The Revived Tolkien Trivia

[Clansman]

A dust-covered, oft-given (though little used) bell to you, pdurrant. It has made the rounds of this place several times, and is so appropriate for this particular occasion, that I just had to part with it and give it to you. Hopefully it will never make its way to the Mathom-House, as that will indicate something disastrous around this place...

The floor is yours.

 

[pdurrant]

Can anyone tell me the one thing that we hear Gandalf blessing in any of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion or Unfinished Tales?

Naturally, I need a quote.

 

[Pyan]

The rule of Aragorn as the King Elessar:

Then Frodo came forward and took the crown from Faramir and bore it to Gandalf; and Aragorn knelt, and Gandalf set the White Crown upon his head, and said:
"Now come the days of the King, and may they be blessed while the thrones of the Valar endure !"

RotK, Book 6, Chapter V, The Steward and the King

 

[Grimward]

And I have a slightly different idea, if our favorite Green Nightmare's offering is not what you're looking for, pd....

 

[pdurrant]

The rule of Aragorn as the King Elessar:

How embarrassing - would you believe I'd forgotten that passage and missed it when checking through the book?

However, I will weasel out of it by saying that I asked for "one thing" and "the days of the King" aren't a thing as such, and also that Gandalf asked that they should be blessed, rather than blessing them directly himself.*

I'm looking for an object that Gandalf blesses. Perhaps Grimward has it?


*It always annoys me when companies put out a statement along the lines of "We would like to apologise for....", but never actually get around to apologising, no matter how much they'd like to do it!

 

[Clansman]

Up to you, Grim.

 

[Grimward]

Well, I'm interpreting "blessing" here, but my thought ( and you and I are normally on the same wavelength about these matters, Clanny! ) was the following from Gandalf:

"Ass! Fool! Thrice worthy and beloved Barliman!" said I. "It's the best news I have had since midsummer: it's worth a gold piece at the least. May your beer be laid under an enchantment of surpassing excellence for seven years!" said I.

The Fellowship of the Ring, Book Two, Chapter II, The Council of Elrond

and

'Does he now?' said Butterbur looking puzzled. 'Though I'm sure I don't know why he should, sitting in his big chair up in his great castle, hundreds of miles away. And drinking wine out of a golden cup, I shouldn't wonder. What's The Pony to him, or mugs o' beer? Not but what my beer's good, Gandalf. It's been uncommon good, since you came in the aumtumn of last year and put a good word on it.....'

The Return of the King, Book Six, Chapter VII, Homeward Bound

 

[pdurrant]

Well, I'm interpreting "blessing" here, but my thought ( and you and I are normally on the same wavelength about these matters, Clanny! ) was the following from Gandalf:

Excellent attempt, and if it was what I'd thought of, I'd be pleased to say yes. But in fact, further from my intention than pyan's go.

I'm looking for an instance where Gandalf actually uses bless as a verb. But I suspect you'll all want to kick me (rather than yourselves) when someone gives the answer...

 

[Pyan]

Weasel, weasel...

If you're disallowing the Days of the King (and aren't thinking of Barliman's beer!), then how about Bill (the pony) at the Gate of Moria?

(Gandalf) laid his hand on the pony's head, and spoke in a low voice. "Go with words of guard and guiding on you," he said. "You are a wise beast and have learned much in Rivendell. Make your ways to places where you can find grass, and so come in time to Elrond's house, or wherever you wish to go."

FotR, Book 2, Chapter IV, A Journey in the Dark

 

[Pyan]

Argghh! Ignore that last post!


It's Gimli, of course. When Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli meet the reborn Gandalf under the eaves of Fangorn, there is some doubt whether they've seen Gandalf or Saruman the evening before. Gandalf says that it must have been Saruman, as it certainly wasn't him, and goes on:

"Bless you, Gimli, son of Glóin! Maybe you will see us both together one day and judge between us!"

TT, Book 3, Chapter V, The White Rider

 

[The Judge]

I'd thought of Bill the pony, but no "bless" as a verb there.

No quote for you at this minute, but don't we have a "Bless my soul" from Gandalf at some point?



PS Pyan jumped in while I was still writing!

 

[Clansman]

Well, I'm interpreting "blessing" here, but my thought ( and you and I are normally on the same wavelength about these matters, Clanny! ) was the following from Gandalf:



The Fellowship of the Ring, Book Two, Chapter II, The Council of Elrond

and



The Return of the King, Book Six, Chapter VII, Homeward Bound

The same wavelength indeed. Long have I dreamed of sampling the brew at the Prancing Pony...

 

[HareBrain]

Is Gimli a "thing"? I thought Gandalf says "bless my staff!" at one point, but maybe I dreamed it.

 

[pdurrant]

Argghh! Ignore that last post!


It's Gimli, of course. When Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli meet the reborn Gandalf under the eaves of Fangorn, there is some doubt whether they've seen Gandalf or Saruman the evening before. Gandalf says that it must have been Saruman, as it certainly wasn't him, and goes on:



TT, Book 3, Chapter V, The White Rider

HareBrain's point almost allows me to weasel out of it again. But I find I can't do it to you. It's an excellent answer, and perhaps better than the one I was thinking of.

I was actually thinking of an incident in Chapter 2 of LotR, where Gandalf catches Sam evesdropping:

Gandalf crept to one side of the window. Then with a dart he sprang to the sill, and thrust a long arm out and downwards. There was a squawk, and up came Sam Gamgee’s curly head hauled by one ear.

‘Well, well, bless my beard!’ said Gandalf.

But as I say, I think your answer fits my question even better. I can't think how I missed it myself — goodness, setting a question is almost harder than answering it!

A bell that's reddening with embarrassment at the shoddy question it's just presided over, makes its way quickly over to the obviously more capable hands of pyan.

 

[Pyan]

Thanks, pd - though whether they're "more capable is questionable...

Middle-earth seems to contain mainly money-free societies - but I can think of at least three mentions of coinage. Can you?

(quotes needed, for obvious reasons...)

 

[Hilarious Joke]

FWIW, I actually really liked your question, pdurrant, and everyone's answers!

 

[pdurrant]

Thanks, pd - though whether they're "more capable is questionable...

Middle-earth seems to contain mainly money-free societies - but I can think of at least three mentions of coinage. Can you?

(quotes needed, for obvious reasons...)

1. The "pots full of gold coins" in the trolls' lair. The Hobbit
2. When Bilbo climbs a tree in Mirkwood, and tells the Dwarves of the butterflies "They did not care tuppence about the butterflies". The Hobbit
3. "Bilbo gave a few pennies away" after the fireworks were unloaded. Chapter 1, The Lord of the Rings
4. A "penny-piece" is mentioned as something that wasn't given away as a present at Bilbo's 111st birthday. Book 1, Chapter 1, The Lord of the Rings
5. Bill Ferny asked for "twelve silver pennies" for his pony, and Barliman gave Merry "another eighteen pence" for the loss of the other ponies. Book 1, Chapter 11, The Lord of the Rings.
6. In Appendix A.II of The Lord of the Rings, Fram "would not yield them a penny"
7. A small bag that "held a few coins of little worth" thrown at Nár by Azog, after the death of Thrór, in the Appendix A.III of The Lord of The Rings.

There may well be more. And there are certainly lots of references to money which don't specifically identify that money as coinage. I don't think the societies in Middle-Earth are money-free. I think it just isn't mentioned very much in the books.

 

[Pyan]

I knew I should have asked for six examples...

Well done, pd, and here's a bell made of recyled Sindarin celeb-pieces...and, of course, it's your turn...

 

[pdurrant]

I knew I should have asked for six examples...

Well done, pd, and here's a bell made of recyled Sindarin celeb-pieces...and, of course, it's your turn...

OK, here's a question that's just on the six books of The Lord of the Rings — I'm not even going to include the appendicies.

There aren't many female individuals in LotR, and those that appear are usually named. Unnamed females tend to only appear as part of a group, e.g. "the women and the children and the old".

There's at least one female who is not given a name, but does appear as an individual character. Please give a quote where she is mentioned.

Bonus points for finding more than one female who meets the criteria.

 

[Grimward]

Ignoring prologues, appendices and all other such things not properly labeled as chapters, I think there are a few. Here's one for now, and I will add more as/if I find them....

'Nay, cousin! they are not boys,' said Ioreth to her kinswoman from Imloth Melui, who stood beside her. 'Those are Perian.....

and

But Ioreth was not permitted to continue the instruction of her kinswoman from the country, for a single trumpet rang, and a dead silence followed.

The Return of the King, Book Six, Chapter V, The Steward and the King