The Hobbit and the deeper mythology - Page 2

barrelrider110 · 10-19-2009, 10:36 PM

"From that the talk turned to the great hoard itself and to the things that Thorin and Balin remembered. They wondered if they were still lying there unharmed in the hall below: the spears that 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; "

Bladorthin was the name Tolkien was to have given Gandalf; except when you pronounced it -- it sounds like "bladder-thin," hardly fitting for a wizard.

Fool_of_a_Took · 10-22-2009, 12:02 PM

is this a mistake made by tolkein? We know that Gandalf had about a dozen names, yet why would he be described as "the great King...long since dead"?

...and Bladder-thin hardly sounds like a name suitable for a wizard, especially one as bad a** as gandalf

barrelrider110 · 10-22-2009, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fool_of_a_Took

is this a mistake made by tolkein? We know that Gandalf had about a dozen names, yet why would he be described as "the great King...long since dead"?

...and Bladder-thin hardly sounds like a name suitable for a wizard, especially one as bad a** as gandalf

You misunderstood Foolofatook. Tolkien decided against using the name for Gandalf precisely for the reasons you so elequently articulated. He apparently liked the name, so he recycled it.

10-19-2009, 10:36 PM	#21
barrelrider110 Peer of the realm of Sanguine Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: The Hill, Marlton, NJ Posts: 798	"From that the talk turned to the great hoard itself and to the things that Thorin and Balin remembered. They wondered if they were still lying there unharmed in the hall below: the spears that 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; " Bladorthin was the name Tolkien was to have given Gandalf; except when you pronounced it -- it sounds like "bladder-thin," hardly fitting for a wizard. __________________ “"I am the friend of bears and the guest of eagles. I am Ringwinner and Luckwearer; and I am Barrel-rider," Fear Complacency! ___________________ Something under the bed is drooling

10-22-2009, 12:02 PM	#22
Fool_of_a_Took Hobbit Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Hobbiton, New Jersey Posts: 35	is this a mistake made by tolkein? We know that Gandalf had about a dozen names, yet why would he be described as "the great King...long since dead"? ...and Bladder-thin hardly sounds like a name suitable for a wizard, especially one as bad a** as gandalf __________________ "Fool of a Took! Throw yourself down next time, rid us of your nuisance!" "We're flat broke, but hey, we do it in style."