The Revived Tolkien Trivia

[Stylus]

Oh my, I appear to have sown a crop of tumbleweeds ...

Was my question too obscure to be answered, or too dull to be challenging?

 

[Clansman]

Stylus, could you rephrase the question, please, or make a clarification? is that someone thought his eyesight was superior to "a" sense of smell (i.e. any sense of smell), or "his" sense of smell (i.e. "my eyes are better than my nose" versus "my eyes are better than anyone's nose").

Just to be sure.

 

[Stylus]

No problem. It is the latter, so to rephrase:

A character was of the opinion that "my eyes are better than anyone's nose" - who was that character?

 

[HareBrain]

I had a couple of ideas but they led nowhere. Time for a weensy clue?

 

[Stylus]

I'll do my best, clue as follows:

The person in question is heard making the statement in 'real-time' (i.e. it happens within the story, and is not reported second-hand by another character, or by JRRT himself).

He also belongs to a certain group (with the superior eyesight), and is comparing it against another group (with the inferior noses), to which the person he is addressing belongs.

Hope that does more to help than to hinder. Let me know if I need to lift the veil a bit more. (NB that last part isn't a clue - there are no veils involved)

 

[Clansman]

Ahhh! Methinks I know where this is leading, but alas, all my books are at home!

 

[Grimward]

Well, you've led me a merry chase, Stylus. Must have looked up at least 5 different possibilities under the mistaken belief that these were different races when in fact (at least, if the quote below is correct) we're really only talking about different families (or is it classes? Wonder if anyone's ever done a taxonomy of Tolkien's universe....now THERE's a topic for you, Marky). Anyhoo, I tender the following for your consideration, Styl:

'Not much use are you, you little snufflers?' said the big orc. 'I reckon eyes are better than your snotty noses.'

Said by the big Orc (an Uruk? Tolkien never says, although this is clearly a "great soldier-orc") to the "small orc" (a "Snuffler"? Can't find a name in the Black Speech that describes these, although they probably also fall in the general category of snaga, or slaves....) serving as a tracking dog.

The Return of the King, Book VI, Chapter II, The Land of Shadow, p. 903

 

[Marky Lazer]

I'm pretty sure pretty much everyone thought about PJ's movie when Gimli walks into Lothlorien... Good question!

 

[Grimward]

That was one of my 5 previous, Marky, and I agree, it was (presuming this is what you're looking for, of course!) a good question! Welcome aboard, Styl!

 

[Stylus]

You are quite correct Grimward, the answer is indeed: "the big orc" - well done!

The floor is yours ...

 

[HareBrain]

Well done Grim - and good question. I was convinced it had to be Legolas and Gimli, but I think I was thrown by remembering the line "Keen are the noses of the dwarves" from Bored of the Rings.

BTW, any chance of BOTR being one of the allowed books?

 

[Marky Lazer]

*slaps*

 

[Grimward]

**

*Takes HB aside and notes the 3-bell penalty attendant those who mention BOTR (which doesn't even deserve bold and italics to identify it in Grimscript as a published work!) in these hallowed halls...*

Gah! And to think I actually finished that piece of pap, too.....

All right, enough of that. Good question again, Stylus!

What was only done under the Shadow?

 

[Hilarious Joke]

Please, Grimward, it's a family friendly forum don't you know.

 

[Grimward]

Stop giving away hints, HJ!

And while there are other definitions of the word rhyming with "tap", the applicable ones here are:

1. soft food for infants or invalids, as bread soaked in water or milk.
2. an idea, talk, book, or the like, lacking substance or real value.

None of which has anything to do with the challenge, I'm afraid....

 

[Clansman]

A question, oh reality-void?

 

[HareBrain]

What was only done under the Shadow?

Isn't this the question?

 

[Grimward]

That is the question, HB my good hare....

Don't make me translate it into Spanish, Clanny.....

 

[Clansman]

Actually, I was hoping for Gaelic.

I didn't notice it above. Read too fast.

 

[Grimward]

You'll have plenty of time to read it (in English!) again if you're waiting for me to translate it into Gaelic....