Man behind the Mythology - Page 11 - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Beren87 · 09-10-2004, 01:00 AM

Hmm.. you've slightly stumped me.

The poem was given to his secretary, Joy Hill, in 1966 as a present. (There's a story around it, about a silver bracelet). So that's the first part, but I'm not sure about the second. The poem was put to music by Donald Swann, for the "The Road Goes Ever On and On 2nd collection" set. (which I own.

) Then it was illustrated as a poster later on. I'm not sure either of those answers are what you're looking for, though. Here's hoping someone has a better memory than me.

Child of the 7th Age · 09-11-2004, 10:08 PM

Beren,

You've basically got it... She found the poem between the pages of a book in Tolkien's house. He had forgotten it was there.

Just one comment .....the posters actually came before the Swann revisions. The posters were published in 1974 and the revised Swann later than that.

Glad to see you again lately.... You were close enough and the floor is yours.

~Child

Beren87 · 09-12-2004, 12:47 PM

Ah, must be age, my memory goes with it.

Sorry about that.

Who pointed out the relation between Tolkien's Ring and the Nibelungenlied?

Estelyn Telcontar · 09-12-2004, 12:55 PM

Ake Ohlmarks did so in his introduction to the Swedish translation of LotR; Tolkien wrote in reply to his publisher (Letter 229):

Quote:

Both rings were round, and there the resemblance ceases.

I also find his closing remark very amusing, after he corrects the many wrong "facts" contained in that introduction:

Quote:

Why should I be made an object of fiction while still alive?

Beren87 · 09-12-2004, 01:00 PM

Esty get is, and even the funny bit for bonus points.

Estelyn Telcontar · 09-12-2004, 01:23 PM

Who recommended to Stanley Unwin that he publish Leaf by Niggle?

Tuor of Gondolin · 09-16-2004, 10:06 PM

I'll guess.

Susan Dagnall?

Estelyn Telcontar · 09-17-2004, 01:14 AM

Sorry - nice guess, but wrong. Try again!

Fordim Hedgethistle · 10-10-2004, 05:54 PM

Bumping this in the hopes that we might get another hint. But as I recently read a thread begun by none other than our beloved Esty in which she laments 'nothing' posts, I will give this some content and take a guess at the answer to the current poser:

Mrs Unwin?

Estelyn Telcontar · 10-11-2004, 12:17 AM

Sometimes wild guesses come very close, Fordim! It was a member of the family, though not Unwin's wife...

Fordim Hedgethistle · 10-11-2004, 05:59 AM

His son? His daughter? His estranged uncle who lived in the attic? The cat?

Estelyn Telcontar · 10-11-2004, 06:14 AM

Son is correct, Fordim - but not Rayner, who is well-known to us as his father's "assistent" for judging children's books. I'd like a name, please; hint - it can be found in the index to the Letters...

Fordim Hedgethistle · 10-11-2004, 07:30 AM

David!

In the notes for letter #98 we find out that Sir Stanley's elder son David wrote children's stories under the name David Severn and that he had read LbN in The Dublin Review and suggested it be published in 1945.

I find this so interesting! I had always assumed that any thought of publishing LbN would have been post-Lotr.

Estelyn Telcontar · 10-11-2004, 10:38 AM

You got it, Fordim! Yes, that is an interesting bit of trivia, isn't it?! Now you get to find something equally interesting...

Fordim Hedgethistle · 10-11-2004, 02:42 PM

Piet Harting and the Professor ate what Fear Factor-type of food together?

Estelyn Telcontar · 10-13-2004, 03:41 PM

That was "Maggot Soup" - a mushroom soup named after Farmer Maggot, of course. The Dutch hosts didn't know 'all the names of the English vermins', which caused some hilarity. (Letter 206)

Fordim Hedgethistle · 10-13-2004, 03:45 PM

Oh, "of course", is it? "Of Course"! -- too easy, obviously. Next time, Esty I'm going to come up with such a poser, you will never get it. . .

. . .although I suppose that does defeat the purpose somewhat. And I am going to have to get one of my own first, I suppose. . .

You are, OF COURSE, entirely correct.

Estelyn Telcontar · 10-13-2004, 03:49 PM

The "of course" referred only to the source of the soup's name! Grammar, my dear Fordim, grammar and context! Now for a new question:

The intended and planned sequel to one of Tolkien's stories was not written because the war (WWII) destroyed the countryside. Which story was that?

Estelyn Telcontar · 10-23-2004, 02:47 AM

Ten days are up - does anyone want to give it a try, or shall I post a new one?

Tevildo · 11-17-2004, 10:27 AM

Could you possibly give us a hint where to look?

Estelyn Telcontar · 11-17-2004, 03:15 PM

I found the reference in Carpenter's biography of Tolkien; to narrow it down, it's in the chapter "The Storyteller".

Tuor of Gondolin · 11-17-2004, 04:55 PM

Was it Farmer Giles?

Estelyn Telcontar · 11-18-2004, 07:14 AM

Good for you, Tuor - you got it! Let me give the complete quote from the biography, chapter "The Storyteller":

Quote:

Farmer Giles did not attract much notice at the time of its publication, and it was not until the success of The Lord of the Rings had reflected upon the sales of Tolkien's other books that it reached a wide public. At one time Tolkien considered writing a sequel to it, and he sketched the plot in some detail; it was to concern Giles's son George Worming and a page-boy named Suet, as well as re-introducing Chrysophylax the dragon, and it was to be set in the same countryside as its predecessor. But by 1945 the war had scarred the Oxfordshire landscape that Tolkien lovd so much, and he wrote to his publishers: 'The sequel (to Farmer Giles) is plotted but unwritten, and likely to remain so. The heart has gone out of the Little Kingdom, and the woods and plains are aerodromes and bomb-practice targets.'

Now it's your turn!

Tuor of Gondolin · 11-18-2004, 09:09 AM

Woo-hoo!

Okay. In what specific way did JRRT indicate a contempt for nazi anti-semitism?

Bêthberry · 12-01-2004, 01:36 PM

Are you referring to Tolkien's response to a request concerning a German translation of The Hobbit?

The company Rütten & Loening of Potsdam had written to Allen & Unwin asking if Tolkien was aryan. Letters 29 and 30 recount this situation. Tolkien personally would have refused to give any declaration but thought he should consider his publisher's wishes. Thus, he sent Allen & Unwin two versions of a reply. It appears that Allen & Unwin choose to send the letter where Tolkien refused to make any declaration.

The letters are from July 1938.

The Squatter of Amon Rûdh · 12-01-2004, 04:34 PM

In which the most significant passage on anti-semitism is this one:

Quote:

I regret that I am not clear as to what you intend by arisch. I am not of Aryan extraction: that is Indo-iranian; as far as I am aware none of my ancestors spoke Hindustani, Persian, Gypsy or any related dialects. But if I am to understand that you are enquiring whether I am of Jewish origin, I can only reply that I regret that I appear to have no ancestors of that gifted people... the main part of my descent is... purely English... I have been accustomed, nonetheless, to regard my German name with pride, and continued to do so throughout the period of the late regrettable war... I cannot, however, forbear to comment that if impertinent and irrelevant inquiries of this sort are to become the rule in matters of literature, then the time is not far distant when a German name will no longer be a source of of pride.

(Letter #30)

There are also several personal attacks on Hitler, of which this is the longest:

Quote:

There is a great deal more force (and truth) than ignorant people imagine in the 'Germanic' ideal. I was much attracted by it as an undergraduate (when Hitler was, I suppose, dabbling in paint and had not heard of it)... I suppose I know better than most what is the truth about this 'Nordic' nonsense. Anyway I have in this war a burning private grudge... against that ruddy little ignoramus Adolf Hitler [for]... Ruining, perverting, misapplying, and making for ever accursed, that noble northern spirit, a supreme contribution to Europe, which I have ever loved, and tried to present in its true light.

(Letter #45)

Tuor of Gondolin · 12-01-2004, 06:15 PM

Both correct. But Bethberry was first, so it looks like it's BBs turn.

Bêthberry · 12-03-2004, 01:04 PM

Thank you Tuor of Gondolin and welcome back Squatter (not to be confused with an old American tv show.)

Here's one for the season: What was Tolkien's earliest recollection of Christmas?

Fordim Hedgethistle · 12-03-2004, 01:05 PM

Oo, oo, I think I know this one -- didn't he remember having a variety of South African evergreen as a Christmas tree??

Bêthberry · 12-03-2004, 01:22 PM

You've clearly forgotten about the wildebeest with the pomegranate nose, Fordim. And the sparkly spider decorations for the tree.

Any one else?

Estelyn Telcontar · 12-03-2004, 01:40 PM

I found a direct statement in Letter 56:

Quote:

My earliest recollection of Christmas is of a blazing hot day.

Bêthberry · 12-03-2004, 01:47 PM

Amazing how chat clears up a few stray possibilities.

And written in a letter to Christopher, who was in South Africa at the time. Ironies!

And now Estelyn, I believe you have some work to do...

Estelyn Telcontar · 12-03-2004, 01:52 PM

Who was the U.Q.?

Bêthberry · 12-03-2004, 01:55 PM

The "Utter Quack" I believe. A local doctor who Tolkien once said delighted in foretelling fatal illnesses. A nickname used by the Inklings.

And, more precisely, R.E. Harvard, who was both Lewis' and Tolkien's doctor.

Estelyn Telcontar · 12-03-2004, 02:16 PM

Close, Bb, very close - "Quack" is correct, and the real name is "Havard", which is close enough to count, but what was the "U."?

Bêthberry · 12-03-2004, 02:27 PM

Oh, right. "Useless" rather than "utter".

Estelyn Telcontar · 12-03-2004, 02:30 PM

That's it! Now you get to hunt for a new one...

Bêthberry · 12-03-2004, 04:45 PM

How did Tolkien once describe an American accent? And what came of the incident?

**The Saucepan Man** · 12-03-2004, 07:13 PM

Quote:

I found myself in a carriage occupied by an R.A.F. officer ... and a very nice young American Officer, New Englander ... After I told him that his 'accent' sounded to me like English after being wiped over with a dirty sponge, and generally suggested (falsely) to an English observer that, together with American slouch, it indicated a slovenly and ill-disciplined people - well, we got on quite friendly. We had some bad coffee in the refreshment room at Snow Hill, and parted.

Letter #58

Well, I have to admit that he had a point.

Fordim Hedgethistle · 12-03-2004, 07:32 PM

Foul! I cry Foul! (Possibly even Havoc. . .where are my dogs of war?)

This very letter and topic was recently discussed over in the Cellar Door thread.

Harumph, I say - Harumph.

(I woulda got this one, too *sulks*)

09-11-2004, 10:08 PM	#402
Child of the 7th Age Spirit of the Lonely Star Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 5,133	Beren, You've basically got it... She found the poem between the pages of a book in Tolkien's house. He had forgotten it was there. Just one comment .....the posters actually came before the Swann revisions. The posters were published in 1974 and the revised Swann later than that. Glad to see you again lately.... You were close enough and the floor is yours. ~Child __________________ Multitasking women are never too busy to vote.

09-12-2004, 01:23 PM	#406
Estelyn Telcontar Princess of Skwerlz Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles) Posts: 7,500	Who recommended to Stanley Unwin that he publish Leaf by Niggle? __________________ 'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...'

09-16-2004, 10:06 PM	#407
Tuor of Gondolin Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Pennsylvania, WtR, passed Sarn Gebir: Above the rapids (1239 miles) BtR, passed Black Rider Stopping Place (31 miles) Posts: 1,548	I'll guess. Susan Dagnall? __________________ Aure Entuluva! Last edited by Tuor of Gondolin; 09-16-2004 at 10:10 PM.

09-17-2004, 01:14 AM	#408
Estelyn Telcontar Princess of Skwerlz Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles) Posts: 7,500	Sorry - nice guess, but wrong. Try again! __________________ 'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...'

10-10-2004, 05:54 PM	#409
Fordim Hedgethistle Gibbering Gibbet Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Beyond cloud nine Posts: 1,844	Bumping this in the hopes that we might get another hint. But as I recently read a thread begun by none other than our beloved Esty in which she laments 'nothing' posts, I will give this some content and take a guess at the answer to the current poser: Mrs Unwin? __________________ Scribbling scrabbling.

09-10-2004, 01:00 AM	#401
Beren87 Master of the Secret Fire Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Between fire and ice, death and life Posts: 2,241	Hmm.. you've slightly stumped me. The poem was given to his secretary, Joy Hill, in 1966 as a present. (There's a story around it, about a silver bracelet). So that's the first part, but I'm not sure about the second. The poem was put to music by Donald Swann, for the "The Road Goes Ever On and On 2nd collection" set. (which I own. ) Then it was illustrated as a poster later on. I'm not sure either of those answers are what you're looking for, though. Here's hoping someone has a better memory than me.

09-12-2004, 12:47 PM	#403
Beren87 Master of the Secret Fire Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Between fire and ice, death and life Posts: 2,241	Ah, must be age, my memory goes with it. Sorry about that. Who pointed out the relation between Tolkien's Ring and the Nibelungenlied?

09-12-2004, 01:00 PM	#405
Beren87 Master of the Secret Fire Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Between fire and ice, death and life Posts: 2,241	Esty get is, and even the funny bit for bonus points.

10-11-2004, 12:17 AM	#410
Estelyn Telcontar Princess of Skwerlz Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles) Posts: 7,500	Sometimes wild guesses come very close, Fordim! It was a member of the family, though not Unwin's wife... __________________ 'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...'

10-11-2004, 05:59 AM	#411
Fordim Hedgethistle Gibbering Gibbet Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Beyond cloud nine Posts: 1,844	His son? His daughter? His estranged uncle who lived in the attic? The cat? __________________ Scribbling scrabbling.

10-11-2004, 06:14 AM	#412
Estelyn Telcontar Princess of Skwerlz Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles) Posts: 7,500	Son is correct, Fordim - but not Rayner, who is well-known to us as his father's "assistent" for judging children's books. I'd like a name, please; hint - it can be found in the index to the Letters... __________________ 'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...'

10-11-2004, 07:30 AM	#413
Fordim Hedgethistle Gibbering Gibbet Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Beyond cloud nine Posts: 1,844	David! In the notes for letter #98 we find out that Sir Stanley's elder son David wrote children's stories under the name David Severn and that he had read LbN in The Dublin Review and suggested it be published in 1945. I find this so interesting! I had always assumed that any thought of publishing LbN would have been post-Lotr. __________________ Scribbling scrabbling.

10-11-2004, 10:38 AM	#414
Estelyn Telcontar Princess of Skwerlz Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles) Posts: 7,500	You got it, Fordim! Yes, that is an interesting bit of trivia, isn't it?! Now you get to find something equally interesting... __________________ 'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...'

10-11-2004, 02:42 PM	#415
Fordim Hedgethistle Gibbering Gibbet Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Beyond cloud nine Posts: 1,844	Piet Harting and the Professor ate what Fear Factor-type of food together? __________________ Scribbling scrabbling.

10-13-2004, 03:41 PM	#416
Estelyn Telcontar Princess of Skwerlz Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles) Posts: 7,500	That was "Maggot Soup" - a mushroom soup named after Farmer Maggot, of course. The Dutch hosts didn't know 'all the names of the English vermins', which caused some hilarity. (Letter 206) __________________ 'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...'

10-13-2004, 03:45 PM	#417
Fordim Hedgethistle Gibbering Gibbet Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Beyond cloud nine Posts: 1,844	Oh, "of course", is it? "Of Course"! -- too easy, obviously. Next time, Esty I'm going to come up with such a poser, you will never get it. . . . . .although I suppose that does defeat the purpose somewhat. And I am going to have to get one of my own first, I suppose. . . You are, OF COURSE, entirely correct. __________________ Scribbling scrabbling.

10-13-2004, 03:49 PM	#418
Estelyn Telcontar Princess of Skwerlz Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles) Posts: 7,500	The "of course" referred only to the source of the soup's name! Grammar, my dear Fordim, grammar and context! Now for a new question: The intended and planned sequel to one of Tolkien's stories was not written because the war (WWII) destroyed the countryside. Which story was that? __________________ 'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...'

10-23-2004, 02:47 AM	#419
Estelyn Telcontar Princess of Skwerlz Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles) Posts: 7,500	Ten days are up - does anyone want to give it a try, or shall I post a new one? __________________ 'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...'

11-17-2004, 10:27 AM	#420
Tevildo Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Curled up on Melko's lap Posts: 425	Could you possibly give us a hint where to look? __________________ Now Tevildo was a mighty cat--the mightiest of all--and possessed of an evil spirit,...and he was in Melko's constant following; and that cat had all cats subject to him, and he and his subjects were the chasers and getters of meat for Melko's table.

11-17-2004, 03:15 PM	#421
Estelyn Telcontar Princess of Skwerlz Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles) Posts: 7,500	I found the reference in Carpenter's biography of Tolkien; to narrow it down, it's in the chapter "The Storyteller". __________________ 'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...'

11-17-2004, 04:55 PM	#422
Tuor of Gondolin Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Pennsylvania, WtR, passed Sarn Gebir: Above the rapids (1239 miles) BtR, passed Black Rider Stopping Place (31 miles) Posts: 1,548	Was it Farmer Giles? __________________ Aure Entuluva!

11-18-2004, 09:09 AM	#424
Tuor of Gondolin Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Pennsylvania, WtR, passed Sarn Gebir: Above the rapids (1239 miles) BtR, passed Black Rider Stopping Place (31 miles) Posts: 1,548	Woo-hoo! Okay. In what specific way did JRRT indicate a contempt for nazi anti-semitism? __________________ Aure Entuluva!

12-01-2004, 01:36 PM	#425
Bêthberry Cryptic Aura Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 5,996	Are you referring to Tolkien's response to a request concerning a German translation of The Hobbit? The company Rütten & Loening of Potsdam had written to Allen & Unwin asking if Tolkien was aryan. Letters 29 and 30 recount this situation. Tolkien personally would have refused to give any declaration but thought he should consider his publisher's wishes. Thus, he sent Allen & Unwin two versions of a reply. It appears that Allen & Unwin choose to send the letter where Tolkien refused to make any declaration. The letters are from July 1938. __________________ I’ll sing his roots off. I’ll sing a wind up and blow leaf and branch away.

12-01-2004, 06:15 PM	#427
Tuor of Gondolin Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Pennsylvania, WtR, passed Sarn Gebir: Above the rapids (1239 miles) BtR, passed Black Rider Stopping Place (31 miles) Posts: 1,548	Both correct. But Bethberry was first, so it looks like it's BBs turn. __________________ Aure Entuluva!

12-03-2004, 01:04 PM	#428
Bêthberry Cryptic Aura Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 5,996	Thank you Tuor of Gondolin and welcome back Squatter (not to be confused with an old American tv show.) Here's one for the season: What was Tolkien's earliest recollection of Christmas? __________________ I’ll sing his roots off. I’ll sing a wind up and blow leaf and branch away.

12-03-2004, 01:05 PM	#429
Fordim Hedgethistle Gibbering Gibbet Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Beyond cloud nine Posts: 1,844	Oo, oo, I think I know this one -- didn't he remember having a variety of South African evergreen as a Christmas tree?? __________________ Scribbling scrabbling.

12-03-2004, 01:22 PM	#430
Bêthberry Cryptic Aura Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 5,996	Dickens in Bloemfontein You've clearly forgotten about the wildebeest with the pomegranate nose, Fordim. And the sparkly spider decorations for the tree. Any one else? __________________ I’ll sing his roots off. I’ll sing a wind up and blow leaf and branch away.

12-03-2004, 01:47 PM	#432
Bêthberry Cryptic Aura Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 5,996	Amazing how chat clears up a few stray possibilities. And written in a letter to Christopher, who was in South Africa at the time. Ironies! And now Estelyn, I believe you have some work to do... __________________ I’ll sing his roots off. I’ll sing a wind up and blow leaf and branch away.

12-03-2004, 01:52 PM	#433
Estelyn Telcontar Princess of Skwerlz Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles) Posts: 7,500	Who was the U.Q.? __________________ 'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...'

12-03-2004, 01:55 PM	#434
Bêthberry Cryptic Aura Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 5,996	The "Utter Quack" I believe. A local doctor who Tolkien once said delighted in foretelling fatal illnesses. A nickname used by the Inklings. And, more precisely, R.E. Harvard, who was both Lewis' and Tolkien's doctor. __________________ I’ll sing his roots off. I’ll sing a wind up and blow leaf and branch away. Last edited by Bêthberry; 12-03-2004 at 02:13 PM.

12-03-2004, 02:16 PM	#435
Estelyn Telcontar Princess of Skwerlz Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles) Posts: 7,500	Close, Bb, very close - "Quack" is correct, and the real name is "Havard", which is close enough to count, but what was the "U."? __________________ 'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...'

12-03-2004, 02:27 PM	#436
Bêthberry Cryptic Aura Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 5,996	Oh, right. "Useless" rather than "utter". __________________ I’ll sing his roots off. I’ll sing a wind up and blow leaf and branch away.

12-03-2004, 02:30 PM	#437
Estelyn Telcontar Princess of Skwerlz Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles) Posts: 7,500	That's it! Now you get to hunt for a new one... __________________ 'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...'

12-03-2004, 04:45 PM	#438
Bêthberry Cryptic Aura Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 5,996	How did Tolkien once describe an American accent? And what came of the incident? __________________ I’ll sing his roots off. I’ll sing a wind up and blow leaf and branch away.

12-03-2004, 07:32 PM	#440
Fordim Hedgethistle Gibbering Gibbet Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Beyond cloud nine Posts: 1,844	Foul! I cry Foul! (Possibly even Havoc. . .where are my dogs of war?) This very letter and topic was recently discussed over in the Cellar Door thread. Harumph, I say - Harumph. (I woulda got this one, too sulks) __________________ Scribbling scrabbling.