board77

I thought it would be fun to have a general trivia thread about Tolkien's Middle-earth related works - including The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, and The History of Middle-earth.

Whoever gets the right answer posts the next question. If you are sure your answer is correct, you may post a new question without awaiting confirmation.

First q: Who ordered thrice-forged spears from the Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain but never picked them up?

This is not a question about Britney, right?

Er, no ...



It's from The Hobbit. I'll let this q stew a bit and then maybe try an easier one.

Ooo, a trivia game, that most honorable form of

Quote:

were made for the armies of the great King Bladorthin (long since dead), each had a thrice-forged head and their shafts were inlaid with cunning gold, but they were never delivered or paid for;

That's from The Hobbit, Inside Information, found fair and square in the book and should be sufficient to answer the question.

But I got to wondering, who the heck was King Bladorthin and if he was so great why didn't he pick up his merchandise? The name didn't come up in the Appendixes. The Lord of Dale at the time of Smaug's attack was Lord Girion, and Tolkien mentions most of significant Elf Lords by name.

Not having time or brain for research, I resorted to Google, and found this very interesting bit of conjecture here http://www.tolkienwiki.org/wiki.cgi?FAQ ... Bladorthin

The author's conclusion is that Bladorthin must have been one of the Lords of Easterlings, who tried to resist Sauron's dominion in the East but was defeated before he could muster his armies. That is pure speculation, but I rather like it.

Next question:
When Gimli asks for Galadriel's hair

Tolkien wrote:

The Elves stirred and murmured with astonishment, and Celeborn gazed at the Dwarf in wonder,

What was so astonishing about this request?

Feanor had tried the same chat up line but had got the brush off?

Indeed. Ask the next question, Tosh.

OK, I tried this on TORC and instead of answering it, it was counted out. Can B77 do better?

When Frodo and Sam awoke on the Field of Cormallen their clothes and even the orc gear were to be preserved. What colour were the garments that Frodo wore on the way to Mordor? Guesses need to be backed up by evidence.

OK, I'll give this a try. I know Frodo had a black cloak and helmet with the Red Eye painted on it. I think the clothes underneath were described as being made of leather and the pelt of an unknown beast - so those would probably be black too or brown. (Unless the unknown beast was a Polar Bear. )

No I don't mean the orc gear. What he wore up to the cave of Cirith Ungol.

Apart from the grey Elf-cloak I can't find any references to the color of Frodo's clothes. The only thing I can find is that the Mouth of Sauron brought them out - along with the other tokens - wrapped in black cloth, but the cloth is separate from the clothes.

Can we get a hint please or a new question?

Thanks!

OK, he was given the garments.

Tough one Tosh! Frodo was given something to wear in Rivendell...garments of green cloth...is that it?

Frodo did get garments of green cloth in Rivendell, which he wore to the feast, but when they set out on the quest he had on his "old weather-stained breeches, tunic, and jacket."

Hoom.

Hmmm...I'm stumped then.

Btw, thanks for starting this fisssh. I used to participate on the TORC trivia threads and I always had a fun time. Let's just hope the questions don't get too hard.

"It was hard to say what colour they were: grey with the hue of twilight under the trees they seemed to be; and yet if they were moved, or set in another light, they were green as shadowed leaves, or brown as fallow fields by night, dusk-silver as water under the stars. Each cloak was fastened about the neck with a brooch like a green leaf veined with silver."

Hmm, well it does say the Elves brought them "clothes":

Quote:

The Elves next unwrapped and gave to each of the Company the clothes they had brought. For each they had provided a hood and cloak, made according to his size ...

But I'm pretty sure "clothes" here just refers to the hood and cloak, not entire outfits (trousers, jackets, etc.) so I don't think that's what we're looking for either.

Joint honours with Eru and fissh I think. I was indeed thinking of the green garment given in Rivendell but missed the passage about him reverting to his older clothes. So you lot are sharper eyed than me!
It's one thing making questions hard it's another when the poser gets them wrong himself!

Hey, that's ok. It was a good question. Tricksy hobbits and their elaborate wardrobes!

I think Eruname should ask the next question since she got the intended answer.

Alright then. An easy one hopefully:

What are the two winter flowers that bloom in Lothlorien?

The yellow elanor and the pale niphredil.

I'm confident enough of that that I'll go ahead a post a new one. Hopefully, someone else won't answer the question while I type this.

Who did Tevildo, Prince of Cats, evolve into in Tolkien's legendarium?