3, The Uruk-Hai

3:

All I caught was ghash: that is "fire"

Book2, Ch5, The Bridge of Khazad-Dum

But I suspect (3) isn't what you had in mind. And I'll have to give up on the bonus point as I don't have the relevant book with me.

 

[Pyan]

Hmm..well, it just goes to show, even if you write it, you can't always remember everything.

1 and 2 are two of the ones I have: 3 isn't, but is valid: the one I have is Nazgûl

The paraphrased quote is from Letters #144 :

(the Black Speech) only occurs inthe Ring inscription, and a sentence uttered by the Orcs of Barad-dûr (att) and in the word Nazgûl (cf.nazg in the Ring inscription).

I'm going to pass on this one - as the actual Master himself made an error, I'll withdraw the question, award you half a bell, and relinquish the next question to you...

 

[HareBrain]

as the actual Master himself made an error

Noooooo, first the credit crunch, and now this. Will any of our old certainties be left?

For completeness, appendix F also gives uruk, snaga, olog and sharku as Black Speech words.


Well, obviously you'll know not to look in the Letters for the answer to this. What term is an insult to anyone?

 

[Marky Lazer]

...as the actual Master himself made an error...

Where did I make an error?

 

[Grimward]

Quite apart from the stones no spider has ever liked being called Attercop, and Tomnoddy of course is insulting to anybody.

The Hobbit, Chapter VIII, Flies and Spiders, p.145

I would have to presume that both terms are quite British (unless JRR borrowed them from one of his linguistical studies) in origin, as I'd never heard either spoken prior to reading the Hobbit (longer ago than I care to remember!), and haven't since...

 

[HareBrain]

Well, Grim, neither have I! And I'm so British I have Harris tweed pyjamas.

*lobs bell at Grim in manner of Bilbo lobbing stone at spider*

Ere ya go, guv'na!

 

[Clansman]

Egads! Go away for a couple of days and look what happens!

I should have thought of an Unexpected Party. More the fool me.

 

[Marky Lazer]

Oh dear me! I believe I kinda asked this question myself previously, and now I didn't know the answer!

 

[HareBrain]

Oh dear me! I believe I kinda asked this question myself previously, and now I didn't know the answer!

What? I'm confused. We're waiting for a question from Grim, no?

(He's taking his time. I bet it's a real horror.)

 

[The Ace]

I know that, 'Attercop,' and, 'Cop,' are alternatives to, 'Spider,' hence, 'Cobwebs.' Like, 'Tomnoddy,' they've fallen into disuse.

 

[HareBrain]

Oh dear me! I believe I kinda asked this question myself previously, and now I didn't know the answer!

Sorry, I got myself unnecessarily confused before - I thought you said "don't" know the answer, as though you were responding to question that hadn't yet been answered, and this explanation has already taken far more words than it was worth, so apologies again, I'll just go away now.

 

[Pyan]

Just to clarify things, after HB's involuntary confustication, there is at present no question set: we're all sitting drumming our virtual fingers, waiting for Grimmy to wake up.....

 

[HareBrain]

I hope I didn't knock him unconscious. When I put

*lobs bell at Grim in manner of Bilbo lobbing stone at spider*

I didn't mean it!

 

[Pyan]

Hmm..or even as in

The next stone went whizzing through a big web, snapping its cords, and taking off the spider sitting in the middle of it, whack, dead.

I sincerely hope not....

 

[Clansman]

Grimward can't be dead. He's a Grimward, a place that contains the living dreams of a dead dragon, where reality is distorted, where a human dare not touch ANYTHING except the ground (with his or her feet, of course) lest they become ensnared by the Grimward. Very, very dangerous place for us mere humans to go.

Grimward's immortal, and impervious to a bell being flung through the air at him, no matter how well HB "lobbed" it (the word "lobbing" in and of itself suggest a rather slow toss).

Yo! Grim. We are all waiting (especially me since I missed that really obvious porter question). Stop playing in The Lounge, and get back to work!

 

[HareBrain]

Grimward can't be dead. He's a Grimward, a place that contains the living dreams of a dead dragon, where reality is distorted, where a human dare not touch ANYTHING except the ground (with his or her feet, of course) lest they become ensnared by the Grimward. Very, very dangerous place for us mere humans to go.

Where is the term from, Clansman?

In Donaldson's The Wounded Land, the riders of the Clave summoned the Grim. Has anyone got their phone number?

 

[Grimward]

Janny Wurts' Wars of Light and Shadow, Sir Hare. Will post my challenge later this evening, Clanny!

*Looks at himself in the TQT mirror*

Hmmm, "immortal" looks good on me...

*Looks around nervously for Seshkrozchiel!*